#so im hitting a middle ground of lounging on my back or stomach if im not actively attempting sleep

[nivq87]

Still annoyingly aware of certain bones, but hey at least i have some energy again! Tried to take a nap and the only reason i stopped playing cotl is it crashed again. Very fun game! Probably dont buy it for switch. Soon(tm) theres supposed to be a major update with new features and apparently some optimization for switch but uh…. Idk. We’ll see

[prettyboykatsuki]

please PLEASE write more abt bully bkg!!! what happened next?? what did kiri do omg

tw ;; mild toxicity, bully!bkg, kirishima being a shit, fem!reader 18+, spanking, oral (f!recieving), bkg accidentally worships your pussy instead of punishing you :/, unprotected sex, praise kink 

PT. 1

a/n ;; have i mentioned he makes me absolutely out of my mind yet? have i said that?!??#?$# 

i think we’ve established about the two of them enough by now so here’s how i picture it. 

like i said before - bkg is a campus athlete, popular and well-rounded and all around has that like image to him and so when he essentially confesses to you after fucking you stupid in the library, that’s basically him making you his girlfriend. you don’t know that for a long time but we’ll get there later. 

anwyays.. right after he fucks you nice n full of his cum, he slides your panties and shorts right back on and snickers as he watches you struggle to get to your feet before eventually helping you. he keeps your bra as a punishment and makes you keep his hoodie, almost biting you when you try and take kirishimas to return it to him. he’ll do it himself, don’t test him. 

when you’re all dressed - he makes you pack up and ends up walking you to your dorm room in the middle of the night (which you beg him to not do) but he’ll be fucking damned if anything bad happens to you. it’s his version of affectionate but you don’t know that yet so you’re mostly awkwardly trying to dodge him on the way back BUT he’s still bkg so when he notices that he yanks you. 

he makes you hold his arm and licks your cheek cause he’s such a fucking dick. hits you with a “get used to it, princess” with the most condescending tone. but he’s being so serious. you just think he’s teasing you but he’s not.. he means it. get used to him, basically because now he’s a constant presence in your life. 

he drops you off in front of your dorm and you’re about to wave him off but before you can go he grabs your waist and basically dips you for a kiss. and it’s so good - fuck, you wish you could say you hated it. but bakugou is experienced as much as he’s mean so he kisses you like his life depends on it, his fingers digging into your sides and his tongue in your mouth. you almost forget your in public until he pulls you back up 

he gives you a little breathless grin, patting your cheek with his hand and telling you “get cleaned up, dumbass” which is his way of telling you to get home safe. 

and you do get to your empty dorm. you take a shower and just kinda reflect on the actualy fuck transpired cause you were pretty positive he wanted you in a casket but?!?!?! you fucked him and he kissed you? so ???? 

youre in the middle of your exams and you’re honestly tired since you got fucked within in an inch of your life so you shower and just.. go to sleep. in his hoodie cause it smells good and it’s big and comfy and you’re like... thinking about it really hard but it just makes your headache. 

you conclude after a lot of tossing and turning that he’s probably still just trying to fuck around with you and maybe thinks you’re an easy lay.  you can’t say you aren’t since you were willing and ready for him (the thought of how easily you gave in has you flustered) 

you sleep, eventually. and you wake up the next morning not really expecting much. you don’t have bkgs number or anything so you just.. continue with your day as is. unlucky for you - you have classes with bakugou and kirishima 

but you don’t think it’ll be all that different. still so non-chalant. and you go to class that day dressed normally - with bakugous hoodie in hand. 

you sit in your regular seat that day and this is your first mistake. 

kirishima is in class before bakugou is. and he is.. as always, a little shit. so he pulls up right beside you because even though bkg is pissed at kiri - they are besties so he tells him everything. kirishima wont tease you abt it and u still think kirishima is quite nice and handsome so you’re pleased to greet him. 

ah.. another mistake on your behalf. this action WILL have consequences. 

kirishima gets so cozy with you btw. he loves that you’re so comfy w him - strokes his ego so good. and he chats you up for a better part of the hour before your morning class. 

he makes jokes and smiles and laughs and thinks about how easy it would be snatch you from bakugou and keep you to himself. he’s not good enough of a person to leave you alone. 

aaah kirishima is a sweetheart and he treats you well. so when you feel his hand on your thigh underneath the table - rubbing little circles into your knee, you don’t even notice. and when he gets super close to you to hear you talk - telling you your voice is too soft even tho a class is empty, you let him. 

and when you point out that ppl keep staring and whispering you, he tells you to ignore them and you do. you ignore the whispers and even the click of camera. 

it’s only when you hear bakugou that you get a strange feeling in your gut. he stomps into the classroom - vicious. his schedule is so busy he normally doesn’t get to lounge around before class making sure to keep everything tight 

but he got..  many messages about how you and kirishima were seating today. mostly from kami who likes to cause problems - he decided he should get there a lil early 

well.. lo and behold he does - and he finds you and kirishima looking incredibly cozy with each other. and kirishima being.. kirishima - is the first to see him and he shoots his beloved friend the most smug fuckin smile. 

bkg is pissed, naturally and stomps his way over to the two of you. he’s doing the thing again where he’s icy mad. he doesn’t even bother w kirishima and there’s a whole crowd around the three of you. 

“get your shit,” he demands, clearly seething. you give him a wild look, noticing the now obvious tension before being completely confused.  you’re about to protest w him but he sends you a spine-chillingly glare. 

your whole class watches as he yanks you by the wrist out of the classroom as kirishima sits back and gives u a little wave. ur lost. obviously. and once you leave the classroom ur like “where are we going?” 

the answer is to bakugous very nice car - a custom c3 corvette. he opens the door and stares you, grabbing your bags and taking them to the trunk. but u stand ur ground, cross your arms over your chest like 

“what are we doing out here?” 

bkg doesn’t hesitate in pushing you up against his car, his hands on your waist and his teeth nipping at your neck - sore from old bruises. and you gasp when you feel his fingers dig into your hips, all tongue and teeth. 

“the fuck did i say about you cozyin’ up t’ that shitty haired bastard yesterday,” 

this makes you swallow because bakugous mouth is travelling further and further and his hands are getting more bold. and you shiver, something hot and heavy in your core cause fuck he’s so possesive over you. it makes you dizzy, something sticky and warm in you. 

“i.. i d-didn’t think you were being s..serious yesteryday” 

he growls a little against your throat. 

“guess i’ll have to teach you another lesson. im gonna get in the car and then you are. easy enough, nerd?” 

you can’t do anything but nod and watch him open the car doors. when he gets in you follow and within the blink of an he manuevers you till your over his lap. you let out a loud yelp as his strong hands come down on your ass. still clothed. 

you let out a soft yelp - a noise of surprise at the sudden sensation and you feel bkg bend down to speak in your ear. 

“wanna act like a fuckin’ brat and flirt with your boyfriends friends? fine. i’ll fuck that shitty ass attitude right out of you,” 

the firs thing you think is “boyfriend?!” but your voice gets muffled when you feel bakugou pull down your bottoms along with your panties. his hands are so strong and so big - long thick fingers covered in callouses from playing so many games. you can’t help but squirm under his touch, a growing wetness making your stomach clench. 

he’s so so mean about it yk? a big strong hand smacking against your ass hard enough to leave a handprint. he chuckles when you whine, when your body shivers - bare cunt expose to him and nothing else. a wave of humilation floods through you. 

“‘s not my fault you’re like this y’know? all you gotta do is follow instructions - i know you now how to fucking do that, right? always bein’ so prissy,” ― bakugou tsks, smacking your ass hard before spreading your cheeks out. he admires the way your cunt trembles with mean laugh ― “but you wanna go flirt with shitty hair that much, huh?” 

you’re gonna protest and tell him it’s not even like that.. which makes you question why’re so eager to go with his demands. but the words get lost as the sound of spanks slowly drift and it’s just bakugou admiring your ass. he didn’t really get a good chance too when he was fucking you yesterday but now he’s got eagles on you n your pretty little cunt. 

“never gonna let anyone touch your pretty little pussy but fuckin’ me,” ― and he groans, sliding his fingers through your folds ― “fuck.. fuck” 

you’re not expecting much but within another few seconds you’ve got your cheek pressed to the glass window, ass up and body folded with your cunt directly in bkgs face. you’re not rlly sure why this was happening because you were sure you were getting punished. and maybe the humilation of having your face pressed to glass is enough 

but it doesn’t negate the fact bkg is tongue deep in your cunt. both hands massaging your ass - spreading your lips apart so he can get into fucking deeper. sliding his tongue against your folds and slurping on your clit until you’re jolting with pleasure like you’ve never known before in your life. you’re moaning so loud the whole campus could probably fucking hear but bkg doesn’t care and doesn’t stop 

and your thighs give out, he goes from eat it from the back to getting underneath you and has you sitting on his face. you just keep cumming and bakugou is rock fucking hard - but he doesn’t even bother jerking himself off. he spends all of his time n effort worshipping your sweet cunt  

you cum on his face so many times you’re completely limp by the time he sticks his dick in you. but it feels so good when he does that too - oversenstive walls stretched out his big cock, a hand on your sides as he shifts you into missionary. 

he doesn’t even intend to make you cum again but the position has him so deep in your cervix that you do and he’s so close. and when bkgs close, he’s fucking obscene. 

but it’s not all that vulgar like you’re expecting and that makes you fucking whine. hearing bakugou praise you and your pussy does something terrible to your brain and in your fucked out haze - arms around his shoulders, you’re fucking whimpering. 

and bkgs just in your ear like 

“such a sweet fuckin’ girl for me, taking my dick so damn good, haah fuck. all mind. know how to behave when i fuck you like this don’t you? be a good girl and take it all.. there you go, just like that,” 

when he cums inside of you he stays there for a while and stares at your completely gone expression. it’s unusually soft and you wont see it often but he grabs your face and kisses you hard 

“you’re my girlfriend now you fuckin’ dweeb so start fuckin’ acting like it yeah?” 

you whine and nod, unable to refuse even if u want too 

“yeah..yeah” 

[me4gumi-moved]

Emergency Request:

Can you write a short hard feral smut between hawks and female reader please? I’ll pay you 10 dollars?

lala, this ain’t what i meant when i said “emergency request”. also i feel like this is very OOC. i need to practice writing hawks. im bit great at writing smut either.

Mate for Life

rating: 18+ pairing: takami keigo x f!reader themes: mating cycles/in heat (not omegaverse)  warning(s): rough sex, name calling, oral sex (female receiving), knotting, daddy kink, breeding kink, biting, overstimulation, “mating”

ever since a few weeks ago, keigo has been acting slightly different. not extravagantly so, but different enough that you, his girlfriend, are able to tell.

he’s started buying to luxurious gifts ranging from cartier bracelets to prada handbags. to be frank, you don’t even like expensive gifts like that but he just looks so excited when he gives them to you that you can’t deny him.

keigo has also been extremely possessive. if someone of the opposite sex (besides himself of course) so much as breathes in your direction, his bright red feathers ruffle up in a display of dominance. he’s even gone as far as pulling you into a steamy make out session. in public.

it’s a lot more embarrassing than anyone could begin to imagine.

even more, he’s a lot more physically affectionate. well, he was already so before just not as much as he is now. he’s always got a hand on you at any point in time and he’s always begging (more like coercing you) for cuddles. you can’t believe you’ve managed to go to the bathroom without him following behind. he has tried, though.

so he’s clingy, possessive, and suddenly a gift-giver.

what the hell is going on?

you decide to confront him on his day off and lo-and-behold, he’s taken two weeks off. you have your choice out of 14 days. you bite the bullet and do it on the first.

“keigo,” you stood there in front of him lounging on the couch. “what’s going on?” your eyebrows were pinched together and your mouth was set into a firm line, giving off an annoyed appearance. which you were — annoyed that is.

he sat up and put his hands on your hips, looking up at you, “whaddya mean, baby bird?” he coerced you into his lap and started rubbing his hand up and down your back in a soothing motion.

“you know what i mean.” you grumbled into shoulder.

“i’m not sure i do, baby. use your big girl words and explain it to me, yeah?” his breath was hot against your ear and it sent shivers down your spine. keigo started leaving light kisses up and down your neck, occasionally drifting to your collarbone or jaw.

you pulled back from him so you could look him in the face, “you’ve been acting funny, lately. you’re buying me all these gifts i don’t need-“

“do you not like them?”

“no, baby, i love them but-“

“but what?”

“if you’d just let me finish, keigo.” you growled. your boyfriend held his hands up in mock surrender. “as i was saying,” you sighed. “you’re acting weird. you’re buying me things i don’t need, you’re crazy possessive and jealous, and you’re a lot more touchy feely than usual. what in the hell is going on with you?”

“i thought i told you, baby bird.” he tenderly cupped you cheek with his calloused hand.

“told me what?” at first there was nothing but adoration in his eyes, but now it’s been tainted by something else — lust. unbridled, red hot lust.

“that i was going into rut.” he tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

you looked at him like he was crazy, “when the hell did you tell me that?” you wanted to wrap your hands around his neck and shake him.

“does that really matter right now?” keigo purred in your ear and pulled you closer to him. he rolls his hips up into yours, making you painfully aware of the hard on he was sporting.

the hot, wet kisses he was leaving down your neck were making it hard for you to say what you wanted to say. “uh, y-yeah, it k-kinda do-does matter.” you stutter out. you gulped — sometimes you hated that keigo knew your body so well. it was both a blessing and a curse.

