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poemnic-tarot · 2 years ago

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Light & Shadow. What part of yourself you cannot see?

1 -2

3-4

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(Disclaimer : This is a general reading please only take what resonate. For entertainment purposes only)

Pile 1🪲

Light: Buffalo, Son of Pentacle. “I haven't met all of me yet"

"It was never a question of biology of nature or nurture. I know now that we healed up through being loved and through loving others"

Light side that you don't see about yourself Pile 1, is that you are a slow and steady win the race kind of person. This trait is very admirable because whereas a lot of people would have get impatient and give up. You slow and steadily and patiently work toward what you want. Your trust in yourself and where you can go is unmatched. Your faith in your abilities, skills and the Divine is quite rare and extremely admirable.

You know deep within your heart that in order to grow a flower you must tend to it consistently, diligently and with love and care. We grow more beautiful where we are loved. You know that in order to be successful in your ventures (whether it's career, hobbies or relationships) it does need hard work, consistently and most importantly, faith in your own ability to make it work. And you have it, you have this faith in yourself that you might not realised.

You are also a very loyal person whether to people you considered your people or even to a particular place, or brand. You are a person who does not give up easily (especially in relationship). When someone need a reassurance or help solving a problem, they would definitely come to you Pile 1, because whether you know it or not a lot of people think of you first when they come across an impossible challenge. They would go "oh Pile 1 can definitely do it". This is not in a "I'm going to used Pile 1 to solve my problem for me" kind of way, but in a more, admirable for your skill, talent and your ability to overcome any impossible challenges. However, there is no obligation for you to help someone if you do not want to. But this is what your light side want to say to you that you have not been noticing.

"We are hard to kill, hard to defeat, our faith in the heaven and ourselves is unrivalled. We alway get what we want eventually and people trust us completely and they are right to because any challenges coming our way will be inevitably defeated. So trust in our ability to walk through mud and dark forest."

"I trust myself to go through hell because I trust myself to get out"

The word to describe your light side is Persistent. Which means it will never die. And that’s really scary to be honest. Persistently shining no matter what come at it.

Poems : Revaluation by @cant-find-my-name

There’s alway going to be a losing battle

It’s an inevitable encounter

But that doesn’t mean you should

Lose hope,

Failure doesn’t alway mean the end

As long as you’re breathing

You can still follow

The string of rope

That has alway been tied to you

And your fated destination…..

Song: The Rumbling by SiM

Shadow : Fire ant, 7 of swords. “This moment will just be another story someday"

Where there's light, there will alway be a shadow. One cannot exist without the other. Pile 1, your shadow side that you cannot see is that you tend to not be as discerning as you could have been about what you're getting into or committed to. You are a very committed person, hard to give up when you're decided to do something, but that also means, you can get stuck on a situation or promises that you can't fulfil. Or can fulfil but at your own expense and that can indicate a poor discernment on whether what you are committing to is worth it or not. Whether what you're committing to is a person, a job, or even a hobbies, a brand etc, bring you nothing but drama, headaches, negativity, gossips, overall not good energy.You might have to ask yourself, 'why do I feel like I need to be loyal to these kind of people, places, brands, etc?'. When all you get in return is anything but peace.

Your shadow self urges you to be very discern on who you share your secret or even your goals with because they might not have the best intention. Even if you think there's no harm in sharing them, or because you're very passionate and excited to share your ideas.Your shadow urges you to protect them for a while, unless, rumours will spreads and your name will be at the centre. Not in a good way. Your shadow have a tendency to overshare and spreads informations that you, yourself are still unsure about. You might think it's fine, no big deal but your words are quite powerful and people tend to listen to you and take your words seriously, so please be extra careful on what you are saying about other people and about yourself. Because weirdly, people tend to remember what you said to them or about them distinctly.

Poem: You wish by @cant-find-my-name

…….. You hated my wings

You aimed and try

To shoot it down

Too many times

But miss and then

It hit

And we both were surprised

To find a phoenix

Rising from ashes

Once again, the dead did not collect

However much

You Wish

Songs : Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush

Book : Focus by Daniel Goldman

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Pile 2🌻

Light : Dragon, 4 of Pentacles. “And when tomorrow comes, you'll call it today. Time remains an illusory play."

Pile 2, What you did not see about your light side is that, you are quite a powerful person, specifically a powerful manifestor. I get a feeling that there's nothing you cannot manifest. As well as, you are extremely intuitive, even psychic. You can sense and see illusions, and things ordinary person would not be able to even comprehend. You have quite a skill and a good grasp of concept of realms and dimensions, and you are not even just powerful here in the 3D, but it seems you are quite active in many places/realms/realities/dimensions. Your light is strong, wide spreads. You see all, no lies or illusion can go passed you. It would be hard to fool or scam you Pile 2.

Your light side that you cannot see, yet, is that it can create something from nothing. Entrepreneurial vibes, build something up from the ground, from your own will power alone. And you have scarily good instinct Pile 2. Your success, in the materials world come from your own ideas and intuition. Never underestimate what you feel, even without proof, because almost, alway, you were right. It would be hard to play or even attack you Pile 2, not even just in the 3D, but also you are extremely aware in all realms/realities/dream realms, etc. One word to describe your light side is "Omnipotent",see all. Trust what you see or feels because that's your light speaking to you.

You also have extremely good self-control. It's hard to budge you from your goal, on what you decided to go for. Example, when you say you're not going to drink for a month, you won't. No amount of temptation or cajoling would break you down. Even when you attended a party full of alcohol. You still did not lose self control. This is one of the light side that you might not realised is within you Pile 2. Your light side is very protected of you, whether you know it or not, nothing can get pass you.

Poem : Hidden strength by @cant-find-my-name

My heart is brave but my mind is not

How can I make my intrusive thoughts

Stop.

Red flag, red light, demonise

Why do I think that everyone is a devil in disguise

Why can’t I believe in goodness

Kind heart, My angels, my spirit guides

I need more trust in me

I don’t want to be stuck

With my shadow for what seem like Eternity,

Kindness, kind heart, innocent,

That was all I am

Why can’t I see that I’m strong?

Strong enough to banish what doesn’t

Belong.

Song: Rainbow by Kacey Musgraves

Shadow side : Horse, 2 of Swords, “To tell the different between the absence of treatment opposed to the evidence of mistreatment"

"You don't notice your progress in life because you are alway raising the bar"

Pile 2, a shadow side that you did not see is that you tend to be extremely hard on yourself. Expect yourself to alway be doing something, anything. Achieving things, finishing one goal and what's next?. Alway planning the next steps ahead without taking the time to reflect and truly think on why you need to fulfil that particular goal so bad. This shadow trait love to watch you go way past your limit. Push yourself over the edge for something that doesn't fulfil you truly. Maybe reevaluate your priory, examine your list/tasks that you deemed important and see if self-care, relaxation is on that list. Because it is important for you to be doing nothing, to have fun doing absolutely nothing. It would be quite dangerous for you to be so concentrated on the material world, because it is a black hole where when one has fallen down, it's nearly impossible to come back up. Your shadow trait want you to questioned and reflect on, what do you consider to be 'true wealth'?.

Pile 2, sometimes you go too far, do almost anything to achieve your goals and watch out for that. When you found yourself compromising your integrity and personal values to get what you want. Then it's really time to reevaluate your priority.

Poem: Plateau Fever by @cant-find-my-name

Can you promise me something?

Let me be happy, give me my peace

As I learned my lesson

Nothing was taken

But nothing was given either

And I’m here flowing

Stuck in this Plateau Fever

Never dream of betterness

Thought it was impossible

A star too far to grab

Now my mindset is shifting

Now I believe in the better

I know goodness

They do last

Song : My Little Love by Adele

Book : Circe by Madeline Miller

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Pile 3🪁

Light : Lamb, Son of Pentacles. "And there will be nights when your life will fall apart and no one will notice the morning you spent putting it back together"

(Quite similar to Pile 1, might want to check it out)

Pile 3, Light side of yourself you cannot see is that you are a very honest person. Trust worthy and have a strong integrity. People can/ tend to trust you with their delicate secret, such as, their credit card number, affairs etc. That is how trust worthy you are. You are also a grounded person, lots of earth energy. People feel safe and protected around you pile 3, like you have their back and are extremely reliable, especially in an emergency. They know to trust you to tell them the truth, tell them like how it is, even if it's not pleasant to do so. "Truth is a gift", and your light side is like a gift to the people. Precious, special, delicate but not fragile.

You are also very determined and patient. Slow and steady win the race kind of person. You are a type to bring support, lift people up and contribute in a big way into people lives, not adding drama, troubles or headaches. Life is easier for people, with you in their life Pile 3. You are very patient and consistent in every area of your life, work, friendship, hobbies, etc. People know what to expect from you and that is a good thing because this light trait of yours make people feel a sense of stability, predictability, and reliability. You have this consistency in your character which make people trust quite easily. "I know pile 3 will come prepare, or Pile 3 will alway have my back."

Your light side or maybe physical vessel might seem delicate but people would be shocked with how much you can endured or how much you had gone through pile 3.People would never guess that you had such a hard time because you come across as someone who have everything in order and there is nothing that is wrong in your life. But that just how you come across, even in your energy, but that is not necessary the truth. The truth is Pile 3, you went to shit, hell and back and able to make it look easy and effortless. Just another day in the office. But if people were to be in your position they would be shocked in how much you have to carried on your shoulders (traumas wise), and surprised by how light you still are, despite what you went through?. It's a mystery to the people and a testament to your strength.

Your light side is strong Pile 3, but in a way that's unexpected. You are strong in your honesty, vulnerability, your conviction and your ability to stand your ground. Your light side can get you through any bad situations and come out on top, come out still you, every time.(Pure) Because whereas most people would give up, you continue to step forward, step by step, consistently, no matter the weathers. That is why people trust you so much because they know you will alway show up no matter what, for them, for yourself, for justice.

Poem : The Truth Doesn’t Sell by @cant-find-my-name

No sooner or later

You’d notice an elephant in the

Living room

The clouds obscuring the

Moon

Plants growing between concrete

Your silence spreads

Like deadly diseases……

(See full poem at @cant-find-my-name )

Song: Back to You by Flower Face

Shadow: High Priestess/Octopus. "When you love what you have, you have everything"

Pile 3

You got a major arcana (High Priestess) as your shadow self. This means that you got a major part of your self hidden in the shadow that you haven't been brought to light, yet. This side of you have an extremely strong intuition but you tend to ignore it. This side of you seem to questioned the intangible, the magic, the sprit side of thing. The things that cannot be proven, which means it's not real right?. Sometime the truth is in the feeling Pile 3,no need to touch it, cause you can't touch emotions but emotions are very real even though it's not tangible. This shadow side find it hard to trust in the unknown. You can trust hard work, day to day, the result from it, but a miracle that strike like lightning and made no sense and come from no where?, No way!. This shadow side of yours find it hard to have faith in the Divine. It is so attached and stuck in the 3D. Maybe too focused on what you can see, and ignore the sighs from your very strong, very real intuition, where you have to closed your eyes to see. Not everything that you think you need is in the 3D will bring that sense of security you are alway chasing.This shadow trait of yours, Pile 3, would have you work extra hard, extra diligent to get that promotion, that car, that house because you think you need it in order to feel secure and safe in this world. But true security comes from within, it come from connection within ourselves first and foremost and the connection between you and the source/Divine.That is the true security where it will truly make you feel safe in this world, the ability to trust one’s own intuition and something bigger than us.

Whenever you feel the need to chase that achievement in order to feel secure, sit still and connect with your own intuition because it would tell you to stop looking externally. It would tell you that you are enough as you are. You are the person you can love 100%.Your shadow self want you to trust in something bigger than yourself more.

Poem: Guiding light by @cant-find-my-name

Walk with me

Take my hand

I’ll guide you to where I am

Passing hidden memories

The illusion that drown out the

Objectivity.

I’ll replace it back to you

And show you the Objective truth….

(See full poem at @cant-find-my-name )

Song : Two by sleeping at last

Book : Wisdom of insecurity by Alan Watts

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Pile 4🥨

Light: Crocodile/Ace of Pentacles."People liked to focus on the things they couldn't have"

Pile 4, your light side is very patient, wise and observant. You have great inner discernment and wisdom to know what actually really matter. What is truly important. You know where to focus on to achieve your goals or to even be in a fulfilment/peaceful state in life. You know what to focus on in your life, which is the positive side of life. You take your time before you rush into things. Impulsiveness is not in your vocabulary. You need to observe and gather important information in order to make your move on anywhere or anything, whether that is a project, relationships. You might be good in investment, or a start up because you have the characteristic for it. Example, where people would focus on the profit, fame, status of entrepreneurialship. However, your light side know what to focus on, which is what is truly most important in life, the service, how can your business serve your community. How can we be of service to this earth, the humanity?.These are the big question your light side have an eyes for. You can see the whole picture, while most people only focused on themselves and what they can gain. Pile 4, you would make a stable, consistent leader. It's hard for you to succumb to instant gratification, you would be surprise how much you can hold back more than average on instant gratification,when you know the wait is worth it.Example, you won't buy a cheap furniture right now and saved and invested in a good quality ones where it will last you longer. Your ability to wait to strike when the timing is right is a strength you might not notice about your self because it just comes naturally to you, and Pile 4, when you strike at something, you never miss.

Poem: Kindness win by @cant-find-my-name

How kind of you to smile when you rather

Not

How kind of you to say ‘sorry’ first

How kind of you to notice unhappiness

In someone

How kind of you to hold the door

Open,

Every little gestures count

The impact life changing sometime

And you may never notice

How kind you are or the choices you made

Were kind……..

Song : come back home by BTS

Shadow: Horse/Justice."What suffering is behind your anger?"

Pile 4, your shadow side that you might not see is that you have more choices than you think. There might have been a limited mindset or limited viewpoint that you have.You might be unconsciously believed that your choice is limited. Your shadow side believes, that true freedom doesn't really exist. There has to be sacrifice, alway. There is no such things as true freedom. This side of yours feel limited, caged in, like you have to choose this or that and one is right and one is wrong, so you better choose the right one. Pile 4, the world is not black or white. There are truly no right or wrong choice for you to make, just one where it would benefit you or benefit others. Some choice might be right and seems wrong and vice versa, and some choices can be both. It's not neither or, it either and. I think this side of your feel that it has been making choices/ choosing a path that might have been benefiting others more than yourself, to the point of imbalance. Where it cannot helped but feel resentment towards others even though it was your own choice to do so. Example, I want to go for that promotion but since this co-worker of mine also want to, I choose not to and give it to them instead because they need it more?, something like that. And this side of yours that really want to go for that promotion wondered why can't we strive for it?, for our goals?, for ourselves.

Why do we have to make a choice benefiting others but not us?, what about us?. Why we need to hold back our momentum because of others?. Your shadow want you to run free, especially with your choices, express your wants and needs more. Want to dye your hair red?, go for it, no need to think if that person will approve of it or not. It is not their decision to make but yours. Go for what you aim for without the need to see if everyone is okay with it or not. You will find your buried anger/resentment will be abated after you acknowledge this shadow trait of yours, notice when you tend to hold back even to your own detriment, example, not confessing your feeling for A because you know B likes A, so you would give your way to B. Say it for yourself, do it for you. And F other people for once.

Poem: Show me by @cant-find-my-name

Surely, I must be sick

On the verge of death

The longing so deep

So agonising

Yearning for a miracle to exist

Or else, all my ability to feel

Will simply perish

I’ve lived on this earth

For far too long

To not be falling in love

Or be loved in return……

Song : Signs of the time by Harry Styles

Book : Atomic Habits by James Clear

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Thank you so much for reading!. If this resonate please leave a tip if you like. See you soon!

Check out @cant-find-my-name for more of my original poetry

#pick a card #tarot messages #tarot reading #sprituality #tarot #tarotcommunity #divination #healing #channeled reading #channeled message #light and shadow

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twistedtummies2 · 11 months ago

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The Scarlet Pirate - Chapter 1

Well, ladies and gentlemen...this story has been a LONG time coming. XD

This is the first of a six-part "Chapter Story" for my OC for Twisted Wonderland, James Killian - based on Captain Hook from Disney's Peter Pan. (Also featured are Smitty McCarthy, based on Smee, and Matthew Satyr, based on Peter himself...oh, and Nakoda - my Kaa OC - also has a role here.) The basic premise of this story has been in my mind for almost as long as James has, but for numerous reasons, it wasn't till just within the past few weeks I finally got a chance to develop and write it out.

The result is, I think, the single longest "Chapter Story" for any of my OCs for TW I've created so far. Take that information however you will. So long as this tale, that it went from a planned three-parter, to a planned five-parter, to now being a six-parter, standing at approximately 150 pages in total! Hopefully, all the work and length will be for the best. XD

As is typical for my Chapter Stories, I will be posting this one chapter at a time per day over the course of this week. For future reference, you can find the next chapter here.

WARNING: While this story, throughout all six parts, does not FOCUS on my kinks, there are instances of very mild stuffing/belching related content sprinkled throughout, as well as various instances of implied or near vore situations. If you're into these things, good on ya. If you aren't, just be warned they will show up here and there, although not with any degree of spectacle.

With that said...I hope you enjoy.

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“COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE MEAT LOAF!” “WE’LL RIP YOU APART!” “YOU CAN’T GET AWAY FROM US!” You panted as you ran at top speed out of the cafeteria of Night Raven College. Behind you, three Savanaclaw students - one with the ears of a jackal, another with the ears of a leopard, and a third with the ears of a binturong - were sprinting after you, charging like mad wildebeests. Hearing little gasping sounds beside yourself, you shot a glare at the cat-like little creature who was running on all fours alongside you, ears crackling with flames as his trident-tail worked to keep him steady while he bounded along. He noticeably licked at a few stray crumbs of food on his whiskers as you both bucketed along at flying speed. “Chernabog damn it, Grim!” you coughed between your own fast-paced footfalls. “Haven’t you learned any self-control at all?!” “Nyaaa! They were eating tuna sandwiches!” wailed Grim. “I couldn’t help myself!” You just groaned as you continued to flee. “If we die, I am SO going to kill you,” you muttered to yourself. You knew you couldn’t just head to Ramshackle Dorm straightaway: the Savanaclaw trio behind you would be expecting that. Your best bet was to lose them and give them a chance to cool down, then you could go home and try to forget this whole misadventure. So, you decided to take a risk, and ran across the athletics field, towards the woodlands beyond which encircled the campus. As you led Grim through the bushes and into the forest, you could still hear the three angry beastmen chasing you. They snarled and hissed in rage, showing no sign of tiring any time soon. You raced through the woods as fast as you could pelt, with Grim trailing not far behind you, and your would-be antagonists continuing pursuit. You had entered these woods enough times by now to know a way to circle through the greenery and find a path back to your dorm; you hoped that the trees and foliage would help your escape, as you bobbed and weaved between them, thinking they would slow down your half-animal attackers. You soon realized your folly: these were athletic beastmen, with senses and strength superior to your own, and skill as a hunter. Instead of slowing down your pursuers, the heavy greenery was slowing YOU down, giving them a chance to leap through the gaps in the trees, gaining on you inch by inch, foot by foot, yard by yard… A shrill “YIPE!” soon signaled what would be your downfall: Grim stumbled in a patch of dirt that collapsed beneath him - some spider’s hidden den - creating a pothole just large enough for his paws to catch. He rolled through the dirt and grass before bumping into the side of a tree. “MINION!” he called out in a wheezy way.

You skidded to a halt, cursing under your breath, and hurried back to help the little rascal…but in the time it took you to reach Grim and give him a brief check for injuries, your three attackers were upon you. You stood up and tried to run one direction, letting Grim rest on your shoulders…but the binturong boy barred your way. You whirled about in another direction, but the jackal stepped in front of you then. Finally, before you even had a chance to turn, the leopard man blocked you off. The three grinned viciously as they moved closer in unison. You backed up instinctively…and soon felt your breath hitch as you found yourself backed up against the tree behind you. Grim hissed angrily, hackles rising, as the three Savanaclaw students closed in around you. “Nowhere to run now, meatballs,” smirked the leopard. “C-Come on, guys,” you laughed nervously, with an anxious smile. “We…we can talk about this, can’t we?” “You can negotiate with one of our guts,” replied the leopard, licking his chops. “Hey! They’re not your kill!” snapped the jackal, baring his fangs as he snapped at his friend. “I caught up with ‘em first!” “We’ll decide who gets to eat the human after we tenderize ‘em,” suggested the binturong, and punched one fist into his free hand with a ferocious grin. “I call the furball.” “Fine by me,” said the leopard, cracking his neck and knuckles, while the jackal shrugged in agreement. You shuddered and groaned again, trying to restrain the blush on your face. Great. Just great. You were going to be beaten up and eaten up because Grim couldn’t curb his own appetite. The irony and unfairness were equally abundant here…you wished you could convince your heart to stop beating so fast, especially since it was pumping blood into your cheeks with the knowledge of what was coming… However, before any of the three could strike, there came a rustling from the treetops above you. All of you looked up, confused and startled…and the three Savanaclaw students hastily took a few steps backward, as something dropped out of the trees with a bold, brassy sort of cackle… “HA HA!” the something declared, and landed nimbly on their shiny black boots. “Villains, beware! Stand ready!”

