#since it's short and fits okay with the rest of the family names

[bokettochild]

Have we as a fandom agreed on a name for Rusl and Uli's baby girl? Can someone tell me what it is?

[simpforboys]

daddy’s money

rafe cameron x fem!pogue!reader

summary: rafe overhears someone being rude to you at your job. it doesn’t end well for either of you, but rafe tries to make up for it.

warnings: arguing, violence (a punch is thrown), protective!rafe, sugar daddy!rafe (?!??), fluff, reader can speak spanish (but race or anything isn't described), not proof read

these are based on my personal experiences (love working retail), just minus the punching

the ring of the bell made your ears perk up as you folded clothes.

you began working at amor, a popular clothing shop for kooks of all ages about a year ago. why they hired you, a pogue, was beyond you, but nonetheless you appreciated it.

especially since your manager, kat, loved you, as she came from rags and rising to riches.

you loved your job, being able to wear casual dresses and clothes, as half the store was beachy clothes and the other half was fancier.

“is that y/n l/n?”

you turned your head to see rafe cameron, kook prince. you hadn’t seen him in awhile, his hair now buzzed as he walked with the same prideful look.

you grinned, putting the shirt you were folding onto the table before hugging the tall man.

you and rafe had a thing, as one day he came into the shop you two immediately hit it off.

“did you find everything okay?” you asked, trying not to stare at the attractive man in front of you.

you scanned the shorts and polo shirts he was buying, noticing him smiling down at you. his hair was pushed back with a baseball cap on his head.

“i did now,” he said slyly.

“oh yeah?” you grinned, taking the security tags off the clothes. a heat rose to your cheeks as you bagged his items.

“didn’t realize they had pretty girls working here, y/n.” the man read your name tag.

“i wouldn't say that..." you trailed off, not knowing the man's name.

"rafe, rafe cameron." a cameron, huh? it had shocked you, really. the camerons were all over the news and basically ran figure eight.

"your total is going to be $259.73." you couldn't help but peek as he pulled out his wallet, his gold card practically dissing you as he put it in the pinpad.

you handed him his receipt, feeling electricity as you two accidentally brushed hands. he smiled down at you, grabbing his bag.

"i'll see you around, y/n."

"have a good day, rafe."

you watched as he exited the building, but quickly turned around after he paused. you furrowed your brows as he walked back up to the register.

"can i take you out?"

the rest of the story turned around, but you still kept in touch with rafe until he was on the ship with his father. he never texted or called you back after that.

"thanks for answering me." you said sarcastically, trying to hide your beaming smile. even though you hadn't heard from him, you still missed talking and being around him.

"sorry, mama. things got tough."

rafe's eyes wandered your body. from the way your hair was styled, your shorts that displayed your pretty legs, cropped tank top that showed some cleavage with a hawaiian shirt over it to make it seem a bit more modest, although failing to do so.

"i bet, being a cameron isn't so easy, huh?" you teased, continuing to fold the shirts you had previously ditched.

rafe didn't get to respond before kat came over, cutting off your conversation. "y/n, hay un cliente (there is a customer)."

kat was a very strong person. her family had come from mexico in search of a new life, and kat had quickly picked up the pace as she was able to open up amor. the store allowed her family to move from the cut to figure eight. she was around 5'6, brown hair that looked black in some lighting, with a mole next to her top lip that just added to herself, in a weird way.

"lo veo (i see him)." working at amor, you quickly picked up on spanish (unless you already speak it). kat eyed rafe, before nodding at him and heading back to the fitting room.

"did you find everything okay?" you questioned the man. he was around 40, dressed in a collared shirt with jeans to match. he had a rolex on his wrist, displaying his wealth.

rafe had moved to look at some of the mannequins, staying close by.

the man didn't respond, scrolling on his phone. you pursed your lips together, biting back your tongue as you continued to scan his items. his body language seemed defensive as he stood away from you.

"i like your-"

unfortunately, working customer service you had some rude customers from time to time, especially being a pogue in kook territory.

"just zip it pogue and bag my clothes. and don't try anything suspicious, either."

you were taken aback by his comment.

"don't talk to her like that." rafe had appeared next to the register, his nostrils flaring as his normal blue eyes turned dark. his pupils were blown wide as he stared at the man like he was going to kill him.

"and who are you?" the man scoffed.

"she's just doing her job, dickhead."

"if she was just doing her job, she wouldn't be tryna talk to me. now, who are you? do you even work here?" the man eyed rafe angrily, trying to appear more dominate but ultimately failed. rafe was taller and seemed to be much stronger.

"rafe-" you tried.

"rafe cameron, is that right?" the man suddenly smirked, sizing rafe up.

"i should've known. all camerons are dicks, especially your father."

you saw how rafe clenched his fist, the veins in his hand looking like they were on the verge of exploding.

"but i never expected a cameron to be protecting a pogue, or less a whore."

you gasped as rafe's knuckles made contact with the man's cheek, a cracking sound that could be heard around the store.

"rafe!" you shouted as he shook his hand, trying to not beat the man to unconsciousness.

rafe saw red as he grabbed the man by his collar, dragging him out of the store. "never fucking come back, got that?"

the man, now with a bruised cheek that appeared to have a broken bone, quickly walked off. rafe spit on the floor, walking back into the store.

kat had come running over, the noise causing her to be alerted.

"y/n, what the hell was that?" she asked, her voice thick with an accent as she was fuming.

"he was being-"

"we have a no violence policy. i told you to stay away from that cabrón (asshole)." kat swore.

"kat-" the woman wasn't letting you finish.

"you know i love you, kid. but that was unacceptable."

your lip trembled as your heart sank. you knew what her next words were going to be.

"you're fired, and i want rafe out of the store permanently."

rafe watched the scene, opening his mouth to speak but quickly stopped himself. a tear ran down your cheek as you wiped it away.

"who needs this stupid job away," you mumbled. you grabbed rafe's bicep, guiding him out of the store.

once outside, you let go of him and slightly pushed him backwards. rafe stared at you in shock, his knuckles throbbing in pain.

"what was that for?"

"you got me fired, asshole!"

"you just let dickheads speak to you like that?" rafe asked, an appalled tone in his voice as his mouth slightly hung open.

"yes! i need money, i don't care what gross rich men say."

the north carolina heat radiated off of you two, seagulls squawking as they flew above.

"y/n-" he went to grab your hands but you pulled away.

"i don't have daddy's money to support me, rafe. you just cost me my entire income and home."

your words were harsh as you stared directly into his eyes, a flame ignited in you that he lit.

"listen, okay. i can take care of you."

rafe was trying to remain calm, not wanting to scare you away from him if he raised his voice too much.

"oh, yeah? how?"

"c'mon." rafe took you down to where barry was sitting in rafe's car. the man got out as he saw you and rafe approach, the tension thick.

"long time, y/n." barry nodded his head at you, which you pursed your lips in response and watched as rafe popped the trunk.

inside were cases as rafe opened one, shiny gold beaming off the sun to peek at you. your stomach dropped, looking between rafe and barry who had huge smirks on their faces.

"how did you-"

rafe carefully handed you a piece of gold, watching as you inspected it.

"each one is worth at least 20 grand. we're set for life with these, baby."

you let out a surprised laugh, any feel of anger going away from the sight of all the cases filled with your new riches.

"no bullshit, right?"

"100 percent real, honey. rafe melted it down himself."

rafe gave barry a death glare from the nickname he called you.

"how- where- you know what, never mind. i don't care. you guys are fucking loaded."

"we're loaded, y/n." rafe put his arm around you, bringing you into a side hug as you smelt his dior sauvage cologne.

you grinned, feeling rafe press a kiss to your temple as you hugged him tightly. you ran your hand up and down his muscular back as his hand went down to your lower back.

"so.... are you my sugar daddies?" you joked. barry laughed as rafe rolled his eyes.

"c'mon, country club. we got clients to see."

[justauthoring]

naturally [3].

you fit into their little family perfectly - naturally → in which you meet satoru gojo

a/n: yall this one was a blast to write.

pairing: nanami kento x f!reader, yuji itadori x f!reader (platonic), satosugu as well!

want to support your local writer? send me a coffee!

I won’t be able to pick up Yuji today from daycare, do you mind heading there alone?

No worries at all, Kento. You know I don’t mind. Is everything okay?

Yes. My boss is being particularly pushy about getting this project done by today. I’m sorry to leave you alone.

I’ll be fine. But please don’t push yourself too hard, love. 

Thank you, Y/N. I’ll try not to.

I’ll make your favourite for dinner, okay? Love you.

That would be wonderful, dear. I love you too.

When you���d received the text from Nanami, you hadn’t thought anything of it. This wasn’t the first time he’d asked you to pick up Yuji, and that was way before the two of you ever were in a relationship. It hadn’t been much of a hassle then, given that you lived next door to him but it was even less of a worry now since you’d moved in with Nanami and Yuji into their apartment. Often, the two of you would pick up Yuji together and since you’d started joining Nanami, Yuji had been ecstatic about the whole thing that you made it a goal to go every day.

You’d already been out doing some errands, just about to make your way to the school with the assumption that Nanami would meet you there, when you’d gotten his text. You’d shrugged the whole situation off, mentally thankful you’d gotten all the necessary ingredients for Nanami’s favourite dinner when you’d grabbed groceries with a light frown at the realization of how hard Nanami’s office had been pushing him recently. Luckily it was the end of the week and you could spend the weekend making sure he got the rest he definitely deserved.

Your walk to Yuji’s daycare isn’t long at all and your thoughts are filled with the wonderful and loving family you’ve found yourself. None of it was in your plans for your life but you couldn’t deny how incredibly happy you were. Yuji was an absolute bundle of joy that you loved like your own son, and Nanami was the best boyfriend you could ask for – understanding, loyal, and loving. He checked off any and all boxes that may exist and made you incredibly happy.

You wouldn’t trade any of it.

“Y/N/N!”

You’re pulled from your thoughts at the familiar sound of Yuji’s voice. You blink, not having even realized you’d reached the daycare until a blob of pink comes crashing towards you, slamming right into your legs as Yuji hugs you as best he can with his small arms, peering up at you with bright, shining eyes. You smile at the sight, crouching down to his level as you distantly catch his teacher’s eye and offer a smile when she waves at you, before putting your full attention on Yuji.

“Hi, Yuji-kun,” you giggle, ruffling his hair. You notice his eyes drift past you, and are quick to explain. “Your father is stuck at work for a bit but I was thinking me and you could make his favourite dinner together, how does that sound?” 

Yuji beams; “perfect!”

You let out a laugh, nodding your head. “How was your day?”

“Amazing!” Yuji practically cheers, and you blink slightly at the pure excitement in his voice. Suddenly, he’s letting go of your leg to take your hand in his own, his grip quite tight for such a small child as he starts pulling. “I want you to meet my friend, Y/N/N. His name is Megumi!”

You internally laugh at Yuji’s short-attention span. You’d thought he’d be more disappointed about Nanami not being able to show up, but as usual, the boy was effortlessly positive and didn’t seem to let himself get phased by many things.

That, or he was just happy as long as one of you came.

“Okay–just, slow down a little, Yuji, I–”

“MEGUMI!”

Your lips part as Yuji practically bellows the name, eyes drifting ahead of yourself to the direction Yuji’s yanking you towards. You see a small boy, just slightly taller than Yuji, with black, spiky hair (it’s quite amazing actually), in a similar uniform as Yuji but he looks a lot more neat and put-together than Yuji does–even though every morning, you make sure Yuji leaves with his buttons all done and his collar straight, something or another is amiss every time you come to pick him up.

The boy glances back at the call of his name, seemingly unphased by how loud Yuji was, and it’s then you notice the man standing next to him.

He’s tall. Very tall. He’s got startlingly white hair that falls effortlessly around his head, shaping his face perfectly and he’s wearing a pair of black sunglasses but yet as his eyes drift in the direction of you and Yuji, it still feels like he’s staring directly into you.

“Y/N/N! Y/N/N! This is Megumi,” Yuji tugs at your hands and you pull your eyes away from the man, moving to smile down at Megumi. “Megumi, this is Y/N/N. The one I was talking about.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Megumi,” you offer gently, smiling softly down at the boy.

Meeting your eyes, you’re shocked as Megumi bows, offering a small ‘nice to meet you’. You don’t think you’ve met such a polite young boy, even if he was a little quiet. It’s funny, you think, how Yuji could’ve made such a friend–someone so quiet and calm compared to your loud and boisterous boy. But then again, didn’t they say opposites attract?

“I certainly don’t know where he got that from.”

You glance up as the man with white-hair speaks up, grinning at you as he steps forward, ruffling Megumi’s hair. The boy instantly frowns as he does, batting the man’s hands away as he he grumbles to himself all whilst Yuji giggles, moving to point out Megumi’s frown and the two of them fall into a chatter amongst themselves as the man with white-hair sticks his own out towards you.

“Satoru Gojo,” the man introduces, “and you must be the famous Y/N Yuji keeps telling me about.”

Slowly, you let your hand fall in his, nodding. “Yes, I, um… I’m Kento’s–”

“Wife,” Gojo cuts off, smirking. “Yes, I actually work with your husband.”

Your eyes widen, cheeks burning red; “oh… oh no! We’re just dating, not… we’re not married, Gojo-san.”

“Ah, please, call me Satoru,” he brushes off, “and sorry. I just assumed Nanami would’ve put a ring on you already with the way he talks about you. He’s absolutely smitten.”

Your cheeks stay flushed, glancing at your feet. “Ah, well… you know…” desperate for the conversation to change, you glance back up at him. “Are you Megumi’s father?” You only ask because the two of them don’t really look all that related–of course, that didn’t mean much.

Still, it was a shift in conversation.

“Not biologically, no,” Gojo nods, “but I do take care of him.”

“Barely.” Megumi cuts in, glowering at the man.

You press a hand to your mouth to stifle your laughter–for such a young boy, he was rather quick-witted.

Gojo sticks his tongue out at the boy, and you find yourself unable to stop the giggle that leaves your lips at the sight. They were a rather odd pair, weren’t they? 

Gojo glances at you as you giggle and your eyes widen.

“Oh, my apologies, Satoru-san! It’s just–”

“No need to apologize,” he waves you off, stepping towards you. “Now, where is Nanami?”

“Oh, he had to stay at work to finish something up. Speaking of, Yuji and I should be heading home. We’ve got to start making dinner. But it was lovely–”

A huge gasp cuts you off. You blink, glancing down at Yuji who stares up at you with an expression like he’s come up with the best thing in the entire world.

“Y/N/N! Can Megumi and Gojo-san stay for dinner?”

-

After a long and grueling day, Nanami is more than excited to come home to you and his son and have a nice, quiet, relaxing evening.

At least, that was the plan.

Until he sees Gojo Satoru standing in his living room.

“What the hell are you doing here.”

He ignores his rather sharp language in front of the children. Never, ever has he ever wanted to see Gojo standing in his apartment, in his living room and least of all, has he ever wanted Gojo to be anywhere near you–talking with you, making you laugh, offering to help you with dinner–any of it.

Your wide eyes fall on Nanami the second you hear his voice, and Nanami feels a flash of guilt when he sees the panicked look in your eyes.

Gojo just beams. “Nanami! You’re just in time for dinner.”

Yuji comes bounding towards Nanami, hugging his father tightly and Nanami, despite the annoyance standing in front of him, of course returns the hug to his son, as Yuji beams up at him; “I asked Y/N/N if Megumi and Gojo-san could come for dinner and she said yes!”

Nanami’s eyes drift to you then, noticing the way you step towards him nervously. “I hope that’s okay,” you offer quietly and Nanami frowns at the look in your eyes. You look positively worried, and he curses himself silently when he realizes it’s because you think you’ve upset him. “Satoru-san said he was a friend from work and Yuji seemed super excited, so–”

Stepping towards you, Nanami gently pulls himself from Yuji, wrapping his arm around your waist to lean forward and press a kiss against your forehead. “It’s no worries, love. It’s not you I’m annoyed by,” he assures you, smiling down at you before his gaze hardens and he faces Gojo who continues to stand smugly in the living room. “It’s him.”

It’s then you learn that while Gojo may consider them friends, Nanami certainly doesn’t.

At least, not outwardly. You can tell Gojo definitely annoys your boyfriend, but Nanami still tolerates him nonetheless and it’s proven in the way he doesn’t immediately kick Gojo out. 

You also notice how Nanami is particularly clingy the entire night – he sticks by you, as if attached to your hip, constantly offering to help, barely allowing Gojo to step within a few feet of you. Gojo notices, of course, and he uses it to his advantage to constantly tease Nanami but you find you hardly care – Nanami was hardly ever possessive and it made you feel giddy that he was so desperate to make sure Gojo didn’t flirt with you all whilst making sure not to be too overbearing on you or do anything you weren’t comfortable with.

It was a feeling that had you tingling all night.

“The dinner was fantastic, Y/N/N.”

Nanami grunts at the nickname Gojo had decidedly started calling you halfway through dinner, a name he’d picked up from Yuji, but you just smile at the man. Gojo is standing by the door to the apartment, a passed out Megumi in his hands. Yuji’s already been tucked into bed by Nanami twenty minutes ago when the two boys had promptly passed out on the couch together. Gojo had moved to excuse himself shortly after, of course with slight pressure from Nanami, who continued to have his arm around your waist, you tucked into his side as the both of you stood across from Gojo, seeing him and Megumi off.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” you smile, leaning into Nanami. “I’m sorry we kept Megumi up so late.”

Gojo shrugs, “nah, it’s fine. Suguru might be a bit upset, but…”

Your brows furrow, “whose Suguru?”

Gojo grins. “My husband.”

Your eyes widen and Nanami shakes his head from next to you; “yet you continue to flirt with my girlfriend.”

“Kento,” you mumble, turning to him embarrassed.

Gojo just laughs; “your girlfriend is very beautiful,” he grins over at you, and you glance down at your feet in embarrassment. “Besides, Suguru knows I love him.” Gojo rolls his eyes at Nanami, before turning back to you. “He’s actually out on a trip with the girls for the weekend. Left yesterday.”

Your lips part; “girls?”

“Yes, Megumi’s sister, Tsumiko, and two other girls, Mimiko and Nanako that we adopted.”

You let out a gasp, “oh my! That’s so wonderful,” you beam up at the man. “The six of you must be so happy.”

Gojo laughs; “I wonder about Megumi sometimes… He didn’t wanna go on the trip, said it would be boring but I think it was because he didn’t wanna miss seeing Yuji at daycare. The two of them are like two peas in a pod.”

