#so instead of going directly home i did a little moon chasing and found a quiet neighborhood parking lot where i had a clear view of it

[vinca-majors]

Sleeping at Last | August 30, 2023: Super Blue Moon

[tootiecakes234]

First Kiss

Your first kiss with Katsuki was overwhelming…

The two of you have been friends since U.A. You’ve gotten so close over past couple years to the point where if your friends saw you they expected him not to be far behind and vice versa.

Best friends, that’s what you’ve settled with because you know Kat had 0 interest in you outside of that. You’ve seen the girls he’s hooked up with and you did not fit that type at all.

And don’t get it wrong, you loved being his best friend. He taught you stand up for yourself and you’d taught him how to speak to people with some level of respect. You guys were good together… yin and yang you liked to think

One night, you’re leaving a hangout you guys had at Mina’s place and Kat is walking you home. It was cool out that night and the moon was shining so bright you could still see the clouds in the sky. Apparently you had been gotten lost looking up at it.

“Oi, earth to y/n…. Get your ass moving. I’m exhausted and I’m ready to get home.”

When you come back to reality and look at him, he does look tired. It was almost 11:30pm and Kat had a strict bed time of 9:30…. 10 if he was feeling frisky.

“You do realize I don’t need you to walk me home. I’m a pro hero. I think I can take care of myself”

“Psh…. It’s not a criminal I’m worried about taking you out. It’s your clumsy ass coordination. You’re going to end up offing yourself if you don’t learn how to walk like an adult”

Ok so yea… maybe you had sprained your ankle last year while walking up some stairs. That’s wasn’t your fault tho… it was the stair ‘s fault.

“Are you ever gonna let that go?? Isn’t it getting a little old?”

“It still makes me laugh so nope…”

You rolled your eyes at him. He’s such a dick.

You were now walking up the same previously mentioned stairs to your apartment with Katsuki on your heels.

“ Are these the tights you were talking about the other day?? The ones that make your ass look “the best it’s ever looked””

“ Yea!!! Doesn’t it look amazing??!? I gave Mina the link while we were at her house because she mention how fantastic they looked on me”

“Sure I guess. I ain’t seen anything your ass doesn’t look good in but whatever you say”

You didn’t know what to say to that. He was just upfront like that. The man had little to no filter. Thank god you were at your door. You were unlocking it and about to go inside..

“Wait”

You turned around to look at him.

“What’s up”

“I uhm… well….”

“Come on, spit it out. I ain’t got all night”

He stared you directly in your eyes and said

“Fuck it”

Before you had time to react you were pressed up against the wall and his lips were on yours. Calling what happened a kiss seemed to be a real understatement. It was more like he was consuming you. More so than he already had. You got lost in him. Your hands were in his hair and his arms were around your waist pressing you against him.

When he pulled away you found yourself chasing his lips because you were afraid if it stopped, it might never start again.

“Next time, instead of bitching to raccoon eyes about how you don’t think you’re my type, just come straight to me dumbass. Since when do you keep secrets from me?”

You were really trying to pull your train of thought together but it was really hard when his lips still looked so inviting.

Kat realizes you’re not paying attention to him and flicks you in the forehead.

“Hey asshole. You know I hate when you do that”

“Then pull yourself together. I know I kiss like a god but that doesn’t mean you get to space out.”

He was smirking at you. Katsuki Bakugo had just kissed you and was now standing in front of you looking all suave and handsome. If you died here, you’d die a very happy person.

Your brain started playing catch and you realized something

“So you were eavesdropping on a private conversation?? And I wasn’t bitching… she was asking about you and me yet again and I was explaining to her that I didn’t think it’d ever happen”

You said the last part a little softer because you were embarrassed talking about all of this

“I wasn’t eavesdropping… it was shitty hair. Idk what you think my type is but apparently you got it all wrong”

He does not elaborate or tell you that you are his type. He just leaves it at that so you side step it

“I’m gonna kill Eiji…”

You guys sit there for a second until

“Anyways I’m tired . I’m going home to salvage the little bit of sleep I am going to get tonight. See ya later.”

And he turned to leave. Just like that.

“So that’s it… you kiss me, reveal my biggest secret and leave”

All you can do is sit there befuddled and confused.

“Yep. See ya tomorrow”

Katsuki actually leaves after that. He was not playing about his sleep. You do get a message about 10minutes later letting you know he’s home and also requesting the link to the tights you had on that night.

You ask him why he needs that and all he says is that you need them in more colors than just black… ha! You knew your ass looked good in these!

*you do not know until weeks later that in his head, that kiss was the start of y’all’s relationship. Asshole never does actually ask you but what else do you really expect from the angry Pomeranian?🤷🏾‍♀️

[honeysuckleharringtons]

"Love and Pumpkin War" ~ S. Harrington

Summary: Steve and Reader have themselves a little pumpkin carving competition and it takes a much different turn than expected. All's fair in love and pumpkin carving, right?

Pairing: Steve Harrington x GN!Reader

Word Count: 1,102

Content Warning: mild sexual humor, mild swearing, food talk sorta (lots of pumpkin references), pumpkin guts are mentioned approximately 145294629452946 times, lmk if i missed anything!

Extra Notes: i also hate the summary yay! 😀

Originally Written: 10/26/2023

honeysuckleharringtons masterlist can be found here!

halloweek masterlist can be found here!

"Okay, how'd I do?" Steve asked, showing off his newly carved pumpkin.

You nearly dropped your knife in exasperation. "How are you already finished?" you grumbled, a sense of defeat coming over you.

He started to say something, then snickered at himself. You raised an eyebrow at him as if to ask, What's so funny?

"I almost said, 'When I do something, I do it hard and fast,' but I don't think that's exactly how I should say it," he laughed, resulting in you tossing a couple of pumpkin seeds at his head.

"Never mind how fast you are," you said sarcastically, "How are you already finished when I've barely scraped all the insides out of mine?"

"Dunno. But seriously, how'd I do?" he asked, holding up his pumpkin.

The pumpkin was supposed to be a regular Jack-O-Lantern, save for heart shaped eyes instead of triangles. Steve claimed the heart eyes would send off the right signal to any 'hot chicks' passing by his house, which gained him a sarcastic laugh from you. However, the hearts came out closer to ovals, the smile was almost perfectly horizontal, and he'd forgotten to give it a nose.

Still, in the spirit of wanting to win, you told him, "It looks pretty good, Steve."

"Why do I get the feeling you're lying to me?" he asked, hands on his hips. Of course, you were lying, but he didn't have to know that.

Soon enough, you were finished with your own carving, showing off your creation to the brunette across from you. Yours was a perfectly carved moon, surrounded by dainty little stars. Sure, you'd used a stencil while Steve was busy at work on his own pumpkin, but he didn't have to know that either.

"How the hell did yours come out perfect and mine looks like a five-year-old did it?" Steve complained.

A smug smile tugged at the corners of your lips. "I'll take my five dollars now."

His mouth flew open in shock. In one swift motion, he was tossing a handful of pumpkin guts, as he'd been calling them, directly at you. "I know you cheated somehow!"

In rebuttal, you were tossing pumpkin goo in his direction, a loud smack! sounding through the room as it hit his hard chest. You knew his mother would kill you both when she came home to see her kitchen covered in orange gunk, but neither of you seemed to care.

Seeds and slime flew back and forth like bullets on a battlefield, squeals and laughs filling the air as the two of you chased each other around the kitchen. At one point, you'd pretended to go one way just so you could sneak around him and dump a handful of pumpkin seeds and goo right into his hair, earning you a loud noise of aggravation from the man.

You'd gotten a bit carried away, almost forgetting about the gunk that now covered the floor. In an instant, your foot was slipping in a small pile of pumpkin, and you braced yourself for contact with the floor. But a loud smack against the floor never came, and instead, Steve's hand was wrapping around your wrist and pulling you back up.

You swore a jolt of electricity shot through you at his touch, his fingertips wrapped almost too tightly around your skin as he held you up. Laughter ceased from both of you, being replaced instead by heavy breaths and deep eye contact. It never really occurred to you just how pretty his eyes were. Sure, he was your best friend and you'd looked into his eyes countless times. But you'd never stopped to admire the tiny swirls of green mixed in with the deep brown that colored Steve's irises.

Butterflies floated around in your tummy as he still held your wrist, a look of concern prominent in his features. Steve might as well have been staring a hole straight through you, his eyes filled with worry from your slipping.

As if he could hear your thoughts, Steve was stuttering some form of inquiry about your current state as he looked over you. "A-Are you okay?" he managed, still not having released your arm from his grip.

You nodded, though between the seriousness swirling in his eyes and his electric touch on your skin, you were feeling quite the opposite of okay.

You'd never really thought about Steve like this. Having a crush on him was strictly off the table, considering you definitely weren't his type. And you certainly didn't want to cross any boundaries and ruin your nearly lifelong friendship with him. But when you stopped to consider all the little glances he'd shot your way in high school, all the little acts of kindness he'd done for you over the years, it was hard not to consider the idea of having crushes on each other.

As if once again reading your thoughts, he was finally removing his hand from your wrist, his finger moving up to a lock of loose hair and sliding it behind your ear. His look of worry had changed to one you couldn't quite recognize. But when his lips landed on yours, you recognized the look as one of want, a craving for you.

His kiss sent little jolts shooting through your veins, the scent of pumpkin and cologne filling your senses as you kissed him back. The butterflies from before had returned, dancing and floating around in your belly at the way he tasted, the way he felt.

Embarrassment heated up his cheeks as he pulled away, his face turning cherry red as he realized what he'd done. "I'm sorry," he apologized, suddenly looking anywhere but at you.

This time, your fingers shot out and wrapped around his wrist, catching him before he had the chance to run away. "Don't be. I didn't mind it."

His brows furrowed at your words. "You didn't?"

You shook your head, leaning up to place a soft kiss on his cheek. "Between you and me, I kinda liked it."

A smirk came to his lips as he glanced around the room, taking in the sight of the mess you both had made. "Just between you and me," he paused, lips coming close to your mouth, though never making contact. Unbeknownst to you, he'd reached around you and grabbed a certain piece of paper, before holding it up in front of you. "I knew about the stencil."

This time, his lips were met with a big scoop of pumpkin guts. And so the battle continued on, the Harrington kitchen being filled with kisses and slime.

-> taglist: @dungeons-are-too-cold @ducky-died-inside @awkotaco24 @liberhoe @princesseddie @aftermidnightwriting @manuosorioh @esoltis280

[ofmoonlitmagic]

Briggs wanted to give her solutions, ones she could actually use. It was easy for him to say leave her, but another thing entirely for Billie to do that to her own mother. How many times had he dreamed of escaping his childhood home? Did he linger briefly in the doorway of the Abe home and think of turning around to ask for help? Instead, he went home. Mornings following a moon, he looked at his weak, still shaking father and brought him something to drink, something to eat, and for a moment, he saw humanity. And in that brief moment, it would never happen again. Until it did.

He knew his method wasn't effective, a boiling over of all his protection, all the times he'd failed her before, it poured straight from his very soul. He had never told Billie he thought her mother's search had put her on the OEA's radar, and he had no proof of that. Only that the timelines matched. She had searched for her years ago, but she only appeared now. If she had genuinely cared, she'd have come years ago, and maybe it would have saved Billie's life. Billie searched and searched for her, and Gianna had found her...and then did nothing.