To say you were surprised was an understatement. The three Savanaclaw students seemed equally bewildered. Standing between yourself and Grim, and your presumed predators, was a young man, dressed in a Night Raven school uniform. His red vest, and the black-and-red armband around one arm, indicated he was a student of Heartslabyul. His hair was long and raven-hued, flowing a little past his shoulders; the top of his scalp was wrapped up in a violet bandana. He wore golden rings on several fingers, between both hands, and a daring, dashing sort of grin was on his face, which lit up his rich, dark, chocolate-colored eyes. The Heartslabyul student adopted a pose like a skilled fencer; in his right hand, he held a most peculiarly-shaped, gold-topped cane. He pointed the ferrule end towards the three Savanaclaw bullies, holding the item like it was a rapier. His left hand flourished grandly up and behind his head. The outer spot of the palm was facing you and Grim. You felt Grim’s head tilt, as you both noticed the strange tattoo on the back of the stranger’s hand: it was the image of a hook. “Three of you, eh?” the youth snorted. “A pity. I was hoping for an honest challenge!” The three Savanaclaw students growled angrily, and adopted predatory poses. “Back off, pipsqueak!” the binturong spat. “These two belong to us!” “I think they rather belong to themselves,” sniffed the cavalier newcomer, twirling the tip of his cane in a rather taunting fashion. “Perhaps you’d care to officially claim them? You are quite welcome to try.” “You got a death wish or somethin’?!” snapped the jackal. “Oh, I wish for death daily,” shrugged the new arrival. “Just not for myself.” The jackal snarled violently, as did the binturong. The leopard stepped forward and bared his clawed fingers. “If you wanna try and keep our breakfast away from us, you can join it,” the cat hissed. “Looks like there’s enough here for all of us, boys!” This made the binturong and the jackal cackle as they stepped up to clearly support their leader. “I call the loud one,” the jackal replied, and licked his chops sloppily, drool splattering across his plump, shapely lips. “I think he’s gonna have a rich flavor…” “Fine by me,” rumbled the leopard, and rubbed his belly through his uniform fabrics. “Looks like the Prefect’s mine…” You shivered, cheeks pinkening again, as you licked your own lips nervously. You shifted your gaze from the hungry leopard’s eyes to the apparent swashbuckler’s face, to catch his reaction. To your surprise, for just the most fleeting moment, you could have sworn the young man’s cheeks turned a similar shade of rose to your own…but the hue soon vanished as he adjusted his stance, and lifted his cane a bit higher, pointing it towards the leopard’s nose. “So be it, gentlemen,” he said, somewhat gravely. “Heave to it, then, and fall on!”

The three snorted almost in unison. The jackal, who seemed eager to enjoy his very brazen meal, was the first to lunge forward, charging towards the Heartslabyul student. The raven-haired duelist laughed and ducked, scurrying to one side, and then whirled about. He swung his cane about, smacking the jackal in the backside. The canine demi yelped shrilly, and spun towards the offender; he raked a wild haymaker towards the young man, who blocked the punch with his rod. He did the same with a second punch, then jumped forward and jabbed the “point” of his weapon hard into the jackal’s gut. The canid grunted, clutching his stomach and doubling over…before the heavy end of the cane’s gold topper bashed into the side of his head, knocking him to the ground. “Aye, this takes me back. To basic training, that is,” sighed the man in red and black. He smirked, pointing his weapon at the remaining two beastmen. “Would either of you gentlemen care to try me next?” The leopard and binturong seemed stunned. They looked at each other, then their expressions hardened. The leopard growled and - clearly having some sort of authority - he tossed his head, and the binturong took the hint, letting out a fierce battle cry as they ran at the swashbuckler, one fist reeled back and ready to strike. The swasbuckler’s smirk widened, and he ducked to avoid the harsh punch, then threw himself upwards, jamming his cane into his enemy as he hurled them over his shoulder, causing them to land right on top of the jackal. Then, before the binturong could stand - WHAM! - a booted foot kicked him unconscious. “Pitiful Philistine,” sneered the cavalier. “You’re not even worth using my finest moves upon-AHA!” The man spun around like a top, holding his cane in both hands as the leopard struck. He had tried to attack the duelist from behind, while the Heartslabyul member was distracted. Said student grinned boldly as the leopard’s tail lashed in irritation. “A fine attempt, sir!” boomed your savior. “I can’t think of a single seven-year-old who could do better!” “I’ll chew that smug look off your face!” spat the leopard. The Heartslabyul student grimaced, crinkling his nose. Once again, you swore his cheeks turned a somewhat rosy hue. “If your fighting skills are as rank as your breath, I’d say good luck. Either way, you’d find it quite indigestible.”

The animal-man just growled louder as the fighter pushed him off. He lunged forward again, but the swashbuckler soon settled things: he cracked his cane against the leopard’s arm as it prepared to hurl a punch, then across the shoulder, then smacked it into the leopard’s face. With a pained sort of snarl, the leopard seemed ready to throw out a kick, but the duelist’s cane slapped against his shin hard. The cat yowled loudly, and comically lifted his leg and bounced on the other, clutching his wounded limb…at which point the skilled fencer lunged and plunged the butt end of his cane into their stomach. The leopard staggered back and collapsed to the ground in a heap, beside his other two comrades. The cavalier smirked proudly, and lifted his cane in a swordsman’s salute, before twirling it and letting its length rest across his shoulders. “Well, that was thoroughly pathetic,” he mocked. “I suggest, gentlemen, that you take up knitting: brawls are clearly quite beneath your abilities, in many respects.” The three defeated Savanaclaw students - in dubious and varying states of consciousness - just moaned in pain where they lay. The swordmaster nodded, satisfied, then his smile fell as a look of concern came over his face and he turned towards you. “Are you alright?” he inquired. You and Grim just stared, amazed. Each of you bore eyes as wide as dinner platters, your jaws practically on the ground. “Halloo?” your helper checked, and waved his left hand - the one with the hook tattoo - in front of your face. “Is there a mind working in that skull, shipmate?” You shook your head and blinked, coming out of your stupor. “Y-Yeah,” you finally stammered out, and began to smile. “I’m alright.” “Excellent,” smiled the Heartslabyul student. “Thanks for the save,” you said gratefully. “That…well…that was-” “THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!” exclaimed Grim, all but screaming in your ear, causing you to flinch. As you wrung out your aching audio receptor, the little imp bounced off your shoulder back down onto the ground. “Those moves were INCREDIBLE! Naturally, nothing is quite as awesome as the Great Grim, but that fighting skill was INSANE! I’d say it was almost as cool as I am!” The Heartslabyul student let out a loud, boisterous laugh. His chest puffed out and he held his head high with clear pride. “Why, thank you, thank you!” he said, using one hand to swipe a few stray hands of black hair out of his face most flamboyantly. “I suppose I was rather fabulous, wasn’t I?”

You cocked your head to one side, looking your savior up and down. The uniform, the voice, the theatricality…something about him clicked in your mind… “I think we’ve met before,” you realized aloud. “Nya? We have?” Grim blinked at you, perplexed. “Sure!” you smiled at your companion, then stepped away from the tree to grin at the Heartslabyul student. “We met that time Ace got conked in the head with a Magift disc.” “Indeed! Oh, how we laughed!” your new acquaintance drawled. “Actually, you seemed kinda upset at the time.” “Well, we laughed afterwards,” shrugged the youth, and then flourished his cane as he spread out his arms and bowed most low, even shifting his legs in a most courtly, elegant manner. “James Killian, at your humble service!” Grim giggled at the melodramatic introduction. You just smiled and introduced yourself more casually. “What were you doing out here, anyway?” you couldn’t help but ask. “Practicing,” James said, indicating his long cane. “One mustn’t allow one’s talents to get rusty, especially under the current circumstances.” “Nya?” Grim meowed, tilting his head and blinking his large, blue-green eyes. His trident-tail curled into a question mark shape behind him. “What ‘circumferences’?” “Circumstances,” you corrected patiently. “That’s what I said!” huffed Grim. “Circumventions!” Before you could try to correct him again - and before James could give a proper answer - a new voice broke onto the scene. “James!” it called out, in a high, flute-like sort of way. “James, there you are!” The three of you turned to see a small figure hop out of the bushes and onto the scene. It was a short young man - about the same age as James was - also dressed in a Heartslabyul uniform. He was small and stout, with a plump belly that pushed against his vest and shirt tightly, giving him a round, “cuddly” appearance. This was accentuated by his equally round face, with very large, bright, blue-green eyes - almost the same color as Grim’s, though not quite as vibrant. His shaggy-looking hair was white as chalk, but didn’t seem to have this color due to age; similar to the silvery hues of those like Azul or Jack Howl. A brick-colored newsboy cap sat atop his head, and upon his small, round nose, a pair of rimless, square spectacles perched. “James!” smiled the little man with relief. “You’ve gotta warn me before you-” The little fellow stopped short in whatever he was going to say, his smile fading and his teal-toned eyes going very wide, as he saw the pile of unconscious beastmen. He looked at them, then at you and Grim, then at James. “...Did, uh…did I miss something?’ he peeped.

“Nothing of great importance, Smitty,” yawned James. “I simply got some decent exercise. Well. Almost decent, anyway.” Smitty scratched his head, looking confused. “Exercise?” he repeated slowly, and looked at you, as if hoping you’d have an answer. You could only shrug helplessly. “It’s a long story,” you said. “Not really,” retorted Grim, and pointed at James with one paw as he spoke to Smitty. “Your buddy here just kicked the crud outta those bullies! It was so cool!” Smitty grinned. “Oh, yes!” he nodded enthusiastically, nearly knocking his own cap off. “James is amazing when he’s fighting! That’s why we came out here: he wanted to train his fencing skills for when he meets Matthew in that competition!” “Matthew?” you repeated. “Competition?” mewed Grim. Before Smitty could answer, he let out an “eep!” as, without warning, James stomped over and grabbed hold of his tie, tugging the fellow Heartslabyul student towards him. He leaned down with a fearsome glare, bringing himself nearly nose to nose with his compatriot. “Smitty!” he shouted. “If you weren’t so incomprehensibly dimwitted, I’d clap you for mutiny!” “J-James, what do you mean?” squeaked Smitty, holding onto his hat and looking quite startled, to say the least. “Wh-what did I do?!” James narrowed his eyes…then sighed and released him, dusting himself off. “Let’s recap,” he said, much-too-patiently. “Smitty McCarthy…what are the rules?” “Of the Queen of Hearts?” blinked Smitty. He blushed and removed his cap, wringing it in his hands with a bashful smile. “Sorry, James, I’ve only memorized the first fourteen of those.” “Not those rules!” James said, exasperatedly, pinching his brow. “MY rules. The ones you and I agreed upon.” “Oh, I’ve got those memorized perfectly, James!” smiled Smitty, blithely. He began counting them off on his fingers. “Um…lemme see…Rule One: each of us, when we go out to sea, will be entitled to an equal share of the -” “Start at thirty-seven,” droned James, boredly. “Oh, right! Ahem…Rule Thirty-Seven: never trust a pixie. Rule Thirty-Eight: never carry a pocket watch, nor use an alarm clock. And Rule Thirty-Nine: never say His first name.” “Thank you,” mumbled James, with a long-suffering sort of expression. “Please, try to remember that last one.” “Aye, James,” Smitty nodded, his blissful look indicating he still had no idea of what he’d even done. “I always do!”

James just rolled his eyes, then looked towards you and Grim. Naturally, after that, the pair of you were quite puzzled. “Apologies,” he said, oh-so-sweetly. “Disregard that name. It’s a…personal matter, between the two of us.” “I…I see,” you said, simply, not sure what else to say. “You still haven’t explained what you were talking about with a competition though,” Grim pointed out, then began to swish his tail eagerly. “Is it a magic competition, huh? Where we get to show off how awesome we are as mages?” “Not exactly,” said James with a shake of his head. Now it was his turn to look surprised. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of it already!” “Heard of what?” you asked. “Well, I suppose that’s a no,” chuckled James, and cleared his throat importantly. “Ahem! Every few years, the twin schools of Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy engage in a special event called The Scavenger’s Hunt.” “It’s a treasure hunt!” cheered Smitty. “TREASURE?!” exclaimed Grim. “Like…like REAL treasure?! Gold, jewels, tuna cans?!” “You’re wrong about the tuna cans, but you’re right about the first two,” Smitty giggled. “See, a long time ago, pirates used to have a habit of hiding and burying their treasure here on Sage’s Island. Back then, the place wasn’t as populated, and a lot more remote. So it was easy for them to go ashore, bury their gold, and then come back to fetch it later.” You could practically see the madollar signs in Grim’s eyes. No doubt he was imagining how rich he could get…and how much tuna he could buy with the money. “Every few years, the two schools hold a competition,” James continued the explanation. “In homage to this storied past, a chest is filled with money, and teams of seven from each school are assigned to try and find the “treasure.” We’re given a couple of clues to start off with, then it’s all on us. The teams have to try and find the treasure in two days, with the team that wins being the one who brings the chest to their school before nightfall on the second day.” “It trains the participants in a lot of ways, including survival skills, since you have to set up camp and spend a night in the woods for the first evening,” added Smitty. “Sounds like a pretty tough challenge,” you observed. “Nya! Any challenge is worth it if you can get money out of it!” Grim exclaimed. “My thoughts precisely,” smirked James. “The teams haven’t been chosen, but I have high hopes of being selected as one of the participants.” “Why? Do you have any special skills they’d be looking for?” you asked. “Nope!” Smitty interrupted, before James could answer. “The choices are totally random!” You and Grim shared a look. “Then…how can you be so sure you’ll get in?” you asked.

“Call it a hunch!” sang James, with an innocent shrug. The conversation was broken by a groan from the three Savanaclaw scoundrels. They were starting to stir. “I think we should probably get out of here,” you said, with a nervous laugh. “Those guys won’t be happy when they get up.” “I concur,” James nodded, then waved his stick around in the air in a dramatic gesture. “Come, Smitty! We must resume my practice!” “Aye-Aye, James!” Smitty said, saluting the taller student with a grin. The four of you bid hasty farewells, then you and Grim ran off towards the direction of Ramshackle Dorm. James Killian and Smitty McCarthy began to walk off in another direction. After a few moments, James looked down at his friend. “Well, Smitty?” he asked seriously. “Well what?” Smitty asked, blinking innocently behind his glasses. “Did you do as I asked?” urged James. Smitty’s smile fell. He looked away. “Yeah,” he whispered. “I, um…I made sure you and I would get picked.” “Perfect,” smirked James, a devilish gleam in his brown eyes. A low laugh left him. “Then everything is going according to plan…”

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You had become quite used to going to bed and waking up in a place that was not your room. You found yourself in a gilded chamber; beyond the darkened windows, you could hear the sounds of the ocean, and a muted, muffled ticking noise, which you quickly came to ignore. You were more focused on the giant figure before you: a tall, limber-looking fellow, with a hooked nose on his proud, lean face, and long black hair. A thin moustache slashed over the top of his lips, and he wore a long coat of vibrant scarlet. Along with the fingers, a golden hook - with a ruby-studded ring encircling part of it - stood in place of his left hand, scratching at his chin thoughtfully. He was pacing in front of a fine-looking harpsichord. You glanced to one side, and noted another figure: a small, fat man, with glasses and a red cap, dressed in blue and white. He was holding a large green bottle; some sort of alcoholic beverage. You had come to speak to the pair, hoping to receive some help. With a thunderous bellow, the Scarlet Pirate seemed to come to a decision, as he used his hook to grab hold of his companion by the back of their shirt, dragging them towards the door and nearly making them spill their drink “Come, Smee!” the Pirate boomed. “We must leave immediately, surround Peter’s home-!” “But Cap’n!” the Little Man piped up. “WE DON’T KNOW WHERE PETER PAN LIVES!” The Pirate immediately dropped the little man, his expression one bordering on horror in realization. “Great Scott!” he barked. “You’re right, Smee!” An idea sparked into your head. You rose up and rang out an alerting noise, gaining the pair’s attention. You flew with your pixie wings to a table in the cabin, where a map of The Island was visible. “What’s that, my dear?” the Scarlet Pirate cooed. “YOU could show us, the way? Why, I never thought of that!” The Pirate then surreptitiously whispered to his friend - “Take this down, Smee.” - but you barely noticed. You dipped your tiny feet into an inkwell, and waited for the two to move closer, so you could show them the way on the map. You thus began to walk across the map, the Pirate announcing the directions you indicated while the Little Man wrote them down in a notebook. “Start at Pegleg Point. Forty paces West of Blind Man’s Bluff, yes, yes…h-hop, skip, and a jump across C-Crocodile Creek! Then…Nor’ by Nor’east, one, two, three…” Something made you hesitate, as you neared the final spot on the map. You glanced over your shoulder. The Scarlet Pirate’s eyes shone with anger and impatience as he slammed his fist down onto the table. “WELL?!” he yelled. “GET ON WITH IT-I mean…heh heh…continue my dear.”

You glared and flew up into the Scarlet Pirate’s face, snapping out your one desire. He blinked, surprised, the feather on his hat flopping in front of his face. “I mustn’t harm Peter?” he repeated, and sniffed snootily, brushing the feather out of his face. “My friend, Captain Hook gives his word not to lay a finger-” You gestured in a hook-shape with one hand, crossly. “-Or a hook…on Peter Pan,” smiled the Pirate, assuringly. That did it. You swooped back down onto the map, and - with the last of the ink - drew an X on the spot with a helpful smile. The Scarlet Pirate grinned and nodded, then winked at the Little Man. “Ah, Hangman’s Tree,” he crooned, while his friend bounced excitedly beside him. “So THAT’S the entrance to his hiding place…” A shrill sound left you as - YOINK! - a huge, spindly hand sprung out like a jumping spider, and the Scarlet Pirate’s fist grabbed you, his smile turning truly villainous. “Thank you, me dear,” he purred like a cat with a canary. “You’ve been MOST helpful.” A malevolent guffaw heralded you being thrust into a glass container - perhaps an old lantern - and the hook latched it inescapably shut. Desperately, you pounded on the glass with your hands, watching as the Pirate and the Little Man left. As the door closed, you soon felt the air growing thin, you felt your wings falter, you felt yourself sink the floor of the lantern…and then… …You gasped sharply and woke up in bed. Not sitting up, but simply breathing heavily where you lay, head on the pillow. As you took in the familiar sights of your room in Ramshackle’s haunted house…you groaned and slapped a palm across your face… “I wouldn’t have this problem if someone would just eat me already,” you grumbled.

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“You had another one, didn’tcha?” You blinked and looked up from the book you were reading. Grim was sitting beside you, half finished with his sixth tuna can for lunch. “What do you mean?” you asked the inquisitive not-cat. “Your face,” said Grim, simply. “What about it?” you huffed, and looked away to read the book. “I’m reading. This is my reading-for-class face.” “Nope,” Grim insisted, shaking his head and pointing with one plump paw. “That’s your ‘I had a super weird dream last night’ look. Another one o’ those creepy visions again?” You sighed and looked up towards the sky, snapping the book shut. “I really don’t want to talk about it,” you groaned. Grim sneered and shrugged. “Fine, if yer gonna be a sourpuss about it,” he pouted, then his sparking ears lifted as he heard the distant, familiar voices of Ace and Deuce not so far away. “I’m gonna go see how the guys are doin’. You stay right here, Minion!” You gave a mock salute, with a tired smile, and watched as Grim tossed his now empty can away and trotted off towards another part of the grounds. You were sitting on a bench beneath the castle’s proudest apple tree, near the fabled wishing well. It was quiet; not many people were around here at this time of the day. You tried to remove the thoughts of last night via your studies…but to be honest, the Annotated History of Magical Economics was not exactly a page turner, and your mind kept wandering. You were unaware of a pair of great, big, yellow eyes, watching you from the shadows of the nearby colonnade. The eyes blinked once. As they did, a brief flicker of mesmerizing, pastel colors seemed to float around the irises and pupils, before flitting out with a second blink. The figured then slithered out from the colonnade, strutting towards where you sat - hips swaying, pelvis shifting alluringly - a sensual, slippery smirk upon their face. You heard the creak of something - or someone - leaning on the back of the bench a moment later, and a familiar, sibilant voice slid into your ears. “Sssay now…what have we here?”

You jumped, a bit alarmed by the voice in your ear…especially as you could sense the dampness of a slimy tongue very close to your earlobe. You turned around fast, then sighed with a mixture of relief and mild annoyance as you saw the face of the slinky, smirking Savanaclaw student, who peered down at you with a smug, seductive sort of expression. “Good afternoon, Nakoda,” you greeted, crisply. “Hello, breakfassst,” hissed the naga-in-human-form, with a flirtatious wink and lick of his lips. “It’s lunchtime,” you replied, blandly, not to be taken in. “Even better,” Nakoda said, and snickered in his usual way. “Sss-sss-sss-sss! That means I don’t have to ssspend an entire day digesssting you. Only part of one!” “Doesn’t it literally take days for you to digest anyone?” you drawled back. Nakoda grinned wider. “Awww…you remembered,” he crooned, and licked his lips. “I’m sssimply touched.” You blushed, and firmly turned back to your book. “I’m trying to study,” you grumbled. “If you just came over here to talk sexy, can you please do it later?” “Then you admit I’m sssexy,” smiled Nakoda, sidling into the bench, sitting beside you. “I never ‘sssaid’ that you weren’t,” you replied, addressing him without looking at him. “You freaking KNOW you are. But there are more important things than bed and breakfast.” Nakoda looked at you as if you had just spoken some heinous and unfathomable blasphemy. “Is there something you need?” you urged, hoping you could get him to leave. The serpent wasn’t really what you needed, with all the things on your mind. “Not really,” Nakoda answered with a shrug. “I sssimply noticed that one of my favorite sssnacks ssseemed a bit distressssssed, so I came over to sssee what the issssssue was.” You looked up from your book doubtfully. You were surprised to find that Nakoda’s smile seemed…sincere. Warm. Different from his usual sultry, greedy expression that indicated equal parts hunger and thirst. It was…friendly.