Truly, you feel like your heart could melt. Turning to Nanami, you beam at him; “we’ll have to have Megumi over more often then.” Then, turning back to Gojo, you add; “and of course Suguru-san and the girls!”

Nanami frowns, but you don’t see it as Gojo grins back at you; “I’ll make sure to let Suguru know.” He assures, “now, I should go. I think I might’ve overstayed my welcome.”

You glance over at Nanami at that, noticing the frown on his lips and let out a light giggle as you nod at Gojo. With one final goodbye, Nanami opens the door for him, before shutting it the second he’s sure he’s gone. You watch as the man’s shoulders instantly sag the second Gojo’s gone and tilt your head.

“Do you really not like Satoru-san that much?”

His eyes widened; “no… no, it’s not that. I’ve known Gojo for a long time. He’s annoying, but he’s a… friend.” Then, stepping towards you, he shakes his head. “I’m sorry, love. I’m just tired.”

His hands fall on your waist, tugging you towards him and you fall into him with ease, letting your head fall on his chest as you hum out softly. “I know. Don’t worry about cleaning up, I’ve got it.” Leaning back slightly, you press a kiss to his jaw. “Just get some rest.”

Nanami shakes his head; “no, you already made dinner for me tonight. I can help clean.”

“But–”

“No buts,” he smirks down at you. “I want to help.”

With a moment more of hesitance, you nod. And the two of you fall into a comfortable silence as you work to tidy up from dinner. With the two of you, it’s cleaned a lot faster and before you know it, the two of you are already tucked into bed, kitchen clean, clothes swapped for more comfortable attire and feeling ready to pass out completely.

Just as Nanami presses a final kiss to your cheek, arm wrapped around your waist with your back pressed to his chest, you can't help but ask; “were you really jealous of a married man? Married to another man, no less?”

There’s a pause. Then, “...maybe.”

[thecordelialetters]

The Bionic and the Ballerina

Chase Davenport x fem!reader

wc: 2,495

Pt1 Pt2 Pt3 Pt4

An exchange student comes to mission creek to do 3 things: pass highschool, dance, and fit in. But when a certain bionic boy comes into her life she realizes that maybe her dreams just got a little bit bigger.

It’s been a week since the bionic siblings began living like regular teenagers—going to school, getting cell phones, and attending various events. They’ve mostly adjusted to socializing with their peers and trying to blend in. Each sibling has faced their own set of typical teenage challenges, from first dances and forgotten homework to pep rallies. But aside from Bree, their experiences with romance have been a bit lacking

This morning Bree rushed in the main doors almost knocking Leo over in the process. "Guys guess what ! I head there's a new exchange student from the France who’s here for the next 3 years. I've heard she super popular already and she just started." Bree jumped up and down excited for the potential to have a new friend. It was hard for her to make good friends after growing up in a lab with only boys. But a new person meant someone who had yet to figure out her quirks and weird family, that meant a possibility they could be friends.

Leo stood straight after brushing himself off. "Yeah I saw her in my art class. She's pretty and nice. She even told Trent off for knocking my books over. Oh there she is!" He waved his hands frantically trying to signal the new girl down. Chase turned around to see the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. You were beaming at the siblings, bouncing your way over in a short white sundress paired with a light pink cardigan. Two red bows adored the sides of your braids and your pink lips moved in slow motion. Chase's hand instantly began to sweat. Even since the Danielle incident he's been hesitant about approaching girls. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested more so the other way around. Although the confident front he put up, Chase felt he lacked the charisma and social skills compared to Adam and Bree.

Your voice rang out like a soft symphony, your french accent sounded like luxury in his ear. You started talking more but he blanked on what you were saying, too focused on the way your smile looked. Until a big hand punched him in the gut making him lurch forward. "Dude she asked your name." Adams chuckled.

You gasped and put your hands on his shoulders trying to comfort him. "Are you okay?" One of your perfectly manicured hands ran down his chest while the other patted his back to help him stand back up.

"Yep this is a pretty much everyday occurrence," He replied. Chase turned a deep red, he just met this girl and already his family is trying to embarrass him. "Hey don't worry about it, I grew up on a farm with 5 older brothers. You had to endure to survive." You laughed before introducing yourself. "Im (y/n) I just moved here. Leo says I have a lot of classes with you."

“Yeah dude she’s super smart! You guys have the same schedule.”

“ I’m a bit of a smart guy myself , I could help you out sometime,” Leo flirted, waking in front of Chase.

“That’s awfully nice I might have to take on the offer one day! But I better start heading to chemistry, don’t want to be late.” You chuckled. You were thankful for Leo’s directness but you didn’t come all the way here for romance. “I’ll walk with you!” Chase pushed Leo aside sending him tumbling into the lockers. “In fact I’ll escort you to all your classes.” He held out his arm.

You blushed and looped your through his, shocking him and his family. “That’s very kind of you Chase I’d be happy to be your partner for the day.” He beamed back at you. The two of you walked off leaving the rest of the Davenports in awe. "No way that just happened." Leo managed to say through a dropped jaw. "Maybe the guys in her hometown are really ugly." Bree determined. With a hum of approvals the group split to attend the rest of their classes. Meanwhile Chase and you were having a great time. Since no one wanted to parter or sit with the know-it-all teacher pet, you could hang out with Chase the whole day. The two of you developed a bond during these cruel morning hours. Chase found you to be a beautiful girl inside and out. You never laughed at or ridiculed him for odd tendencies and intelligence. In fact you were in awe of him. The way your big doe eyes stared him over his shoulder in chemistry while he was showing you how to do the lab, and then praising him for being so smart, really fed his ego. Compared to his siblings who made fun of him for his excitement, you encouraged it. The two of you came stumbling into the lunch room, once again arm in arm laughing about a cringy joke Chase made. "So a neutron walks into a bar, and asks the man ar the counter how much for a beer?"

Chase waved his arm as if to say ta da "He says for you no charge!"

He threw his head back laughing at his own joke while you chuckled next to him. Leo walked up to you, "He boring you yet? You don't have to be nice to him."

Chase glared at Leo. Typical his family would try to drive away the one nice thing in his life. But you weren't the kind of person who would be swayed so easily. "As a matter of fact Leo, he has been the most welcoming and I thoroughly enjoyed our time today." You sat down at the table next to Bree. Chase smirked back at Leo become taking the seat next to you.

In one swift motion you lifted out your lunchbox and with a thud hit the table. Bree looked at your lunch in shock "Dang girl, you got bricks in there?" She lifted it up with one hand slowly. You laughed, it did seem excessive. "No just a lot of food and snacks, I have to maintaining my food intake for training." You poped opened the lid and it was filled with healthy greens, carrots, rice, chicken and fruits.

"Training?" Adam questioned. "Hey maybe she's like us-" Before Adam could revel anymore Chase quickly interrupted, glaring at him before saying "Training for what?"

You looked at him with half a peach stuff in your mouth. "Fwor danch" Chase laughed at your cute face and moved to wipe some juice on your cheek with his thumb. You quickly swallowed your fruit, "For dance, I'm a ballerina. I train in the morning and everyday afterschool so I need to eat all this food."

You pulled another little baggie out of your backpack. "Dont tell me you have more food." Bree said. "Yes but this isn't for me." You opened the baggie to reveal a cupcake. It was chocolate with marshmallow fluff on top and a kit kat sticking out of it.

You pushed your hands to Chase, "It's for you, thank you for helping me today." Chase gently picked up the cupcake from your hands, "Wow Thank you (y/n)." Leo snapped out of his daze before whispering to Adam "We must be in an alternate reality because no way that just happened." Chase savored the taste of the cupcake you so graciously gave him. It tasted so rich and sweet. As he bit into it he imagined you in the kitchen making it. Maybe you wore a nice white apron with hearts on it with your hair tied in a messy bun. Your kitchen probably looked straight out of a cottage, filled with your garden goods and the smell of fresh pastries in the air. You noticed Chase had gotten a little of the marshmallow fluff on the edge of his lips and reached out with your pointed finger to wipe it off. The bionic sibs watched you slowly wipe the fluff before bringing it to your mouth, licking the white cream off. You looked around the table finding them staring at you before shrugging it off. After school, you were at your locker packing up your books to go home when you felt a hand on your shoulder. Whipping around you came face to face with Chase. He looked a bit nervous rubbing his neck and looking away from you. "Hey I had a lot of fun today, would you maybe...want to come over? I know our history test is coming up and since you new I'd be a good way to study." Chase braced himself for rejecting. Even though he thought the two of you connected, a small part of him expected you to laugh in his face and never talk to him again. You looked the time then at Chase. "I'd love to, but I have practice now. I'll be done around 5? I can come over after that if it's not too late?" You bit your lip looking at him.

It was hard making friends with your schedule. You were used to losing them faster than you could make them since you always had to cancel plans. But Chase was different, he was a sweet guy. "Sure Ill text you my address?" You nodded and pulled out your phone to exchange numbers. Little did you know his nosy family was right around the corner watching your exchange. The whole day they were in awe of what happened. Chase having game? Talking to a girl and she wasn’t scared away by him? They ducked behind the wall as the two of you turned to leave the school. Adam spoke up, "Oh I can't wait to mess with him tonight." Rather than let his younger brother have a chance, Adam was keen on pranking him. Bree sighed "There goes the one normal girl I was supposed to make friends with."

Chase was busying cleaning the living room making sure everything was spotless. He prepared snacks, took a shower, and wore his best plaid shirt. He wanted everything to be perfect before you came. He informed Tasha and Davenport he was bringing a girl over to study, and through wide eyes they supported him. The one road block to his study date...Adam, Bree, and Leo. "Guys this girl means a lot to me. She's funny and sweet. Thinks I'm NOT a freak. And she's the most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on. Please I mean PLEASE. Do not do anything stupid." He looked at the group who didn't seem too convinced, "I will do everyone's homework for a week." He watched their reactions light up a bit. "Make it a month and you got a deal." They bargained. He groveled a little and shook their hands "Fine but I'm serious, no pranks, no running in, no trying to bring out Spike." The siblings nodded in agreement before separating. Chase breathed out a heavy sigh, It wasn't like he was trying to become your boyfriend right now, he just really liked you and wanted to get to know you.

In the back of his mind, he thought it was only a matter of time before someone better came up to you and would replace him. Chase wanted to make a lasting impression before that could happen, then maybe just maybe you would stick around. You arrived slightly later than promised, 5:30. You were about to knock open the door when it swung open revealing the kind boy you had met on your first day of school. "You weren't standing at the door waiting for me right?" a nervous laugh following your statement. "Im sorry I took so long but practice ran a bit later."

Chase grabbed your hand to lead you in, "Don't worry about it, we still got plenty of time." You smiled at him and tucked your hair behind your ear. Chase noticed he had yet to let go of your hand, but you made no indication of discomfort so he kept his hand in yours. You followed Chase through a quick tour of the house meeting Tasha who was shocked by your presence saying "Wow, you're super pretty. Omg you're the girl Chase was talking about! I'm so excited we can start having girls' days with Bree and-" before she could embarrass him anymore you were pulled away back to the living room. The two of you spread out your work and began studying. Out of the corner of your eye, you couldn't help but stare at Chase. He was so handsome to you, his olive skin and beauty marks combined with his beaming smile when he talked about his interests. The beating within your chest seemed to quicken and the heat rushed to the apples of your cheeks when he caught your gaze. "Sorry." You said.

"For staring. You're just... I think you're beautiful." Chase looked down. He wasn't used to compliments. He also used to think beautiful was only for girls. But your sincerity and the way you spoke made him feel different about the word. A few hours into studying the American Revolution your head was starting to feel heavy swarming with information. You plopped your forehead on Chase's sturdy shoulder and closed your eyes. "If I read any more words my brain is going to explore." A hand reached to pat your head. Chase could smell your expensive perfume on your, the scent of roses and books invaded his heightened senses. He closed his eyes as well and inhaled deeply. The two of you stayed like that for a few minutes simply enjoying the contact. In the kitchen 3 sets of eyes could be seen watching the new friends. "What are they doing?" Bree questioned. They've been watching for a while but now it seemed the pair was just silent. "I think they're sleeping? Cuddling?" Leo commented. You made the first move to lift your head off of Chase's shoulder. "Sorry I didn't mean to doze off there, you're pretty comfy." Chase laughed, "Don't worry about it. It's getting late." You got up and gathered your stuff. Chase handed you your textbook and savored the feeling of your hand reaching his. Your skin was soft and smooth, he wanted to be able to hold it but it was too soon for that. He stopped you before you reached the door. "Hey let me walk you home, where do you live?" You gazed into his hazel eyes, the boy was a gentleman you had to give it to him. "Don't worry about it! I live 2 minutes away on my bike. It's not far." You proceeded to wrap your arms around his neck and planted a kiss on the cheek leaving a light pink mark. "Thank you for today and helping me. I'll see you tomorrow, Chase." Leaving him frozen you walked out of the Davenport residence with a permanent smile and and eagerness for the next day.

Authors Note: I couldn't help myself. I've been reading soo many fanfics that I needed to write my own Chase one. I know this start is super sappy but I plan to continue this and follow along the show more. Don't worry I haven't given up on my Five fics Im rewatching the seasons to get a jump start on those.

[em1i2a3]

Twin Size Mattress (Bjorn One Shot)

Bjorn x fem!reader

Authors note: Hello! I am definitely new to this. I haven’t written in quite a few years, and just like many hobbies, when you haven’t done it for a while the skill dwindles. So I was hoping I could write something to share on here for the first time, to start dipping my toes back into the pool as most people would say. Like everyone else who is probably lurking these tags, I was pretty enamoured by Bjorn in Alien Romulus (I also went to watch it multiple times in theatres but that was not for Bjorn, I just have a hyper fixation on horror movies.), so I hope everyone enjoys!

Warnings: 18+ NSFW, DNI if you’re underage please, Smut, mentions of loss and grief, unprotected P in V sex (please be safe…you know the drill), swearing, some very light choking, some foreplay, and a hint of angst? I am hoping I didn’t miss anything because I rarely go back to read over my work due to being extremely picky with wording.

A p.s. from the author: I was listening to a lot of The Front Bottoms when I named this piece, and I thought this song would be fitting for the title.

Word count: 6,390 (yes. I know. I am wordy okay? lol)

On the ship, you never expected such limited space. You never expected to share a bed, and you certainly never expected to share a bed with Bjorn of all people. You hadn’t been on a trip with the team at all, you stayed on base most of the time, but when Tyler proposed the escapade, you thought a change of scenery would benefit you. The mines were beyond torture to you, and being able to leave that behind for an unknown amount of time was extremely tempting.

Now, somehow, you found yourself back to back with one of the people you despised most. He was not a fan of you either, but you were focused more on your distaste for him, you couldn’t care less what he thought of you, definitely not after you overheard him talking about you several times with the rest of the crew. He didn’t like your guts, or how you tried to fit in with the group without having any inkling of what they had gone through together. The crew was his found family and he saw you as an intrusion to that harmony. Not only that but Bjorn didn’t even care to give you a chance, so you had given up on trying to be friendly, and everyone was aware of the mutual hatred. Yet you still managed to get the least desirable spot in the ship.

You laid awake, staring at the wall of the room, listening to the low hum that the ship emitted, the vibrations gently shaking your face. Bjorn shuffled behind you, pulling the blanket that the two of you shared. They couldn’t even give us separate blankets, you thought as you gripped your side, protecting the surface area you had.

“Do you fucking mind?” He said through gritted teeth, “I’m cold.” He added, yanking on the blanket again.

“You can freeze for all I care.” You replied back, mirroring his actions by pulling the end that you were gripping.

“M’ Sure you’re used to the cold since your ‘art is the same temperature.” He said, trying his hardest to pull the knitted blanket over his exposed legs.

”Well if you didn’t dress like you were going into cryosleep you would be warmer. Now shut up and go to sleep before I kick you off the bed and make you sleep on the metal floor.” You spat back.

Before Bjorn climbed into bed he had stripped off his work clothes, leaving him in nothing but a white tank top that hung loosely on him, and a pair of sleep shorts that were a few sizes too big, you had noticed that he had to put on a belt to wear them when you had caught an unwanted glimpse of him taking off the clothing articles. For you though, you were smarter, you brought long sleeved shirts, woven sleep pants, and sweaters, to ensure that you were going to be comfortable throughout the night, knowing that some ships got cold when you were not constantly moving on them.

”Unlike you I want to be comfortable when I sleep.” He replied, pulling the blanket once more. Snapping the tension that was building in you.

”I swear to god Bjorn, stop fucking pulling the blanket!” You exclaimed loud enough for the crew next door to hear. A sharp bang on the wall indicated that everyone was fed up with the argument, telling the both of you to shut up without words. A pang of silence rang through the both of you, as a defeated sigh escaped your mouth, slowly letting some of the blanket out of your grip, allowing him to cover the rest of his body. No more words were exchanged that night, not even a thank you.

————

You were sitting at your mother’s bedside, watching her lay with her eyes closed, she looked like the colour of ash, her lips were blue, and chapped. Her lively appearance had been drained from her, and she was a shell of who you had known her to be. You hadn’t left her side since the medic announced the time of death. They had unhooked her from the machines as you sat there, crying, holding her hand, but you refused to go, it had been hours. She was all you had, and she was now just a vessel of bones. You were never going to hear her voice, or see her smile, or feel her arms around you ever again, and of all times you wished you could take back everything you had said to her, but it was too late.

You were so focused on memorizing your mothers face, you didn’t hear the sliding doors of the medical room open. You only realized another set of people were in there once they pulled you up by your work shirt. Your hand let go of your mothers, as they began to pull you towards the exit, mumbling something that was incoherent to you at that point, as you were now blinded by fiery rage. You screamed and begged at the top of your lungs to have them let you go, to let you be with your mother for a few more minutes, but they were having none of it. You had resorted to pushing back against them, pulling the opposite direction as the securities grip tightened on your wrist. You kept screaming and screaming until it all went black.

————

“Wake the fuck up!” Bjorn exclaimed, shaking you roughly. The scent of cigarettes wafting from his mouth as his hot breath hit your face with his words. You sat up quickly, almost out of a distinct reflex, luckily he had moved back in time before you forehead hit his face. Your chest was burning, and a familiar taste of salty tears coated your lips, as a bead of sweat dripped down your temple. You placed a hand on your chest, feeling the hard thumping of your heart against it. You tried to catch your breath slowly, not even acknowledging the feeling of Bjorn’s eyes watching you.

