#showing up at my house lmao . not that my neighbors know or would care but like . it just looms over my head .

[aliensmoothie]

well . i WAS going to go to sleep . but now i think maybe that is going to be delayed .

[gamerwoo]

Hyunjin: Age-Restricted (Part Two)

Characters: Hyunjin x female reader (ft the other skz members but minus jisung)

Genre/warnings: nanny!reader, boy next door/neighbor!hyunjin, virgin!reader,  very bold and flirty!hyunjin and painfully shy!reader, fluff, some humor, mentions of poop (i mean reader’s a nanny, this is a given), it reader gets a lil turned on in some parts but nothing happens, implied that reader is tall (again, only one of the few times i mention reader’s appearance), reader has anxiety and second guesses herself a lot lmao, minors dni!!!

Word count: 6,116

Summary: You think it’s luck when the new family you nanny for is so stupid rich that they rent you a fancy new apartment just so you can live closer to them. You think it’s luck when the guy across the hall is the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen in your entire life and makes an effort to talk to you. But that’s just about where your luck runs out, because Hyunjin is more out of your league than you could ever imagine, and you’re just some hopeless virgin who never had good luck in the first place.

tag list: @hyuneyeon @ack-aashi [be added to the taglist by filling out this form!]

permanent tag list (italics are unable to tag): @minluvly @awkwardnesshabitat @woozarts @septicrebel @4kwp @thepencilkorner​ @shmooooo @bubblelixie @byunhoebaek @dejavernon @ahandfulofkeys @slut-for-dabi

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You marched up the stairs of the house, knowing exactly where Seojoon was hiding. This kid was so easy, it almost seemed stupid that his parents would pay you as much as they were on top of paying for your apartment. Then again, they asked you to clean up the house when you could, so that was another task that made up for how much you made.

“Jesus, how big is this house?!” Minho gasped from your phone that you were holding at face-level. 

“Move your fat head, I wanna see,” Seungmin demanded before shoving the older boy’s head out of the way and poking his own head into frame.

“How can you even tell?” you asked. “I’ve just been showing my face.”

“I can see the background.”

“Hardly.”

“Yeah, because you’ve got a fat head, too,” Seungmin quipped with a wide grin like he was oh-so proud of himself.

You sharply shushed him, “I don’t need Seojoon picking that up and calling his parents fat heads when they get home.”

You walked down the hall, knowing exactly where you were going. Spending three weeks with the kid, you figured he’d at least keep you on your toes a little. A toddler would be more exciting, right? But not Seojoon – not that he was boring. But Seojoon had his patterns and he stuck to them. It made taking care of him easy, at least. And he liked you because you always seemed to know exactly what he wanted and when.

Finally, you made it to Seojoon’s room. You pushed open his door that was already left cracked, the light turned on. You held a finger to your lips, telling your friends to be quiet on the video call as a smile broke onto your face slowly. You got down on your knees by his bed and carefully wrapped your fingers around the bottom of his sheets that hung over his bed. And then you ripped them up, letting out a yell.

Seojoon, who hid underneath the bed, began squealing and giggling.

“C’mon, bud,” you told him after he’d calmed down, “let me check your butt.”

“That’s a sentence I’d be scared to hear,” Minho mumbled.

“Who’s that?” Seojoon asked.

“My friends,” you replied. “They missed me.”

“No, you’re my friend,” he corrected with a giggle.

You feigned a pout, “What, I don’t have any other friends?”

“No!” he continued to giggle at the same time your two friends deadpanned, “No.”

“Alright, enough from the peanut gallery,” you decided before ending your call with your friends. You turned your attention fully to Seojoon. “Did you go potty in your pull-ups?”

“Nope!” he grinned proudly.

You narrowed your eyes, “Are you sure?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Can I check?”

“...Noooo…”

You let out a sigh, “Yeah, that’s what I thought. C’mon, let’s change you.”

-

At least you were settling into habit. You were getting used to coming home to your new apartment, and becoming familiar with the people you’d occasionally pass in the lobby or on your floor – you especially liked the nice freckled boy who typically worked the front desk during the nights. The first time he’d seen you coming home from work, he stopped you.

“You’re new, aren’t you?” he asked with a deep voice that took you by surprise considering how young and…fluffy he looked. “I know pretty much everyone in the building.”

You nodded, “I’m in room 805.”

“Oh, the nanny!” he grinned, and you thought the way his face lit up was cute. “Yeah, that couple showed up to put down the first few months' rent, and they told us it was for their nanny. We kept making fun of them for how boujee they sounded. You’re kinda popular with the bellboys now.”

You couldn’t help but let out a laugh, “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. You also got a pretty nice room – some good neighbors up there.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Well, I’m Felix if you ever need anything. I usually work nights, though, so don’t need anything during the day. Jerry sucks.”

Jerry did, in fact, suck, you learned quickly. You tried to greet him the morning after meeting Felix, only to be met with a grumble as he continued to stare down at his desk.

“_____!” Felix greeted you with a warm smile when you entered the lobby. “How was work?”

You made a face, holding up the garbage bag you held in your hand that only contained one thing: your sweatshirt. His eyebrows furrowed as he cocked his head to one side like a confused puppy, not understanding why you had a garbage bag in your hand with seemingly nothing in it.

“Blowout,” you stated.

“What?” he asked.

“A one-year-old shit so much it came out of his diaper and his clothes.”

His eyes widened as he let out a gasp, “What?”

“But I didn’t wear a shirt under my hoodie, so I had to text his mom and ask to borrow something from her closet,” you continued, annoyance in your tone. You weren’t necessarily mad at Hajoon – he was literally one, it wasn’t his fault – just at the situation. “Unfortunately, she only buys like, Gucci and shit, so.”

“That’s a bad thing?” he questioned.

“I cannot explain to you the anxiety I feel wearing her expensive clothing, like I could ruin it at any minute and get fired.”

He chuckled, “Well, lucky for you, we have in-house dry cleaning. Send it down when you get changed and I’ll have Jeongin get on it.”

“Thanks, Lix,” you sighed as you made your way to the elevator, praying that you would be the only one in it all the way up to the eighth floor.

-

“Okay,” you whisper to yourself before taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out.

Gucci shirt was being dry cleaned, you were out of your leggings that may or may not have also gotten poop on them – but what were you going to do, ask to borrow Mrs. Park’s pants, too? – and your makeup was taken off for the night. Now you just had to figure out what to do with your sweatshirt. Should you try to salvage it or should you throw it out?

Well, you’d already lost one sweatshirt to a blowout before, and you really didn’t want to lose another. Plus, this one was one of your cozier ones, so if you could wash the poop out, then you’d prefer that route than just tossing it. So you took your trash bag that you’d left by the door, and you opened the door to go to the laundry room.

Except there was something – or rather, someone – in front of your door with their fist up, ready to knock.

“Oh!” you both said in surprise at the same time.

“Sorry, _____” Hyunjin’s startled expression melted into a smile. His eyes drifted down to the white bag that you held in your fist, and his nose crinkled for a moment. “Taking out trash? Not a lot.”

“Uhhhhhh, yeah,” you decided to say, figuring trying to explain you were going to throw your poopy sweatshirt in the wash was not only going to make you seem disgusting, but was also not something that sounded great. How did you explain to someone that you got human feces on your clothes? 

Especially when you had a crush on them and wanted them to like you back.

Hyunjin stayed true to his word about being your friend. While you were too shy and intimidated to say anything to him at first, he always went out of his way to at least say hi when he saw you passing him by in the hall, or wish you a good day when he saw you leaving the lobby, or hold the door if he saw you going for the elevator he was in. And so you slowly started saying hi to him first, but that was really where your ‘friendship’ – if that – ended. So him knocking on your door was something that hadn’t happened since you moved in.

But at least you were getting more comfortable around him. Progress was progress, you supposed -- or at least, that’s what Chan always told you.

“So, what’s up?” you asked him.

“So, um…” he began slowly, eyebrows furrowing together but looking like he wanted to laugh at himself, “this might be a weird request, but like… Okay, you’ve colored your hair before, right?”

“Like, did it myself or just in general?”

“Yourself.”

“A couple times,” you shrugged. “It wasn’t good because I can’t see the back of my head, but, yeah.”

“No, that’s fine!” he said quickly as if he thought you’d change your mind. “I was just wondering if you’d maybe help me with bleaching my hair…?”

You had to reply quickly or he’d think you were weird, so you didn’t have the time to sit there and wonder why he would ask you and not literally anyone else. He had to have friends he could ask. Hell, you’d sooner call up Chan and have him drive his ass to your apartment to kill a spider than walk across the hall and whine to Hyunjin.

But also, who were you to question a perfectly good opportunity to not only be around Hyunjin and talk to him, but actually physically interact with him. Running your fingers through his hair? Yes please.

You shrugged and offered up a smile, trying to seem like you weren’t bubbling with nerves, “Yeah, sure!”

“Cool, we can do it at my place if you want,” he offered, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb to his door he’d left slightly ajar. “I don’t want bleach getting on any of your stuff.”

Could Hyunjin hear your heart slamming against your chest? He was inviting you into his apartment? The last time you were alone with a boy that you had a crush on was when you still lived at home and went to your sister’s house for a cookout and you and one of her friends had to sit in the living room together because both of you were waiting for the bathroom. And you didn’t say a word to him, you just pretended to be on your phone the whole time. S to say you were nervous now was an understatement.

“Yeah, let me just…” you trailed off, realizing you didn’t actually know what to do with the sweatshirt, so you just kind of tossed it by the door before stepping out into the hall with Hyunjin.

“Smooth,” he chuckled before he led you across the hall to his apartment. 

You figured his place would be almost exactly like yours, but you quickly realized it was so much nicer. Everything was a perfect stark white that was a beautiful contrast to the jet black accents, which was similar to your apartment. However, his had an upstairs, the loft of which hung over part of the kitchen/living area. He had large art pieces hanging on the walls, making it seem like some rich big shot lived there — which he may have been for all you knew. 

“C’mon, we can use the bathroom upstairs,” he told you, leading you around the corner to the staircase. 

“You have an upstairs bathroom…?” you asked quietly, mostly to yourself as you followed him up the steps. 

“The apartments on the left side are a little more…more,” he explained, turning his head to talk to you over his shoulder.

“Oh…” was all you replied with.

Reaching the top of the stairs, he completely turned to you, continuing to walk backwards toward the destination, “I don’t really need this much space since it’s just me, but I have a lot of stuff, y’know? Plus, I felt like I had more freedom to decorate this like I wanted. I wanted it to feel more like…me, I guess.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” you shrugged. “I like my apartment, but it does seem kind of plain right now. I couldn’t take a lot of my stuff when I moved out of my mom’s because I had three other roommates in an apartment made for only three people, so when I moved here, I couldn’t really decorate a ton.”

He frowned slightly, “Why not go get your stuff from your mom’s?”

“I’d rather not,” you stated, making a slightly sour face.

Hyunjin chuckled with a nod, “Yeah, I feel that.”

Then he turned back around just in time to push open a door ahead of him at the end of the hall. 

Inside, the scent hit you and smelled intoxicating and expensive. It was warm and spicy but still smelled clean and fresh with a hint of vanilla. There was a large bed with silk black bedding, even more artwork, a t-shirt or two laying on the carpeted floor, and two large mirrors — a standing one opposite the bed, and one on the ceiling hanging above it. There was a dresser on either side of the room as well, that faced the bed. You assumed it was Hyunjin’s room. But you didn’t get to look around much because he walked by the end of the bed to another door on the same wall and opened that one. 

Through this door was a large bathroom that had a separate bathtub from the shower. It was a large clawfoot tub, with a spacious shower taking up the entire back of the bathroom, blocked off by frosted glass. His counter where the sink was took up most of the length of the wall, with the mirror being equally as big. 

“Your bathroom is massive,” you commented, hearing your own voice echo back to you.

He chuckled, “Yeah, I guess so. If you ever wanna come over to use it, just let me know.”

You definitely saw him toss you a wink over his shoulder, but for some reason, you chalked it up to some kind of twitch. Some of the dads you’d met had a weird habit of winking a couple times when they spoke to you, so maybe he was the same. Maybe it was just a…man thing. But still, you weren’t sure how to respond, even if it wasn’t intended as suggestive as your brain made it out to be, feeling your cheeks heat up a bit. You wanted to say something while he opened the plastic bag that sat on the counter, beginning to read the directions of how to mix the bleach, but everything you came up with was either boring, stupid, or just had absolutely nothing to do with anything.

“Do you know how to do this?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed as he looked over the large, unfolded piece of paper.

“Is it a 1:1 ratio or 1:2?” you asked, looking in his direction instead of pretending to continue to admire the bathroom.

“Uhhh…” he trailed off, seemingly unsure. Then he passed the paper to you. “I’ve never done this, I’ve always had it done.”

You took the paper and scanned it over. Ratio, processing time, yada-yada. Then you looked back over at Hyunjin, your eyes flickering to the counter and then back at him, “Do you have gloves?”

“Yup.”

Then your eyes drifted down toward his shirt, taking note of the grey Off White brand t-shirt he was wearing, eyebrows pulling together as you narrowed your eyes, looking back up at his face, “What about a shirt you don’t care about?”

Hyunjin looked down at his shirt, holding out the hem and taking a moment to look it over before looking back up at you, “What’s wrong with this?”

You opened your mouth, wanting to ask him if he was crazy. You wanted to ask him how goddamn rich he was that he’d bleach a shirt that was over $300. But instead you closed your mouth, not wanting to upset him when this was the first time you were hanging out with him.

“Nothing,” you told him. “How did you wanna do this…?”

He shrugged, “You can reach.”

“It’s still more convenient if you’re sitting and I can see your entire head.”

“I can kneel,” he said almost happily.

And before you could tell him how uncomfortable that would get, Hyunjin got down on both knees in front of you, resting on the plush bath mat that rested in front of the counter. He looked up at you, blinking with a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips, and wide, innocent eyes.

But you wondered if he knew how badly your face heated up and how your heart thumped in your chest because he was on his knees and so close to your literal crotch that it made you want to pass out. Because as you felt yourself internally panicking, you were pretty sure Hyunjin’s smile was growing, reaching his eyes until they turned into crescent moons.

“Th-that’ll be like, really uncomfortable,” you told him, trying to keep your casual composure even though you wanted to explode. Your eyes were looking anywhere but down at him, because you just simply couldn’t hold eye contact with that man. But thankfully, it gave you an idea since your eyes were wandering and landed on the clawfoot tub. “You can sit in front of the tub on the floor, and I’ll sit on the edge.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a better idea,” he agreed with a smile that seemed…strange. It was like he already thought of it and was waiting for you to say something.

‘You’re going insane,’ you told yourself. ‘Fucking relax, idiot.’

Hyunjin stood and walked over to the tub, while you began mixing the bleach. He sat down on the edge, and you could feel his stare piercing your back – or maybe you were imagining it, you weren’t sure. Maybe it was just wishful thinking.

Yup, definitely wishful thinking. Because when you turned back around, he was typing on his phone, dark hair hiding his face like a curtain.

But you also might’ve seen him look down at his phone at the right second.

Or you were gaslighting yourself into thinking you saw that because you wanted him to be staring.

‘Can you stop and get on with this already? He’s gonna think you’re crazy.’

“Ready?” you asked him to get his attention.

His head snapped up as he smiled, “Yup!”

You sat down on the edge of the tub, and Hyunjin sat down in front of your legs, back toward you. He immediately settled back against your knees, but this still wasn’t as convenient as you would’ve liked.

“Um,” you shifted your legs apart, “could you move back a little?”

“‘Course,” he replied, wiggling until he had moved back and was now sitting against the tub instead.

You prayed he couldn’t hear how hard your heart was beating in your chest at the way he intimately sat. Hell, you were praying that you didn’t like, smell funny or something. Of course, your brain always came up with the dumbest things to be self-conscious about, so you tried to push those thoughts to the back of your head and tried to focus on bleaching Hyunjin’s hair.

First, you combed through his hair with your fingers, wanting to get most of the possible tangles out. You heard Hyunjin hum softly, and your movements stuttered as you tried to not lose your shit. You felt tingling between your legs just at a fucking noise this dude made, and you were internally scolding yourself while also trying to get yourself to just fucking relax.

‘It’s just a hum. It wasn’t anything like, erotic. Chill, bitch.’

“This might be cold,” you warned as you got ready to put the bleach on his head.

All he did was hum in reply, but this hum was different, you told yourself. But it was true. This one was way more casual, and the other sounded relaxed and content, like maybe he liked the feeling of you playing with his hair…

‘Oh my god, stop it.’

You applied bleach to his dark hair for about a moment in silence, trying to steady your breathing and simply focus on just not melting the hair off of his head – though, maybe he’d look good bald…or like an egg.

“What kind of music do you listen to?” he wondered suddenly, and you could see over his shoulder that he was scrolling through Spotify on his phone. “I can play some music.”

“You pick,” you told him, eyes going back to your hands. “I’ll listen to anything.”

He sighed, and had he been facing you, you would’ve seen him roll his brown eyes, “Oh come on, every girl says that but they really won’t. There’s definitely things you don’t like.”

“Okay, um… Not a big classical fan, and I could never get on board with heavy metal.”

“Country?”

“Grew up with it, so I like the old stuff – except that one song. Fuck, it’s called uh… It’s by that Luke Bryan guy.”

“Ah, I know the one.”

“But don’t play it,” you told him before, for some god-forsaken reason, deciding to admit, “I will throw it back.”

Hyunjin let out a loud laugh, leaning forward away from you to turn around and look at you, “Seriously?”

You nodded, laughing along with him, “It’s just one of those songs. One of my old roommates used to get me drunk and then play it really loud in the kitchen. We got a lot of noise complaints.”

“Sounds worth it,” he was still chuckling as he went back to his original position. “So no Country Girl, got it. How do we feel about a throwback playlist?”

You shrugged, going back to work on his hair, “Sounds good.”

-

It didn’t take you too terribly long to coat his entire head in bleach. Then you put a cap on it and told him to sit for no more than 30 minutes.

“I’ll probably need some help toning it,” he said as he washed out the bowl and brush you used for bleach. “You mind sticking around?”

You shrugged, “I’ve got no plans tonight.”

He turned to look at you, placing the bowl and brush on the counter and flashing you a smile, “Well, now you do. Wanna start a movie or something?”

“What kind of movie?”

“You can pick whatever your heart desires.”

So you picked the movie. It was one you’d already seen already, and you were sure there were no scenes in it that would make anything awkward. But the problem was the sitting situation. You didn’t want to sit all the way on the other end of his couch because that seemed kind of rude. But you didn’t want to sit too close and be creepy. So you eventually just plopped down very un-gracefully about an arms length away from him, grabbing a throw pillow to hug tightly to your midsection before leaning back into the couch.

Thankfully, you were able to get absorbed into the movie mostly. It took a few minutes, but your mind eventually shut off and stopped worrying, and your thoughts were focused on the movie. It was a nice rest of not being hyper aware of only Hyunjin.

Well, until he shifted. He moved to cross one leg over the other, and threw his right arm across the back of the couch, his hand landing by your head.

Back to being hyper aware of only Hyunjin.

You tried not to make it too obvious that you were trying to steal a glance at him, but when you did finally turn your head ever so slightly to look at him, he was facing toward the TV, eyes focused – as far as you could tell, anyway. Maybe he was bored, you didn’t know.

Suddenly, Hyunjin turned his head ever so slightly to the right, side-eyeing you without changing his expression. You quickly averted your gaze, finding the TV in a split second, praying and hoping he didn’t notice you staring.

But what you didn’t notice was him silently smiling to himself and looking back at the TV.

-

You wondered if Hyunjin knew how to do anything. He asked you to bleach his hair, which was fine. But then he asked you to rinse the bleach out for him in the sink. Maybe he didn’t want to go lock himself in the bathroom to shower, leaving you alone in his apartment. But still, why couldn’t he just rinse it out himself in the sink?

Still, you did it. You weren’t complaining, you were just fighting the nerves and anxiety and butterflies. 