That was new. “Well…if you really want to know, I had a bad dream last night,” you confessed, then chuckled to yourself. “Jeeze…when I say it THAT way it sounds like I’m a toddler or something, doesn’t it?” “Mmmm…you’d be sssurprised what an…IMPACT dreams can have,” Nakoda replied with a pleasured shudder. You decided you could live without asking what THAT was supposed to mean. Instead, you explained to Nako about your recurring visions, about the past events and ominous signs of foreshadowing you’d seen so often in the past. You even admitted you’d had a similar dream strike you when Nakoda Spivak had tried to get Jamil thrown out of school. “Interesssting,” murmured Nakoda, his expression uncharacteristically serious as he nodded, taking in the information carefully. “Ssso, basssically, anytime you have these dreams, you know sssomething bad is gonna happen.” “Yeah, and I’m most likely gonna be roped in the middle of it,” you droned. “I don’t sssuppose I can do anything to help?” Nakoda asked. “Could you eat me so I don’t have to clean up the mess later?” you drawled sarcastically. Nakoda grinned VERY widely. “Is that your final anssswer?” he hissed, eyes flashing with gluttonous excitement. Quickly realizing your mistake, you held up your hands placatingly. “N-Never mind! Just a figure of speech!” you squeaked out. Nakoda snickered and leaned in till your noses nearly touched. One of his hands swept across and rested on your thigh. “Your ssscent, and your blush, sssay otherwise,” he breathed out, in a voice that could only be described as famished. Before your flustered, sputtering brain could produce an answer, the sound of a school bell was heard, making both you and Nakoda jump in surprise. The bell was followed by the voice of Dire Crowley over the school loudspeakers, announcing that all students were to go to the assembly hall immediately. Nakoda pouted, looking deeply disappointed; even a little sad. “Well, ain’t that always the way?” he grumbled.

You smiled weakly, not sure if you should be relieved…or a little disappointed, yourself. “Guessssss I’ll sssee you around, sssweetheart,” Nakoda smiled, and stood up, giving a reassuring smile. “In all ssseriousnessssss…if you need sssomeone to talk to about those dreams, or jussst to help you sssleep…you can always trussst in me.” “I’m not so sure of that,” you chuckled nervously, very easily catching the sound of the serpent boy’s stomach gurgling on the last three words. “But thanks anyway, Nakoda.” Nako smiled a bit wider, then tucked his hands in his pockets and swaggered off in his usual cocky, slithery way. You couldn’t help but stare, watching him go…watching the way his wide hips swayed…watching his rear bounce and shift, so tightly packed into his pants… “NYA! MINION, SNAP OUT OF IT!” “Wh-wha…?” You quickly shook your head and looked down, as you felt - and heard - Grim tugging on your pants leg. “C’mon!” the little beast urged. “We gotta go to the assembly! I do NOT wanna deal with Trein if we’re late.” Well, that was a good incentive if you’d ever heard one. You nodded and stood up, and followed Grim in the direction of the Assembly Hall. You already had a feeling, after recent conversations, of what the assembly was going to be for…and you were correct.

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“Ruggie, Azul, Sebek, James, and Smitty…I gotta say, that’s a pretty colorful group of people to go on a treasure hunt with. You two must be under some pressure.” “Nya! It’s nothing the Great Grim can’t handle!” You just chuckled and ruffled Grim’s headfur; he hissed and swatted at your hands with a petulant expression. You then smiled at Deuce, who had been the one to speak first. “Honestly, I’m surprised,” you admitted. “I wasn’t even sure Grim and I would be on the ballot. You know, on account of the fact I don’t have any magic. Didn’t they discount Ortho because of all his technomantic doodads, after all?” “Hey, Ortho had too big an advantage, not the same as your problem,” Deuce shrugged, and smiled at you gently. “Besides, you two are still students of Night Raven College. Magic or no magic, you’re one of us! Right, Ace?” “Yeah. Sure. Whatever…” Deuce frowned as Ace - with the most sour and dour expression - carelessly stuffed some popcorn into his mouth, chewing boredly. You and Grim and invited your two best friends over to Ramshackle to watch a movie together, in celebration of being chosen for the Scavenger’s Hunt. However, all night, Ace had been moping and grumpy. “Okay, seriously, what’s the problem?” snapped Deuce, fed up with Trappola’s guff. “Aren’t you happy for these two?” “To be honest? Not really,” Ace said, blandly. “Well, gee, thanks a ton,” you said, with a smile as sarcastic as your tone. “Ha! You’re just jealous because we get to go find buried treasure instead o’ you!” teased Grim. “Yes. Yes, that’s it exactly,” huffed Ace, and sighed dismally. “Seriously, how come you two have all the fun? Just thinking of all those coins, waiting to be dug up, and how I can’t even touch a single SPECK of it…” “Hey, it’s not like they’re gonna be able to do much with it,” Deuce snorted, lounging back in his sofa seat. “Nya?” blinked Grim. “What do you mean?” “Well, first of all, the ones who find the treasure can’t really KEEP it,” Deuce said. “WHAT?!” screeched Grim and Ace at the same time, looking aghast.

You winced at their volume and then answered: “Weren’t you both paying attention? Once the donated treasure in the chest is found, it’s distributed amongst the native islanders. We get a prize trophy, sure, but we can’t keep the loot itself.” “WELL, THEN WHAT’S THE POINT?!” shrieked Grim. On his part, Ace just pouted more intensely, grabbed a bottle of soda, and began chugging it down as if he were trying to drown his own aggravation. Deuce rolled his eyes and patted his friend on the shoulder. “Hey, look at this way,” he said, and smirked at Grim. “Even if you DID find it, with Ruggie, Azul, and James all in the group, do you really think you’d get any of it anyway?” Grim opened his mouth to answer…then closed it again…then shrugged. “Guess you got a point, with the first two,” he said. “Wait a minute, why are you lumping James in there?” you asked. “Psh. James is in our dorm, remember?” Deuce said, gesturing with a thumb between himself and Ace, who was still silently downing cola like his life depended on it. “After Azul and Ruggie, I think he might be the single greediest guy I’ve ever met. He’s always looking for some way to make more money, always going out with his pal to see if they can find any valuable salvage off the port, always reading books about where the different treasures of old pirates may be found on the island…if there’s anyone more interested in gold than those three, I’d like to meet ‘em.” You frowned and looked away thoughtfully. You took a sip of your own bottle of soda - tuning out the sounds of Ace chugging his down - as you reflected on this information. Suddenly, something didn’t seem right. “What’s the matter, Prefect?” asked Deuce. Meanwhile, Ace finally finished his drink, and wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve. “Grim and I met James and Smitty yesterday,” you answered. “They seemed pretty confident about getting chosen, even though Smitty said it would be random. They were also the first names that the Headmage pulled out of the hat.” “You think maybe they rigged things to get in?” Ace reasoned, sounding a bit out of breath after his long drink.. “Maybe,” you nodded. “But HOW?!” Grim exclaimed. “If it’s totally random, how’d they do that!” You winced and wrung out your ear.

“Maybe if you stopped yelling directly into my eardrums I could answer that,” you groused. “Seriously, Grim, you’ve been doing that a lot lately; I’m gonna have tinnitus by morning…” A grunt from Ace caught your attention. All three of the rest of you turned towards him as he massaged his stomach with one hand, and gave a sort of tight smirk, one eye closed. “Heh…nah,” he half-grimaced, half-grinned. “THIS is what’s gonna give you tinnitus.” So saying, he slapped his belly with both hands, and let out a rumbling, fat, wet burp, all of the carbonation he’d ingested rocketing free in a blast of foul gas. “BLLLUUURRRUUURRRLLLUUUP!” Ace sighed with deepest relief, then flashed a smug grin at the rest of you. “How are your ears NOW, Prefect?” he teased. You coughed once, your face red as a strawberry, while Deuce and Grim fanned the air before their noses. “...When I stop being deaf, I’ll answer whatever you just said,” you replied. Ace barked out a laugh in reply. It wasn’t long till all of you were giggling away. Unknown to all of you, two other Heartslabyul students happened to be passing Ramshackle Dorm at that very moment. “Yeesh,” Smitty McCarthy said, with a slight flinch, and looked up at James Killian beside him. “Well, Ace seems to be taking it pretty well…heh heh…” “Indeed,” mumbled James, with a very slight blush to his cheeks. He shook his head and swaggered on, the ferrule of his cane tapping the stone path beneath his feet. “Thank you for taking care of the choices.” “No problem, James. Soon as I told him what was in it for him, he was ready to say yes!” grinned Smitty, seeming proud to receive his fellow student’s gratitude. His smile fell soon after hower. “Um…James?” “What is it, Smitty?” “Don’t you think it’s…kinda dangerous, making that bargain? I mean…what if he causes us trouble?” “Hardly,” shrugged James. “After all, by the time he gets any sort of chance to, the deed will be done.” “Yeah, but still, tricking them all like this,” worried Smitty. “It’s not good form, you know.” “You insult me, Smitty!” huffed James. “I’ll have you know I am the PARAGON of good form!” Smitty looked dubious, but nodded anyway. “Aye, James,” he said, slowly. “I…I guess you’d have to be.” “Of course I am!” James blustered, and smirked. “Besides, it’s only bad form if you get caught.” With a laugh, Smitty slung an arm around the shorter man’s shoulders, waving his cane about over his head. “Now come, Smitty! Let us sing a shanty together; my victory is soon at hand!” Smitty giggled and grinned, nodding as he wrapped one arm around his partner in return. “Aye-Aye, Cap’n!” he cheered, and the two strolled off into the night. Their voices - especially James’ - sang joyously into the air, contrasting with the foreboding tone of the lyrics… “Sing a Yo-Ho! I’ll slaughter the swine! Yo-Ho! Must be Fate’s design! At last our tales will again intertwine! Revenge, Revenge, REVENGE is Gonna Be Mine!”

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The date of the start of the Scavenger’s Hunt had arrived. You and Grim walked side by side, towards one of the wide, sandy beaches on Sage’s Island. The beachside had been selected as the meeting place, where the teams for both Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy would see each other face to face for the first time, before the great treasure quest began. You paused to adjust the backpack on your back; while you had not actively participated in the Camp Vargas events the school regularly held, you had learned enough from watching your fellow classmates to know what sort of essentials were going to be helpful to spend the night. (One of them was quite a number of tuna cans, just to keep Grim from going stark raving mad if hunting, fishing, or foraging didn’t produce much.) You were feeling rather nervous; there would be no instructors supervising this game, you had learned. You and your fellow students would be totally on your own, and not simply having to survive one night in the woods, but also having to track down the clues to a treasure chest, AND having to deal with Royal Sword at the same time. “This is gonna be one heck of a weekend,” you sighed to yourself. “Mrmph,” grunted Grim in reply, his tone and expression clearly quite sulky. Ever since he’d learned that none of the treasure could be claimed by you all, he’d been pouting. You smiled sympathetically, and reached down to scratch behind his ears, chuckling as he soon began to purr softly. “Come on, don’t be such a grump,” you teased. “This’ll be fun! Think of it this way: if we find the treasure, then everyone will know ‘the Great Grim’ is the best treasure hunter of all, won’t they?” Grim smiled. “Well, when ya put it THAT way…” You sniggered and rolled your eyes, then tossed your head to beckon Grim to follow you, the pair of you resuming your walk. It wasn’t too long till you spotted the section of the beach where the meetup was to take place. From a distance, you could see Dire Crowley pacing back and forth; his yellow eyes shone behind his raven’s mask, as he peered at a pocket watch he held in one hand. A little closer to you were some of your teammates… “Ah, there you are, Prefect!” Azul Ashengrotto grinned, as he saw you approach. “You’re right on schedule!” “I was a little worried we’d be late,” you admitted, then nodded to the second figure, who stood a small distance away from Azul. “Good morning, Sebek.”

Sebek Zigvolt grunted. He was dressed in the long green waterproof (and other clothes) you’d seen him wear during Camp Vargas, while Azul was wearing a long, green-and-purple camouflaged, hooded trenchcoat. You recognized them as the same coat he wore during Beanfest, on the Monster team; other pieces of gear on him were similar in style…in fact, all that was really missing were the glasses, as he wore his own typical spectacles instead. “Nya! Where’d you get those?” Grim asked Azul, also noticing the outfit. Azul smiled and held his head high, clearly quite taken with his own costume. “Sam was selling off some old pieces of Beanfest gear; this set was in good condition, and I remembered rather liking how it all looked on me. Besides, one must dress appropriately when preparing to ramble in the woods,” he replied. “Awwww,” Grim whined, dipping his ears and looking up at you. “And all my Minion wore was their gym uniform!” You shrugged. “Hey, unlike Azul, I’m not made of money,” you retorted. “I had other things to worry about than looking spiffy.” “Oh, don’t be so modest, Prefect,” Azul smirked, adjusting his spectacles. “When it comes to physical labor in the forest, I’d say you look like the perfect choice.” You blinked. “...As soon as I figure out if you’re insulting me or praising me, I’ll come up with a witty reply,” you said. Azul just chuckled. You then raised an eyebrow as you looked towards Sebek. He was unusually silent, seated on a large rock near the very edge of the shore, looking out towards the horizon with a pensive scowl. His arms were crossed over his chest, his navy green eyes glittering in an icy sort of way. “You’re a lot less noisy than usual,” Grim remarked, rather rudely, then smirked, crossing his forelimbs over his fluffy chest. “Somebody steal your breakfast this morning?” Sebek just growled irritably, clenching one of his gloved hands into a fist. “Human?” he rumbled. “Would you kindly silence that overgrown hairball before I take a bite out of him?” “Sorry, Sebek,” you apologized with a mild sort of smile. “I haven’t been able to find the mute button yet.” “NYA! WHO YOU CALLIN’ AN OVERGROWN HAIRBALL?!” Grim snapped. Sebek growled again in response, this time bearing his fangs at Grim. “I’LL THANK YOU TO BE MORE CAREFUL WHEN ADDRESSING THE GUARD OF THE MIGHTY MALLEUS!” he bellowed. Grim let out an “eep!” and hid behind your leg. You couldn’t help but smirk. “There’s the Sebek I know,” you said, somewhat teasingly.

Sebek just puffed through his nostrils and turned away again. Concerned, you took a cautious step forward. “Are you alright? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you act this, um…thoughtful.” “‘Thoughtful’ isn’t the word,” Azul spoke up. “I’d say he’s more ‘sulky.’” “SULKY?!” yelled Sebek, rounding on Azul this time. “INCONCEIVABLE! The attendants of the great Malleus Draconia are far too dignified to sulk!” “Oh, really?” smirked Azul. “Then what would you call your petulant behavior when ‘the great Malleus’ wouldn’t let you sit in his lap, as I recall?” Both yourself and Grim giggled at the pinkish hue that overtook Sebek’s cheeks. “That’s…that’s different,” Zigvolt replied, feebly. Azul chuckled again, louder than before, then gave you a smile. “You’ll have to forgive him, Prefect,” he said, smoothly. “It’s my understanding that Sebek here has been acting like this practically since the team members were announced.” “Let me guess,” you smiled at Sebek, not unkindly. “Are you worried about having to leave Malleus’ side for so long?” “As a matter of fact, yes,” sniffed Sebek. “But concern for my liege and his protection are NOT the sole reason for my…absolutely-and-completely-NOT-sulky mood right now.” “He’s upset about a specific teammate of ours,” Azul explained, adjusting his own gloves. “Which one?” you asked, curiously. You soon found out. “AHOY THERE!”

All eyes turned to see two new figures coming up the beach. You immediately recognized them as James Killian and Smitty McCarthy. The Heartslabyul duo were no longer in uniform; the hunt allowed participants to wear any choice of clothes they wished. For Smitty’s case, his ensemble still included his square-lensed glasses and red cap, but he also wore blue jeans and brown leather shoes. His top consisted of a blue-and-white striped shirt, which seemed to fit him a bit too small, exposing part of his plump, round tummy, and an olive green seaman’s jacket. It was James, however, who most assuredly stole the spotlight. You could have spotted his ensemble from a mile away: he still wore the black boots, purple bandana, and assortment of rings upon his fingers, and still carried his gold-topped cane. His legs were shrouded by maroon britches, which were held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle, shaped in the image of a skull and crossbones. A somewhat loose-fitting white shirt was visible above this, with sleeves that ended in foppish frills; the shirt’s top couple buttons were undone, giving you a good view of the upper portion of his athletic-looking chest. However, beyond even this show of “eye candy,” the most attractive feature - certainly the one that drew the most attention - was James Killian’s coat. It was a long piece, somewhat similar in fashion to a morning coat, but with a high, stiff collar. The garment was colored a vibrant shade of crimson, with black shoulder pads and lapels, and gold thread lining on the aforementioned collar. The inside of the coat was lined with pale purple. It was a bold and flashy sort of outfit, on the whole, and on many people it would probably look rather gaudy…yet James wore it with such confidence, and held such pride as he sauntered along the beach, twirling his stick like an aristocrat out on a stroll, that he somehow made the whole thing look exquisite. “Sorry we’re a bit late!” Smitty apologized as he scampered over. “We were just-OOF!” Smitty tripped on something in the sand and flopped face down onto the beach. James paused as he came up behind his friend. He blinked down at him boredly, then poked Smitty’s backside with his cane. “Get up, you idiot,” he droned, dully. Smitty immediately hopped up, like a bouncy ball, and dusted himself off. “Aye-aye, James. Sorry!” he peeped, with an apologetic smile. James just smirked and rolled his eyes in amusement, before stepping towards you. “Good morning to you, Prefect!” he greeted warmly. “And the same to you, Grim!”

The two of you nodded back in greeting, then looked towards Smitty. He gave you both a wave, fiddling with his hat in a shy way, clearly embarrassed after his clumsy tumble. “I’m glad you both could make it,” you smiled, looking at Smitty when you spoke. The words seemed to make him feel a bit better, as he visibly perked up, blue-green eyes dancing behind his glasses. “It’s good to see you again, James!” Azul spoke up, smiling broadly as he approached the red-dressed swordsman, holding out one gloved hand. “Is all well?” “All is very well!” James practically sang back, and shook Azul’s right hand with his left. “And I must say, I was quite pleased to see you as part of this team! I dare say we’ll make quite the magnificent crew!” “Oh, I haven’t any doubt,” said Azul, and noticeably tightened his grip as he leaned in close. “I presume we shall prove mutually beneficial to each other, in finding the treasure.” James’ expression matched Azul’s as he squeezed back. “Oh, most assuredly,” he slithered out. “After all, we can’t allow it to fall into…unworthy hands, can we?” “That depends on your definition,” replied Azul, quite honestly. “I’d say helping our neighbors here on the island is a most worthy cause.” “Because it puts them in your debt?” you couldn’t help but drawl. “Why, Prefect! WhatEVER gave you SUCH an idea!” Azul gasped, as if insulted. You and Grim shared a look. James just narrowed his eyes slightly. “It’s not the islanders I’m referring to,” was all he said. A clearing of the throat finally indicated Sebek’s presence to James. He looked towards the half-fairy…and his beaming expression immediately shifted to a sour sort of look. “Oh,” he muttered. “Crocodile.” “Human.”

“Suddenly, my excitement for this event has significantly dwindled,” huffed James, straightening his back as he held his cane before him, and lifted his head high in an imperious fashion. “Shouldn’t you be glutting yourself on some old, rotten fish or something about now, you cursed beast?” Sebek’s eyes narrowed, and he rose up from where he sat. He towered over James with his own great height as he strode close, glaring down at the far less impressively tall person. “I can think of a few things better to eat,” Sebek answered, ominously. James held his ground, but once more you noticed his cheeks becoming flushed. Sebek seemed to notice as well. “Oh, I would be very nervous if I were you,” he said, indicating said blush. “I’m going to ensure this game goes well for the Honor of the Great Malleus Draconia! If your arrogance causes any trouble, I’LL SWALLOW YOU WHOLE!” “Trust me, I would love to see you try,” drawled James, in a tone that you weren’t entirely sure sounded all that sarcastic. “And if you want to talk arrogance, I recommend looking in the water. Your reflection and yourself shall have much to discuss.” Sebek glared and lifted a finger, opening his mouth as if to shout something else…but Smitty suddenly slipped in to stand between the two, looking up at Sebek with a soothing sort of expression. “Hey…l-listen, can’t we just…save these arguments for later?” he asked, with a nervous little laugh. “I mean…we all have to work together, don’t we?” Sebek glared…but grumbled out something in the affirmative and sat back down on his stone. Now there could be no doubt: he was DEFINITELY sulking. “Well, anyway,” you piped up, wanting to change the subject. “That seems to be everybody but Ruggie.” “Nya…where is he, anyway?” Grim wondered, looking around as if trying to spot him. “It’s not like him to be late.” “I was wondering the same thing,” Azul nodded in agreement, and looked at the Heartslabyul pair. “I don’t suppose you have any idea, James?” “Hardly,” James answered, shaking his head. “I am not Savanaclaw’s keeper, after all. What that hyena gets up to is hardly my business.” “Especially since he’s always talking about how James would probably taste like-YIPE!” Smitty’s words were cut off by James flipping his hat over his eyes. As he struggled to remove it, the taller fellow went on… “My point is, your guess is as good as mine,” James said, oh-so-innocently. Azul smirked in a knowing sort of fashion.

“Indeed,” he said, softly, then placed his hands on his hips, still smirking. “For the record, you know, whatever Ruggie thinks you’d taste like…he’s probably correct. For I doubt it could be anything bad.” James narrowed his eyes, face still faintly tinted red, but said nothing. You and Grim once again shared a look, this time of slight confusion. “I’ll speak with the Headmage briefly,” Azul said. “After all, as the upperclassman of this group, I have automatic seniority as captain.” “Aye, Cap’n,” Smitty said, saluting Azul. James bowed his head respectfully in agreement, but you caught a hint of envious green in his eyes. Azul bowed his head right back, and wandered over to speak to Crowley, who was still pacing a couple yards away. “I get the feeling you two know each other,” you spoke up, waving a hand between James and the retreating Azul indicatively. “Ah, yes!” James grinned, with boyish delight. “Azul and I have been lab partners a couple of times, you see. I’ve also offered my assistance occasionally at his Lounge…naturally, for a fee. I daresay the two of us are on quite amicable terms!” “Well, that’s always good to hear,” you smiled. “It’s great to have friends who have more experience than you.” James’ smile faltered. Something flickered in his brown eyes, like sparks flying off of copper coins. “Experience you are correct about,” James replied. “But I hesitate to call us friends.” You smiled in a weary sort of way. Of course. This was common across Night Raven. “It’s not a weakness to enjoy friendship,” you said, simply. “Trust me, at some point or another, everyone here has felt that way.” James looked you up and down and then turned away. “A thousand pardons, my dear Prefect, but you misunderstand my belief,” he said, very calmly, “Friendship is not a weakness. It is worse than that. It is an illusion.” You felt your eyes widen. That was a new perspective. Your eyes suddenly felt drawn to Smitty, who was standing beside James, on the opposite side of him from you. You saw the little man wince, but he said nothing, quietly looking askance with sorrow in his large teal eyes. You were about to speak up against this idea, but before you could, Azul returned. Behind him, you could see Crowley tapping his watch and scowling, as if he were worried about it running properly. “Alright!” Azul announced boldly, clapping his hands together to get everybody’s attention. “It appears Ruggie will not be joining us for this hunt.” “WHAT?!” Sebek suddenly shouted. “How dare that hyena shirk his duties?! SUCH BEHAVIOR IS MOST UNBECOMING!” All of you flinched at Sebek’s volume before Azul took a deep breath and spoke again. “He is not ‘shirking his duties,’ Sebek,” he correctly, very patiently. “He is sick.”