“hmm? why’s that, sweetheart?” he gave a particularly rough thrust, making you choke back a moan. you resisted the urge to buck your hips into him -- the urge to chase your peak. 

you nuzzled your face back into his neck, a whine escaping you as he continued to roll his hips into yours at a steady pace. “w-well, i don’t know- ah- what a- what a rut is, e-exactly.” 

without a moments hesitation, keigo flipped you onto the couch and positioned himself between your legs, “then how about i show you, babygirl?” one last time, he ground his manhood into your mound, making his intentions clear. you whimpered and nodded your consent. 

at least he gave you enough time for that before he practically ripped your clothes off of your, stripping you bare while he was still fully clothed. “keigo-” he cut you off with a harsh slap to your bare thigh, making the skin burn in a way that sent heat to your already dripping core. 

“wrong name, princess.” he growled. he ran his finger along your slit and pulled it back to take a look at it, your arousal coating his skin. “such a slutty girl. i’ve hardly touched you and you’re already dripping,” the hero stuck his fingers in his mouth and groaned at the taste. “only daddy makes you feel this way, doesn’t he?” he leaned over you and moved your thighs onto his shoulders.

you hid your face behind your hands and squeaked, “yes, daddy. only you.” calling him daddy never failed to make you blush. it turned you on but embarrassed you at the same time. you never even knew it was a kink of yours until you met your winged boyfriend.  

“good girl.” he said before shoving his face between your thighs. his hot tongue delved into your weeping entrance while his index and middle finger rubbed at your clit in quick circular motions. you wailed in pleasure as his skilled tongue poked and prodded against your gummy walls.

keigo’s tongue and fingers soon switched places, his lips now wrapped around your throbbing clit and his fingers stretching you open. he expertly rubbed against the spot inside of you that drove you crazy, making you let out lewd moans at the pleasure.

your hips started bucking as the knot in your stomach began to get tighter and tighter. “daddy, please.” you whined.

“you gonna cum for daddy, baby bird?” he pulled his face away the slightest bit, but you could still feel his hot breath on your pussy. you nodded fervently. “then be a good girl and cum on daddy’s face.” he wrapped his lips around you clit and hummed, sending delicious sparks of pleasure through you.

your body tensed up as the knot in your stomach burst. your muscles inside of your pussy fluttered around keigo’s fingers and a wail tore its way out of your mouth. you sobbed when he kept going, finger fucking you and sucking on your clit, the overstimulation quickly becoming overwhelming.

“too much. it’s too much! i can’t-“you tried to pull away from him but he just wrapped one arm around your hips and kept you in place with a firm grip.

“come on, just one more, sweet girl.” keigo cooed. “i know you can do it.” you thrashed you head side to side and clutched his forearm in your hand, desperately trying to ground yourself.

before you could even register what was happening, another orgasm tore through you. you saw stars, it was so intense.

keigo hurriedly undid his pants and pulled his engorged cock out of his boxers, not even bothering to shove the garments down more than he had to. “fuck, i can’t wait anymore.” he gave his length a few pumps before he started pushing into you.

the stretch burned a bit but it was quickly overrun by the pleasure of his cock hitting all the spots his fingers couldn’t. it didn’t matter how many times your boyfriend fucked you, you could never get used to how big he was. once he was fully inside, the tip of his member brushing against you cervix, he started a fast and rough pace, slamming into you. “you’re always so fucking tight, baby. feel so good wrapped around my cock.” he groaned.

you looked up at keigo through teary lashes, admiring his body as he thrust into you. you took note of how flushed his skin was and the heat radiating off his body. that wasn’t normal. “why are you so, ngh, warm?” you gasped.

he leaned over and pulled you into a rough kiss, your legs still on his shoulders. his tongue forced its way into your mouth and explored your mouth, running it over your teeth and palette, intertwining it with your own. the kiss left you breathless and craving more, but he started to mouth at your neck and leave love bites instead.

“i already explained it to you. it’s my rut.” he ground his dick inside of you, his tip pushing against your cervix.

“i still don’t know what a rut is, though.” the friction of his pubic hair against your clit was pushing you closer to your third orgasm.

he growled into your neck, “it’s a mating cycle. it comes annually, every spring. just like a birds.” his calloused hands traveled up to your breast, both of them pinching and pulling at your nipples.

oh. oh.

when keigo started thrusting into you at a rapid pace once more, your climax quickly overcame you. your toes curled and you threw your head back. his pace didn’t falter at all, prolonging your orgasm. “you look so pretty when you come on daddy’s cock, baby girl.” he praised you.

you fingers gripped at his hair, pulling him closer to you. you felt that if you weren’t holding onto him, you’d slip away into nothingness. you sobbed as you came yet again. you couldn’t even tell where your previous orgasm and your next began and ended, the pleasure just merging together into one never ending orgasm. your boyfriend hadn’t even came once. yet here you were, an overstimulated mess.

your oversensensitive pussy could feel somethunt knob shaped swelling at the base of keigo’s girthy cock. it was catching on the edges of your entrance as he pushed in and out . his groans and grunts were getting louder and his thrusts getting sloppier.

“fuck, baby, take my fucking knot. gonna breed you so good. going to get you round and full with my chicks. is that what you want? you want daddy to fuck you full of his cum?”

“yes, yes, yes! i want you to breed me, daddy!” you babbled. he could say anything to you right now and it’d sound wonderful. you’d say yes to anything he asked of you.

keigo popped his knot into you, pumped you full of his seed, and bit you neck. cumming inside you and the added sting of his teeth sinking into your skin tipped you over the edge one last time. your eyes rolled into the back of your head and your toes curled.

keigo collapsed on top of you, breathing heavily in you ear. after a moment of you two catching your breath, he started peppering kisses all over your face. “you did so good, princess. you’re always so good for me.” his lips ghosted yours. you pursed your lips and moved you head the slightest bit upward, pecking him on the lips.

he lifted himself up and looked at your face — your face was sticky with tears, you had a sheen of sweat on your forehead, and your hair was a mess. you looked absolutely beautiful. he grinned. “you wanna know something, baby?” his golden eyes stared into your (e/c) ones. “birds mate for life...”

“..and we’re gonna be stuck like this for a while.”

[arminty7]

𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘦

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Mermaid!Jungkook x Reader [Part 2]

Trapped in this life of expensive wine and judgemental eyes Y/N met an unusual lady who offered her a job at an aquarium a few towns away. Despite being hesitant and uncertain for the future she decided to take the offer as it was her only way out, not knowing that many dangers might come her way.

Jungkook swam his way through the small tunnel in wonder. He didn’t realise what he was ‘walking’ into as he took the entire night to explore a tunnel. He thought it might lead to you, how naive. It is only when he heard the piercing sound of drilling from the small tunnel entrance did he know what was happening, he was trapped. With that, his instincts took over.

Chapter: #2 Swimming in Wine

Words: 4181

Warnings: Mild Swearing // Fluff // Eventual Smut? Idk maybe depends // Jungkook obsessive // Evil Namjoon (im sorry guys) // It might be a little messed up. 

AN - So I know I havent updated in a very LONG time but I am now updating regularly. I have changed the pov and increased my writing ability.

© arminty7 2020 - All rights reserved.

This work shall not be copied, reproduced, translated and/or modified in any way without my permission. In a case where this might happen, legal action will be taken as it would be a criminal act under the law and breaching these terms. Upon reading my work you are acknowledging that this work is mine and that you know the consequences if this work is copied, reproduced, translated and/or modified in any way without my permission.

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You awoke abruptly as a slam of the car door next to you made you nearly jump from your seat. You sat up and looked around as Julie stepped out of the car onto the wet road. Your head feeling cloudy as you noticed you were parked in a parking lot next to a tall building in the middle of the bustling city. Your eyes then followed Julie who walked across the road towards a small bakery. You could smell the food from here as your stomach grumbled loudly. You closed your eyes again, hearing the cars go past as their tires hit the puddles on the ground. The distant honk of horns and the bus going past made you feel somewhat tranquil, wanting to stay like that forever. You were ready to go back to sleep before the sound of the car door opening made your eyes open again.

"Oh, so you're finally awake?" Julie looks towards you with a smile on her face as she ducks her head under the car roof and gets in. She closes the door firmly beside her, with a bag of pastries in her hand.

"Uh yeah I guess. How long was I asleep for?" You don't even look in her direction as you rub your eyes, feeling sleep try to invite you in once more.

"No more than a few hours, although we are just about there. We are staying at my place for a while. Just out of the city in Taelin Shore" (I made it up with the idea of "Tail", it's not a ship name). She looked at you, shaking the bag of pastries in her hand that you didn't even notice till now.

"So when do I start work?" You look at the pastries and then back at her, wanting to focus on what's important. She places the pastries on the backseat and starts the engine, before driving out of the parking lot.

"Well, you will have an orientation on Monday at the aquarium which starts at 9 am till 2 pm. It's only small but I think it's just for showing you the ropes and letting you explore the building." She continues to drive out of the city down the coast, heading for Taelin Shore.

"Wait Monday? That's only three days away. They didn't even give me an interview yet" It seemed unreal at the most, how could they have that much faith in you?

"They don't need an interview. I told you, I know the owner. He trusts my word more than anyone." She smiles, the brown locks of her hair tied back into a messy bun, something you never thought she would wear. At the dinner party, she seemed so elegantly dressed like the other woman there. It was weird to see her in casual clothes and indulging in sweet pastries.

You look at her once more in disbelief, feeling hesitant about this situation. "I barely know you. I heard that you knew my mother but forgive me if that in itself makes me even more concerned". She chuckles slightly, gripping the wheel tightly as she turns another corner. "You might barely know me, but I was around ever since you were born. I just want to help you. I love your mother, but she puts too much pressure on you."

You sighed as you looked out the window realising you reached the coast of Taelin. It seemed beautiful and serene as you drove through the town, going past, looking at the view of the ocean. You were excited but nervous. What if you don't like it here? What if it is the same as back home? A place that kills every  good part of you, forcing you to feel paranoid about everyone you meet? You didn't want to be near that. You wanted to be free. 

Your thoughts were interrupted by the car going up the hill on a small dirt path and parking next to a small beach house that was facing the ocean. "We're here, how do you like it? Nice view huh?" Julie smiles in awe as she exits the car, slamming the car door behind her. You do the same as you both look out towards the view of the vast ocean and the mountains that surround the small town.

Julie points down towards the pier urging you to look over to see a massive building next to the docks. "That's where you will be working in the next couple of days." She smiles, "don't worry, everyone's friendly. It's different here".

You look over at her in doubt, "What about you? How do I know you're different than the rest of them back at home?".

She chuckles before turning back towards you, "I got you out, didn't I?" she pats your shoulder before heading inside. She leaves you with your thoughts.

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[6:43 am]

It was early in the morning, the light from the sun started to shine in your room as you soon noticed that you - again - forgot to close the curtains. Although awake, instead of you getting up to close them, you laid there for a while. The sound of the waves crashing was distant, but you could almost feel the pressure and the weight of the water crashing onto the rocks. You imagined what it would be like to be that rock, every day having to go through the same cycle. Every morning the tide would try and crash down and attempting to break through on the rocks until it is time for the water to come back in. The water could never break the rocks, perhaps that was even more torture.

You sighed, not even understanding your own thoughts sometimes. You groan as you get up from the warm and comforting bed, heading towards the shower. You undressed and turned the shower on, watching the steam build-up in the room, covering the mirror. You preferred hot showers.

After your shower, you left to walk along the beach. Upon stepping outside the two-story house, you feel a gush of wind. The cold pierces your body as the wind flutters through your clothes. You walk down the steps of the patio and walk over to the edge of the cliff, looking down at the water that once again crashes through the rocks violently.

You weren't afraid of the ocean and had spent your whole life in the water. Although, something didn't feel right here. You watched the water down below. I looked peaceful yet restless. With every second it became more violent, the clouds grew dark quickly, and you noticed a drop of water fall onto your forehead. You sighed and looked back down the cliff before seeing a small splash in the water and something with a scaly body. But it was nothing like what you had seen at the aquarium. You felt yourself getting dizzy and started to wonder when the last time you had eaten something. You cursed under your breath for rejecting those pastries Julie got yesterday. You stumbled, backwards and forwards as your vision started to spin. The dark cloud's now covering the sky completely. You had tried to balance yourself, but you had ended up stepping forward to much, descending over the cliff and crashing down into the ocean. Your vision went black.

The water was cold, too cold. You felt the cold sinking into your skin, grasping onto your bones, coating them in ice. You didn't bother to open your eyes as you felt yourself crashing in and out of the water. You could hear the waves and thunder as you reach the surface, before getting pulled under again. Suddenly strong arms wrapped around you from behind. Your toes and the back of your thighs could feel the slimy tail that was swaying beneath the surface. You tried to look over at what has a hold of you. Although it was strong, and you could barely move your body. You could feel its cold hands enveloping around your chest and your waist as your body swayed in the current. You could feel its hot breath on your neck whispering things in your ear before you passed out from exhaustion.

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[Two days later]

Monday - 8:45 am

The morning was quick, slipping your shoes on as you try to make your way down the stairs of the beach house into the lounge room. You couldn't stop thinking about that day. The day where you

woke up on the beach and Julie insisted on calling the doctor even though you assured her everything was fine. It was surprising, to say the least, that you didn't even get hurt. There were tons of rocks as the current was nearly ripping you apart. That was before that thing showed up. It felt like death was surrounding you. Ironic really that it may have saved your life.  

"Hurry up Y/N, I told them you'd be there by 9. You're lucky we don't live far away from the Aquarium". Julie watches you run around the house as you find your bag and keys. You ignore her comments as you rush out the door towards the car, opening the passenger side and getting in.  

"Why don't you let me drive?" You groan, looking at your watch. She gets in beside you and starts the car. "Because dear Y/N, you’re impulsive and from what I heard, it took you seven times before you passed your driving test and you haven't driven since." You roll your eyes as she drives down the dirt road and onto the main road.