Then you had to help him tone his hair, and again, rinse it. Then he asked you to grab his conditioner, so you conditioned Hyunjin’s bleached-blonde hair. You were pretty sure creepy men on TV shows when you were younger used to fantasize about being able to wash and condition pretty girls’ hair, so hey, you were living somebody’s dream. That was a win.

Hyunjin’s neck was still bent over the sink as he towel-dried his hair, scrunching it to get the water before messing it up with the towel. 

“I hope you think it looks okay,” you let out a small, nervous laugh.

“Eh, it’ll look fine,” he said as he moved the towel to toss his head backwards, moving his hair from his eyes. “Can’t look worse than it has before.”

“What was the worst?” you wondered, still watching him from his right side as you both stood at the bathroom counter.

He continued to scrunch the ends of his hair, trying to get all of the water droplets that were falling, looking in the mirror at himself and his hair rather than at you, “I tried to go bright red and missed a big patch of roots at the back of my head.”

Your eyebrows furrowed as you paused, trying to make sense of his story, “...But I thought you’d never dyed your hair before.”

That was when he finally looked at you, a smile on his lips that you’d give to your slow friend who finally got the joke and you wanted to pat them on the shoulder and make them feel like they weren’t stupid.

“I lied,” he admitted.

And that was when your heart dropped, but in a way you didn’t really expect. Because your mind immediately went to, ‘he’s a murderer!’

He must’ve seen the way your eyes widened – you really needed to learn how to control your facial expressions – and the way you eyed him, because he let out a laugh that sounded like your new favorite sound in the world. It just sounded so…happy and amused. Like, happier than you’d heard him sound before – not that you’ve really heard him actually laugh much.

“No, it’s nothing bad,” he explained. “I just– How else am I supposed to get a pretty girl to come to my apartment and play with my hair?”

You wanted to combust – maybe you were going to. Your face was rapidly heating up, and you weren’t really sure what your expression was doing but you were biting back a smile unsuccessfully, deciding to simply hide your face in both hands. You could hear Hyunjin laughing the same way he had just a moment ago, and then you felt warmth on your shoulders, his hands placed on them as he dipped his head to try and see some part of your burning face.

“Aw, don’t be so shy, _____!” he teased “I told you I think you’re pretty so now you’re going to hide from me? That’s not fair!”

You whined into your hands, the noise coming out muffled but still making Hyunjin continue that beautiful laugh as he smoothed your hair back that had fallen in front of your hands that still covered your face. 

“You’re...really...bold…” you said very un-boldly into your hands.

“Only because I’m pretty sure I know where you stand with me,” he chuckled.

Another loud whine that only made Hyunjin wrap his arms around you, holding you to him. God, you wanted to die then and there. Did he not realize this was making your butterflies worse?

“How?!”

He shrugged, “I’ve gotten pretty good at reading people over the years.”

“‘Over the years’? You’re talking like you’re some old man; you’re like, my age!”

You felt him move slightly away from you, keeping one arm around your waist while the one that rubbed your back moved away. You felt him trying to get between your arms and your chin to put his hand there, trying to guide your head up.

“Will you look at me already?” he asked in a murmur, his playful tone now so soft and almost gravely. It was a contrast, that was for sure, and it made you feel…a lot.

What made you feel even more was how he looked at you. His brown eyes bore into yours, faces inches apart. You could almost feel his breath fanning against your lips as you stared back and tried to control yourself internally. But you knew what was coming, and you knew what would happen after that.

As much as you wanted Hyunjin to kiss you like you were pretty sure he was going to, you knew what always happened. You knew it would be a lot – not just for you, but probably him – and that it would be very, very embarrassing. You also knew that it would probably effectively scare Hyunjin away, which you didn’t want.

But you also couldn’t find it in yourself to say no. You’d never been good at doing that, always wanting to be a people pleaser. You were never one to stick up for yourself or much of anything, really. So when Hyunjin leaned in ever so slightly, eyes flicking to your lips and then back to your eyes, you just tried to tell yourself to relax and absolutely not panic. But with the anxiety warming the pit of your stomach, and the way your hands trembled against his shoulders, you already knew that it was going to be a rough start, anyway.

Buzz.

A soft vibration against your thigh made you jump, but it didn’t seem to phase Hyunjin at all. He continued to hold your chin gently in his hand, keeping your gaze locked.

Buzz.

Someone was definitely calling you.

Hyunjin broke into a smirk, “You might want to get that.”

He dropped his hand and went back to drying his hair like nothing had happened, leaving you frozen for a second as you stared at the space Hyunjin used to be in front of you. You tried to get your heart to calm down and the feeling in your stomach to subside. But you also probably looked like a moron still just standing there, so you finally slid a hand into the pocket of your biker shorts to retrieve your phone.

Chan.

“Hey,” you answered the phone in a breath.

“Hey, I– Are you okay?” he asked. “You sound stressed.”

You glanced at Hyunjin, but he either couldn’t actually hear your friend on the phone, or he wasn’t showing that he could.

“I-I’m okay,” you replied, though you were not. You still felt nervous and shaky, like you’d just gotten off of a rollercoaster. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to play some Smash with me,” he said cheerily. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to really talk to you and I miss you.”

“Um, y-yeah, we can play. Just let me finish something real quick and I’ll call you back.”

“Awesome, I’ll see you in a bit!”

You hung up and put your phone back in your pocket.

“Roommates?” he guessed.

He definitely could hear.

“Yea–” you paused, thinking of something suddenly. “How did you know I’m not with someone? That could’ve been my boyfriend for all you know.”

He playfully rolled his eyes before turning to face you, “Well, if my girlfriend stared at some guy the entire time they were watching a movie, I’d be pretty pissed.”

Well, that effectively shut you up. All you could do was stand there and look at him, then down at the ground, then at the open bathroom door.

You looked back at Hyunjin and announced very bluntly but still quietly, “I have to go.”

“I figured,” he chuckled with a nod. “I’ll walk you out.”

So he did. He walked you all the way to the front door of your apartment, waiting for you to unlock the door. And then you turned back to face him, only to see him leaning against your doorframe with a casual smirk on his face that made that frenzy begin inside you again.

You wanted him to kiss you so bad, but you didn’t want to deal with the consequences or the aftermath.

“So will you actually reach out to me this time?” he asked, quirking a brow.

‘Well now that I know you think I’m pretty, maybe I will.’

“Maybe I will,” you smirked right back at him.

“I’ll hold you to that,” he winked before backing up. “Have fun with your friend.”

“Goodnight, Hyunjin.”

“Goodnight, _____.”

You closed the door and let yourself settle on cloud 9 for a moment. The hot neighbor thought you were pretty and openly hit on you. You might just have a shot despite what you thought.

‘But,’ you reminded yourself, ‘just because he thinks you’re pretty doesn’t mean he wants anything more than sex.’

Which was the harsh reality of ‘dating’ as an adult. Sex was nothing to a lot of people. Sex was something you did just once with someone or even on the first date with someone you were interested in being with. And it wasn’t that sex really meant much to you, it was just…you weren’t comfortable with it yet. And you were scared of having to explain that to Hyunjin because what if that was all he wanted? What if he thought you were a baby for still being a virgin? What if this, what if that? 

Your phone vibrating in your pocket pulled you from your panic.

Christopher 🦘🧡: Reminder that we’re playing together

Christopher 🦘🧡: I assume you’re still easily forgetful lol

You were. Some things just unfortunately never change, and your memory was one of two things that you were feeling hopeless about changing anytime soon.

-

“You seriously bleached your hair?” Changbin sighed. “Why?”

Hyunjin shrugged, holding his phone at an angle so his friend could see him on their video call. He was honestly wishing he didn’t even answer Changbin’s call since he clearly was judging his choices, but he needed to tell someone about how he was feeling, and Changbin was basically his only friend, “I needed an excuse to have _____ hang out with me, and she seems too shy to go for me outright asking her to watch a movie randomly or something.”

“Is that the girl who moved in across the hall?” Changbin asked before shaking his head and closing his eyes. “Seriously dude, what’s gotten into you? You hardly know this girl and you’re bleaching your hair just to talk to her.”

Hyunjin’s cheeks were beginning to turn pink as he narrowed his eyes at his phone, “Alright, hear me out, okay?”

“‘She’s different, I can sense it’, I know. You’ve said it like, 15 times since you’ve met her.”

“Well it’s true! And you know I’ve never been wrong about my reads on people.”

Even though he knew the younger man was right, Changbin still sighed again, rolling his eyes, “Just because she hardly speaks to you doesn’t mean she’s ‘different’.”

“Well she clearly doesn’t know who I am, and she’s also just so… I don’t know, she’s not really like what I’m used to. She keeps to herself, she’s not bold or outright – I like it. So sue me for trying to pursue this.”

What, was he just supposed to ignore the cute, shy girl across the hall when he could try to, at the very least, make another friend that wasn’t the bellhops who worked nights?

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t go after her if you want to, I’m just saying it seems like a lot to fry your hair over a girl you’ve hardly spoken to the last month.”

“Well, jokes on you, because I made a move,” Hyunjin sang, sticking his tongue out at his friend, “and she liked it. So we’ll be talking a lot more…I hope…”

Changbin chuckled, “I am happy for you, man. Let me know how things go.”

“You’re always the first to know.”

[nellielsss]

ᴜᴘᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ: ᴀ ʟɪꜱᴛ

𐦍༘⋆ ݁A/n: Sooo... I've been in a brainstorming mood (ever since I graduated high school and had more time to think), and I have a few upcoming fics that I'm thinking about doing. I've also REALLY been thirsting over Toji like yes that is my man!! I will indeed be standing beside him. Anyway!! Here's some of my ideas in order of which one's I'm most likely to write.

Heartbreaker songfic!: one of my personal favorite Mariah Carey songs, it's such a sweet and fun bubblegum (with a mix of R&B) song to listen to! Basically in this songfic, the reader's just playing a bunch of characters and stringing them along LMAO. I felt like turning the tables on the men & making them pine instead.

Blow songfic: basically just headcanons on how the men give head. Whether it be pussy-eating, dick-sucking or ass-eating, these men are down for anything, and this details how they get down (in my opinion).

Meeting the Zen'in Clan: a Toji-centered fic, this details meeting the Zen'in Clan and how (poorly) it turns out. Basically, Toji has a grandmother who tried to care for him during his time with the clan, and she's fallen ill, so he wants to see her one last time at a banquet. Naoya, the little shit he is, somehow gathered details about reader and outs her as a trans woman in front of everyone at the table. You can guess how it goes from there!

Marriage Eyes: headcanon + mini-fic on how the guys look at you when they know they wanna lock you in.

Touch My Body songfic: a forbidden romance featuring Toji, Satoru & Nanami!

Too Much Sex: the guys love you(r holes), but it's beginning to be a little too much for you. How would they react when you instate a sex ban on them?

Beautiful Liar songfic: you're on a date with a guy, and it all goes to shit when you run into the girl they're seeing on the side. Two-timing is not your thing, so you decide to ditch him with the most attractive man you see at the bar!

Stay The Night songfic: short little drabble where you don't wanna see your man go, so you opt to have a sleepover on the spot.

The Boy Is Mine songfic: how would the guys react when the girl they've been seeing ultimately ends up being the only girl who's not murdered?

Baddest Chick Wearing Their Chain: the guys wonder how you'd look wearing their initials/name around your neck.

Honey songfic: what's one way to show your partner some love? By dripping it all over 'em, of course! (if you catch my drift)

Fashion Week: the guys start dating a model, and they get a firsthand look at the fashion biz. He wonders if the stereotype about models being catty holds up...

Gym Pics: short and sweet, self-explanatory.

Fighting a Cat?!: cats can be a pain in the ass if they don't like you, so when they finally get invited over to their girlfriends' house, the guys are at a loss when their sweet angel's sweet angel isn't exactly a sweet angel to them in private.

Hey, Neighbor!: Wisteria Lane (Desperate Housewives ref. hehe) wasn't a place where they expected to meet fine young women, but the guys could at least hope, right? So when the answer to their prayers moves in down the street, they're more than eager to go after what they've been waiting for.

Up Out My Face songfic: they know they've messed up badly, and they also know that their girlfriends have suitors lined up just waiting to take their places. So, how are they gonna go about getting them back before it's too late?

ᡣ𐭩 If you couldn't tell, I really like listening to music. Some of these might take a while (like the Zen'in Clan fic), so bear with me (ó﹏ò｡) but trust, I'll get to each of these eventually!! I also might update 'em as time goes on, just to make sure that the writing's all cohesive and makes sense.

© ʙʀᴜɴᴇᴛᴛᴇ-ʙɪᴛᴄʜ77 on tumblr - get your own shit bitches | ca. 6/8/2024

[h-eefic]

Would you possibly give us the cliffnotes for what the plan was for the rest of this fic? I've been following early on (like 2015??), it really truly has an important space in my heart. I even have it saved offline in case there was ever a time where it would be removed!! Even if it will never be finished, I still like to re-read it, maladaptive daydream about it, etc. I'd love to know where it would have gone in the end!! Or if you would release any drafts or whatever have you!!

I will write down what I remember! I think I've lost any outlines we had but:

Yes, Alistair was the shitty neighbor the entire time. It was so silly, we were obsessed with it.

After Liv leaves his hospital room, she spends days locked in her house, triggered bc of her parents and just generally shut down.

When she opens her door and sees Alistair standing there, she basically blue screens because he's a) real b) extremely good-looking and c) he's her what? I don't remember much about what comes next but I know they spend a few hours hashing things out, talking, putting together all the context of their friendship (discussing everyone they have in common, lmao).

Liv goes back to running away from her problems, tells him she's had all of her fears about being with him confirmed for her.

Ultimately, he talks her into giving him a chance to at least take her on a date. She walks him to her front door and he asks if he can kiss her. They do, and he's very convincing. :)

They spend a few days(?) flirting through windows at each other. For their date, he sets up a scavenger hunt for her to find the location for the date? And it was going to be so cute, he has her go to Andrastea to find a clue to the next location, which is Druffy's, and so on and so forth, he leaves clues at the places he's recommended to her. The final date I think was going to be at the beach. Liv ultimately realizes that she'd rather be with him and risk losing him than be alone and dreaming of police lights forever. It gets steamy. :)

After that, I mostly remember the two of them doing a tour around to all their friends and giving the update that they're a thing. Happy endings abound!

There was going to be an epilogue where they go on a road trip with Cullen and Lua, and we planned to commission different artists to make polaroids of them having a good time. Thedas Space Program 4 lyfe.

We really were at the finish line, and I'm so sad we didn't get to tell the rest of it. I have some small things like playlists, previously unposted sketches, and snippets that I'll leave in this Google Doc if you still want more. Emrys may have files I don't, so I welcome her to share them if she wants to.

I also welcome anyone who wants to play in the space to go buck wild, and if you do I would love to see them if you message me @bucket-fucker. I'm replaying Liv's canon as we speak, and I hope to write her again, I still had much more to say!

Thank you all for showing interest in my lil OC. And thank you for still caring. It's been a blast, and I appreciate you all.

-A.

[theneighborhoodwatch]

not to theorize hard bc im new here, but sparking off the wally & autism coding ask, what ive gleaned from all the info on how like. wally had to be taught what a joke is, doesn't understand hugs, doesnt say piss words - other than he's an audience surrogate as you said - i feel like is driving home the theme of being & growing up heavily sheltered. It comes through in the overall setting of the story being a children's show, Wally as the main character of the show is required to have a static, codependent relationship to Home for the sake of episodic material, also the benefits gained off ignorance by the person housing you (in this case, its entirely the show runners, but a real life parallel would be like an abusive parent).

The show's narrative necessitates his ignorance of simple concepts, even as an adult character, because the show requires it of him as a protagonist in order to keep writing material. There's a lot to be said just on becoming aware of that alone in the context of the ARG, but stepping back from it and thinking in relation to the real world, that's terrifying. It would be an indescribable horror to realize your entire existence has been catered to fit the narrative of someone who was supposedly taking care of you, which like. we're seeing the ramifications of that in the prologue already. It screams metaphor pretty much out the gate, I feel like. Admittedly, I'm also self projecting with this take on it by a LONG mile, lmao. not discoursing btw; while i do feel that the overall presented themes should inform the intent of the material, it's genuinely interesting to see the differing reads people have based off their life experiences. I also enjoy your analysis on WH, its all good food.

addendum i feel like i should add that my ask was all more a response to the idea of infantilization and child coding, not refuting that the characters have autism that would be buckwild

(context)

oh, no worries, i didn't take it that way at all! i actually agree with a lot of what you wrote, or at least i think it's very plausible in terms of Overarching Themes and Metaphors. i don't even think its mutually exclusive with the aforementioned experiences with one's own neurodiversity - i've written about that briefly before; it's part of what i mean when i say things like "cosmic horror coming of age" (meta horror coming of age, as well?)

i will say, though, i don't think it's exclusive to wally. as it's been said before, every neighbor is the nebulous age of Adult, even if some seem to be considered more mature than others even in-universe - but i think they each have some degree of immaturity about them, in their own way. their environment doesn’t seem to give them much room or encouragement to grow, for obvious reasons. something something status quo is god, something something their existence seems to be both sustained and limited by human interference, in all its imperfection and susceptibility to bias (particularly in the context of 60s-70s usamerican culture.) it's just that based on what we know so far, wally seems to exhibit this the most.

[robo-dino-puppies]

I'm so tired ughhhhh for the past whatever months basically everyone who I've ever helped out with petsitting decided to take vacations one after the other so I've been running around doing that, and although I do love (most 😅) of the pets it's really not my favorite to stay at other people's houses. all my stuff is at home :( so that's exhausting.

I'll put some good things first:

-saw some snakes finally! I haven't seen as many this year as I used to. this one wanted to be a square I guess?

-SMOL CRAB

-took care of a friend's cat and he is an AFFECTION MACHINE so that was sweet (Sophie is not very affectionate. I mean she can be, but only in her own way, and because of that I really truly appreciate when she shows me any scrap of kindness lmao. but I miss having a cat that wants to just hang out with me…)

-despite being all over the place I have managed to play dragon age thank u gaming laptop - I'll do another post for that :D

cut for the less fun stuff~

some annoying/angry-making things that just all added up:

-phone had a spicy pillow battery situation, luckily nothing exploded or caught on fire (tho it got SUPER FUCKING HOT - thankfully I had a backup phone of the same model bc I'm not ready to give up my headphone jack)

-but when I transferred all my shit, an app I use for my job got cranky and I have no idea why! I've switched phones before and it's been fine! and this is the exact same model!

-the weather (hot)

-tendon in my elbow got mad when walking a new-to-me dog that likes to pull

-elderly neighbor had a health situation that I was the first one to discover (she's fine but. it was stressful)

-there are a lot of small flying bugs swarming everywhere. I keep walking into them

-elderly neighbor nearly fell multiple times when I was on a walk with her and her dog and I had to dive to catch her so she wouldn't faceplant

-which made muscles on one side of my back and the opposite shoulder very angry

-inevitably: swallowed a bug

-I walked a mild-mannered dog I'm familiar with but when some unleashed (friendly-looking) dogs approached her she started FLIPPING THE FUCK OUT snarling, lunging, barking (while my muscles were still sore from elderly neighbor incident)

-owner was like "oh I thought I told you. yeah she's started reacting aggressively to random dogs sometimes" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ OK THAT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT

-🤬

-also angry at people who let their dogs off leash in public areas

-people who don't pick up their dogs' shit

-… people

-there were guests of that dog's owners staying at her house so I had to coordinate by text every time I went to walk her and… I know this is like. a dumb first-world social anxiety problem but. it was just exhausting. they were nice and it was fine but two weeks of texting strangers multiple times a day was just ONE MORE THING

-said dog apparently stole a bunch of muffins from them so while on a walk with me she had diarrhea. to put it... mildly. (she's a golden and has plenty of butt-fur) fun!

-allergies

-headaches

like. can i not be so tired anymore. that would be nice.

[thecluelessdoctor]

H… Hanabee SAS au? 🥺🥺🥺🥺

(Lmao im sorry if the SAS asks are annoying 😭)

:OOO their not annoying at all anon!! Actually no asks are annoying lol.