“Oh, dear,” you heard Smitty murmur. “What’s the matter with him?” you asked, concernedly. “Some sort of stomach virus, possibly food poisoning,” replied Azul. “He should recover in a day or two; my guess is he ate something that didn’t quite agree with him.” You sighed. Yeah. That sounded about right, considering Ruggie would eat just about anything (and anyone) that wasn’t too expired. “At any rate,” Azul went on, adjusting his glasses. “A new student from the same dorm has been selected to take part. Things are running very last minute, however, hence why they’re running a bit late.” “Not as late as Royal Sword,” huffed Grim, noticing then and there that you and your Night Raven colleagues were the only ones on the beach at that moment. “Jeeze, what’s keepin’ those goody-two-shoes, anyway?” “Typical,” huffed Sebek, snootily. “Trust them to have no regard for the importance of punctuality. Not that a certain human here was any better…” “Oi!” snapped James, crossly. “I’ll have you know, I’m only fashionably late!” “There is nothing fashionable about tardiness!” Sebek rapped back. “SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR OTHERS’ TIME!” “Perhaps after YOU show respect to ME, for a change!” “HA! A loudmouthed human like yourself is hardly worthy of anything resembling respect!” “Pot to the kettle, YOU OVERGROWN LIZARD!” The two were soon bickering hotly. Grim hissed and covered his ears. You awkwardly turned to Azul, who was pinching his brow in frustration. “So, uh…I’m guessing you and James aren’t the only ones with history, huh?” “Picked up on that, did you?” Azul smiled, in a sarcastic sort of way, then sighed and shook his head. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know the story behind these two. All I know is that any time they meet, in any capacity, sparks fly.” You nodded. That much was evident. “H-Hey, that’s enough!” Smitty’s voice suddenly called out, and he stepped once more between Sebek and James, throwing out his arms as if to protect the taller student. “I-If you can’t stop yelling at James, then don’t say anything at all!” “Me?! Yelling at him?!” boomed Sebek, infuriated. “And what about-?!” “ENOUGH!” An uncharacteristic shout from Dire Crowley silenced all of you, and made you jump. The Headmage shook his head, clearly annoyed, and grumbled as he shook his watch and held it up to his ear. “The time MUST be correct, I CAN’T be mistaken!” you heard him mutter to himself. “That careless lout, Ambrose…!” James and Sebek shot one another a glare, then finally turned away from one another. Arms crossed, like a pair of pouting schoolboys. A moment later, however, their cross expressions faltered, eyes opening as they heard a sibilant snicker echo across the beach. “Sss-sss-sss-sss! Well…if these are the ones I’m gonna be sssleeping with, one way or another, I mussst be in for a fun time, huh?” Swaggering along the shore came Nakoda Spivak.

To Be Continued in Part 2…

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desos-records · 1 year ago

Text

Chapter 1: Symptomatic of the Larger Problem

Ghost possession doesn't happen often, but fatality rates are high. Even if an agent does survive, there are the aftereffects to worry about.

After surviving a possession, Lucy Carlyle struggles with recovery, delving ever deeper into the memories of Visitors and, in the process, stumbling into the world of blackmarket Sources.

Meanwhile, George Karim races to learn the truth behind ghost possession in order to protect Lucy and save future agents.

And Anthony Lockwood must face his own past with the London underworld if he wants to save his friends and himself.

The light in the kitchen of 35 Portland Row pierced through its curtains despite best efforts from the house's exhausted occupants. They each privately acknowledged that the light could be much worse (things could always be worse), but even the pale, fragile light from the overcast London winter hurt them all sure as rapier blades.

For once, the cause of their exhaustion was not the long, late hours of a case, but the morning result—senses delicate as they adjusted to the sights and sounds and feel of the present, living world again, the comfortable silence as they dug into toast and eggs and day-old donuts, the slow discovery of new aches and bruises—was the same.

The stumbling silence held until Lucy left for a shower (her second in eight hours). When her footsteps faded and the creak of the last attic stair sounded, George pulled out a casebook. It shook the table and rattled the dishes with its weight as he flipped it open.

Lockwood blinked, a piece of toast loaded with too much strawberry jam half in his mouth. Then his eyes flinched wide, even as a furrow appeared between them and the whites of his eyes flashed under the ever-present shadows. The toast clattered softly onto a plate.

"Oh, no," he groaned.

George ignored him, producing a pencil and beginning to scribble notes.

Lockwood sat up straight and laced his fingers together over the Thinking Cloth, trying for business-like despite the grey hoodie and spikey, ruffled hair. He very nearly managed it. "I said no more experiments."

"This isn't an experiment," George said without looking up.

"No more pet projects. I believe that was my exact phrasing."

"It was." The pencil scraped as George underlined something. "But this isn't a project anymore, Lockwood. You realize what happened is of historic importance, don't you?"

"We almost got Lucy killed."

"Almost being the operative word."

Lockwood scowled, the shadows over his eyes darkening despite the sunny kitchen. George continued.

"Exactly three people in the entire recorded history of the Problem have been possessed by a Visitor and survived to describe the experience. Now, there are four."

Several hours before, while experimenting with Lucy's Talent in order to learn more about the murdered starlet Annabel Ward, the ghost possessed Lucy through its Source—a stolen ring now safely inside a ghost locket. George remembered the moment he realized the expression on Lucy's face was not a Lucy expression.

It had started with the same distant stare she always had when gripped in a particularly strong Sense—those times when she heard shouts while he and Lockwood heard whispers, if anything. Her smile as she described music, laughter, joy, that still felt like Lucy, if a rarity with her. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up when she did, when she stepped forward. He saw Lockwood reach his hands out instinctively, waiting to steady her if need be.

When she opened her eyes, however, his heart jumped, knocking hard against his chest. The feeling rather reminded him of an angry poltergeist he once dispatched at Fittes and the table it sent straight through a steel door. But like on a case, he held that fear in check, took measured breaths and wrote quick notes to keep himself focused.

She had smiled a very un-Lucy smile. It was a smile meant to reassure, he thought—or no, to mollify. He doubted that Lucy had ever tried to mollify anyone, ever. The smile flickered on and off as her eyes focused on Lockwood. And her eyes. He saw a kind of love in them, he supposed, but not one that fit Lucy. Adoration, sure, but fear too, eyes wide and frantically searching for something—safety maybe.

Then she reached up and gently touched Lockwood's face. George couldn't see his expression, but he saw the way his shoulders tensed as he leaned away from her. And yet, he still tried to hold her steady.

"We need to stop this. Now," Lockwood had said.

Even though his hands and voice wavered, even as his instinct shouted at him, George had said, "Let's just see what happens."

Immediately after he'd said it, Lucy began to mimic what he quickly realized were the death echoes of Annabel Ward. She'd braced her hand against her own neck, dug her nails into Lockwood's arm, taken shallow, heaving breaths as if…

I can't breathe. Let me breathe.

Possession.

A spike of adrenaline burned through him and he'd run to open the windows, banishing Annabel's spirit, jarring Lucy out of her grip.

Lockwood picked up one of the ever-present pens lying on the Thinking Cloth and started spinning it over his knuckles and back. "Now isn't the time, George," he said. "We can't afford to be distracted."

George's pencil stopped and he glanced up, raising an eyebrow at Lockwood. "Funny, that."

"What?"

He turned back to the casebook. "Did you know there's only twenty cases of possession? Over the last fifty years, only twenty cases. However, Holloway suggests that the actual frequency is much higher, but largely goes unreported due to the high rate of fatality. She found that—"

"George." Lockwood used his tone of voice that underlined things with a fountain pen. "We can go about making history after we settle this debt."

"We'll still need to keep an eye on her."

"What does that mean?"

George set his pencil down, frowning at Lockwood. "The after effects? Psychic Dissociation Syndrome? Echoes of the Visitor's characteristics even after it's contained? Even those trashy magazines you read have talked about it."

If he felt a sting from that last comment, Lockwood didn't show it. "She wasn't under very long," he said evenly. "And it was after sunrise. That wouldn't cause much after effects, surely."

"Maybe. I don't know. No one does. That's why we need to be careful with her. She nearly drowned herself in the bathtub just being around the Source. What happens now that it's been inside her head?"

Lockwood stopped spinning the pen, instead using it to stab at a wraith sketch Lucy had drawn a few weeks ago while they reviewed a case. He held the pen there, staring down at its wide maw.

"Alright," he sighed. "For Lucy."

#I'm back on my bullshit #the ghost possession in the show is too fascinating for me to let well enough alone #lockwood & co #lockwood and co #lucy carlyle #anthony lockwood #george karim #george cubbins #fanfic #lucy x lockwood #locklyle #the hidden archive

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n7punk · 2 years ago

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Let Me Ride Fic Notes

These notes are going to be shorter/looser than usual, this was an utter lie and I don't know why I thought I could abide by it when I wrote it a month ago. Anyway, Let Me Ride is done and as always I have meta.

Epilogue Life:

It's all set up in the fic, but they start working on spending time together more, talking things out, and generally fixing their relationship. They still have more growing to do, and integrating their lives and new friendships is kind of a struggle, but they get there.

Catra focuses on street racing a while, which is honestly good for their relationship at first because Catra feels like her skill is finally respected, but it's also really dangerous. As she slowly gets brought on as additional help ("as needed") around the track, she also gets access to the track itself during downtime through favoritism, and though she finds street racing a lot more fun, she can also acknowledge it's a lot safer for both herself and others to race on the track. She never fully quits being a nuisance on the roads - and neither does Adora, even if she stops participating in organized races - but she does slow down ("You've made me boring," she accuses Adora. That kind of stuff), it just takes a while.

Entrapta and Scorpia keep living together for a while until Scorpia ends up meeting Perfuma through the track (context further in the notes) and they spark up a relationship.

Playlist:

Dressed To Kill by The Wombats, Disco Heart by Gia Woods, Lesbionic by Gia Woods, Pineapple Slice by Tove Lo, WET by Lauren Sanderson, uh oh by Tate McRae (again), Whiplash by Alex Cappelli, 20 Questions by Zolita (yeah, I know it's a cheating song and the hook-ups aren't actually a problem in here, but it's more the energy of "Oh, did you get everything you wanted? Was it worth it?" applied to Adora leaving), and finally: Kiss Goodnight by I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME. (All of this capitalization is correct).

Chapter 1:

"Let me ride" is... well we all know what it is, but it's also Adora quite literally going "Angella please let me ride", being told no, and then going sulking - accidentally - right into Catra's arms.

I don't think I ever mentioned this, actually, but there's been a steady amount of motorcycle catradora art over the years that of course acts as the big inspiration/motivation for doing a motorcycle AU.

Adora says she "shouldn't" look at the magicat because she's expecting one of two outcomes: 1) it's some random magicat and she might be in for another painful experience like she talks about in Chapter 4, or 2) it actually is Catra and everything ends up hurting more. She wasn't expecting a third choice.

As implied later and unsurprisingly, Adora is autistic in this, hence her strong attraction to certain sensations and need for them or else she gets deeply unsettled. She's just the rare case of an autistic not bothered by sound.

I decided to go with naming the bikes Swift Wind and Melog partially because Swift Wind just made sense for Adora's bike but also because Melog's role in the show as, essentially, a therapy animal for Catra underscores how much of her mental well-being is coming from racing at that point in her life.

Chapter 2:

Neighorhoods like Glimmer's are far from standard where I live right now, but I have seen them here and there when traveling in both fancy and Very Average (or less) neighborhoods. There's no driveway in the front, so the front yards have ~aesthetic~ paths to the front door, and then there's a normal backyard and behind the back fence is a hidden driveway with a back street between the street rows to reach it. It kind of doubles the amount of street needed for a "single street" of houses since they have the "real" (for show) wide streets out front and then narrower backstreets between backyards.

Mentioning them using the strap facedown the first time was supposed to lowkey be a reference to toht, which was the first time I wrote strapping, only I just realized I'm actually thinking of the first strap scene in SLAS so... listen all the smut blends together.

This whole fic was supposed to be 20k and then chapter 2 alone ended up 9k because I couldn't control them and I realized I was a lost cause.

Chapter 3:

Adora speculates on it, but Catra cut her hair both because it was getting in the wound on her neck and making it hard to care for and because it changes her appearance pretty dramatically and makes her feel better about avoiding the Horde and the cops.

Of course Adora blames herself for Entrapta leaving. She's Adora. It's not like she's the newbie and no one who knew Entrapta better could do it either - no, she's the reason Catra found out about Entrapta, so it's her fault.

Adora genders her bike because she has pack-bonded with it, but Catra (though Extremely attached to her own bike) finds it weird to gender cars and the like.

Catra and Scorpia are staying at Entrapta's apartment because Catra ended up moving in with Scorpia after the breakup, and then they were worried about the Horde seeking retribution on them (rightfully) so they moved in with Entrapta since the Horde hadn't actually had reason to learn her address yet, and that way they could all be together to fight back if someone came after them.

Shadow Weaver betraying Catra and the Horde is a mirror of that arc from season two/three, but in this case Catra ended up fully banished because she was never given a path of redemption (even one that was intended to be a suicide mission so Hordak could keep Entrapta happy) and she's lowkey a shoot on sight order for the Horde, only the Horde doesn't really kill people, it's just that if they did she would be the first. She knows way too much and supposedly is already willing to work with the cops, making her a bigger risk than Adora was when she walked. She isn't actually in danger of being killed, but it's best she steers clear from the Horde in every way that she can.

Hordak "seducing" Entrapta wasn't like, real seducing for multiple reasons. In this AU, Hordak is focused on getting in with the Prime organized crime group to work towards expansion, so he hasn't worked with Entrapta but he is around the shop enough to know how useful she is and thus tried to convince her to stay. Part of that "seduction" was stuff like offering her better builds, which is better than sex in motivation for Entrapta lol. In the end, though, he was threatening to kill her friend for something Entapta couldn't see being Catra's fault. Entrapta was also pretty close with Catra and Melog was enough motivation on their own.

She was kind of missing the racers back at the track, too, and sticking with the Horde through this meant she had little chance of going back. While she was free to build without legal restrictions, monetary ones were a much bigger confining factor than they had been at the track, and she wasn't really allowed to do whatever she wanted on most customer cars since they asked for one thing and that was all Shadow Weaver and Hordak wanted to give them. Giving out upgrades for free is bad business, as is doing expensive upgrades that weren't asked for and holding the car hostage until they're paid for. The shop had downsides along with its benefit.

Catra was out in the garage for several minutes because she was 1) composing herself but also 2) looking over "Swift Wind" and inspecting what changes Adora had made (basically everything but the frame) and especially how careful she was when she removed things, looking to see if she left dents or scuffs on Catra's bike (for the most part she didn't because she was careful). It was her trying to determine how respectful Adora was when she took the parts (an act Catra considers disrespectful in itself, but she's aware at this point that Adora doesn't see it that way, so she wants to see how well she did treat it in the process).

Adora just happened to throw her jacket really well so it stayed hanging up on it all night. It seemed like the kind of stupid, jocky thing that Catra thought Adora would practice so she looked smooth when she took off her jacket and acted all effortless - probably flexing her muscles in the process, which would be impressive if they weren't already making out at that point.

When Adora says Entrapta "cuffed" Swift Wind it's not supposed to be racing terminology, but rather personal slang they use do to their origins in this fic, referencing being arrested and handcuffed.

Adora calls Swift Wind "one of the few things Catra has taken proud in", which is partially true, but mostly that's because she's never had the opportunity to do a lot of things she's proud of. Her mechanical skill is about all she has gotten and Swift Wind, being a long time project of her with lots of funds poured into it, and being the only vehicle she has worked on other than Melog that she "keeps", is in another league. It's also missing the context that Catra wasn't only upset about Swift Wind being taken apart because she was proud of her own work, but also because it was the only damn thing she has ever been able to do for Adora with how Shadow cornered them.

Chapter 4:

I was really hoping this would be the last chapter. So hopeful, in fact, that my chapter headings looked like this:

(Obviously I did not end up needing a Chapter 6, but whenever I make a doc I always include a few more chapters than I think I need because I know myself at this point. Also I wrote this bulletpoint before I was halfway through Chapter 4, so hubris really could have gotten me there.)

Obviously Adora isn't really a pillow princess but Catra likes to rile her up.

Catra is so boneless after taking care of Adora because she has been soothed right down to her soul by Adora giving everything over to her like that, trusting her in a way she now knows Adora has only ever trusted her. And then it's her turn 🥰

Adora's speculation was right. Part of Catra's planning was just general scheming behavior and she absolutely wasn't sore after breakfast - and wasn't even really that sore in Chapter 3 either - but letting Adora think that gave her an excuse for slow sex without admitting that's what she actually wanted.

I had so many ideas for when they were laying in bed (pre- and post-sex) in both this chapter and chapter 3, it was ridiculous. Like there's no way I could have used all of them and some of them contradicted each other anyway. That's part of why the smut in this surprised me: 90% of what I had outlined was cuddling and conversation, and then that did Not end up being 90% of the fic.

The "dark edge" to Catra's voice when Adora said her time with the other magicat was gross was her being 100% ready to kill the other woman if she had mistreated Adora.

Honestly my first A/N in the fic was more about the emotional growth these girls still need to go through than the... questionable decisions they have made. Adora is still in her "don't be a burden" mode, and Catra needs to grow into vulnerability more, although she makes good progress in the fic. The rest of that growth is set up by them finally getting back together. They have more to learn and they are going to fight, but after going through the breakup, they can handle it now.

Catra isn't trying to be mean about the plushie - honestly, it makes her affectionate - but it's extremely Adora and that makes her laugh.

When I say the unicorn's mane is "plastic" I mean like really shitty synthetic threads that straight up feel like plastic and tangle easily. That shit is all over "little girls'" toys and it's a nightmare both to touch and maintain.

Adora mentions buying the lingerie for herself because she's never actually worn it in front of anybody else and she didn't want Catra to think she'd done it for some hookup. She had a lot of issues post-breakup, including esteem issues, and it was Glimmer's suggestion. She has put it on once or twice but mostly relegated it to a corner. Post-making-up, however, it finally gets some fun use.

My outline for the end of the chapter was: ["let me drive you home?" "no you cant" BECAUSE SHES ALREADY HOME].

When Catra mentions going back to check on Entrapta, that's partially because Entrapta is getting increasingly more unhinged the longer she goes without work, and because she wants to go talk to her about coming back to the track so they can move onto the next phase of the plan now she knows she wants to go through with it.

Obviously the chapter title is in reference to how I was supposed to have everything wrapped up in the fourth chapter, but it's also kind of the thread throughout the entire fic, expecting every kiss and interaction to be the last.

Chapter 5:

I like the bookending of music being in the first and last chapter, the mentions of sound distortion being in both, and each one ending with them racing off together. I find that kind of thing fun.

Entrapta "isn't a threat" in that everyone at the track knows she would never do anything to hurt them. Girl can absolutely be a threat if she wants to be.

Entrapta hadn't come back to the track immediately because, after becoming friends with Catra and hearing all her rants about Adora, she realized she might not be welcome and they could be mad at her for abandoning them, something that had never occurred to her. It's an aspect of relationships that wasn't immediately obvious to her, but she's been misunderstood and outcast before, mostly in school when she was the subject of a misunderstanding, so it was just easier to not go back and tell herself she liked the freedom of doing whatever personal project she wanted. It was really starting to wear on her though and she wasn't going to be able to hold out for much longer. Catra knew that and getting Entrapta settled back at the track was also part of her agenda when it came to going home with Adora. Catra promised her she could come back that night, after Adora had texted, and she wasn't at all surprised when Entrapta wanted to go immediately, though she convinced her to wait until morning. It moved up the time table on her though and made it harder for her to plan past that in time, something she couldn't do before without seeing how Adora would react to her first.

Entrapta used a simplified ("for younger audiences") dictionary to fall asleep (if she had it her way, it would have been the full thing, but 1, her parents were the ones who had final say and 2, kiiiiind of hard to find audiobooks of the dictionary), one that was designed to introduce new words to kids/teens without going into a million variations of them. I decided this because when I tried to use a real dictionary, I couldn't find my physical one and online dictionary databases are like, a word and then 20 variants of it before moving onto the next one, which didn't really work well for the joke. I ended up searching "words that start with 'au'" on wordhippo and filtering it to common words and then using a couple of the unique words.

Catra went the club a few times without Adora showing throughout the year they were broken up, but like half the times she went without Adora showing were very recent, once she put this plan together and just needed to run into Adora to enact it. As Adora made partying more infrequent, it was harder to find her, but since Adora was also pretty consistent on which days she went, it wasn't all that hard.

I got an ask about what "The Scene™️" is for LMR, and I couldn't answer it 100% honestly then, but I can elaborate now. If you're new, The Scene is the scene (or scenes) that I consider the "big scenes" for the fic, things that really motivated me to write it in the first place or that a lot was building up to/riding on, or that are just a part of the fic I'm super excited for, whether that means to write or share it. For this fic, I had so much outlined that I was excited to write that it's hard to pick one, but if I have to narrow it down to Just One, the conversation in the kitchen where Catra reveals she's hooking up with Entrapta and they finally start to talk things out is probably the answer, with runner-up the scene in the observation deck where Catra reveals the events of the entire fic were planned. When I wrote chapter one at the very beginning, I didn't really do it with that context, but by the time I was doing the final edit I think I knew that was going to be the big reveal, so it has been a secret throughline from chapter 2 at the latest, depending when it happened and how you want to count it. The fic was both building to it, and could exist outside of it, because while it contextualized Catra's actions, before that it was just a hookup and growing fic, and that worked too, but I do think this is a pretty solid moment. I was really excited for all the cuddling and morning after conversation, though, so it's really hard to pick one and say that's it.