You look out towards the ocean, seeing the waves crash onto the rocks on the mountains, slamming on the rocks violently. Your mind wandered for a bit. You could almost feel the hot breath against your neck again, ice-cold arms wrapping around your body. The memory of that strange creature is still vivid in your mind. You didn't tell Julie, of course. She'd probably think you're crazy.

Your eyes wander towards the open sea, seeing the birds glide over the water, how free they looked. The thought of being free sounded appealing, oh how you wanted to be one of those birds, flying across the water, without a care in the world.

But even you knew that in reality, those birds still needed to fight to survive, even they sometimes had to turn against each other.

You sighed, looking towards the road as you see small fish and bakery shops already opened and full of locals. A few minutes passed as the car turned into a car park. "We're here." Julie parked the car.

"You're not coming in with me?" You looked at her pouting a little as she chuckles "Do you want me to?" Your eyebrows furrowed, quickly grab your bag and open the door.

"No" You quickly answer and slam the door, feeling as though she was mocking you a little because you didn't want to do it alone.

"You don't need her Y/N" You tell yourself. "She's just like the rest of them. Just take advantage of the situation until your good on your own. Then let her go. She's just using you"

You make your way towards the entrance, going past the two waterfalls with statues of dolphins spitting out water. The glass doors opened as you enter, and you look at your watch, it was 8:57.

You walk in following the tunnel entrance towards the reception although you couldn't help but wonder where everyone was. Wasn't it opening today? Were you mistaken? You continue towards the reception, seeing a young handsome looking man in a suit typing away on his computer. You clear your throat and the man looks over at you.

"Oh, my apologies miss. We are not open today due to a technical issue, but we will be opening tomorrow at 7 am. Do you wish to make a booking early?" The handsome man looks over at you, his broad shoulders prominent. You glanced over at his name tag labelled "Kim Seokjin".

"Uhh, no thank you. My name is Y/N, Y/N L/N. I'm here for my induction." Your words came out less confident than you would have liked as you looked down at the floor.

"Y/N!?" You flinched, hearing your name being called. You looked over as another man in a black suit walked towards you. He was tall and had blonde hair, slicked back and styled. He held out a hand to you, "Hello, my name is Kim Namjoon. Julie told me so much about you." He smiled at you, displaying his two dimples on each side of his face. Just like the receptionist, his visuals were prominent.

You shook his hand, blinking a few times before realising, "You're... my boss??" you stammered out, his firm strong hands wrapped around your tiny ones. You have to admit, he was well built and his smile was to die for. He chuckled, letting your hand go before directing you past the reception and into the food court of the aquarium. You look back towards the reception, wanting to say goodbye to the receptionist but it was too late as Namjoon led you down the hall.  

As the two of you entered the food court, the room was wide, and it looked like a massive underground restaurant with fish tanks surrounding it. You have never seen anything like it.

"So, Y/N, as you might have guessed this place is quite empty at the moment, just a small a technical issue but it hopefully will be fixed in a few days" Namjoon leads you across the room letting you take a look at everything. You suppose that this is going to be your tour.

"Ah yes, so I've heard" Namjoon smiles while continue walking as you went past an enormous tank that looked like it connected with the other tanks. You glanced at his attire, classic black suit and tie with a white shirt underneath.

Namjoon had stopped and glanced around the room. "This is the food court, although most of the time when you are working you won't be needed here." It just had occurred to you that you didn't even know what position you'd be in. All you knew was that it was a job away from your mother and paid quite a lot of money. Julie was right, you are impulsive.

"So, what am I going to be doing here?" You look over at him as he continues to walk, heading towards another room with a big smile on his face, showing his dimples.

"Well, Y/N-"

"Namjoon! There you are, we have a situation..." A man with a white coat entered the room. He had a concerned look about him but as soon as he saw you it changed into a big smile and you couldn't help but want to smile back at him.

"Hello! My name is Jung Hoseok. You must be the new girl that will be working for us?" You looked at him and couldn't help but feel special as he gave you all his attention. Namjoon looked over at you while you smiled back at Hoseok, you dont know why but you just felt so comfortable around him.

"Ah yes... I guess everyone knows about me, huh" you shyly answered, suddenly finding the urge to fiddle with your earring. It was a nervous habit. "My name is Y/N L/N. It's nice to meet you" Hoseok smiled again before Namjoon cleared his throat, regaining our attention.

"Hoseok... Did you want to speak in private?" Hoseok's smile immediately dropped and he looked at Namjoon with a more serious expression.

"Yes, of course,  Regarding our technical problem, there is some important information you need to know." Namjoon nods his head and looks over at you. "Excuse me, Miss L/N".

You watched them walk out of the food court. You wondered what the technical problem was. Even the receptionist was vague about it. You sighed and took a seat at the cafe. You sat there staring at a fish in a tank. The food court was big and round. The walls surrounding it was just glass tanks, with one in the middle of the circular room, acting as a pillar. You sat in your seat quietly, your mind started to wander back to those callous hands that feel like they never left your body. You felt an ice chill, it petrified you. It felt like you were marked by death.  

You heard Namjoon and Hoseok walk in as you quickly stood up and pushed your chair in neatly. "Everything all sorted?" You press your lips together, trying to get that thing off your mind.

Namjoon looks at you curiously before frowning, 'I'm truly sorry, I don't think I can proceed with this tour. Something very important has come up". You nod, understandingly.

"No, No, I understand. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I can navigate my way around the place." You take a glance around.

This place is way too big...

Namjoon looked over at you. "That won't be necessary, I have organised one of the staff members to come and give you a tour, you will be a trainer just like him. He will be mentoring you. His name is-"  

"Hello Y/N". His voice was sweet. Angelic, but not innocent. A sultry like voice that sounded like a whisper of temptation. You looked over your shoulder to see an elegant looking man with light brown locks walking over to you. His style was neat as he had black-skinny jeans and a white t-shirt, following by a Chanel bag. "My name is Park Jimin," the man said.

Damn the wage must be crazy then huh...

Namjoon sighed and looked at the floor, that was the second time he had gotten interrupted. Namjoon looked over at Jimin and then at you, before stating "This is your mentor".

Jimin looks over at you cocking his head as he smiled at you. "Come on, let me show you the place! Oh yeah, and you can meet Tae! He'd love to meet you." He grabbed your hand, locking your fingers with his as he dragged you out of the food court. "Goodbye Hoseok and Namjoon! Nice meeting you!"

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You sat there next to the water on the platform that stretches over the dolphin's tank. Jimin had taught you how to feed them and the different signals you can do with your hands. When you first saw Jimin, he seemed to like this neat good-looking guy that wouldn't work at a place like this. But here, now looking at him as he is feeding the dolphins with the biggest smile on his face, his hair fluffy and eyes glued to the water, he looked like he belonged.

"Jimin-ah!" you heard someone shout. Jimin stood up quickly and ran off the platform onto the concrete towards a tall looking man, well at least taller than Jimin. "Taehyung-ah! You are 3 hours late! You know you can't always get me to cover for you. You are lucky Y/N was there when I ran into Namjoon today, he for sure would have asked me about you. You know I can't lie to him!" Jimin and Taehyung walked back on the platform and you could finally see Taehyung features.

"Hi, my name is Kim Taehyung. Nice to meet you" he bowed and smiled. His voice was low, that was the first thing you noticed about him. The second thing was his fluffy black hair and you suspected that he recently had a perm. He was soft in every way except he had this dominating presence that could be seen through his eyes. He smiled at you, his box smile making you smile.

"Hello! My name is Y/N. Quite late, are you?" You smiled, and he chuckled. "I swear this doesn't always happen." Jimin scoffed and you tried to hold in your laughter.

"Oh yeah, did you show her around yet?" Taehyung came and sat down on the platform. We joined him, watching the dolphins. Jimin looked over at you "Well we did look around a little, but we haven't been to all the off-limit areas yet".

This intrigued you, "Ooh, now I’m excited. " You spoke with enthusiasm and Taehyung and Jimin smirked at one another. Jimin looked your way "Okay so we can’t get caught there though, it's off-limits to everyone besides Namjoon and Hoseok."

You nodded, curious to see what those "off-limit areas" are. Taehyung sighed, "I don't get why it's off-limits. Those poor fishes all alone... No one to talk too..." Taehyung pretends to cry and puts his hands over his face before taking them off and smirking. You were confused about his comment.  

You look over at Taehyung. He was a character that's for sure. He seemed more carefree than Jimin. Perhaps he didn't like his job as much as Jimin liked it? You weren't one to judge though. You did, in fact, move away from home with barely any knowledge where you're going or if Julie was trustful. You were pretty carefree yourself. But thats because you feel like you have nothing to lose. 

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"Come on! Come on! Hurry up Tae." Jimin whispered loudly.

Taehyung was dawdling behind as you and Jimin were making your way downstairs in the back area of the aquarium. Towards one of the rooms  that were "off-limits". Jimin and Taehyung said they have been working here for years and they have a special key for one of the rooms down here. Apparently it came from the bartender that worked in the food court. Jimin said that the bartender had found it while cleaning and decided to keep it.

"Ah yes, the bartender... watch out for that one" Taehyung chuckled as you guys went through the door using the key. "What do you mean?" you answered, watching Jimin use the key on the door.

"Don't scare her Taehyung! It's her first day, I'm sure he will like her." Jimin sighed but smirked slightly as he opened the doors. As you walked inside you noticed the walls looked like they were made out of stone with little windows that revealed the ocean. There was a long hallway, the ground was made out of sand and as you went down the pathway you could see a moonpool of some sort that had fish in it.

"My little fishes! How have you been?" Taehyung yells out and Jimin shushes him.

"I can't believe this is down here," You say, getting closer the glowing moonpool. Taehyung walks past you, "well no one comes down here anymore. As we said, we have the key. No one has been in, so we figured we are the only ones who have a key to the place."

“But, like how is it here? Under the aquarium?” You wondered, sitting down next to the moonpool. 

“Its connected to the mountains. The aquarium is on the shore but the back of it is connected to the mountains that surround Taelin Shore and this just so happens to be here.” Jimin states, looking around it awe. 

Jimin smiled and looked over at Taehyung, "Its our little hideout but now I feel like it should be Y/N's..." Jimin smiled as he spoke, visably excited and leaned onto Taehyung. You suppose they have been friends since their childhood. You could have sensed it on them.

You gave Jimin a confused expression he looked over at you and handed you the key, "here". You looked at him and stood back. "Wait what? Why are you giving me that? isn't it yours?". Jimin shrugs and puts it in your other hand. "I was once new here as well. I know how it feels, sometimes you just want some peace and quiet." Taehyung then chips in, "It may not seem like it now but when it gets busy, it can be stressful. Besides, we haven't been in here for a while, we don't have any use for it.

You smiled, you did need this. With Julie at home and these two at work, you knew you're going to have your hands full. Just the other day, you wanted time alone... By the end of it, you fell off a cliff and nearly drowned. Perhaps this could be a place for you to be alone. Everyone needed a hideout, right?

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It was the end of the day and Jimin and Taehyung were finished giving you their tour. You were surprised that you felt so comfortable around them. Julie was right, the people here are different.

You stood outside of the Aquarium hugging and saying goodbye to both Jimin and Taehyung as they walked towards their cars to go home. You weren't planning to stay for this long, truth is your orientation ended hours ago. You just wanted to spend more time with them.

You walked over to the pillar at the steps, waiting for Julie to come to pick you up. You sat down on the steps quietly before hearing someone raise their voice as they were heading up the steps. You hid behind the pillar, sittiing there silently. Thankfully, they didn't see you.

You heard Hoseok's voice "You don't understand! We got him! We got him, you hear me? This is a breakthrough of the century! Do you know what we could do now that we have him? The possibilities are endless. This creature is-"

You heard someone interrupt. It sounded like Namjoon, "This creature is the only thing we have going for us right now so would you be so kind to stay quiet! I know you're excited, but we can't let anyone know about this, he's dangerous."

They both went inside. Leaving you to your thoughts.

Honk Honk

"Come on Y/N, It's late!" Julie yelled out from the car. You got up and grabbed your bag before running over to the car.

"I'm coming!"

Tags - @mjlock

AN: Tell me if you like it! 

- Minty ⚘

[turning-dreams-into-chaos]

The Moment I Knew

*Not my Gif*

Request: Hi! Could you write an imagine where James ditches reader (who's an insecure and anxious babe) on her birthday or something and she puts all the pieces together like how distant he's been, how he always spends time with Lily and all. Then Sirius notices something's off so he helps her and maybe later they end up together and she accepts Lily and James' relationship? I was listening to "the moment I knew" and got this idea, sorry if it's a shitty one. Thank you for your time! - 🍑

Requested By: Anonymous (🍑)

Paring: James Potter x Reader, Sirius Black x Reader

Post Date: 3-26-20

Word Count: 3.2K

~Master List~

~Harry Potter~

~Requests (Look here please)~

*This is the song mentioned in the ask if anyone wants to take a listen*

In all the years you’ve known James Potter, he was never one to break a promise. If he promised to help you practice for quidditch tryouts, he’d help. If he promised to show up to the three broomsticks for butterbeer, he’d be there. He was your best friend through thick and thin, every significant moment in your life after you met him then included him by your side. It wasn’t long before you realized you had a crush on the glasses wearing, curly black-haired Marauder.

But yet, lately something felt off with your relationship.

Lily Evans became the new apple of James’ eye. Sure James has been flirting with her for years but you didn’t think he was serious. Lately James has stopped acting like his typical self when trying to win her affection. You hated to say it, but it was almost like he was acting more mature. You didn’t blame Evans, or even James, because based on how James was acting, he seemed happier. In all honesty you hoped he liked you back, but the realization became more and more apparent that he didn’t a week before your birthday.