ANYWAY

She would definitely not understand it as first like- would not compute. 'a... kids show????' she would take it a bit literally and then go searching for actual children because.. shes not all that bright.

After she realizes what they meant she just kinda- stops working I suppose. I mean, everything had felt like they really happened!! Liek- everything with her family, her friends.. it was all a lie?? She definitely has a bit of a identity crisis, but it's soon resolved when she finds a new reason to keep pushing forward. everyone is always so stressed anymore, so, even if they don't want her help, she'll try and make them feel better. Or at least tear them away from their work (the number of times she would grab frank and lift him over her head laughing like a mad man is insane..)

Of course, that doesn't mean she doesn't mess up! Although the burden of her world not even being real doesn't effect her as much as some, she still definitely messes up. She tends to accidentally mention what her and the other neighbors have talked about to Wally, mostly because shes just trying to understand it, ending up in her being punished.

She's probably the second most punished out of everyone in all honesty. She's definitely gotten alot clumsier lmao, so she joins in on Sally's lessons. Though she doesn't like the fact Sally tends to yell at them, spefically Eddie. She's naturally protective, so she might get a little bit protective over Eddie when she does :')

Homes favorite punishment for her was to tear off her wings. But after a while, she just.. gave up on trying to have them fixed all the time. It was extremely painful when they were torn off, so she just.. stopped letting Poppy fix her. Poppy just patched up the holes on her back.

Anytime Wally asks what happened to her wings, she'll (try) and keep a calm exterior and say 'just a little accident, that's all. You know how I am!' and then.. move on. And Wally believes her. Why wouldn't he, his friends wouldn't lie!

Due to her being Howdys cousin (at least that's what she knows..) she trys to take care of him. She doesn't exactly know how to stop Howdy from drinking, aside from force which she's learned isn't the best way, so instead she just.. takes care of him when he's passed out, or deathly drunk. If it's during the day, she'll try and run the shop to the best of her abilitys (she isn't the best to say the least)

She also avoids it when the neighbors collab to try and sleep.. normally to the point we have Mr 'coping very well with my problems' dragging her out of the storage room. Although howdy doesn't even have any fake memories of her, she's the closest thing to family he has.

She tends to avoid the sleepovers not just due to nightmares or night terrors, but she can always feel the stare of that house on her, even more so during the night..

So, like you might think, even when everyone else is finally asleep, she's still awake, looking out the window to Wally's home, waiting for it to stir towards them..

She might be a bit more stressed, but she's still the silly (a little dumb) Hanabee we know

SAS AU belongs to @anonymous-paperbag

[paranormeow7]

Sooooo ive been wanting to Write smthn abt my oc Gavin and his backstory bc he makes me SO INSANE. This has been in the works for maybe like 2 weeks and ITS FINALLY DONE SO Without further ado, here’s this lmao (this is my first time tryin 2 do smthn like this, any critiques r very welcome!!)

CATSKIN

an oc story. by meeee :3

tw: parental abuse, detailed depictions of gore, disturbing imagery, death, animal harm, substance abuse, vomiting, possible dermatillomania trigger, religious trauma, etc

disclaimer!! Part of this story takes place in a fictionalized, static version of the 1950s-60s where racism/transphobia/etc don’t really exist/exist as they do now. Putting that there to clear up any confusion. I swear there’s a worldbuilding reason for this I’m not just doing it to get away with having a trans MC in a story set in the past i prommy-

word count: WHO KNOWS but its kinda long lol strap in

What would you do if you found out everything you thought about how the world worked was was wrong? Would you freak out and retreat back to your comfort zone? Or would you take it as an opportunity to escape, no matter how much pain it caused you?

A sunny April afternoon in a cookie-cutter American suburb. Rows of houses, some with trash cans kicked over, or dented/nonexistent mailboxes. Egg stains on the brightly colored vinyl siding. Lousy teenagers.

The house on the back end of Maple Street, in the sleepy old town of Lockroot, Who-The-Fuck-Cares America was a tiny yellow shack with a beat-up blue roof and dark stains running down the siding. Behind that wooden door with its chipped, blood-red paint, a calendar on the wall read April 14th, 1956.

The buzzing fluorescent kitchen lights shone down on an eleven year old child with wavy brown hair and sunken black eyes. It reminded him of divine light, but there was no god waiting for him that day. All the lights did was accentuate the frown painted across his pallid face. His mother sat across him at the table, looking livid, as per usual. She was always mad at something.

“Chie, do you appreciate all that I do for you?” He stared at the dusty white lucky cat on the shelf, its eyes vacantly staring into space, golden coin growing dull, a painted grin upon its wooden face.

Mocking him.

He always hated cats.

“Yes, Mother.”

She stared him down, her perfectly ironed poodle skirt and white blouse a betrayal of her anger. God, please just let me leave. Let this go fast today. “Are you sure, Chie? Because last I recall, attempting to go into the forest that I specifically told you not to visit wasn’t the way to show it.”

He suddenly became hyperaware of the dirt on his knees. The forest was on the edge of town, blocked off by a barbed wire fence. No one thought about it. It was like it didn’t exist.

“Do you want us to look like a family of ruffians with no self control? Do you want to disgrace our name? Does that sound like fun to you?”

The child shrank back in his cracked leather chair, suddenly finding a great degree of interest in his scuffed brown shoes. He’d gotten them for 3 dollars at a neighbors garage sale, the very same sale they’d gotten the chairs at.

“Rich of you, calling us a family since Father’s gone.”

The child knew he’d made a mistake the moment the words came out of him. He didn’t even know why he’d said anything to begin with. Me and my big mouth. However, what was said could not be taken back. He would just have to live with it.

The color immediately drained from his mother’s hollow, freckled cheeks. Her eyes narrowed into piercing blue slits. “What… did you… just… say to me…?”

Her son braced himself, making himself small, preparing for what he knew was soon to come.

“What did you just FUCKING say to me? You ungrateful little RAT?”

The cold, bony hand came at him like so many before, grabbing him by the hair, yanking him up. His scalp felt like it was on fire, his long brown hair coming out in chunks. pleasestopimsorryiloveyoumommy. After this, he’d chop it all off in front of the spiderweb cracks of his bathroom mirror.

“I do EVERYTHING for this family! I buy your food, your clothes, I send you to school, I brought you into this world!”

Thank you, Mother.

“What have you EVER done for me? NOTHING. ZIP. All you ever do is take from me. Youre just like your no good, mangy dog of a father.”

He thought back to the family portrait that had stood on the mantel of the house, until around 4 years ago, when his dear Father up and sped off in that shiny red Mustang convertible. God, how the child had loved that car.

Afterwards, Mother had taken all the photos of him and burned them in their backyard with the trash. He suspected she wanted him to forget what he looked like. Well, too bad, since in the bottom of his junk drawer, he’d saved the family photo, from their mantel. Aiko. His fathers name was Aiko Nakamura.

At seven, he failed to notice the wild look in his eyes, and how much he tended to glance at the fenced-off woods. But at eleven, it was all he could think of as he nursed his brand new shiner and stared at the cracks in his bedroom ceiling. He knew he’d seen a shape in the darkness that day. It almost looked like a matted, skeletal gray cat. Smiling at him. Just like the lucky cat in the kitchen.

Father got out. He knows the secrets of the woods. Of a life beyond this. Maybe one day I will too.

7 years later, the child, now called Gavin, opened his eyes to that very same ceiling, covered in posters for horror flicks, stolen from the newly opened theatre. No matter, he liked the old drive-in more anyways. His mother was always threatening to take them down and throw them out, but she knew that even if she tried, he’d always bring home more anyways. At any rate, she wasn’t home right now. He rolled out of bed, taking a moment to stare at the autumn leaves outside his window. Orange was always his favorite color, but he didn’t have a time to linger. The phone was ringing.

He wandered out to the living room, picking up the shiny red rotary telephone. “もしもし, Nakamura household.” His mother never answered the phone with this greeting, but his father had taught it to him as a child, and he liked it. “Gavin, babe! Hows tricks?” He could hear the smile on the other end. “Hi, Valley.” His face lit up along with hers. They had started dating almost a year ago. “That doesn’t answer my question, but its no matter, you can answer it in around 10 minutes from now!” He was puzzled, for a moment, but hearing sound of a key jangling in the background, he got it. “Val, you don’t have to. There’s barely any food in the fridge, hasn’t been full for weeks. You got your own posh little house to sit up in, don’t ya?” Gavin didn’t like Valley coming to his house. Its not like there was anything to do outside of watch their outdated cabinet television or throw his old baseball around, and Val was rich. He didn’t want her to feel like she owed him anything.

“Too late, doll! I brought snacks for the both of us, anyways. Catch ya later Gav!” “Val, wait just a-“ She blew a kiss into the receiver, and the call disconnected. Gavin rolled his eyes, hung up, and threw on his favorite brown bomber jacket. Val had always been so caring.

I don’t deserve her.

He didn’t have time to wallow, hearing the sound of a window opening. He ran up to his room and opened the door, right as Valley fell through the window, landing on her butt with a loud thump, along with a case of strawberry soda. My favorite… At the sight of the chubby, dark skinned girl in his bedroom, Gavin ran to help her up. “Ever the gentleman, ain’tcha?” She set down the basket she was holding and situated herself on the bed. Her matching red skirt and cardigan, and floor length locs that must’ve taken ages to style, were already gathering dust. Why’d she have to come here?

Gavin suddenly became aware of the mess in the room. Dirty clothes on the dresser, books stacked near the bed, and dozens of loose papers strewn across the floor, each adorned with sketches, paintings, collages, poems, anything his mind could conjure up when he couldn’t sleep. Blushing, he attempted to sweep them away, but not before Val took notice, and picked one up off the floor. “Your art is so lovely, Gavin. What’s this one?” Taking it from her and stashing it away, he responded “Nothing in particular, just couldn’t sleep. You know me, haha!!” He was bright red this point. Change the subject, will you, dear?

That she did. “Sooo, what are we gonna do for your birthday this weekend? You’re gonna be eighteen! Far out, huh?” Oh. Right. Eighteen. He didn’t know how to feel, if he was being honest. “I dunno, maybe we can go out and see a movie.” Val put her head on his shoulder and laughed. Gavin winced. The shoulder was bruised. However, thats what love was. Wasn’t it? “That’s what we always do!” Val chirped. “Ain’t much else in this town, is there?” Gavin quipped. But, if he was being honest, he knew exactly what he was going to do.

Gavin sat up and stared out his cracked bedroom window, past the pretty orange leaves, past the cheesy Halloween decorations, past the shops and diners and gas stations. All the way to the forest surrounding their little town.

Nobody thought much of it, which was true. Nobody that is, except the kids. While the adults were content to sit back and live their monotonous American dream, the children would whisper across the town, stories of what could possibly be on the other side of that barbed wire fence. “My cousin said there’s monsters out there. He says they have no skin, and they’ll cut you up and eat you bit by bit while you’re still alive. They start with your eyes.”

“My sister said that if you fall asleep out there, you’ll never wake up again and have horrible nightmares for the rest of your life. The spirits out there keep you asleep so they can eat your dreams.”

Run of the mill horror stories. But among the bolder, or perhaps the more beaten down, those with less to lose, the woods offered something else. A fortune beyond comprehension. Godlike power. Freedom. A new life, a new start. All sorts of wonders, waiting for those who knew where to look.

Maybe that’s what the adults were afraid of, because every once in a while, a new person would get this look in their eyes, like they knew a good secret. They would become more and more withdrawn, or excitable, or any suspicious change that could happen in a person. Then, after a little while, around a few days to a year, they would disappear. Sometimes it was a business trip, an inheritance, a need for a change of scenery. And sometimes they would just.

Vanish. Without a trace. They were there, and then they weren’t. Of course, they would send out search parties to comb the town for them, and reassure everyone who asked that they were doing the best they could. But of course, everybody knew. The seductive call of the woods was not to fall of deaf ears. After a while, their “MISSING PERSONS” posters were taken down and discarded, and they lived in the town only through the gossip of the children. Gavin had quite a collection of salvaged posters on his bedroom wall, hidden behind his dresser. His mother would blow a gasket, he thought.

When his mother wasn’t reading him the Bible, Gavin’s father used to tell him old Japanese folktales about fox spirits, yokai, kaibutsu. He recalled his stories of creatures known as Kaibyo when-

“Hey, spaceboy. Whatcha thinkin about?” Valley waved a hand in front of his face, bringing him back to reality.

“Nothing, doll. Absolutely nothing.”

Laughter. Then, a kiss. Warm hands caressing his cheeks, on his waist, through his short brown hair. It was 1963, the love decade was soon to kick off, there was a girl in his bed and the world was beautiful, if only for a little while.

At some point, Valley left, and Gavin picked up the piece of paper that she’d asked him about. Clinging to his tarnished silver first communion rosary, a chill ran down his spine, for no reason he could discern. On the paper was a sketch of an emaciated gray cat, with a wide, yellow toothed grin.

Two days until his birthday.

He fell asleep rather quickly that night, which was unusual for him, but it was a shallow sleep, dreaming of nothing but black water, fur, and two piercing, blue eyes.

CAUTION-CUIDADO-ATTENTION

あなた以外に神はいない

Waking up in a cold sweat, Gavin rolled over in his creaky bed. He looked over at his alarm clock. 2:18 AM.

for fucks sake.

Staring at his beat-up wooden desk and the piles of paper and pencils sitting at it, it occurred to him that he didn’t feel like drawing that night. It was a pretty night, with a lovely moon in the sky.

Some fresh air would do me good.

He’d fallen asleep in his clothes. Motor oil stained white T-shirt, frayed black pants, and of course, his brown leather bomber jacket. It had seen a lot in all the years he’d owned it. It had been patched twice, one on each elbow, in different colors. He wanted to paint something on the back, but he didn’t know what he wanted yet. He hadn’t thought about it.

Tiptoeing as not to wake his catatonic mother, who was sleeping on the couch in front of the TV, Gavin almost stepped on a shard of broken glass.

Beer bottles.

The living room floor was carpeted in them, in sparkling amber and green, casting moonlight all over the room, in the multifaceted reflections of the tired faces residing within it.

Beautiful… so beautiful…

He’d never drank alcohol before. He knew a lot of kids at his school who would. Theyd throw big parties at their parents houses while they were away, cut into Daddy’s brandy, and go rampaging around the neighborhood, TPing trees, streaking through the park, smashing windshields, all kinds of juvenile delinquent shenanigans. It was always the worst on Halloween, which was coming up. It was October, the month of playground rumors, teenage pranksters, and a chill of anticipation in the air.

Gavin put down the bottle, grabbed a bolt cutter and walked outside.

A cold wind immediately blew into his face, making him shiver and sneeze. A shower of damp orange leaves fluttered into his hair. As he plucked one out, he glanced toward his favorite thing he’d ever owned, his escape from all of his troubles.

A shiny motorcycle sat in the driveway, waiting. He’d rescued it from the scrapyard a few years prior and had it painted red, just like his father’s old car. His mother was always telling him to scrap it.

“Lets go, old girl.” Revving the engine, stepping on the gas, and taking flight. Wind in his hair, leaves in his face, he drove, and for a little while, he forgot all of his troubles. He passed by each and every cookie-cutter house, with their perfectly trimmed lawns, covered in tacky Halloween decorations. Bright, glowing jack-o-lanterns. Wispy plastic spiderwebs. Cartoon witches and ghosts.

Snarling black cats with brightly colored eyes.

Blue eyes.

Gavin looked away and kept driving all the way up until he reached his destination.

The edge of town, and the entrance to the forest, the sign-covered fence surrounding it, like a dare.

CAUTION-CUIDADO-ATTENTION

It had an eerie air about it. While the trees in town were decorated in all the fiery reds, oranges, and yellows of fall, the trees of the woods were all painted in the strange shades of evergreen leaves. They seemed to fade from green to what looked like blue the further you looked. The bark was white, like birch wood, but with an odd, almost pearlescent sheen if you looked too hard. And were those… eyes…

Hello.

Jerking him out from his troubled thoughts, was a voice, from behind. Human. What else would it be, silly? He turned around and almost fell backwards at the sight of a silhouette of a woman, we standing over him. “SHIT!!” he declared. A giggle in response. Oh…

“Hi, Valley…” Gavin exhaled. It hadn’t occurred to him that he was holding his breath at all. She took his hand and squeezed it. He smiled. Her hands were warm. “Why do you look so afraid? Did you think you were the only kid who came out here?”

His heartbeat slowed. Maybe she would understand. Maybe she wants to go with me. Maybe we can see whats on the other side together.

He glanced at his motorcycle, at the bolt cutters, and began to speak.

“Remember when I told you i didn’t know what I wanted to do for my birthday?” A puzzled expression danced across Valley’s face. Exhale. “Val, how would you like to see whats on the other side with me? We can get away from all this. Together. Just like we wanted, right?” His eyes shined in anticipation.

Valley’s expression changed to a warm smile. She leaned towards him and kissed him. Her lips were soft and she tasted like the strawberry soda she brought him the day before.

His heart fluttered. His face got warm. Was this happening?

She pulled away.

His hands felt so cold all of a sudden.

“Oh, Gavin, doll. You know theres nothing out there, right?”

“what…?”

“There just isn’t. All the folks that go out there just die. Everybody knows. Please don’t tell me you believe all the stories the kids tell. I love you and I support you, but I can’t agree with you on this.

Don’t you remember what happened to your father?”

The mention of his father made his blood run cold. Sure, he left him and his mom to fend for themselves, leaving them poor and hungry, but whatever was on the other side of that fence had to be worth it, right? He wouldn’t have done all this for nothing, right?

He can’t be dead. He’s out there somewhere. He has to be.

He hadn’t noticed that that familiar haunted look had passed over his own face, the way Valley had. He felt a strong, warm hand gripping his sleeve.

“Gavin, please. I know you want to find out what happened to your dad, but I’m really worried about you. I’ve been trying to support you no matter what, and I know you’ve been going through a lot, but I can’t let you go in there-“

“let go of me.”

“w-what…?”

“please, I-“

“Gavin, you’re scaring me. Please come back with me, I love you-“

“I SAID LET GO.”

Gavin pulled away with such ferocity that Valley fell backwards against his motorcycle, toppling it over. Breathing hard, he turned back towards his girlfriend. The look in her eyes was indescribable. There was so much hurt, so much fear, so much worry for him.

He couldn’t handle it. He had to run. Gavin knew he probably should have just turned back and ran home, but he just couldn't deal with the anger of his mother, the worry of his girlfriend, and everyone, all of Lockroot watching, knowing. Seeing the look in his dark brown eyes.

There goes another one.

He dropped his bolt cutters and clambered over the fence, ignoring the barbed wire digging into his hands and the warm blood gushing down his cold wrists. Ignoring the sobs and begs of his girlfriend. Ignoring them as they stopped completely. Getting to the top of the fence, he threw himself over, no hesitation. Landing hard on his side, a shot of pain burst through his hip, causing him to let out a moan. It didn’t matter. He just needed to get away. Gavin got up with a pained grunt and took off, deep into the mouth of the dark, cavernous woods, not daring to look back.

As he ran, searing pain throbbed in his side and the deep gashes in his hands left an obvious trail of blood behind him. Gavin’s injuries were getting harder to ignore, threatening to throw him back into the rotten leaves and worm infested dirt. He had to keep going. He didn’t know what he was running from or where he was trying to get. He just knew he didn’t want to fall. He was afraid that if he did, he’d pass out, never wake up, and rot alone out there in these God forsaken woods, his lean, sallow body slowly falling to pieces and filling with maggots, beetles and flies. Picking at his soft flesh. Eating him, bit by little bit.

The air had grown moist, tepid and suffocating. Gavin started to gasp and heave for breath. Wasn’t it October? The eyes on the tree bark were growing sharper and darker. Scrutinising him.

Stop looking at me.