Now, here she is, and she only wants to take. She gave Billie sob story after sob story, putting all her issues on Billie's shoulders. Once again, she did nothing. She accepted her forgiveness, her lies that she was fine, and she did nothing. "It isn't, my love," he reluctantly admitted, almost choking on the reality. He wanted different for her, better. "The feeling may lessen over time, but it--no, it doesn't go away. You'll always wish your mom was something she isn't. If she wanted to be the mom you deserve, she wouldn't be here right now. She just brought all her shit to your door instead."

There was a slight laugh as she mentioned the dragon who'd been more of a mother than the one who gave her life. "I think she'd be a little too eager to do that actually," he teased back, still chasing that laughter as he always did. As she leaned into him, buried herself in him, he wrapped his arms around her to simply hold her. He wasn't a master of words by any means, but he knew she heard him. She always did. When no one else could, would, or did hear him, she did. "I hear you, baby," he offered back, "that's all I want you to know. You aren't invisible anymore, you don't have to be smaller so someone else can feel better."

That was all he would say, it was all that was needed. He was heard, and however she processed that, he would be there to ease her through however he could. "Giving you everything is kind of the idea," he mused back, "that's the real secret." Falling back into something a little lighter, it kept them above water. "Now, that's not a bad idea. Have I told you lately you're brilliant? Should I check my watch? It's been too long, I think." He shook his head at her next statement. "I don't think that's how it works. Maybe a question for Mom, but it's different for everybody. I don't think it's one big moment. Like for me, I would get images. Or like numbers. For example, I broke my arm, okay? When I was a teenager. But like a day or two before I kept seeing 48, 11, and 32, they wouldn't leave my head. And Dad hated anything weird like that, so I didn't say anything. But when we get to the hospital, I glance over at someone's paperwork, patient's age? 48. Room we're put in? 11. Momma walks in, clock says 10:32. I had lots of things like that, and then as you know, I had a big damn moment when I set my house on fire. That didn't awaken it though. She bled and passed out when she attacked me, so I think it was starting to show then, she just probably didn't realize it until she affected the earth directly with you. That's definitely the most startling."

Now there wasn't a single bad feeling in this moment, everything was completely and truly her. As she flipped their positions, his eyes gazed up at her like she was a work of art. "Have mercy on me," he murmured, though he really hoped she had none. Discarding her shirt somewhere on the floor, she was not the only one who took the moment to admire. He really did love this view, her legs on either side of him, eyes on him. She looked so damn powerful, and she was. "You are fucking beautiful, wife," he mumbled before words failed as her lips found skin, first at his collarbone and then a trailing upward. She deserved to see her powers as something beautiful, as something to be celebrated, enjoyed. As her lips connected with his neck, all the ways he wanted to tell her that became spoken more with other rhythms of movement, breath, and sound.

“I’m reminding you of that too” she grinned, seeking comfort from the momentary respite from their topic. They would always be able to find the moments to just be themselves and it was a unique ability that they possessed. Her grin softened, but a smile remained as he spoke his promise and she could feel her heart practically swelling with adoration. “Mhm, good catch” she teased and the light began to stir within her irises again. A nod was returned, again thankful for their ability to communicate without the need for words. Leaning into their embrace, a soft hum eased from her lips as he spoke against them, “i’m counting on it.” 

Billie spent her entire life overcompensating, making a point of never leaving anybody who needed somebody. She knew how deeply abandonment, or rejection like that could cut and she had ever since she was little. Being abandoned had left her with a gaping wound that would never heal. Sometimes she wondered if it would have felt different if she had been adopted, but a part of her knew that despite, that wound would have remained. Above it all, she understood the loneliness and the desperation to understand why. If I could just be better – if I could just do better, maybe they wouldn’t leave me.

He was right, it wasn’t on her – but why did she feel so much responsibility for it, so much guilt? Like it was consuming her from the inside out and threatening to swallow her up. Billie could see the good in people to a fault and she would hold onto those snippets of redemption, even at expense of herself. Sometimes especially then. She wanted me to have a better life – that was what she told herself over and over, but there was no guarantee for that and Billie hadn’t – so. The emotion felt a little too suffocating and the words seemed caught in the back of her throat, but she wasn’t sure that she even had any. Her eyes were wide, almost as though the realisation was settling within her bones and this time she wasn’t fighting against it. As painful as that was and it was, she was listening. Her lips parted to speak, but there was no projection of sound and she almost looked helpless; frantically searching for her defence but she had none. She couldn’t defend her– hell she didn’t even know the woman. All she had was a series of trauma dumps, that Billie had made her self small again and accepted the blame for. Perhaps that wasn’t Gianna’s intention, but Briggs was right. He saw her, he saw Gianna and he knew what lengths Billie would go to to salvage that.

Usually, she would make excuses and say that she knew how this effected Briggs and that she couldn’t put him through that too, but not this time. She didn’t want to go through it. Her heart was exhausted, being unwanted; feeling unloved by your mother is exhausting and she couldn’t take any more. “It isn’t gonna stop is it?” her voice; whilst quiet, held a remarkably even tone, “it doesn’t matter what she says, or does or if I can make a difference, it isn’t gonna stop, because it’s too late, I know what I know and – and this feeling isn’t gonna go away.”

‘You’re wanted, you’re enough for me’ those words alone held healing properties and she would never tire of hearing him speak them. To be wanted, to be loved by him had always been enough – more than enough. Despite the heaviness of their exchanged words, Billie sought after a moment to just breath and to encourage a smile to tug at the corners of her lips as she leaned herself closer to whisper, “maybe Zera can just eat her.” Using the material of his shirt, she guided him closer before burying her features into the crook of his neck and inhaling a steadying breath. “I hear you” she promised, placing a kiss against his skin before slowly pulling herself back “everything I have, everything that you’ve given me, that we’re built together it’s enough. No, it’s everything and I hear you” she repeated, lifting her head as her eyes communicated the raw emotion of it all and she really did hear him.

Falling back into their embrace, a breath hitched in the back of her throat as the kiss deepened and she could feel it – everything that he wanted to communicate to her, she felt. Briggs was her entire heart and soul and there wasn’t a single thing that they wouldn’t do for each other. Even if that meant pointing out what the other refused to see. They were protective and adoring, they were love itself in its purest, rarest form. Beneath her palm she could feel each elevated thud of his heartbeat, slowing running back and forth as she encouraged him to just breathe. 

“Oh it was fool proof” she quipped, amusement etched into her tone as she fought to redirect the narrative of their conversation. “I’m not saying I don’t still appreciate a little bribery though, because I consider both methods to be highly effective.” Her smile eventually softened before nodding again, “maybe he knows who the hunter is and seeing as he’s all team Mikaelson now — he has to tell us what we wanna know, right?” Deeply unethical, but Billie had no sympathy for the OEA or its half in half out associates. Sighing softly, she shook her head “I think it was me; awakening her juju, or whatever. She kind of looked as surprised as I did. I don’t think it was – on purpose.”

His lips against her ear sent every sense into overdrive, her frame practically quivering with anticipation as her chest filled with a deep breath. Taking the opportunity to roll them both over, she was straddling his frame, placing her palm against the centre of his chest to hold him still as his fingers gripped her thighs. “I can work with both” she teased, leaning herself forwards as her curls cascaded across his chest and she obliged as he tugged the material of her shirt over her head. Taking a moment to simply admire, her gaze caressed each curve of his body, before leaning in again and grazing her lips against his collarbone, eagerly working her way towards his neck and managing to murmur, “agreed.”

[myrulia]

"You Taste Sweeter" - Kokushibou x Self Conscious!Reader

.｡.:*✧Synopsis: You are rather self conscious of yourself and it becomes bothersome to your Upper Moon of a lover. How will you react to you being beneath him and having sweets drizzled all over you, all the while being treated like fragile candy?

.｡.:*✧Warnings: Food play, body worship, praising, dirty talk

.｡.:*✧Word count: 4225

`` Does this look decent? `` You asked whilst slowly turning around to meet the gaze of your one and only, Kokushibou. The Upper Moon One was simply sitting on your shared bed and eyeing your standing form that changed into the fifth outfit of the hour. Truth be told, he was annoyed with your constant switches and why you cared so deeply about others opinion. At the end of the day, if you are comfortable then why worry?

`` [Y/N], choose a kimono already. This is the 5th one and my statement still stands, choose the first one and get it over with, `` said Kokushibou with a harsh tone. You knew he leisurely became aggravated at your hesitancy to decide on an outfit. The process could have been done an hour ago - and yet here you are, standing in front of your mirror with furrowed eyebrows and glaring at your lover. `` Darling, it is not as easy as you make it seem- ``

`` Then what is stopping you? ``

His sudden interruption made you go as quiet as a field mouse. Your back stiffened and it was obvious your entire body became tense. As always, Kokushibou had read you like a book and there was nothing you could do to outsmart him. Sighing out, you allowed your shoulders to drop to relax your stiffened muscles, still standing before the Upper Moon in slight shame that you allowed yourself to hide the truth from him for so long. You did not wish to take so long with choosing a measly outfit - in fact it never took you this long before - but this night was different. It started a little after sundown when you first looked at yourself in nothing but basic lingerie to analyze yourself, and the more you looked, the more you found more imperfections about yourself. You thought to yourself that Kokushibou deserved better than less than perfect, and thinking of the many beautiful humans and demons you have seen in your lifetime, you have come to realize just how truly indifferent you are.

As you were lost in thought, your much taller lover stood up from your shared bed, now taking slow strides to you until he was directly in front of you, placing his much larger hands on your shoulders and heaving out a small breath before speaking - supposedly attempting to de-escalate his aggravation. `` [Y/N], what are you not telling me? ``

In that annoyingly husky voice, Kokushibou leant down to your left ear, speaking in such a deep tone that you had to readjust the clothes that suddenly became tight on your skin. The demon then stood straight with his hands still on your smaller form, all the while you had to recollect yourself in order to speak your truth to your lover. Inhaling and exhaling slowly, you look into the pair of eyes in the middle, finally speaking. `` I have felt uncomfortable in my own skin as of late. I feel like I am not good enough because there are many more beautiful women to choose from so I do not know why you would choose me. ``

This time he let you speak, processing what you said and scoffing in both disbelief and offense. His glare became more prominent on his features so suddenly you felt smaller than what he usually makes you feel. Removing your gaze from his golden irises, you look down at the tatami mat flooring to ignore the internal shame you felt for feeling such ways. It is not like you could control those emotions, you felt as though you could not be compared to any other women your eyes have fallen upon. They were beyond gorgeous and that was a fact you accepted the more you thought about your imperfections.

`` Look at me. ``

His demanding tone lead to your head to snap in the direction of his own, which caused your chin to naturally tilt up. Your lip was quivering - yet barely noticeable because you wanted to look strong for your even stronger lover. Of course, his supernatural vision allowed him to notice every single detail about you, and so he obviously saw the pained expression on your face that you were struggling to hide. Sighing and shaking his head, Kokushibou runs a thumb over your bottom, glossy lip before leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss onto your plump lips. You immediately let out a small whimper as your walls basically became crumbling down, allowing yourself to melt into his embrace.

Your lips practically lunged at his, tasting him for all he is worth while his did the same, indulging himself in your flavor until that is all he could detect on his taste receptors. A kiss that went from something so delicate and innocent now turned salacious and lust-filled. Your back was met with the hard surface of the wall from Kokushibou forcefully pushing you, and so you let out a small gasp that parted your lips yet they were quickly silenced with his landing on yours once more. You were trapped in his embrace in that moment with your small whimpers being hushed by his lips ravaging yours hungrily, obviously wanting something more out of the already heated kiss. Although oxygen was also needed so he withdrew himself from you, all the while you were left a mess and leaning against the wall for support. A hand of yours made its way onto the demon's hair, raking your fingers through the mess until you successfully pulled his ponytail out from its hold. 