He had gotten out of bed just a few minutes before this whole thing, craving a cigarette. He didn’t leave the cramped room, he just sat off to the side, with his arms hanging over his knees, taking long drags and staring at your body rising and falling with increasing intensity. He thought that you were just an odd sleeper, but when you started screaming it sent him into immediate action, knowing that the rest of the crew would’ve automatically assumed it was his fault if he didn’t stop the gut-wrenching sounds. He hadn’t heard anyone scream the way that you were screaming, and he hoped that he would never have to experience it ever again, cause even through all the unfiltered hatred he had for you, he knew something bad must’ve triggered this sort of reaction from you.

He sat in silence, watching you as more tears streamed down your face, your hands reaching up to rub the dampness off your cheeks. He looked over at the mini fridge in the corner of the room, and got off the bed, retrieving his water bottle from the inside of it, returning to you and bumping your arm with the cold metal, grabbing your attention. Your eyes were bloodshot and puffy, but there was anger behind them, until it softened once you noticed what he was holding out to you. He moved it in front of you, a silent offer. A glint of distrust appeared behind your stare.

”Don’t worry. Just water.” His voice was soft, almost like he was hurt that you thought he was going to give you something other than that, especially in this moment of all times. You reached out for the bottle, taking it gently out of his hands, avoiding his eyes once again, as you unscrewed the cap and drank, the cold metal touching your lips, and the refreshing water moisturizing your dry mouth. You pulled the bottle away, screwing the cap back on before attempting to hand it back to him.

”Thank you.” Your voice was hoarse, and the words stung your throat, raw from the screaming you had done moments before. Bjorn gave you a small nod, slowly sitting down on the bed in front of you. He didn’t take his bottle back though. The silence overtook you again, as you sniffed, trying to breathe through your nose. Bjorn rubbed his hands on his sleep shorts, watching the goosebumps start to rise on his pale skin which was now in your field of vision.

“Are you alright?” He broke the silence, clearing his throat. You didn’t respond. You felt like your body was reliving the trauma, even though it had been two years by this point, “Do you want to talk about it?” He added, trying not to push you, but curious as to what caused the screaming spell. You never heard Bjorn’s voice be so gentle before, it was uncanny in a way, the complete opposite of his cursing and loud demeanor he tended to display throughout the normal crew interactions. You found yourself somehow feeling warm towards the tone.

”I-I’m fine.” You responded, coughing from the mucus that was built up in your throat from the crying spell.

”Doesn’t look like it. And it certainly doesn’t sound like it.” He shivered slightly, not wanting to get into another fight about the blanket, knowing it was a bad time to ask for you to share when you were in this highly emotional state. He rubbed his rough hands over his biceps, generating some heat from the friction, as he kept his eyes on you, watching as you fumbled with the lid of his water bottle, rocking slowly, almost in a way to soothe yourself.

“Listen…I know we may not get along…But I’m genuinely concerned.” He admitted, now moving a bit closer to you, reaching his hands out to hold your shoulders, almost as if he was grounding you to reality. “Can you talk or are you going into shock?” You blinked slowly, shaking your head, now grasping his wrist into your hand, removing his cold touch from your body.

”I don’t need your pity Bjorn, just drop it.” His eyebrows knitted together, scoffing at the sentence that just dropped from your lips, his hands hitting his knees in frustration as he stood up from the bed, going towards his pile of clothes.

”Y’know what? You don’t deserve my pity. You don’t deserve anything actually. I-I try to help and you have to always make it seem like you’re the toughest person in the crew, when you’re just a scared little girl. You’re a fucking baby, and deep down behind that fake front you’re putting on you’re just a lost fucking person, just begging to be accepted.” He rambled, as he grabbed his sweater, putting it on over his head, fixing his red bandana in the process.

”If you even went through an inch of what I’ve had to go through Bjorn you wouldn’t be wanting someone else’s pity either. Who the fuck do you think you are, trying to fucking act like you suddenly are concerned about me. You’ve hated me this entire time, you couldn’t care less, you just fucking switch on a dime and act like a knight in shining armour, as if we weren’t just fighting over a blanket a few hours ago. Don’t you fucking dare talk to me about fake fronts. You know NOTHING about me, and you wouldn’t understand what losing someone is like, so go fuck yourself.” You shot back, venom filling every word that left your mouth. The last part in particular made him go rigid, his hands gripping the table in front of him. His knuckles turning white from the steel grip he had around the wood. It immediately registered with you that you struck a nerve, your breath hitching in your throat as his head bowed down. In a matter of seconds Bjorn spun around on his heel and threw something at you, clinking against the water bottle before falling onto your lap. Dog tags? You thought.

”Those were my moms spare ones. She always had backups in case she lost her usual ones in the mines. She died last year. Buried beneath the rubble. Never coming back. You think you know what loss is? You think you know grief? Imagine not havin a chance to say goodbye, then come on out and accuse me of not fucking understanding what losing someone is like.” The words hit you like a pound of bricks, as your brain took a few moments to process what he was saying. You put the water bottle down beside you, now holding the dog tags in your hands, feeling the engraving of his mother's name on it, with her standard issued number right below it. You looked up at him, watching him clench his jaw under your stare. A pang of regret echoed through your body, as your eyes softened.

”Bjorn…I…”

”Save it, I don’t want your pity.” He interrupted, twisting your words back to you, crossing his arms over his chest, as his crystal blue irises watched your delicate, scarred-up hands hold the dog tags, almost as if they would break under her touch, “Maybe It’ll teach you to think before you speak next time.” He muttered, your eyes flashing up to him, as his gaze broke away to look at the floor now. You slumped down into the blanket that surrounded you, the silence encompassing the room once again. You looked back down at the dog tags, releasing a small sigh while sliding off the mattress, your bare feet meeting the cold metal floor. Bjorn couldn’t help but peek through his lashes as he watched you stop in front of him, leaving a bit of space between the two of you. He could feel your warm breath fan his face, the sweet minty smell of your mouthwash tickling his nose. Suddenly he felt your arms wrap around his neck, and the cold metal chain touching his skin, the contact made him tense up, but he stayed still for you until a small click was heard. You adjusted the dog tags gently, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks under his gaze.

“I’m sorry. I should have never said what I said…I know how you feel Bjorn. I understand how it feels to lose a mom, and I should’ve been aware that I am not the only one who has experienced something like that.” You avoided looking up, knowing he was already looking at you. Even though you hated him you knew when the heat of his ice-blue eyes were on you, and you avoided looking back every time.

”Does the grief get easier?” He whispered as if he was asking you for top-secret information. You held the dog tags between your fingers still, licking your dried lips, and shaking your head.

”It doesn’t…But it becomes your normal. My mother passed away two years ago, and as you can tell I haven’t gotten over it.” You let go of the tags, letting them drop against the sweater he was wearing, taking the courage to meet his eyes, “The nightmares don’t come often, and hopefully one day, I won’t be haunted by that night anymore.” You closed your eyes, taking your bottom lip between your teeth, giving it a small bite, taking some of the dry skin off, drawing a droplet of blood from it, letting the metallic taste settle on your tongue.

Bjorn stared at you, almost enamoured by the way you worded your thoughts, feeling his heart tighten slightly at the sight of you biting your bottom lip. His hand instinctively came up to cup your cheek, his thumb running along the skin just below your eye. You tensed up under his cold palm, flinching back slightly, as your gaze fixated on his. Maybe it was the moment that preceded it, the genuine heart to heart you both were having, but you caught yourself melting into the touch, pushing your cheek more into his hand, holding the stare. Your eyes glistened under the dim lighting, beckoning him to come closer, to close the gap between the two of you, like a siren trying to entrap men at sea, and he was one of your victims.

Slowly he leaned in, trying to gauge your body language as he approached. You didn’t move a muscle, and you could’ve sworn you felt the air from your lungs hitch in your throat, his hot breath now fanning over your lips, pausing to test if you were going to make the final move. As you threw your common sense out the window you closed the gap, allowing the moment to take over, pressing your lips against his, a soft sigh escaping from both of you, like this kiss was somehow a long time coming.

Bjorn's hand left your cheek to hold the side of your neck, your pulse beating against his palm, while the other one was placed firmly on your waist, his fingertips digging into the clothed flesh of your hips. The kiss was sloppy, a feverish craving developing slowly as you adapted to one another’s movements. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pressing yourself into him, a small moan being exchanged, both of you pulling away for a moment to look at each other. To give each other a final chance to realize what you were doing and who you were doing it with.

Red heat crept onto both of your faces, your hands now tangling themselves into his hair, pulling him in again to avoid thinking about the meaning of what you guys were doing, not wanting to put your actions into question. You pulled gently at the hair within your grip, a muted moan vibrating against your lips as Bjorn now had both hands placed on your hips, sneaking under your long-sleeved shirt to touch the soft skin beneath. Goosebumps slowly climbed up your skin, a shiver creeping up your spine, as he switched positions so you were pressed against the small table, entrapping you with his body. His hands slid down the backs of your thighs as he lifted you gently and placed your bottom onto the wooden surface. Your legs opened up for him, letting him settle between them.

You pulled back this time, opening your eyes to look at his face. His lips were already red and swollen from the intensity of the kiss, and you couldn’t help but reach out and touch the tender flesh, watching his icy blue irises observe you, as you dragged your thumb down the middle of his lip, to his chin. A soft moan escaped into the air as his hands desperately searched for the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head and throwing it to the side.

“Oh my god.” He whispered, looking at your bare chest, your skin flushing beneath his gaze, holding back the instinct to cover yourself up. Your breathing escalated, and you felt the nerves begin to bundle and coil in your stomach. You did not know if this was a good situation, but you reassured yourself that you would take care of it in the morning. The cold air of the enclosed room hardened your nipples as Bjorn leaned towards you, his soft lips slowly kissing down your neck, with his rough, calloused hands running down your bareback. You could feel his teeth gently graze the skin of your collarbone, a small bite being felt, making you flinch in his hands at the sensation that crowded your consciousness, you could feel his lips form a small smirk against your skin, his eyes glancing at up at you briefly to witness the blush slowly invade your cheeks.

“You okay?” He asked, his hot breath sticking to the skin just above the mound of your breast, his eyes watching you closely for your reaction, trying to see if there was hesitance. His lips parted slightly, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the sensitive flesh, earning a soft sigh out of you.

“I’m okay.” You replied, “Are you okay?” Returning the same level of concern he had, as his lips took your pebbled nipple into his mouth, hollowing out his cheeks to create a tense suction while the tip of his tongue collaborated with the pressure, a gasp emitting into the air. He pulled back for a moment, with a small pop.

“I’m on fire.” His voice was husky, his mouth returning to the same spot again, adding more saliva to the sensitive skin on your nipples, as your thighs enclosed around Bjorn’s hips, feeling the tenting in his shorts brush up against your core. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach, as your brain focused on the sensations of his tongue, whilst also trying to find the bottom of his sweater with your hands. You tugged at the hem of the clothing, watching him pull off your nipple again to aid you in removing the top, throwing it to the side, and leaving him in his undershirt. Your eyes roamed over his exposed skin, now paying attention to the details you never noticed before, tracing the outline of the healed scars that glistened in the light, you assumed it was from the mines, knowing that the ricocheting rocks could give some pretty nasty scrapes. There was a pause, as the two of you exchanged momentary glances, before touching foreheads. He snaked his arms around you, pulling you up and off the desk, your legs wrapped around him out of instinct while he was making his way over to the small mattress. Your lips found his again, desire burning behind every action you took, feeling your back hit the bed, the mattress pillowing around you. His weight pressed down onto your body, his hands sliding down your bare torso, right to the tie of your pyjama pants, the two of you continuing to kiss hungrily, your teeth nibbling his bottom lip. He pulled away, holding himself up with one arm.

“Can I take them off?” He breathed, motioning to his hand on the tie. You nodded, lifting your hips off the bed so he could pull the pants down off your long legs, bunching them up and throwing them to the side, taking in the sight before him. His eyes roamed over the skin of your legs, smooth and unmarked, leading up to the green lacy underwear you wore, the last thing you had on. You felt his calloused fingers trace up your thigh, as you sat up taking his face into your hands, watching him close his eyes.

“Lay down.” You instructed, his eyelids fluttering open to meet your gaze, “But let’s take this off first.” You added, slipping the undershirt off his form, exposing more of his milky white skin, your hands running down his chest, feeling the thumping of his heart against your palm, your eyes glued to him as he listened to your instructions, laying on his back as you climbed on top of him, your legs straddling his waist, placing pressure on the tent that was formed in his shorts. He pushed his head back on the mattress, as his mouth slowly opened, his hands resting on your hips to press you down harder against the fabric adding friction to the area.

You could feel your arousal pool in your panties, as he dragged your hips forward and back against the outline of his cock. You can tell that he was well-endowed, which made you nervous. It wasn’t your first time having sex, but you had run into a dry spell, it had been a year and a half by this point - not that you were counting the days - and you feared that you possibly lost your touch. Now being aware of his size you had this innate desire to impress him, paying attention to the grip he had on your hips, feeling his fingers dig into your flesh with each movement. He looked up at you, lust filling behind the blue irises as he removed one hand from your waist, bringing his fingers up to his mouth, coating them in saliva, before sitting up, not wanting to stay on his back. His touch left a wet trail down your stomach, brimming the waistband of your underwear, silently asking to continue further. In desperation, your lips met his, wanting to be closer to him, hoping that this was a good enough answer for him to go on with what he was planning.

His hand slid under the waistband, feeling the wetness that was soaked into the cloth of your underwear, a light moan escaping his mouth. You pulled him closer to you, your hands roaming over his shoulder blades. He smiled against your lips, as his fingertips grazed over your clit, earning a sharp intake of breath from you that was a little louder than expected. He pulled back quickly, using his spare hand to cover your mouth.

“You need to be quiet.” He whispered, smirking at the way your face turned bright red, continuing to circle your clit in a slow and rhythmic motion. The wetness from his saliva allows for a smooth glide across the bundle of nerves, causing your hips to buckle slightly. Bjorn removed his hand from your mouth, placing it onto your breast, and giving it a rough squeeze. You closed your eyes tightly as his fingers continued working on both erogenous zones, synching them together so that when your hips ground against his hand his fingers squeezed your nipple. He leaned down, his mouth latching onto your free breast, sucking hard on the sensitive flesh, leaving a dark red mark, and moving to the other side to do the same.

Your brain was clouded, not knowing what to focus on, completely intoxicated by the attention Bjorn was giving you. You were surprised by how gentle he was when usually he carried himself like an unattentive jerk most of the time. His fingers suddenly stopped rubbing your clit, as his hand moved further into the slick wetness of your panties, dipping two fingers inside of you. Your mouth dropped open at the delicious stretch his thick digits provided, mentally reminding yourself not to make excessive noise. A small smile drew up on his swollen lips.

“God you’re so tight.” His words brushed against your lips, “I can’t wait to feel you around my cock.” He added, smirking at the way your eyes closed at the words he said, curling his fingers inside you, moving them slowly to build up the tension that electrified all your senses. Through your short gasps for air one of your hands made its way down his chest, undoing his belt and throwing it to the side, ghosting your lips against his before slipping your hand beneath the waistband, finding his hard cock in an instant. You couldn’t see it, but the outline didn’t prepare you for the thickness and length that you were palming at the moment. Precum was already dripping from the head of his penis as you started stroking, spreading the warm stickiness along the shaft. Now, just like you, he was taking in short breaths, the rhythm of his fingers being thrown off at the touch of your hand.

“Do I need a c-condom?” He asked, already thinking ahead so there was no delay once all the layers were off.

“I…Implant.” You shuddered, trying to speak without your words getting caught in your throat, “Got it r-replaced a month ago.” His lips met the marked flesh of your breast, giving light kisses on the area.

“You want me to fill you with my cum? You wanna be leaking me all day long? Hm?” His voice vibrated against your skin, his mouth leaving another purpled bruise over your breast. The sheer thought caused your walls to flutter around his fingers, which encouraged him to continue his quickened pace. You could feel yourself getting to the point where your legs were beginning to twitch from the sensation he was causing you, your orgasm building inside your velvety walls. Bjorn took the opportunity and added another finger into you, stretching you out as much as possible, the sudden intrusion making your back arch into him. He took advantage of the moment of weakness and flipped you over, so now you were at his mercy, a yelp escaping your throat at the newfound pressure of his body on yours.

“Tell me what you want….” He said, his breath hitting the shell of your ear, his full puffy lips ghosting the skin so delicately. His body shuddered as you began to stroke him with a little more roughness

“I want…You.” Your voice was hoarse, almost cracking at the desperation, as your free hand took his bandana off his head, throwing it to the side so his hair could fall in front of his face. He hummed, pumping his fingers in and out a few more times before removing them, bringing his glistening digits up to his lips, sucking the juices off them like it was honey.

“You taste so sweet…S-so delicious.” He murmured, getting every last drop before moving off of you, your grip leaving his hardened member. He grabbed the blanket placing it at his waist before beckoning you to come join him under the covers. You removed your underwear, watching him shuffle beneath the blanket, assuming that he was removing his shorts, the last thing that was hindering the finality of what the both of you were going to do. You knew things were going to change after this, there was no denying that, and it was slowly dawning on you that you didn’t know how you were going to handle this in the morning. Are you and Bjorn going to suddenly become friendly, and allow the people around you to catch wind of what happened? Or are you going to keep it your little secret? You had no clue, and it currently wasn’t the right time to ask, so once again, you pushed the thoughts away, settling in under the covers with him, his skin touching yours, setting the area ablaze, as the electric heat rushed up your body.

You turned onto your side, mirroring the position he was in, allowing yourself to look at him, allowing the silence to come between the two of you. A small smile appeared on his lips, his hand reaching out to push a piece of hair out of your face. The two of you took a moment to breathe, almost like you were trying to emotionally sync together. He could sense you were thinking too hard, the cogs in your brain turning about what was going to happen after this, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment to have a long conversation about the future, it wasn’t the right time.

His hand caressed your cheek, as you brought your leg over his hip to close the small space you mindfully left between the two of you.

“Are you sure you want this?” Bjorn blurted out, he could see your eyes widen slightly, “I mean…I just don’t want you to wake up tomorrow morning hating me even more because we did this. I also don’t want to take advantage of our heart to heart…I just want to make sure…” He trailed off, looking at your lips turning up into a soft smile, your head shaking.

“I want this.” You replied, “And you’re not taking advantage of me, and I won’t hate you even more when we wake up.” You added, hoping that those confirmations were enough to give him the go ahead. He nodded, before his arm slid around your waist to pull you closer to him, planting a gentle kiss onto your lips, placing his weight forward so he can have you laying on your back.