He couldn’t fall. He couldn’t surrender. There were whispers in his ears, so faint that he didn’t know if he was really hearing them. The voice was indescribable, neither male nor female, young or old, but filled with desire, desire for something beyond what it had. Something it shouldn’t be allowed.

lie down here with me, will you? you’re a handsome one. why don’t you stay a while…

He felt paws all over him, grasping at his thighs and his stomach, pulling at his hair. It felt familiar.

keepgoingkeepgoingdontstopyoucantquitnow

In the end, his undoing was a regular old, run of the mill, medium sized gray rock. The kind you’d find in your backyard. His foot hit the stone hard and he went down, right on his bad hip. Crack. He lay on the ground for a few minutes, not even mustering up the energy to scream. The only thing that came out of his dry, cracked lips was a soft, pathetic moan, followed by a choked-back sob. What had he been thinking? Valley was right, there was nothing out here, and now he was lost and all alone. His girlfriend was gone, his mom was gone, and now he was going to die out in these horrible woods just like his father.

Blood gushing from his hands and tears flowing from his eyes, Gavin slowly sat up and tried to brush the dirt off of his soiled leather jacket. At that moment, he noticed a horrible smell.

Like a garbage dump. Like rotting meat. Like death.

The stench was overpowering. It assaulted his sinuses and made him gag. Gavin swayed, doubled over and vomited what little was in his stomach. The smell of it mixed with the nauseating air, threatening to make him throw up again, when all of a sudden, a shadow fell over the forest.

Gavin looked up, and his eyes met with a monster.

ねこまた nekomata

It was hard to discern in the pitch dark woods, but it must have been around 15-20 feet tall. The space around it rippled with what looked like dark, matted fur, two impossibly long, mangy tails danced behind it, and its drooling, slavering mouth held rotten, yellow teeth the size of small trees. A deafening buzzing noise could be heard near and around the monster, with Gavin realizing that this demon was shielded in a dark, undulating cloud of flies.

The worst part was it’s eyes.

Two soulless, pitch black holes, deep as an abandoned well, with two piercing pricks of bright, nuclear blue in their centers. The creatures gaze was blank, filled with nothing but hunger. Staring at Gavin like a bloody slab of steak. Like a tiny mouse in a trap.

It began to move towards him, calmly, and ever so casual. Gavin couldn’t cry out. All he could do was sit, stunned, in a rancid puddle of his own vomit. This can’t be real. God wouldn’t let this happen. At that moment, he realized that he had lost his rosary. The monster drew closer, until it’s head was just inches away from Gavin’s, it’s breath blowing into his face. He noticed large chunks of rotting flesh festering between it’s teeth, being fed on and burrowed into by the army of insects surrounding the creature.

I guess that explains the smell…

Gavin was frozen. He wished he had a weapon, wished he could attack the thing waiting in front of him. He wished he could move, so maybe he could try to escape. But instead, he was still as a stone, unable to do anything. How many times have you been in this position?

Gavin tried to brace himself for his death as the monsters mouth began to open. He waited to feel claws to rival his monster movies on his body, cracking his bones in half. He waited to feel teeth ripping his skin away from his muscles. He waited for the feeling of bodily fluids mixing and flowing and filling his lungs and his eyes and smothering him.

It never came. Maybe it would’ve been better than what followed.

Instead of devouring Gavin and leaving his bones for a stray dog to chew on, the monsters eyes rolled back into its head, and it’s face began to split down the middle. A viscous black liquid gushed out of the seams.

It almost looked like motor oil.

Gavin almost gagged as the creatures face slowly tore apart and peeled away, revealing a shiny white skull filled to the brim with millipedes. The oil-like substance dripped onto his clothes, further staining them, the black mixing with the red and green of the blood and vomit. One of the millipedes crawled out of the monsters gaping mouth and fell onto Gavin’s arm. He watched in horror as the insect burrowed into the gash on his hand. He could see it moving under his skin. He could feel it’s little legs poking at his muscles.

あなた以外に神はいない

do you understand?

Gavin promptly blacked out.

The next morning, at the end of Maple Street, the sun shone through the small yellow house’s windows. The birds were singing, and the paper boy was making his rounds as if nothing had happened, nothing at all. The calendar read October 16th, 1963. A certain young man’s 18th birthday.

Gavin woke up, at home, in his own bed, with his mind full of fog and the worst headache you can imagine. It felt like a jackhammer was being drilled into his brain.

Was it all… a horrible dream?

His jacket and t-shirt were lying on the floor next to his bed, but his jeans were still on. I need to stop sleeping in my clothes.

His side hurt. His hands hurt. It's nothing. I probably just fell, maybe cut myself on one of Mother's beer bottles...

As he rolled out of bed to get a shirt on, he noticed his drawings, rather than being scattered across the floor, were stacked up next to his desk. Looking through them, he saw they were all of shadowy, grey cats.

"Ugh..." He wondered if he'd been drinking, and that was why his head hurt so bad. Never mind that he didn't drink. That was his mother's habit. It's just that there was no other way to explain what had happened the night before.

Speaking of which...

"Gavin. Get down here. We need to talk."

A "Happy Birthday" would've been nice.

Ambling down the stairs, Gavin braced himself. Did she find out where he'd been, somehow? That would mean he'd actually ended up going, and the events of last night had actually played out. He wasn't ready to accept that truth.

His mother met his face, standing in the middle of their glass covered living room floor, which no one bothered to clean up. Her auburn hair looked like it hadn't been combed in weeks and her green sweater was covered in stains. She looked like she hadn't slept a day in her life.

"The sherrif found your motorcycle down by the outskirts of town, and your little girlfriend wouldn't say anything, but she seemed pretty damn shaken. Is there anything you'd like to say for yourself?"

no... it was a nightmare... nothing more...

"I don't know what you're talking about."

under his skin, something moved.

"Oh, i think you do. For eighteen years now, i've fed you, clothed you, provided for you and the ONLY THING i've asked in return is for you to STAY AWAY FROM THE WOODS. This is how you thank me? For EVERYTHING IVE EVER DONE FOR YOU?"

The woman was livid, blue eyes burning with rage, face locked in a snarl. She grabbed Gavin by the hair and pulled his face up close by hers. There was a distinct stench of alcohol on her breath. He'd heard this song before, many times over.

"You were looking for your father, weren't you."

He felt something running down his scalp. Blood? Something more viscous, perhaps? Motor oil?

Your father is dead. Maybe the "evil spirits" in those awful stories he told you did him in. At any rate, it doesn't matter anymore. Go into the woods if you want, because you're not welcome in my house anymore. If you want to be like your father, then be like him. Leave. Don't ever come back."

"Mama-"

"JUST GO!" The woman threw her son backwards, landing hard with a sickening CRUNCH into the floor's coating of broken glass and booze bottles. His mother's sorrow would find yet another way to hurt him, he thought, as he felt the shards dig into his back. This was it. Gavin would need to find someplace else to go. Wincing as he got up, blood rushing down his back, he limped back upstairs, grabbed his jacket and was just about to leave before he noticed several full beer bottles from her mom's stash. Nothing left to lose...

His mom couldn’t punish him for anything anymore. It was oddly freeing. He took a couple bottles and stowed them away. With everything he needed stored in his bag, there was one more place he figured he could try. If it didn't work, he would have to find someplace else.

Valley had spent the entire day up until that point talking to the police. They wouldn't get anything out of her, she didn't even know what had happened herself. Besides, everyone in town knew that these investigations were for show anyways. No one ever came out of the woods, and after a while, everyone forgot. Valley would have to as well.

At that moment, lying on her blue silk sheets, the doorbell rang.

"Listen Officer, i already told you i haven't got anything for you-"

Her eyes met not with a blue clad member of the force, but with a ghost. If possible, Gavin looked even worse than he did the night before, when she watched him jump the forbidden fence like a man possessed, seemingly sealing his fate. His clothes were covered in bloodstains, some looking old, some looking new. Valley couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"H-how? You’re not... no one is supposed to... I saw..."

"Hey again, Val."

How could he just show up on her doorstep like nothing happened at all? This wasn't how these cases were supposed to go. The posters would stay up for a while until they got taken down, and no one would ever talk about the missing person again. Maybe it was messed up, but that’s how it had always been.

"Gavin, i can't believe you're..."

"Alive? Yeah... i'm having some trouble believing that too."

Valley rubbed her temple and sighed. It was obvious she was very stressed. And why shouldn't she be? Her boyfriend of almost a year had seemingly gotten himself killed right in front of her, she'd spent the entire day talking to the cops about the incident, and now he'd showed up on her doorstep out of nowhere? Maybe it'd have been better if he hadn't come back at all. Maybe he should've just stayed gone. All he ever did was hurt others anyway...

Valley looked up, finally. "Okay, what do you-" Nothing. He'd already gone. It was like he hadn't even been there to begin with.

I’m such an idiot.

Val walked back upstairs to her room, flopped down onto her expensive silk sheets and screamed into her pillow. “That fucking ASSHOLE! How could he be so casual about this? I thought he died!! And now he leaves me all over again, with no explanation??” Valley was tired. This wasn’t the first stupid thing Gavin had pulled, and now he was crossing into genuinely dangerous territory. “That’s it. I’m done. I don’t need to worry about him anymore. Let him go back into that forest. See if I care.”

She decided it would be best to try to go to sleep, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

“You wouldn’t actually go back there… would you?”

Meanwhile, Gavin knew he needed to find his motorcycle. It could have either been taken by the police, or it was still out there by the woods. Somehow he doubted the cops had touched it. There was probably yellow tape around it or something. He didn't want to go back to the forest, but somehow, some way, he knew he had to.

His hand itched, and there was still something squirming beneath his skin. It felt like it was trying to get out. To go back into the forest, and take him with it.

Was he marked?

At that moment, Gavin remembered the bottles he’d taken from his house, if he could call it that anymore.

Maybe it could help me get my courage back.

He took one swig, then another. The first drink was awful. It tasted like hatred and burned his throat, but he kept forcing it down, because he was desperate to feel SOMETHING. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea…

He kept going anyways.

After a while, it started to get better. Or maybe this was what being drunk was like. Before he knew, he'd burned through nearly half of the bottles he'd stolen, and each sip sent fire down his throat, burning away his inhibitions. How did i never try this? How do people not do this every day? His head swam and his thoughts blurred, and all he knew was that he felt good, and that a new chapter of his life was about to begin.

Follow me.

A voice rang out from seemingly nowhere in particular, taking his hand, dragging him along for the ride. Whatever was under his skin felt like it was trying to tear it’s way out and lead him to the woods. Maybe he was marked. Marked for this journey.

Follow. I know what you’re looking for. I can take you there. You’re going to see something beautiful…

And what else could he do? The alcohol in his system was preventing him from thinking straight anyways. Gavin felt himself almost being pulled forward by some external, seemingly invisible force. He felt fur all around him. It was almost nice. Comfortable. He could hear disjointed voices, seeming far away.

“Hey, isn’t that…” “It can’t be. He should be dead...” “They never come back.” “Is he okay?”

Pay them no mind… we’ll be here soon.

Two glowing blue pinpricks. Jack o lanterns outside of cookie cutter houses. Follow the lights. This is your destiny.

Destiny?

Gavin had never thought of destiny before. When he found his motorcycle, that felt like destiny. When he started dating Valley, that felt like destiny.

I guess none of that matters now.

Everything itched.

Suddenly, he was back by the fence, in the outskirts of town. Didn’t it usually take longer to get here, especially by foot?

There was a hole in the fence, seemingly cut out just for him. Did I do that? And right in front of it, there it was.

His motorcycle. It hadn’t been moved since the night before.

There was a path slicing through the forest. He didn’t remember that from the last time he was there.

The bike was fueled up and ready for him. Gavin knew what had to be done. Whether or not this was real or an alcohol induced haze didn’t matter to him. Getting on the bike and finding out what was on the other side of those woods was all that mattered.

Any horrible monsters or demons be damned.

He revved up the motorcycle and back through the woods he went, and with his inhibitions drowned out of his body, Gavin could finally see how pretty it was out there. The almost supernatural blues and greens of the tree leaves complimenting the pearlescent bark. He could see the shadows of impossibly large creatures rustling behind the trees. This time, the atmosphere of the woods felt less like a warning and more like a new beginning. But sometimes, new beginnings can be just as terrifying.

He didn’t see the cat until he’d already hit it. He’d been swerving through the path, and had come pretty close to a crash several times over, just barely missing any stray trees or rocks. However, his drunken reflexes weren’t going to be enough to save him for long.

A jingling bell. Glowing, fearful blue eyes on gray fur. A animals shriek. A thud, a splat, and a swerve. Too late. The damage had been done, and both the bike and the boy were thrown aside by something that seemed far larger than a roadkill cat. Something that threw them a long way before they landed, and they landed hard on what seemed like pavement. why would there be pavement way out here in this forest?

Gavin skid across the ground, feeling something pop out of his face theysaidmyeyesweresobeautiful, well, what was left of his face, as he felt his skin scraping off the side of his body pleasemommyitburnsitburns, and as he felt the shattering of bones upon impact that’smorethanjustmyhipisn’tit and the broken glass shards embedding in his flesh feelslikehome, it all came to him. It came to him as he realized his bike was pinning him to the ground, as he felt his limbs bend the wrong way, as blood and piss and oil flowed from seemingly every opening on his body.

I guess this is it. I’m dying.

I didn’t even get to see what was on the other side.

Was there even anything on the other side?

Was this what happened to Father?

I can feel the glass in my back.

All I am is glass. I want to go home.

I want to see Mother. God, maybe, if I’m lucky. Something tells me if I’m not lucky.

招き猫 maneki-neko

All I am is glass.

The last things Gavin heard as the black washed over him were a pained, stilted meow, a blood gurgle (my first victim’s? my own?), and the skittering of something crawling out of the cavity where his eye used to be.

all for nothing…

all for...

Fur. Fur, all around him. Again. He was beginning to get sick of this feeling. Or was it becoming comfortable? He didn’t know. The feeling reminded him of his mother’s old habits. Not like he had any time to dwell on her, because the moment he opened his remaining eye, he was met with a massive feline skull, seemingly coming out of and from the darkness around him, with two blue pinpricks for eyes.

Welcome, old friend.

I know your voice. Who are you?

That doesn’t matter. You want to get out of here, don’t you?

Yes. I never got to see… I never got to see what was…

I can do that for you. I can bring you back. I can get you out.

How?

A massive paw with claws like butcher knives materialized in front of him. What was the saying? Don’t deal with the devil?

Was this even the devil? Or was this something else entirely?

Take my hand. Your transformation will come with pain and hardship, but it will help the both of us. I promise.

Gavin didn’t want this to be for nothing. He didn’t want to go back into the darkness. He really didn’t.

You don’t have to. You can always just stay where you are. Forever.

His journey, his pain, his losses, his discoveries. He wanted to know where it all would lead.

What is your final decision, old friend?

He needed to know.

He put out his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then forcefully connected it with the gargantuan paw splayed out before him. No going back now.

So it shall be. Thank you, Gavin.

The gray fur melted around him and gathered into his hand. It began to spread and grow from there, covering each inch of his body. His arms, his legs, his torso, his face. It blinded him, and as he lost his senses one by one, he felt it flow into the cavernous empty eye socket left by his recklessness.

Curiosity killed the cat.

But satisfaction brought it back.

After hours, or days, I can’t tell anymore, Gavin woke up changed, someplace else. Everything hurt. He felt like every part of his body was bleeding. His injuries might have healed by some supernatural force, but it sure didn’t feel that way.

He opened his eye and the first thing that struck him was that instead of a forest, he was met with a sprawling junkyard, filled to the brim with piles of garbage as tall as buildings, against a stark red sky. An all manner of dilapidated mechanical gadgets. People’s weeks-old trash. Horrible smelling organic matter that Gavin didn’t want to look at or even think about. Salvage heaven? He couldn’t tell, but it felt like everything anyone had every thrown away ended up here.

Have I been thrown away, too?

Gavin attempted to get his bearings and try and survey his new surroundings, but every move he made felt like a thousand knives as hot as the sun were being inserted into his flesh. He knew he had to do SOMETHING, though.

I need to see what happened to my body. I need to see the results of this “transformation.”

There was a reflective pool of a familiar black, viscous liquid seemingly a few feet away from him, his estimate as his depth perception had all but disappeared. Maybe that would work. Abandoning all dignity he might’ve still kept at this point, he put his death-razed arms out in front of him and dragged himself to his goal.

Is this what I’ve come to? Is this the culmination of all my 18 years of life? I never even saw my senior prom.

Gavin would see something else, however. Mustering up all his strength, he made it to the metallic puddle and attempted to stand. A thousand sickening cracking noises resonated out of his body, as if he was 81 rather than 18. The pain was so unbearable he almost puked his literal guts out into the looking glass puddle he’d just worked so hard to reach.

However, what he saw in it made him hurt in a different way. He didn’t know whether or not it was worse than the pain of all the injuries he’d agreed to endure. Whatever I just struck a pact with must not have been powerful enough to get rid of any pain I might be feeling, even if I’m now able to live through it.

Before him was a face he didn’t recognize, a face he might’ve expected from the horror movies he used to sneak out to see. His skin appeared ash white, like all of his blood had drained from his body. The skin he had left, anyways, as the right side of his body, the side he’d landed on after the accident, had barely any at all. He’d never really thought of what human muscles looked like underneath skin, but now was as good a time as ever to find out. If he could even still be classified as “human”. His teeth were an odd red color and had seemingly all been replaced by canine incisors, giving him a terribly offputting grin on top of everything else concerning his new appearance that might scare a person off.

His jacket sleeve was completely torn away, his black pants ripped to shreds, and his hair had turned that same familiar shade of gray, with no trace of the brown his loved ones had run their fingers through. His remaining eye was glassy and pale, with a jaundiced yellow look to it, and the cavity where his other eye used to be was so badly shredded that some of the bone could be seen. His eyelid seemed to have suffered the same fate, leaving the gaping hole in his head open for all to stare at and wonder about. His limbs had grown bushy, tangled gray fur, and at his fingertips were retractable, cat-like claws.

The most noticeable new features, however, were marked by new weight at his back and on the sides of his head. Two large, alien looking, cat-like ears had grown over Gavin’s old human ears, with lumps in places were imperfections seem to have occurred. His right ear was deformed and stunted, seemingly due to the damage he had suffered in that area. It gave him the look of a stray cat that lost the tip of it’s ear in some kind of turf war. And at his lower back danced two long, ratty, almost mangy gray tails. They seemed somewhat non-Euclidean, appearing longer and shorter depending on where you looked at them, and adorning them were two concerning markings that looked a bit like teeth.

As the boy stared into his reflection, the heavy realization settled over him like a wet cotton blanket. The old Gavin, the one that had listened to his fathers folktales and eaten at the local diner and gotten into fights at school and drawn on his arms and snuck his girlfriend into movies, was dead. He had died in an accident in the forest like so many others before him, and his replacement was this ungodly chimaera-like creature.

For the first time since he was in elementary school, Gavin knelt to the ground, threw his gaze to the red, smog-filled sky, and let himself cry. Heaving, painful sobs. The culmination of all of his life’s mistakes. No one would be there to see him, anyways.

Who’s going to love me, looking like this?

Will God forgive me for becoming something so unholy?

Was any of this even worth it?

A familiar voice rang out inside his head. Something told him that this was where it lived now.

You’re not ungodly, my disciple. In fact, you are far from it. You came back from the dead, something many saints couldn’t accomplish. There’s something divine in that, is there not?

Is that who you are? Are you God?

Laughter. And with that, the voice in his head, in his heart, went dormant.

Gavin strained and threw up a little, but managed to get up. Looking around the endless expanse of the junkyard, he noticed something, standing out from the rest of the wreckage.

A cherry-red Mustang convertible, smeared with long-dried blood. Laying next to it, a page out of fairly recent looking calendar, with the date reading April 14th, 2163.

Suddenly, the junkyard didn’t seem so endless anymore. Gavin could see what looked like a cityscape in the distance. Mustering up all the strength he could, he began to walk.

I guess this is my new beginning.

For a brief moment, the spirit’s voice came back into his head.

あなた以外に神はいない

There is no god but you.

A young girl tacks a missing persons poster to a telephone pole. What have you seen? What have you found?