While you both chased after your much needed breath, calloused hands moved from your shoulders to your waist, yet positioned themselves at your thighs and hoisted you up on the wall. Instinctively, you wrap your legs around his waist to keep yourself from falling onto the floor, but just as quickly as you also wrapped your arms around his neck, Kokushibou kept his hands firm on your thighs. He sauntered back to your shared bed and placed you gently on the mattress, standing in between your thighs that refused to let him go. The Upper Moon took note of your actions and let out a small chuckle, just before wiping away any stray hairs that had fallen on your face. `` Please wait for me, I need to grab something from the other room. ``

You pouted at his sudden announcement of leaving due to the fact that he already managed to get you this bothered in your own clothes, feeling as though you are suffocating in them. `` Fine, but do hurry, I need you. ``

He simply nodded before placing your legs back down and stepping out of the room quickly to grab who knows what. While your lover is unfortunately gone, your hands spring to strip your body of the overly smothering kimono on your body. You discarded the unnecessary clothing onto the floor, taking no note of the small noise you heard outside of the sliding door connecting to the hallway of your home. 

Whilst you were stuck in the bedroom being impatient as ever, Kokushibou who looked around for a certain something was having a hard time locating the item he acquired merely a few days ago. He let out a low grunt of dissatisfaction multiple times until he successfully located the one thing he desired.

Chocolate.

Not just any chocolate, chocolate syrup that he had many plans with. Having said substance in hand, he strolls back to your shared bedroom only to be met with the sight of your body in nothing but a simple underwear set, but the one thing that caught all six of his eyes was your fingers plunging in and out of your cunt whorishly. Your eyes were closed so you were not aware of his entrance, your cheeks being flushed from the feeling of your fingers - yet it was not enough to pleasure yourself. You twisted and writhed, your legs being clenched shut trying to feel more from yourself, yet you could not satisfy your own needs no matter how rigorously you moved your two digits.

Kokushibou, who continued to move undetected, placed the chocolate onto the bedside table, moving to stand in front of you once completed with the simple task. He could not lie, he was enjoying the sight of you not being able to get yourself off without the help of himself, yet despite enjoying the small little show you were not aware of giving him, his hand finds your wrist, grabbing you gently to stop your movements. You peel your eyes open to meet his gaze, your faces being inches from each other. `` I- I am so sorry- ``

`` There is nothing to apologize for, but my star, let me make you feel how beautiful you are instead. ``

Your cheeks flushed even more once Kokushibou began crawling onto the bed, pulling down your panties by the hem, slowly gliding them down your legs until they were completely off and throwing them to the side as well. His other hand trailing up your thigh and spreading your legs to reveal the delicious sight of your dripping pussy pulsating in such desire for him. You crawled backwards until your back hit the wall once more, meaning you were trapped and at his disposal as always. The male kept his eyes fixated on you and your flustered state that was so easy to cause. You turned your head away feeling flushed and heated in your lower reigns, but you refused to admit to such things. `` [Y/N] I want you to look at me as I pleasure you. ``

His voice returned to the same husky tone he used earlier to seduce you into doing such naughty things, so you found yourself staring into his golden irises again and longing for his touch, his scent to overwhelm your nose, his cock bending your mind to pleasure. You desired him and it was no point in hiding such a fact. There were no words that needed to be uttered in order for Kokushibou to understand just exactly what you needed - but that does not mean he is not going to be a tease about it. 

Laying you down gently, he now has both hands interlocked with yours, hovering above your almost entirely exposed body while the only thing exposed of his was his chest and abdomen. It was a habit of his to wander around your shared living space in nothing but a measly hakama that teased the living hell out of you, and even now, it seemed like the fabric was mocking you again, blocking your view of his muscular body above yours. `` My love, I never want you to feel like you are anything less than utterly beautiful. You will forever be the brightest star in my life and nothing can change that. Please do not feel those things about yourself ever again, otherwise the punishment will be far worse than this. ``

`` What do you mean punishme- oh, `` you managed to let out a small gasp at the end of your questioning sentence in view of the fact that your lover grabbed something you never would have even guessed he owned, drizzling the light brown substance all over your lower abdomen. The cold feeling being left on your exposed skin caused you to squirm - just a bit - so you could adjust yourself to the temperature, and seeing you struggle was amusing to the demon before you. A large hand glides up your arms, stopping just in front of your still covered chest by that accursed bra of yours, so in one swift movement, it is ripped from your body and in shreds on the floor. You let out a miniscule whimper at your nipples now being exposed to the cold air around you.

Kokushibou's hands then trailed to your cold, erected nipples, fondling with the two sensitive buds while watching your face scrunch at the tease of pleasure he was giving you. Bucking your hips up, you whine much more audibly this time, making your needs and wants known to the Upper Moon because the teasing was driving you mad. A deep chuckle escaped his lips. Now leaning his head forward, his tongue probes out from his mouth and landing on your skin, coaxing the wet muscle with the chocolate he drizzled all over your stomach without shame. He continued to eye your expression, only to see that your eyes were closed and your head was now tilted back. He figured your nipples got the teasing they deserved so he pressed the pad of his thumb on the buds before gripping your breasts entirely, kneading the two globes while his tongue explored your body.

You writhed beneath him each time his fangs would brush against your skin, multiple shivers emitting from your spine that caused you to shiver. The feeling of his tongue on your body trailing up in between the valley of your breast was mind numbing and your toes curled at this. Kokushibou knew what he was doing as he got closer and closer to his face, his tongue being lathered in chocolate and saliva, the two substances that made a dangerous combination on your skin. You refused to open your eyes because now your cheeks were crimson all over again. You never would have expected such acts from a demon like the Upper Moon, and yet here you are underneath him being treated like royalty almost. 

`` I will not ask this again [Y/N], open your eyes and look at me. ``

You followed his orders - slowly. It was on purpose just to see how far he is willing to go to get his point across. Yes you were going to be a brat about it, but gradually become worse over time.

Once your eyes were fixated on him, his hand that was on your left breast gripped your cheeks, which caused your lips to be puckered open and you looked in shock as the demon spat in your mouth before exerting his lips onto yours. His tongue forcibly entered your mouth, allowing you to taste the sweet chocolate on his taste buds that was being transferred to yours, saliva getting in the mix until you could not tell who's was who's. Your hands that were originally gripped the bedsheets now wrapped themselves around his neck, pulling him closer until your chest was pressed against his. Soon you pulled away for oxygen, and it took one glance in each other's eyes to know what the latter wanted. `` Kokushibou I am sorry for wasting o-our time. Please do not tease for long. I need you to fulfill my needs. ``

`` Do not worry, your needs will be fulfilled when I say so, my star, `` Kokushibou said in a lower tone, letting go of your face and breast to finally rid of the difficult hakama covering his own erection. He quickly discarded the fabric and threw it onto the floor beside the bed, looking down at you with a fire ablaze in his eyes, peering at your body having chocolate smeared all over, but he is not done with the sweet treat just yet. `` It does not seem like you are doing much about my needs darling. ``

`` Do not worry, they will soon enough, just be patient, `` he reassured while caressing your face ever so gently with his fingers. The gesture was gentle and loving in a sense, yet you felt his girthy length invaded your already flexing pussy. Your eyes fluttered back as you do nothing but surrender yourself to complete bliss. `` Kokushibou! Warn m-me..! ``

`` You do not deserve a warning, this is a punishment..- after all, `` he snarled in response. His calloused hands found yours, taking the chance to interlock your fingers and stare down at your beautiful irises. `` You deserve to feel what it is like to be loved, and so I will not stop until you know just how beautiful you are. ``

You simply nodded, not really knowing what else to do in that moment since you felt so full because of his cock alone. You tried to adjust yourself, yet your walls continued to contract and clench on his length, and that was all it took for the male to start his slow, yet hard thrusts. He pulled out slowly, barely to the tip, before slamming himself back inside you. You inhaled sharply before letting out a loud, breathy moan, rolling your hips so you can ease the fiery pain and pleasure that overflooded your senses throughout your entire body.  Kokushibou let out a deep groan before it quickly changed into an also breathy moan, tilting his head back whilst his hands started to grip yours. He was losing control and it was obvious with how every vein pulsed on his body and became more prominent.

Moan after moan escaped your lips each time he continuously rammed his length deep inside you, reaching every goddamn spot inside of your silky insides covered in your delectable juices that made it much more easier for Kokushibou to slide in and out of your hole effortlessly. The hard rutting of his hips against yours became bruising due to the fact that his thrusts were roughly inflicting pleasure to your pussy and your skin would meet with his every time. It was too much and he barely did anything.

Your hands wormed out of his to get a better grip of something, anything, just to calm the electrifying waves of pleasure taking over your nervous system as a whole, so you moved your hands to his back and clawed at his skin for dear life. The action earned you a low growl from Kokushibou who had to grip onto the bedsheets for dear life just to hold himself up. Your nails digging into his back was painful - but enjoyable to know that he is pleasuring you this well - yet very far from done.

`` Enjoying yourself? `` He mocked whilst finally looking down at whatever ruined state you were already in. Your eyes had managed to roll back fully, your tongue being partially lolled out of your gaping mouth. Sweat droplets managed to form on your face due to the sheer amount of force his thrusts had. You nodded your head quickly in response, not being able to let out anything else except for moans of his name and moans in general, which was such a radiant sight to see for Kokushibou who knew just what to do to have you seeing stars. He himself was becoming pleasure blinded, for his slow yet rough paced was slowly becoming more rapid as more perspiration formed on his chest, forehead, arms, and lower abdomen. It was a sexy sight to say the least as groan after breathy groan came from his lips, but that quickly latched onto the side of your throat, biting the flesh - yet not enough to actually tear skin. `` Do..- Do you think I am done with you? This was just the start [Y/N]. ``

You could not conjure up a proper response, just a loud moan as you felt a hardened tip kiss against the entrance of your cervix. The feeling sent more shocks of pleasure throughout your nervous system, your breath hitching and your face scrunching up once more. `` I believe you will.. try your best!- Ngh- But what will you do.. if you do n-not succeed? ``

`` That will not happen.. rest assured. You will not know anything else but just how much of a beautiful person you are, o-okay? `` You could have sworn you heard Kokushibou out of all demons stutter on his own words. Your walls began clamping down on his cock that continued to fill your insides with each rough movement, so you felt yourself becoming closer to your climax than you had hoped.

Your chests were practically glued together from the combined sweat of your bodies as his pace never faltered, only continuing to further quicken and add on to your mind going foggy. `` I cannot have you going blank just yet, stay with me, my love. ``

His words went in one ear and out the other, but as soon as you felt the cold substance be drizzled on your chest, you gasped out his name audibly whilst having your mouth set agape even more. You tried to process one thing at a time yet before you knew it his vein covered hands gripped your breasts with such force that you arched your back into his chest even more, your breath hitching at the suddenness. `` Y-Yes I promise..! ``

Kokushibou's tongue darted to your chocolate-covered nipple first, bathing his taste receptors in the sweet substance all the while sucking greedily on the erected bud. Your moans came out more shaky each time a groan emitted from his esophagus, the vibrations transferring to your own body that just made your pleasure enhanced senses skyrocket. `` The chocolate may be sweet..- `` Kokushibou paused. `` ..But you taste sweeter. ``

His mouth moved from one nipple to the other, repeating the action of licking your chest clean that had you seeing stars at that point. The roughness of his thrusts still kissing just against your cervix sending constant tsunamis of intense pleasure throughout your entire being was starting to become mind numbing as your climax was slowly approaching. 