You were sitting with the marauders in the common room, Remus sitting in the lounge chair and Peter was curled on the floor next him. Sirius and James sat on the edge cushions of the couch with you draped across them, your head on James’ lap and your feet on Sirius. Your eyes were closed as you listened to the boys coming up with a prank to pull on the first years. James’ hand was mindlessly playing with your hair. You tried to hold back a smile, enjoying the feeling of his fingers in his hair.

You were barely listening before feeling Sirius tighten just grip on your ankle. “Y/N, what do you think about it? Got any ideas?” He asked referring to their prank planning. You opened your eyes, looking around at the four boys as they wait for your input.

You barely got your mouth opened before a voice that certainly wasn’t yours spoke. “Lilypad!” James yelled at the sight of the red-haired girl entering the common room. Without thinking, James stood up and headed her way. It wouldn’t have been completely awful if when he stood up, he didn’t knock you off the couch.

But alas, he did.

���Woah! ...ow.” you groaned as you landed on the floor. You lifted your head up slowly, seeing James rush over to Evans. Her lips fell into a delicate smile when she saw him, pushing part of her hair out of her face. You were too caught up in watching James and Lily that you didn’t even hear Remus, Peter and Sirius call out to you, making sure you were alright.

It wasn’t until Sirius grabbed your hand gently before you looked away. His brows were knitted together as he stood over you, turning you on your back.

“Are you alright love?” He asked as you nodded, sticking your other hand up for him to help you up. Sirius relaxed a little at seeing you were alright, and he helped you to your feet. He snuck a glare over your shoulder, seeing James was still completely unaware of his actions. You hid the creeping heat on your face as James and Lily came over to join the lot of you. Sirius gave you another once over before falling onto the couch. You smiled at him, rubbing the slight burn on your arm from the carpet.

By the time you realized you were still standing in the middle of the room, James and Lily had taken the spots on the couch. There would’ve been enough room for you to squeeze in between James and Sirius, but not quite making it comfortable. James was talking to Lily when you decided you were going to just sit on the ground, but you barely began to move to the ground before Sirius reached his hand out for you again and stopping you. He didn’t say anything, but he stood up, letting you take his seat.

“You don’t have to Pads; I can sit on the floor.” You told him, offering him a small smile.

“No. You’re injured now. You’re on the couch.” You rolled your eyes, adverting them from Sirius as he held up your arm, showing you the faintly red mark on your elbow.

James’ eyes snapped up to meet yours. “Injured? Y/N what happened?” You shook your head, ready to tell him that it was nothing before Sirius spoke up.

“You threw her off the couch, prongs.” He deadpanned as James’ eyes went wide, suddenly realizing what he had just done. James quickly apologized over and over again before you told him it was no big deal and you took Sirius’ spot. Sirius grinned down at you before sitting on the ground in front of you, leaning back and resting his head onto your knees.

The next few times you’ve been hanging out with your friends, you found James’ attention to be rather occupied with Lily. You’ve tried not to let it get to you, but you couldn’t help but feel less and less a part of James’ life. He was still your best friend but lately he’s been showing up late when you were supposed to hang out to the point where’s he’s practically missed it. You didn’t want to bring it up to him, nervous that he’d tell you to lay off, so you endured the pain your crush and best friend was bringing you and carried on with your life. Carried on with the constant knowledge James would rather be with Lily than you.

Today was your birthday. Finally, you were guaranteed a day with James with no interruptions. He promised. He wouldn’t break a birthday promise, would he?

He was going to take you to the three broomsticks and then around the shops in Hogsmeade, buying you anything you wanted. Then at the end of the night, the marauders promised you a party in the common room. Needless to say, you were excited for today. You waited for him in the common room, feet bouncing as you sat on the couch, waiting for the familiar flop of his hair to bust through the door. You couldn’t remember the last time you and James had the chance to hang out without your friends, it must have been a while now.

“Happy Birthday!” someone said as they plopped down on the couch next to you. You pulled your eyes away from the door turning to see a head of black hair next to you, only it wasn’t your best friends.

“Thank you Sirius.” You told the boy who’s smile brightened on his face. You smiled back at him, taking glances at the door every now and then as Sirius raised his brow. It was only then did he realize.

“Where’s James?” he followed your sight, both of you eyes locked on the door.

“Dunno. He’s coming though. He said he’d be here.” Sirius nodded his head, frowning slightly at the knowledge James of what James was doing. He wasn’t blind, he saw the way James had been slowly but surely ditching you to hang out with his ‘Lilypad’. Sirius didn’t blame Lily, and really, he didn’t blame Prongs, he was sure James had no idea what he was doing to you.

You glanced at the clock on the wall, finding out that somehow amongst the day you sat here for 3 hours.

He wasn’t coming.

“I think I’m going to go.” Your voice was so quiet you weren’t sure that Sirius could hear, but based on the look he gave you, he had. You stood off the couch, wrapping your hands around your stomach and refusing to meet Sirius’s soft gaze. You barely started to wake away before Sirius grabbed your hand, pulling you back.

“Y/N-“

“I’m fine Pads. I promise. He’s probably just busy.” You tried to hold back the tears you knew were threatening to fall as Sirius’ grip loosened, letting you tear your hand away from him. He watched you run off to your room before falling back on the couch. He couldn’t believe James ditched you.

If you could’ve skipped your party that night you would’ve, but you need to keep your head up. You didn’t want people thinking less of you for skipping your own birthday party. You pushed yourself off your bed, thankful your crying stopped hours ago as you cleaned off the makeup that smeared earlier. Staring at yourself in the mirror, you couldn’t help the thoughts going through your head.

Of course, he would choose Lily over you, she always looks perfect and here you were crying over a boy who was in love with another.

You shook your head ignoring the rest of the thoughts as you looked to your supply of makeup, choosing to go with a little mascara and red lipstick. Slipping on your party dress and fixing your hair up, you began to feel a little better, hearing Lily and Marlene come up the stairs and into the room you all shared.

Their jaws dropped when they saw you and for a second you were worried you looked bad. You crossed your arms in front of your stomach, trying to hide yourself and raising your brows worriedly at them to ask for input. “You look beautiful! Happy birthday Y/N.” they cooed as you sighed in relief. They brought you in for a hug before the three of you all walked down together. You could hear the music playing before you reached the bottom of the stairs, but you couldn’t hear any voices. You looked between the girls who played innocent, running down the rest of the steps without you as they giggled. You took a deep breath before finishing the rest of the way down finding out the lights in the common room was off.

Your feet barely hit the last step before the lights switched own and the sound of Happy Birthday filled the room. You felt the air leave your lungs as you looked around. It was more than you deserved, and you knew it, but then again, this is the marauders you’re talking about. And you are one of the most important people to them.

Throughout the song, you couldn’t help but look towards James. His arm was slung around Lily who clung onto him as they sang along. You tried to pull your eyes away and when you did, they landed on Sirius. He was singing the song but no where near as happy as everyone else. He was locked on your face, his own drooping with sadness was the last notes of the song was sung. His jaw was slacked open and he has almost unmoving before the sound of clapping made him jump, knocking him out of his daze.

You gave everyone small smiles, not wanting the attention for much longer yet it was no use. Everyone wanted hugs and to say happy birthday and you let them, eager to just reach your friends. The moment you did, you sighed deeply, hugging Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James.

You hated the way your heart pulled when you looked into his hazel eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it. I promised you we’d go, and I didn’t show.” James told you as you plastered a smile on your face.

“It’s okay. I’m sure you were busy.” James shook his head, grabbing your hands.

“There’s no excuse Y/N. I just lost track of time when I was with Lily and-“

“James! I said it’s okay.” You cut him off, not wanting to hear about him and Lily right now. He smiled at you and the butterflies in your stomach set off. The two of you separated as you paid attention to the party and everyone trying to get your attention. You didn’t look back at James for a while, not wanting to stir up your emotions in the mist of the party.

But yet, in one single second that plan went to shit and you were staring at James and Lily lip-locked in the corner of the room.

You tried to breathe; your body was begging you to, but nothing was coming in. One quick look around the room told you no one was getting your attention. So, you ran out of the common room in hopes no one saw you leave your own party. You regretted not heading towards your room instead of out of Gryffindor room completely because now you were faced with halls of Hogwarts and no where to go.

Your feet never stopped as you took off and you weren’t paying attention to the few students still in the halls when you wiped the tears out of your eyes. The third-floor bathroom was the first place you could think to go, somewhere no one ever goes thanks to Myrtle and soon you were outside, pushing the door open.

You felt stupid. You felt dumb and ridiculous. But most of all it was the moment you knew you were heartbroken.

“How could you be so foolish?” you asked yourself in the mirror, looking into your own E/C eyes, seeing how broken you knew you looked.

“You aren’t foolish Y/N.” You practically jumped out of your skin at another voice, spinning around to see Sirius Black standing in the doorway.

“What are you doing here?”

Giving you a sad smile, he walked over to you slowly, fully expecting you to shrink back from him but you remained unfazed and allowed him to stand next to you. “I saw you run out. Had to make sure you’re okay.”

You bit the inside of your cheek, looking down between the two of you. “I’m fine Siri. Just had to get out of there.”

He nodded, though the action went unnoticed by you. The silence between the two of you only made you shake silently, wanting more than anything to be alone. Sirius might know you left, but he didn’t know why.

And as if Sirius could read your mind, he spoke. “I know.” Your eyes shot to his grey ones. The way his lips upturned into smirk made you a little uneasy until he grabbed your hand. “I know how you felt towards James. I know you saw them kiss and that’s why you ran out.”

A bitter laugh bubbled out of your mouth as you threw your hands in the air and leaned against the wall in defeat. “Was it obvious? D-Did he know? Is that why he disappeared on me?”

“He didn’t know.” He rushed out, quick to get you to look back at him. “He didn’t know.” He repeated quieter. The silence returned only this time it was a nice change. You moved back from the wall to look at your self in the mirror. Your makeup was smeared again, and your hair was a slight mess from you running. Sirius tapped your arm, making you glance at him over your shoulder to see him extending you some paper towels. You exhaled as you took them from him.

Sirius watched you clean yourself, picking yourself up from your breakdown as he smiled. He was thankful you never asked why Sirius was the one to come after you, why he was watching you because he didn’t want to tell you he’s been watching you for years, barely able to look away from the beauty in front of him. He didn’t want to tell you after you just got your heart broke.

“Siri?” you whispered as Sirius hummed back a yes. Your makeup was cleaned as you turned around to look at the boy and Sirius’ heart leap out of his chest. This you, the one not hiding her insecurities behind makeup, this you is his favorite. “Thank you for always being there for me.”

“I’ll always be here, love.” You couldn’t help the way that word seemed different coming out of his mouth right then. Almost as if he was hiding something from you. Sirius stayed with you for a little while more until you were ready to return to your party. The two of you walked slowly through the hall until you were outside the common room. “You ready?” He whispered to you. You took a deep breath and nodded, saying the password and opening the door. The party was still going but as soon as you and Sirius walked in all your friends were relieved, asking where you went. You didn’t want to tell them the truth, trying to come up with a lie in your head.

“I wasn’t feeling good. Ran out a while ago and Y/N saw and chased after me.” Sirius lied for you as you looked at him with wide eyes. He saw you staring as all your friends seemed to fall for it. His lips pulled to a smirk as he shot you a wink. You ducked your face down in embarrassment as a hand came into your view, no doubt belonging to Sirius himself. “Care to dance?”

You didn’t hesitate to take his hand in yours, letting him pull you into a dance.

Things after that night seemed like a dream. James and Lily sat the rest of you all down in the common room to let you all officially know they were dating and for the first time in a long time, you weren’t hurting. Sirius pulled you aside after, asking if you were alright. You stayed silent at first, just looking into his concerned eyes before you smiled, reaching forwards to grab his hand.

“Yeah, I think I’ll be fine.” Sirius blushed a little under your gaze, a side you get often and yet a side you definitely wanted to see more of. It didn’t take long for you to realize that James relationship with Lily no longer was hurting you because you were so simply falling in love with someone else.

You spoke with James himself about your friendship and about him skipping his friend dates with you. He swore that he’d never ditch you again and Lily seconded that, promising that she’ d never try to stand in the way of your friendship with James.

The most dream worthy moment though was the day Sirius and you decided you were done pretending you weren’t falling for the other. Sirius made the first move, well more like James made the first move for Sirius, telling you to meet by the black lake for a group picnic only for it just to be Sirius and you. It was one of the best moments you could’ve asked for. The picnic dates became a regular thing between the two of you and James and Lily soon joined, James boasting about how brilliant his plan was. It took all of three seconds before the three of you were throwing grapes at your best friend.

The four of you all fell into a fit of laughter, rolling onto the ground together. Sirius peaked over at you, seeing the smile on your face as he leaned over, pressing a kiss to your lips. You smiled even wider at the touch as you pressed for another, hearing Sirius’ deep laugh as he obliged. James and Lily both made fake disgusted sounds at you both despite the numerous times they’ve seen you and Sirius kiss. Sirius stuck his tongue out at them as you buried your head in the crook of his neck, unable to control the laughter again.

That was the moment you knew you’d be alright.

A/N: Happy Birthday 🍑 , lol thank you for not minding I call you that. Anyways, hope you enjoy this and have as good as a birthday you can get in quarantine. Eat some cake for me! Also I based it off the song and I had never heard the song before so that was fun 😂 I hope this was what you were expecting hon!

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[theravencawsatmidnight]

Horns & Wings

Haikyuu Anon come get yo mans . 👀

Go to bed at 8 o'clock sharp, do the dishes, answer prayers, help the newly dead into Heaven, guide the newly dead around heaven. And never, ever , EVER leave the cloud heaven sits on. Youll fall right into the mortal world and you don't want the big man to have to come get you. And if you go through the entrance to Hell? Ya can't come back. Stay pure, sweet, and happy. Those are the rules of an Angel to live by…. But most importantly , don't talk to the Demons.