Would she ever find out? Who else did?

the end LMAO ✌🏻 I hope you liked this I worked my ass off on it. If you didn’t that’s okay!! I’m not sure if I like it, either!! But at least it’s done. YIPPEE. Now go drink some water.

[b-ritney]

Piece of Your Action, Part 2

@mystargirl-interlude

Oh, I want you, I need you I want you to be mine tonight You need me, you bleed me Use you up, throw you away

You're fire, taking me higher Don't burn me, don't let me down You need me now, I'll teach you how Come on, let's go all the way!

lmao KEEP YOUR ARMS AND LEGS INSIDE THE RIDE AND BUCKLE YOUR MOTHER FLIPPING SEAT BELTS.

SMUT +18

Warnings: Choking, touch denial, light spanking, blow job, spit, oral , hair pulling, light degradation (nothing major), and sarcastic praise, (Bc Billy can't say SHIT genuinely.), size kink, vibrator, I'll work in aftercare... somehow.

Summary: After your altercation with Carol you take Billy up on his offer to show you, "a good time." Who knew he was just as insane as you are.

______________________________________________________________

“What was it you said about showing me a good time?”

Billy had nothing.. he was trying to distract you from the fact he was hard as a rock, by mirroring your devilish smile. Watching you beat the hell out of that bitch made him wanna take you in the middle of the hallway. Although he was honestly a little frightened .. you would feel the same way about him, that you do Carol, if you really knew who he was. Right?

“Hargrove?”

“Uh, yeah,” he adjusted himself making you laugh sarcastically, “I think I could treat you to an evening you won’t forget.”

“You have no shame do you?

“None”

“You think your slick huh? You aren’t any different than the other wanna be tough guy in this town. You just drive a better car.”

“You wanna test that theory?”

“Are you sure you can handle me?”

“Babe, you have no idea how many ways I could handle you.”

“Do you wanna test that theory?” You countered putting your hands on your hips.

“I like ‘um a little spunky, it’s more rewarding by the end when your so exhausted you can’t speak.” He leaned in closer to your ear.

“Brave of you to assume I'll make a sound in the first place, you don’t know what you're getting yourself into.”

“Care to show me what I’m missing?“

You scanned his body on more time, sizing him up. Walking around him to see every angle. “I’ll take you for a test drive, but don’t act like you're doing me a favor.”

Billy let out a menacing laugh dropping his head. “Where to then?”

“I don’t care, I won’t be sticking around either way I’ve got other plans.” You said dusting off your pants.

“You cut deep." He feigned offense. "My house then, my sister will be gone long enough, besides, when you finally break, the neighbors are gonna wish they were gone too."

You raised your eyebrows in slight shock, was this guy for real? "Lead the way then."

________________________________________________

"So tell me, why do you act the way you do?" Billy asked catching your eyes, aviators slid down his nose as you flew through the backroads to his house.

"Like you care."

"Normally I wouldn't but pretty girls like you don't go around creating chaos unless they've been hurt."

"No shame," you repeated again shaking your head and smiling. "I- I figure if you lay it all out on the table, you leave little room for speculation. It saves you time and heartache, if people know the real you, you don't have to work as hard to weed out the ones who don't deserve your time... because they won't even approach you to begin with."

"But you haven't always been this way."

"How would you know? Didn't you just move here this year?"

"I just know and yes I did."

"I know why you followed me out of class."

"Do you?"

"Of course I do, you don't think I know what people say about me?

"Did you really fuck a cop?

"No"

"oh"

"I blew him."

Billy whipped his head around, and you busted out laughing, "Enough with the romance Hargrove, we're both in this for the same thing."

"which is?"

"To see if you can back up your big talk."

_________________________________________________________

Billy opened the front door and let you in, locking it behind you; you didn't even have a chance to get your boots off before he had you pinned against the wall by your throat.

"No romance right?" he said cocking his head to the side.

"---right."

"Take off your jacket." he brought you forward hand still firmly wrapped around your neck, as you slid the jacket down your shoulders. "If you're so confident, I don't wanna hear a sound, understand?"

"No problem." You spat back in his face.

He released his grip and knelt in front of you yanking your pants down to your knees in one move. Your heart began to race, the look on his face was.. hungry. He dove in with no warning, sucking harshly on your clit as you fought against the universe to stay strong. He spread your legs wider holding onto the back of your thighs, he lapped at your pussy like a dehydrated hound. You kept your mouth shut despite the scream just waiting to explode from your throat. He nuzzled his head farther into your mound forcing his tongue past your fluttering entrance. You. grabbed a fist full of his hair as your legs began to shake. Just when you were about to cum he stopped. The pulsing of your cunt and your flushed complexion were the only signs you gave him, "tired already?" you teased, trying to remain equal.

"Cumming already?" he challenged, leaving you speechless for the first time that night. He grabbed your arm and whipped you into the kitchen table lifting you to sit on the edge, and pushing you to lay back on the hard surface. He swiftly took your boots and pants the rest of the way off leaving you in nothing but your white socks, grey tank top, and accessories. "No bra? You little minx." You opened your mouth to say something but he cut in again, "Save your breath doll, you're gonna need it." He slapped your pussy making you fall back against the table. He rubbed it up and down a few times before pushing in his middle and pointer finger, you arched your back of the table as he watched you writhe around beneath him. He's slept with some pretty hard women but not even the toughest ones managed to hold out this long, you're successfully challenging his abilities, and it's aggravating him beyond belief. He pumps them faster and faster adding another finger and rubbing your clit with his thumb, Billy was breathing heavier than you, he was pissed now, leaning down to suck on your clit again, desperate to hear you take even a sharp breath. He continued his brutal pace with his fingers, violently shaking his tongue against you, laughing maniacally as you twisted beneath him running from the overwhelming sensation, but still not making a sound.

"Impressive," he said, his lips and chin glistening with your juices as he admired your fucked out face and dripping pussy.

Your mind was reeling, you had to regain control, you sat upright grabbing him by the collar of his t-shirt, bringing him just shy of meeting your lips, this was your leverage, "I'll work half as hard and you'll be calling my name." he leaned in closer like he was going to kiss you, "No romance right? he looked shocked, you used his moment of vulnerability to shove him down into the chair behind him. He caught his breath and watched as you pried his tight jeans from his legs, hastily removing his boxers. He was like nothing you'd ever seen, absolutely fucking massive. You had to move quickly before he could tease you for staring. Spitting on your hand you viciously pumped it up and down his thick shaft, he covered his face with his hand as his head fell back. Men are so easy, you kitten licked from the base to the tip taking him in your mouth as far as you could go. Just to come all the way up and force yourself back down to take all of him until you gagged. Billy's hips bucked into you, he couldn't even think well enough to hold your hair, he was conceding and you'd barely done anything yet. You dragged your nails down his thighs as you bobbed your head in a steady rhythm Billy tried with everything he had to keep the pleasure inside but he couldn't he erupted with noises so obscene it made your legs tighten together. He was so close but you pulled back getting to your feet, laughing above him victoriously. "I win." you giggled.

"Games not over yet babe."

"Just accept you've met your match."

He pulled you into his lap pushing you down onto his throbbing cock, giving you no time to adjust to his size, you let out a sinful moan as you wrapped tightly around him, wanting so bad in that moment to lace your fingers in his hair and kiss him... but no romance... and you weren't about to lose the rest of your advantage. He laughed beneath you, "see we're even."

You couldn't answer it just hurt so good, you sunk your teeth into his shoulder as tears rolled down your face. He began to fuck up into you but you wouldn't allow him to set the pace, both of you fighting for dominance like fucking lions, moving your hips in sync with his, making you cry out, throwing your head back, you started to bounce on your own, he took the opportunity to lift your tank top above your chest and take your nipples between his teeth and fingers, licking and nibbling each one raw. "Fuck!" you whined your head lulling forward into his shoulder.

He picked you up in his arms his cock still buried deep inside you and carried you to his bed laying you on your back fucking you as fast and deep as he could, taking one of your hands into his and pressing it into your lower stomach and the other for stability next to your head. The sensation in your belly was deliciously wicked, you could feel the presence of his cock moving ferociously inside of you in and out until you sobbed. He pulled a vibrator from under his mattress and clicked the buttons until it was at its highest setting, spitting on it, and pressing it firmly into your clit. This must have been what he meant when he said your neighbors would wish they were gone. you quite literally screamed in rapture. He kept his pace as he wrapped your shaky hands around the handle, "Your gonna hold that there until you come." You couldn't speak, yet your mouth was wide open, you could barely hold your head up let alone hold a toy. "I-I can't" you said whispered.

"You can and you will."

"I-I ahh BILLY!" He somehow drove deeper into you lifting your legs to his hips, your muscles contracting so tightly you crunched forward, "Come on, come on my cock." He said through gritted teeth. You dropped the toy as your metaphysical being flew from your fucking body, you shook uncontrollably, he quickly snatched up the toy and held it against your clit whispering praises into your ear as the aftershocks ripped through you like lightning. He pulled out cumming on your stomach in warm spurts that made you feel so exquisitely dirty. He dropped to his knees and kissed and sucked on your pussy until you begged him to stop, cleaning up the mess you both made.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked

"Please." you whimpered, he kissed you deeply making up for all the things he said before, brushing your hair from your sweaty face. Then in true arrogant, fashion, he ran his fingers through his release making you suck it from his fingers. He walked away for only a few minutes to get you a towel and something to drink but when he came back you were gone, he walked into the kitchen and there you were with your clothes back on fixing your hair like you didn't just get freshly RAILED. He dropped the towel, "You can't be serious?" he said dumbfounded. " I told you babe, I have other plans, better luck next time though, you were decent in the sack, maybe next time you can make me come without mechanical help." You smiled and waved sarcastically before unlocking the door and turning the handle, walking out towards the headlights and blasting speakers waiting for you in the driveway.

"Damn, she's fucking crazy...I love her."

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

I prob won't write for a few days bc I'm going on a short vaca for fall break, and I have a journalistic essay to write, but i'll be back enjoy!

[castle-dominion]

I can't type as fast on my phone but I am going to finish this episode & this liveblog.

Edit: I am clipping stuff so I will try to get a little bit of a liveblog in

Nice music

Trail of bills lol

nice accent lol

WHAT CELL PHONE BILL?

Lol castle mind reading the books

alexis' hair <3

Martha got money babes!

How did esposito hear what they had said eariler? a million. ten times that. try 100.

Voice of experience lmao

VAPORIZED his heart they were betting on it XD clip? no.

Castle: not as great as you would think. Only as fast as all te other cars in rush hour

Oh no "servant"

Cars with heated seats <3 yeah girl keep it on the downlow. I like how mom didn't say nicole was on drugs until nicole gave her ok. My man helped the soup kitchen. Good on him

Why would he NOT share what was so important if he said he Needed TO share it?

not clipping "the butler did it" ppl holding out hands & the shake of the head. Good little things in the show.

He still sneaks money out <3

Looks like Just Some Guy Why did he need it & where did he get it?

Love esposito's outfit. Dislike Ryan's shirt tho.

TS: idk it was dark! KR: so's your future todd They look like they are trying to talk privately but they are not even whispering in front of their suspect

sweating like he'd been walking, WALKING not running the car is moving rn?

Jersey Brethren lol.

Winery Big-ass boat! fantasizing about the size of your rods Time out, WHO did I kill? "but did I want his car?"

Timeline straight thirty two credit cards!? Oh lmao one for every nfl team. JE: and that's just the tip of the iceberg. He also bought a racehorse, minority stake in a lingerie football team, and a Bentley which is currently at the bottom of the Hudson River because he drove it off of a boat he was renting. KB: Wow, sounds like that money really turned Hixton into a different person for a little while. RC: Yeah, money doesn't change who you are. It just magnifies your personality. JE: Well, it wasn't all bad. He also bought a house for the clerk that sold him the winning ticket, a mausoleum for his dead neighbor, JE, no longer saying "it wasn't all bad": and three acres on the moon. RC: Get outta town. He's right down the crater from me. KB: Why doesn't it surprise me that you have property on the moon? RC: You know what? Laugh it up. When the earth is a desiccated husk, you will be begging to come live with me in the Nectaris Basin.

KR: Hey. So, I searched the car. KB: Oh, yeah. Sorry, York is not our guy. (noone thought to call ryan?) KR: That's okay. Jersey impound lot's nice this time of year

Same shirt ryan is wearing as the dead pool episode

Esposito has that entire room covered in financials. I mean the guy was rich.

KB: Last time I busted him, he was trying to grill cheese a guy in a dry-cleaning press.

"misspoke" not "lie" Ah he got the gun just last night OH YES GREG & TY PAGE I LOVE THESE TWO "going hunting"

MR: *enters wearing a leopard print dress and fur coat, with both hands full of shopping bags* RC: Whoa! Looks like you made a serious dent in your surprise inheritance. Is it safe to say there is not an animal print left in any store in New York City? MR: Very funny. *looks down at herself* Probably true.

Ooh we get to see the convo abt lanie right?

This is why I want a ubi. People would still work, they like to work, but a ubi would mean people who can't work as much or who need breaks or need to take time off to take care of kids would be able to. You wouldn't need to try to get a job you hate that pays more bc you can work the job you like that pays less.

HEY I MADE IT I RELIVEBLOGGED THE FIRST HALF & GOT A COUPLE CLIPS. NOW I NEED TO GO TO WORK. I'LL GET MORE CLIPS LATER.

Yes, Esposito, a winery. The fiancee is not damaging him. As if Lanie hasn't changed you! This legit sounds like a fight between lovers or two people who are pinning for each other but dating other ppl, like Beckett & castle.

Je: Wpwplwpldjfhsj Lanie??? Kr: yes, we all know! Je: castle & Beckett know too? (clipped)

Aw, inner child. That's so true. Freedom to write, spend time with Alexis, live life at your own pace. That's what we all want. We want to be able work a job we enjoy without worrying about money, we want to be able to spend time with our kids, we want to be able to live life without worrying about how we can keep living in this cramped apartment or paying for college so at least one of us can get a high paying job working 80 hour weeks because that's definitely better than living in poverty why afford a nice big home if you are never there to live in it?

That property on the moon? I just bought that last month.

I can't hear the hip-hop music that the captions claimed.

Wow this sucks. I usually touch type so I can watch the show while typing (mostly, & only during non dialogue parts) but here I need to watch my phone as I type.

Yucky ryan coming gun first around the camera

Lol I love them

Just doing some hip-hop rap about their robberies in some grungy recording room, these are the glory days. (I'll clip the actual music video too later)

Three armed cops & a writer makes four. You're under arrest, get on the floor. (clipping)

Castle you're a wordsmith don't make them stop rapping! Wait I was wrong. "I'll buy the album" XD (meh won't clip)

Cat named oz?

This boy is a kid

You know that's valid. Hire the guys who robbed you to beat up your daughter's dealer & then they go make a rap album? I would watch that movie. Real meet the Millers vibes. Or that zombie apocalypse Vegas heist. they're just admitting to assaulting this individual

Poor Ryan, exiled to watching them upstairs while the other three go down. Ryan really is the new guy, they said they would stop after remaking the pilot. (has his gun out already) Plus, he's been there two years more than castle, they had their ten year anniversary at the end of s7. Timeline facts: for 14 months before joining homicide, ryan was undercover. Ike was "dead" for three years in season two & when Ike died that's when esposito transferred to homicide. Rysposito worked their first case together ten years before the s7 finale.

RC & me: looks like oz wasnt kidding when he said he'd burn them alive

Don't ask her this in front of her mom!

Oh Hun no, you are not the reason your father is dead.

Marvin osminkowski is a cool name, a gay loser name tho... Oz is a cool gay name tho.

Oz catches one whiff of bacon & he disappears into thin air. So valid bestie. & Thank you for the imagery. (kinda want to clip but nah)

Still tho, Esposito's hair is short & stubble is long.

Martha my beloved. Oh Beckett & Martha I love their relationship. Beckett quoting castle. Beckett low-key saying what she would do if she won the lottery.

Rick looks nice.

Let castle drive it's his car! (she's into muscle cars apaprently, we learn that later)

Or not. I love the framing over the city I hate the driving.

It's like me & my brothers, we always pass the keys to the passenger out of habit BC we are so used to driving with mom.

Ooh she looks good! She knew she was walking like that, probably for his benefit, then when she sees him checking her out he's mad? Nah.

Is it really that easy for a cop to get in? I thought he had a network protecting him. How did they choose the correct club anyway?

Ibitha? Is not Ibiza? love the lighting btw

Little birdy have a name? Yes. You gonna tell me? No. (meh won't clip)

That your boyfriend? For now. Shiny!! Reminds me of firefly...

See? kick em in the balls. Not the drink castle! This she didn't say it!

No she looks great!

You can't charge him for a crime you made him commit. Felony blowing crap up. (also holy crows & maggots, 20 years is a Long time!)

Medical condition XD (the way he got beat up)

True true, don't commit the crime if you were seen by the butler.

I like how they have convict photos of ppl up on the board but then they have this nice halfbody shot of the butler

Ooh look at Ryan's sweater he's so pretty! (took a pic)

Ah wearing an apron. Nice. Yeah eat the rich. He employed him, not owned him True, it is not really stealing lol. Wow that's,,, a lot of money. His tax on being an idiot XD.

His bad luck? Like the drugs or?

Aw that's so cute!

KB: No! RC: Yes!

Castle & Beckett humoring one another.

Aw captain plays his kids' bdays! His two older girls & his little boy! Je: I play my firsts. Sex & combat. Is being horny that important to you & is your first combat that important to you? That is wild to me. Kr: I play his firsts too. FIRST OF ALL WHAT THE FUCK SECOND THATS GAY BRO. Je: looks at him kr: what? That way we both win & it's not awkward. Esposito looks like he's just saying "why did you just out our relationship to everyone?" B'y that is so gay, playing his firsts. & you know them? (already clipped)

It is weird to me to choose to gamble on your first time in combat. So weird. & honestly sad. See maybe it's just bc I'm so anti military.

What is so important about the moon castle? You immediately go talking about the mausoleum for the neighbour but you first mention the moon?

I'm assuming that was just edited together for our benefit & was not actually real time?

For real? Yeah he was an old man dying of like six different things. (if that's the actual quote I will clip it)

Jason & whizzer falsettos.

This guy looks high rn.

Oh. Fun. That's going to be a lot of work. Maybe you could start a scholarship. Or maybe making money off the school would get you out of living with your son.

I didn't know Beckett played guitar IS THAT THE RAP SONG SHES TRYING TO COVER??? GET ON THE FLOOR (meh don't need to clip but I could)

By all means please come in.

He is doing so much for her he really loves her. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

WAIT HOLD ON A SECOND CASTLE SAYS "IF WE GET THIS ONE GUY, BILL ROWE, HE'S SO RICH" & THEN IT CUTS OFF BUT BILL ROE IS A DIRECTOR OR DP OR WRITER OR SMTH

[theanonwriter]

from the dining room table: part one

an: hi all!! this is a new series im making! i know its new and your taking a chance on me but promise you wont be disappointed. i know tjis part is a little slow but it’ll speed up soon. also, be warned that more darker themes will be in this story, along with eventual smut. 

word count: 2.2k

warnings: slight angst, foreshadowing to darker topics, kissing lmao, some fluff

pairing: fez x reader, maddy x reader (platonic), cassie x reader (platonic)

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

fez, nine-thirty-eight pm: 

yo

been hearing sum shit that’s makin’ my heart hurt

ash tried callin’ you too but you not picking up

lmk if i can help you at all 

i feel helpless rn with all this shit goin’ on

It had been four nights since Fez had opened the door that night. You’re still not sure why he did it, as you hadn’t talked in a year and a half. Thinking about the way you acted, the things you said, makes you want to smash your head against a wall. How could you be so stupid? 

If this all played out a year ago, you wouldn’t have been embarrassed in the slightest. You and Fez had been friends since first grade, when he helped you convert between ounces and pounds. But things changed. 