`` Ko-Kokushibou- ah! I'm going to.. cum-! `` You shouted out above your moans, your mouth being left agape due to the sudden pace change of force being put into the plunging of his cock going deeper and deeper inside you with each loud mewl of his name. It was driving him crazy having your nails dig further into his back that was bound to leave marks clear as day, yet he did not mind because the pain was one of the only things keeping him from losing himself in the pleasure your slick-covered walls were giving him. He merely groaned in response, nodding rapidly, not wanting to answer in coherent words in view of the fact that his tongue was still gathering any remaining chocolate on your chest, trailing the wet muscle up your neck and leaving yet another bite mark next to the one he left earlier.

`` I want you- fuck- I want you to know how beautiful you are.. inside and out..-`` Kokushibou said, his tone being more rugged than before feeling his own climax approach ever so slowly, building up to release his load within your depths. The swelling within your core would not stop growing until eventually your mind was painted white, releasing on your lover's cock and squeezing your eyes shut to truly savor the feeling of your walls being coated with your cum that continued to spasm around his cock.

Just as you were still lost in a shocked state of your orgasm, your face was suddenly gripped by two masculine hands, being forced to look at the owner in his eyes that read "Upper Moon One." `` I'm going to cum inside you, and you better be appreciative of every single drop, otherwise there will be consequences.``

You simply nodded as quickly as you could, his thrusts still not faltering. Although with one slam of his hips against yours, his seed is suddenly erupting inside you, your eyes now rolling back once more at the feeling of being filled to the brim. You felt full to say the least, since your cum was mixed with his, swelling your tummy even. A deep and breathy groan escaped Kokushibou's lips as he continued to release his cum within your aching cunt that seemed to milk him dry with each throb. 

The demon had finally stilled once his peak of pleasure had finally settled down, his body still hovering above yours as his 3 pairs of eyes could not tear themselves from your whorish expression. Your cheeks had a few tear stains, as well as your eyes being bloodshot and rolled into the back of your head, your mouth being left hanging open that had saliva dripping from your twitching lips. It was an amusing sight to say the least to Kokushibou, for seeing you in such a ruined state could instantly get his cock hard again at the thought of him being able to make you see other worlds with his length alone. His calloused hand caressed your face, a gentle action that brought you back to your senses, being able to focus on his handsome face again. 

There was a loving smile on your face that was small - but there, even though your face was practically ruined. You leaned into his hand and closed your eyes, allowing yourself to melt into the warmth of his palm that you craved to feel in a gentle manner. You both had heavy breathes, trying to desperately regain oxygen after using your energy for such a scandalous act, yet the male before you used his energy to lay beside you, now turning you around so that your back is pressed against his chest and your leg raised by his other free hand. `` If you think I was done with you [Y/N], then you are sadly mistaken. I want you to remember that you are beautiful whether you think so or not. So answer me, do you believe you are beautiful? ``

`` Yes of course I do..!- ``

`` That did not sound so convincing my love, I suggest you need to be reminded again. ``

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

[hopelesshunny]

the love languages part iii: words of affirmation (f.w.)

pairing: fred weasley x fem!reader

summary: y/n thinks fred is losing interest in her after he catches another girls eye so he makes sure she knows just how much he loves her.

warnings: kissing, mentions of cheating, misunderstandings, mentions of a breakup, insecurities, mentions of marriage, mentions of pregnancy, very brief joke about a physical fight, ANGST but with a happy ending!!

word count: 1.7k

a/n: this is late and i'm very, very sorry but i started writing it and kinda hated it so i had to take a step back and come back to it! i kinda struggled with this one bc words of affirmation is the farthest thing from my personal love language but i hope i did it justice.

*all photos are from pinterest*

series masterlist // part i // part ii // part iv

The warm sunlight washed over Y/N’s skin as she stepped into the courtyard, a smile etched on her face at the thought of seeing her boyfriend, after spending the entire day in class away from him she couldn’t wait to revel in the feeling of his arms wrapped around her. She scanned the sea of students before her eyes finally found him, her smile slightly dropped when she saw two Hufflepuff girls standing in front of Fred as he leaned against a bench on the ground. The two girls were older than Y/N, they giggled as they spoke to him, one of them twirling her hair around her finger. She could feel jealousy pooling deep in the pit of her stomach coupled with an overwhelming sense of guilt as Fred looked very uninterested with the conversation the two girls were attempting to initiate, constantly looking around in search of her.

“There she is!” Fred spoke when Y/N made her way to him, the smile on his face was so genuine that she almost forgot about all the anger that previously possessed her.

“Hi, Freddie.” She greeted, giving into his outstretched arms to let him pull her into his lap. He placed a sweet kiss to her temple. “Hi.” She spoke softly, turning her attention to the two girls, irritation lacing their features.

“Maybe we’ll see you around Fred.” One of them piped up before leaving, whispering to one another as they retreated.

“Your friends seem nice.” Y/N scoffed, biting the inside of her cheek as Fred’s arms tightened around her, sensing her discomfort.

“Not my friends.” He chuckled, littering the side of her face with kisses which earned a giggle from her. “Just some girls in my Herbology class, they won’t leave me alone.” He added.

“Can’t entirely blame them.” She joked, attempting to make light of the situation. “I don’t leave you alone either.”

“Mhmm.” He started, turning her head to face him so that he could place a kiss to her lips. “But your company is more than welcomed, princess.”

She giggled at his soft demeanor, taking his hand in hers whilst she leaned back against his chest as she listened to him babble on excitingly about some of the new products he and George were working on for the shop. She felt content here in his arms but her mind kept wandering to the girls that were obviously attempting to flirt with her boyfriend.

Y/N knew Fred loved her, knew that no matter how many girls flocked to him he would always politely excuse himself from the situation in order to find her, knew that he wouldn’t even think about cheating on her but was he losing interest in her? What if he was looking at all these other girls and thinking they were prettier than her, smarter than her, better than her? She pushed the thoughts away, not wanting to think about losing Fred to someone else, she could hardly stomach it. But truly, it plagued her, Fred had come into her life and made it completely different, he forced her to live in colour after so long of feeling like she was one of those sad black and white Hollywood starlets. He made her feel special, made the rain seem like a gift instead of an inconvenience, made the sun feel warmer and the moon feel like he hung it in the sky just for her.

Fred noticed that Y/N had something on her mind and spent the next few days constantly asking if she was okay but he knew that she was far too stubborn to tell him what was bothering her. Because of this Fred tried a little harder to make sure she knew how much she meant to him, Y/N knew what he was doing but she wasn’t ready to confess to him that she was jealous of all the attention he was getting from the girls at school, worried that her insecurities would push him away. But that was never something that crossed Fred’s mind, he had assumed that other people flirting with him would upset her which is why he always rejected the advances, always made sure she knew that there was no one else walking this earth more perfect for him, he truly wanted nothing more than to slip a ring on her finger and spend the rest of his days with her. Hell if he had a ring right now he’d propose to her no questions asked.

“Alicia, do you know who that girl is?” Y/N asked as she sat in the library, textbooks littering the table in front of the two girls as they poured over their homework. Alicia spun around in her seat to get a look at the girl in question.

“The Hufflepuff girl?” She asked to which Y/N nodded. “I think her name is Jessica, why?”

“It’s nothing.” She lied in reply, gritting her teeth. “Just asking.”

“No you’re not.” She spoke casually, seeing directly through Y/N’s facade. “You don’t seem like yourself lately, what’s wrong?”

“She was talking to Fred a couple days ago.” Y/N sighed. “I just can’t shake it, I’ve caught her staring at him at dinner a few times and she was so adamant about talking to him that day.” Her voice shook as she spoke, Alicia looked to her with a soft smile.

“Y/N.” She started. “Fred loves you so bloody much, so much so that it's kind of gross sometimes. He’d never even think about pursuing another girl, he looks at you like you have a halo hanging above your head.”

“Thanks.” She sniffed, giggling at her friend. “You’re a good friend, Alicia.”

“And if all else fails, you could probably take her in a fight.” Alicia added, earning a loud, genuine laugh from Y/N earning stares and shushing from those in the library.

She felt lighter after her conversation with Alicia and was excited to see Fred at dinner, she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss his entire face. Her warm and fuzzy thoughts of Fred were interrupted when she saw Jessica running her fingers up his arm, a devilish smile playing on her lips. Y/N could hardly process the sight in front of her, it was making her sick to her stomach so much that she couldn’t bear to look at Fred’s face not wanting to see his reaction to the pretty girl in front of him trailing her hand up his arm. She didn’t even realize that her feet were carrying her body away from the sight in front of her until she could hear him calling after her.

Tears spilled from her eyes, tracking down her face as she ignored Fred’s desperate calls to her, practically running through the common room and up to her room. She slammed the door, sliding down it as she pulled her knees up to her chest, sobs now freely leaving her mouth.

“Y/N, angel-” Fred started, outside her door, he was audibly out of breath from chasing her through the castle. “Open the door please.”

She sat there for a minute, contemplating never opening the door, never speaking to him again, just simply forgetting that she never ever heard Fred Weasley’s name. But she knew she couldn’t, knew she could never forget about him and she also knew she shouldn’t just shut him out, he would never purposely hurt her. With a sigh she lifted herself from the ground and opened the door to find her very disheveled boyfriend, his hair messy from running his hands through it, his face flushed. As soon as she saw him her legs collapsed beneath her, choked sobs making their appearance once again.

“Hey, hey, none of that.” He whispered, taking her into his arms on the floor. “She just came up to me love, I told her she had to leave me alone, that there was never going to be anything between us because I was in love with you.” He rubbed circles into her back as she sobbed into his chest, placing barely there kisses into her hair.

“Are you-” She started, another brutal sob racking her body. “Are you losing interest in me? I-I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay with me if you don’t want to be.” Freds heart was aching listening to her, he cursed himself for the way she was feeling. He should have told her he loved her more, he should have woken her up every morning by telling her she was the only girl he ever thought of, that he ever wanted.

“I love you Y/N.” He began. “H-How-”

“You can love someone and get bored with them.” She spoke quietly. Fred sighed, placing his hands on her shoulders, he pulled her back to look at her.

“I will never get tired of you, you will never bore me and there is not a chance in hell that I will lose interest in you.” Her eyes found his for the first time since she first opened the door. “I think about you all day, everyday, from the second I wake up with you in my arms until I get to fall asleep next to you, all I think about is you. You’re everything to me.” He let a deep sigh leave his chest as he took her face in his hands. “I’m going to marry you Y/N, in the backyard, back home with everyone there and then we’re gonna have a bunch of little red-headed babies, send them off to Hogwarts and argue over what house they’ll be sorted in.” He said, pulling a giggle from her which he reciprocated with a relieved smile.

“You want to marry me?” She asked as he wiped a stray tear from her eye with the pad of his thumb.

“I have since the day you agreed to date a bloody git like me.” He joked, pulling her into his chest. “It’s only you Y/N, it’s always been you, it’ll always be you, you’re it for me.” She buried her face into his jumper, forgetting about Jessica, forgetting about her doubts, just breathing in his scent, just feeling his lips on her hairline, just her and her Freddie.

taglist (join here!!)