I just realized I never said it, but Scorpia got Catra the leather jacket (along with matching ones for her and Entrapta, though Scorpia's is actually a vest because finding one that fit her arms and worked with her spikes wasn't happening. Entrapta doesn't really wear hers because it's a Restrictive Sensation to her) after the stabbing as a bonding, here's-the-symbol-of-our-new-group thing, even though they didn't really have a new group, she was just trying to make Catra feel better about being kicked out of the Horde.

I also never said it in the fic because the scene mentioning it got cut, but the Horde isn't actually based out of Bright Moon, they're like an hour away over the city line to the next town, where Glimmer drove when she wanted to see street racing hoping to avoid people recognizing her (and Bow went with her to make sure she was okay). Catra came to Bright Moon downtown to dance the first time she ran into Adora because they just have a better scene there and then after that she kept coming back for her. It means it isn't too hard for them to avoid the Horde and their old life once they decide to move on.

Sea Hawk is a racer and Mermista is his girlfriend who he has been trying to convince to be his umbrella girl for ages just because he wants to show her off (in a "that's my girl!" way not in like, an objectifying way) but she's refused because that means publicly acknowledging she likes him, something she'll still deny to their friends when they catch them in the middle of making out.

Ok, so umbrella girls (or, apparently, just "the umbrellas" which is. insanely objectifying). I'm not going to pretend to know a lot about them, but I did google some stuff. I was introduced to them when I watched a MotoGP race to see what I was dealing with back when I was first planning this and there were tall supermodel ladies holding umbrellas over the racers before the race started to... protect them from the elements, I guess? Anyway, I don't know if they have to meet all these Requirements like cheerleaders, but it's my AU so I say that in Etheria they're Some Hot Lady who also does promo work for their racer/team and helps deal with sponsors. If you want to be more diverse (and/or get some publicity) you can pick a more unconventional choice like a dude or something. Perfuma is Adora's usual umbrella lady, and she's also a model with this basically being a sidegig she does because she finds the racing and racers hot. Also racing isn't a segregated sport on Etheria, which I'm Pretty Confident it is IRL.

Original Outline:

Surprising Nobody, Probably, this AU is actually two AUs combined. I had the backstory for Let Me Ride (MotoGP/street racing AU) with a few failed attempts at a story for it that never seemed that interesting to me (interesting to read, but not to write, at least not enough for me to actually do it) and I had what I called the "fuckboi drummer" AU, which is what half of the plot for this fic is, but that fic had no backstory or justification for why they were fighting and I just couldn't come up with one that matched the animosity between them, so the two ideas ended up fitting together well.

There were several original stabs at plot for LMR, but the most recent state of it before it became This was that Adora and Catra were both street racers, but they only had the one bike (Adora's bike) so Catra was mostly shoe-horned into the mechanic role, and when Adora got basically sponsored by Glimmer to become a real racer she was like "this is great, we'll move to Bright Moon and I'll pay for you to go to college and do whatever you want", not realizing what Catra wanted was to race and that had been totally discarded. Which like, still is kind of the backstory of the AU, just with some details changed.

The only plot I had after that was that Catra went solo in illegal races once Adora was gone and had her own fancy bike (thus not needing the one Catra built anymorer) and so Catra started tricking it out and eventually got sponsors. She was able to buy her way into low-level professional races and worked her way up through the circuit the traditional way instead of getting scouted and jumping straight to the big leagues. Aaaaaand that was mostly it. I took a couple stabs at coming up with a plot beyond "Oh Catra went up a rank and is getting one step closer to racing Adora" but nothing ever really materialized. At one point they were orphans who stole the bike and Adora was the only racer because they only owned one helmet lol.

For the fuckboi drummer AU, I'd been thinking for a while that Adora would like drums because it feels like hitting shit, and well, there's that TikTok, so I was bored waiting in the parking lot and basically started outlining the hook-up and morning after scenes with the vague idea that the backstory was they ran into each other again at a club and Catra is aware Adora has been hooking up ever since they broke up because she's a little broken inside. Catra comes home with her, they have one night together, and Catra Does Actually Leave in the morning.

The part that existed in the parking lot but that I was never planning on actually writing was that then a few days later Catra does a splice with one of Adora's TikToks - because Adora's drumming was vaguely plot relevant and she sometimes posts short drumming covers on her TikTok just for fun and the compliments she gets on her arms - where Catra sings the words that would go with that part of the song. The song in question was the one I was listening to in the car at the time, the chorus of "Good For Her" by Mothica. Adora comments back "this is so fucked up, Catra", leading to some mild internet drama since they both had a few thousand followers and people in the comments were like oo what 👀 Yeah I wasn't ever planning to write that TikTok part but I was bored XD After that Catra comes around for a second time and this time she stays and there's all that morning after stuff.

When I went to actually write the fuckboi drummer AU, it got condensed down to meeting at the club and going home together with Catra staying permanently after that and all the morning after type stuff. Of course, as I went to write it I found I needed a legitimate backstory, and that's when the "all backstory" AU combined with the "I'm bored in the parking lot" AU and we got the final version of Let Me Ride with at least a bit of an overarching plot in Catra secretly planning it all.

#lmr #ficmeta #fic notes

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coryndoll · 2 months ago

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waking up to you

au!rafe cameron x reader

— in which you wake up in a strange alternate reality that just so happens to be the outer banks universe, and to your disbelief, you’re suddenly in a relationship with the shows most unlikely character, rafe cameron.

warnings: swearing, more just reader & pogues spending time together, fictional mom n dad being so sweet, reader getting more comfortable in this world wooo, safe !!

authors note: hi guys, working on a one-shot for rafe thats basically a “we broke up a bit ago and now ur with sofia but i want u to drunk text me so badly and confess ur still in love with me” plot LMAO if anyones interested. if u still arent part of the tag list, let me know thru replies, anons, or dms !! notifications are always on <33

previous next

you swipe to answer the call and press the phone to your ear. “hello?” your voice is a little quiet, uncertain as you turn your back to the group and walk further down the shoreline.

“y/n, hey.”

he doesn’t sound frantic, but there’s something heavy in his tone, like he’s working through something in his head. you feel your stomach twist, because this isn't the kind of call you expected to get when he’s supposed to be out on the boat with his dad.

you press the phone closer to your ear, eyes narrowing as you squint out toward the horizon. “what’s up?” you try to keep your voice casual, but the truth is, you’re nervous. the way rafe talks, slow and deliberate, always makes it hard to tell what’s coming next.

there’s a moment of silence on the other end, then rafe’s voice cuts through it. “where are you?”

your whole body freezes. how the hell does he know to ask that already? your mind scrambles for an explanation. you pull the phone away from your ear for a second, looking at it like maybe you misheard, but you didn’t. panic rushes in. “hm?” you manage, the single syllable too light, too shaky.

“can hear the waves,” he says, his voice steady but sharp. there’s no accusation, not yet, but the suspicion is clear. “that doesn’t sound like you’re still home.”

you glance out at the ocean, waves crashing rhythmically against the shore. you can almost feel rafe on the other end of the line, piecing it together, his tone careful, calculating.

“oh, yeah,” you say, your mind racing for an excuse. “i’m just . . . by the beach. needed some air. just walking around.”

rafe doesn’t say anything for a moment, and the silence feels like it stretches forever. you can picture him frowning, maybe clenching his jaw, that serious, unreadable look on his face. he doesn’t believe you. you don’t know why but you can just feel it.

“you’re . . . by yourself?” his voice is low, the words dragging out in that way that always makes you second-guess yourself, like he’s giving you just enough rope to practically hang yourself with.

you can’t hesitate now. you force the words out, faster than they should be. “yeah, just wanted to spend my afternoon on the beach,” you say, the lie sticking in your throat, your eyes darting toward the water, where jj and kie are laughing as they paddle out. “we should go out here sometime together, you know. the waves are nice today.”

there’s another long pause, and it’s killing you. you can’t tell if he’s buying it.

finally, he exhales softly. “alright,” he says, his voice calm but still holding that edge, like he’s weighing whether to push further or let it go. “just be careful, angel.”

you blink, a rush of relief washing over you, though your nerves are still frayed. “yeah, of course,” you reply quickly, your heart still pounding, trying to sound normal. “always.”

he pauses for a beat, the tension easing just a little before he continues, his voice shifting to something more casual. “we hooked somethin’ big out here.”

your brow furrows, trying to catch up with the conversation shift. “oh, really?”

“yeah, been fightin’ it for hours,” he says, a little more energy in his voice now. “think it’s a marlin, maybe. lines screamin’, engine’s actin’ up, so we’re gonna be out a while longer.”

“sounds intense, babe.”

“yeah, it is,” he says, and there’s a brief pause. “just wanted to let you know in case you’re waitin’ up later.”

you nod even though he can’t see it. “thanks for letting me know. i’ll probably still be up,” you say.

another pause, and then his voice softens just a little, something almost warm in it. “n’ say hi to your parents for me when you call ‘em tonight, alright?”

you blink, momentarily caught off guard. he’s right, you still have the call with mom. “oh, yeah. i will,” you say, nodding to yourself. “i’ll tell them you said hi.”

“good,” he replies, the calm back in his tone. “i’ll see you when i see you.”

“see you when i see you,” you murmur back, your grip tightening on the phone. “be safe out there.”

“always,” he says, before the call clicks and the line goes dead.

you stand there for a moment, staring at your phone as the sound of the ocean fills the space around you. as you turn back toward the water, you watch the others laughing as they catch the next wave or hang back to watch. for now, you push your thoughts away as you shove your phone into your pocket and jog toward the shoreline.

because you get a free day today.

the sun hovers just above the horizon as you paddle out once again, the water cool and soothing against your skin. you glance back to see sarah waving, her blonde hair whipping in the breeze, and jj and kie laughing, both of them already eyeing the next set of waves.

there’s a lightness in the air, a kind of freedom you hadn’t felt when the day first started. you’re still not used to this world, to their version of you, but you can’t deny how good it feels to move through the water like this, to behave like you normally do and not worry, like you actually belong here.

“come on, y/n!” jj calls from a little further out, spinning his board to face you. “you’re killin’ it out here.”

you laugh, shaking your head, though the compliment settles nicely. “don’t get too cocky, jj,” you call back to him. “‘m just not falling as much anymore.”

“i’d say that’s a win.” sarah’s voice rings out behind you as she paddles up next to you, her board cutting through the waves with ease. “told you you’re a natural.”

you glance over at her, the corner of your mouth tugging up in a smile. “i guess it’s starting to come back to me.” your words are light, but there’s a deeper relief in them—relief that you’re not being found out for the lie that hangs between the two of you.

but natural, yeah, you’re getting the hang of it. in this world, you’re apparently fucking great at this.

you make your way over to sarah to keep her company, then settle on your board, resting your arms on the edges as you float, watching john b and pope further ahead, talking between themselves and waiting for the next set too. jj is already up on his board, riding the last bit of a wave before he hops off, grinning when he makes it to the shore.

“looks like jj’s not gonna wait for us,” sarah says, her eyes following the boy as he jogs back up the beach. “he always does that. catches the last wave just to show off.”

you laugh, shaking your head. “i don’t think i’ll ever be that good.”

kie, who’s been hanging back, paddles up beside you with a teasing grin. “you’re already doing better than me my first time. and let’s be real, none of us are jj-good.”

john b, hearing her, turns back with a playful smirk. “speak for yourself, kie. some of us are just naturals, y’know?”

kie rolls her eyes, splashing him with her hand. “oh, please. you wipe out more than anyone.”

“just part of the fun.” john b shrugs, unaffected.

you watch as pope paddles out toward a new set, lining himself up for the next wave. john b follows, and you take a deep breath, looking over at sarah and kie.

“you going in for this one?” sarah asks, nodding toward the incoming swell with a smile.

you hesitate, watching the water rise and fall in front of you, your fingers tracing the surface of your board. you’ve already surprised yourself today—surprised them too. you might as well just keep practicing, for the skill and the fun of it.

“yeah,” you say, determination settling in. “i’m going for it.”

the three of you paddle out to meet the wave, and there’s a brief moment of stillness as you line yourself up, the water pulling and shifting beneath your board. you feel your heart race, the familiar rush of adrenaline coursing through you.

as the wave approaches, you push up, your body moving instinctively now, like it’s finally clicking into place. your legs steady, your feet finding their position as you rise, catching the wave.

you carve into the wave, your body moving with it, bending, shifting, gliding. you can hear the distant whoops of the girls on the shore, but it’s all background noise, lost in the focus of the moment.

when you finally ride the wave to its end, letting yourself fall gently back into the water, you can hear sarah cheering behind you. “that was so good!”

you laugh breathlessly, wiping the water from your eyes as you paddle back toward her. you’ve found your rhythm today—maybe not just in the water, but with all of them too. it’s strange how quickly this place, this life has started to feel like yours.

as you step out of the water, the last remnants of salt cling to your skin. the group are now gathering their boards and towels, something about grabbing food was spoken about earlier. you didn’t really pay attention.

as everyone starts walking toward the van, you can’t help but feel excited about the upcoming meal. god knows you need it. just thinking about it makes your stomach growl in anticipation. you pile into the van, everyone settling in, still laughing.

“thank you!” you say, your voice bright as you pivot away from the counter. the bell above the door jingles softly as you push through and step outside into the parking lot.

the others are scattered around the twinkie. jj and kie are leaning against the side of the van, both with food in hand, while john b and pope sit on the pavement, engaged in a debate about the best fishing spot here.

the moment sarah spots you, her face lights up like the sun breaking through the clouds. she practically springs from her seat in the van, her excitement infectious as she pushes herself out, her arms reaching up high, holding a spoon as if it were a trophy.

“y/n! try this, try this!” she exclaims, practically bouncing on her heels. her joy is palpable, and you can’t help but grin at her enthusiasm.

“yeah? what did you get?” you ask, genuinely curious as you approach her.

“cookies and cream. you’ve had it but craig’s cookies and cream is actually insane. but you have to taste it!” she insists, her eyes sparkling with delight. without waiting for a reply, she offers you her spoon, the scoop of ice cream glistening in the sunlight.

you laugh, shaking your head playfully. “okay, okay. calm down.” you take the spoon from her, the coolness of the ice cream contrasting with the warmth of the day. as you take a bite, savoring the creamy texture and the sweet crunch of the cookies mixed in, your eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“right?” she beams, her grin widening as you nod in appreciation. “i told you it was good!”

“holy shit,” you say, licking your lips. you hand the spoon back to her, both of you caught up in the moment, sharing your favorite flavors as if you were old friends.

suddenly your phone buzzes in your pocket, and you pause mid-lick and hum a soft ‘mm’, glancing down at it with curiosity. slipping your phone out, you check the screen to find a message from your mom.

‘ can’t wait to see you! counting down every minute. 😊 ’

quickly, you click off your phone and look up at sarah, who is chatting with jj and kie. you clear your throat to get her attention. “hey, i have to go soon,” you say, reaching for her arm.

kie, overhearing your announcement, leans forward, her interest piqued. “what? where do you have to go?” she asks, a hint of disappointment in her tone. she assumed everyone would be hanging out for the rest of the night.

you give her a small smile, feeling a little guilty for having to leave. “sorry, i have to call my mom soon,” you tell her. “wanna be home when i do.”

john b scratches the back of his head from the curb thoughtfully, his brow furrowing slightly. “we could drive you home if you need,” he offers, glancing between you and sarah.

“thanks, i’d appreciate that,” you reply, your voice softening. you crawl further into the van, finding a cozy spot sprawled across the back seat, your cup of ice cream balanced on your stomach.

sarah had convinced you that it was fine for her and the others to stay longer by hanging out at the house, especially since you told her that ward and rafe would be out for a while, probably way later than seven o’clock.

as you reach the top of the stairs, you can still hear the distant sounds of laughter filtering up from downstairs, where sarah and the others are undoubtedly keeping the energy alive. but for now, you crave a moment of quiet. slipping into rafe’s room, you feel a sense of comfort wash over you as you glance around.

you’ve changed into a fresh set of clothes. the shower had felt rejuvenating, washing away the salt and sand, leaving you feeling clean and new. now, you sit on the edge of rafe’s bed, your phone resting beside you, waiting for your mother’s call.

as the minutes pass, you find yourself lost in thought, replaying moments from the day—the laughter shared, the waves ridden, the feeling of freedom as you finally let go of your nerves and embraced the thrill of this life. a smile creeps onto your face as you think about it.

your phone vibrates, breaking the silence. your heart races for a moment. it’s been only two days, but being in this alternate reality has made you miss home in a way you didn’t expect.

you grab your phone immediately, swiping to accept the facetime call without hesitation, and there she is—your mom. the same kind eyes, the same warmth in her smile that you've known your whole life.

but there’s something just a little different about her. it's subtle—maybe it’s the way her hair is styled, a little more polished, or the delicate necklace around her neck that you don’t remember her ever wearing. and then there’s the backdrop of wherever she’s calling from. bright, beautiful sunshine floods the screen, palm trees swaying gently behind her. costa rica, rafe had told you. your parents are living their dream life, traveling, enjoying the perks of being rich kooks.

you can’t imagine them as kooks, not really. you think about how different the rich kids here act—snobby, entitled, everything you’ve tried to avoid becoming. your parents have never been like that. you hope being kooks in this reality hasn’t changed them, but you push it away. you just want to talk to your mom, even if this isn’t exactly your mom.

“theres my girl,” her voice rings out, just as warm and familiar as ever, and for a second, you feel your heart relax a little.

“hi, mom,” you say, leaning back on the bed as you settle into the call. the sight of her, even with the little differences, makes you feel like you’re finally tethered to something real.

“oh, it’s so good to see your face! we’ve been counting down the minutes until we could call. your dad is off getting us some drinks right now, but he’ll be back in a second. we’re on this gorgeous beach—oh, you’d love it here.” her smile widens as she turns the camera slightly to show the view of the ocean behind her, the waves crashing gently against the shore.

you nod, trying to smile back. “looks amazing,” you murmur, your voice soft. you don't want to talk about the beach or costa rica or the life your parents are apparently living in this reality. you want to talk about something normal, something that reminds you of the life you know.

“so how are you? it’s been so long since i’ve heard from you. i didn’t think you even wanted to call.”

it’s supposed to be a lighthearted comment, a joke. you can hear the playfulness in her tone, but it hits you harder than you expected.

you blink, staring at her face on the screen. “oh,” you breathe out, your heart sinking. you’re not sure why you said it out loud, but there it is, hanging in the air between you. “what do you mean?” the words slip out before you can stop them, quiet, almost to yourself. but mom hears it, her smile faltering just slightly.

“well,” she pauses, glancing away for a second, like she’s deciding whether or not to continue. “i mean, you haven’t been answering your phone lately, honey. your dad and i, we’ve been a little worried. we even thought about coming back down to north carolina to check on you ourselves! it’s not easy when the only way we can reach you is through rafe or ward. it’s . . . well, it’s not ideal."

oh. your stomach twists, and you feel your grip tighten around the phone as the reality of this world crashes into you all over again. y/n has screwed this up—badly. because now, even her parents? you understand ward or jj, to an extent, but seriously?

you would never ignore your parents like that. you wouldn’t disappear on them, leave them worried. but here, in this world, that’s exactly what this version of you has done.

you swallow hard, trying to keep your face neutral, but inside, you’re spiraling. “i— i didn’t realize,” you stammer, shifting your position on rafe’s bed, feeling the weight of this new information press down on you. “i’ve just been . . . busy.”

her expression softens, her eyes full of that familiar kindness, but there’s a sadness there, too, something that tells you this has been going on for a while. “i know things have been tough, sweetie, but we miss you. we’ve been living out here in costa rica, trying to give you space, but it’s hard when we don’t hear from you.”

you nod, but it’s more for show than anything. your mind is racing, trying to figure out how to navigate this. how many calls has y/n ignored? how long have her parents been left in the dark? your heart aches with the realization that you have to fix this, even though you don’t know how.

“i’m sorry,” you say, the words coming out quietly, but they’re genuine. “i’ll be better about that, i promise.”

your mom’s face brightens a little, like she’s holding onto hope that things can go back to normal. “that’s all we want, honey. we just want to know that you’re okay, that you’re happy.”

you force a smile, nodding, though your chest feels heavy, but you push it away. now’s not the time to unpack that. “i’m okay, mom,” you say softly. “i’m okay. that’s why i wanted to . . . call you tonight! even just for a bit.”

“how’s everything been for you?” she asks, her tone bright. “we’ve been so excited to hear about what you’ve been up to.”

you raise your eyebrows. keeping busy? sure. “yeah, i’ve been just hanging out, mostly,” you say, your gaze flicking to the window.

your mom laughs softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “well, you deserve it. you work so hard. it’s nice to take a break every once in a while.” there’s a slight pause, and you wonder if she’s going to ask more, dig deeper. but she doesn’t. she’s always known when to let you have your space.

“yeah,” you breathe out, nodding again. “just trying to relax.”

your mom tilts her head slightly, studying you through the screen. “you okay, honey? you seem . . . a little quiet.”

you blink, caught off guard by the question. you hadn’t realized how tense you’ve been, how different you must seem. you force a smile, trying to shake off the unease that’s been settling in your bones since you got here. “i’m fine, just tired. it’s been a long couple of days.”

“well, make sure you’re taking care of yourself,” she says, her voice softening with concern. “i know how you can get when you’re feeling overwhelmed. don’t forget to take time for you, okay?”

your heart clenches at that—at how she still knows you, even if this isn’t exactly your mom. maybe some things don’t change. maybe that bond, that connection, is still there, even here.

you swallow hard, nodding as you shift on the bed. “i will, mom. promise.”