You were a pure Angel, maybe the purest one out of all of them. Followed all the rules, helped the dead, listened to your elders. You were content, happy. Till you fell off the cloud one day chasing a winged puppy.

You fell right down to the mortal world. Luckily no one could see you. You fell into some flowers looking up at the clouds with an annoyed look on your face. Great. Just great. Brushing yourself off you got up and flew around trying to find a ‘Upstairs’ only you could see. The mortal world was full of Upstairs thankfully. You could just float right up to Heaven. So where were they?

•••

You had been flying around for an hour not finding anything. What the heck? You didn't want to call for help from above , it would inconvenience someone..

So you checked under every rock, behind every building , only to come up empty.

“Looking for the Upstairs?” A voice asked you.

Your wings wiggled as you turned around. You saw a tall skinny man lounging on a rock chewing on some wheat. You almost said hello. But then you noticed the horns and tail. A demon. You stepped back shaking your head .

“Oh no?” He hopped off the rock strutting towards you, the wheat hanging out of his mouth. “Fallen angel then? Lookingggggg for the Downstairs? The entrance to Hell?”

You shook your head fast making him laugh and bend down to your level. “ what is it then sweetie?” He teased moving the wheat to the other side of his mouth. “All the Upstairs are gone in this area. To much farm land not enough reason to have em around”

“BUT I NEED TO GET BA-“ you covered your mouth, eyes almost falling out of your head. The demon laughed deep, shaking the rocks around you. He stood up straight with his hands on his hips.

“I know where the Upstairs is honey. But you'll have to do somethingggg for me.” He held his hand out to you waiting.

One of the most important rules; don't deal with the devil, and don't deal with his minions. They were all sneaky liars. Tricksters, only looking for amusement. But you needed to get home before someone noticed.. So you shook his hand sealing your fate . The demon snapped his fingers and a bone collar appeared around your neck.

“Let's get started my little fallen angel, shall me?”

••••’

“....get .. get started?” You moved back stepping right through a farmer. “ what does that mean?”

“ well for starters.” He stepped through the farmer following you with a smile on his face. “Im Kuroo. What's your name?”

“Y/n..” you were still moving back. Wait. You could fly. You flapped your wings but you never left the ground. Trying again you had a terrified look on your face. Kuroo licked his lips, grabbing you by the waist and pulling you close. “Oh angel, those pretty wings won't work with that collar on.” His tail slipped up your gown between your thighs to rub at your plush folds through your pure white panties.

The tickle from the tip of his tail caused your knees to touch , you grabbed at his tail but he grabbed your wrist holding it up. “Sshh.. shh..” he whispered into your ear, lightly nibbling it. “Your shaking angel, relax.” His breath was hot against your skin, it felt like lightning. How could you relax? A demon's tail was rubbing against your most precious area . Back and forth back and forth. Slowly.. back and forth..

“Ff..”

“Hm?” His tail stopped and your fingers twitched. He kissed at your neck, you could feel his smile against your tender skin. “What did you say?”

The tip of his tail was right on your clit not moving at all. It was hot too, the heat pressing against your sensitive clit was enough to make you go crazy. Kuroo licked up your neck to your cheek grinning, your neck twitching under his cold tongue. “ i didn't hear you”.

“Please..” you managed to whimper out, your head spinning. You rubbed your thighs together and Kuroo ripped your gown off tossing it into the wind. You covered your bare chest and Kuroos tail wrapped around one wrist holding it up above your head. Your chest jiggled from the movement and Kuroo traced two fingers over your folds watching you squirm around.

“Wet already? Naughty little angel . Do you even know why you're wet?” He asked, still rubbing.

“N-no..” your hips moved forward slightly, trying to rub on his digits.

He kissed your ear whispering. “Does my little angel want to know why?” He moved his fingers away, the whimpers that left your mouth had him grinning from ear to ear. “What's wrong? Talk to me.” His voice was making you dizzy now. You felt light headed with every word..

“F… fast..er..”

His tail wrapped around both wrists holding you up and off the ground just by a couple inches, slowly his fingers returned, his index finger turned into a claw and grazed right along your clit cutting the wet fabric. Your body jerked forward and Kuroo kissed at your neck again, talking deep. “I won't hurt you sweetie,” his claw retracted, and his finger rested on your little clit.

“How's that feel?” He asked as if he didn't already know the answer.

“I..” you started to drool now.

He rubbed in circles and you whispered loud. Your orgasm crashed over you like a heavy wave. You trembled in his grip watching the farmers walk through you too without a care in the world. Kuroo ripped your panties off and slipped his middle finger in you chuckling deep at his twitching new toy.

••

It was only 30 minutes later but it felt like hours, kuroo was still teasing you with that one finger , still going slow, still kissing your neck and ear. Your head was in the crook of his neck and you were panting hard.

“I… my wrists..”

“Hm? Say please little angel”

“..please..” you sniffled.

Kuroo removed his finger, placing his hands on his hips while he watched his tail lower you down to the ground on your back. “There we go yeah?” He kneeled down to rub your wrists to get the blood flowing. “My good little angel, saying please.” He rubbed your stomach slowly. “You've been so good for me. You know that?”

“Y-yes.”

“Do you remember why i'm doing this?” He rubbed lower, circling your clit.

Your legs moved apart by themselves and Kuroo smirked looking down at your soaked pussy. “Up..stairs..”

He picked you up and laid down . “Yes baby. The Upstairs.” He lowered you slowly. “I'm going to take you to the Upstairs.” He stopped just as your folds graced the head of his dick making you cry out and beg.

“Oh what's this? An angel wanting a demon to make love to her?” He lowered you gently but only just enough to part your lips.

“Please!!!” You cried, your tears landing on his chest.

“Can't go back to the big cloud in the sky if ya do angel.”

You didn't care. You just needed him. His cock. In your most precious area . “..please..” you sobbed.

He smiled lowering you all the way down . “I'm glad you saw it my way angel” he sat you down on his cock watching yet another orgasm hit you making you twitch and your pussy throb pulling his cock in more.

“Hell if i know where the Upstairs is.” He winked.

••

@haikyuusa @squeaky-ducky @kittifer @knifeewifee @maron-k-rh

[saintbandaid]

Promise - Sally Face/Larry

Just boys being bros

Larry was lazily strumming his guitar, strewn across Sal’s floor waiting for him to return from the kitchen with lukewarm beers and a package of chips. Larry couldn’t help but stare out the window at the way the trees shook with the windy rain that was pouring out over the apartments. The tree house was visible, almost, through the downpour. The soft thudding of feet came rumbling from down the hall. Larry’s gut turned, he didn’t know if it was a trauma response or general excitement to see his friend again. 

Sal walked into the room, carefully shutting the door behind him as if there was anyone in the house to bother. 

“What.”

“Nothing, you just look cute.”

“Shut up. I’m wearing a mask.”

“Yeah but it’s cool,” Larry laughed.

“Then tell me I look cool.”

“Ice cold baby.”

“I’ll literally fucking kill you.” Sal sighed, behind his mask he felt his lip begin inching its way towards a smile.

“Only if you promise.”

Sal sat down beside Larry on the ground, picking up the guitar. He strummed softly, it sounded as if someone was brutally murdering a banjo, but it was soft in a way only Sal could do.

“Let me teach you to play.”

“No. I play fine.”

“Sal if you make me listen to your drunk chimpanzee attack on my guitar again I will literally shit on your floor.”

“Hot.”

Larry sat up from his lounging position, scooting over to sit closer to Sal. He reached down and repositioned the guitar in the other man's lap. “Now put your right hand at the top, left at the bottom.”

“Ok.”

“Now press down with your middle finger, and on this string with your other.”

Sal strummed the guitar after his fingers found their way to the right position, it sounded nice, Sal sighed a defeated sigh. “Fine, teach me.”

“I’m gonna gym teacher you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sit in my lap.”

Sal stared at Larry for a moment, in total silence. The rain kept trickling down, licking the windows in long laps. Sal sighed again, he got up and scooted to a position with Larry’s legs around him. Sal has confined himself to this moment of defeat. Once he was sitting the room remained quiet, Larry’s chest was pressed against Sal’s back so close he could feel the deep indent in Larry’s chest. 

Larry rested his head on Sal’s shoulder so he could see the guitar strings. He took a moment to smell Sal’s hair, the aroma of sweat and strawberry shampoo. Larry picked up Sal’s hand and began pressing his fingers against different chords. This carried on for a second, or moments, for centuries or millennia. Long enough for Sal to shake away Larry’s hand and begin pressing the chords on his own. Listening to the choppy strumming Sal was producing, Larry reached over and opened one of the beers. He chugged it quick, escaping the idea that it was probably time to scoot away from Sal and let him explore the guitar. 

Larry sighed, beginning to push away from Sal. “Stop.”

Larry looked over Sal’s shoulder, trying to make eye contact. 

“Just,” Sal paused, “Keep showing me.”

Larry swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat, and suddenly the dreary rain filled apartment felt hot. “Ok.”

Sal reached over Larry’s thigh and grabbed one of the beers, popping it open and chugging it like his life depended on it. The two sat in awkward silence for a moment before returning to the guitar. 

Sal kept moving, shifting in his sitting position. 

“Are you okay?”

Sal turned his head to look at Larry, his eyes were piercing and serious. After a few moments he looked away, grabbed another beer, and treated it like a glass of apple juice. 

“Teach me on the bed.”

“What?”

“Teach. Me. On. The. Bed.”

“Hot.”

“If you talk again I will kill you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Larry smiled and pushed himself off the floor, each of his joint cracking on the way up. Sal stayed sitting for a moment while Larry got comfortable on the bed. Larry wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to be drunker. “Can we drink something else?” Larry asked, rolling his head to look at Sal. 

Sal reached under his bed and revealed what appeared to be gasoline in a plastic water bottle. “It’s like six different alcohols… whiskey, rum, whatever I could find.”

Larry smiled, “Damn.”

Sal got on the bed and gave him the water bottle, “I have two, we can drink this one all if you want.” 

This caught Larry off guard, typically his blue haired counterpart was more certain. Offering an option was different than the typical conversation styles. The two drank, leaving the guitar on the floor. The boys laughed at the noises from different apartments and they way they echoed through the floors. They guessed who was talking, even guessing people that weren’t there anymore. 

Sal got quiet, his skin was prickled with goose bumps but he had never felt more warm. 

“You’ll catch a cold baby blue.”

“What did you just call me?”

“Baby blue.” Larry smiled and winked.

“Do it again.”

“Okay,” Larry suddently couldn’t make eye contact anymore, “Baby blue.”

“Look at me.”

Larry was getting frustrated and he wasn't sure why, as if he was caught in a lie.

“Baby blue.”

Sal sat there, he did nothing, just sat. Larry’s ears began to heat up, something was caught in his throat.

“Why do you want me to call you that.”

“No one calls me that.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No.”

Sal reached down and took another swig from the water bottle. He leaned over and got close to Larry’s face. 

“When do you call me that?”

“Just leave it alone Sal, I’m sorry if you're mad.”

“I’m not, I just know a secret.”

“Oh?” Larry’s voice cracked, there was no playing cool when Sal’s blue eyes pierced into his brown ones. Dirt and mud mixing but this was like a mudslide. 

“I’ve heard you.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve heard you, singing, you wrote a song and you say baby blue.”

“It’s a colour.”

“Yeah. It’s a colour. But you called me that.”

Larry reached over and grabbed the water bottle, taking a deep gulp. “And?”

Sal leaned over, pressing his forehead against Larrys. Larry could hear his breath, laboured but not the typical difficulty breathing that Larry knows. 

“Touch me.” Sal whispered. 

Larry couldn’t move, suddenly forgetting how his hands worked. Nothing made sense right now. Larry jerked away, “Woah.”

Sal sat back quickly. “Im drunk.”

The pit in Larry’s stomach felt deeper than the marianas trench. 

“No.”

Sal squinted his eyes, “What?”

“No.”

Larry leaned back over, his hands on either side of Sal’s thighs. He used one hand to yank on Sal’s piggy tail, “I can touch you.”

Larry has in fact, zero idea what he was doing, but he liked it whatever it was. Sal shook his head, moving Larry’s hand away. He didn’t let go, he grabbed tighter and pressed Larry’s palm against the straps on his mask.

Larry knew what was happening, and it was happening faster by the second. Warp speed ahead. He unclipped the mask, it fell onto Sal’s lap. Before Sal could say something bossy Larry had his lips on Sal’s. It was rough, tactless and very boosey. Larry smiled into the kiss, this is exactly what he wanted as his first kiss. 

Sal didn’t do much, as if by magic he no longer had instructions for Larry. This was uncharted territory and Sal was lost and going through the motions. 

Larry pulled away, “I’m so sorry.” Larry’s stomach felt like it was going to turn, worried that he had fallen for a joke and taken it too far. “I’m just drunk.”

Sal’s blue eye appeared to be watering, something Larry had never seen. 

“Sorry for what.”

“Kissing you, you were joking right? I went too far. I shouldn't have don-” Larry was cut off mid pitiful apology by Sal’s finger. 

“Don’t apologize.” Sal’s finger began to trail down Larry’s chin, brushing against the stubble developing. He carried down Larry’s neck and to his chest, drawing circles on his descent. The room was quiet, Larry was holding in his breath in anticipation on how far Sal was going to go. Sal paused above the belt, and Larry watched the way Sal’s breath was hitching too. 

“I thought I was supposed to touch you.” Larry laughed, grabbing Sal’s arm tightly. His courage was coming back, and he was ready to be a present player in this mixed up game of repression and graveyard alcohol. Larry grabbed Sal’s other arm too and pushed him against the bed. 