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[tooruluv]

Kei Tsukishima x F!Reader ( part 5 )

❝ they were the sun and moon, destined to be together but only ever totally meeting once every hundred years or so. ❞

description: in a world where you only see color when you're in love, you've grown frustrated of the greyscale. but falling in love with someone you barely know was never something you planned. and, him not returning the feelings definitely wasn’t planned.

genre: soulmate au... except not quite. everyone is born colorblind. you can only see color once you fall in love (and it grows brighter until you see full color as the love grows). however, that doesn't ensure a lasting connection. it simply means that love exists in that moment, until it doesn't.

word count: 1,282

warnings/notes: bake sale shenanigans 

prev | next

“  i’ll make the most of the sadness ” - slow dancing in a burning room, john mayer

┏━━━━━⋇⋆⋆⋇❦⋇⋆⋆⋇━━━━━┓

Of all the things that you found yourself mulling over, almost kissing Kei Tsukishima was something that you never expected. Yet there you were. Pacing your bedroom by yourself with one hand pressed to your lips chasing the near ghost of his.

You should talk to him about it. 

It isn’t that you were embarrassed, nor were you even upset. You were just confused. 

He was so close to kissing you. He was so very close. And he would’ve, too, if your mom hadn’t walked in. He would’ve done it. 

He would have, right?

Sighing, you flopped onto your bed. Maybe Mai and Haru were right about “baking”. 

You juggled your containers of desserts, struggling to hold them in your arms. The cupcakes and brownies were definitely moving around in the plastic tubs, but you were just trying to get them from your house to the bake sale table.

Tsukishima suddenly appeared at your side, grabbing only the top container.

“Oh. Hey.” You managed to get the others in a stable position. “Hey.”

“You said hey twice.” 

“Yeah.” You were going to talk to him. You were going to talk to him about the almost kiss. Yes. That was what you were going to do. “Actually, I wanted to…”

“You guys made cupcakes!!” 

You were going to commit arson if you got interrupted one more fucking time.

Yamaguchi walked up to you both, smile plastered on his face. He must’ve already brought whatever he made (his cookies, if you remembered correctly) because his hands were empty.

“And brownies.” Tsukki said. 

Yamaguchi looked between you two. He noticed the abnormal distance between you and his best friend, and how you aren’t looking at him in his eyes or making some remark. He is observant if not anything. 

When you met Kei Tsukishima for the first time, you simply wanted to be his friend. You thought he looked cool, and he ordered the last thing someone your age would order. You were infatuated, absolutely and completely.

You remember watching in the black and white, wondering and fantasizing about what color his hair was or what color shirt he was wearing that morning.

And now here you were, seeing color in your friend’s eyes.

Friend. 

That was exactly what you wanted to be.

You ignored the pressure on your chest as you pushed down the fact that you were in love with him. You ignored the pain in your heart as you realized that you could see a little bit more gold in his eyes.

“You guys made these? They’re deli--hey that’s mine!!!--licious!”

You were sitting in a chair with Tsukki, Mai, and Haru around you. None of you were really talking, mainly just scrolling through your phones and laughing about random things as you waited for school to open and start your sale.

But the second you heard Nishinoya, you whipped your head around. Tsukki did, too.

Noya and Tanaka were eating your desserts, faces stuffed with the baked goods you created. You exchanged one knowing look with Tsukki before the both of you jumped up to stop them.

That’s how you ended up shopping at the local grocery store with Tsukishima.

Nishinoya and Tanaka were lucky that you considered them your friends (or at least, friendly acquaintances). Because you could have their head on a stick for eating every single thing you made.

“I cannot believe them.”

Tsukki rolled his eyes as you both scanned the shelves. “I can. It’s typical of them. Nishinoya and Tanaka are… more than enough.”

You chuckle a little. You liked this. Being normal.

He reached above your head to grab a box of cupcakes from the shelf. Okay. So maybe it wasn’t normal. 

You felt your heart skip a beat when his arm stayed above you for just a millisecond longer than it should’ve been.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” You told him as you grabbed one from a lower shelf.

“About?”

“Well, about how we…”

“Are you two finding everything okay?” A worker asked, walking down the aisle. 

“Yeah, yup. We’re doing alright.” 

You were going to do something to end up on the national news.

“You know, I wasn’t expecting you to buy something instead of baking your own.” Ukai said to you when you placed your store bought brownies and cupcakes onto the table.

“We didn’t. Originally.”

“We?”

“Oh, right. Tsukki and I baked for a long time yesterday.” You shrugged. “But someone decided that they were simply too good to put out for the rest of the school.”

“And by someone you mean those two.” Ukai pointed his head towards the two in question.

You smiled, taking a seat next to the coach. Your own coach sat with the baseball coach at the other table, talking to the volleyball third years. 

“Are you and Tsukishima… you know…?” Ukai questioned.

You immediately shook your head. There was no way you were having this conversation with your family friend, someone you see at family outings. Not today and not any other day.

“I’m not having this conversation.”

“Okay, quick question then.” He leaned back in the chair. “Do you think we should wear our black jerseys or should I try to get orange jerseys for home games?”

“Keep the black, the orange is bright. Noya will look good standing out.”

“Hm.”

Fuck. So much for that.

“Coach Ukai” had always been Keishin Ukai to you. You didn’t know exactly how it happened, but their family had always been close to yours. Growing up, they would be at all of your family events and you remember going to volleyball games and Ukai coming to your softball games. 

So, when he came to your house for dinner one night with your parents and he asked “Hey, I heard you want to volunteer. I’m coaching the boy’s volleyball team if you want to help after your softball practices.” you couldn’t really say no.

“That’s perfect!” your mom said.

You kicked her under the table.

The bake sale went as planned. It made the teams quite a bit of money, just enough for the needed buses. 

Tsukishima watched as you sold the random baked goods. He watched you smile at every interaction and mess with Coach Ukai. Once, you caught his eye and smiled directly at him.

You couldn’t feel his heart hammering against his ribs.

“Go talk to him.” Mai muttered to you as you cleaned up some things at the table.

“What?”

“Go fucking talk to him.” Mai repeated. “I know that it’s eating away at you. Go ask him about the kiss. Right now.”

“We’re busy.”

“Oh, no.” Mai took the trash out of your hand. “No. Nope. Go fucking talk to him. Now.”

And you were being pushed.

Tsukki sat on a chair, legs spread and hands crossed over his chest. But the second your eyes met his, he sat up straight and pushed his glasses up.

“Can I talk to you?” you asked.

He gave you a nod and he stood, following you around the corner. Everyone was in class, so there was no chance of being caught unless someone from the bake sale interrupted.

“I would like to tell you something first.” He started. You just blinked up at him. “We’re friends.”

You furrowed your brows. “Yes. We’re friends.” Friends don’t nearly kiss while covered in baking ingredients. 

“Yes. Friends.”

Oh. 

That’s all he had to say. He was emphasizing it. 

So you would too.

“Friends.” You said again, nodding. “Best friends?”

He smiled (something you loved, but you ignored that). “That spot is reserved for Yamaguchi. You can be my second in command, though.”

“That sounds cooler, anyway.”

tag list: @vhskenma​​​​​​ @elianetsantana​​​​​​ @mini-eggs-reads​​​​​​ @ysasian​​​​ @hhwanggu​​​​ @i-stole-your-juice-box​​​​ @definitelynotbianca​​​​ @denkithunder​​​ @smuttyanimeslut​​ @yourlocalbabybird​​ @theydy-madamonsieur @expiredbananamilk​

[acciocrzychickfics]

2020 Remadora Fanfic Recommendations

So these are not all of my favorites because there are so many, many to choose from but these are. Also I rarely read fluff, so I struggled with that list, sorry. I have put an * next to any story that is fabulous read by has been abandoned.  

MutliChapter Rec

1. If Only by LoquaciousLupin

Tonks meets a mysterious, charming and handsome man at a muggle bar, imagine her surprise when the next time she bumps into him is at her first Order meeting! Will they continue their flirtatious relationship or push aside their feelings in the name of the Order?

Rating: K  Status: Complete

2. The Bureaucratic Error by Iniga

After his death, Remus finds himself 5 years in the past, having undone Voldemort's defeat and Teddy's birth. He's going to need his old friend Sirius to help him with this one.

Rating: T   Status : Incomplete* 

3. Chasing Grindylows by Firetoflame

She pens the note on official Ministry letterhead. Remus Lupin, it reads. You are hereby summoned to attend an Auror interview regarding case file number 713, suspect to be named, Sirius Black. You are required to attend promptly at nine o'clock on the morning of Tuesday the twenty-first. Sincerely, Nymphadora Tonks, Auror Department

Rating: M Status: Complete 

4. Lycanthropy, Love and Other Curses by Thora Jane

This is the story of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks from beginning...to end.

Rating: T    Status: In-Progress (last updated on 12/13/20)

5. A Marriage of Convivence? by BDA 

The Ministry of Magic is preparing to pass new and extremely restrictive laws against magical beings. The Order must scramble to protect Remus, who will be greatly affected by the restrictions on werewolves. Thankfully Dumbledore has a solution. It is decided that Remus will marry Tonks - a pretend relationship to take advantage of a loophole in the laws. Will it work? How will the pair find being married to each other? 

Rating: E       Status: Complete

6. A Crinkle of Fate by AFaith1192 

What if you were given a second chance? An opportunity to change everything... At the last minute before dying, Nymphadora Tonks makes a desperate wish; a wish to save more than one life. But changing the future has a price, and she will have to learn how to pay it. 

Rating: T Status: In-Progress (last updated on 11/15/20)

7. Flying Colours Series by TauraNorma 

The ‘Flying Colours’ trilogy follows Lupin and Tonks’ romance across the canon timeline, from the beginning of the Order of the Phoenix until the end of the Deathly Hallows. 

Rating: E      Status: In-Progress 

8.  Snapshots by brainyisalwayssexy

Mini scenes and moments that could’ve, should’ve been in the films, but weren’t. Movie-canon semi-compliant. Not meant to make sense from chapter to chapter, and not in chronological order.

Rating: M Status: In-Progress (last updated on 12/21/20)

9.Muggle AU Series by AyashiTetsuko132

A school teacher with a rebellious past. A punk musician with a dynamic present. They have an interesting future together.

Rating: T Status: Complete 

10. Protection Detail by LoquaciousLupin

As she can't actively be involved with the search for Black, Tonks is sent to co-ordinate the protection of Hogwarts and Harry Potter whilst Sirius is on the loose. Whilst there, she befriends a charming but secretive new professor. Set during Prisoner of Azkaban. AU in later chapters. Rated for language! Remus/Tonks centred fic.

Rating: T Status: Incomplete (last updated 06/27/20)

11. Worth the Risk by HeadintheCloudsForever

AU. Odyssey-length long fic. Tonks/Remus. Following an Order mission gone horribly wrong that results in Tonks becoming gravely wounded, she meets Remus Lupin when he and Moody rescue her, and Dumbledore assigns Lupin as her new partner for the year, and during the painful time of healing as the young witch recovers from her injuries, she slowly begins to warm up to the man and falls in love with him. Remadora.

Rating: T        Status: Complete 

Angst/Hurt/Comfort

1. I Can't Tell Her by accio_spaceman

He couldn't tell her- it would ruin everything. But can he stop himself? Originally written about Remadora but written in such a way that you could make it about pretty much anyone. 

Rating: K    Status: Complete 

2. In Denial by secretfanficlover

Remus and Tonks try their best to prevent Tonks from becoming pregnant, a war wasn't the time or place for a child, but Teddy was going to become part of the family whether they liked it or not.