Thank God for Maddy and Cassie. Without them, you’re sure you would have been sent to some wilderness farm in Kansas. The girls had taken you in when you were at your lowest junior year, and the rest was history. Cassie had played soccer with you until sixth grade when she was cut from the school team, claiming she wasn't upset because now she could spend the new time skating. Thinking about the way you met makes you laugh now, because the thought of Cassie getting sweaty for any reason seems completely crazy. Lexi, Cassie's little sister, had been your study buddy and partner in scholastic crime for as long as you could remember. You never really had been the closest of friends, but you had a strict schedule of tutoring at six and book-talk and seven-thirty at the Howard house every Thursday. You’re glad you found them when you did.

“Bitch, since when did you live here?” Maddy asked, eyebrows raised as she shook her head in disbelief. The first time someone came over to your house was always the most anxiety-provoking, as you could tell automatically who was interested in your money and who was interested in you. “I don’t know? Always?” You asked back, nervousness lacing your tone. Maddy's head turned around fast, reading your face as you reddened under her gaze.

“Cool. Do you have like, juice or something? I’m so fucking thirsty and water would just not hit right now.” Her tone was cool, and it automatically soothed you. You knew she wouldn't care, but still, the whole situation frightened you. She marched over to the fridge and swiftly opened it, searching for juice. “Found it! And it’s the good stuff, no pulp. I fucking hate pulp.” Your dad had a job as a lawyer at a private practice, and your mom had been organizing closets ever since he hit it big. They have always been such good parents to you, showing you the way to treat people you love and people you hate more. 

“You want a cup?” You questioned, your eyes narrowing as a smile spread over your face. “Bitch, I want three.”

And that's how you ended up here. Maddy was taking a quick shower and getting ready in your bathroom after babysitting Theo for a couple of hours. Charlie, a boy in your grade, was hosting a party that night and Maddy was adamant on dragging you there. 

“And then Theo was all like, ‘Don’t leave Mads! Will you be back tomorrow?’ And I was all like ‘You couldn’t keep me away if you wanted to.’ I actually believe this boy is the most precious baby ever.”

She told a different variation of the same story every Friday night. You loved her though, so would never say anything. The way she spoke about Theo made you so happy, and seeing the joy on both of their faces when you came over to swim with them was the highlight of your days. Theo had been your neighbor since his family moved in a few months ago, and your sunny memories with him were laced with happy giggles and the smell of coconut sunscreen.

“That's great! Are you ready yet?” You yelled back, finishing your makeup and you looked yourself over in the mirror. It wasn’t your best work, but you still looked good as fuck.  Exactly as you should. Purr. 

“Almost! Can you get me some edge gel? Also, do we have mixers left?” Maddy asked, popping her head out of your bathroom door. 

“Yes to the gel, no to mixers. Why?” 

“Fuck, Cass said the parties out. Fucking idiot, all he’s been talking about for weeks yet can’t plan a fucking party.” Maddy groaned, rolling her eyes and getting back to her makeup. 

In fear of making her take longer, you sprayed extra perfume on your neck, between your collarbone and neck making sure that when you walked by people knew it was you. Maddy storms out of your bathroom wearing a little pink dress and black heels. She picks up her keys and grabs her purse before turning around to look you in the eyes. “Get in the car bitch, we’re leaving.”

The ride to the party was loud and chaotic, making you genuinely smile for the first time in almost a week. Maddy had already nearly crashed into two cars, screaming at drivers and slapping the horn every time someone got a little too close. You made the mental note to never let her drive again. 

As you drove some more, Maddy took a turn down a street that automatically filled you with dread. “Charlie's house isn’t down this road.” You expressed, fiddling with your seatbelt as she drove in the parking lot. 

“Duh. I’m not stupid. I’m getting mixers. Remember?” She turned off the music but left the car on. As she turned to face you, she sighed and shut her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry. But this is the only place open for twenty miles. You coming or not?” 

You reluctantly stepped out of the car, your feet narrowly missing each other as you stumbled to the front door of the gas station. You didn’t even drink that much before you got in the car, but being here heightened your senses and made you feel so out of your depth. 

The bell jingles as you walk in, alerting the child at the front desk of your presence. 

“The fuck are you doin’ here?” Ash asked, shaking his head in disbelief. 

“Buying...stuff. Why?” You replied, following on Maddy’s heels as she led you through the store, holding one of your hands in her own. 

“Why? ‘Cause we own this place. Where have you been? He’s been worried sick.” He snapped back, attempting to get your attention as Maddy placed your shit on the counter. 

“She's been with me. Can you hurry, please? We’re in a rush to get to a party.” Maddy reciprocates, annoyance in her tone as he rings up your stuff slowly. 

You watch Ash’s face turn from puzzlement to smugness. Why does he look like that all of a sudden? Did your awkwardness entertain him?

“Well, have fun. You might wanna limit the drinkin’ Y/N. You're already looking a little deer-legged.” He chirped, putting the bag on the counter and shoving the receipt into the paper bag. 

“Have a great day! Cunt.” Maddy whispers under her breath. “Ready to go?”

-

You couldn’t lie, you were drunk as fuck. You had lost Maddy a while ago to dance with Cass, and your feet at this point were practically all blisters. You finally found tranquility in Cassie's arms, grinding on her as the music bumped in the speakers. 

“I need to pee! I’ll be right back.” You slurred, kissing her on the cheek before running off in search of a bathroom. You felt so lightheaded, but your need to pee pushed you forward. Stumbling through the kitchen, you were met by a set of piercing blue eyes that you could never forget. Typical. 

That’s what Ash was laughing about.

Automatically, he’s by your side. “Yo, you okay kid?” He asked, placing his drink down on the table to get to your side faster. “I’m fine.” You replied, pushing past people to get away faster. Being that close to him made you shy, still not ready to process the feelings that resurfaced because of that night.

“Hol’ up! I’m tryna talk to you.” He chases you into the hallway, matching your steps as he jogs next to you.

“Where we goin’?” He questions, looking side to side as he nods to people as they pass. “Somewhere quieter. Can’t do this here.” You answer, shaking the anxious feeling growing in your stomach as the situation dawns on you. He promised he wouldn't say anything. 

As you enter a small room with just a desk and some bookshelves, you take a deep breath and plop in the desk chair. This must be Charlie's dad's office. 

“Holy fuck, you can’t take a hint, can you?” You pester, narrowing your eyes and you look anywhere but Fez. “I obviously don’t want to talk.” 

“I don’ really care.” He sits in the chair adjacent to you. You both sit in silence as you refuse to speak. You can hear him let out a breath, and the sound from the party downstairs leaks through the floorboards. Surprisingly, you don’t feel uncomfortable. You always feel safe around him. 

“You see the karaoke machine?” He prods, nodding down the hall. You cock your head to the side, shaking your head as you go back to staring at the wall.

“That’s ‘ight. I’m not finna leave you.” 

“Is that right?” You question, setting him up. 

“Yeah?” He answers, brows furrowing as you laugh drily. 

“You already did. Last year.” You gain the nerve to look him in the eyes. 

He sighs. “That was different. Look, I'm not fightin' witchu. I just don’ wanna leave you alone right now.”

“God, I’m fine!” You complain. The babying from all your friends had to stop. It was driving you crazy. “I’ll talk about anything other than what you want to talk about.” You bite out.

“Uh..did you hear about that new girl?” He asks, pulling a blunt out of his shirt pocket and lighting it. He takes a few hits before offering it to you. Extending an olive branch. You take it.

He always has the good shit. You cough as you inhale deeply, feeling the world's problems get smaller as you relax back in your seat. As you go to take another hit, he snatches the blunt out of your hand. 

“What the fuck? I wasn’t done.” You whine, giving him puppy dogs eyes and making grabby hands.

“Nah. You said you fine. You gettin’ treated like you fine.” He laughs, blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth as his smile grows. "This, this is mine."

You slump your shoulders and roll your eyes. “Your brother was a dick to me today.”

“I heard. He said you wern’ too fond of him either. Yo friend? Maddy? Called him a cunt.” He looks you in the eyes. “You know he like twelve, right?”

“He was acting like a cunt.” 

“Watch yo mouth. That’s family.” He replies. “I saw you doin’ real good in soccer this year.” 

“Meh. Could be worse.” The weed has started to mix in your system as you and Fez are suddenly interrupted by a couple stumbling in and shutting the door behind them. You can hear them gasping and laughing, but they don't seem to care about you two. 

“Yo. Occupied.” Fez says, shaking his head. You go to look at the faces-

“Maddy? Nate?” 

They both step apart quickly as Nate wipes his mouth clean. Maddy looks at you sheepishly, smiling boldly and she grabs onto his bicep. When she looks at the boy in front of you, she loses her smile quickly.

“Is that Fezco? What the fuck are you doing?”

“Oh hell no. We’re leaving right now.” You answer, getting more and more aggravated as the conversation starts to turn on you. You stand quickly, grabbing her wrist and you storm down the hall. 

“Wait, Y/N, I don’t want to leave yet! Me and Nate are-”

“You and Nate are toxic.” Maddy looks at you again, venom starting to show through her face. You’re both intoxicated, and this can't end well. You know what you have to do, but your morals stop you for a minute. 

Screw this.

“Look Maddy, you wanted to be here. Not me. I can’t do this anymore. I'm so sick of being out. I wanna go home. Please?” You will your eyes to fill with tears, and with the strength of God they do. Her eyes widen and then her face morphs from irritation to pity. 

“I’m sorry baby.” She wraps you up into a hug. Her nails scratch your back lightly, and you swear you could fall asleep in her arms. “Let's go home.” 

You search the room one last time in search of Fez, but you can’t find him. You spend the rest of the night punching yourself for not saying goodbye. 

-

As you wash your makeup off, your phone rings. The screen lights up and fills your bathroom. As you look at the phone and see his name, you swear your heart stops. Maybe he’s thinking about it too?

fez, two-thirteen am:

do they always follow whatchu say?

you, two-thirteen am:

no, barely ever. I’m having a bad week tho, remember?

fez, two-fourteen am:

i believe you. well, goodnight

it was real nice talking to you btw

we should do it again soon 

when you sober or not crying 

You leave it on read. 

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

thats all for now! see you soon! :)

[pigeonp0st]

Agatha x reader where Agatha steals Wanda's girlfriend??? like in Westview wanda and reader are fighting a lot and Agatha steals reader so she can hurt wanda but also falls in love with reader

Agatha Harkness x Reader #1

Words: 4,772

Warnings: All Wandavision TW’s apply here...also...kidnapping occurs

Notes:

Big thanks to @gaytrashgoblin for editing (I’m sorry for not capitalizing my ‘I’ in things lmao...and it should be Westveiw!! I despise Westview. I don’t care if it makes sense), and big thanks to the anon that requested. This was fun to write and is now my longest fic so that’s cool. Hope you peeps enjoy!

————

Ever since you and Wanda came to Westview she’s been...cruel. Not to you, not really, but to others. She’s so wrapped in her grief that she’s not seeing the people she’s hurting because of it.

She lost Vision, her best friend, and she lost Natasha, and Tony, and—

and too many people. But you lost them too.

So when she invited you to go on a vacation with her to Westview, you said yes...you needed the break from reality...you weren’t expecting to enter a whole other one. You weren’t expecting to get trapped inside of some sitcom where she has control of literally everything around you.

So naturally, you two argue. Constantly. Loudly. Wanda doesn’t seem to think she’s doing it, and you honestly aren’t sure anymore if you believe her. Maybe at first it wasn’t on purpose, but now it is, and that’s all that matters.

You just want the arguing to stop, you just want to help everyone, you just want to go home.

When you tell Wanda this her face scrunches up in anger and she stands up from her seat roughly enough to send the coffee she was drinking flying to the floor. “I have nothing out there anymore,” Wanda yells, her powers shaking the café the two of you are in. “Don’t you understand? I’ve already done what I’ve done, and even if I take this all down now nothing will change that. I’m already a monster.”

There’s silence for a brief moment...you aren’t sure what to say to that, but then you look around the café and see everyone talking and chatting like Wanda isn’t even doing the things she’s doing, and you shake your head.

“That isn’t true, Wanda,” you whisper, meeting her glowing eyes. “You weren’t a monster when you created this, but you will be if you keep living in this little fantasy at the expense of everyone else— when you know what’s happening.”

Wanda pauses, eyes turning down. “They aren’t in pain,” she whispers quietly, like she’s trying to convince herself. “But if you don’t like it then you can leave. Especially if you continue to argue with me about this.”

Leave. Leave and leave Wanda here alone. She created Westveiw to stop feeling pain, she created it to be some sort of fantasy land, and you aren’t a part of that anymore for her. In her dream world you aren’t there if you aren’t compliant.

Or maybe you aren’t there if you aren’t happy.

Honestly, she’d probably just create the version of you that she actually wants the second you leave.

When Wanda winces you know that she’s in your head. She looks to be about to protest but you don’t need her to. This is all beside the point.

You can’t leave when people are suffering.

“Wanda, that’s not the point. If you keep hurting people—”

Agnes. Agnes pops her head up behind Wanda, all cheery smiles and good (nosy) neighbor vibes. She always seems to be around to interrupt you and Wanda. Usually you’re thankful, now not so much.

Sighing you slump into your chair, expecting Agnes to ignore you and chat with Wanda the way she always seems to. You’re surprised when that doesn’t happen though.

Agnes looks straight at you. “Y’know...i’ve been wondering for a while now. Are you and Wanda a couple?”

You blink at her, shocked and hesitant. “Uh…”

“Yes,” Wanda cuts in. A flash of hurt in her eyes. “Y/N’s my girlfriend.” The way she says it sounds...used. She says it so dispassionately now, when it used to be filled with too much admiration and even more love.

She says it like she’s tired of saying it. Like it doesn’t mean a whole lot anymore, and you hadn’t realized when that started but it hurts like a stab wound. It hurts realizing that this now, this isn’t the beginning to the end, you and Wanda had already started that a long time ago.

Agnes doesn’t seem to notice either of your turmoil, she just keeps talking, and talking, asking question after question to Wanda and letting you sit in silence and get enveloped by thoughts that you’re only allowing yourself to have because Wanda is distracted by Agnes and can’t read your thoughts.

When had that started up again anyways? She always used to say she wouldn’t do that without permission. It’s just another nail in an already full coffin, you suppose bitterly.

————

When Agnes leaves, you and Wanda silently decide to go home. Your thoughts are spiraling and you’re spiraling, and everything is spiraling but when Wanda kisses you in the doorway of your fake home, in this fake town, you let her.

You let her because even though she hurts you so much, even though you know that she’s only kissing you because she’s attempting to distract you and have you forget about the argument, right now she’s your only tether to reality.

She’s the only thing that’s real. She’s the only thing that’s real, but when she pulls away and notices you’re crying she just sighs heavily and walks away, and you’re left to wonder why the only time she won’t read your mind is the only time you’re begging her to.

You’re left to wonder if the relationship the two of you have is even real anymore either, or if it’s been destroyed and altered by grief.

You’re left to shout in your head angrily and desperately, begging her to listen; “If you leave now we’re over, Wanda. Wanda, listen to me. Wanda, I’m here. I’m here still, for you. You’re all I have. You’re all I...fuck you’re all I have here. Please.”

The bedroom door shuts. The door shuts and the echoes of it feel like it’s breaking your heart.

You leave. You stumble out of the door, gasping and sobbing, and angry. So, so angry. She wasn’t reading your mind, she hadn’t heard, but she left you. She didn’t need to read your mind to know that you were falling apart, to know that you have been since the second you entered this stupid fucking town.

You want to run. Your body is begging you to. You want to run to the corner of this godforsaken town and pound on the barriers like you wish you had the courage to pound on Wanda’s door. You want to yell at the world, to let it know that you’re tired, and you’re alone, and that the weight on your shoulders has been too heavy, the grief on your shoulders weighs too much.

Someone up there in the clouds made a mistake. Someone overestimated what you could take and gave you too much, and now you’re crumbling.

Your heart is crumbling, you’re crumbling on the sidewalk outside of Agne’s home, and her door is opening, and she’s coming out, purple magic surrounding her and a devilishly smirk on her face, and you don’t care.

You just don’t care.

————

When you come to consciousness again, you wish you could just go back asleep. You’re tied to a chair in some dark area—it looks like a cave or some type of labyrinth but you know it can’t be—and it’s not even your biggest concern. You’re not thinking about escaping, you’re thinking about whether Wanda will care enough to come and find you.

Agnes appears out of the darkest corners of the room. You look at her tiredly, then turn away, lost in thought once again.

You’re only pulled out of it when she roughly grabs your chin and forces you to meet her eyes, a pout on her lips. “I’ve never had a prisoner so...relaxed. Get kidnapped often?” Agnes asks, laughing afterwards as if she’s said something funny.

“I’m not relaxed,” you growl, deciding to stop wallowing in your own self pity for now. Whatever’s going on with you and Wanda, she isn’t going to turn you into her. You still have to believe you still have fight in you. You still have to fight when you're faced with (possibly) death. It’s not okay not to. “I just had a really fucking shitty day.”

Agnes raises an eyebrow, stroking your face with amusement. When you attempt to bite her she pulls her hand back roughly, sighing like a disappointed owner. “Yes, yes, I saw you hyperventilating in front of my house. What was that about anyways? Get in a fight with the mistress? You can tell your dear neighbor Agatha.”

You narrow your eyes at her. If anyone is the mistress here it’s definitely Agnes—Agatha? “Agatha?” You repeat out loud, tilting your head.

Agatha nods her head, sticking out her hand. “Yep! Agatha Harkness. Pleased to formally meet cha’.” She pauses, glancing down at your tied down arms. “Whoops. Sorry about that. I forgot.”

Agatha—Anges—whatever, she seems like a total asshole, you decide fairly quickly. She seems like a person that’s only out to entertain herself...it would be amusing or charming if she hadn’t had you tied up in her basement (You assume it’s her basement. That’s where people get tied up in shows), but unfortunately she does.

You pause suddenly. Shocked and broken. “Wanda,” you stutter, “is she...is she controlling you, is she doing this?” The fact that you’re unsure if this is something she would do says a lot.

Agatha pauses too, studying you closely. “Are you two really together?” She asks, ignoring your question completely. “You seem utterly miserable. It’s actually quite depressing.”

You shake your head, eyes wide and tear rimmed. You don’t care about this, you just need to know— “please. Agn- Agatha. Please, tell me,” you croak out, desperate.

You need to know how much of an idiot you’ve been. You need to know if you are worth it. If you have ever been worth it to her. You need to know if the woman you’ve loved for too long—if your miserable grief ridden redhead— would do this.

You need to know if this is the type of person you weren’t able to prevent her from becoming by just being there.

“No,” Agatha says, hesitant sounding and with pity in her eyes. “No dear, I am not under her mind control. Now I need you to tell me if she would search for you, okay? Would she look for you?”

You sag into your restraints, utterly spent and exhausted again. “Is that why you kidnapped me. To get her here?” You ask, letting out a bitter laugh and closing your eyes. “You would have had better luck kidnapping the fucking dog.”

When you open your eyes again Agatha is gone with a cloud of purple smoke left in her absence, and you’re alone.

You’re tired of being alone.

————-

It’s been a week or two since you’ve been kidnapped. It’s not really all that bad. You wallow in depression, Agatha gives you some pretty good food, and when you ask nicely enough she’ll even give you some of her baking. She claims to be very bored.

Because of that she comes down to the basement often (she confirmed you were indeed in the basement) and you two talk. At first it was just Agatha talking. She’d rant on and on about all of her evil plans, and everything she’s been up to. She’d talk about Wanda, try to get some information out of you (she learned quickly that you’re not willing to help her), but after the third day she started asking you a lot of personal questions too.

She’s very good at comforting people, and at getting them to open up. “And when I think about it, like really, actually think about it, I realize that I haven’t loved Wanda romantically for quite some time,” you reveal wobbly, more vulnerable than usual today. “I’ve just...I’ve lost a lot too, and I don’t want to be alone. I can’t be.”

You don’t realize you’re crying until Agatha tenderly wipes a falling tear from your cheek. Her own expression shows more real emotion than she’s ever seemed to allow herself to show in front of you. “It sucks,” Agatha says. “Being alone I mean. I would know. But what sucks even more is forcing yourself to be with people that make you feel alone anyways, just because you’re scared of it possibly being worse without them.”