Sal’s brain was mush, “Hit me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Slap me or something.”

Larry began laughing, “Why?”

“Need to feel real.”

Larry leaned down, squeezing Sal’s arms tightly and pressed a kiss into his forehead. “Make me.”

Sal squinted, establishing control through eye contact. Sal began to squirm, his back arching to make contact with Larry. He began to moan, never stopping eye contact with Larry.

Larry couldn’t breathe, everything he had read in the porno rag he found in the woods did not compare to this moment. 

“Okay, Baby Blue, okay.”

Larry leaned back, still straddling Sal, and slapped him across the face. Sal moaned, arching further. “Okay?” Larry asked.

“Okay.” Sal whined. 

Larry leaned down and kissed Sal again, biting his lower lip to get inside. As their mouths moved together Larry began to get lost. Almost forgetting where he was, almost. 

“I want you to kill me.” Sal sighed.

“Excuse me?” Larry laughed.

“I want you to choke me to death, hide my body in the tree house, and fuck it until I rot.”

“Sal.” Larry paused, “You’re kind of fucked up.”

“Yes.”

“I promise, but not today.”

“Promise.”

Larry gave Sal a look, “Say not today.”

Sal stole a quick kiss, “Not today.”

“Good boy, you follow direction too.”

Larry rolled off of Sal, laying beside him. 

“Am I your boyfriend?” Larry asked nervously, his body still felt like fire. 

“Why?”

“Because we kissed, and I promised to hide and fuck your corpse.”

“Ok.”

“Okay? You’re my boyfriend?”

“Sure.”

“Will your corpse also be my boyfriend?”

“Shut up or I’ll kill you.”

[maandags]

Eidolon (Angel!Keith x Demon!reader) {part iv}

i have no excuse for the wait except that im an idiot who took this school year too lightly yeet

-- -- --

Summary: Keith is an angel, and he’s completed mission after mission for the Upper Hand, the organisation controlling all of the Above. He’s only failed a mission once: when he was assigned to kill you, a surprisingly charismatic demon. He roamed Earth–Middle Ground–for years before he was caught by the Upper Hand again, and things quickly go south.

Genre: angst. because whats new

Word count: 8.7K

Notes: CW: graphic violence/blood, emotional manipulation - masterlist - {previous} -- {next }

-- -- --

if heaven's grief brings hell's rain

then i’d trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday

~ Just One Yesterday, Fall Out Boy

-- -- --

You wake up from a deep, dreamless sleep, disoriented and shivering despite the multiple layers you have on and thick comforter stacked upon you. It takes a moment before the events of the previous night rush back into your mind and cloud your thoughts, and you throw an arm over your face, inhaling deeply.

A huge weight has fallen off your shoulders. Last night, you didn't realise as much, your tired 3 A.M. mind already struggling to focus with the fact that Keith--who had been deathly sick only hours before--was up and about and sitting at your kitchen table and eating chinese takeout. But now that you had the quiet of the early morning to yourself you could feel the knots in your shoulders loosen and the lead seep out of your limbs.

You slowly shift your legs out of bed, still slightly dazed. Sunlight peeks out through the cracks in the shutters covering your window, and you cast a look at the alarm clock sitting on your nightstand. It's barely 7 A.M. And it's also a Saturday. While that doesn't matter much in terms of noise–a city is a city, after all, and this one certainly is never quiet–your neighbours' kids aren't allowed out of bed before nine on Saturdays, which gives you at least two small hours of peace and quiet.

You stagger to the bathroom and let the hot shower water beat down your stiff muscles, trying to draw out the permanent chill that seems to have settled deep into your bones. It works a little bit, but when you get out of the steamy little cell and wrap a towel around your torso you can feel it trickle back into the pit of your stomach, like an icy worm that's decided to make your body its home. It's more of a discomfort than a true pain, though, so you decide to ignore it.

Your hair is still damp when you pull an extra thick sweater over your head, stick your feet in warm socks and tiptoe your way over to the living room.

Keith is still asleep. You don't blame him–he's still recovering, even though he already looks so much better than the previous night. The colour is back in his cheeks. The dark circles and the hollowness under his eyes have started to fade away. He's still thin, and he doesn't smell too good, but you decide against waking him just yet.

In the kitchen, you put on the kettle and pull open the fridge in search of something to eat. The unfinished boxes of chinese sit in front, half-open from when you hastily stowed them away. You pull one out, sniff it, then shrug as you grab for a spoon.

The kitchen windowsill is probably not the spot a lot of people would pick to lounge on, an early Saturday morning. But you've always liked to watch the sun rise over the tall buildings, and the soft orange glow you're treated with today is worth waking up so early for. You rest your face on the knee you've pulled up beside you as you shovel another spoonful of rice into your mouth.

The orange slowly fades out into yellow, then into blue. It's soothing to watch, and you find yourself slow your breathing and close your eyes as the city wakes up beneath you. Noises of starting cars and motorbikes drift up to your window, and chattering fills the street. People exit their homes, throwing delightful glances up at the sunny sky; unexpected after the heavy rain of the previous night.

You finish your takeout, do some chores around the house. Change your bedsheets. Prepare a change of clothes for when Keith finally wakes up. Open the windows to let in some fresh air. Prepare a cup of tea and claim back your spot on the windowsill. It's a peaceful morning, and the air doesn't feel quite as heavy as usual.

And then there's a rustling in the room beside you, and a crash as–you assume–Keith tumbles off your sofa and hits the ground. A faint groan floats past the kitchen doorway and you try to hide your grin. A couple of seconds later a very dishevelled-looking Keith stumbles into the kitchen.

"Morning," you tell him, rolling your shoulders once so they won't go stiff against the windowsill. He nods at you, dark eyes bleary. "Feel better?"

He sniffs. "I don't feel like I just got struck by lightning and dragged behind a racecar over an especially rocky road. So I guess that's improvement."

You blow on the hot tea in your hands. "I'm glad. Would have hated to have gone through all that trouble for nothing. You're quite the guest, you know."

Keith winces at the words, despite your light tone. For some reason, his frown and pained expression tug at your stomach. "But I don't mind it," you add hurriedly. "I mean–it was my own choice to take you in. I very well could not have done that. But–but I did." Shut up, shut up, shut up, you shouted internally.

The corners of Keith's mouth lift ever so slightly. "Lucky for me."

"Lucky for you," you agree with a grin.

It's silent for a while, and in the sunlight, you can clearly see how thin Keith really is. His shirt hangs from his frame in a shapeless lump of cloth, his trousers sagging and almost slipping from his bony hips. While he does look better–the life has returned to his eyes–he still doesn't look good, and the sight of him makes your guts twist. You point to the fridge. "There's leftovers from yesterday. Grab whatever you want–but be careful not to eat too much. I don't want you puking all over my kitchen."

But Keith has already found the other chinese box, and you show him which drawers contain cutlery and in which cupboard are stashed the glasses. He scarfs down the rice in ten minutes flat, and you shake your head in silent judgement. "I'm going to find a way to make you pay back everything you'll cost me, food-wise. You're in debt, starting today."

He gives you a shy grin, but his attention is quickly taken up once more by the food in front of him. You quietly sip your tea, staring out of the window, occasionally glancing at the angel sitting at your kitchen table.

That's when it truly hits you how much of an idiot you're being.

Last night, it had been late. Five days of nothing on your mind but the thought of trying to keep him alive, and finally finding a way to do so, had left you shaky and dazed. Seeing him up and about after getting used to the sound of his ragged, unsteady breathing floating through your apartment had been a shock.

But now the full weight of what you'd done–and what you hadn't done–crashes into you, and you realise you have absolutely no idea how to feel. The air charges with tension, and the angel leans back in his seat. He looks about as uncomfortable as you feel. Your mind whirls with thoughts, all seeming to want something different–the part of you that's curious where this whole situation would lead and is whispering to you to let him stay; the part of you that's still a loyal soldier to the Below and is screaming at you to turn him in; the part of you that wants nothing to do with any of this and is growling to throw him back out on the street. You shake your head, downing the last of your tea and hopping off the counter.

"Take a shower when you're done with that," you mutter. "I have to get back to work soon. My co-workers are gonna ask questions and I need to be prepared."

Keith nods. Your phone is already in your hands and you fire off a quick text to the shelter's manager to inform him you'd be in this afternoon. You don't know Anthony that well–he mostly keeps to the side and handles potential adopters. You prefer to stay with the animals. Almost immediately you receive a reply: he says he's delighted that you've decided to return so soon after taking your unexpected leave. You resist the urge to roll your eyes at the barely-veiled passive-aggressiveness.

"Oh, yeah." You turn and point at Keith with your phone. "You can stay for as long as you need to, like, get your bearings and feel somewhat okay again, but then I'm kicking you out. I don't know if you have any idea of how much of a risk I'm taking here, but–"

"I get it," he cuts you off, and you can tell he means it. He needs to work on concealing his emotions, you think off-handedly. He's an open book. It's distracting. "Thank you. Seriously."

The tension builds until it's almost tangible. You shake your head, trying to shake the dizziness away. "It's–yeah. My pleasure, or whatever. I'm locking the door behind me." He gives a brief incline of his head to show he understands. "All right then. Later, I guess. Make–make sure you've showered. You kind of smell," you say apologetically. "No offence."

"None taken," he laughs. "You're right, anyway."

You make a gesture that's in between a nod and a headshake, then make a blind grab for your coat and your scarf before pulling the door closed behind you and locking it.

The shelter's lights are on, and its illuminated windows stand out starkly in the dim grimness of the gloomy street. It doesn't rain, for once, but grey clouds hang overhead and block the sun, the little light that makes it past them flimsy and thin. You pull the door closed behind you. The little bell above the doorway rings once, softly, and barking immediately pipes up from the next room over. You smile.

"Hey, loves," you mutter to each animal as you pass their cages, stopping here and there and sticking your fingers through the bars to give a furry face a pat, or to scratch a scaly butt, or to stroke a feathered head. "I missed you guys."

"They missed you too, I think," comes a quiet voice from behind you. You crouch and open a cage, plucking out a small cat and scritching it behind the ears. "They've been rather unruly in the days you weren't here. Restless, you know."

"Hi, Tony."

"Y/N." He inclines his head. "Did you have a nice leave?" It's a question purely out of politeness, you know, because he's your employer and he's supposed to be polite. As far as employers go, Tony really isn't the worst of them. But you can't shake the feeling that he's fishing for something.

"I did. I've been busy," you say cautiously, not taking your eyes off of the kitten you're cradling. "Sorry for it being so unexpected."

"Oh, not at all," Tony replies smoothly, sailing over to where you sit and leaning on the wall behind you, "We've managed. It was your week off, anyway, and just because you've insisted on working in your free time before doesn't mean that you always will." But it doesn't take amazing detective skills to hear the suspicious edge to his voice.

"That's right," you say, maybe a little too sharply. You can almost smell Tony's raised eyebrow behind you. "Sorry. I've just–I've been a little on edge, lately. I'll–" You scramble up, depositing the kitten back in its cage and dusting fur off your t-shirt. "I'll be in the back." You have the weird urge to salute, but you manage to suppress it. He's already suspicious, you remind yourself. Don't make it worse by acting weird.

It is a shame you can't spend more time with the animals, but you're not the only one who decided to come in today–it's actually quite crowded for a Saturday–so you get storage room duty and instead spend your afternoon putting away boxes of food and medicine and cleaning products. Emmie, one of your co-workers, sticks her head around the corner of your door at the end of the day.

"Hey. We're gonna go get milkshakes, wanna come?"

Your back screams when you push off the chair, eager for an excuse to cut your day short. "You're a godsend." The expression is actually used exclusively as an insult in the Below, but you find you like the Middle Ground version better. "Let me just grab my shoes, I'll be right there."

Hopping on one foot as you finish tying your laces, you join Emmie, Nirina, Adam and Zach as they stride out the door, Emmie and Zach's arms linked. In the back of your mind you recognise that's strange: Emmie and Zach can't stand each other. A smile curls the corners of your lips. You did miss quite a lot this past week, didn't you?

"We're going to this new place a few blocks down," Emmie shouts over her shoulder. You try to chat with Nirina for a bit, but she's more silent than usual, barely saying a word, and eventually she retreats to walk next to Adam behind you. When you don't focus on it, a black, vaguely animal-shaped shadow seems to sit on her shoulder, but when you look directly at it nothing's there.

Something isn't right here.

The feeling creeps into your very bones, making the hairs on your neck stand on edge and your shoulder blades tingle. The sense that you're being watched, and more–as you realise that with Nirina and Adam behind you and Emmie and Zach in front of you, it almost feels like you're being escorted. Guarded.

"Hey, Em," you call. Your hand creeps towards your pocket, but with a start you remember you left your knife at home. Stupid, stupid, stupid. "What's the place we're going called?"

Emmie turns around and flashes you a fanged grin. Your blood turns to ice. "So Above, So Below." And then she pounces--and pushes you straight through the pavement. You don't even have time to scream.

You lose all sense of direction. Up is down and left is right as you fall, fall, fall through a black hole, Emmie's nails still digging into your shoulders, though you're sure if you actually opened your eyes you'd see they're claws. You try to tug yourself loose, but her grip immediately tightens. You hiss when you feel her talons draw blood.

"No getting away, Y/N dear," she giggles into your ear.

Well, at least you know what she–and the others too, by the sound of it–is. Only Bountyhunters can get to the Below or the Above without using one of the doors or passages, instead creating their own temporary ones. You've travelled by Bounty Tunnel before. It's not a memory you cherish. The only thing you can do is close your eyes and hope it'll be over soon.