Rating: K  Status: Complete 

3. The First Goodbye by couldbemoresonic

“I’m leaving. Albus,” he nodded to the Hogwarts Headmaster, who nodded in return, “has asked me to go into the Underground to help with recruiting.” A few people gasped, Molly audibly said, “Remus no, that’s far too dangerous!” Remus didn’t look at Molly Weasley though. He found himself instead, looking directly into the pale grey eyes of Nymphadora Tonks.

Remus leaves to be a Werewolf spy for the Order, but stops in to say goodbye first.

Rating: G  Status: Complete 

4. Clearing the Desk by HecateA

Harry inherited a certain someone's desk in the Auror Office and finds out just how many slices of someone's life can be contained in a couple of drawers. Oneshot. 

Rating:   K  Status: Complete 

5. For the Sake of the Daughter by Gilpin 

Tonks brings Remus home to see her parents and it's a meeting of mixed emotions for all. Set just after the end of HBP 

Rating:  T  Status: Complete 

Fluffy, Fluff

1. The Order’s Most Eligible Bachelors by cafei-au-lei

The Order's Most Eligible Bachelors, or: the ladies indulge in some firewhiskey and gossip. Sirius and Remus stumble upon a game they're not sure they want to be privy to (okay, maybe Sirius does.) The results lead to some necessary conversation and introspection for a few of the parties involved. Oneshot. 

Rating: T  Status: Complete

2. Lucky Stars by Sirussly 

Series of oneshots (most are fluffly haha)

Rating: G     Status: Incomplete*

3. Chapter by Chapter by HecateA 

Due to a mix-up in the school library, McGonagall's new TA gets the book that Remus needs, which leads to some slow and painful torture. Oneshot. University/College AU.

Rating: K Status: Complete

4. Strange Magic by ItsSoRonksItsRight

Molly comes across a pair of bright purple female short-style lace briefs, what will Remus do? Ronks. Rated T to be safe. One-shot. Disclaimer: I do not own anything relatable to Harry Potter, I'm just borrowing. 

Rating: T Status: Complete

5. The Love Life of Nymphadora Tonks by miniandminie

After Tonks slips to Sirius that she likes someone, the entire Order of the Phoenix is on her case to find out who that ‘someone’ is, including the ‘someone’ himself: Remus Lupin. RLNT, Remadora.

Rating: K Status: Complete 

Family (Remus/Tonks/Teddy)

1. The Talk, Or The (Lighthearted) Trauma of Teddy R. Lupin by cafei-au-lei

Teddy knew when Dad brought out the firewhiskey that something was suspicious. Then again, maybe he wasn't giving Dad enough credit for being the cool parent. AU. Remus and Tonks survive to raise their son and give him The Dreaded Talk. Oneshot.

Rating: T    Status: Complete

2. Grocery Shopping with the Lupins by Deletinvthissoon

What happens when Teddy Lupin gets lost in the grocery store?

Rating: K   Status: Complete

3. In Case I Don’t Live Forever by ThatHCWriter

While cleaning out her attic years after the war, Andromeda discovers a strange muggle media device. She turns it on, and when it begins, Andromeda's world stops.

"Is this thing on? Teddy! It's your dad."

Or, how an accidental discovery allows Teddy Lupin to hear a message from beyond the grave.

Rating: T   Status: Complete 

4. Remus, Teddy! by LadyLoss15

Remadora oneshot Tonks spends an amazing day with Remus just to realize at the end of the day that, to her horror, they have forgotten about bringing Teddy home from the kindergarten. Or have they really?

Rating: NR Status: Complete 

5. The Miracle of Accidental Magic by Mills87

Teddy has a bout of accidental magic when he and his Grandma are attacked by a remnant group of Voldemort supporters on his third birthday. His magic transports him and Andromeda back in time to three years before he was born. With no way back to their time will Andromeda find a way to safely alter time to save her loved ones, what consequences may lie ahead?

Rating: T   Status: Incomplete*

Smut/PWP

1. Awake at Night by Skelpielimmer

Tonks muses on her newfound obsession with Remus Lupin's hands. OotP. Rated M for adult content!

Rating: M   Status: Complete

2. The Perils of Patrol by Worthfull1

Things get a little heated when patrolling undercover. Rated M for swearing and smut. One-shot.

Rating: E    Status: Complete 

3. Under the Invisibility Cloak by AWideEyedPhoenix84

Lupin and Tonks find themselves in a precarious situation on a mission for the Order, and months of pent-up passion come out right before the full moon.

Rating: E    Status: Complete

4. Under the Desk by immahorny

Tonks pays Lupin a visit at Hogwarts. What will happen. AU - Remus is still a teacher when they have an established relationship Book 6 . ***CAUTION: HEAVY SMUT. RATED M FOR A REASON. DON'T LIKE DON'T READ***

Rating: M    Status: Complete 

5. Phantom Touch by Fleshisonlyflesh

Dora is unable to sleep, and her fantasies of a certain werewolf cause her to find a way to relax...

Rating: E     Status: Complete 

General/Romance

1. First Meeting and She’s a Piece of Work by firetoflame

He doesn't even know her, not really, and somehow she's ended up with his wand. He thinks maybe next time he'll listen when Sirius tells him his cousin is a real piece of work.

Rating: G   Status: Complete 

2. Remus, Interrupted by Tonkswyrda 

Sirius likes to interrupt people when they're in the middle of things.

Rating: K  Status: Complete 

3. Things Sirius Black Cannot Unsee by HecateA

In which Sirius doesn't know how to knock, sees something he shouldn't have, and can't keep it to himself—especially not during a very serious Order meeting. Oneshot.

Rating: T Status: Complete 

4. Pluto by bikelock28

A series of Lupin/ Tonks one-shots. Canon universe. Ch84 now up. "Did you send him away, Professor? Or did he ask to go?".

Rating: T  Status: In-Progress (last updated on 12/18/20)

5. Girlish Giggle by failuretoland

Sirius could always tell when Remus had an enjoyable evening, and he had a bad habit of announcing it to anyone who would listen.

Rating: G   Status: Complete

6. The Dawn Patrol by aegle 

Mundungus Fletcher resents being dragged to Yorkshire by Remus and Tonks. He laments.

Rating: T   Status: Complete

7. On First Impressions by cafei-au-lei 

"'You know,' Sirius said, 'it's kind of funny. For someone who thinks Remus is so annoying, you sure can't seem to stop talking about him.'" A series of moments in Remus and Tonks' developing relationship as they get to know each other and learn that maybe first impressions aren't necessarily everything. OOTP. Oneshot. 

Rating: T  Status: Complete 

8. Tuesday by Moreofaguestage

“Sure, Okay let's go get married” Tonks replied brightly. “Where do people get married at 8pm on a Tuesday evening?”

Rating: G  Status: Complete

9. Find Us in a Week by myscribblinquill 

Tonks' new case is different to those she's had before. First off, there's no crime to solve, all she has to do it collect information on the mark and pass it along to her client. But the problem is there's nothing to pass along, he's so boring and yet, somehow, Tonks can't stop following him.

Rating: G   Status: Complete 

10. Dora by notoriously

Meetings with the Order are long and boring, and Don't-Call-Me-Nymphadora Tonks doesn't do long and boring. She takes some time out of her duties to carefully consider Remus Lupin, and he quite-significantly-less-carefully considers the name that leaves his mouth when addressing her.

Rating: G  Status: Complete 

[charlettebffxiv]

Prompt #26 Affront (Extra Credits)

“I’m going to build a house!” Alistair’s face was bright, reddened in the cheeks from running. Charlette stared at him, blinking no less than three times before gathering this bit of news and understanding it all. And yet… “What?” she asked, sounding as dumb as she looked. “I’m going to build a house! I applied for a plot in the new expansion area, and they gave me one. Can you believe it? Gods, this is so exciting!” and surprising. Willow’s Heart rarely expanded its borders. ‘Quaint, unassuming village in the Shrouds backwoods’ was the cornerstone of its appeal after all. And its use to the Order. Moreso, it was surprising because Alistair was, well, Alistair. A very, very large puppy in a man’s body.

“Come on! I’ll show you the place!” And he was off, bounding down the pathway from the Greenhouse he had found Charlette stepping out of. She had just finished pruning every bush, with terribly blunt shears, and was looking forward to a cold drink and several bells in the library. But, instead, she was chasing after Alistair. “Slow down! You might trip and knock out your front teeth!” It was an honest worry, watching him bound ahead and nearly stumble over his own feet. Alistair was the kind of person that fell often, dropped things being handed directly to him, and knocked anything delicate off of any surface. Above, below or exactly at the height of his big, swinging, talking hands. He was rarely without a bruise to sport or a few scratches and grazes to pick at. And all of this made Charlette shiver a little as they finally came to the open area on the edge of their village, where he planned to construct a dwelling. With tools, and nails, and saws and… oh dear. It was a rare patch of open land, few trees holding sway over it and no water or rocks to stand in the way. Finding space in the Shroud could be a difficult thing, considering clearing away the trees and flattening the earth was almost always out of the question. “Here! This is it! Amazing right?” Alistair’s little plot had been marked out with a line of stones, a wide circle that encompassed all the space around two trees growing side-by-side, their canopies high up and reaching in opposite directions to provide constant shade. “Who put the stones down? Is that the edge of your, ah, property?” It felt weird to say that. Alistair though inflated almost twice over. “My property! Yes, I guess it is, and I put the stones down. That’s where the house is going to go. I can’t take out the trees, of course, so I’ll build around them.” Charlette’s brows pulled together and her eyes narrowed as she looked at the ‘layout’. “That is easier said than done, Alistair. I do not think I have seen a single building like that in Gridania .” His smile broadened, his bright-orange hair whipped around his eyes as he nodded with all the vigour of someone you’ve accidentally encouraged. “I know! It’s going to be amazing. I’m thinking, a circle design, but with an opening at the front. So it will just loop around the trees like a cup handle.” Alistair had walked around the trees, coming to the end of his circle and stopping just shy of closing it. “The front door can be here, and each section can be a room. Start off with the entrance, then the living room, then the kitchen, the bedrooms and a bathroom at the end? Or maybe bathroom, then a storage area? Like an attic, but on the ground level.” Charlette had crossed her arms, and walked slowly around with him, imagining this horrific house that would require everyone to walk through each other’s bedrooms to get to the toilet. “Attic on the ground level? So a storeroom?” Alistair’s finger shot up, his mouth went wide like he was going to correct her, then “Yes! Exactly.” About another half-bell was spent hearing about Alistair’s ideas, which included the notion of adding a second level, having rooms entwined with the tree branches and even hanging from them, and a colour scheme of bright oranges and yellows with deep blue. It was a tirade of terribleness that wrote the over-eager future for this affront to notion of a home. And Charlette was not sure how to stem it. “But why do you need so many rooms anyway? If it is just for you, then all you would really need is two. One for you, one for guests.” Alistair hopped down from the branch he had clambered into, landing on his feet far too hard and having to windmill his arms through several unbalanced steps toward Charlette. Stopping himself just shy of barreling into her and straightening up with a puff of breath. “It’s for all of us!” He evoked more confused blinks from her and another, even more dumb sounding “What?” But continued, nonetheless. “Well, we’re all consigned to the same rules aren’t we? No partners, no children, and none of us have a home of our own because of how much the Order just… well gets in the way.” Charlette was unsure if she liked the way this was going, but she let him carry on for now. “You, me, Loash, A’nidreah, Ogi and anyone else. Anyone who wants to, can just move into a room in the Circle House of Order Friends!” Oof, that name made her wince. “But we all have places to stay. And this is your home, Alistair. Inviting all of us into it will just make it something else.” He planted his sledgehammer hands on his wide waist and huffed “Doesn’t sound so bad to me. In fact, that sounds exactly like what I want it to be.” “There would be no space for everything.” “We’d just build it higher, dig into the ground, it’s a big area we can expand out too! The stones are just for the house, remember?” “It would be like living in the barracks again. Living right on top of each other all the time.” “No it wouldn’t. We’d have our own rooms, you could even have a library of your own! We’d just build it, right on top of your room.” “I have a room, and a home.” It was this that finally brought pause to the back-and-forth. Alistair drooped, only a little. “I know, I didn’t mean to suggest you don’t like it with your family Charlette. But wouldn’t it be good? A space of our own? Where it’s just us, and no one else? No Order, no Villagers. Like living at the barracks, but with privacy, and our own space. And everyone is just a step or two away.” She shook her head, looked at those two trees who, really, would be the ones literally shouldering the burden of such a house. “We would murder each other within a moon, I think. How often did we fight in the barracks? You all used to call me ‘Mother Hen’ when I tried to organise anything.” Alistair tilted his head to the side, looking away from Charlette and mumbled “We still call you that. And you were kind of bossy and controlling.” Her arms crossed again, her mouth pulling tight in a frown. “I was not.” “But we also really liked it, Charlette. We liked you looking after us, liked Loash teaching us games and ending our arguments with one or two words. Having A’nidreah to push us to ‘do’ when we spent too much time thinking, or Ogi to keep us honest with ourselves. Fred making us laugh when things got too serious.” She stiffened at the mention of Fred, looking away. “Fred is gone, Alistair.” He grasped his arms, and looked at the ground “Not completely, and neither is Brienne. And when we find her, I want to hear her say ‘Um, actually…’ and correct us on a million things again.” Things got very quiet after that. Charlette sat at her desk. Alistair next to her. A large piece of parchment stretched across it and weighed down at the edges by her books. They had borrowed her fathers stenciling stationary, and spent the rest of the evening drawing plans. It simply felt like the right thing to do, perhaps not because it was a good idea, but because it made both of them feel better. Made them miss their friends a little less. Or maybe it was just fun, she couldn’t really say. But one thing was for sure. “We are not calling it that.” “What, the Circle House of Order Friends? It’s not that bad, you can shorten it to The C.H.O.F!” “The Chof? That sounds like an onomatopoeia for a chocobo’s sneeze.” “It kind of does, but maybe that makes it cute?” “What about… the U House?” “Oh, I like that.” It stuck, for now.