Agatha says that, years full of loneliness written on her face, but then she just sighs, unties one of your hands, gives you a muffin, and leaves.

You could escape. You could free yourself from your bindings and leave, but instead you grab your muffin, ignoring your tears, and eat.

You eat and you stay. You stay because this woman kidnapped you in her home, and she’s opened up to you. Not because she trusts you necessarily, but because you’ve probably been the only one she’s had around to be honest with for a very long time. Because she kidnapped you, and she hadn’t had to pretend she was something she was not, because she was finally allowed to be real with someone.

And then, even after finally having someone for a little while, she’s decided to free you. Even though it could potentially ruin all of her plans if you went back to Wanda.

You stay because Agatha is the only thing that’s been real in this very fake town, and because Wanda…

Wanda keeps you here, Wanda keeps everyone in this town here because she is terrified, because she is alone, because she has always just wanted normal, and Agatha, who longs for someone to talk to, for someone to be around, let’s you go anyway.

You stay for now because Agatha deserves someone to stay for her.

————

When you see Agatha enter the room the next day you realize that she doesn’t think you’re there. She looks at your empty seat with gritted teeth and sad eyes, and picks up the muffin wrapper you left on the seat with resignation.

“Can I have more?” You ask from the corner of the room, deciding to not leave Agatha in her sadness any longer.

Agatha whips around so fast you think she might need to go to the chiropractor for that later. She looks at you and her eyes soften, and her shoulders sag with her relief, and her hand lets go of the muffin wrapper, and she’s happy you’re there. She’s happy you’re there, and that means something to you.

You don’t know what.

She doesn’t say anything for a long moment. Neither do you. But then, finally; “don’t touch, Wanda,” you ask quietly, but loud enough for her to hear. “I want to stay, but I can’t if I know you’re going to hurt her.”

You don’t expect her to agree. You don’t expect for her to give up her plans. You don’t expect to be enough, but Agatha nods like you are.

You told her, “you don’t need to be alone anymore” when you stayed, and she told you, “you’re enough” when she agreed.

That realization feels like getting hit by a truck. A very nice truck.

“Wanda’s been looking for you,” Agatha says, like she’s reading your thoughts. It’s still so odd to see her hesitant, but that’s exactly what she is right now. “She has been since the morning after you were kidnapped. She’s terrified, and lashing out at everyone to find you. She has everyone looking for you.”

Your breath catches in your throat, shocked, and Agatha winces in the same instant, stepping away. You hadn’t even considered the possibility that Wanda would look for you.

“I need to see her,” you decide. Agatha does nothing but nod, turning to leave again, but you run to catch her by the arm before she goes.

She blinks at you, and then at your hand. You realize it’s the first time you’ve ever touched her. The first time you’ve ever stood beside her.

“Wanda is my family. The entirety of the Avengers are. I think she’d accept it pretty well if I told her I’d like to be friends,” you say, talking to yourself more than her. “I’d like to be her friend, but more importantly I need to take down this...illusion she has going on before we can work things out.”

“Work things out,” Agatha repeats, snapping you out of your thoughts again.

For some reason you keep feeling this need to clarify what Wanda will be to you. Perhaps it’s because of the closed off look Agatha gets whenever you even allude to getting back with Wanda. “As friends.”

Agatha nods again, then narrows her eyes right after. “I’ve never asked…” she says quietly, a venom entering her tone in an instant. “Has Wanda ever hurt you?”

Your eyes widen comically at that. “No,” you say quickly, watching as Agatha’s shoulders drop in relief.

“But she was still a bitch,” Agatha mumbles. You’re not necessarily fond of Agatha talking about Wanda like that…despite everything, one word you would describe Wanda as is ‘trying’, and that’s what she’s doing now. The things she’s doing in grief is not who she is, and it doesn’t excuse what she’s done but it means something profound anyways.

Wanda is a good person. A deep, lost, trying person. She needs someone there for her too. You fell out of love, you realize, before coming to Westview, but it was here that you realized that to be true— during Wanda’s lowest point. And that’s really what this is. Wanda’s lowest point. She’s buried by grief.

So yeah. You want to try and be her friend.

——-

Surprisingly when Wanda sees you the hex falls immediately. On the way here you noticed everyone watching you, and you realize now that it was actually Wanda watching. She’s been using everyone to find you, and now that she has she doesn’t need to manipulate people anymore…that’s what she rushes out quietly in shock when you ask.

She hugs you tightly like she’s afraid of letting go and realizing that you’re just another illusion. You hug her back, thankful and wondering if the hex would have fallen sooner if you had come home sooner.

But you’re surrounded in mere moments, and none of that seems to matter. You’re surrounded by angry townsfolk and people with guns alike.

Just as soon as the guns appear though so does Agatha, surrounded by her magic and glaring at everyone menacingly and with a look on her face that suggests she knows she’s ten times better than them.

“Agatha just floof us out of here!” You yell, staring with wide eyes at the red dot on your chest “or Wanda, SOMEBODY, please!”

Wanda pulls away from you, looking at Agatha, you, the angry townspeople—she looks at them with sorrow for a long moment—and then at the government goons.

“It’s called teleportation, darling! Try to be more articulate,” Agatha sighs, teleporting the three of you out of there a moment after Wanda waves a hand and has them pointing their guns at each other.

———-

Agatha teleported you to a cabin in the middle of nowhere (she said it’s actually only about an hour away from Westview) a little over a week ago.

During that time you’ve managed to end your relationship with Wanda pretty peacefully. She seemed to agree that it was better if you two broke it off...she thinks that she needs time to reevaluate who she is with all of her grief, but mentioned that she’d be willing to get back together again.

When Agatha stops pretending to read her book and glares at Wanda fiercely, Wanda sighs and adds that she understands if that won’t be something you want.

She’s dealing with what she did to the people of Westview very badly, so other than deep conversations and both of you trying to help each other figure out what your futures will look like, she mostly stays in the room she’s staying in and only leaves to get fresh air on the porch and to look for you to cry with and apologize to constantly.

You wonder if there will ever be a day Wanda isn’t apologizing to you.

You also wonder if there will ever be a day Wanda and Agatha don’t hate each other so profusely.

Wanda learned what Agatha did to you and why a few days after staying in the cabin again (she was scared to ask for quite a while), and since then she doesn’t hold the same kindness towards her.

Agatha hadn’t even tried to pretend to like Wanda since the moment they entered the cabin together.

When you ask about it Agatha huffs and rolls her eyes. “Wanda is stupid,” she explains simply.

When you give her a deadpan look she smirks and tries to explain better. “She is. She has no real concept of the power she holds, but more importantly she hurt someone I am fond of very deeply. She made the sweetest woman I know question if she was enough, and that...that is simply unforgivable.”

You don’t know what to say to that. There aren't proper words to describe how much Agatha’s care means to you.

Agatha seems to understand, because she gives you a gentle soft smile and gets up to leave.

“Wait,” you stop her. “Why do you always leave after you show some amount of care for me?” It’s something you’ve been beginning to wonder. Agatha says something incredibly sweet, becomes incredibly vulnerable, and then she leaves. “Where do you go?”

Agatha looks shocked by the question. “I am not sure you are ready for that answer.”

You blink. “Which...one exactly?”

“The why,” Agatha clarifies, studying your face. She’s always so calculating and you don’t want her to think she needs to be with you.

“I am not ready for a lot of things in life, but i’m ready for you.” When the words register in your head you flush up immediately, turning into a blundering mess.

That is also another common occurrence in the cabin. You’ve realized that you have a...crush on Agatha. Though you worry it’s deeper than that.

According to Google it takes three months to fall in love with someone. You’ve done it in three and a half weeks. It’s ridiculous.

“I mean...I mean i’m ready for the things that come with you, y’know? I’m ready for your honesty and—”

Agatha kisses you.

She kisses you, and it’s nothing like you imagined. You expected her to be rough and demanding. You expected her kisses to be a little like her, unrelenting and passionate, but they aren’t.

She kisses you and she’s soft and hesitant. She kisses you and she’s loving. She kisses you, and it’s like she is worshiping you, and breathing you into all of the empty places in her heart.

She kisses you like she is decades old, and yet she’s only just now found her way home.

And then she pulls back, and she’s unrelenting and passionate again, a spark of both mischief and something softer and deeper than you can understand in her eyes.

“At first I left because I was scared of caring for you, and thought that if I left after being vulnerable then maybe I could pretend I never was at all,” Agatha admits, brushing a thumb over your cheek. You remember the first time she did that—and your attempts at biting her.

You try and bite her now too, though not as hard, just to remind her and share in the moment together again. She doesn’t move away so you just end up gently nipping at her palm.

She smiles at you, laughing quietly. It’s not often Agatha releases this type of adoring laugh and you’re left to marvel in it.

“And then me leaving was because,” she pauses, her eyes wavering for a moment, and then she’s pulling you into a tight hug and you can’t see her eyes at all. “Because I wasn’t sure if you were ready to move on from Wanda, and I was scared that if you realized my feelings for you sooner than you were ready you would reject me...and I couldn’t take that.”

She was scared that by being vulnerable with you she was giving herself away, you realize, and as you think it you notice that she sort of has been. Even Wanda has probably noticed…

“So I leave. I leave before you can reject me, because each time I say or do something, I wonder if it’ll be the moment you realize that I lov- that I care for you a great deal.”

Love. That’s what Agatha was about to say. You love her too but she’s right in assuming you aren’t ready to hear it or admit it yet. But you will be, and even if she does admit it sooner than you’re ready the last thing you’ll do is reject her.

“I care for you a great deal, too,” you whisper, pulling away from your hug to meet Agatha’s eyes and smile. It isn’t ‘I love you, too’, but that’s what it's supposed to be...and Agatha seems to understand, because of course she does.

“Thank you,” she says quietly, and then adds with a smirk; “for caring for me a ‘great deal.’ What an honor.”

“You’re the one that said it first,” you smile, rolling your eyes. “You’re cheesier than me.”

Agatha’s eyes narrow menacingly but before she can say anything Wanda’s voice cuts in through the living room. “If you two are done fucking there’s a bear out side of the fucking cabin and I need fucking help!”

“See,” Agatha whispers, a growl in her voice . “I told you she’s an idiot. The only world she knows is ‘fucking’”

You can only roll your eyes again, dragging Agatha by the sleeve into the living room. What you both come to find is Wanda trying to fend off a bear with a wooden spoon. You ignore the snort behind you, only focused on the way Wanda’s eyes zero in on your lips.

Oh. You must have smeared lipstick on.

“Wow,” Wanda breathes, forgetting the bear. “You too really were fucking,” she smiles when she says it to let you know that she’s fine, and that the two of you are good... but you still feel a bit of guilt.

Agatha doesn’t. “You are a greater fool than I thought. Did you forget you have magical abilities?”

Wanda frowns, gaze immediately snapping back to the growling bear. “I didn’t want to risk hurting it. I’m kinda tired of hurting things.”

And with that Agatha and Wanda begin their bickering again...you end up having to be the one to get the bear out and you nearly die from the effort.

“It’s a twisted ankle,” Agatha says, amused. “I took care of it before it could bite off your arm.” When Wanda— full of concern—hands you a pack of ice though...well Agatha’s stance changes fairly quickly.

“You are dying. Come with me. You need bed rest.”

It is all very amusing, you think, despite the pain you’re in. You’re sure in the future when all of this is behind them Agatha and Wanda will be very good friends…but for now, in this cabin, supposedly not actually in the middle of nowhere, they both can be your entertainment.

You loved Wanda (you still do, though not in the same way), and now you love Agatha. It’s the best outcome you could’ve hoped for when you came to Westview...it’s the best outcome you could’ve hoped for when Agatha found you sobbing on the pavement in front of her house and kidnapped you.

It’s not happily ever after, there is a whole lot the three of you need to heal from—individually, but maybe together too— and this isn’t where your stories end...

But it’s the closest you’ve been to happy in a very long time and you’re going to bask in it.

“You’re thinking a lot again,” Agatha notices, tilting her head. “If you would rather do something more fun, could you help me get this poison in Wanda’s drink?”

“Agatha!”

“What? It was just a joke…” she looks down at the vile of liquid she’s holding in her hand when she notices you glaring at it. “hey, really? This is something for the cough Wanda’s developed. Don’t be so untrusting.” Agatha sighs.

“Oh, wait, really?”

“Yes...I wouldn’t actually poison her. This is only going to make her cough worse.”

“Agatha!”

“What?” Agatha huffs. “She messed with my books.”

[gummygowon]

cute relationship things with ateez!

genre: fluff (a lot)

warnings: none :)

established relationship!

a/n: i meant to post this like two weeks ago but i never finished it so consider this an early valentine’s day gift <3 ;) 

seonghwa:

for some reason, i feel like seonghwa likes to read books

with that being said, on lazy days where you guys didn’t want to get up and do anything

you guys would read books !!!

before you guys would read some were recommendations from each other on your own

and then maybe rant to each other over little details about the book like how the main character went back to their toxic ex or how the ending of a book was so bad

“seonghwa, how did you even read this?!? the stupid ass main character keeps going back to that one jerk! like does she not realize she deserves more than his ugly ass???!!!?”

“y/n, just keep reading.” 

“but hwa-”

turns out the main character got with the other woman yayyyyy!!! fuck shitty men

i don’t know how it happened but you guys started your own little book club with each other

so you guys could finally talk rant together at the same time about the book

so since you guys started to read the same book and if you guys found down time together you would read together

like, imagine it’s a peaceful friday night

seonghwa is back from work and so are you

you guys already showered and ate dinner

you’re just reading and then seonghwa just scoops you up and then puts you in between his legs with your back against his chest

and you’re like “wtf bro?”

and he’s just like, “what? i wanna read too???”

“didn’t you like read ahead tho??”

“yeah, but i wanna read it again.”

that was a fatass lie

he just wanted to be close to you 

hongjoong:

ok so, we all know that this man is hella busy all the time

mans is the leader, song writer, producer, dancer, rapper (which is why he is good at all positions)

but you were patient with him and whenever he goes days without seeing you due to his busy ass schedule he would make it up to you yk what i mean

but on the more chill days when you saw hongjoong or even the days where he was cooped in his studio (you would visit him there because sometimes you just had to see him)

you guys would just lay on the couch, just enjoying each other’s presence and not feel like you have to make up for lost time

you would be on the bottom on your phone or reading a magazine/book

then hongjoong would be at the top with his head on your stomach as he would be writing down lyrics that came to mind

killing two birds with one stone you feel me

sometimes you would show him a funny meme that you found or quote something that you just read to him 

“hongjoong, look at the way he fell!” you would be dying of laughter

and then he wouldn’t notice because he was really roped into making lyrics 

but you also didn’t see him focusing so much because you were of course laughing at the kid that accidentally got bitchslapped off the couch because of their sibling

“joongie look!!!”

“what is it?”

you would then show him what happened and then he would look at with that “you really interrupted me for this??” type of look

“i just lost my train of thought for this song because you wanted to show me this kid falling off of a couch???” 

“yes?” 

he would just bring a hand to his face and think what tf? why tf? and then slowly start laughing because of what just happened

“see, wasn’t it funny?”

“a child getting hurt isn’t funny, y/n” he would laugh while scolding you

yunho:

yunho powers im sorry for this one

alright so, it’s night time 

you guys are about to go to bed after a long day or work/school whatever

your eyes are fluttering closed because the day got you beat beat

but then yunho just kisses your face

and then you open your eyes slowly again to see yunho look like he just got caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to do

like imagine a kid that just got caught drawing on the walls

that’s what his face would look like

he’s just laying there like “i thought you were asleep...”

“i was just about to...”

yunho feels lowkey guilty now because you’re awake now and he knows you had a long day

he just couldn’t resist kissing you 

you just looked so pretty and peaceful sleeping 

mans was reminded by the universe themself about how lucky he was being able to date you

like, godamn what did he do in his past life to deserve you?

ok, back to this reaction idea thing-

yunho would apologize for waking you up with his cheeks a nice rosy color

you just look at him with tired eyes 

“i’ll forgive you, if you give me more kisses.”

and yunho’s smile just lights up the whole damn room and he’s like oh? say less

so he goes to kissing your face

like all over

your nose

your cheeks

forehead

basically anywhere ok?

and you end up laughing because it tickles 

but you just want him to kiss your lips which he does 

... eventually lmao

but when he does your still laughing which causes him to laugh

he tells you “i love you, did you know that?”

and you get all flustered and shit but you still keep that playful energy around 

“i love you too, but you aren’t forgiven just yet”

which leads to more kisses :))))

yeosang:

ok so you’re now the busy one

yeosang has so much respect for you because holy shit how do you balance that busy ass schedule of yours

your homework loads were no jokes 

then to add to that you have a job which was even more stressful

it was amazing how you can manage all that and still keep a smile on your face

you also had major respect for yeosang as an idol

the industry was not a place to fuck around 

you couldn’t be happier that your boyfriend was lucky enough to have a group who actually cared and supported each other

speaking of ateez, yeosang isn’t the most touchy person in the world

you didn’t mind of course, you’re the same way

however, when he did give you cuddles and kisses you would be a blushing mess

a sort of rare sight that yeosang loved to see

anyways, one night you were busy writing those argumentative essays that you were sure that your fingers would fall off by the time you were finished

you were working on it ever since you got home from school (with the occasional food and bathroom breaks )to the time when yeosang came back from practice

you moved to your shared bed by the time the sweaty boy came home and he was surprised that you were working on one subject for so long

the stupid piece was almost finished by the time yeosang was out of the shower

however, you didn’t even notice

you were too immersed in your writing to notice

yeosang took this as an opportunity to sit behind you and wrap his arms around your waist and watch over your shoulder as you worked

and of course, he would kiss your cheek occasionally

this was super sweet gesture but yeosang but you didn’t the notice that he wrapped his arms around you

“ai yah! what the hell?” you yelled and turned around to see your boyfriend clutching his chest

“oh it’s just you.”

yeosang would give you a deadpanned look and be like, “yeah, who else tf???”

you would apologize and kissing his cheek before returning to back to work 

which yeosang would return to hugging your waist and keep his head on your shoulder

and give you occasional kisses on your cheek or neck

after that night, it became a weekly occurrence

which you loved of course, who wouldn’t love their bf cuddling them while they chased their bag

san:

i am very excited for this one

ok so, san loves playing with your hair

it’s just so much fun 

running his fingers through it or just attempting to braid it or put it into a tiny ponytail

he loved it

he would probably always play with your while you were watching tv together, sitting together in the car, or even before you guys fall asleep

then one day after san came home early from work 

you guys were chilling on the bed watching the latest k-drama that came out since san made you wait so you guys could watch it together

san was in between your legs with his back leaning against your chest 

and that’s when you decided to run your fingers through his soft, fluffy hair

that’s also when san asked you to braid his hair

“sure, what type of braid though?”

“there’s different kinds????” 

“yes, san. now pick one.” you gave him your phone that was pulled up to different types braids.

“i want the french ones. they sound fancy.”

you roll your eyes and start sectioning his hair into two sections and start braiding his hair and lightly pull on the pink strands because you know san likes his hair pulled

so you doing his hair right 

and you begin rambling about your day/week

talking about whatever interesting happened to you because you know that san likes hearing you talk no matter what it’s about

however, you were knee deep into talking about the latest drama at work that you didn’t even realize that san stopped talking

“san?”

he didn’t answer and his head would be dipping down so low you were surprised you didn’t fall over

“baby?”

san still wouldn’t respond to you 

but this time he just flipped over so his head would be on your stomach as he wrapped your arms around your stomach

“mmmmmmm?”