“good.” she smiles, her eyes crinkling at the corners the way they always do when she’s relieved. “oh! here’s your dad,” she says suddenly, turning the camera as your dad appears in the background, holding two drinks and grinning when he sees you on the screen.

“hey, y/n!” he says, his voice booming a little louder than you expected. “we miss you! wish you were here with us.”

“miss you too, dad,” you say. and it’s true—you do miss them. you miss your real parents, the ones from your world, the ones who haven’t changed because of money or status. but for now, you’ll take what you can get.

the conversation shifts after that, moving into lighter territory as your parents chat about their day, the places they’ve visited, the food they’ve tried. you nod along, offering small responses, but your mind is elsewhere, still grappling with the oddness of it all. they seem happy, content with this life. and maybe that’s enough for now.

as the call starts to wind down, your mom smiles at you again, her eyes soft. “take care of yourself, okay? and we’ll talk again soon. love you, y/n.”

“love you too, mom,” you say, your heart squeezing in your chest as you end the call.

you let out a long breath, setting your phone down beside you. the house is quiet around you now, the distant sounds of sarah and the others still lingering downstairs.

you roll off the bed slowly, your limbs feeling heavier now that you’ve spoken to them. there’s a small ache in your chest, but you ignore it, pushing yourself up and leaving your phone on the bed. you slip out of rafe’s room and head down the stairs, slipping into the living room where the others are hanging out.

they’re all doing their best to play it safe—well, most of them. john b, kie, and pope are sitting around, their postures a little stiff, clearly wary of being in ward cameron’s house of all places. it’s not exactly the kind of place pogues feel comfortable. you can see it in the way they glance around, as if expecting someone to barge in at any second.

you shake your head, a small smile tugging at your lips as you move toward the group. you drop into the spot beside pope, leaning into him as your eyes look around for sarah. pope glances at you but doesn’t say anything. he just shifts slightly so you’re more comfortable as you rest against him.

you hum softly to yourself, settling in, and let the room’s strange energy wash over you.

kie glances over at you, her brow slightly raised in curiosity. “so, how’d the call go?” she asks, her voice low but interested. before you can answer, sarah walks in with a few snacks, balancing it carefully in her arms while jj gets up to excuse himself.

you stretch your arm out lazily, giving her a thumbs-up. “it was good,” you say, your voice casual. nothing too out of the ordinary, just . . . different.

sarah hands out more snacks, her movements a little distracted. she plops down beside john b, who immediately leans into her, resting the side of his head against hers. it’s a simple gesture, but you can tell it’s his way of grounding her.

sarah glances at you, her voice more hushed now. “when do you think rafe and my dad are gonna come home?”

you shrug, your fingers drumming lightly on your knee. “no idea,” you admit. sarah was the one who invited everyone over, yeah, but the uncertainty of when ward or rafe might walk through the door is clearly starting to wear on her.

john b presses a kiss to the side of sarah’s head, his tone soft but confident. “we’ll be gone before they know it,” he reassures her, then reaches for one of the snacks, holding it up to her lips with a grin. “come on, eat one.”

sarah laughs, pushing him away, her mood lightening almost instantly. “stop,” she protests, though there’s no real fight in her words. john b just chuckles, trying again, and soon she’s taking the bite, her laughter filling the room.

meanwhile, jj is wandering around, probably in the kitchen. he probably didn’t like the snacks sarah brought, so he’s pulling open cabinets and drawers, talking to himself.

“what the hell do these people even eat?” he mumbles, grabbing a box of fancy crackers he’s never seen before and popping one in his mouth. “rich people snacks,” he scoffs, crunching down.

it’s not enough to keep him occupied, though. before long, he’s back in the living room, hovering around the others like a kid who’s been told to behave but doesn’t quite know how. he picks up a vase, turning it over in his hands, eyes narrowing in concentration. for a second, you wonder if he’s going to drop it just to see what would happen, but instead, he sets it down, glancing over his shoulder like he��s proud of himself for resisting the urge.

then, he spots ward’s liquor cabinet, and you can see the gears turning in his head before he even makes a move. “bet rafe won’t miss a bottle,” he says, his voice low, more to himself than anyone else. kie immediately shoots him a glare from where she’s sitting next to you.

“jj, don’t even think about it,” she warns, but he just grins, brushing her off with a wave of his hand.

“come on, kie. what’s the harm? it’s not like they’ll notice.” he’s already opening the cabinet, scanning the selection. his fingers hover over a bottle of bourbon, and for a second, you think he’s going to grab it, but then he pulls his hand back, closing the door with a sigh.

he looks back at the group, shrugging as if it was no big deal, but the restless energy hasn’t left him. you can tell, even as he sits down, bouncing his leg impatiently, that he’s itching for trouble. it’s just a matter of time before he finds it.

pope glances down at you as you lean against him, his body slightly tense, like he’s still on high alert being in the cameron estate. you can feel it in the way he’s been shifting a little. you close your eyes for a second, letting out a slow breath, when you hear him mumble something under his breath, just loud enough for you to catch.

“you handled last night well, by the way.” his voice is soft, almost absentminded as he says it, like he’s been chewing on the thought for a while but just now decided to let it out. “helping to break up rafe and jj at the party. i don’t know what got into him.”

you crack an eye open, glancing up at him. his eyes are gentle, almost apologetic, like he’s taking the blame for jj’s actions. “and, you know, surfing today? not bad. not bad at all,” he says.

you can’t help the tired smile that creeps across your face, a soft laugh escaping you. “oh yeah? you impressed?”

pope raises an eyebrow, his smile a little more pronounced now. “don’t get cocky. but yeah, kinda.” he pauses, then adds, “you really held your own. not just today, but . . . everything lately.”

you mutter a quiet, “thanks, pope,” barely lifting your head as exhaustion settles over you. it’s all catching up. you let your eyes flutter closed, zoning out to the muffled sounds of everyone else in the room, sarah’s soft laughter mixing with john b’s low murmurs.

just as you’re about to fully sink into the comfort of the moment, you hear it—the sound of a car pulling up outside. your eyes snap open immediately. everyone hears it.

you sit up straight, heart racing. shit. your mind immediately goes to ward and rafe, and if they walk in to find the pogues lounging in their living room, you and sarah are going to be in serious trouble.

sarah’s head whips toward the window, panic flashing in her eyes, and you know she’s thinking the same thing.

you can practically feel the room hold its collective breath, waiting, listening, every second stretching painfully long. you all just freeze, the faint murmur of voices creeping through the open window. the words aren’t clear, but you catch enough.

“—that fucking boat—”

it’s unmistakably rafe. your stomach drops. if he’s out there, ward is probably with him, and that means trouble.

panic shoots through the room like electricity. john b is the first to react, his voice low but urgent. “go, go, go,” he hisses, not so much at sarah, who’s scrambling off him, but to the rest of the group. everyone moves at once, instincts kicking in as the stakes set in.

you look to sarah, eyes wide, heart pounding. you’re relying on her to figure this out. sarah meets your gaze for a split second before her brain clicks into gear. “out the back,” she breathes, barely audible over the rush of adrenaline. she glances at john b. “are you guys gonna be okay?”

john b nods, already on his feet. “we parked the twinkie a few blocks down. we’ll be fine.” he squeezes her hand before quickly pressing a kiss to her lips, then heads toward the back. kie, pope, and jj are right behind him, moving like ghosts through the house. sarah watches them go, her shoulders tense with worry, before snapping back to the situation at hand.

you and sarah rush to the front of the house, the sound of rafe and ward getting closer by the second. sarah glances at you, wide-eyed, both of you on the verge of panic. you don’t have much time. the staircase looms ahead, and sarah suddenly lets go of your hand, hesitating. “what do we do?” she sputters, her voice tight with panic.

you can’t help but let out a strained laugh at how ridiculous this is, even if it’s anything but funny. “act natural,” you mutter, though your pulse is hammering in your ears. you give sarah a light shove, urging her up the stairs to her room. “just go! go!”

sarah stumbles up a few steps, glancing back at you with wide eyes, while you stay at the bottom, trying to think of what to do with yourself. you fix your hair quickly, but you and sarah freeze in place, hearts hammering as the sound of keys jangles outside the door.

for a split second, neither of you moves, caught in a silent standoff with the arrival of ward and rafe. sarah stands halfway up the stairs, her foot poised on the next step, while you’re lingering by the foyer entrance, waiting for the door to open.

as soon as the door swings open, sarah springs into action. she forces out a laugh, a little too loud, a little too bright.

you understand exactly how she wants to play it, and you push past the doorway to act like you’re following her up. “right? that’s what i’m saying,” you blurt out, as if you two had been mid-conversation about something funny. you weren’t even thinking, your own voice slipped out in a rush.

the two of you turn toward the front door like you’ve just noticed them there, and sarah’s face lights up before she’s rushing down the stairs. “dad!” she exclaims, her voice ringing with enthusiasm as if she hadn’t just been hiding from him moments before. she hurries over to greet him, her arms outstretched in a warm embrace, though your gaze flickers nervously toward rafe.

ward looks worn out. “you wouldn’t believe the trip we had, sare,” he mutters, shaking his head as he wrestles with his fishing gear and bags. you can see the strain in his posture, but sarah is already in full distraction mode, helping him with his things and trying to draw him into conversation.

you hang back for a moment, trying to gauge rafe’s mood. he stands a little too still, he’s upset, that much is clear. the way he watches his father, the slight clenching of his fists at his sides, tells you he’s not in the best headspace.

as ward and sarah chat, you take a deep breath and approach rafe slowly, trying to keep your expression soft and open. your heart races as you reach out to place a gentle hand on his arm, the warmth of his skin grounding you momentarily. “you okay?” you ask softly.

he glances down at your hand, and for a moment, the tension eases in his posture. “just tired,” he mumbles, and you nod.

slowly, rafe reaches over, his arm wrapping around your shoulders as he guides you toward the staircase. his touch sends some comfort through you, and you feel your heartbeat quicken slightly. “i need a shower,” he says, his voice a low rumble as you both begin the ascent. “i feel gross after today. like the engine on my dad’s boat acting up, spending half the day trying to fix it . . . it’s like a nightmare.”

you can’t help but smile at his candidness. “i can’t imagine,” you reply, squeezing his hand on your shoulder. “at least you got a story out of it. now you can rinse off.”

rafa chuckles, and as you reach the top of the stairs, he glances down at you with a mischievous glint in his eye. “wanna help me?” he jokes, an eyebrow raised suggestively.

“shut up.” you snort, immediately pushing him away with a laugh. “in your dreams,” you say, and it draws a genuine smile from rafe as he reaches for you again.

@v2los @cosmixstar @meeuhsworld @lovdrew @lilithblackkk @rovckwells @cherrylooney @iissza @namelesslosers @cocolovey @rafeyswrd @odairtrqsh @gretag13 @vivian-555 @lunaleah @smol-coffee-addict @twinge-vix @drewsephrry @behindviolettwrites @avngrssckr @stonerroadbull @cali-888 @coquettajob @simpingcorner @nymphetkoo @pinkpantheris @ilyrafe @romaescapes @cold-soup1223 @inaluvrsworld @rafesweetie @faephoria @solo-pitstop-vibes @my-fabulousness-has-arrived @sgecorrow @rafesgiirl @ravisinghs-wife @booksntings @tinyfairies @maybankslover @honeyluvsatj @darleneslane @alysaaaa444 @w4nnabeurs @thewrittenpodcast @watersquirtpewpewboomm @sabrina-carpenter-stan-account @benbarneslut @illicit-affcirs @helo1281917 ++

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fruitcoops · 3 years ago

Note

Ooo would you be into writing some Stella and Reg bonding time? Only if you'd like though :)

Yeah, for sure! They would get along terribly well, wouldn't they? This is also today's Fic O'Ween prompt and I hope you enjoy! SW credit goes to @lumosinlove, but Stella is my OC <3

Day 8: Halloween sent me to the ER (I promise it's fluffy!)

TW for emergency room and injury (broken bone, not major), kid feeling guilty

Machines beeped all around them, along with a dozen different voices speaking over each other and several children crying; Regulus ignored the pain radiating up from his foot to gently lay his hand on Stella’s bouncing knee. “Deep breaths.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said tearfully for the millionth time in two hours. Her lower lip trembled and she swiped under her eye, smudging her eyeliner. “I—I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Regulus assured her with a smile. Was his foot still throbbing from the tracks of her skate wheels? Without a doubt. Was he going to show any of that pain in front of his niece? Fuck no. “Stella, it was an accident.”

She sniffled, her dark eyes huge with misery. “I shoulda been looking where I was going.”

“Probably. But what happened, happened. I need you to take some deep breaths, ouais?”

Stella took a shaky inhale, then wrapped her arms around his upper body and curled up tight into his side until her face was completely hidden in the folds of his Squirtle onesie. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she murmured a moment later, still squeezing tight.

Regulus wrapped his arms around to rub her back and kissed the top of her head. “I promise, ma princesse. What’s Halloween without a little adventure, eh?”

Sirius came around the corner of the registration room a moment later—his face softened when he saw them and Regulus offered a reassuring glance as Stella clutched the fuzzy shell of his costume. Her skates had been abandoned for regular sneakers after the incident, yet she somehow made it work.

“Hey, sweetheart, you okay?” Sirius asked quietly, crouching down to her level. Stella hiccupped twice before Regulus felt her nod. “C’mere.”

She peeled away from Regulus to practically fall into Sirius’ arms, shaking in every limb. “I really didn’t mean to,” she sobbed as he brushed her hair off her forehead. Regulus’ heart hurt even more than his possibly-probably-almost-definitely-broken foot. “And—and now Halloween is ruined and we’re in the emergency room and I broke him.”

“Stella, it’s going to be just fine,” Sirius soothed. “Accidents happen. He’s not broken, Halloween isn’t ruined, and we’ll be out of here before you know it. Nobody is angry with you.”

I always knew you’d be a good dad, Regulus thought with no small amount of pride as her sniffling subsided and Sirius helped dry her tears. Ever since we were kids. Look at you now, doing what nobody did for you and absolutely killing it.

“Regulus Black?” a woman in duck-patterned scrubs called down the hall. “The x-ray room is ready for you.”

A slender hand slipped into his own as he stood and used the armrest for a little extra support; pain flared up in the ball of his foot, but Sirius wrapped a steady arm around his back and took most of his weight as they hobbled down the corridor in a strange four-legged race. “Nice and slow,” Sirius said, helping him over a cord. Stella’s grip didn’t falter for a second. “Easy does it, Reg.”

“You sound more and more like your husband every day,” Regulus said with a wry grin. “Should I be worried about a little Halloween possession?”

“Oh, please no,” Stella groaned at his side with the closest thing to a smile he had seen in more than an hour.

Sirius raised his eyebrows at her. “If you give me all your Reese’s, I won’t tell him you said that.”

“A quarter,” she answered, narrowing her eyes.

“Half.”

Silence fell. Regulus looked between them, then caught Stella’s eye and shrugged. She sighed heavily and moved a stray chair aside. “Fine, half. But you’re not getting any Crunch bars.”

Sirius met his gaze with suppressed laughter written all over his face. “You’ve been teaching my daughter to bargain?”

“Someone has to,” Regulus snorted. “Reese’s are high-value, high-demand, delicious balls of goodness and—”

“No more sleepovers,” Sirius interrupted with a shake of his head. “None. No more. Uncle privileges have officially been revoked.”

Regulus looked down at Stella and they both burst out laughing. “As if!” she cackled, looping her arm around his waist despite the fact that his weight was already off that foot.

“Yeah, Sirius,” he scoffed. “As if.”

“Both of you are terrible.”

#regulus black #stella #sirius black #coops #vaincre #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic #ficoween #emergency room #hospital #broken bone #hurt/ comfort #fluff #halloween

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nastybuckybarnes · 3 years ago

Text

Deep End - Four

Pairing: Dark!Steve Rogers X Reader

Summary: He’s back. After all your best efforts at getting away, he’s found you again. And this time, he’s not letting you go so easily. He’s determined to do whatever it takes to get you to be his. Forever.

Warnings: Dark Themes, Language, Angst, Manipulation, Fluff, Smut,

Word Count: 2.9K

A/n: Hello and welcome, formally, to part four. I hope you all had a lovely weekend and have an amazing week! I love you all very much.

Madness Masterlist

Bad Dream Masterlist

THIS IS A DARK FIC WITH SEXUAL AND TRIGGERING CONTENT!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!! 18+ ONLY!!!

~*~

You sit nervously on the lip of the bathtub, picking at the skin around your thumbnail as you wait for the timer to ring.

It feels like it’s been hours already.

“It’s okay, honey. Don’t worry. If it isn’t positive, we’ll just keep trying.”

Steve's words don’t ease your anxiety the way he thinks they do.

Your eyes are trained on the timer, counting down the seconds, though you already have a feeling of what the tests are going to say.

The alarm sounds like war drums and you’re racing for the row of sticks on the bathroom counter, your heart dropping into your stomach as you inspect them.

Positive.

Every single one of them.

Tears fill your eyes and you bury your face in your hands, shoulders shaking with sobs.

There it goes.

Your last shred of hope for gaining freedom. Out the window, just like that.

Steve’s arms come up around your shoulders, hugging you tightly.

“I knew it. I just... I knew. You smell different, your breasts are bigger. I fucking knew it.”

He nudges his nose against your cheek until you finally tilt your head back, and then his lips are on yours.

You don't fight him, too hopeless to even try anymore.

Your tears are salty, you can taste them on his lips, but he doesn’t seem bothered at all by them. No, he still kisses you, walks you out of the bathroom towards the bed.

He helps you out of your clothes, his hands groping and squeezing every inch of you as if he’s never felt you before, as if you’re the first woman he’s touched in forever.

The tears are steady, continuing down your face as he pushes you gently onto the bed, his lips trailing over your inner thighs while his eyes raise to yours.

“We’re gonna have another baby, honey. I always knew your body was perfect. Absolutely made for me. And now you’re gonna give me another baby. You’re gonna grow all nice and round...” He trails off, his eyes dark and full of lust as he gazes down at your stomach as if picturing you pregnant again.

“C’mon, darling. We need to celebrate.” He sheds his clothes so that you’re both naked, his warm body pressed tightly against yours, though it does little to quell the shivers of distress rolling down your spine.

Pregnant. Again.

He places kiss after kiss onto your neck, trailing down to your breasts and halting there.

“Can’t wait for you to be nice and big again, all full and round because of me. Fuck, can’t wait ‘till you start makin’ milk again, honey.”

His lips latch around your nipple, sucking hard enough to make your back arch, a whine of pain and pleasure rolling out of your mouth.

“That’s it. M’gonna make you feel nice, honey. Gonna make you feel loved. You know I love you, huh? Yeah. I do.”

His words make your stomach twist in uncomfortable knots, and you close your eyes to avoid the intensity of his gaze. You focus instead on the feel of his body against yours, nice and warm and heavy.

One of his hands snakes between your legs, toying with your clit and dipping into your heat to prepare you for his cock.

“Getting all wet and messy for me, huh?” Your eyes remain shut, blocking out his face, the face of the man who’s done so many atrocious things to you.

He thrusts his fingers in and out rather slowly, dragging them against your sensitive walls until he deems you ready enough for him, though there’s no way to truly be ready for him.

He positions himself between your legs, perched on his haunches while his hands rub over your thighs gently.

“Can’t wait for you to have my baby, sweetheart. Gonna watch you get all nice and full, bring another life into this world for me. That’s what you’re here for, darling.”

He slides his manhood through your folds, coating himself in your essence before slowly pushing into you, forcing every inch into your tight wet heat.

Your mouth drops open, brows pulling together at the stretch of him so deep inside of you, pushing against every resistance your body brings forth. He forces himself into you until he’s seated comfortably, cock held tightly by your fluttering walls.

“Fuck, feel that. Feel you. So tight... tight ‘n wet. Fuck... Fuck...”

He pulls back then pushes in, each thrust slow and precise and far too good. You hate how good he makes you feel, how well he knows your body. You hate how good you feel beneath him, how right it feels to be with him, to be held in his arms.

And you fucking hate him for making you enjoy a single second of time spent with him.

His thrusts speed up until he’s hammering his hips into yours, each movement of his hips forcing his cock to press against your cervix painfully, but the pain is welcome.

It’s what you deserve for enjoying it.

A soft moan falls from your lips when he drops his hand between your legs, fingers working your clit with practiced ease.

He’s spent months learning and re-learning your body, he knows you almost as well as he knows himself, and if the only way you want him is physically then fine, but he’s going to make that want stronger than your hatred for him.

“O-oh god...” Your eyes squeeze shut as the edge creeps closer, each pass of his thumb on your clit and his cock between your walls bringing it so much nearer.

“You gonna cum for me, honey? Yeah? Gonna be my good girl?” You nod, if only so he doesn’t stop.

“Fuck, you feel so good, darling... so good.” He picks up speed, and you get lost in your orgasm like a leaf in a windstorm.

It picks you up and pulls you from reality. Bliss clouds your mind, your senses, and nothing matters except the rolling waves of pleasure flooding you.

“Just like that, honey... fuck.”

He drops his head into the crook of your neck, breaths hot and damp against your skin as he follows you into the blissful embrace.

His hips stutter to a stop, warmth painting your walls and filling you to the brim, just like he always does.

He pants against you, his mind consumed with obsession, adoration, love. He finally has you back in his arms. Finally gets to rebuild his family, get the happy ending he’s been craving.

He’s not gonna give it up.

You’re right where you belong.

~*~

He waits an absurdly long time before telling anyone.

He doesn’t want anyone to know, especially not Nat. Bucky, sure, he can know, but not Nat. Not after the way she kept so many secrets for so long.

It isn’t until you start showing -about two months after the positive tests- that he finally tells the two of them the good news, inviting them over to help set up the baby's room and have a nice night with his family.

Bucky and Steve have just finished painting the walls yellow, a neutral baby colour that you suggested.

Steve insists that you sit slightly outside the room, even though both windows are open and a fan is going, the paint specifically bought because it’s non-toxic.