He settled between your legs, holding your neck with his hand, giving it a taunting squeeze, as he adjusted to the position on top of you, feeling the wetness between your legs against him. He pulled back, letting his free hand grab his cock, giving it a few strokes to spread the precum over the length. You watched him do this with your lip caught between your teeth in anticipation, his body leaning closer to you to let the tip drag down your folds to find your entrance. His eyes met yours, wanting to look into them as he slowly thrusted into you. Your mouth dropped open, as his lips met yours to swallow the gasp that almost made its escape.

The warmth surrounded him, your walls taking him in willingly, the stretch making you breathless, and leaving you feeling full, even though he wasn’t close to bottoming out. His breath was heavy as he continued to push, feeling his hips buckle slightly from the pure heat that was running through him, that held him. He squeezed your neck gently, pulling back from your mouth, a small whimper leaving your throat, desperately wanting his lips to be back on yours.

”Y-You feel so good Bjorn.” You managed to say quietly, your voice sounding like you were on the brink of tears, your hands sliding up from his chest, all the way up his neck, to now lace through his hair, as you continued to feel him push into you gasping when he bottomed out right against your cervix, his hips meeting yours. The hand that was on your neck slid to your cheek.

”You need to try to be quiet.” He said, knowing that it might be no use, even he was struggling to hold back at this point. You nodded, pulling him back down so your lips can crash against his again, the sloppy wetness distracting you for a moment, as he pulled out, so just the tip remained in you, before burying himself into you again, your moans vibrating between the two of you, trying to keep the volume down as much as possible. Slowly Bjorn found his rhythm, allowing you to adjust fully to his size before he picked up the movements. His lips pulled away from yours, as he moved to the side of your neck, peppering wet kissing against the sensitive flesh, before blowing on the damp spots, the cooling sensation sending shivers up your spine.

”B-Bjorn…I-I…” You couldn’t get any words out, the way his hips continued to meet yours in an agonizing roughness was too much for you to even think. The pleasure coiled inside you with each movement, and it left you breathless, as Bjorn pulled back to look into your dazed eyes. He felt pride knowing how speechless you were, watching you gasp as he teasingly pulled out to the tip only for him to push harder back into you, letting himself graze your cervix to add to the pressure that was building inside you. Your walls fluttered around him, as your nails dragged down his back, causing him to shudder.

”You feel so good…So fucking good.” He breathed, moving back a little so he was sitting up slightly, to watch himself go in and out of you, his mouth forming an ‘o’ as his head tilted back, eyes closing. “If only you could see how good your pussy looks when it’s taking my cock. It’s like a fucking dream…You’re a fucking dream.” His hands dug into the skin of your hips, as he pushed himself in harder, the sound of skin slapping on skin now echoing through the small room. The back of your head pressed into the pillow, your back arching up, breasts perking, as your body began to grind into his thrusts, adding additional pressure against your g-spot. The slight shift in position allows you to feel the veins of his cock drag against your walls, leaving you breathless.

“Jesus Christ Bjorn, please…Harder.” You begged quietly, feeling the coil in your core begin to burn, the tension building with each movement he made. His eyes roamed over your body, as his hands brought your legs up onto his shoulders, a loud gasp escaping your throat.

“I want you to come on me. I want to feel your sweet little cunt tighten around my cock.” He stated, kissing your calf, as his fingers intertwined with yours, pushing your hands down to pin them on either side of your head. You writhed under him as his thrusts became sloppier, his hips grinding against yours as the both of you chased the release you craved. His right hand released yours as he wrapped it around your neck, digging gently into your pulse points adding just enough pressure to make you lightheaded, your hand coming up to hold his wrist. The tension finally snapped inside you as you cried out, your walls clenching around him, your body shuddering at the ecstacy that flowed through you. Your hooded eyes looked up at him, pleading, feeling him slide your legs off his shoulders so he can press his body against yours craving the intimacy of the position.

“Please Bjorn. Please cum in me.” You begged, his lips ghosting yours, his head nodding, as his hard thrusts began to falter, slowing slightly until he pushed deeper into you, the tip of his cock pressing right up against your cervix as he filled you up with his hot seed, a soft ‘ahh’ escaping his throat, his hips bucking against yours as he rode out his high. His cock twitched against your overly stimulated walls, making sure every last drop of his cum had settled into you before pulling out, and letting go of your neck with a sigh. He pressed a soft, satisfying kiss against your lips, rolling off of you soon after, landing on his back. You pulled the blanket up over your chest, looking down at the marks that he had left on the tops of your breasts, then looking at him, seeing the spent look on his face, a small smile painted on his reddened lips.

”That…That was fucking amazing.” He said, his hand reaching over to interlace your fingers together, head tilting to meet your eyes.

“We should get into fights more often.” You commented, causing the both of you to laugh.

“Maybe we could arrange that.”

[granolawriting]

"To make you forget."ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

pairing: no breakout!Joel x fem reader

Summary: The day after having your long term boyfriend put an end to your relationship, you find yourself in a complicated relationship with Joel, a friends family friend. He invites you out for a drink after a shotty first impression, and the rest is history. sequel to a change in fate

Content warning: 18+ NSFW, age gap, you're 21 and Joel is mid 30s to early 40s. Enemies to lovers, unprotected piv, praise kink, strong Joel carries you multiple places, pet names (princess, darling, doll, sweetheart), oral (f!receiving), fucking in his clothes, drinking, drunk secret kisses, sleepy kisses, aftercare, spooning.

word count: 5.2k

A/N: Thank you for all the love on the last one <33 please send me requests if you have any idea for what I could write next! enjoy ;)

“No. Fucking. Way.” 

… … … 

You sit across from your friend once more at the same table that held a much more, comfortable conversation the night prior. Eyes catch hers, and an agape mouth is what greets the information just relayed to her over morning coffee.

“No, no okay I must be thinking of the wrong one.” 

“Your dad only has one friend named Joel I thin-” 

“I KNOW!!!” 

… 

“It’s just. I’ve known him since I was a little girl. It's just a little, crazy, is all, that you’re now going on a date with him.” 

“It's not a date-” 

“It so is.” 

You scoff at her implication. 

“You know, there's a thing called ‘southern hospitality’. And he's not wrong about me needing a drink after everything I’ve been through. Maybe he's just good at reading people, trying to get back on how he treated me the other night now that I’m someone he has to be nice to.” 

Your friend purses her lips, trying to think of a counter but coming up short. You were right, there wasn't anything inherently odd about going out for drinks with someone. Especially when you’ve earned it. 

“Though I can't deny, he is kind of cute. For an old guy.” 

And the tower comes crumbling down. 

At the sound of your confession your friend goes into a fit, a groan followed by very exaggerated, nonexistent tears that whine into the floor that her head now faces along the lines of complaint of his age, and the jeans that predate your birth. 

your hand touches her hair, stroking it as to try and ease her out of some melodramatic stupor, telling her that it'dve been bound to happen the moment she tried to push her old guy agenda on you. Kindly telling her that perhaps, she's just a little upset you got one before her. In the process however, admitting that a part of you feels as if you’ve got him-- but pay that no mind of course. It's purely for the joke, to antagonize her. There's no means for you to feel as though you’ve won anything out of a simple night out with a guy who, in the right clothes and lighting, looks kind of okay. 

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

A clock glares at you at a 6:30 timestamp as you stand in your bathroom. There's an array of clothing sprawled across the counter as the attempt to multitask becomes futile in the face of your absolute cluelessness on how to dress to get drinks with a 40 year old man. Was he 40? Who knows, maybe it's stress. Regardless, jeans of all cut from short shorts to flairs stare back at you, and patterns of all sizes leave you helpless. You spit out a bit of toothpaste in your mouth, and as you feel stumped looking at the clothes before you, you can't help but be slightly grateful that your hair and makeup were finished before you had to get dressed. Otherwise, you wouldn't make it out the door til 8. At least. 

Though as you look upon your options an idea sticks to you; some odd desire to dress, a little western. Perhaps not the full hat and spurs, but what could a little plaid hurt? And as you piece together an outfit consisting of low-cut frayed shorts, some simple boots, and a front-tied plaid button-up, you felt ready to perhaps line dance. I mean, who fucking cares anymore. Otherwise, you’d still be stuck in limbo. Better this than nothing. 

Putting on your first earring, a clock now showing 6:43, you hear a knock at the door, followed by said knock being answered by none other than your friend. Curious and afraid of who it may be, but unable to really go down and check as you hinged on being late as is, your questions are solemnly answered at the shrill “UNCLE JOEL!!!!” bounce upon the walls of the house as though she hadn't just seen him the day before. 

The indistinct conversation is held downstairs as you feel horrifically embarrassed to not remember that most gentlemen, arrive 10-15 minutes early. And you, haven't experienced anything but a 10 after honk outside your house your entire life.

As you hurry to dress, the low pitch of his voice, the drawl of his words that you can barely discern from the distance between you two but is still everpresent leaves you with a pit in your stomach of unprecedented anxiety. You had been trying so hard to convince yourself that this was normal, casual, to you, but internally you knew it was nothing but that to you. And that scared you shitless. You've failed to go on a date with anyone else since maybe, 8th grade? The graduation dance? Your whole life you remember one man, and now another seems to blow him out of the water, with unbelievable ease. You worried you wouldn't impress him, that this was your only opportunity to seemingly get something good, that he secretly still has disdain for you after what happened to you two the night before, that he- 

“HEYY!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU COMING DOWN OR WHAT! DON'T KEEP HIM WAITING!!!!” 

You witch. 

Secondhand embarrassment overwhelms any other emotion you had at that moment as a means to get you out the door, as soon as possible. Hurried steps fall down the stairs as you finish putting on your jewelry on the go, holding some within your pocket to finish up in Joel’s car. 

“Hi- oh, I'm sorry I didn't think you’d be here early uh,” 

Eyes lock on a vase of flowers new to the living room, that had not been there when you had last descended the stairs. 

“Well, I didn't want ta’ show up empty-handed. Though it nice ta’ get somethin small for the pretty ladies.” 

A shy smile creeps on his face as he explains the origin of the plants in the house, and a ring of surprise leaves you speechless for a moment. your friend pipes up;

“Isn't that so nice? Well, y'all better have a good time tonight. And don't bring her home too drunk Joel, then she’ll start telling me all her secrets, and I definitely don't want to hear that.” 

A smile and nudge hits him as she finishes her statement. 

Does she always have to be so corny? 

You look him up and down. He wore a faded blue button-up top, with the top few trailing down his chest being unbuttoned. What fell on top of that was a faded brown jacket, a darkened collar, and a sturdy material as its makeup. Jeans that seemed omnipresent on his body, but instead of working boots did he wear what seemed to be brown boots underneath the cuff of his jeans. You could tell he tried a bit with his appearance, seeing traces of gel lining his hair that fell aside his face, and a scent of cologne softly present but still enough to put on an air of intention to impress. 

Joel leads you to his truck, and as you enter it you realize just how much it smells like him. You smell sawdust and gas, with hints of his cologne. It was an old car, but with those scents combined it makes perfect sense to you. You took in the small things as he drove, anticipation welling in your body made everything seem so much more noticeable and intense, every sense in your body heightened at the sight of an unsuspecting Joel sitting to the left of you.

You notice as he bites his fingernails as though it's a habit, a strain upon his fingers down to the very skin of them that coats every finger on both of his hands. 

Both hands fall upon the wheel as he turns into the bar. 

“Finally here. Feelsa lot longer than it did when I was younger, funny thinkin of cause’ when I was ‘bout your age, you couldn’t pull me outta this place.” 

Hahaha when I was about your age. Damn you old man. 

“That mean I’m gonna have to pull you out of here tonight?” 

You look at him with a little smile, but he seems to begin getting out of the car before you can give him a direct look in the eyes. However when he goes around to your side to open your door, as you step out of it with a small jump onto the loose gravel of the parking lot, his eyes trace your body with noticeable intent. He looks at you for just a moment though, and as his eyes turn to meet your own, he just smiles and says; 

“Don't worry sweetheart, I can take my liquor nowadays. ‘Spose that cant be said fer you though, your little friend told me ‘bout yer habits when you drink.”

A satisfied chuckle leaves him that lands you in a pit of fear. What did she tell him. 

Story upon story of less-than-elegant scenes of your drunken stupor flash within your mind before the need to shake them off is immanent as he follows up; 

“Now no sense lookin like that hon, she aint tell me nothin too bad. Should she have? ‘Spose they’ve got virgin drinks now that this place got all prettied up since I last saw it. Just don't want ya pukin in my truck alright?” 

“Oh don't worry, I’ll be fine. I doubt I'll drink all too much anyways.” 

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

“ I doubt I'll drink all too much anyways “

That's all that's able to ring through your head as you demand another shot at the counter. Sure, you drank but, 

"you hold it well!"

Or so you thought. But you never really noticed until now how badly you were hurt by what happened to you in the past few days. And when you lose someone you’ve known for 3 years, the inclination to drink past your limit grows ever stronger with every downing of liquor that's not on your tab. And as that realization becomes tucked into the back of your mind with every glass, more does an unfamiliar part of you comes out. One of loud unruliness, in the face of a man you otherwise strived to impress to the greatest degree.

 At this point in the night, he’s had what, 2 beers? The first already probably already having worn off. He was a smart drinker, and you could tell he stayed under the threshold where he couldn't drive anymore, as a means to stay safe for you. And as the drinks poured you made it evident to him how much you appreciated that. Many many times. He wasn't like any man you’d ever been out with anymore. He didn't judge you, or make fun of you. He endorsed whatever made you happy.

Until, of course, a woman comes out of the bathroom to inform him the lady he came with has been nauseous near the toilet bearing on ten minutes. 

“Alright doll, we’ve got to get you home.” 

Drunken slurs of disapproval at that notion dispel from you in the way of elongated “no’s” and “please’s” fill the bar as Joel felt within himself the karma of every man who had needed to do this to him, now having to do this for you. 

“C’mon you know fightin me wont work, I'm much stronger than you darlin’.” 

And with flailed arms still being swung in the general direction of him, he finds this means to deal with you the old-fashioned way.

That being, just picking you up and taking you home that way. And thus, with one fail swoop of an arm and shoulder, you were slung over him in a fireman's carry. Too flushed and furious for a reason you can't quite discern, you throw weak jabs into his back as he takes you out of the bar as though you were nothing but a small child; treating you as though you were no weight at all upon a back hardened by muscle and grit. But even as he brings you to his truck, he lowers you into its passenger seat with nothing less than utter precaution. As though you were a porcelain doll that could break at any sight of rough handling. 

“Alright princess, in you go.” 

Is what’s mumbled under the breath of this gruff and barely buzzed man, now taking care of you as though you were a princess. At least you felt like it, as his arms wrapped around you with ease to shift you into a bridal carry that was a better means of getting you inside with. 

All you can do is say indiscernible things towards him as he says that to you. Not being able to process, at least in the moment, how softly he treated you. And as he closed the door on your side, and opened his own side to drive, you found yourself slowly drifting into a sleep wedged between the truck door and its window. Quite a comfortable situation for the moment, it seemed. 

What awoke you briefly was the feeling of his warm body against yours as he carried you out of his truck once more. This time taking you inside somewhere comfortably warm, inside home. He lays you on a couch that finds much greater comfort than the previous sleeping arrangement. As you lay down there, more than ready for rest he comes by once more to lift your head, a pillow to meet your head as you lay back down. And a blanket to cover you evermore, he made sure your body was tilted sideways. With that, you drift into sleep once more. 

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

You wake up, checking a phone clock that shines at you 3:04am against the darkness of the house. Looking around, you quickly notice that, this isn't your house. This is absolutely unfamiliar, from the kitchen to the furniture to especially, the man who slept across from you in a cushioned chair. With strained eyes and a brief flash of your flashlight, it becomes evident that it's Joel. hands crossed across his chest and a slight snore leaving his person with every breath, a pang to your head reminds you of the night you allowed go to waste in the face of drowning your problems. Cursing to yourself the lost potential of a night like this, you also thank whomever above that he chose to take you to his home instead.

 However, the liquor still seemed to have a hold on you as you looked across the living room at the dimly illuminated face of Joel through the moonlight that shone through the window. 

You approached him, slowly. A wobble in every step that when paired with unfamiliar territory meant a lot of close calls on your part, but nonetheless you walked the few feet with no major issue. And there you stood, just inches away from him. His chest rises up and down to the rhythm of his body and the peaceful eyes of a man whose body soaks in any moment of rest it can muster. His mouth was slightly open as he slept, you studied it. Slightly parted were two brightly colored lips that were covered on its top by the growth of his mustache, and its bottom being overgrown by a quarter-inch beard that coats the lower half of his face.

You lean in closer, something overtaking you that can only be explained by drunken lust. So close in fact, that you can feel the heat of his breath upon yours. It's intoxicating. You haven't felt this kind of feeling in your heart for years, this desire to do something you didn't know the consequences of. The excitement of something new overtook you. Without any more thought, you close the gap. Feeling his lips against yours as he’s non the wiser, all but a simple kiss against his lips is all you needed to satiate this urge you’d had bubbled within yourself since you first heard his voice downstairs while you got ready. 

At least, you thought. But as you tasted the liquor on his lips and smelled the remnants of cologne on his neck you couldn't help yourself. One kiss became two, to three, to fo- 

A mumble stopped you in your tracks. You shot up what seemed like 10 feet, stumbling far enough away to absolve suspicion from your highly odd acts, to say the least. 

His eyes slowly flutter open, followed by a groan and a stretch of his arms and legs wakes him up enough to address you. With fingers rubbing his eyes, he asks; 

“Hey, are’ya finally up?” 

Groggy, raspy, deep, whatever the fuck you want to say. It was everything. A just woken Texan man with the rasp and the drawl all together could finish you off right then and there. 

You search for words, excuses, anything to respond to him with. Panicked, you say the first thing that comes to your mind. 

“Oh yeah, I uh. I wanted to ask if I could take a shower maybe? Soak off the rest of this drunk. Is that, would that be alright?” 

You look for his eyes in the dark of night, and as they meet yours he forms a reply, 

“Course ya’ can. It's uh, just down there to the left. In my room.” 

“Thank you” 

Making your way down the dark corridors you find his room, and an entrance envelopes you in a part of his life. You see the things that he values enough to keep within his room, the set of sheets he sleeps on every night. The mementos that make his life fleshed out before you. And of course, the guitars. Of course, he plays the guitar, I mean what the hell else is he supposed to do. 

You stumble into the bathroom, impressively kept for only housing a single man. Within there do you mindlessly strip your clothes, opting to shower as soon as possible just to not make him any more suspicious of the things you’re doing in his own home. 