“nevermind love, just sleep.” 

he would respond by burying his head further into your stomach and tightened his hold around you

you kissed his head and ran your fingers through his hair which lulled san to sleep even more

“goodnight sannie.”

mingi:

you have been best friends with song mingi ever since you moved into the tiny neighborhood that you call home

it all started when your parents brought you over to your next door neighbor’s house for breakfast on a cold saturday morning 

you were extremely shy when you were little so the only thing you could remember about your first experience with mingi was hiding behind your mother’s leg for the first hour of being there and watching the young boy play with his toy cars and planes before he finally offered a pirate ship to you

ever since that unforgettable saturday, you pretty much spent the rest of your childhood with mingi

you guys were practically joined at the hip 

even when you were getting endlessly teased by your classmates for the first month of school for having an accent whenever you spoke 

which resulted in you running to the bathroom crying

not even a minute later, you heard someone burst through the girls’ bathrrom

“y/n?”

you peaked your head out of the stall to see your tall neighbor looking out of breath

“mingi, you aren’t supposed to be here!” you said in between sobs

“it’s okay, i don’t care.” he said as he awkwardly wrapped his arms around you. “are you okay?”

you shook your head no looking at him with tears running down your face

the poor boy was internally freaking out since he has no clue on how to comfort people (especially if they’re a girl)

he was like eight at the time give him a little break

so of course, his first reaction was to make you laugh somehow

and he did this by randomly recreating the “boots and cats, boots and cats” rhythm after seeing siri do it in a youtube video and started to bop his head 

surprised by his sudden movements, you laughed out of pure confusion

as soon as mingi saw the corner of your lips flip upwards he began rapping faster to the point where he was gasping for breath leading him into a coughing fit 

“mingi you can breathe, y’know!” you giggled in between words

after the young boy had caught his breath from hacking away at his lungs, he smiled at you 

until- the teacher had came into the bathroom, scolding mingi for going into the girls’ restroom

even though mingi didn’t care at all that he got in trouble, the only thing he cared about was that you were feeling better

ever since then whenever you were sad or having a bad day mingi would whip out his phone and ask siri to rap while he free-styled over the monotone voice 

he literally still does it

even two years into your relationship-

“siri, can you rap for me?” mingi would ask his phone as he pointed his free arm at you

“boots and cats-”

“mingi, please no.” you laughed in between tears, your mood rising with every beat

wooyoung:

i wholeheartedly believe that wooyoung would kiss you face if you were sad

but the first time this happened, you guys were still fairly new into your relationship

which meant that you weren’t completely ready to be extremely vulnerable around wooyoung 

because in your mind, letting someone see you at your lowest lows of means that you really trust and love someone to let them see you like that

you always wanted to be known as the strong person in the friend group

you were that glue that held everyone together

always listening to others and taking care of others before yourself

which is why wooyoung fell in love with you in the first place

he had never been in a relationship where someone was so caring and thoughtful of others that he was scared that he wouldn’t be enough for you and that you deserved better

of course, he didn’t tell you that right away but he confessed to you about that wayyy later in your relationship which is another story to be told

but one day, life was coming at you so fucking fast

assignments were piling up left and right and deadlines were literally every other day

and then there seemed to be an increase in the amount of angry karens at your work

and your patience was thinning everyday with those people

then to top it all off, all the tests you’ve been studying for, you got mediocre grades, some even worse in other subjects

it just felt like no matter how much work you put into whatever you do, you got half ass results

it was just pushing your mental health further into the ground

you could handle a C every once in awhile but multiple? on back to back tests? no fucking way you just couldn’t

those stupid, dark thoughts would cloud your mind in an instant and on days like this, you would just let them consume you

you were too tired to pick yourself up again and fight back which led to you crying in wooyoung’s arms

usually, you would feel so embarrassed crying over things like this when you know other people have it worse but you couldn’t hold in it anymore 

you ranted about yourself in between your hiccups from crying which would hurt wooyoung’s heart a little bit

because he thought of you as such a strong and kind person- the complete opposite of what you were saying about yourself

so when you were done talking, wooyoung made you look at him and assured you that you were not any of those nasty things that you said about yourself

each insult turned into a thoughtful compliment accompanied by a kiss

“y/n, you are so intelligent-” 

kiss

“caring-”

kiss

“beautiful-”

kiss

“more than everything i ever wanted”

kiss

by the time wooyoung was done, you were a giggling mess

“and this is why i love you.”

he finally kissed you on your lips, smiling into it like the dork he is

it was the first ever time he told you that he loved you

jongho:

i am also a firm believer that jongho would sing his s/o to sleep

like with that heavenly voice of his, he better put them to sleep 

so on the first night you ever slept with jongho, you were too nervous to go to bed even though your body was screaming at you to close your eyes 

you kept tossing and turning every few minutes or your eyes would shoot open with your heart racing

at this point, you gave up on trying to sleep and got up (carefully to not wake up your sleeping boyfriend) to get a drink

while you were in the kitchen, clutching your chest in an effort to get yourself to calm down, jongho had stirred awake to an empty bed

a flash of panic surged through his body as he momentarily forgot where he was since he wasn’t at his dorm his room never looked this clean 

yawning, the vocalist would wander into the light with his eyes squinted, “y/n?”

“oh my god!” you jumped, water almost spilling out your glass

jongho covered his ears, “what are you doing up?”

“oh,” you felt your cheeks turn red since you felt bad for waking your boyfriend up. “i can’t sleep.”

“why?” he asked, walking towards the couch.

“i don’t know.” you answered as you followed close behind. 

you curled up next to jongho, clutching his shirt “i’m sorry for waking you up.”

jongho smiled tiredly at you before kissing your head, “don’t be. it’s okay. i don’t have work tomorrow anyways.”

you smiled in response before the two of you guys fell into a silence

“do you want me to sing you to sleep?”

“yes, please.” you murmured into his side as jongho placed his other arm around you, successfully trapping you in between his arms

he began singing softly into your ear as he stroked your hair

his warm voice coaxing your eyes to close 

at last, your mind was at peace with itself

your heart beat slowing down

and by the time the song was finished you were fast asleep in arms

jongho kissed your forehead once more 

“i love you.”

[misc-headcanons]

Yay, requests are open! Also, congrats on finishing another year of school! May I request headcanons for X Drake, Jack the Drought, and King the Wildfire falling in love with a local Wano woman (how they would react to falling in love, confessions, that sort of thing). Have a great day and stay healthy ^.^

(Ooh, my first Jack and King request ever :D Hopefully I don't fuck up their characters, I'm just quickly browsing through their OPWiki pages just for a refresher on them lol)

TW: some slightly yandere content (for Jack and moreso King's sections)

X-Drake

THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE MISSION. He knows how dangerous it would be for her if he pursued her so he'd try to keep his feelings suppressed. He wouldn't be able to completely keep her out of his mind though, so he'd compromise with himself by watching over her from afar. Any danger or trouble that comes to her town always manages to avoid her home specifically. Is there a shortage of food? X-Drake's crew makes sure there's enough for her and her family. As much as he wants to help the whole town, he can't afford to draw suspicion by being too charitable as one of Kaido's crewmates.

She might notice him watching her from afar and he would be so flustered, lol. Like he'll whip around and walk away in a nanosecond and continue doing whatever he was doing, but now he's got a bit of pink in his cheeks. If she started approaching him more often or leaving him notes or something at a distance, he'd be hesitant to return those affections just because he doesn't want to drag them into danger.

In the end though, I think that he wouldn't be able to separate himself from her entirely. He has a sense of chivalry and he thinks that it isn't fair to do that without at least telling her why. He'd arrange to meet with her in private since he doesn't want to just leave a note for her, but the moment he's finally in a room with just her, seeing her look up at him...he can't do it. He can't leave her. He'll confess his feelings and then tell her that he understands if she doesn't return them or doesn't want to be with him due to how dangerous it could be. And if she insists on being with him regardless of that, he'd make sure he keeps her safe and vows to protect her for as long as he draws breath.

He's such a gentleman that it hurts lmao. Flowers, holding doors and chairs out for her, politely averting his gaze when she's even slightly undressed (seriously, she could be in a kimono with bare shoulders like Black Maria's and he'll bite his cheek and look away to give her "privacy") He also dislikes whenever she's around other pirates and tries to distance her from his business unless he can't avoid it. Also the first time they kiss is THE most romantic thing ever; he even does that thing where he brushes a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and dips her back a little bit while holding her when he goes in to kiss her. It's probably done in the moonlight, he's caressing the small of her back, it's straight out of a storybook.

Jack

Jack is someone who's easily angered and who will rampage if pushed further. I think that he feels all of his emotions in an intense way, so when he falls in love he falls pretty damn hard. Once he sets his sights on ____ he's going to immediately try to court them.

He's been in Wano for a while and knows what's typically expected of someone trying to show their feelings/intentions, so he'll send her letters and small gifts for a while before inviting her to meet with him one evening so he can formally propose to her. I HC that Wano's views on romance and marriage are a mix between Heian and Edo-era customs of courtship, so things move to marriage pretty quickly by modern standards. He'll offer a VERY sizeable dowry to her family in exchange for their blessing, and since she'd be marrying one of the Tobi Roppo they know she'll be living very well.

If she or her family refused, though...Jack won't take no for an answer. He'll simply return the next day, take ____ over his shoulder, and if she protests he'll threaten to have her family imprisoned with a life sentence for treason. In his mind she should be happy he's even leaving them alive after rejecting his generous offer.

If she and her family DO accept, he's very happy and makes sure his wife and in-laws are cared for. His wife would move in with him at Onigashima, and her family would never have to worry about anything financially ever again (and in Wano, that is a very rare blessing). He'll spoil his wife with all sorts of finery and anything she'd like, and he's also more affectionate than you may think when in public; he'll always have her on his shoulder or even on one of his tusks if he isn't carrying her bridal style, lol. And in private, he's such a teddy bear: nuzzling her neck and cheek with his fingers (he might hurt her with how wife and obtrusive his tusks are otherwise), holding her close while she lays on his chest, picking her up and lifting his mask to kiss her properly, etc.

King

King's described as a ruthless, cold-blooded, "torture-loving pervert", so catching his eye is NOT good. He doesn't express romantic interest the same way most people do, so his s/o may not even realize he has feelings for her. He tends to stare at her a lot but since he's completely covered by his suit, she probably doesn't even realize he's staring at her specifically. That's the closest he really gets to showing how he feels about her at this stage.

He'll skip the dowry and just arrive to her house to personally inform ____ that she's to pack her things and come with him so he can have her as his bride. If she resists or refuses, he just goes outside and kills the nearest person he sees before telling her that unless she wants to get another one of her neighbors killed, she'll do what he says and come with him.

If she agrees without any trouble and comes with him, he's a bit kinder (as much as he can be, lol) and orders his men to help move her things to his home. He also provides her family with a proper dowry as a wedding gift and makes sure his wife is well cared for in his home. Her wardrobe contains fine silks, jewelry made from jade and Sea Prism Stone, and he'd even give her gifts based off of what she likes or is interested in: books, plants, instruments, etc.

He gets more affectionate and open after the wedding as opposed to any time before it. The suit keeps him from kissing her directly most of the time (maybe he can take it off? We don't know much about his race so maybe he's stuck in there lol) so he prefers to put his covered mouth against hers or brush his fingers over her lips. He'll also embrace her with his wings whenever he hugs her, which he ONLY does in private--if someone sees the two of them being affectionate, they're lucky if they make it out alive.

[mxtcha-tea]

malam di bulan penuh.

⊹summary; suna crashing into your house because he can't sleep

⊹pairing[s]; suna x f!reader

⊹genre; fluff, crack

⊹word count; 980 [not proofread]

⊹flight details; lmao, only the title is in malay, not the fic itself. Also, the title translates to 'night on a full moon' from malay. also, idk what ya'll expect from this fic, it's literally just them wrestling at the front door, talking about their future and fall asleep. enjoy ig

it's almost perfect. he's cozily tucked in his blankets and the pillow is cold enough for him to sink in it. suna's currently scrolling through his phone, changing from one app to the other, ready to sleep. except he can't.

he doesn't have the feeling of closing his eyes yet even with the preparation nicely done. it's just doesn't feel right.

suna stopped his finger from scrolling as he stare up at the ceiling, a familiar and comforting image fade into his mind,

"[y/n],"

"what the hell, you're coming this late?"

your boyfriend had called you a few minutes ago when you're about to tuck in, "then what're you doing up this late?"

"i have extra work, that's why. i already finished it tho, don't get worried about it," "well yeah, but i do know that you tend to overwork at times, just to make sure,"

a small smile graced your face at his words and just sigh. suna wasn't the most expressive but he still cares, and it shows by how many times he asked you questions. simple ones, such as,

'have you eaten?'

'are you feeling good?'

'do you need anything?'

and so on, "enough about that, back to my previous question- why're you even coming to my house,"

silence greeted you for at least a couple of seconds before a cough was first heard,

"my bed's all wonky," "what," "lemme just go to your house bye," "hey wait-!"

click. he literally just hung up on you after giving a horrible excuse, but it's pretty obvious on what intention he had. you look out from your window as the sight of the cloud covering half of the moon.

but it's pretty visible that it's a full moon tonight.

"you actually came?"

"am i not suppose to?"

suna rose a brow, hands tucked in his jacket and the glimpse of his phone peeking out from his pant's pocket. just like always when he asked to stay at your house for the night,

"well no, but you've come more frequently than before," "wow, you could've just said no when i asked to come," "do you really think i would say no to you?? cause even if i did say no, your stubborn ass would still walk all the way here," "isn't that the point? if you say yes, i'll come. you say no, i'll still come,"

you try to hit playfully but he caught your hands and passive aggressively push forward.

now you two are pushing each other's hand in front of your doorway. you can already hear your neighbor's complaint about having your 'creep' of a boyfriend over and do shits with him. but it doesn't matter anyway.

you pushed his hand to the side and let go off your grip, almost making him trip over his feet, "just, come inside, i can't with you right now,"

he rubbed his wrist and followed after you, closing the door behind him, "thanks for having me in ma'am, and that was a warm invitation just now,"

"shut up before i kick you out again,"

"wait no, don't. i was freezing outside, you can't throw be back there,"

"this isn't your house, so you can't do whatever you want,"

"tch, harsh,"

both of you are laying on the bed, doing nothing but staring at the ceiling. just a gap of silence between you two but it's nice. that, is, until suna started talking again,

"have you thought what our future would be?"

you made no move to look at him and instead, rose a brow, "as in?" "y'know, our life together under the same roof, kids, jobs, ho-honeymoon,"

he stuttered a little before continuing on, "and maybe vacation plans," "well, vacation plans sounds nice," "yep, i already planned not one, but TWO earlier this month," "two?? let's hear it then,"

suna cleared his throat, slowly turning his head towards you and as if in command, you did the same.

and as expected, a shy smile's evident on his face, "we can either, a) have a nice cottagecore life in new zealand, picking flowers, making bouquets for each other and falling asleep under a tree with the sun shining above use. and if you didn't know, i've actually got into cottagecore recently too,"

he proudly said with a lazy expression as the finger he's holding up falls down to your shoulder, rubbing it slightly. he doesn't seemed like a guy who would be into cottagecore to be honestly but would you look at that.

suna always managed to surprise you everytime, even if it's the dumbest thing he ever think of, it always put a smile on your face. how could you not,

"that's cool, didn't think you're the type to be interested in it but go on," a chuckle escaped from his lips as the gap between you two started closing in,

"or b) we have a vacation home at langkawi. tropical vibes and just us having a good time. watching the waves and sunsets while walking through the beach. we could also explore around the city using a bicycle, wouldn't that be romantic you think, and don't worry, i won't make you fall down from it,"

you let out a quiet laugh, tangling your fingers in his hair. running through it in a slow manner, "sounds like two good plans to me, but i think we should keep it in the book for the moment,"

"okay," it's quiet response, but enough to fill your stomach with butterflies. suna put a hand behind your head, touching foreheads with you,

"are you going to sleep now?" you asked, only a mere whisper while he just nodded. your smile widened, kissing the corner of his lips in a slow pace. and with that, both of his eyes are shut.

suna can always sleep better with you next to him,

"good night," "good night,"

[galactic-magick]

I’m Not Your Enemy: Agnes/Agatha Harkness x Reader

Request: Hey would you mind writing an Agatha x reader where reader finds the basement and confronts Agatha and she reveals herself to her and reader knows she's bad, she knows but she can't resist her and joins her side. Maybe with reader and Agatha having a fight first but Agatha convincing her? I just love my powerful witch lady. - @nyx-aira​ // Is it okay for me to request a agatha harkness x Female reader where reader finds out who agnes really is before Wanda does and she feels hurt by her not telling who she really is? Like she isn't mad at her just upset that she hid true herself from her own girlfriend? And agatha feels guilty but makes up for it? So kinda angst with a bit of a happy ending? I was so happy with her reveal lmao dhsjwbwkwnjw - anon

Summary: You find out your girlfriend has been hiding that she’s a witch.

Words: 700+

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 7!! Also some angst

Author’s Notes: Hope it’s alright that I combined these requests since they were so similar!

-

-

-

Agnes is rarely a private person. She’s never been afraid of saying what’s on her mind or being herself, especially around you. As far as you know, she’s an open book, your beautiful-neighbor-turned-girlfriend.

But despite that, she’s never once let you come to her house, at least not inside. You always have your dates around town, and if you ever want to relax in a more isolated environment you go to your place. Whenever you’ve brought up going to her house she always has some excuse against it, like it’s too messy, or she’s getting renovations done, or her bunny pooped on the floor so everything smells.

Today though, you figure you have a reason to go inside.

She hasn’t been answering any of your texts and calls all day, which never happens. Plus you had a brunch date planned this morning, and she didn’t show up.

Surprisingly the door is unlocked, so you come right in.

“Aggie? Are you here?” you call, with no answer.

You look around all the rooms and can’t find her anywhere, until-

What is that?!

You stop in your tracks, unable to step any further.

Black vines cover an opening in the basement, dark and thick and spreading as far as you can see ahead.

You hesitantly walk forward, entering the void until you can see some dim light. You find a room covered with the same vines, some odd objects and books lining the walls.

You hear some footsteps, and before long Agnes comes in and drops what she was holding.

“Y/N! What are you doing here?!”

“I was worried about you, Aggie! You missed our date and you haven’t responded to anything-“

She places her hands on your shoulders and tries to shuffle you out, “You need to get out of here darling, you were never supposed to see any of this-“

You push her off, “See any of what? What the hell is this? Do you host some sort of weird cult down here or something?”

“Darling please, let me explain-“

“No! I thought you didn’t keep any secrets from me, how could you not tell me whatever this is?”

“Y/N,” she takes your hands and sits down with you. “Please just let me tell you now,”

You take a deep breath as she squeezes your hand, and you finally nod.

“You have every right to be upset. Honestly I just didn’t want to scare you away,” she says. “The truth is, I’m a witch. My real name is Agatha Harkness, and I know all the secrets about this town, most of them you’re probably not ready to hear. I didn’t mean to fall in love with you amongst everything, but I did, so I wanted to protect you, so I didn’t tell you,”

“You’re…a witch? Like an actual witch? You can use magic?”

“I can do much more than that, honey,” she smirks.

“I just,” you shake your head. “I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me. I’m your girlfriend, I thought you’d trust me,”

“I’m sorry,” she strokes your cheek. “I’ll tell you everything, I promise. You’ll understand why I wanted to protect you. There’s forces at play here that could hurt you if you’re not careful,”

“Forces that you made?” your brows furrow as you connect the dots. “No well-meaning person has a dark lair like this in their basement, Aggie. Have you been hurting people? Manipulating me? How am I supposed to trust you anymore?”

“I’m not your enemy, darling,”

“Oh? Then who is?”

She takes your face again, bringing you close, “Like I said, I’ll explain everything. I love you and I won’t hide anything from you ever again,”

You look into her eyes, searching for anything not as genuine as her words. She seems to be telling the truth, and whatever she’s doing she must have a reason.

“Okay,” you nod. “I trust you,”

“Good,” she smirks again, kissing your forehead.

“But,” you sigh. “You are bad, aren’t you?”

“Depends on what you call bad, honey,” she laughs. “Doesn’t everyone like to make some trouble and have some fun sometimes?”

“I guess so,”

“See? Nothing to worry about,”

“Honestly I’d still stay with you if you were,” you mumble, but in the nearly silent room there was no way she couldn’t hear it.

“Would you?” she hooks a finger under your chin, teasing a kiss.

“Just…try not to kill anyone at least, okay?”

“Hmmm, I’ll try my best,” she whispers, closing the gap between you.