But you don’t argue. You’ll sit as far away from them as possible.

Sarah’s in your lap, her eyes focused on the colouring book on the ground in front of her, her tongue poking out between her lips as she tries to stay inside the lines.

“Alright. That’s the crib all done. Honey, you wanna grab us a drink?”

Your head snaps up at Steve’s request, and you nod, rising to your feet and instinctively dropping a hand to your small bump.

“Can I help?” Sarah asks excitedly, bouncing up onto her toes and following you down the stairs.

“Of course. You wanna bring this up to Uncle Bucky?”

You pour two glasses of lemonade, one for the blond and one for the brunet.

“Can I have some?” You nod, grabbing a cup for her as she starts carefully up the stairs with the glass.

“Need a hand?” You stiffen, eyes slowly raising to the redhead’s.

“No.”

She sighs, taking a seat at the counter.

“Just hear me out, (Y/n), please. I just... I just wanna explain. Please.” You grind your teeth together at her.

“What could you possibly have to say to me? How could you possibly explain the way you betrayed me? Betrayed Sarah? You got my dad killed, Natasha, and now I’m pregnant again.”

She looks so lost, so desperate, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s her fault you’re here.

"Just please, (Y/n). Please.” There’s nothing you can really do to stop her. It’s obvious that Bucky and Steve would side with her over you in a heartbeat.

“I never breathed a single word of your whereabouts to anyone, I swear. Not even my therapist. I swear on my life, (Y/n) I never told anyone where to find you.”

You look up at her and shake your head.

“You were the only other person who knew where we were hiding.”

She lets out a shaky breath and looks away from your eyes.

“After what happened at the cabin I started going to therapy. Saw a good therapist who helped me get through a lot of stuff. James was going to therapy too, we were getting better together.”

You don’t think any therapy in the world will change the fact that James Barnes is a monster through and through, but you don’t say that to her. No, you let her continue.

“I started getting better. James did too. We got back to work, to helping people, being the good guys.”

She pauses, sniffling then scrubbing at her cheek.

“I told him that uh, one of my friends had a baby and that spending time around them made me want one too. It upset me because that... that’s a dream that I’ll never be able to have. Or, I thought it was.” A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, but it lacks any positive emotions behind it.

“He told me about this experimental procedure that they started doing in Switzerland. Reversals for female sterilization. Highly experimental but... he said I should give it a shot. The worst that would happen would be... well... no worse than what I’ve had to live with for most of my life.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, not in defiance but in comfort. Self-comfort, and for a moment you feel bad for her.

“I talked it over with Bucky. Told him about how much I wanted a baby, a little mini version of him or I, and he was on board. Said he wished I told him sooner.” She chuckles, shaking her head fondly at the memory.

“That’s when I left for that while, remember?” You nod.

She missed Christmas and you were only slightly devastated at having to spend the holiday alone.

“I got the procedure done. Was on bed rest for a while after and even after I was given a clean bill of health I... I didn’t want to try. I was too nervous. Afraid that it wouldn't work but more afraid that it would.”

She takes a deep breath, her eyes squeezed shut tightly as she recounts the events that occurred leading up to your abduction. Her betrayal.

“It uh... it took three months but we conceived. I was finally pregnant.” She smiles a tearful, wet smile at you and your own eyes prickle with tears as you realize that her story won’t have a happy ending.

Your mind immediately goes to the worst things you can think of, ranging from miscarriage to murder, and you find yourself wanting to call Sarah down away from her father.

“I was ecstatic, (Y/n). I was so fucking happy.” Her eyes are filled with a type of sorrow that you’re far too familiar with. One you’ve felt too much in your short life.

“I told my shrink about it, told him how happy I was. Bucky and I cried together when we found out cause... we were finally gonna be parents. That’s around the time when I started coming by more often. What, sic months ago? Yeah, right around then. I uh, I wanted to wait until I was showing more to tell you, but...” She trails off, her face falling even more and tears trailing down her cheeks.

“That’s around the same time when Bucky started seeing Steve more. Spent less and less time at home with me and more time with Steve. I uh, got a call one day from his therapist, asking if everything was okay because she hadn’t seen him in weeks. That’s when I knew something wasn’t right. We hadn’t spoken to Steve since the cabin incident and then Bucky was spending every waking moment with him.”

She stops speaking, her fingers trembling and her bottom lip wobbling.

“What happened to the baby?” You ask softly, needing to know who hurt her, who caused it.

She exhales deeply and slowly opens her eyes.

“I uh, I guess Bucky must’ve told him. And uh... if Steve can’t have his happily ever after then no one can.”

My heart drops into my stomach.

“What did he do?”

She doesn’t answer right away. No, instead she picks at her fingers for a long moment.

“Did you know... that drinking certain teas can cause a miscarriage? Because I didn’t.” You furrow your brows, trying to figure out what she means until it dawns on you.

“He made you drink it?” You’re not sure which ‘he’ you’re talking about, but you know it must’ve been at least one, if not both of them.

“The last time I uh, set foot in this house before that dinner we had together... he invited us over for drinks and to watch the game. He made me some tea and asked me why I thought it was okay to keep secrets from him. I didn’t understand what he meant at the time but... that hardly matters. A few days later I started bleeding. A lot. I was in the infirmary for days on end only to find out that he’d poisoned my baby.”

She sniffles again and wipes her cheeks with the back of her hand.

“After that, he didn’t trust me, only trusted Bucky. Went to my therapist and took his notes, beat answers out of him when he refused to speak. I’m assuming they bugged me o-or something. Or followed my licence plate, searched through my history to figure it out."

Her candy apple green eyes meet yours, vibrant and staring directly into your soul with passion and fire rivalling that of a forest fire.

“I never breathed a single word of you or Sarah to anyone. Steve figured it out on his own, after almost killing my therapist, and killing my baby. I never said anything, I swear. On the life of my child, I didn’t say a thing.”

Your breaths come in shallow bursts, anxiety spiking as you shake your head.

“I-I don’t...” She puts a gentle hand on your shoulder and nods, guiding you towards the couch.

“I’m sorry. But that’s... that’s the truth. Steve is a monster, and he’s got Bucky following him mindlessly. I don’t... I don’t know what to do or who to turn to.”

You open your mouth to speak, but the sound of feet trudging down the stairs cuts you off.

“Everything alright down here?” Steve asks, reaching for his glass of lemonade but pausing when he sees the look of distress on your face.

His eyes flutter between you and Nat before he takes a seat beside you, grabbing your hand gently in his.

“Honey? You okay?”

You shake your head, trying to rid it of the overwhelming thoughts.

“Mommy?” The three of you look up as Sarah bounds down the stairs, climbing into your lap.

“Where’s my juice?” You pick her up and rest her on your hip as you stand up, walking into the kitchen to grab her cup of juice and distance yourself from the people on the couch.

Bucky comes down the stairs next, confused and wondering where everyone went.

His eyes find Natasha’s first, the poorly masked sorrow colouring her features, and his heart aches.

Sarah drinks her lemonade quickly, making a loud ‘ahh’ sound once she’s devoured the last drop.

“Can we have pizza for dinner?” She asks eagerly, looking up at you with big blue eyes.

You swallow hard then nod, your eyes slowly raising to Steve’s as he walks over to you.

“Pizza?” You ask softly, turning back to your daughter when he nods.

“Of course.” She squeals excitedly, wrapping her arms around your neck and hugging you tightly.

You hug her closer to your body, burying your face in her hair as a tear slips down your cheek.

You knew he was a bad man, but you never thought he’d hurt a child. That would’ve been his niece or nephew, a friend for Sarah and your new baby. But no, he decided that Natasha didn’t deserve her happy ending, neither did Bucky.

Natasha is one of the few friends you’ve ever had, and the fact that he’d hurt her that way, kill off her one dream, is disgusting.

It makes you wonder what he’ll do to you, or even Sarah.

You thought hurting kids was something Steve would never do, but now you’re not so sure.

#Steve rogers #Steve Rogers x reader #dark!fic #dark!steve #dark!fanfiction #steve x reader dark fic #stucky x reader dark fic #Steve rogers x reader dark fic #dark fic #Steve Rogers x reader dark au #trigger warning #tw: rape #tw: miscarriage #trigger warning: miscarriage #miscarriage #Dark au #marvel dark au #marvel dark fic

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theringers · 3 years ago

Text

watch me burn - pierre gasly

illicit affairs, part seven

summary: “oh baby, I've been thinking about it, you know that I've been dreaming about it” watch me burn / michele morrone

a/n: hi:) still a few more parts to go but i went a few chapters without smut and this was needed so enjoy:) also if u listen to the title song while u read its a whole new experience lmfao

warnings: 18+, nsfw, smut, semi public sex

2 months ago, to the day

Your eyes met his piercing blue eyes in the garage once again. It had been a month since you slept with Pierre and you haven’t stopped thinking about it. The way he stared at you as he fucked you was the exact same way he was glaring at you across the paddock. Needy and desperate.

You shook yourself back into focus and listened as Max’s strategist reiterated today’s race strategy but you couldn’t help daydreaming about what that man could do in bed.

You drowned out the conversation about tyres and looked over to Alpha Tauri at the perfect time. Pierre had his bottom lip between his teeth while he examined his car. He ran his hand slowly over the chassis seductively like he knew you were watching. His fingers grazed the metal in painstakingly slow circles. After he removed his hand from the car was when he caught your eyes. He gave you a smirk, not even a smile, and turned away. It was good to know that you weren’t the only one thinking about what happened.

The race started and you were in the garage, cheering on Max. He had started second on the grid but due to a first lap incident, he was fifth. He was not going to be happy after the race. He can tolerate if he fucks up but having other people interfere with his race is something he takes particularly hard.

Pierre’s car came up behind Max’s around a corner and got too close for comfort. Max jerked his steering wheel too much as he tried to turn, sending Pierre’s car straight into the barriers.

You stood up out of your seat and gasped. Everyone in the garage was relieved to see Max still racing and no one seemed to be concerned about Pierre. You took off your Red Bull Racing branded headphones and slammed them on the table before rushing over to the Alpha Tauri garage.

Anna was seated in her chair, looking worried, but not enough for you. She should be close to tears like you were.

“Have you heard anything from him?” You asked and Anna looked up, almost annoyed.

“He’s conscious,” his race engineer said, “but hurting.” You heard the groan come through followed by a bunch of curse words. He apologized profusely for his move but it was all Max’s fault.

You watched on Alpha Tauri’s monitors as the race was red flagged and decided to head back to Red Bull’s garage. “Let me know when you hear something,” you said to Anna. She nodded and looked back down to her phone. Fucking bitch. Her attitude made you not even feel bad about sleeping with her husband. She didn’t deserve him.

Max walked back to the garage looking like a life size bobble head with his heavy helmet swinging around. “Is Pierre okay?” He asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

“He’s conscious. He took a nasty hit.”

“I know, I feel bad. I didn’t mean to, the steering wheel just got away from me. I saw him crash in my rear view mirror.”

You were visibly shaken and Max always knew the right things to say when you weren’t feeling okay.

“He’s gonna be okay,” Max said, rubbing your back.

You nodded in agreement. “I know he will. I’m going to check on him at the medical center once the race starts again.”

Max smiled at you. “That would be good. Make sure you tell him I’m sorry.”

An engineer put his hand on Max’s shoulder and shoved a spreadsheet full of data in his face. He shrugged his shoulders and walked with the engineer to the monitors.

It wasn’t long before the race got underway again. Max made it up to third, podium position, but there were still at least 30 laps left. You started the trek through the paddock and over to the medical center. You were just a bit too late as you saw Pierre walking out down the ramp. He smiled when he saw you approach him.

“How ya feeling champ?” You asked him.

“I’m a bit sore thanks to your husband.”

Your face fell. “He sends his apologies. I promise he was actually remorseful.”

“Max? Remorseful? What did you do to him?”

You laughed. Max did have a temper and tended to be extra competitive but he had formed a special bond with Pierre these last few years. They weren’t friends by any means but they helped each other out whenever possible. This was one of the times that it wasn’t possible.

“He does genuinely feel bad, Pierre.”

“I know he does, it was a racing incident. I saw the footage.” He limped slightly through the paddock and winced when he put pressure on his left leg. “I think I should go lay down for a bit.” He took another step and lost his balance. You grabbed his arm and held him, making sure he stayed steady.

“This is it right here,” he pointed to his motor home.

“Do you want me to help you up there? I don’t want you to fall.” You said with a soft smile on your face. How could he resist your offer of help?

“Sure,” he limped over to the door and you aided him up a few stairs. “Shouldn’t you be watching the rest of the race? Last I checked, Max was doing really well.”

He sat down on the luxe white leather couch in exhaustion and you sat at the table across from him. “He wanted to make sure you’re okay. He’ll be fine.” You looked around the motorhome, observing your surroundings to seem busy. “So Anna’s nice…” you said, followed by a laugh. You had known Anna for a few months now. Their wedding was right before the season started and you really hadn’t known her much before then either. She tended to keep to herself and you wanted to respect that.

“She can be a bit…”

“Yeah, I know. I went to check on you after the crash and she looked like she wanted me dead.”

“In her defense, she caught me checking out your ass this morning. She was not very happy with me after that.”

You leaned forward to give him a light smack. “Pierre!” You shook your head in disappointment. “What did she think of the way you were practically fingering your car this morning?”

He played fake shy. “Oh, you saw that?”

“You make my heart beat crazy fast.” You admitted, putting your hand to your chest. “That didn’t help.”

“Well, as long as you enjoyed yourself.”

Enjoy yourself you did. He was in his same fireproofs from earlier and you were sure he didn’t know how turned on they made you. They were pulled down to his waist, the sleeves hanging low off his hips. His white undershirt was tight to his body, putting his abs on full display. His legs were spread wide, inviting you in. Was it hot in there? Was the air conditioning on?

He ran his hands over his abdomen and leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. He groaned, sounding like he was in pain, frustrated, and horny at the same time.

Why did he have to be so unbelievably irresistible to you? When you were around him it was almost impossible to contain yourself. There was a magnetic force dragging you to him constantly. You moved yourself to sit next to him, earning his attention and popping his head up.

“You look really hot right now,” you giggled to yourself. He made you feel like a teenager experiencing her first love. The nerves were through the roof.

“Well, I feel hot.” He looked around the walls of the motorhome. “Where the hell is the air conditioning and who turned it off?”

You let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god it’s not just me.” He looked over at you examined your face. He placed his hand on your red cheeks. “You’re flushed.”

When he touched you, a chill ran through your body. Your body felt on fire and he had the power to send a freezing cold chill through it all.

“My cheeks get really red when I get nervous.” You blushed even more having to admit that. It was your least favorite characteristic of yourself. Everyone always knew flat out when you were nervous.

“I can’t tell if it makes you look cute, like I want to hug you, or if I want to fuck you.” His hand still rested on your cheek as he looked back and forth between your eyes and lips. “You look so god damn innocent. Like I could totally ruin you with just a few minutes alone.” His thumb ran over your lower lip and you instinctively stuck your tongue out to meet his thumb. He took the opportunity to put his thumb in your mouth and you suctioned around it, keeping eye contact with him. “Y/n,” he breathlessly begged, “please.”

His lips crashed to yours, feeling warm and secure the moment they touched. His hands held your neck and you moaned into his mouth, forgetting what it felt like to be touched by him.

He hoisted you onto his lap, wincing a bit when you grazed his knee. His hands fit perfectly in the curves of your waist as he pulled you closer to him, grinding your hips. “Don’t do this to me,” he said into your neck.

“Why not?” You said cheekily.

“We don’t have much time.” You almost forgot that there was a race going on right now.

“I can be quick.” You hopped off of him and locked the motorhome door as he undressed out of his fireproofs. He looked so good in his white suit but he looked even better naked. You slipped off your underwear and hoisted your sundress up to your waist before going back to his lap.

He guided your body on top of his, settling you down as you took all of him in, deep. “Shit. A condom.” You said, after the bare feeling of him inside of you set in. God did it feel good but it wasn’t right.

“I don’t think I have any in here.” He said. “I promise I’ll pull out. I need you so bad.” He lightly bit your nipple through your sundress.

“I will kill you if you’re lying to me.” You started to move your hips and moaned at the sensation. He felt so good filling you up all the way.

He took your ass in his hands and started to bounce you up and down on his cock. “That’s it baby, just like that.” He said, admiring your movements. “Fuck me like a good girl.”

Your head fell forward, the feeling running through your body getting almost unbearable to handle.

“Jesus, Pierre, you feel so good.” You pulled your hair into a makeshift ponytail and arched your back, feeling like all eyes were on you in the best way possible.

He watched you in awe as you rode his cock without a care in the world. “Your pussy is so tight baby. So tight for me.” A breathy moan escaped his lips and his face looked like he was in pure bliss. There’s nowhere else he would rather be.

“Shit, shit, I’m gonna come.” He said, panicking. You rushed to get off of him as you saw the liquid pool on his abs.

“Did you…?”

“I don’t think I got any inside of you.”

You took a deep breath to collect your thoughts. God, you hoped not.

next part

#f1 imagine #f1 smut #f1 x reader #f1 blurb #smut prompts #f1 fanfic #max verstappen imagine #pierre gasly smut #max verstappen smut #pierre gasly imagine #pierre gasly fic #pierre gasly fanfic #pierre gasly fanficfion #max verstappen fanfiction #pg #mv

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philicheesecake · 3 years ago

Text

(UL) Protected

Masterpost

Warnings: Soft unwilling ambiguous ending vore, blood, injuries, mentions of fatal vore

Word count: 2245 words

———

Ruth panted in the darkness. Her heart raced in sync with the booming heartbeat from above. She was scared. She didn't know what was going on. She was worried about Rubin and Warren. Most of all, she was scared of being stuck here again. Her father died in a giant's stomach, and now here she was. Even though she had warmed up to Lexie, each time she was eaten, the fear was just as bad, haunting her from her deepest nightmares.

She shuddered as she felt a soft, gentle rub against her back. The alien pressure felt so distant, and yet so close. It was only sign she wasn't truly alone in here. She was far from alone. Lexie was all around her.

"L-Lexie...?" She called out shakily.

"Ruth, everything's under control, I promise." A loud voice reverberated around her in response. "We'll all meet up at the school, okay? Everyone's fine."

Everything didn't feel "fine."

"But... What about Rubin? Is he okay?" She asked.

Lexie didn't respond for a while. The only sound was of the giant's breathing, her booming heartbeat, and the organic noises from the stomach around her. She could feel a rhythmic swaying in a steady beat. Lexie was walking, that much Ruth could distinguish, but everything else was hidden beyond a veil of blackness, past a wall of flesh she couldn't hope to escape.

A sigh finally resonated around her. A more firm rub against Ruth's shoulder. "Like he said. Cramps. I dunno what's going on with him, so we can just ask him when we meet up later."

Ruth frowned, uncertain weather to believe this answer. She knew Rubin too well. He didn't seem the type to make a big fuss over his own issues. He'd brush anything aside as "cramps" to avoid bringing attention to himself.

That and... so many other things bothered her at this moment.

"Daki said... He'd eat Warren and Rubin." Ruth said quietly. "And you just trust him?"

"We don't have many other options." Lexie said. "He could have run off and killed Warren when we rescued you guys, but he didn't. We can just hope he does the same this time,"

Ruth went silent again, hugging her knees close. "I don't like being powerless like this." She said quietly after a moment.

Lexie sighed, rubbing her middle again. "I know."

The giant began to pick up her pace. Ruth could hear Lexie's heart rate begin to quicken just a bit. Ruth unfurled her hand to nervously pat at the wall. "Hey, what's going on?"

"I can smell some people up ahead. I think I can see the school."

Ruth sighed in relief. "Thank god. Now get closer and get me out of here."

"Okay. Hang tight." Lexie said. The giant's movements quickened, and she put a hand to her belly. The movements continued for some time, then gradually slowed their pace. "Okay, I'm near the entrance of the school there. It looks like there's someone watching the entrance. Wish me luck."

Ruth jerked upwards, squirming a little. "Wait— you can't just walk up to hunters and expect them to be chill with a giant who clearly just ate someone."

Lexie sighed. "Alright. I'll get you out. Hang tight,"

The stomach muscles began to clench around Ruth. She cringed, curling up tighter. She could hear someone's voice outside, then a muffled shout. A sudden gunshot boomed outside, and the stomach loosened around Ruth. There was a lurch of movement as Lexie seemed to topple backwards with a cry of pain. Ruth gasped for hair, pushing out against the stomach walls. "Lexie! What's going on?"

There was a bunch of jerky movements. Lexie seemed to be running. More gunshots boomed outside. Lexie's heart raced, and her breaths quickened. "G—got shot... t-trying to get out of there— n-not safe—" Lexie rasped between breaths.

A wave of fear rolled over Ruth. "What?! Lexie, let me out! Let me look at your wound!"

Lexie continued to move, a ragged cough tore through her lungs. "I'm f-fine— oh hello... blood."

Ruth punched against the walls. "Lexie! Damnit! This is serious! Get me out of here! Let me help you!"

Lexie hiccuped, hissing out in pain. "Agh— easy— I'm fine... I'm f—fffff...."

Gravity suddenly shifted, then collapsed around Ruth, squeezing around her even tighter. Ruth rasped for air, pushing against the slimy walls to try to breathe properly through the tightness. It occurred to her that Lexie must have fallen flat on her face, pinning her stomach beneath her. The weight of a giant on top of Ruth was anything but comfortable, only adding onto the claustrophobic fear of the situation.

"...Lexie?" She coughed out.

No response.

She took in a shuddering breath. She shoved against the walls. "Lexie! Snap out of it! Talk to me!"

Ruth could still hear the pounding heartbeat from around her, though the giant's breaths had deepened. She had passed out. Ruth's heart pounded in dread. Giants digest while they're asleep.

***

The aftermath of Skinner's transformation was met with a lot of debate. Skinner had passed out again shortly after he had transformed back and he was left in a secure room as he recovered while the Legion determined his fate. Thankfully, no one except Eli had been hurt, and most of the damage done was from the one room Skinner's wolf had attacked with Eli in it. They had gotten lucky, this time.