---------

Stepping out, however, having used his shampoo and body wash in an oddly exciting experience of smelling exactly like him, do you grapple with the uncomfortable realization you have no clothes to wear after you do all of this. You step out of the water, turning it off, and grabbing a towel to wrap around you a few things pass through your mind. Whether you go, and ask him for clothes. Or, if you just take them for yourself. Both have quite interesting endings to them, however, the latter seems to be more enticing. And you begin to realize perhaps it isn't the liquor that’s making you act like this, it's pure unadulterated lust. 

Walking into his room once more do you rummage through drawers and closets looking for something wearable. And within it do you find an insanely dated rock shirt, and a pair of his boxers to suit your desired amount of cover. 

You walk into the living room once more, a new wardrobe adorning you, you notice that the light is now turned on; he’s stayed awake. With a bit more caution in your step you watch as you round the corner of the living room he’s stood in the kitchen, cooking some sort of tea. Wearing little else than a pair of plaid pants to sleep in. 

“Ah he-” 

Turning to face you does he stop in his tracks as he observes you. Smelling like him, dressed in his attire, you realize that there's no man alive who could properly see that and act normal about that. Even the southern gentleman stood before you. He places the container of honey he held for his recipe down on the counter and approaches you slightly; 

“I see you’ve found some clothes then? Was thinkin a’ bringin some of Sarah's stuff in fer ya, but I’ve got to say that this is a bit better of a sight.” 

A smirk grows on his lips as he looks at you, a sense of desire that he had previously covered came to the surface as he saw you within his clothes. Assuming that was the only reason as to why.  

Walking towards you does he move a stray piece of hair from your face to the back of your ears, looking at you from above he speaks again in a deeper, more domineering voice; 

“Now I won't play stupid with you sweetheart. I felt all that stuff you were doing ta’ me, didn't think it’d be the first thing you’d do wakin up in a stranger's house. But can't say I'm all too mad at it.” 

He cups your face with his palms and lifts your chin to look up at him. 

“And now yer standing here in all my clothes, covered in me. Wasn't plannin on saying anything ‘bout it til you walked in here lookin like that. Now I don't think I can rightly resist darlin’.” 

Before you can let out a word edgewise, he takes you into a kiss of his own, making sure to taste every part of you as you did him, down to the back of your neck where his tongue quickly traveled where traces of your night still burned your taste buds.

You let a moan escape, purely out of shock are you so vocal. Closing your eyes, you let the brush of his beard on your face, and the rough kiss of his lips guide you to wherever he’d want you to go. 

After a few more moments of this, he lets up. For breath, but also to talk to you for a moment. His hands still cupped to your face, some of his fingers tracing their steps from the roots of your hair he had been grabbing just a moment prior.

“You wear all that pretty getup, and then you get all drunk on me. Spewin ‘bout how great I am, how kind I am. How you’ve never been shown anything like me. But let me tell you, sweetheart, I’ll make sure to show ya how a real man treats a woman like you.” 

He grabs you by your thighs, lifting you up in the air to wrap your legs around his waist. He walks you over to the room you’d just left moments prior and doesn't fail to kiss you every moment he can in the small walk to his bedroom. Kicking open the door cracked open, he’s finally able to dump you onto his bed as he crawls on top of you. 

“Spread yer fuckin’ legs, baby” 

You listen intently. Doing just what he asks, do they fall to the side of you with as far apart as you can make them. Feeling his calloused hands as they trace your waist from beneath his shirt, until he slowly teases the waistband of his boxers. Pulling them down slowly reveals only your naked body beneath them. 

“Such a pretty sight aren't ya? And so much for me already, what a good girl.” 

He wastes no time to dip his face within your heat. Sopping up every drip that seeped from you from the moment you’d first kissed him. Feeling his tongue venture to every crevice, every fold inside of you makes your hands grip onto his sheets as a means to hold yourself down at the feeling of his tongue all around you. 

Moaning filled his room as he pleased you, an empty house allowing the echo of your sound to make the neediness of his tongue on you to sound even greater. 

He grips onto your thighs a bit harder as he lets up for a moment. 

“Now listen, I'm gonna need ya’ to stay still alright darlin’? I'm gonna change it up a bit for ya.” 

Going back in, you feel his tongue enter you entirely. Inside of you, up and down did he hit every part of you that made you weak and spazzed under his grip. The shake of your legs was only stopped by the iron grip he kept on them to make sure they stayed open no matter how badly you wanted them closed instinctively. The feeling of him inside of you sent shocks like lightning across your body at every flick of his tongue, at every hum to your clit while he relished in your stomach growing concave and your breath hitching and whining at every slight moment he made towards you. 

“Joel- fuck. Fuck I feel like I'm going to cum.” 

You plead for him not to stop. To never stop to please you to climax. 

And he does exactly that. He toys with you and fucks you until you’re nothing but a screaming mess with him inside of you. Grabbing onto his hair, to the sheets, everything you can as your body convulses entirely by the work of his mouth alone. 

He slowly lets up, not forgetting to tease your sensitive clit for a moment longer before going to look at you. A face coated in your juices, he looks upon you with a toothy grin and a sense of satisfaction upon his face. 

“Been a while since I've done all that. Glad ta know I’ve still got it in me, sweetheart.” 

He stands up, and what greets you is a bulge that comes purely from his adoration for being able to please you as he just did. He loved watching you like that, losing yourself at his touch, being able to do nothing but scream his name until your brain went numb to anything but the thought of him. 

Out of breath with beads of sweat covering your face, you sit yourself up to better face his heat. Palming it with his hands before he could say another word, you watch his head buck up to reveal a neck and shoulders coated with tense muscle at the feeling of your hand on him. 

“Fuck darlin;. Been a while since I’ve felt any a’ that either” 

A voice interrupted by the pitch shifts of a man insanely desperate for your touch makes you well aware of what you need more than anything else. 

You continued to paw at his bulge, feeling out how big he was just by the crease of his pants beneath your hand as you toyed with it, up and down. Slowly stroking it and toying with its base. His head, and watching as each motion elicited a harsh breath to escape him as he bucked his knees ever so slightly as you continued. 

He looks down at you, and as he watches your eyes look up at him from his waist, he takes you into his arms once more. Lifting you to turn you on your back, does he lay right on top of you as your stomach lays on the bed and his body atop of yours. 

You feel his bulge between your ass, and ass he makes quick of removing all other layers, you feel how solid he is right against your back. Heavy breath met in your ear before he did anything else. 

“I’m going to make you forget feelin’ any other kind of way. The only thing you’re ever gonna remember after tonight is my cock, alright princess?” 

He takes that as a means to move it to right between your thighs, right outside your entrance do a few strokes to feel how wet you are, giving way to his tip right on your clit, up and down. That alone could finish you for a second time, but as his cock entered you you saw as his eyes rolled in the back of his eyes at the feeling of being inside of you. 

He was big, almost too big. You felt as though he was almost ripping you apart, in the best way possible. It felt so fucking good to have him slowly go into you. Feeling as with every inch closer to completely inside of you it got harder and harder for him to keep a steady pace with how badly he wanted to fuck you. 

“Fuck you don't know how badly I’ve wanted this darlin’. Can’t have even imagined how tight you’d be. You’re perfect for me.” 

As he got completely inside of you, you felt him curl over you and use one of his arms to grip your upper body as a means of support. When he went in and out of you, curling you upwards to arch your back and feel completely every thrust he put into you. 

He couldn't control himself anymore. The kind gentleman you had let open the door for you when you entered the car now dripped beads of sweat upon your naked body as he fucked you like a toy. Grunts and moans fill the room to complement the incessant moans that you scream at the feeling of him inside of you. Using you and fucking wrecking you. You felt yourself getting close again at the feeling of his cock inside of you, until you felt his free hand make its way down to your clit to please you even while he fucked you. 

“I want to make you cum again. Feel how tight you fuckin get on my cock. Think you can do that for me baby?” 

That was more than enough for you. Only after a few strokes were you a shaking mess on top of his cock, just like he commanded of you. At the feeling of your climax wrapped around his cock, he quickened his pace until he pulled out just in time to cum all over your back. Feeling it drip down every crevice of your body as the feeling of his cum shooting on you seemed to go on forever. 

Jagged breath from both you and him is all that fills the silence of the room as you two were both too tired to even speak for a moment. 

“‘Supose I’ll go clean ya up. Least I can do darlin’. You just stay right there, and I’ll get you all cleaned up.” 

And there he goes, into his bathroom. And so you let yourself lay there for a moment, dripping in your own cum as well as his. As you hear him come out from the bathroom you feel the grist of a towel meet your backside as he makes sure to take care of every spot that has him on it with much care as to not leave you uncomfortable. The doting, loving Joel came back the moment it was all over. You could feel it in the soft stroke of the towel upon your bare skin, and the quick tonal shift in his voice as he offered to get that for you in the first place.

“Sure you need these too.” 

He hands you his boxers, and as you put them on he continues. 

"You can sleep in my bed fer tonight, think that’ll be alright. Though, might have’ta join ya, the chair aint all that comfortable. If, ‘course that's alright with you.” 

He just fucked you and is asking if it’s okay to sleep in the same bed. …

All you can muster is a pat on the side of the bed next to you, at which he greatly obliged and meets you beneath the greeting sheets upon his bed. 

And as you drift into sleep once more, mumbling compliments and thanks within his ear as you grow conscious enough again to speak, he greets you in kind with sweet kisses over your face, and eventually, a big spoon to hold you until night's end. 

… 

Epilouge ?

[bolilloquemad0]

While talking with my dear friend @i-like-cats-and-stars36, he came with a crack idea. Damian's love language is free cats. If he likes you enough, or considers you as part of the family, he would gift you a cat that is personally selected.

I, cat lover, obviously said that yes, that's him. 100% Damian behavior. So when the question of what type of cats would Damian give to his family, I went a bit frantic to be honest 😔👊. And that ended in a list of cats that suddenly got to powerful and now we have, kind of, an Au for your entertainment.

We called it: Picking up Strays.

(This family has a problem, dear god)

So, buckle up Batfam lovers. I'm not kidding. (Btw, credits to all the lovely people who took pics of their cats and ended in pinterest, you're life saviors)

LET'S BEGIN (this is only pt 1, the rest of the family will come soon) (pt2 is up now!)

Dick

The first person I feel he would give a cat to is Dick, we all know why. Since Dick already has Haley and she is the precious energetic baby she is, I feel like Damian would give him a more relaxed cat. So maybe a 5 years old cat could fit, they're not as crazy as the young ones (my cat is nearly five years old and he only knows the activity of sleeping) and probably they could handle Haley without problems.

So I landed with this; a gray mixed between tabby and russian blue with blue eyes, obviously. Is a male and 5 years old. He fits the aesthetic.

Dick arrives at his loft in Bludhäven one night, probably after his shift, to find a cat calmly sleeping on his couch next to a, now awake, Haley. There's food, a bed, some toys, sand, and a note. Something something I know you would take good care of him something something.

Dick is clearly confused, "Damian, wtf are you doing in Blud?!", but upon seeing the cat on his couch (that now was looking at him) Dick just, well, he has a cat now.

He calls the cat Zbor (romani for fly or flying) and Dick's phone is full with how many photos and videos he takes of Zbor and Haley sleeping or hanging out. Zbor would occasionally smack Haley on the head while playing and Dick finds it utterly adorable. All his socials are full of Haley and Zbor.

Jason

Next is Jason. I'm a firm believer of the hc that Damian and Jason meet at the League, maybe they didn't bonded that much, but still knew eachother. So maybe Dami has a different kind of respect for Jason.

Jay ended with a cat by accident. Damian found this 1 month old baby, lost and hungry and probably hurt and Jason's place was the closest so he bringed the baby to him. At firts it was just for a few nights meanwhile Damian found her another place.

So this 1 month old moggies ends at the care of Jay. How many nights has to pass before Jason falls in love with her. Four? Six? A whole week? Wrong. Two nights. She yawns and falls asleep on top of Jason's jacket by accident and that's it.

Jay is a father now. Congratulations!

Later that week, when Damian goes for her Jason invents the most stupid reason for Damian to let her stay, surprisingly Dami doesn't insist, he's just like "Okay." The reality is that Damian's plan worked just fine.

He names her Cat. That's it. Cat. Everyone thinks he's pulling a Jonh Wick situation, and Jay rolls with it. Truth is (thanks Astro) that Cat is the short version for Catherine, as his mother. Jason never calls her Catherine when other people are around, but wait until he's alone in his room with Cat in his chest and Jason would scratch behind her ears while saying, "You're so beautiful, Catherine."

Cat, as she grows, becomes a chaotic good. I also feel like she would LOVE sleeping inside of Jason's shoes until she doesn't fit anymore. Lian and Cat would become best friends, and she would occasionally sleep on Lian's bed too.

Cass

Next is Cassandra. (This one is Astro's favorite). Cass comes back from a trip, probably, and the first thing Damian does is give her a black cat. Not any cat, a brainless stupid cat. Cass, eyes landing on yellow ones, and they have a connection.

Brainless eyes upon seeing Cass (with the tongue out): Mother.

Cass, looking at her cat: Stupid. No brain. Lover her.

Cass names her Blob. Is a british shorthair of 2 years old and likes to headbutt Cass. Have you seen those special bags for chihuahuas?, Cass gets one for Blob, to take her in all of her trips like the spoiled princess she is.

(Credits of the photos and fanart to Astro ♡)

Blob follows Cass blindly everywhere. This often ends with her getting lost on some street meowing loudly until Cass finds her and carries her home calling her stupid affectionally all the way.

Blob is probably the must unproblematic cat of all of them, but I don't recommend leaving her without supervision.

Bruce

When Bruce gets his cat, the rest of the family already has the idea of why Damian suddenly is giving cats to everyone. Dick cried for two hours knowing he was the first.

Anyway, with Bruce's cat is a bit more difficult. The grey turkish angora Damian gets to rescue has been a stray for a long long time. He's 6-7 years old and fights. He doesn't trust humans and Damian has a big scratch in the cheek to prove it with more adding up. No one understands why he brings him to the manor, but Damian is determined.

A few days passes and the old cat finally seems to settle, but he's still wary of them. Nevertheless, Damian claims that the cat is Bruce's. He argues, he doesn't want a cat, he doesn't need one. In the end, Bruce treats the cat carefully. He doesn't know how to handle him nor exactly what to do.

Slowly, the cat seems more at peace at Bruce's side. The kids starts pestering him with a name but Bruce doesn't know. He doesn't know how to name things, by god's sake he named the Batcomputer. Dick jokes about Batcat as a name, you know, for the aesthetic and the Theme. Bruce turns them down while everyone laughs at him.

The problem is that the cat needs a name, he can't keep calling him The Cat and is not like Damian's constant glares makes everything better. So, for now he would call the cat Batcat. Just for now. Until he finds a better name.

He doesn't.

He never finds a better name. And all his children laughs at him. It's Batcat now.

+ Bonus story of Bruce and Batcat

One night, after a rough patrol, Bruce's arrives at his room and nothing feels quite real. Sitting in his bed, maybe a panic attack starts. Everything is too much. Bruce tries to calm himself but he just can't. Hw breathing becomes labored. A warm, heavy and soft something places himself on his lap, and slowly starts purring, Bruce puts his hand on the cat, slowly petting him. And as the purring grows he can finally calm himself enough to come back.

[the-worms-in-your-bones]

tell me about your ocs 🫣🫣 i liste

thank you for unlocking my side quest. this is probably definitely going to be a very long post

okay, so i've got five time lord ocs, but the main one is Fox (short for foxilquinn, because of course i had to give him a weird time lord name)

so he kind of started out as the kid in a doctor/master child au type story, and hes not not that anymore, but also he's got much more lore than just that now

to start off at the beginning he was born (or loomed i should say) on earth during the third doctor's era. i still haven't figured out why or how they had a loom, but they had one. the unfortunate thing for fox is that this loom was mildly broken so that leads to some problems for him (mainly his hair color will stay the same across all regenerations (which isn't really a problem but whatever, and its also where he got his name since the hair color is about the same as the color of a red fox's coat), he doesn't have a typical injury/stress threshold for regeneration, he has to literally be dying or he can't regenerate (this ends up with him losing a leg and an eye during his first regeneration, but it doesn't kill him so he doesn't regenerate from it), and he's really time sensitive to the point that being near anything paradoxical or too out of sync with the time line just kind of makes him pass out)

(also side note, fox is trans, it isn't like a big part of anything but i just like making my characters trans)

anyway when he's like six the cia show up and are like 'hey we're going to take your kid and put him in the academy on gallifrey' and then basically kidnap him. and since he's still got two years before he's initiated into the academy they stick him in the care or brax because a) he's the doctor's brother and therefore closest available family member on gallifrey and b) i thought it would be funny to stick brax with a child, he does not seem qualified for that

fast forward a bit and he's at the academy doing academy stuff. this is mostly uneventful, he does some mischief, but nothing big happens here. he does end up being in like the same year/class as romana though because this is my story and i like romana so she can be in it if i want her to.

after graduating fox steals a tardis and runs away because hes seen what gallifreyan society is like compared to the rest of the universe and he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life in that society not being able to do what he wants.

anyway he kind of just travels around for a while until he one day runs into the doctor and romana and him and romana have a fun little reunion and he travels with them for a while.

after romana returns to gallifrey fox starts sneaking in and out of gallifrey to see romana. this gets a cia agent assigned to his case because he's now a threat to security (he isn't really all that much, his main goals other than seeing romana are to not get arrested and being annoying to gallifreyan government officials that aren't romana). of course this cia agent is narvin because he's one of my favorite time lords so he goes in the story as well

anyway things happen, romana gets captured by the daleks and imprisoned on etra prime. fox goes looking for her, does not succeed but does get blown up and has a building fall on him, resulting in him losing most of his right leg and left eye (also he builds himself a futuristic prosthetic leg and also uses forearm crutches that can fold up really small (like fit in your pocket small) because that's something i desperately want to exist so i'm giving them to him and just calling it time lord technology instead of finding a way for it to make sense) (forearm crutches are so inconvenient to bring anywhere if you're not actively using them and also sometimes when you are)

after romana gets back she gets a bit concerned about fox just running around the universe and getting into dangerous situations because of the events mentioned in the previous paragraph and basically goes 'why don't you teach a class at the academy' so she can make sure hes not out there somewhere getting himself killed

he agrees and ends up teaching a small class of students that (maybe they know this through like matrix prediction or something idk) are all probably going to be renegades. the goal of this class is basically him teaching them how to not die out in the universe (the high council also make the rule that if he's going to be employed on gallifrey he needs to stay there and try to take his tardis from him, but he basically tries to fight them about it (i like to think he tries to bite one of them) and they let him keep his tardis as long as he doesn't go on any unplanned trips)

(there's other stuff about him, like he survives the time war because i don't want to kill him off and theres a few regenerations here and there, but i've already said so much about fox so i'm going to talk about my other ocs now)

the other four are all fox's students who i actually just made up to be placeholder characters for like a scene then i got attatched. they're Azdran, Ensil, Jerex, and Maxin

Az is probably the one i have the most stuff for, they're from the house of oakdown and their parents really want them to be like some kind of politician, but they just want to get off of gallifrey and live a normal life without the expectations of their house behind all their actions. they're nonverbal and use a data pad that they modified as an aac device, this data pad is pretty old and it's a miracle that it still works, but az manages to keep it functioning somehow. they're also the only one of the students that survives the time war, they fall through a rift in time and space opened by the war and end up on earth (something something that rift in cardif)

I honestly don't have much for ensil, hes arcalian (the others are all prydonian) and finds the whole time lord society thing stifling and wants to not deal with that for the rest of his life

Jerex was raised by tardis engineers and likes tardises more than people. he already is bonded to a tardis by the time he enters fox's class and would prefer to spend his days working on upgrading and fixing it rather than having to do classes. if it weren't for the time war getting in the way of things he probably would have just settled himself on a quiet planet with his tardis and helped with repairs on the tardises of renegades who stopped by. i think he still ends up as a tardis engineer/repairer during the war because its what he's good at, but he'd rather not be involved in the war

Last there's Maxin. she's the daughter of maxil and i honestly can't remember if she started out that way or if i made her design and then named her and went 'yeah that could make sense'. anyway because of that she often disregards a lot of rules because her father has like some power and can get her out of things. she also definitely breaks into his office and looks through things she shouldn't be. after the academy she ends up joining the military and pretty quickly climbs the ranks (all of them graduate pretty close to the start of the time war so the gallifreyan military is actually like a relevant thing that does stuff at this point). once the war actually starts though it doesn't take her long to figure out that she a) kind of hates rassilon and thinks he's just making everything worse in some sort of power play against the daleks and b) she can't actually do all that much of what she wants or thinks is best in the military both because of it's structure and because, even despite her rank, she isn't often taken seriously since shes pretty fresh out of the academy, so she defects and starts helping the resistance

[gamerdog1]

Gangsta Anime Review

We all know the feeling of 'crunch'. Maybe its a school assignment that's due tomorrow, or a dinner that needs to be served in an hour. That feeling of dread, knowing that your creation needs more time and care, but won't get it because the clock is ticking, and a myriad of other factors. And in the end, the final product is okay, sure, but it could've been better, had it more time to flourish.