[peakyblinderswhore]

req:  A date with Tommy Shelby. Umm, not actually date, it's just that he and his wife haven't been able to spend time together due to work and he just randomly goes to his wife's study and finds her working and then she asks him what he wants (she's annoyed with his behaviour lately) and he goes "can't I sit in my wife's study to just look at her?" I mean, yeah something like this and then they drink together and slow dance and then make gentle love and just sleep away. Sorry if it's too lengthy 🙈

wc: 1.6k

warnings: mentions of alcohol, smoking, left to your imagination at the ending ;)

Tommy sits back on his leather desk chair and thinks about all the things he’s been doing lately. Most of them involved seeking you out and prying for answers to his questions or just to exist in your presence. His eyes sweep over all of the things laying on his desk, including the pen he had abruptly placed down when he decided that he’d had enough; he thought the words would be tattooed in his brain by now and yet he still does the brunt of the work sometimes. It drained him mostly but occasionally it kept his very busy mind focused on this and only this.

Tommy pushed with his foot to swivel the chair a little and his eyes shifted to land on the frame adorning his desk, a little reminder to himself of why he still exists today. Inside the frame was a picture of you and him on your wedding day, surrounded by John’s kids who had been flower girls and flower boys. It wasn’t something Tommy was aware was a thing but you had insisted that they get equal opportunity and as he had expressed not wanting to lose the rings, you said it was a win-win. He just has Arthur hand them over when it gets to the important part and you cry at the sentiment. You had everything planned out, even down to when to cry and when not to cry; he’d always loved you for the little, impossibly specific things about you. He knew you probably would cry most of the day but it was your way of trying to comfort him whilst also including his nieces and nephews in the wedding, something they hadn’t been allowed to do at Arthurs and Linda’s immaculate Christian wedding.

Tommy’s lips curl absentmindedly as he remembers the day he wedded you. It was undoubtedly one of the few things he was so positively sure of that Polly didn’t even prepare a counter argument like she had for Arthur (She never had the chance with John since Martha was pregnant and on the verge of showing just how pregnant). 

Deep in thought, Tommy tries to remember the last time the two of you spent some time together, that wasn’t bound to dinner tables and quiet breakfasts. The breakfasts were quiet as the two of you ate and caught up on the news by reading the newspaper most mornings. Sometimes he would smoke and you would frown slightly at his actions but never commented. He would always let it burn in the ashtray the second your fingers searched for yours in reassurance despite the light scowl present on your temples as you continued decomposing the front-page news of the day. He adored you and studied you at breakfasts, more often than not, leaving his breakfast to go cold and later apologising to the cook when he asked for another slice of toast instead of eating his cooked breakfast. Tommy usually removed the poached eggs from his plate and put them on a saucer before silently nudging them towards you. You always lifted your newspaper higher and hid the smile gracing your lips, hoping that he wouldn’t see it but he always did and he always felt his heart flutter at the sight, no matter the fact that you’d been married already for a few years and he hoped it would never fail to make his heart flutter for years to come.

Deciding that he’d had enough for the day, Tommy lifts himself from his desk chair and makes his way towards your study, where you often lay reading or sat painting or sometimes could be found just airing your thoughts to the painting of the horse that Tommy had bought for you at auction for your anniversary one year. You had named him Honeysuckle. Tommy had been over the moon that you loved his present as he had always enjoyed spending his off time with horses whenever he could. He preferred horses over people, not including you.

Today, when Tommy padded into the room in a pair of slippers you had insisted on gifting him (you said it was silly for him to walk around in work shoes when he was at home and therefore he should wear something comfier for the comfier setting), you were sitting in an armchair, the leather faded from the sunlight that pooled through the tall windows, your hair pulled back and tied out of your face by a simple scarf and a book resting on your folded legs.

Tommy’s chest swelled with adoration, loving how the midday sunlight hit your face and made you glow from where he was standing. The book you were reading was well thumbed despite the leatherbound spine, instantly telling him that you were researching the appropriate things for your small business. He sat down on the loveseat opposite and pulled out a cigarette.

You twitched, hating that he had come into your space to smoke when he could’ve just as easily smoked in any other room in the house or on the grounds somewhere far away from you. He knew you hated him smoking as it reminded you of your father who chain smoked like it was going out of fashion until the day he died. He also knew you tolerated it as best you could as Tommy didn’t smoke as severely as your father once had.

“Tommy,” you began, not taking your eyes away from the line you were currently trying to etch into your brain, “this is a cigarette-free space.”

He smiles, enjoying your nagging despite not directly addressing the thing that was bothering you.

“Alright I’ll put it away,” he says and tucks it neatly back into the case he had pulled it from and left them to rest on the wooden tabletop next to him.

“I was just repeating the only rule we agreed on in this house.”

“And I just wanted to listen to you say it, again.”

You shifted how you were sitting so the book rested on the arm of the chair and you rested your head on the palm of your hand, flicking between pages with the other.

“I don’t see the appeal in listening to me repeat myself.”

“I like hearing the sound of your voice as it travels through the room,” he replied, not missing a beat. He smiles and waits for you to lift your head to face him. You wondered briefly if you had forgotten what he looked like since this morning’s breakfast… probably not,

He waits for you to say something back but nothing comes and you make no moves to continue the conversation, “Don’t you wanna see if my face has changed since this morning?”

Stilling, you wonder how he knows you so well. You leave your finger below the line you were reading and point your gaze in his direction. You drink in his features, take note of the slippers you had been nagging him to wear and offer a tight smile, “What are you after, Tommy?”

“Can't I sit in my wife's study to just look at her?”

You frown and pull the bookmark down and close the book before resting it next to your own wooden tabletop. Looking over at Tommy Properly, you see that he’s sat with one leg draped over the other, a smug grin resting on his face and his eyes glistening as he watches your every move.

“I suppose you can.”

“Drink?” He offers as he leans forward, uncrossing his legs and begins pulling whiskey glasses from the centre of the lowered table between the two of you and pours himself a single, not wanting to push it too far tonight.

Hesitantly, you nod and wait for him to pour one for you. He holds the glass out to you and waits for you to take it from his fingertips.

You reach to take the glass from him. Your fingertips brush over his and he pulls you towards him by your elbow. You let out a gasp when your met with Tommy’s clothed chest, holding your glass close to your chest and try to push away from him but he just sighs and gruffly says, “I know I haven’t made too much effort to spend some time with you recently but this is me saying I’m sorry so please don’t pull away.”

His blue eyes bore into your own as you look up to study him, “Alright,” you whisper and rest your head against his shoulder, swaying in his arms as he sways with you, humming something you don’t quite recognise straight away. He hums it like a soft lullaby you would sing to a young child.

Breathing in his scent, you nuzzle your head further into his neck and press your lips against the bare expanse of skin that you could reach while you were in your moment of bliss. You sip from your drink and hum along with him, not wanting the moment to end. It was a breather and something you had missed from his soft side in recent days.

“Hey,” he lifts your chin to face him. He presses a kiss to your lips and watches as you chase his lips when he pulls away, “Follow me.”

You let Tommy guide you through the decorated halls of your home until he leads you into your bedroom, glasses long forgotten on one of the sideboards, left for one of the maids to clear away later on.

He undresses you slowly and drinks you in before you do the same to him, spending the rest of the afternoon together, tangled in the no-longer clean sheets in your shared bedroom.

900 ꜰᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇʀꜱ ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ!

ꜱᴇɴᴅ ɪɴ ᴀɴ ᴀꜱᴋ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ/ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ’ʟʟ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʟᴇꜱꜱ ᴛʜᴀɴ 1000 ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ʀᴇꜱᴘᴏɴꜱᴇ.

[aurumacadicus]

The five HCs meme please- Summer Camp AU? Ty

I waffled between counselor and kid and finally decided on counselor lol

“I hate nature and having no technology and you,” Tony says. Carol shrugs, unrepentant. “Jim said he’d help me wrangle the rugrats if I convinced you to come, so here you are.” “You kidnapped me,” Tony says. “You stole me from my apartment, tied me up, and drove me here.” Carol remains unrepentant, raising an eyebrow at him. “I bought you coffee on the way though.” “I’m calling the police,” Tony says, and then, “Oh my God she’s got a unicorn hat on. I’m gonna go talk to her.” “How in the fuck did you get Tony here?” Rhodey asks as he watches Tony make a beeline for a girl wearing a unicorn hat. “I bought him coffee,” Carol replies innocently.

Steve has been working at this summer camp for six years and he loves it. He knows all the other counselors and he thinks that all the kids are great and he’s never had any drama beyond kids getting crushes on each other which is easy to navigate and-- “Oh my God,” Bucky exclaims as Steve walks directly into a tree. “Who is it. Who’s done this to you. I’m not going through this again Steve. You wrote Sharon poetry. You’re not even good at it!” Steve lifts a hand to check if he’s bleeding. “Did he see me?” “Did who see you?” Bucky asks miserably. “Steve, please, I watched you moon over Sharon for an entire summer. The kids noticed.” “Am I bleeding?” Steve asks. Bucky sighs the most put upon sigh in the world. “Yes, but only a little.”