When you finally make contact, all the air is knocked out of you and for a moment you see nothing but black spots dancing in front of your eyes. Then you suck in a scorching breath and blink, and the familiar stark white ceiling of the Offices comes into view. You groan, and when you try to sit up, your hands catch in ashy grey feathers: your wings have popped. You flush, already feeling Haggar's disapproving scowl digging into your back. How unprofessional, she'd mumble.

Haggar has always hated your guts–even back when you were still loyal to the Below.

Emmie–except she looks nothing like Emmie anymore–tosses her long dark ponytail over her shoulder and sighs. "That was almost too easy. We were told you'd be a challenge."

"I haven't been feeling well," you reply, voice icy as you stand up and shake out your wings. You don't miss the way Emmie's expression sours and suppress a smirk. Bounties don't have wings, and they'll never stop being salty about it. "Also, four against one? That seems a little unfair, even for Management." You pause. "I'm assuming you got hired by Management."

"Of course we got hired by Management, demon," Zach snarls. He runs his fingers through his hair and glares at you, his fangs growing by the second and soon touching his chin. And then his face begins to change, his jaw softening (though not by much), his eyes growing more cat-like, his lips plumping. You frown, because you know this face. You know her.

Zethrid grins, fangs shining in the white LED light. "Long time no see, Y/N." You give a sarcastic wave.

"Yes, Y/N," comes an icy voice from behind you. Your shoulders tense, and your feathers puff involuntarily. "Long time no see indeed."

Haggar glides out of her office doors, and you feel all the stony calm and resistance leave you in one fell swoop. Her yellow eyes bore into yours, and it takes every ounce of willpower inside you not to look away. She nods her head, once. "My office, Y/N. Now."

"You're so dead," mutters Zethrid as you pass her.

"When I get out of here, you're the first person whose throat I'll slit," you hiss in return.

Haggar slumps in her seat and plucks her looking glass from its stand, making it levitate over her hand and glaring like she has a personal vendetta against it. "If it were up to me, I would already have you burning and hanging from the Grand Hall ceiling," she says, vanishing the mirror in a cloud of smoke. You try to ignore the pang of fear stabbing into your chest. You're gonna be fine, you tell yourself. You're going to be okay. But you find it hard to believe the words.

"But–" the mirror reappears in her other hand– "a certain Prince insisted on keeping you alive." She whirls the looking glass around and it floats in front of your face. Prince Lotor of the Below looks at you with a scrutinising gaze, as if gauging how much you'd be worth on the night market.

"Y/N," he says in a clear voice. You nod, then quickly incline your head in a slight bow. Watch your tongue, Y/N. Watch. Your. Tongue. "No need for that." Lotor snaps his fingers, and you look up again, eyes fixed on the rim of the looking glass, determined not to meet Lotor's. You're afraid of what you might see.

It's silent for a moment, and you keep your mouth shut for as long as you can, but you eventually break. "Forgive me, Lord, but–"

"Shut up." It takes all of your willpower not to cock your head and narrow your eyes in indignation. Lotor leans forward, elbows perched on his desk and fingertips pressed together. His cold gaze is calculating and cruel, and your entire body reels with disgust and hatred. "I didn't keep you alive because I care about what happens to you. Because I don't," he clarifies with a raised eyebrow, and this time you can't keep the grimly sarcastic smile at bay. "I kept you alive because I need you to do a job."

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think I'm the right person for any job." You try to keep your voice light and your fists unclenched, but it's a harder task than you want to admit.

"Told him so," Haggar mutters from behind the mirror. You can tell she thoroughly disagrees with being used as a TV-stand. "There are so much more competent candidates for this assignment who actually want to prove themselves and their loyalty to us." You have the feeling she's talking directly to Lotor now. "But no, you just had to get the one rogue who'll do everything in their power to get out from this–"

"Enough," Lotor says coolly, and Haggar clamps her jaw shut, though her eyes flash with murder. You don't know who she wants to kill more at the moment: you or Lotor. "Y/N will do the job, and they'll do it without complaining."

"You sound awfully sure." You've since given up on trying to be respectful. Lotor might be the Prince of the Below, but you had wriggled yourself out of more difficult situations than these before. You're already carefully plotting an escape.

Because the mistake most people make when they see you is that they underestimate you. They think they have you pinned down, and then they loosen their hold and up till now, that has always worked out in your favour–you know how to manipulate people and you know how to get out of the Below. You know every single of the dozens and dozens of passageways leading out onto Middle Ground, and from there on you know how to hide. You've done it before, and managed to keep off their radar for quite a while.

In fact, the only reason they caught you now was because you had been too preoccupied with a certain angel to keep your thoughts straight. A mistake, and one you won't be making again.

"I am sure," Lotor's clear voice cuts through your thoughts and pulls you back to the present. "There's a contract on the desk. Sign it, and we'll give you the details."

You can't stop the startled laugh that bursts past your lips. "A Blank Contract? You expect me to sign a Blank Contract?"

Lotor merely cocks his head and smiles that lazy smile of his.

And then the little looking glass shatters and you yelp, taking a step backwards in surprise, feeling your muscles tense. "I do," his voice says from behind you, and you whirl around just in time to see Lotor sail into Haggar's office.

Haggar gives a sharp sigh and brushes shattered glass off her uniform. "Do you always have to do that? Those mirrors are expensive, you know. I'm gonna have you pay for them if you insist on making a dramatic entrance every time."

Lotor ignores her, his gaze fixed on you. He waves his hand, and a piece of paper appears between his fingers. It's mostly blank, save for one thickly outlined black square with an inscription you can't read from where you stand, but you know what they say: Candidate's signature. "I'm not signing." But your voice has a tremor to it, and you suddenly feel a lot smaller as Lotor strides towards you. It was a lot easier to disrespect the Prince of the Below through a looking glass.

His eyes flash with irritation. "You will." Somehow, those two words hold more threat to them than all the insults the Bounties threw at you earlier.

But you set your jaw and clench your fists. "I'd rather die. I'm. Not. Signing." You had vowed to not ever help the Below in any way, shape or form again. It wasn't worth it.

"Told you so," Haggar sing-songs from behind her desk, a maniacal glint to her eye. "Just take one of the actually competent ones. Let me string them up."

Lotor gives a sharp sigh. "Touch them and I'll be stringing you up." Haggar pouts and crosses her arms. He turns to you, and the coolness in his eyes sends shivers up your spine. The realisation hits you like a freight train. He's done something. He knows something. He would never be this sure of himself if he didn't have an absolutely airtight plan.

Then Lotor waves his hand again, and another mirror you hadn't noticed before–a looking glass spanning from the floor to the ceiling, partially hidden by a black curtain–lights up, and the image you see has all the colour drain from your face and your heart skip a beat.

Allura is tied to a chair and breathing hard, her nurse's scrubs hanging crookedly, torn and dirty. A nasty cut spans from her cheekbone to her eyebrow, and blood runs down the side of her face. Tears mix with the grime and blood smearing her cheeks. Behind her stand Emmie and Zethrid the Bountyhunters, crazed smiles painted upon both their faces.

As soon as she sees you, Allura lets out a strangled cry that is muffled by the gag strung over her mouth. Her eyes widen, and you rush forward, stopping just short of the mirror's surface, afraid to break it. Your shaking fingertips hover just shy of the surface before you pull them back to your chest. Tears threaten to spill past your eyes, so you push them down and try to take a breath.

"Is this real?" You know how hallucinations work. You know how powerful illusions can be, and you know exactly how useful of a tool they can be in manipluation. It's a tool you've used yourself.

"Maybe. Maybe not," says Lotor's soft voice. His breath washes over the side of your face, and you can feel sick rise in your throat. All compusure is lost. It's all or nothing now. Thoughts muddle and get mixed up in your mind until all you can focus on is Allura, terrified and hurt, sitting in front of you yet separated by a thin sheet of glass and who knows how many miles.

A crazy thought of Maybe I can free her pops up, but you beat it down immediately again. You don't know where she is. You don't know if this is even real. Lotor would immediately order her killed if you attempted anything remotely similar to a breakout. Then kill Lotor, a ragged voice in your mind screams.

"Come, come, no rash decisions now," Lotor says as if he just read your thoughts. His hands ghost over your shoulders, sliding down until they reach your elbows. He gently forces them to your sides, and you don't even have the strength in you to resist. A fresh stream of tears runs down Allura's cheeks, and she weakly thrashes against her bonds, and in the end, that's what yanks you out of your stupor.

Your chin snaps up. "So you'll let her go if I sign the contract?"

Lotor rolls his eyes. "Look whose wits have returned to them." He lets go of your elbows and takes a step toward the mirror, hands clasped behind his back and his hungry gaze raking across Allura's form. She looks up at him with a mix of hatred and fear in her eyes. She's given up struggling against the ropes, but her jaw is set, and her eyes are steely; terrified, but determined. Her gaze flicks back to you and she gives the tiniest shake of her head.

Lotor reels back and laughs, the sound booming within the office walls. He shakes his head, still chuckling, his long silvery hair swishing behind him as he stalks back to the desk and swoops up the contract. "Feisty. I like that. Doesn't have the slightest clue of what's going on but still tells you to not do the thing you obviously don't want to do." He flashes you a fanged grin that makes your blood run cold. "I just might pay her a visit later myself."

"That's Middle Ground, my Prince," you manage through gritted teeth. "I'll find and kill you before you even have a chance to knock on her door."

"That's some confidence you've got right there, Y/N. Keep it for the job."

"I haven't signed your contract yet."

Lotor cocks his head and his grin widens. "Yet being the keyword here."

You turn back to the mirror, scanning Allura for any sign that she might not be real, looking for something that might hint that her image is off. Something. Anything. But your manic brain is running in circles, looking for loopholes that might not even be there, and you know you're not making sense, because the chance that she's just an illusion is there, but on the off-chance that she isn't, that she actually is in danger–

You would never forgive yourself if she were to get hurt and you could have put a stop to it.

"It's possible," you breathe, your hands curling to fists. "It's possible that none of this is real."

Lotor nods as if your words are perfectly reasonable. "True." There's a beat of silence, and his feverish eyes bore into yours. "But are you willing to take that risk?"

Anyone else–any proper demon–would have laughed in his face and torn the contract to shreds, watching gleefully as Allura got tortured in front of their eyes. But you had left behind your demon ways a good while ago, and you had always been a rotten pupil anyway. So you bite your tongue and snatch the contract and pen from Lotor's waiting fingers, scribbling your signature down hard enough that you pierce the paper.

"See, I knew you'd come around in the end!" He claps his hands in delight and throws a triumphant glance Haggar's way. "I told you so."

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbles, waving a hand as if to dismiss his words. She gives you a slightly disapppointed stare. "I was rooting for you, kiddo. Show some spine next time."

You fight the tears threatening to spill and slap the now-signed contract back onto the desk. "All right. Details, Lotor. What's the assignment?"

His eyes flash. Business; there's something he knows. "We received word that one of the Above's most prized angels has just gone rogue." He starts pacing, and your eyes keep finding Allura's behind him–but she looks at you with pity and something that's almost disappointment, and you have to look away before you break down completely. "It came out of nowhere, too: stellar record, followed orders without a second thought. A great soldier." You don't miss the punch behind the words.

"And you want me to do, what, kill him?" That wouldn't be too hard. At least, you think. Your mind is still a bit muddy, but something ugly and twisted inside you is still desperate for Management's approval. Still eager to prove yourself. I can be a good soldier too.

"Oh no, no," Lotor says with a dismissive wave of his hand, "I just want you to find him and bring him in. It shouldn't be that hard to do–after all, who better to track a rogue than another rogue themselves?"

There's still something else. Something he isn't telling you. Sure, you're good at what you do–at what you used to do–but was it worth going through all the trouble just to get you to sign the stupid contract? As much as you loathed to do it, you silently had to agree with Haggar on this one. There were so many young demons scrambling for their chance to prove themselves and their worth–why not let them take this assignment?

"That–that's it?"

Lotor cocks a brow. "I mean, unless you wanted more work, I guess that's it.'

You give a cautious nod. "Okay. So what do we know about this guy?"

"Not much. My sources weren't able to provide very recent information–"

"Get better sources."

"–But what they do know is that this particular angel has been off the map for years. Quite like you," he adds as he raises his other eyebrow. You roll your eyes. "He's impossible to find, quite hard to track, and a very skilled fighter. Rumour has it he's scouring your city's streets at the moment."

You resist a frown. If this guy has been prowling your streets and you haven't noticed, something is definitely amiss. Might just be that you've been preoccupied with Keith and everything that happened around him, but if this has been going on for as long as Lotor is implying it has... this just might prove an actual challenge.

The old feeling of excitement and anticipation starts to run through your very bones again, and you hate the way it makes you feel–energised. As if you can handle anything thrown your way. Ready. It's a feeling you haven't known in years, and one you haven't missed, though now that it courses through your veins again there's no point in denying that you're enjoying it. The thrill of the chase.

But then Lotor speaks the name of the angel you're supposed to bring in, and everything falls into place, only to shatter into a million pieces a split second after.

You see his lips move. Hear the words spoken, though they take a moment to get processed, and when they do they leave behind an emptiness that has you stare at him, too dumbfounded and untrusting of yourself to speak.

It can't be. This must be the universe's idea of a cruel joke. The very guy you'd risked everything for–the very angel that had caused your distractedness and is the reason you were here in the first place–is the same rogue angel about whom you had just signed a contract.

The crushing weight of it settles on your shoulders. All five days of you struggling to keep him breathing, for nothing. The weird excursion to Coran's shop, for nothing. The goddamn chinese takeout you'd bought for him, for fucking nothing.

But somehow you manage to keep your face straight, and Lotor hadn't been watching you as he said it, instead gazing intently at something over your head, so you can only hope he hasn't noticed the lurch in your expression at the mention of Keith Kogane.