Gangsta, based on the manga of it's same name, is a 2015 anime by studio Manglobe, about a pair of mercenaries in a city of crime and debauchery, who clean up the messes that others can't handle. While the series has lofty expectations for itself, by the end of it's 12 episode run, it's clear that the anime could've been something special, if it wasn't such a rush job.

Gangsta's first and most glaring issue is it's desire to cram as much as it can into it's runtime. Like some other anime I've written about before, the series has an extensive lore, which it struggles to fit into such a short series in a meaningful way. At first, it seems pretty normal, but with side-plots about an amnesiac sex worker, a kid who works as a doctor, four warring crime families and their internal dramas, serial killers, and superhumans, it starts to get really crowded real fast.

That's not to say the story is by any means bad. In fact, many of the sub-plots and themes this anime touches on are quite interesting, like PTSD and xenophobia. The issue lies in it all happening at once, leaving little time for audiences like me to breathe, to understand what's going on, but most importantly, to care.

Any caring that audiences like me could be having is spread so thinly between the hundreds of characters and goings-on, that it's easy to just check out. I found myself doing other things while watching this anime,( which isn't very often, since I like to focus fully on the shows I'm watching), putting it on in the background while I knit or draw. The whole time, hoping that there'd be some big revelation that would shock me back into paying full attention, but it never came.

Its a shame, because the characters in this series are probably the best part of it. Worick and Nicolas, the main duo, have a fun dynamic, one that initially drew me into this series. They share a bond that goes deeper than the current plot, which gets revealed over the course of the series, and helps them feel like they actually want to work together.

There's also Alex, a sex worker whose boss is killed by the main duo, and works for them for the rest of the series. Most of the time, she feels like a bystander to the plot, only coming in to get endangered and needing saving, but her own conflicts give her a bit more time to develop. Still, what few connections she has to the plot never allow her to solve them, either being taken care of by the main characters, or never resolved at all. There was potential, to make her as important to the plot and involved in it as her male friends, but it seems this series was more concerned with jokes about her breasts than character development.

Where Alex fails as a compelling female character, there's Loretta, the teenage leader of a local mob family. Her story of inheriting her father's role, (while it is about as developed as nearly every other side story in this show), intrigued me, and makes me wish she had her own separate story. In a city of nightclubs and scantily-dressed women, she commands respect in a masculine way, taking charge over men who would otherwise belittle her, simply because of her gender. She is probably my favorite character.

Beyond characters, this anime is notable because of it's portrayal of disability. The main duo, Worick and Nicolas, are both disabled, (one having only one working eye, the other is deaf). In a setting as gritty as this, one might think that they'd be treated as lesser, but they're probably the most competent guys around. Most characters are pretty accommodating, and the series talks a lot about how disability affects the main duo.

The series never tries to 'fix' them in any way (like some others might), but instead shows how they (though far moreso Nicolas than Worick) deal with their disability. Nicolas uses Japanese Sign Language throughout the series, something which is taken in stride by his cohorts without many questions. Worick's missing eye is barely mentioned by other characters, but ties in heavily with his backstory, as well as Nicolas'. The duo's disabilities a part of them, but rarely hinder them, showing a surprisingly good portrayal for a series this intent on being gritty.

But in the end, this series is still a cramped story with way too much going on in way too short of a runtime. Maybe if Manglobe hadn't gone bankrupt, there would be a multi-season run of this anime, with enough time to fully explore it's characters and conflicts. With such a positive portrayal of deafness, its a shame that it never got it's time to fully bloom.

6/10

[rjwukong]

Comfort Crowd

The six eared macaque was alone, always has been. Ever since His revival, ever since He helped Mk defeat the lady bone demon.. He was alone. No longer had chains to pull Him down, to make him panic and do things He never once wanted to do. So He roamed the mortal realm in search for something interesting to do. He roamed the city first, He didn't have that chance when the lady bone demon had His tail in a twist, so He decided to do just that. Putting on a glamour and stealing a cheese tea from a vendor and walking away swiftly, He suddenly bumped into someone, spilling his cheese tea a little, He groaned, looking at who He seemed to bump into. Seeing Your frame made Him raise His brow, You were.. interesting, timid, too. "I'm sorry!- I didn't see you, oh my goodness I'm so sorry" You took out some wipes from your bag, wiping the cheese tea on His scarf He cringed at that, pushing You gently "hey, its okay" He grabbed the wipes from Your hand gently, grazing Your fingers for a second.. wow, weren't You just soft. He wiped the cheese tea off His scarf, He smiled gently at you. You apologized yet again, His ear twitched. "as I've said, its fine..Mx..?" You soon said Your name, His ear twitched at Your finger picking. He smiled yet again "well, Mx.L/N, I should be the one saying sorry to You, I was the one who bumped into You first" You shook your head "no, no, its fine, we both couldn't have seen it coming haha..ha.." Awkward silence filled You two, until You spoke again "well.. I should be going now" you smiled at him He rose his brow at Your smile, the way Your lips curled perfectly and the way it complimented the rest of Your features made Him interested He smiled back "alright then, Mx. L/N, see You around" He moved first, moving away from You as You did the same. That was nice, having to talk to a human without them being afraid. A few days have passed and He found himself stalking you. He didn't know why, He just did after a few days of not having anything to do. If you're wondering how He knows where you live then it was easy, really. He just listened to your voice. He knows it's weird to remember your voice after just a short conversation, but what can he do? He just remember's your voice. He saw you listen to some calm music and would sometimes listen with you, through a window, on your roof. He also loved how it was in a low volume, He appreciated it. Soon enough, He built up enough courage to encounter you face to face again. You were sitting on a bench, enjoying a book before He at next to you "oh hey, Mx. L/N, was it?" Your head shot up to the sound of his voice You squinted and blinked for a second before smiling "oh, its you, hello cheese tea man" He cringed at that "call me Charlie" You tilted your head "Charlie? sounds western" He seemed to unconsciously follow your movements, tilting his head too "The other half of my family are western" He shrugged, and you giggled. he rose his brow "whats so funny?" he smiled and you looked at him "my family is western too.." you then covered your mouth "but i don't think charlie is a fitting name for you" His brow twitched, tilting his head to the other side "what do you mean?" you hummed "you don't look like a charlie" he rose his brow again and chuckled "yeah?" you smiled "yeah" and that was the start of a friendship that flourished. You've learned that he wasn't really human, and he was the six eared macaque that you've read in the book journey to the west. You both grew closer over time, eventually inviting each other to your homes(mainly yours since his place was just a dojo) Every now and then you'd invite Macaque into your place to watch and hang out, and there was this one time where you were just in your room, laying down with music in the background "The music sounds western, who wrote it?" you smiled, never taking your eyes off your book "just some indie songs, specifically Conan gray"

His ears twitched at the music "Sounds good" he whispered to himself suddenly, comfort crowd started to play and you both were suddenly.. tired, huffing, he laid on the floor, with his hands behind his head and he looked stiff, you frowned "hey, macaque" "hm?" "do you want to lay with me?" He rose his brow and laughed "at least take me on a date first" You threw a pillow at him and laughed "not like that, you perv" you sat up and patted the bed, he stood up and hesitated for a bit, before lying down with you. You ended up liking his warmth and chose to be greedy, cuddling with him now. Macaque was confused on what to feel, but he felt.. nice, it felt nice to have someone this close sometimes. He sighed happily, playing with your hair. Soon enough you fell asleep in his arms. He smiled softly, putting a strand of hair behind your ear. Maybe he didn't need a crowd for comfort, he just needed you.

[thetavolution]

ALLIE

Full name:  Aldona Lagorio Name meaning:  Aldona: old or noble; Lagorio: green lizard Pronouns:  She/Her  Race: Dragonborn Age: 30  Orientation: Bisexual Romance: Minthara Class: Barbarian Subclass: Berserker Origin: Criminal  Theme Song:  Seven Nation Army — SKÁLD / Chop Suey! — System Of A Down / Down With the Sickness — Disturbed / Shitlist — L7 / Familia — Anuel AA and Nicki Minaj

Personality Allie is a simple creature. She likes to beat people up, spit acid, and steal stuff. Allie is short tempered and a woman of few words. She’s the kind of person to shoot first and ask questions later. She’s also the least likely to plan things out and will act on impulse.

She’s slow to trust. You can count the amount of people she trusts with her life on one hand. If you aren’t on that list, keep an eye on her. She’ll betray most people in the blink of an eye. But if you are on that list, she will defend you with her dying breath and keep you close. It's like having a loyal Caucasian Shepherd by your side.

Background Allie was born into a typical Draconian family in Baldur's Gate. She’s one of five children, and she never quite fit in. Growing up, she was constantly getting into fights or stealing. It's thought that her aggression might have stemmed from a traumatic brain injury in her childhood, but it was never proven if the two events were related.

The rest of her siblings are far more docile and friendly. Her family was at their wits end until they kicked her out when she was a teenager. Disowned by her family, Allie lived on her own, surviving by robbing and stealing from people.

She’d go to jail after starting a bar fight and punching a Flaming Fist. They found stole goods on her and added that to her sentence after taking her in. She'd meet Lamia while she was in prison, immediately bonding with her and becoming her right-hand woman.

Likes: Her loved ones, money, fighting, training, spicy food, spiting acid on people, and eating

Dislikes: Crowds, sand, the cold, reading, and talking about her feelings

Fears: She tries to pretend like she’s fearless, but she mostly avoids thinking about the future because she’s afraid she doesn’t have one. It’s easy for her to live in the moment and avoid thinking about what comes next. Her long-term game plan is to die in battle before her actions can truly catch up to her.

She also tries not to think too much about the people in her life and how she has very few real friendships. She fears everyone leaving her, especially when she becomes a hero in Baldur's Gate. It’s like the Bojack Horseman quote, “One day you’re gonna look around and realize everybody loves you, but nobody likes you.” She fears that day is coming for her.

She doesn't want to actually hurt people she loves. Her aggression is very instinctual and not planned. When she hurts someone she didn't mean to, it scares her.

Quirks: She’s hyper aggressive, especially by most Dragonborn standards. She’s easy to anger and would love to just spit acid on her foes and be done with it.

She’s not particularly worried about hitting allies with her spit either. She only avoids it to keep them from turning on her, or if it's someone she deeply cares for. She's fiercely protective and will kill to protect people.

Mental Health:  As a child she suffered from a head injury that might be the source of her aggression. It's not clear if the two are actually related since a doctor or cleric never signed off on it. She’s not evil, but she isn’t the safest person to be around because of it. While she's okay with herself, she is terrified of hurting someone she loves.

Favorite Foods: Meat

Favorite Drinks: Beer

Favorite Flower: Gargantuan Starfish Flower

Height:  6’5”

Skin: She has copper scales.

Hair:  N/A

Eyes:  Flame Yellow

Color Scheme:  She usually wears simple browns, greens, and whites. She really doesn’t care about her outfits and buys whatever is the most simple.

Fashion Sense: She really just gets things for function over fashion. If it protects her in battle and it’s sturdy, she’ll buy it.

Family: 

Balasar Lagorio — 57. He is Allie’s father and a retired blacksmith. He passed the family business onto his son, Kriv. He is the one who kicked Allie out, but with the understanding that she would be welcome back if she got her shit together. He misses her.

Farideh Lagorio — 56. She’s Allie’s mother who works as a bookkeeper. She loves her daughter, but is so worn down by her attitude.

Torinn Lagorio — 35. He’s Allie’s older brother and a paladin who travels the country to protect the innocent and weak. He keeps an eye out for Allie and hopes she’ll come back into his life.

Kriv Lagorio — 32. He’s Allie’s older brother who works as a blacksmith.

Surina Lagorio — 29. She’s Allie’s younger sister who works as a fish merchant.

Korinn Lagorio — 26. She’s Allie’s younger sister. She's a bard in Baldur's Gate.

[lonely-shine]

Alnair 🌂🧠 Atlas 🍎🎯 Shell 🎓🍀 Ebis ✨🥊🎯 Marcus 🌂

Thanks for all the questions!! :D Let's see...

*Alnair

🌂 - What genre do they belong in? Fantasy! She's an Arcana game OC, so fantasy all the way in.

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC? They're the perfect mashup of self-insert to project into and character of its own to explore paths I myself would personally not walk through. I also love how she lets me rewrite canon events however I want xD

*Atlas

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like? In short, pretty good! Atlas has two moms, Naith (they/them) and Irdred (she/her) (and the auntcle/biological father, Laith (she/he/they)) and loves them very much. Atlas picked many interests from them (art, gardening, etc), specially from Naith. And athough he travels far and often (he picked that from Laith), he still keeps in touch regularly and visits home once in a while.

...wow, me giving a character a perfectly healthy background/family. This is rare to happen. Quick, make a wish!

🎯 -What do they do best? All things plants. In magic? That means potions, charms, etc. In daily life? You got him gardening, cooking, brewing tea... If it involves working with plants one way or another, he has you covered.

*Shell

🎓 - How long have you had the OC? I wanna say May 2021? *goes check* Yeah, I posted about her in June 2021 for the first time, so maybe I had her for like. maybe a month before that. Which means I had her for almost three years already? And she's still so little developed? Gods. In my defence I don't choose what my brain fixates on and also my life went to shit in late 2021 and kept like that for two years, so yeah. I want to take better care of my OCs and stories now tho ^^

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC? At first I just needed someone to comfortably play Asra's and Julian's routes with because it didn't quite work with either Alnair nor Atlas. Then I started wondering if it was possible to have one character that fitted all six Arcana routes. So I gave her an angsty backstory by which her identity was stripped and to be reshaped by the route she takes, gave her the name 'Shell' solely so I could have the play on words "Shell is your name and that's what you shall become" as part of her 'curse', and ta-daa! Yet another OC for the collection was born xD

*Ebis

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name? Okay, bear with me. Ebis is a Submachine OC, loosely based on the Player. And I say 'loosely' because there isn't really any information about Player to base Ebis on. Anyway, in one of the games you get out a padded room and there's the patient number 2183. Which, in digital clock numbers, if mirrored, kinda read like 'Ebis' if you squint hard enough. That's the logic Ebis follows to choose her name, since she wakes up without memories and it's easier to think of herself as 'Ebis' than a 4 digit number anyway.

Maybe it's a dumb way to decide for a name but if it works it works.

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do? She loves tinkering away with computer software, which is good for her because she makes a job out of it post-canon (I have not written about that, but it exists in my head), and also numeric games for when she wants to scratch that brain itch without dealing with the inevitable bugs. She also loves gardening and not only that but needs to get her hands into the dirt and feel the sun on her face regularly for optimal mental stability. As for hating... I can only think of anything that would involve her going underground? Trauma related thing, after Submachine she's had enough underground for the rest of her life. Otherwise I don't know, I haven't given much thought to it. Oh! But she's incapable of sitting still and doing nothing, if that counts.

🎯 -What do they do best? She's very good at computers and programming... and the less socially accepted side of it as well (by which I mean she knows how to hack stuff, but she doesn't do that post-canon, and in-canon she does by necessity).

*Marcus

🌂 - What genre do they belong in? As the other Submachine OC I guess sci-fi/fantasy? Adventure? There's some post-apocalypse vibes to much of the game as well. Post-canon this would turn to the fluffy slice-of-life this poor tired man (and Ebis as well) deserves.

And that's all!! I believe I have talked enough for the day, thank you so much for the questions, they made my day :D

[timaeusterrored]

Hi, it's me again, back on my bs.So this is for the very extensive ask meme.

2, 5, 7, 15 to 27, 36, and 43. For Vax. Or Vincent.