Thunder cracked loudly outside, shaking the building. Rain poured against the roof. Katherine paced the end of the classroom, trying to ignore the burning eyes she could feel bearing down on her from the other Legion members.

"Katherine, this won't work," the Archivist Riley spoke up. "We have protocols against this. Skinner himself said that if any UL member was turned or cursed, they're supposed to be collected from and killed."

"But this is Skinner we're talking about." Katherine said. "He's a collector who has benefitted the Legion for years. He has outstanding promise and talent. Should we waste all of that for just one day a month?"

"During the apocalypse? Yes." A hunter said.

"During the apocalypse we might need him more than ever—" Katherine was interrupted when the door opened and one of the civilians peeked in. "What is it?"

"Katherine... you might want to see this..." the civilian said.

She sighed, rubbing her head. "Can it wait?"

The civilian frowned. "Uh, I don't think so. I think you'll really want to see this asap."

The civilian stepped back, disappearing from the door.

Katherine sighed, returning her attention to the Legion members. "Okay, I think we all need a break for a minute to clear our heads. We'll resume in thirty minutes. How does that sound?"

No one seemed to oppose to the idea, and the Legion members began to move out, or group into corners to talk amongst each other. Katherine took this chance to slip past the crowd and head into the hallway where the civilian was waiting.

"Alright, what's going on?" She asked.

The civilian motioned to follow, beginning to head back down the hallway towards the entrance of the school. Katherine got the message and kept close to the man's strides.

"I was on watch duty. I spotted something I can't explain. I tried out the kapre tears glasses, but it showed nothing. But..." he bit his lip, approaching the door outside and laid a hand on the knob. A couple other civilians were grouped nearby, seeming just as curious and cautious.

Katherine's brow furrowed. She drew her gun cautiously. "Show me."

The man sighed, then pushed the door open. Katherine gasped.

Lying bloody and wet on the doorstep was Warren Pace.

Katherine stared dumbfounded for a moment, then bent down in front of him, checking for a pulse. He was alive. He just lost a lot of blood.

She grunted, lifting him into a fireman carry. One of the civilians opened the door for her again and stepped aside. "Wait— so you're letting him in?"

"Help me get him to the infirmary," Katherine commanded.

The civilians didn't protest, one just hovered beside her with his arms out, trying to offer to help her carry Warren, though it seemed like she had it covered.

Warren was only faintly aware of himself being carried through the school. The familiar stained floors passing beneath him. He blinked blearily out of focus at his new passing environment, before shutting his eyes again with exhaustion.

He eventually felt himself lowered onto a squeaky old cot, though it felt worlds better than sleeping in a prison cell, or on the forest floor from his travels. He sighed deeply, sinking back into the bed. Sleep beckoned, though a thought far stronger itched in his mind.

He blearily managed to open his eyes and stare back up at Katherine. "W-where's my sisters? Th-they... they okay?"

Katherine placed a hand on his shoulder. "They're fine. Just rest. We'll have time to talk later. About everything."

Warren sighed in relief at this news. Every last bit of tension sank away. His sisters were safe.

His breaths eventually deepened and his eyes drifted shut. He was out like a light.

Katherine sighed, getting to her feet. She looked to the medic in charge of the area, who eyed her questioningly. "Take care of him, but don't let him leave this room. Let me know the instant he's in good enough health to talk. If he says anything to you, relay it back to me. Understood?"

The medic nodded.

"Thank you." Katherine sighed, then left the room. She checked her watch. She still had time before she would rejoin the Legion's meeting. But first things first. She needed answers.

***

Eli was interrupted from his sleep from a door shutting and footsteps approach. He groaned, blinking blearily ahead as his eyes slowly came into focus.

"Can y'all just give me a fuckin' break before taking more of my blood?" Eli grumbled. "Skinner already took most of it when I was trying to save your asses."

Katherine closed the door behind her, stepping closer to the chained giant. Eli looked terrible. Nearly every inch of him was coated in bloodstains. Countless bites and scratches marred his skin and tore his clothing. His wrists were once again restrained by their metal cuffs and chains, and his hands still looked out of shape from being broken just last night. Most of the color had left his face. Even after sleeping through the morning, he still hadn't managed to heal much at all yet.

Katherine stopped in front of him, giving him a wary look. "Why did you lie to us?"

Eli cocked his head slightly to the side. "Wha?"

"About Warren Pace."

His expression hardened. "What do ya mean?"

"You didn't kill him. Why did you lie?"

Eli's eyes narrowed. "Yes, of course I did! I think I'd fuckin' remember if I digested someone I never wanted to kill! What are ya playin' at?"

"Warren isn't dead." She said. "He showed up on our doorstep just now."

Eli's eyes flared with fury and he jerked forwards, tugging against the chains holding him. "Don't you fuckin' toy with me, bastard! Warren is dead! I killed him! What more do ya want? What do ya think you'll get outta lying to me!"

Katherine stepped back reflexively. A look of worry briefly crossed her features. She straightened her stance and held out her hand. "Smell me. I carried him in."

Eli's nose wrinkled, at first seeming resistant, then he leaned forward, sniffing at her hand. The visible tension throughout him seemed to dissolve, replaced by a look of dumbfounded shock.

"His blood..."

Katherine studied the giant. "You... really believe you killed him."

Eli's eyes flitted from her hand to her face. "I don't believe it, I know it. I... I coughed up his leg after he was dead. There was nothing of him left."

"Well there is now. He's here, but he won't talk yet."

Eli stared at the floor blankly, appearing shaken by the fact. "Stars...." He murmured. He paused for a moment as he seemed to take this in. "...Olivia might know. She said... something about this. I didn't understand..."

"What does Olivia have to do with this?" Katherine asked.

Eli shrugged. "She... she said something about bringing him back to life before... but she didn't know if it would work again this time." He paused, looking up at Katherine with a slight tinge of hope. "So Warren... is really alive...?"

She nodded.

Eli let out a deep sigh, looking away as he ran a hand down his face. "Can you tell him I'm sorry? That I didn't mean anything I said and did back then?"

Katherine pursed her lips, seeming to just take everything in at this moment. "You can tell him yourself, if he has the guts to visit you again."

She glanced at her watch. She was cutting this close. Eli opened his mouth, though Katherine turned and left before he could speak. He closed his mouth again, still stunned by this new information. Warren was alive.

He leaned back again, knowing he should sleep, though his mind couldn't leave it alone. Dwelling on the thoughts of what he had done. What he had put Warren through. That strange alien feeling of guilt was back anew. He thought he had gotten good at suppressing it, though it was overwhelming now.

#vore story #soft vore #v/ore #v.ore #UL literature

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sailors-diary-for-elise · 3 years ago

Text

Firsts

Okay after this I swear I will post something OTHER than smut, I promise. But here we go, first time with mister Park Seonghwa

Warnings: (oh dear god not as many as my previous one but whew) lingerie, dry humping, multiple orgasms (y/n receiving), oral (y/n receiving again), finger sucking (Seonghwa receiving), fingering, not really orgasm denial but at the same time yes? virgin reader, experienced Seonghwa, over-usage of the name angel, protected sex (I CAN SET A GOOD EXAMPLE), a bit rough at the end, squirting (kinda mentioned but I don’t harp on it), reader kinda blacks out twice from her orgasms sooooo there’s that too but I think that’s it? If I missed anything PLEASE TELL ME.

Note: this was originally written for Jeonghan of Seventeen, but I’ve been considering taking them off of my list of groups I write for cause I haven’t really felt inspired for them 🤷🏼‍♀️ but anyway, ENJOY

Word count: 3k so not as long as Punishment (WHICH IS STILL GETTING NOTES OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH)

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

You were ready. This was the next step in your relationship and an important step in your life. Staring at your reflection, you can’t help but blush. Why? Because you almost don’t recognize yourself in the mirror.

A white lace, two-piece set hugs your curves and accentuates your soft facial features, which is made up of a simple eyeliner and mascara pairing meant to highlight your favorite facial features. Your hair hangs loosely over your shoulders, brushing the sensitive skin there causing goosebumps to rise across your skin and a shiver to run down your spine. Or maybe that’s because of what’s about to happen. With your boyfriend.

Seonghwa and you have been in a steady relationship for a couple years that resulted in you moving with him to Korea a few months back. You aren’t exactly sure when you realized how important Seonghwa had become to you, and you DEFINITELY don’t remember exactly when you decided he’d be your first but you did know that it was the right choice.

Your phone chimes, notifying you of Seonghwa most likely leaving dance practice to head home as he always does. He has no idea what he’s coming home to, nor does he expect it. You and Seonghwa have been moving relatively slow in your relationship, the farthest being make-out sessions that he always ended with sweet pecks and the words “soon, love” always leaving his lips with a smile that made your heart flutter. But now you are ready.

The door opens and shuts, causing your heart to race and legs to tremble. You take a deep breath to steady yourself and calm your nerves.

“Y/n?” Seonghwa calls out, setting his bag down in the living room. “Angel, I’m home. I swear Yunho was trying to kill us today with this new choreography-”

Seonghwa stops mid-sentence, mouth dropping at the beautiful sight before him. His hair is sticking slightly to his forehead, his hand coming up to push it back. And there you stand, hands held to your chest shyly as he looks you up and down. Clearing his throat, he looks away while blushing slightly.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve knocked. Were you changing?” he mumbles, avoiding your gaze as you giggle nervously.

“No. I wasn’t,” you reply, slowly walking forward and placing a cautious hand on his chest to feel his racing heartbeat. “I meant for you to see this. What do you think?”

Seonghwa’s tongue flicks across his lip, before biting it subconsciously and looking at you properly. His pupils blow wide slightly, looking at your seemingly innocent face while choosing his next words carefully. He takes in every part of you, lightly running a single finger from your hip up to your neck where a silky white choker rests. He pulls it slightly, feeling the soft and smooth material against his fingertips while you tilt your head slightly, closing your eyes and letting out a shaky breath.

“You look absolutely ravishing.” is all he says before pulling you into a heated kiss. His lips dance across yours, hands pulling you forward by your hips until you are flush against him. You moan slightly, his tongue swiping across your lips lightly before entering your mouth, feeling his way around. Pulling away slightly, both of you a panting mess as you look in each other’s eyes, foreheads touching and noses rubbing against each other. “Y/n. I want to make sure you are absolutely sure about this. And if you change your mind at any point, just tell me and I’ll stop or we’ll try again later or-”

You cut him off by pressing a kiss to his lips, catching him by surprise and making him sigh softly.

“I’m sure,” you mumble, blushing slightly as he rubs soothing circles on your hips, fingers slipping past the waistband of your underwear. “I’ve never been more sure of anything, Hwa. I love you, and I want you to be my first.” Seonghwa smiles, pressing a kiss to your lips before grabbing your wrist and guiding you to the bed, sitting down on the edge and patting his leg.

“Okay angel, but we’re taking this slow and I’m in control,” Seonghwa states as you straddle his lap, his bulge resting on the inside of your thigh causing you to shiver. You look down, but he grabs your chin, smirking while looking in your eyes. “Understood?”

“I understand,” you mumble, biting your lip as he flashes you a brilliant smile that causes your heart to flutter.

“Good angel.” Seonghwa kisses you again, this time more in control of himself as he wraps his arms around you, unclasping your bra and slowly removing it trailing the skin it passes with fluttering touches that cause you to shiver, whimpering against his lips. He pulls away to discard the article of clothing, looking at your now exposed breasts before cupping one in his hand. “Beautiful,” is all he mumbles before bringing a nipple into his mouth and sucking lightly.

A surprised gasp leaves you, followed by a low groan as your hands tangle in his messy grey locks, tugging slightly before moving your hips against his slightly. He groans against you, grasping your hips tightly in warning not to move. Whining, you look down at him as he glares at you, pulling away from your now abused and pointed nipple.

“Don’t test me. I’m barely keeping it together as it is and I want this to be special,” he groans, leaning over you slightly while raising an eyebrow. Gulping, you look down and nod. “Good girl.”

Seonghwa returns to his work, licking and sucking at your nipple while pinching the other before switching to give it the same treatment. You're a moaning and whimpering mess, threading your fingers through his hair as he groans, pulling away after what feels like forever to look at his handy work.

“Now, angel, is there anything you want off of me?” he questions, smirking slightly as you pout at the loss of stimulation. Looking him straight in the eyes, you tug on his shirt indicating you wanting it to be gone. Smiling, he slowly lifts it over his head and throws it behind you. He begins peppering kisses across your jaw and down your neck, stopping at where your shoulder meets your neck to lightly bite there, then laving his tongue across that spot. He begins sucking at it and nibbling, causing shudders to run down your spine.

“S-Seonghwa,” you whimper, tugging his locks slightly.

“What angel?” he whispers, blowing on the now bruised part of your neck before licking a strip up and across where your pulse is.

“I-I need m-more.” You’re a stuttering mess, trying desperately not to move your hips against his tempting bulge. Feeling him chuckle against you, he loosens his grips on your hips to move them in a slow rhythm against his own. “F-fuck.”

He groans into your neck, his hips bucking against yours as you begin moving faster against him. His assault on your neck becomes a bit more aggressive, groaning and cursing as both of your hips move desperately against each other, a warm feeling overcoming your senses. You whimper at the unfamiliar yet pleasant sensation.

“Seonghwa. What is this?” you gasp, hips acting on their own as Seonghwa brings your lips to his in a heated kiss. “Feels g-good.”

“Angel, are you about to cum? Just from my hips? I’m not even in you yet,” he teases, hand reaching between you both to rub your clit through your panties, adding to the feeling before you feel your core tightening. “You can if you want. Go ahead and cum on my lap, angel. Don’t hold back.”

Squeezing your eyes shut, you desperately thrust against his hips before a euphoric and sense depriving feeling washes over you, causing your toes to curl and your head to roll back as you moan out. Seonghwa slows his pace against you, whispering praises against your neck before pressing light kisses to help you ride out your orgasm.

“We can stop here if you want, angel. Just let me know. You’re doing so well,” he presses a kiss to your forehead and cheeks, nipping your nose before pecking you lightly on the lips. “I don’t want to overwhelm my sweet angel.”

“No. I’m fine. I want to keep going,” you mumble, coming back to your senses slowly. Chuckling lightly, Seonghwa presses one last kiss on your lips before laying you down on the bed, supporting your head with pillows as he slowly kisses his way down your body, kissing each hip before spreading your legs slowly.

He smirks, lightly touching your sensitive core to see how wet it is. “Look at my sweet angel, all wet and ready for me. Part of me just wants to taste you.”

“Please!” you cry out, surprised as he dives in to lick a strip up over your panties, your head was thrown back and hands finding purchase in his hair again.

“What my angel wants, she gets.” At this, Seonghwa grabs your panties with his teeth and pulls them down your legs slowly, pulling them off completely before throwing them somewhere else with the growing pile of clothes. “Thank you for the meal.”

You are honestly struggling with breathing as Seonghwa licks up your core before sucking your clit into his mouth, moaning at the taste of you hitting his tongue. The vibrations go straight through your core and you almost scream, hips jolting as he picks up his pace in eating you out. Wrapping his lips around you and sucking hard before lapping up the arousal that seeps out of you, hands pinning your hips down. What surprises you the most is when his tongue pokes at your entrance, slowly pushing in and pulling out again. You whimper at the intrusion, slowly becoming more accustomed to the feeling as he continues to fuck his tongue in and out of you. He slowly gains speed, moaning against you as he eats you out like you’re the last meal he is going to have. The warm feeling returns, much more intense than before and growing faster. You open your mouth to warn Seonghwa but all that comes out is a scream as you cum hard, white flashing before your eyes as your body goes rigid.

Your ears are ringing and you hear your name being called in the distance, the white slowly dispersing and you see a very concerned Seonghwa above you tapping your cheek lightly.

“Breathe, Y/n. Come back down from it and breathe,” Seonghwa states firmly once seeing you come out of your high. “Angel, are you ok?”

“That was amazing,” you pant, completely shocked at the powerful orgasm you just experienced. Seonghwa’s hand gently strokes your cheek, followed by a peck there. What you don't expect is how now a painfully hard dick rubs against your core, causing a strained moan to escape his lips. Smirking, you reach between his legs and cup your hand over his bulge, giggling as he grunts into your neck.

“Y/n, stop it,” he groans, hips bucking as you continue to rub him through his pants. “You can’t handle anymore.”

“Says who?” you mumble out, slowly unzipping his jeans and slipping your hand into his underwear and pumping him a couple of times before squeezing his base. Seonghwa hisses in your ear, a mumbled curse passing his lips as he slowly moves his hips to the same rhythm of your hand movements. “I think I’ll be fine, especially if I get to take care of you.”

Before you can continue working on Seonghwa, your hand is ripped out of his pants and he gets off the bed, pulling his jeans and boxers off swiftly and pulling a small package out of one his pockets, ripping it open before rolling a condom on his length, climbing back on top of you as soon as he’s finished. He brings his fingers to your mouth, parting your lips and sliding them in gently.

“Suck them, my love,” he grunts, voice raspy from the noises he was making earlier. “Make sure you get them nice and wet for me, okay?”

You nod, swirling your tongue around his digits before hollowing your cheeks and pulling off his digits, which drip with your saliva. Seonghwa smirks at you, moving down and slowly gathering your leaking juices on his fingertips before slowly sinking one into you.

Gasping, you close your eyes and hiss out, the sudden intrusion strange yet pleasurable. Seonghwa curls his finger in you, before slowly pumping it in and out of you enjoying your writhing body beneath him as he moves up to press kisses across your neck. He keeps a steady pace, being able to tell when you’re ready for another finger until he’s stretched you around three of his long digits.

The warmth returns, but before you get a chance to fully enjoy it Seonghwa pulls his dripping fingers out of your core, holding them in front of his face before sticking them straight in his mouth, cleaning them while moaning at the taste of you.

Diving into your lips, Seonghwa lines himself up with your entrance.

“Are you sure about this?” he questions, checking your eyes and face for any signs of hesitation. A soft smile followed by a gentle nod is all he needs before pushing himself into you, pausing at just the tip.

“A-ah,” you whimper out, wiggling at the stretching sensation that starts where you two are joined before Seonghwa pins your hips down. He’s panting with the amount of restraint he’s putting on himself not to just slam into you and fuck you senseless. A couple of minutes pass before you tap Seonghwa’s shoulder, indicating he can continue. This process of moving, pausing and resuming continues until Seonghwa has bottomed out in you, filling you to the absolute brim.

“So warm, so tight,” he grits out between his teeth, feeling the strain on his muscles. “Fuck baby, I never want to leave this pussy again.”

You’re a whimpering and whining mess, digging your nails into Seonghwa’s shoulders as you try to adjust to his girth and length. Taking a few deep breaths, you gently rut your hips into him feeling a fire ignite in your stomach and spread through your bloodstream. Seonghwa groans, head falling into your shoulder as he whispers praises in your ear.

“S-Seonghwa,” you hiss out, desperate for any kind of stimulation. “Move. Now.”

With that said, Seonghwa slowly pulls out until only his tip remains in you before moving forward again, causing a long groan to break free from your mouth. He continues this slow rhythm, your head lolling back as he begins sucking on the skin of your collarbones. But it’s not enough.

“M-more. Please give me more!” you cry out, desperate for Seonghwa to snap and fuck you into oblivion. He slowly picks up the pace, hips snapping in a sharp rhythm that feels amazing but just not enough. “Damn it Seonghwa, if you don’t pick up the pace I’m throwing you off of me and riding you until I cum.”

At your challenge, Seonghwa stills his hips as he stares at you with blown out eyes and a sweat-covered brow, a smirk growing on his face as he chooses his next words carefully.

“Are you challenging me, angel?” he questions, his smirk growing at how whiny you’ve got now that he’s ceased his movements. “Because while I’m enjoying our current arrangement, I’m perfectly okay switching it up a bit.”

“P-please Seonghwa. Don’t tease, and stop playing nice,” you beg, eyes pleading as you try to move your hips against his. “Just fuck me already-OH!”

Seonghwa adjusts his position, making sure his thrusts hit deep inside of you and causing jolts of pleasure to course through you. His pace has completely changed, his hips slapping against yours and echoing in the small room. You’re practically screaming at this point, panting out Seonghwa’s name in a mantra as he continues his relentless pace.

Seonghwa grunts into your neck, feeling himself twitching inside of you and panicking at the possibility of finishing before you. His concerns are put to rest when you begin clenching around him, moans going higher in pitch and hips stuttering as they attempt to match his pace. Reaching between the both of you, Seonghwa starts circling your clit rapidly, sending your eyes rolling to the back of your head as you finally reach your high, a wet feeling spurting out of you and triggering Seonghwa’s own release.

Thrusting slowly in and out of you, Seonghwa and you ride out your orgasms while trying to catch your breath. After a few minutes of this, you grow uncomfortable and whine at Seonghwa who pulls out of you quickly and collapses next to you.

“Angel,” he grunts, voice raw from what he just experienced. “Are you okay?”

Giggling, you allow him to pull you into a warm and sticky embrace after disposing of the condom. He can feel your heart-rate slowing as you calm after your orgasm. “I’m fine. More than fine, actually. That was amazing, Hwa. Thank you.”

“No thank YOU, angel” Seonghwa states, pressing a light kiss to your temple and working out the knots in your hair. “You shared a moment so important to you with me and put your faith in me. And there are no words that can express how much I appreciate that.”

“Mmmhmm,” is all you can manage, Seonghwa’s soft fingers running through your hair and his honey voice soothing you to sleep. “I always knew it would be you, Seonghwa. Because I love you.”

Seonghwa smiles, pressing a peck on your lips before settling in for the night, deciding to properly clean up the mess when you both wake-up. Right as you fall into consciousness, you hear his angelic voice say one last sentence that sends your heart fluttering out of your chest.

“I love you too, Y/n. Forever and for always, I will love you.”

#ateez smut #ateez soft smut #seonghwa smut #park seonghwa smut #ateez first time smut #seonghwa first time smut #park seonghwa first time smut #i swear i write more than just smut guys ;-;

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