"All right." You're almost shocked at how steady your voice is. "Okay. I've agreed. You got what you want. Now, free Allura." Even though your voice is pretty steady, you curl your hands into fists to hide their shaking.

Lotor doesn't move for a moment, and you seriously begin to think he's having a seizure until he snaps his fingers and Emmie lunges forward.

In her hand is a knife, and she plunges it into Allura's chest without a second of hesitation.

You rush toward the mirror, a strangled "No!" ripped from your throat. Your fingers claw at the smooth glass surface and you watch her slump, blood gushing from the wound and staining her scrubs a dark crimson. Your knees buckle, and your eyes stay glued to her form as she convulses, coughs up blood twice, then goes limp. Her head falls back...

And snaps back up, and you lurch back with a startled cry. Allura's eyes have gone red and are shining with mania. Her skin turns the colour of wet ash, and her hair falls out of its updo and cascades down her shoulders, tendrils black and writhing as if they have a mind of their own...

Demon.

Shapeshifter.

Your breathing comes in short and shallow rasps as the full realisation of things settles in. Allura was never in danger. You were right all along. If only you had put your foot down. If only you hadn't let your feelings cloud your mind.

It doesn't matter now. You signed a contract–and there's no going back from that.

Lotor fingers through the file that bears your signature in black ink. Slowly, the words explaining just what you signed start to appear on the sheets, snaking their way along the curves of the paper as if written in by an invisible hand. A steel fist clenches around your heart, and you struggle to stand up, your muscles turned to jelly. The surface of the mirror has gone black again.

A shaking hand comes up to cover your mouth, and your teeth clench down on your lower lip so hard that they draw blood. Lotor flicks his wrist, and the contract disappears. The fingers of your free hand twitch as if they wanted to grab at the file. You level your gaze with Lotor's, and evidently your years of training finally paid off in the end, because in his eyes you can see how passive your expression is. You'd be a good poker player, your fleeting mind thinks randomly. The only thing giving away your current emotions is the hand mindlessly tugging at your bottom lip, and the fact that your breathing is still rather fast.

"Now," Lotor drawls in his honey-coated voice–sugary sweet, sticky, suffocating–and snakes an arm around your shoulders, "that wasn't so hard, was it?"

And you know you should keep your mouth shut, because he is the Prince of the Below, and Haggar has already expressed her desire to string you up and set you on fire in the Grand Hall for every new recruit to see–but on the other hand, you just signed a contract, and that makes you technically untouchable until Lotor has reason to believe you won't be able to complete the task set out for you.

The very foundation of a plan starts coming together in your mind. You jut up your chin and break free from his grasp. "So do I get assignment-issue gear? A blade? A gun, maybe? If this angel is as good as you make him out to be, perhaps I should need some more useful weapons than your average kitchen knife."

Lotor scrutinises you for a moment, then waves his hand. A set of gleaming double blades appear on Haggar's desk, along with their sheaths and long black gloves. Haggar huffs with an indignant mutter of Sure, use my desk as your summoning surface. Don't mind at all. You ignore her and lift an eyebrow. "That's all you're going to give me?"

"If you're as good as you say, this is all you will need," Lotor replies in that smooth tone of his. His eyes glint; he's gotten what he wanted. He's already won.

But that's fine. Lotor may have won this battle, and you need to make him feel like he has, but in the end you'll do everything in your power to win the war. And Lotor just handed you the weapons that just might be able to get you there.

"Fine," you mutter, snatching up the knives, pointedly refusing to strap them to your back like is procedure, instead securing the harnesses to your thighs as a small act of defiance. Irritation flashes in his eyes. "I'll report to you how often?"

"No reports," Lotor says with a wave of his hand. "We don't want to make any potential spies of the Above suspicious. Just make sure you find him, and when you do..." He tosses you a little disk about the size of a large coin, and you startle at how heavy it is. It's pleasantly warm to the touch, and you have a creeping suspicion as to what it is that is only confirmed with Lotor's next words. "Portal pass. Use it wisely."

You turn the pass over and over in your hands, the familiar weight of the knives at your thighs comforting and seeming to pull you down to the ground at the same time. "Is that–will that be all?" Risky words, risky questions–you're going out on a limb and assume Lotor won't have you hanged for running your mouth: he did just pretend to torture your best friend to coerce a signature out of you, so you suppose he has to give you some slack.

He sails to a halt in front of you, face so close his nose almost touches yours, and you have to stop yourself from recoiling. His expression is cold, his gaze calculating–and the smile that creeps up his lips sends shivers up our spine. "Yes. I think that will be all." He raises a brow and throws a glance Haggar's way, which you find comical as he didn't seem to give a solid fuck about her opinions when he used her office as his personal torture chamber.

Haggar shrugs. "I still think we should string them up and burn them to a crisp."

"Yes, Haggar, I know. Why did I even bother." He gives you a lazy flick of his hand, but you've already turned and your hand is resting on the doorknob, when something occurs to you and you cast a look at him over your shoulder.

"My Prince?" The title feels like hot oil searing down your throat, but you expect the words you're about to say require this small bit of courtesy. He raises a brow and nods. "I'm going to kill the Bounties that brought me here." Your voice sounds oddly bored.

Lotor chuckles. "They're no demons. They don't have a place in the Below." It's like his gaze issues a challenge, and a fresh wave of loathing for this Prince washes over your being. "Go right ahead."

You flash a cold smile and slam the door shut.

– – –

You wipe your blades with some wet wipes and discard them in the trashcan beside you when they get too filthy with blood (the store clerk barely looked up when you came in and purchased a single packet of wet wipes and a duffel bag–apparently the average cashier sees weirder stuff than a maniac with bloodied hunting knives the size of their forearms slamming a pack of wet wipes on the counter on a daily basis). Emmie, Adam, Zethrid and Nirina's bodies have long since turned to dust, and you have to work to keep your breathing steady and to stop your eyes from glowing red as the phone wedged between your ear and your shoulder rings.

Allura picks up on the fourth ring. "'Sup?"

It was just a check. Just to make sure. But if Allura truly did just get tortured, you have a feeling she wouldn't pick up a phone call with a simple 'Sup?

"Hey. How was your day?" Your speech comes out slightly slurred, and Allura laughs on the other side of the line.

"Fine. Work, you know. Routine." You can almost hear the grin on her face as she says, "And you? Weren't you supposed to be at work too, today?"

Work. Work feels like such a long time ago--when it was in reality only a couple of hours back. You nod slowly, though it's more to convince yourself than anything else. "Yeah. I was. Some co-workers and I went to get smoothies afterwards. To welcome me back," you joke.

"Did they pay?"

"Yeah."

"Good for you. Free milkshake. I'm jealous."

You laugh, but it feels hollow in your chest. "Hey--I need to run now, but I'll call you later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Sweet of you to check in, Y/N."

You eye the gleaming blade, running a finger along its razor-sharp edge. "No problem."

After you hang up, you sit back against the wall digging into your back, forcing down the pumping feeling in your limbs.

It's something you've missed, and you can't deny it. The absolute exhilaration you feel when your blades make contact, the thrumming of adrenaline in your veins as you dodge to avoid the blows that four individual enemies are throwing at you. The fear in Zethrid's eyes when she realises she is the only one left standing, and the life seeping from her eyes as you slit her throat.

It doesn't make you feel good, exactly–especially now that the thrill of the moment has worn off and you just feel tired and there's an ache that has burrowed itself deep into your bones–but there's no replicating the rush of power that courses through your very being when you're the one in control.

When the blades of death are yours to wield.

The knives are now securely stored in your new black duffel, and you try and figure out how you're going to pull off bringing two huge knives home without rousing suspicion from Keith. You internally debate whether you shouldn't just find a safe space to stash the duffel until you need it. There are quite a few nooks and crannies you know no one in their right mind would look, but then again, this was a big city. There were plenty of creepier people prawling these streets than the occasional demon.

And then you pass a gym, and an idea sparks in your head.

After casually shoplifting a bunch of sportswear from the nearest Nike store, you return to the gym with the knives in your bag hidden by the copious amounts of t-shirts and trainers stacked on top of them. You get a locker and stuff the bag inside before making your way outside again, smiling at the desk guy as you leisurely stroll out of the gym. The guy narrows his eyes at you–your clothes are still slightly torn and dirty, and you're pretty sure you have a bruise forming on the right side of your cheek, but you don't pay him any mind. He works at a gym. He's seen stranger than you.

But the closer you get to your apartment, the heavier the portal pass starts to feel in your pocket, and the more insecure your steps become. The sun hangs low over the city skyline, but hasn't completely started to set yet, and soft golden light washes over the streets, making them look... wrong. Bleak. Colour in a place where colour shouldn't be. You had just killed in these streets, and nobody noticed.

The thought makes you feel kind of sorry for the Bounties. They would be missed by no one.

You're still lost in thought when you almost hit a door and you snap back to reality. Your feet had carried you all the way up to your apartment. You blinked hard, rubbed a hand over your face and fumbled for your keys.

"Hey. It's me. Did you burn the house down while I was gone?"

Keith looks up from where he sits on an armchair–your armchair, but you understand he wouldn't want to spend another minute on the couch he spent five days on, hallucinating out of his mind–and grins, and your heart does a leap. And then he frowns, and you freeze, and your immediate thought is Oh fuck, he's found me out, he knows everything, he's going to call the other angels and he's going to kill me–

But the words he speaks are soft with concern. "What happened to your face?" And it takes all of your willpower not to break down right then and there.

He puts down the book he was reading and walks over to you, eyebrows knotted with worry, and reaches out to touch your forehead. Only then does he seem to realise how close to you he's standing, and he quickly pulls his fingers back to his chest. They're red with blood. "Let's get that disinfected, yeah?"

Before you can answer, he's already started towards your kitchen. You blink, still stunned, before following him like you're in a daze. He looks over his shoulder and points to a kitchen chair. You plop down, and it's when the weight is taken off your legs that the exhaustion comes crashing into you at breakneck speed, and it takes all your strength not to plunk your head down on the kitchen table and just pass out.

"Where do you keep your first aid kit?"

You vaguely point to a cabinet below the sink, and moments later Keith plops the kit down beside you on the table and plucks out a wad of cotton and disinfecting spray. You don't even feel it sting when he gently dabs at the cut on your forehead and cheekbone. His eyes are firmly trained on the cotton, his dark brows furrowed–there's a little crease between them that your foggy self finds most endearing–and he's chewing absent-mindedly on his bottom lip.

With a shock, you realise this is the closest you've been to him. Ever. This is the first time you can properly study his face, and you can always blame your muddy mind later if he brings up how blatantly you were staring at him, so you let yourself drink in every feature of his face. You find yourself drawn to his eyes most; they're a stunning deep violet, the colour of the sky at twilight, when the sun has just set and the last rays of light streak the heavens with purple. Most of all, they're soft with concern and simultaneously fierce with a kind of fire you haven't seen on him before.

"Aren't you going to ask what happened?" you blurt out before you can stop yourself.

Keith's eyes briefly flicker to yours, and he gives an awkward shrug before going back to gently rubbing at your wounds. "It's none of my business. You haven't asked me about what I was doing on Middle Ground in the first place, and I won't stick my nose into what doesn't concern me." But the words sound like he's reciting them; like a lesson he learned at school. You can see in his eyes that he is in fact curious, but also that he isn't going to press further. How very angelic of him.

You purse your lips, fingering the portal pass in your jacket pocket.

Your mind is a jumble of thoughts, like someone took all your emotions and threw them in a blender. Every moment you spend with Keith in your kitchen–how is it you always end up in the kitchen?–you grow more sure that you can't turn him in. But the contract pulls at your insides, and you know that if you keep ignoring its contents it will keep gnawing at you until you can't take it anymore and snap.

The contract is the contract. Binding and eternal.

"Keith."

His hand freezes, and you carefully guide it to the table, gently forcing him to put down the cotton. "Thank you, really. But I'm okay. I promise."

He nods. Slowly. "Okay."

And oh, how you want to wrap your arms around his neck and press your lips against his, but that would make things a thousand times more complicated than they already are–

Your breath leaves you in one fell swoop. It's the exhaustion talking, you firmly tell yourself, before you yank your fingers back and stand. You're a bit wobbly, but you manage. Keith wisely doesn't attempt to help you, but you can feel his eyes boring into your back as you make your way to your bedroom.

You change. You brush your teeth. You splash some water in your face to clear your head. Everything happens in a haze, your mind too tired to think about anything at all.

But then your eye falls on a piece of paper resting on your pillow. You frown and pick it up, and your eyes widen when you recognise your own scraggly handwriting littering the little parchment card. A hand flies up to your mouth to muffle your startled scream, and you drop the card as if it just burned your fingertips, though your eyes stay glued to its surface.

The words I want Keith to be okay stare back up at you, and with every passing second your breathing gets quicker and more ragged. Your fingers tingle, and as you draw a tentative breath you sink down onto the mattress. Your fingers tingle, but they tingle with warmth, and the feeling is not unpleasant.

Where Keith's own skin brushed yours, the chill that had seeped into your very core and had burrowed there for days, leaving you in a constant state of stiff cold, dissipated. The feeling is so weirdly foreign after having only felt cold for days that you dumbly stare out into nothingness, trying to shake the heat out of your hand. It doesn't work. It feels good, and you want more of it.

For a moment, the contract leaves your mind, replaced by Keith's eyes, the way he'd looked up at you, all softness and worry; the gentleness of his fingers as they cleaned the shallow cuts on your face. You close your eyes and lean back, the little parchment card on the floor seeming to beg for your attention. You never knew paper could be this loud.

For just a moment, you allow yourself to think of Keith and not just see an angel–but something more.