Whomever you choose and whichever questions you choose to answer. I'm interested in all 50 but that'd be going overboard. 😅

So um. I really appreciate you and your characters, and I'm sorry for the amount of work I put on you 💜

☄️🐉

Hello Lovely!!! Thank you sm for the interest and never apologize 😭💕💞 I love talking about my babies and love people being interested and involved with them it makes me so happy

-

2. Do they have any daily rituals?

Vax- Yes, he always showers in the morning, after breakfast and coffee. If it’s going to be a stressful day or he just feels like it, he’ll make a cup of green tea to go. And every morning he brings Kerry breakfast from their favorite bakery💓

Vincent: Always showers at night. He also likes to draw before bed, it doesn’t matter if he’s home or at Johnny and Kerry’s place, he always draws a little before bed. 💕

5. Cleanliness habits (personal, workspace, etc.)

Vax has a home office that’s actually pretty tidy, he knows exactly where everything is, files organized physically and digitally. He also cleaned the office of the Afterlife as well. And for fun I think he once stress cleaned the Villa and it scared the people that work for Kerry because there was a merc in his house stress cleaning.

Vincent keeps his tattoo booth clean, he kinda has too since it’s a sanitary issue but his room… not so much. He tends to throw clothes around and drawings and papers and old homework shoved everywhere. It’s a nightmare but he can tell you exactly where the paper clip on the floor left of his desk is.

7. Favorite way to waste time and feelings surrounding wasting time?

Vax likes to paint. He likes to blast music in his ears and paint until his arms feel numb. But he does get worried about not being productive even when there’s nothing to do. Being the owner of the Afterlife, he’s always expecting the worst or a phone call saying a merc died and it’s just stressful. Kerry sometimes makes him go sit down in his studio just to relax a little

Vincent loves wasting time. Homie is so unbothered. He’ll smoke, watch tv, draw, maybe write about his dnd campaign.

15: Biggest and smallest short term goal?

Vax: Biggest Short term goal, meeting Kerry’s family. Smallest short term goal, um, not dying so he can meet Kerry’s family.

Vincent: Biggest short term goal, putting his art on display for a contest. Smallest goal, getting a new car because his truck is an issue and River drives it more than he does.

16. Biggest and smallest long term goals?

Vax: Biggest long term goal, running the Afterlife and possibly raising a successor so he’s not running it for the rest of his life. Smallest long term goal, getting Louise to like him. (It’s not that it’s not important to him, he just knows it may take a while)

Vincent: Biggest goal, opening his own tattoo shop one day. Smallest goal, graduating college. (Again, important but gonna take at least another three years)

17. Preferred mode of dress and rituals surrounding it?

Both are the same, shirt first, the pants, then socks, boots, and THEN jacket/hoodie/whatever they are wearing that day over their clothes (if you put your socks on first I’m scared of you)

18. Favorite beverage?

Vincent; Vanilla Coke

Vax: just a normal cola or green tea

19. What do they think about before falling asleep at night?

Vax: The good stuff? Kerry. The bad, literally everything. The stress of being the owner of the afterlife and trying to fit into Rogue’s shoes, how many people depend on him, how heavy everything feels on his chest. Missing Johnny.

Vincent: A good life where he and Kerry and Johnny all live and love each other forever. He likes thinking they’ll live forever.

20. Childhood illnesses? Not really?

21. Turn ons, turn offs?

Vax: Praise kink, hair pulling, being called Prince (he likes to be a lil spoiled okay?)

Turn offs: Bitches names Allen Or Kovachek. Fuck those assholes.

Vincent: I really haven’t thought about it😭

(Gonna skip a few, this got a lil long. But I do love answering them💕💓💓)

27😈. (Hehehe angst moment) What is their biggest regret?

Vax: being unable to save Jackie and Johnny. He wakes up calling for Jackie often and cries in Kerry’s arms. Especially after he finally gets to process and mourn, he still can’t believe Jackie is really gone. And Johnny, Johnny was always there. Not that he had a choice, but Johnny became his saving grace a lot, and damn did it hurt losing him. He thought he’d lose his mind, he almost did.

Vincent: he let everyone down. He tried and fought and cried and bled and at the end of the day, he abandoned everyone and left them. He disappointed them. It hurts knowing he let Kerry down, broke his promise. He hopes maybe one day, he can fix it.

36. What makes them feel guilty?

Vax: Jackie, Johnny, anytime someone mentions the amount of money and sleepless nights Kerry went through to get Vax down from the space station, remembering the panic Vik went through when Vax was going through some shit.

Vincent: Nicky (ex boyfriend), thinking he came between Johnny and Kerry, not being there when Kerry needed him most, adding stress onto his parents in middle and high school.

43. How far did they get in formal education? What are their views on formal education vs self- education

Vax: So, i don’t quite know abt schools in Night City in canon, but I don’t think Vax went to school, I do think he learned from Vik and the other people that helped raise him. I think he’d value self-education because that’s what he went through, and obviously he came out okay. (And no child of his is going to Arasaka Academy 😡)

Vincent: He’s in college! So he got through elementary, middle, and high school, and by the time we meet him in the fic, he’s a second year in a five year program. I think he loves learning, but also understands it’s not for everyone to go to college. He loves learning about what he wants to learn about, either at school or self taught.

[theunicorncomic-blog]

@andromeda24601, so, I am not nearly as accomplished as Neil (who is?) but I am a published author and have been getting short stories published somewhat regularly since 2021. I’m in an awkward place where I’m not famous or invited to join anthologies or have novels out but I am building a fanbase in the indie horror community.

So, I’m just slightly ahead of where you are now. I was rejected 10 times before I got my first short story acceptance. I haven’t been counting how many rejections I’ve received over the course of the past 4 years, but it has to be well into the hundreds at this point. The trick is to keep writing and keep sending things out.

Here are a few things I do:

1. Don’t take the rejection personally. This is probably the hardest step, but it’s the most important. Short story anthologies, even small ones, receive hundreds of submissions in each open call. More often than not, it’s less about the quality of the story and more about what fits with the rest of the anthology. Most editors are also writers and they understand how discouraging a rejection can be.

2. Write as often as you can and set a specific goal. I’m ambitious, so my goal is 1,000 words a day but I have a family that is very supportive of my writing and willing to support me as I work on my craft. What works for me might not necessarily work for you and that’s okay, as long as you don’t give up completely.

3. Have a list of places to send to and use it to make a goal. Because of my preferred genre, I use The Horror Tree, which is a bit of a misnomer, because it also boosts calls for sci-fi, fantasy, and romance. I’m also subscribed to the Authors Publish newsletter. The Sinister Scoop is run by some friends of mine and is also helpful.

4. Prioritize the well-paying anthologies but cast a wide net. Unfortunately, you’re not likely to get accepted into a pro-rate paying anthology for your debut story. My first story paid me only $5 and a contributor’s copy. I’ve only been in a handful of anthologies that paid me more than $100 and none that have paid more than $500. The important thing is getting your name out there. That said, the money should flow to the author. Avoid calls that require you to pay to enter and publishers that expect you to pay them to publish your work.

5. If you’re trying to get published by one of the big five, get an agent, because editors are not likely to accept from the slush pile anymore. That said, starting small and building up a fanbase will likely be an effective strategy in general. Big five publishers often decide based on social media presence as much as they do the quality of a story.

This is what has worked for me, but all the advice basically boils down to what Neil said. Don’t give up. Things will get discouraging, but the ones who make it are the ones who keep going.

What advice would you give to young writers who were rejected a couple of times? Should they just give up or is there still a chance for them?

When I was a teenage writer I was told I would expect to paper the walls of my bedroom with rejection slips. That they were part of the journey: first “form” rejection slips, then rejection slips with handwritten notes on them, then, one day an actual acceptance note with a cheque. And then, in all probability, more rejection slips.

I have a folder filled with them somewhere. A rejection just means that someone didn’t like the story. Your job is to become a better writer.

The last rejection I got was a few years ago for a poem, solicited for a book of children’s bedtime poems. They said it was too scary, and probably not something that should be read to children late at night.

I kept writing.

[j-graysonlibrary]

The Xiang Chronicles: Book Three Chapter 37

Title: The Xiang Chronicles: Book Three

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 107k

Genres: Fantasy, adventure, drama, LGBT+

Available on: my website

Synopsis: Only one Xiang remains and her name is Merra. She hopes to unite the land by force and plow down anyone in her way—especially the people of Agni who she deems faithless and the native people of Terra who refuse to cooperate with her.

Raine continues to serve his Lord but he has taken to alcoholism to soothe his grief—a fact he keeps out of his letters with Heidi. Baiya has returned to mercenary work in order to keep his family safe while Kira is on the warpath. He, fully, takes on the title of Chaaya and means to defeat the Xiang he sees as false.

And, in a guarded castle in Enlil, a stir-crazy Princess dabbles in the dark arts, setting in motion something even Tiandi cannot see.

Full chapter 37 under the cut

Chapter XXXVII:

By the time the group arrived at the border camp, Phay’s troops were already well underway in setting up. Despite only beating them there by an hour or so, tents were propped up and supply tables were set out. A few fires burned where soldiers prepared food, brewed medicine, or simply rested.

“Before I assemble my men,” Phay said, glancing back at everyone. “We need to have all of you fitted with armor. You cannot exactly rush into battle wearing bed clothes and casual robes.”

She was the only one already armed and ready to go. Everyone else exchanged a few glances amongst each other, really realizing how out of place they looked now that they were among soldiers.

“I asked to have some armor set aside for you in my message this morning,” Phay continued and led them through the encampment. Her soldiers must have had a very specific layout for their camps that they used every time since she walked around the place like she knew it with her eyes closed.

“I am…not exactly an armor guy,” Kira muttered as he held up the black chest plate to himself. “I mean, it is better than Terran armor, I will give you that.”

“You should wear it just to be safe,” Raine responded, quietly.

Pangu caught the short glance shared between them and then grabbed his set of armor. He had never worn anything heavier than a ceremonial robe before.

As he wondered how he would go about even putting it on, he looked to the rest of the group and caught May with the chest plate covering her head, as if she had tried to slip it on over her head and shoulders like a tunic. Fujin immediately moved to take it off while Kaz laughed at them. At least no one seemed too nervous, he thought.

“Need help?” Baiya’s voice came from his right and Pangu turned to face him.

He and Viren were standing shoulder to shoulder so Pangu could not tell which of them Baiya was speaking to. He went out on a limb and asked, “Who, me?”

“Or me?” Viren followed.

Baiya glanced between them and smiled. “Both of you, really.”

“Please.” Viren grabbed a pile of straps, all connected by metal buckles or clips and he raised an eyebrow. “I do not even know where to begin.”

Before Pangu could join them for a fitting, Phay rushed over to him and grabbed his shoulder. “Pangu,” she said his name like an order so he tensed, “While you are getting ready, I will speak to my soldiers. Once I am done, I am handing them over to you while I train.”

“Oh. Okay.” He nodded curtly. “Do what you need to.”

“You as well.”

Pangu returned to Baiya and Viren, in a vacant tent. He undressed, down to the thin linen under his robes, as per Baiya’s request, and, from there, he redressed in heavier, more durable fabric. Agni armor was at least not like Kyrie or Terran armor—or even like Enlil armor which could be heavy depending on the station—but it was heftier than Pangu was used to. Although, the plates were breathable and he could bend his joints with more freedom than expected.

As he tested the limits of his armor, he noticed two things. One, Baiya was very skilled at fixing Viren’s hair. The man had a lot of it but Baiya was braiding and pinning it up to keep it out of his way and off his neck. It was a quick but elegant style and Pangu found himself jealous for the first time; he wanted to comb through Viren’s hair too.

The other thing he noticed, once he was done watching the two of them, was that Kaz was nowhere to be seen. Although, with a little more thought, Pangu figured that he was most likely with his sister and May, trying desperately to get the princess into her armor. The mental image alone was enough to make Pangu crack a smile.

They left their tent after Baiya suited himself up, looking even more dashing by Pangu’s account. Though, as soon as he thought it, he mentally scolded himself for so easily becoming distracted.

Everyone was ready, standing around one of the fires, and their armor, while very similar, had slight differences. It seemed Phay picked them out to cater to their strengths (although Kira still appeared uncomfortable in his). Most strange was Raine, by far, but Pangu knew it was because he was so accustomed to seeing him in Kyrie armor. Next to him were the siblings who looked even paler in the dark metals and blood reds of Phay’s uniforms.

They were a menacing looking bunch though, if nothing else.

“Alright.” Pangu took a deep breath. “Baiya, you train your sister and Phay. Kira, you are on Viren and Oli.” As he said the young man’s name, Pangu noted that Oli was fidgeting with his belt. Then he wondered who had helped him dress or if he had figured it out on his own.

“What about us?” May asked and gestured between herself, Fujin, and Kaz.

“Train on your own or help out if you see fit.” Pangu was not sure what more they could do. “I will be trying something…new. Um, Raine, will you join me? Your military experience might come in handy.”

“Of course.” He nodded immediately.

“You can do it, Pangu,” Kira said with a smile, already knowing what feat he was about to attempt.

He smiled back and felt a modicum better but not a whole lot. Really, he had no clue whether it would work or not and he could not use his usual method either so everything about the plan was new. His eyes traveled up, to Raine, who seemed quite confident in him.

As they walked away from the group, passing Phay on the way, Pangu chewed on his words before saying them. “So, are things well between you and Kira?”

Raine’s face turned almost as red as the accents on his armor. “Oh, well…we spoke and…”

“No need to be coy with me, Raine,” Pangu smirked and then said more directly, “I will not judge you, you know. If you want to keep certain things a secret, I can do that too.”

He shook his head, throwing his hair about in the process. Pangu almost interrupted and asked if he needed his hair pinned up as well.

“I…I know I can trust you,” Raine replied and then sighed, “It is all new and I…I worry it will be over if I speak of it. I know it does not make sense but…”

Pangu patted him on the back. “I understand. We should focus on the work anyway, right?”

His first disciple gave him a short nod and Pangu was sure he could get more out of him later, after the battle. His focus turned to the sea of soldiers, all standing in formation still, from Phay’s orders no doubt. They looked up at him expectantly and a lump formed in his throat.

“Hello,” Pangu gulped. “So, did Lord Phay tell you what I am going to do?”

“Yes, sir.” The crowd responded in one, forceful breath.

He blinked a few times but then nodded. “Okay. Good. Well…” While he did not want to seem nervous and disrupt the morale of the troops, he was not sure he could falsify some bravado for something he had never done before either. “I need all of you to take deep, soothing breaths. Close your eyes, and try to empty your minds. I know that is asking a lot so do not beat yourself up if you cannot do it. Just…try.”

 Pangu closed his eyes, both because he needed to do so to focus and also to try and encourage the troops to follow suit. His mind went to the energy around him—mostly before him. Raine’s energy spiked at his side but he had to ignore him for the time being and focus on the plethora of small, flickering spiritual bodies ahead.

There was no way to unlock their abilities one by one—that would take the rest of the day, all night, and probably the entire next day as well. So, he stayed closer to their crowns, collectively, and brushed through them like a large comb, plucking and moving blocks as he went. The distribution of energy was enough to tell him he was succeeding, at least on some level, and that a handful—a majority even—of troops were becoming unblocked.

His own energy, however, was draining quickly so when he reached the last few lines of soldiers, he quickly reeled back and gave himself a break.

“Alright.” Pangu took a couple of ragged breaths. “Now, for training.”

***

Baiya had been placed in charge of his sister and Phay, both of whom he was fairly confident he could train easily. He already knew that their resonances were high and he had faith they would catch on quickly. Maybe even more quickly than he had.

So far, both his sister and Phay could spark a flame in their fingers for a few seconds and, for the purposes of battle, that would be all they really needed. Loa, especially, who would be doling out fire arrows for the majority of the battle, only needed that first, quick spark anyway. Phay wanted to bathe her sword in flame but, with her novice grasp on the element, she would need to soak her blade in oil first which was too dangerous.

She worked on maintaining a flame instead.

“How long did it take you to master?” Loa asked as she struck up a flame in her hand, like a match, and tested how long she needed to light an arrow. She was using the same one, just replacing the wrapping around the head for each attempt.

“A few weeks, although, I am not sure I would call myself a master,” Baiya admitted and adjusted her arms and body positioning. “Here, a lot of the energy for fire comes from the gut. You want to have your body firmly planted on the ground to ignite a flame. It is easier that way.”

Loa nodded and tried again, forming a small flame between her thumb and forefinger with ease. Phay watched her with a smile and continued to cup a fire in her own hand though it fizzled out.

The lord turned to look at the two women who kept them company. “That was not either of you, was it?” she accused.

“No?” May raised an eyebrow. “You think we are blowing your fire out?”

“I would not risk burning the whole camp down,” Fujin replied.

Phay frowned and closed her fist. “Damn. I am not improving.”

“Relax, it’s been five minutes,” May said with a laugh. “I was terrible at first. Took me weeks to move something just a few pounds.”

“She is right,” Baiya agreed, “This takes time to become comfortable with. Pangu just wants you to be able to manifest a flame without it sparking out of control and backfiring. So far, you are both well on track for that goal.”

Phay grumbled to herself and continued to practice. She clearly had ideas of grandeur about using the fire in combat immediately and overwhelming Merra’s army with it. Baiya could understand that desire but safety was paramount. If anything went wrong, Pangu would blame himself for it.

After a few more rounds, both Phay and Loa showed remarkable control considering the fact they were just unblocked earlier in the day. Baiya was quite impressed and he even moved them into slightly more complex (but still basic) exercises.

“So,” May spoke up, sounding rather bored. Baiya had not known her for over twenty-four hours but he had already figured out that the princess could not stand silence for long. “Did you and Fujin’s brother get to know each other well last nig—OW!”

Baiya glanced over to see Fujin in the midst of smacking the woman on the arm. “What did I tell you about asking that?”

“Not to?” May shielded herself as if she would be mauled. “But I am sick of just sitting here! Plus, I wanna know!”

“Well I don’t.”

“Me neither,” Phay seconded and she and Fujin shared a look of understanding.

“You wanna know too, right, lil’ sis?” May leaned closer, eyes glued to Loa.

“Um…” She set the arrow on fire and, briefly, glanced over at Baiya. “No details but…I am sort of curious.”

“See? I am not a weirdo.” May puffed her chest out.

Baiya chuckled. “Nothing happened, weirdo.” He laughed even louder at the princess’ deflated response. “We talked and went to bed. There is a war on the horizon; there is no time for that.”

“That makes sense,” Loa said, sounding understanding while Fujin murmured, “Smart,” and Phay nodded with a quiet, “Good.”

“Does Kaz know you are prying?” Baiya decided to flip things onto May.

The princess pouted and turned to look across the field to the man in question. He was sitting off to the side, quite like she and Fujin were, but he was closer to the Terran group.

Kira was in charge of training Viren and Oli since they resonated with earth. Though he had been using miasma more than anything as of late, he was still the best suited to teach them while Pangu was otherwise occupied.

Their drills were, more or less, creating a shield in front of them with earth. It was a fairly simple thing to do (although harder with time constraints) and Kira was also sure it would be the most useful. They could focus on defense and also protect themselves.

It was not like the two of them were well versed in combat anyway.

Viren was able to raise a rock shield about half his height in a second. “Better,” Kira commented and then looked to Oli who still had a molehill. “Less better…”

“It is harder than it looks,” he huffed and exerted himself.

“Do not push physically,” Kaz stepped in. “I know earth is different to air, by a lot, but I, too, tried to physically tense my muscles and push when I first started. It is about the energy, not your body.”

Oli frowned and attempted to loosen himself up to try again. Only, when he did, he made barely any visible progress. “This is hopeless. Maybe I should just learn to wield a sword instead?”

“Keep at it,” Viren encouraged and reached over to grab his hand. “Feel this?” After a second, his cousin nodded. “Follow my energy, with your mind.”

Kira watched with a raised brow as Viren talked Oli through the process and managed to help him raise a wall that surpassed both of their heads. He was beginning to wonder if the lord was holding back on account of Oli’s feelings.

Kaz got the same impression.

With some more help from Viren, Oli was able to raise his own barrier in a few seconds though it was notably slower than his cousin’s. Kira stopped to adjust them both, occasionally, and showed them some stances that helped him. He also started to teach Viren a couple of other tricks since he was so comfortable with his element already.

“I am glad to see you again, Kira,” Viren mentioned as they started their one-on-one training while Kaz showed Oli how to use his spear.

“You as well,” Kira replied, “I am also glad Baiya took care of you.”

The lord gave a breathy laugh. “He was worried about you, you know.”

“Please. I don’t need to hear all that.” Kira frowned at the idea of Baiya thinking about him that much.

That only encouraged Viren. “What; do not tell me you two are still carrying on with your act of disliking each other.”

“It is no act. I really cannot stand him.”

Viren laughed. “Well then I will keep to myself how he mourned the perceived loss of your company.” When Kira visibly winced, he added, “Several times.”

“Please. Viren.”

“No, no, I am stopping. I certainly will not mention the nights he, rather than spend time with me, would lament about how he wished he was back on the road with you all.” With a vicious grin, he added the final nail in the coffin, “I am sure, severity of this situation aside, Baiya is beside himself with joy to be reunited with you.”

Kira could have crushed stone between his teeth with how tightly his jaws clenched together. Even worse, as if the conversation had summoned him, the Agni group walked over.

“Did Oli give up already?” Baiya asked.

“Sort of,” Viren said with a smirk, making Kira worry for a second that he would continue on with his torment. Luckily, he fully switched courses, “He just wants to be prepared in every way.”

Kaz stopped their training and rejoined the group, Oli falling in line beside him. He and Fujin exchanged a quick look, silently catching each other up on how their days had been through their eyes alone. Phay sat down and was joined by Loa, both seeming a bit tired from their training.

Baiya kept his attention on Kira as he asked, “How was being a trainer?”

“Weird,” Kira responded immediately. “I am sure you were a natural at bossing people around, Agnimara.”

He laughed. “Been a while since I heard that name.” His smile dropped pretty quickly, however, and he rested his hands on his hips. “Kira, listen, before this battle starts, I just wanted to thank you for what you did.”

It was something he had been meaning to mention since the day before but, given the information overload and the need to spring into action and head off to fight immediately, he had not exactly had the time. If he did not do so now, he worried he would lose his chance.

Kira, of course, prematurely recoiled. “Why? What did I do?”

Baiya sighed. “For coming back to help my family. You did not even know if I would be here or not but…you came back for them anyway. I…I cannot begin to tell you what that means to me…”

“Don’t.” Kira frowned and pointed a finger at him. “Don’t get all sentimental on me. It’s gross.”

May let out a loud laugh, by herself, and all but the two disciples turned to look at her. “What?” she defended herself, “It’s funny.”

Baiya rolled his eyes, “I do not know why I bother.”

“I don’t either.” Kira countered, getting another laugh from May. That time, he did look over but, before he could say anything, they were joined by Pangu and Raine, both looking worn out.

“Hey, how is everyone?” Pangu asked, not catching the atmosphere in the group at all.

“We are well, Pangu,” Viren answered him with a smile.

“Great. I…Raine and I have done as much as we can so…all that is left is to rest up and do our best in the morning.” The ex-Xiang sighed and checked in with everyone. His eyes landed on May and he asked, “Are you prepared for another fight, May? It will be chaotic, I am sure.”

It was something she had considered and something Fujin had already talked to her about (when she was not scolding her for being so nosey about the other’s personal lives). So, she nodded. “I think, with everyone here, I will be okay. And, if not, I’ll run back to be with Loa and hide until it’s over.”

Fujin clapped a hand over her shoulder and assured her through a look that she would watch after her. Pangu was not necessarily worried about her so long as she did stay by her guards but he was worried about what kind of numbers Merra had and who all she would be bringing with her.

But he could not let the rest of them feel the same apprehension he did. So he smiled and told them, “We will win this fight. I am ready.”

[primroseprime2019]

Witch of the Moon- Chapter One: Arrival at Moonlight Academy

I sat in my room, reading my books. I had been studying some magic for a while. Okay, that was a little lie.

I had been studying magic and writing my own spells and sigils since I was eight years old. I had even summoned my very own familiar.

A Scottish Fold cat named Orion.

My parents were really happy. And so was I.

Speaking of Orion, he hopped onto the bed and nuzzled my arm, purring and meowing.

I giggled and rubbed his head. "Hey, buddy," I said with a smile.

My mother, Latosha Youngblood, had told me that Witches could talk to their familiars just as their familiars could talk to them.

"Are you studying again?" Orion asked with a teasing smile. I blushed and chuckled, "you know I love writing and reading. I take pride in it!"

He smiled, "I know, I know." He tickled my chin with his tail and I playfully swatted him away with a laugh.

We both looked up when there was a knock at the door. "Paigey?" Dad said.

"It's open, Dad," I called back. He opened the door and smiled softly, "hey, sweet girl. Can you come downstairs? Me and your mom wanna talk to you."

Orion looked at me and I immediately began to feel nervous. It was times like these where there were family meetings and it would sometimes make me nervous or irritated. But I wouldn't admit it out loud.

I walked downstairs with Orion hanging on my shoulder. I walked into the living room. The house I lived in was nothing short of perfect but it was home nonetheless.

My mom was a Youngblood. A proud witch born from a powerful bloodline.

Even more powerful than the first witch family.

She had a deer familiar named Basil. He was laying by the couch, his head resting over his forelegs. Mom looked at me as she sat on the couch and smiled. "Hey, Paigey," she said. "Hi, Mama," I said nervously.

"You're not in trouble," she said reassuringly and that made me relax. I sat down on the couch.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, looking at Dad then at Mom. They looked at each other before looking at me.

"Well... we enrolled you into an all-witch academy. Called Moonlight Academy," Mom said, "it's the same academy I went to when I was your age."

My eyes widened. And so did Orion's.

"Wh- really?" I asked nervously, fiddling with my moon crystal necklaces.

"We think it's time you start tomorrow and it's so you can start to focus on your future," Dad said in a gentle voice, "to spread your wings."

I gripped my pant legs. I didn't want to go. I wasn't ready to leave. I didn't want to leave them.

During my childhood, I never really had any friends since I was always by myself. It made my mom worry.

But I was on the autism spectrum so it was normal.

What if I wouldn't be able to fit in?

Orion looked at me and licked my hand. I looked at him, smiled a little and rubbed his head. I looked back at Mom and she suddenly hugged me.

I was frozen for a moment before I hugged her back.

"I don't want to go," I whispered. "I know, baby," she said, "I know."

She pulled away a little and cupped my face into her hands. "But I wouldn't be doing this if I knew you weren't able to go out on your own. I've discussed it with the council and the teachers. You'll be going tomorrow."

I nodded. I didn't feel good about this anymore. Orion looked up at me. Mom hugged me and kissed my head. "Try and get some rest, okay?"

I nodded and sighed softly before I trudged back upstairs to my room. I closed my door and leaned against it, sliding down and burying my face into my arms.

Orion placed his paw on my arm in comfort. "It'll be okay," he said, "I'll be there with you."

I looked at him and smiled a little before I pulled him into my arms and buried my face into his fur. I could hear the muffled words of my parents talking and I climbed into my bed.

I sighed and laid back down. I stared up at the ceiling before my eyes slowly closed. Unbeknownst to me, my dreams would make me feel worse.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. I was in a forest that was covered in snow. Snowflakes were falling and I was standing by a frozen lake.

I looked at the frozen water and my reflection looked back at me. I frowned as I knelt down and reached out to touch the ice. Then I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand and I looked over my shoulder to see a woman standing before me.

She was wearing a black and red cloak. She had porcelain skin, magenta-red hair that was tied into a bun and her eyes were black. I widened my eyes and nearly fell backwards. Suddenly the ice cracked and I fell into the water.

I tried to swim back up but it felt like I couldn't move my hands or feet. I felt my lungs burn and everything started hurting. My heart pounded against my chest and I felt my throat close up.

I slowly looked up as the moon glowed down at me. It was so big... and so... bright.

I felt my eyes slowly close and I slowly sank into the bottom. Where the darkness was welcoming me.

I jolted awake with a gasp and I sat up. Orion whimpered and looked up at me, a worried and tired look on his face. "Are you okay?" He asked, his ears flattened.

I took a few breaths and once I calmed down, I rubbed Orion's head. "I'm fine," I said softly. I looked at the window and the sun was starting to rise. I grumbled softly and looked at the clock. It was 8:25.

I laid back down and rested my arm over my eyes.

'I hope I never have another dream like that again,' I thought before I slowly fell asleep again. After a few good hours, I woke up again. This time to the smell of pancakes and omelets. I sat up and stretched with a yawn.

I rubbed Orion's head before I climbed out of bed and I walked out of the room and went downstairs. Mom was cooking.

"Morning, Paigey," she said with a smile. "Morning, Ma," I said as I took the orange juice out of the fridge and I poured me a glass.

Mom set down my plate. "Your dad went to pack your bag," she said.

I nodded as I chewed absentmindedly on my food. I couldn't get the dream out of my mind. Who was that woman?

"Paigey," I blinked and looked at Mom. She had a concerned look on her face. "You okay?" She asked. "I'm okay," I said, "just a crazy dream."

"Oh?" She said curiously as she ate. I nodded and sighed softly. "How did you know what you wanted in life, Mom? Especially when the future itself was scary?"

Mom was silent for a moment before she hummed softly.

"I always knew what to think of what I wanted for my future," she said, "even when I knew the dangers of it all, I still pushed through it because I had people looking out for me." She reached out and placed her hand on my shoulder and I looked at her.

"Just as you will have people looking out for you." She smiled softly.

I nodded and once we finished breakfast, we cleaned up and I got into my school uniform. It was a blue long-sleeved shirt with a red knee-length school skirt.

"Is everyone gonna be wearing this?" I muttered. Orion tilted his head.

I sighed as Dad knocked on the door. I looked at him. He had my suitcase ready.

"Hey, sugarplum. You ready?" He asked with a smile. I nodded slightly as I picked Orion up.

"You nervous?" He asked. "Yeah," I sighed. He rubbed my head and I sighed softly.

We both walked downstairs and Mom was waiting for us.

She kissed my forehead and gave me a bracelet that had Yin and Yang cats.

I smiled and I hugged them both.

The bus slowly pulled up and we looked at it.

I swallowed thickly and I hugged my parents again before I took my suitcase and went to the bus. Orion was hanging out on my shoulder.

I climbed up the stairs and walked to an empty seat. Sitting next to the window was an eighteen year old girl. She had dark chestnut brown skin, light black hair and deep blue eyes. She wore her hair into a braid and she was wearing a pair of red glasses. She was wearing the same uniform I wore.

And a Red Fox was laying across her lap.

I put my suitcase in the luggage compartment and I sat in the seat across from her.

"Hi," she said, "I'm Natalia Dupree. This is my familiar, Cassiopeia."

"Nice to meet you," I replied with a smile, "I'm Paige Youngblood. This is my familiar, Orion."

Cassiopeia sniffed at Orion who only curled up in my lap. Me and Natalia chuckled when Cassiopeia huffed.

"Naaaat!" Another voice said behind us and we looked to see another eighteen year old girl peeking over the seat. She had chestnut brown skin, raven black and brown hair that was tied into a ponytail and she had deep blue eyes and wore blue glasses.

"Hey, Diana," Natalia chuckled. I noticed a little Vampire Bat poke it's head out from behind Diana's shoulder.

"This little darling is Leo," she giggled, gently rubbing the bat's head, "and he's my familiar. Where are my manners," she held her hand out, "I'm Diana Severin."

I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

The Severin family were known for their hard work in demon hunting. Even though their ancestors were known to summon demons.

"You're Paige Youngblood, right?" Diana asked and her eyes lit up with admiration, "your mom is a badass!"

"Diana!" Natalia scolded, lightly smacking her arm. I chuckled, "I know."

I saw a few other students talking. They all looked new.

I sighed softly and looked out the window.

The bus screeched to a stop and me, Natalia and Diana looked out the window to see other new student witches filing in the parking lot or just hanging out.

The building was large. Almost as large as a church but even bigger.

Natalia, Diana and I grabbed our suitcases and we got off the bus first and the other girls followed us.

I looked around a little. Natalia looked up at a statue that had a woman who was in a praying position. "Who's that?" I asked, tilting my head.

Diana looked at me, shocked, "you don't know?!" I looked back at her startled, "sh-should I?"

"That is Lily Youngblood. Your ancestor." Another voice spoke up and we turned to see a nineteen year old girl standing nearby.

She had ivory skin, hazel brown eyes and dark brown hair. A Bengal cat was hanging on her shoulder. The girl glared at me.

"Who would have guessed that a Youngblood witch would show up here?" She hissed.

"Piss off, Mabel," Natalia huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared back at the girl.

"Oh bite me!" Mabel snapped. Leo snarled and the Bengal cat hissed.

"Enough," another voice said and we looked to see a woman in her forties. She had an espresso skin tone, black hair that was in braids and had gold rings in them and she had dark brown eyes.

She was wearing a silver and black teacher uniform. And a Doberman was standing by her feet.

"Mabel Queen, I'm sure your mother wouldn't be thrilled to hear you're harassing another student. Especially a new one." She said calmly as she gave Mabel a cold glare.

Mabel looked away, "no, ma'am." She gave me a side glare and stormed away. I looked back at the statue.

For some reason, I doubted that Lily Youngblood was my ancestor.

"You must be Paige Youngblood," the woman said and I looked back at her.

"Um... yes, ma'am," I said nervously. "I'm Opalina Hunt," she said, "I'm in charge of witches summoning demons and familiars. Your mother gave us quite the impression of you."

"She... did?" I asked, confused.

She nodded and looked back at Diana and Natalia, "I trust you both will introduce Miss Paige to the rest of your newfound friends?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Diana said excitedly. Natalia nodded.

"Run along then," Miss Opalina said, "class begins in six minutes."

With that, we hurried to meet our dorm mates.

It surprised me that a dorm only allowed two students. It was spacious and it had two beds. There was a desk by the window. Down the hallway was a bathroom.

The hallway led to a kitchen that had everything; snacks, food, drinks, you name it.

I saw a whole bunch of other girls. Nine of them, to be exact.

One of the eighteen year old girls rushed up to me and shook my hand in a vice grip.

"Hi! I'm Marley Wolfmoon!" She said excitedly.

She had almond-chestnut skin, raven black hair and deep water blue eyes. She wore the same uniform and her glasses were lavender.

"U-um, hi," I squeaked and I had to yank my hand out of hers. I saw an Arctic Wolf laying on her bed.

"That's my familiar, Pandora!" Marley giggled.

"Okay, hold on!" Another nineteen year old girl laughed, "let's go in order." She had porcelain skin, orange-brown hair that was tied in a messy bun and she had dark blue eyes.

"I'm Gloria Cross," she said and a Barn Owl flew from it's perch and landed on her shoulder, "this is my familiar, Aries."

"I'm Harriet Dragonscale," another nineteen year old girl spoke up. She had rose beige skin, black and bright hazel brown hair and deep but bright green eyes. A Bombay Cat hopped onto her shoulder.

"And this is my familiar, Sirius," she said.

"I'm Paige Youngblood," I said and I picked Orion up when he nuzzled my ankles, "and this is my familiar, Orion."

"I'm Natalia Dupree. This is my familiar, Cassiopeia." I'm Diana Severin. And this is my familiar, Leo."

"I'm Charlotte Grimsbane," the eighteen year old girl piped up. She had chestnut skin, raven black hair and light grey eyes. A Silver Fox nuzzled her leg and she rubbed it's head. "This is my familiar, Venus," she said.

"I'm Marley Wolfmoon," Marley grinned, "this is my familiar, Pandora."

"I'm Serenity Crimson," a seventeen year old girl chuckled. She had porcelain skin, light but deep grey eyes and her hair was orange with a brown streak. A Barred Owl landed on her shoulder. "This is my familiar, Cosmo."

"I'm Kaitlin Flamewhisper," the sixteen year old girl said. She had porcelain skin, light blue eyes and dark brown hair. A Gray Wolf nuzzled her side. "This is my familiar, Polaris."

"I'm Tasha Darkmore," a sixteen year old girl piped up. She had pale ivory skin, blackish-brown hair and dark brown eyes. A Cornish Rex cat hopped onto her shoulder. "This is my familiar, Ganymede."

"I'm Joanna Winters." A fifteen year old girl said. She had pale ivory skin, snow white hair and blue eyes. A Snowy Owl perched itself on her arm and she rubbed it's chin. "This is my familiar, Halo."

"I was expecting Frosty," Diana snickered and Halo seemed to glare at her.

"I'm Iris LeRoux," a thirteen year old girl said. She had honey-almond skin, raven black hair and deep gray eyes that almost looked black. An American Shorthair nuzzled against her chest. "This is my familiar, Aurora."

"It's nice to meet all of you," I chuckled.

"Let's head to class!" Marley said. I tilted my head, "should we take our familiars with us?"

"Not as much as we do in the cafeteria," Gloria said, "we can only bring them there."

I looked at Orion. I felt uneasy about not bringing my familiar with me. He looked up at me and licked my chin.

"I'll be fine," he promised with a reassuring smile, "go to class. Have fun."

I sighed and nodded before I set him down next to Pandora.

"Who's my dorm mate?" I asked suddenly, looking at the others.

"Oh! That's me!" Natalia said with a sheepish smile. I visibly relaxed and smiled as we all walked out of the kitchen and went to our first class.

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