Tony gets assigned to a cool group. He likes the kids. They’re neat. He can never let Carol know he’s enjoying himself. “Mr. Stark I found a frog,” Peter says as he hands it to him. Oh God he’s holding a frog. Carol’s definitely going to know he’s enjoying himself. “Aren’t you a little old to be picking up frogs?” he asks Peter instead. Fourteen seems a little old for that kind of thing, after all. “Also I’m just Tony. You can call me Tony. Actually I’m begging you to call me Tony you’re literally the only one who calls me ‘Mr. Stark.’” “Aren’t you a little old to be holding a frog?” Ned asks when Peter just blinks at him. “I didn’t come here to be attacked by children,” Tony tells him. Michelle takes it from his hands. “I’m gonna go put this in Steve’s pocket.” “NO,” Tony and Natasha say, because Steve will just snap at them for not keeping a better eye on their kids.

Steve goes to grab his wallet and instead grabs something squishy and wet. “FUCK,” he shouts, and chucks whatever it was. Whatever it was decks Bruce in the head. The kids immediately stop teasing him about swearing and instead start yelling for him to run. “Oh my God,” Steve breathes as Bruce slowly turns, glasses askew, a glistening smear across his face. “Was that a frog?!” Bruce asks, somehow heard over all the shouting. Steve has no idea but it probably was so he just turns and begins sprinting away. Bruce only stops chasing him when Steve collapses in the midst of an asthma attack, rubbing his back as Steve huffs his inhaler. “I’m sorry about the frog,” Steve wheezes. “I’m sorry about giving you an asthma attack,” Bruce replies, and then they shake on it. And then Bruce gives him a piggyback ride to the medical cabin.

The camp ends its season with a big bonfire on the beach. Bucky grabs Steve by the shirt and leans in, hissing, “If you don’t ask Tony out and I have to listen to you moaning about lost love when we go home I’m gonna murder you. I can’t go to prison, Steve, so think very carefully about this.” “Perish,” Steve replies immediately, and then screams when Bucky begins to shake him. Thor rescues him, but everyone knows it’s only momentary. Once Bucky gets free, he’s probably going to drown Steve in the lake. He really wants to live. “So, uh, you’re cute?” Steve says as he sidles up beside Tony. Tony scowls at him. “Why is that a question? I’m fucking adorable.” “You are,” Steve agrees, smitten. “Do you wanna go out sometime?” Tony gives him a long, slow up-and-down, and Steve starts to feel self-conscious for being small and asthmatic even though he doesn’t really have control of it, but then Tony declares, “I’ve always wanted a boyfriend shorter than me so yes. I like burgers.” “YOU LIVE FOR ONE MORE YEAR, STEVEN,” Bucky shouts from where Thor, Clint, and Natasha are holding him back. Tony tucks his arm around Steve and scowls at him. “Don’t talk to my boyfriend like that or you’re not invited to the wedding.”

[waiting-for-motivation]

blood in the snow

summary: While looking for shelter from a snow storm the Mandalorian meets an old friend. Like usually problems follow the bounty hunter. And never forgotten feelings tear the warrior apart until he finally makes the right decision.

pairings: Din Djarin x Reader

warnings: angsty, sad stuff, death, blood, tooth rotting fluff in the end

words: 3268

a/n: I‘m kind of proud of this fic so I would really like to hear your opinion about it! Stay save everybody!

I wrote a fic you can read as the second part: no responsibilities

MASTERLIST REQUEST RULES

Smoke rises from the chimney and gets lost in the snow storm. The fire inside the little hut shines through the windows.

A man with a beskar armor approaches the hut, hoping the owner will permit him shelter. He presses a bundle to his chest. His dark boots disappear in the deep snow with every step he takes.

Arriving at the hut the Mandalorian raises his gloved fist to knock. For some time the only sound reaching his ears is the howling of the wind. Then the door opens and a familiar face stares at him. To his surprise the person is aiming a blaster at his helmet.

„(Y/n)?“, the Mandalorian asks and can‘t believe his own eyes. The girl doesn‘t lower her weapon. Instead, she starts closing her door again because she remembers what Din Djarin said to her the last time they saw each other. She remembers everything.

Luckily, the Mandalorian can push his boot between door and frame. (Y/n) stares at him with an annoyed expression.

„What do you want, D-... Mandalorian?“, she asks and it almost sounds like she wanted to use his real name. At the last moment she remembers the promise she made years ago. Never again will his real name leave her mouth. Because it‘s cursed in her eyes.

The armed man shows (Y/n) the bundle. A green baby with huge ears is blinking tiredly at the girl. He must be freezing.

With a sigh (Y/n) opens the door far enough for the Mandalorian and his cute child to slip into the hut. Warmth surrounds the half frozen bodies immediately.

Their host walks through the small living room and in a back room where she usually sleeps. (Y/n) returns with a few blankets and a pillow.

„You can sleep on the couch. Well, if you sleep.“ Without looking at Din, she puts the blankets on the couch. „The kid can sleep on the arm chair. I hope it‘s soft enough“, (Y/n) adds a little less harsh.

The girl turns to her makeshift kitchen and collects some food as well as tea. Turning back to her two guests she realizes that they are still standing by the door. Her (e/c) eyes stare at the Mandalorians helmet with some kind of hatred. Where now lays hate in her heart was once love.

„It‘s for the child. Not for you“, she says and refers to the food and tea. (Y/n) wants to go back to her small back room but a hand grabs her wrist. The Mandalorian has put the baby down and is now staring at the female. Well, only he knows where he is looking at because the helmet hides his whole face. And every feeling he ever showed.

„I didn‘t know you lived here. I promise. The reason why I‘m here is the child. I‘m looking for his home“, Din explains. (Y/n) smiles false and with contempt in her eyes.

„Don’t touch me. You already told me everything.“ And this doesn‘t only include his explanation moments ago. (Y/n) tears her wrist from his grip and goes to her bedroom. The door closes with a loud thud.

Din sighs and looks at his child. His ears are hanging low, almost as if he can feel his fathers pain.

The Mandalorian lays the child on the soft arm chair and covers him with the thickest blanket, handing him the cup of tea. After he finished the warm drink, the child falls asleep quickly. Then Din lays down on the couch, not taking of his helmet and stares at the ceiling. He can‘t sleep, not because he is uncomfortable, no the reason is (Y/n).

In the other room the girl suffers from the same problem.

A broken heart.

The razor crest is flying through space. But neither do stars nor moons matter to the two humans inside the space ship.

A girl is laying on the small bed, unconscious. Lots of injuries cover her body. The man kneeling next to her can‘t think straight. It was his fault (Y/n) got hurt. They were on a bounty hunt together and the Mandalorian noticed too late that they were running right into a trap.

Carefully, (Y/n) opens her eyes and groans because of the pain. One of her hands touches the bandage around her middle. Din stands up and takes her hand in his gloved ones.

„Don‘t move. You are badly injured“, he says and watches the girl close her eyes again.

„I feel like a blurrg swallowed me and spit me out“, (Y/n) states and smiles because laughing would cause too much pain.

The Mandalorian kneels on the floor again and sighs deeply. This accident made him realize something. He doesn‘t want to live without (Y/n) anymore. He can‘t.

„It wasn‘t your fault. I wasn‘t paying attention“, (Y/n) whispers, opens her eyes and applies some pressure on Dins hand.

And even though the Mandalorian told her not to do it, (Y/n) sits up. Now she is on helmet level with him. Hesitantly, she leans her forehead against the cold metal of the helmet. Her (e/c) eyes close once again.

For a moment the only sound in the razor crest is the buzzing of machines. The two of them even stop breathing for a few seconds.

„Din.“

„(Y/n).“

They laugh. The girl opens her eyes and stares at the emotionless face of the helmet. Her lips meet the cold metal.

„I won‘t let anyone or anything hurt you“, Din says and makes (Y/n) smile. „I love you.“

After a restless night (Y/n) leaves her bed and puts on some warm clothes. She rubs her eyes, trying to wake herself up but it doesn’t really work. As silent as possible she enters the kitchen and living room. Her eyes wander to her two guests. The child is fast asleep on the couch while Din Djarin is lying on the couch with his helmet. (Y/n) can’t be sure if he is asleep or awake but what would it change? Nothing.

Taking a huge sip from cold water, (Y/n) starts feeling a little more awake but the water can’t cure her pain. She is still thinking about why the Mandalorian appeared at her door step last night. It must be destiny. Well, then fuck destiny.

(Y/n) walks though the whole room, opening the front door only to be meet with a cold wind and a pile of snow falling on her wooden floor. Preferably the girl wants to curse, but she doesn’t want to wake up her guests, so her mouth stays shut.

The whole region is covered in snow. But that’s not what worries (Y/n). The planet she stays on is famous for its snow storms. What worries the girl is her dog. Well, to be precise: the lack of her dog.

“What are you looking for?”, the Mandalorian asks and tears the girl from her thoughts, scaring her for a moment too. (Y/n) looks from the snow covered area to the armed man behind her.

“Definitely not your ugly ass”, (Y/n) growls and takes a step forward, her boots disappearing in the deep snow. Without thinking further about leaving the Mandalorian and his child in her hut, the girl walks further until she hears heavy steps behind her. The Mandalorian catches up with her.

“Where are you going?”, he asks but gets no answer till he reaches a hand out to hold the girl back. Quickly, (Y/n) takes a huge step away from him and stares with an angrily at the man. She realizes he must have run back into the hut to get his child because it’s resting in his arms.

“Dog is gone which means I’m going to get him. Now leave me alone, asshole”, the girl says harshly. She continues to walk, passing the edge of the next forest. Dog loves this forest. He loves to chase the black rabbits. He loves to play in the snow and can’t stop himself from liking every icicle he sees. Dog is the perfect companion for (Y/n).

“Wait, you named your dog Dog?”, the Mandalorian asks confused but still follows the girl. The last thing he wants is to lose her again and never have apologized as well as explained his actions of the past.

The three of them sneak through the forest. The only sound filling the air is the crackling of the snow under their boots. Unfortunately, there are no traces they can follow. They disappeared long ago under the snow just like the green grass.

Suddenly, the color red shines in the snow. At first only in small drops, then bigger puddles. But those turn into a huge area full of red snow. Directly in front of the razor crest.

(Y/n) lets her eyes wander from the huge spot of blood to the source of it. Her beloved wolf is hanging from the wing of the space ship - hung on his tail. His black fur seems to lost its color and his eyes stare back at her. His paws almost touch the snow under him, that‘s how huge he is.

Even though (Y/n) called him Dog doesn‘t mean he is one. To be honest he some kind of mutant wolf but that did never stop him from loving the girl. And it never did reduced (Y/n)s love towards him.

Instead of feeling sad at this moment, pure rage fills (Y/n)s body. Because she knows who is responsible for Dogs death.

“You little shit”, she screams as she throws a knife at the Mandalorians chest, which bounces off his beskar armor. The man raises his one hand, holding with the other his child. Only now (Y/n) realizes she could have hurt the little baby. Some kind of regret rises insider her head.

Before the Mandalorian can say anything to his defense, a dozen blaster point at their heads. Bounty hunters followed the Mandalorian as well as the child. Of course they did.

“We finally found you, Mando”, a blond man says and walks towards (Y/n). His fingers caress her cheek until they meet her neck. The girl clenches her hands into fists and would love to punch this idiot in the face. But that would mean her inevitable death.

“Give us the child, and we might be friendly to your little girlfriend”, the man says and grins at (Y/n), showing his ugly yellow teeth.

In contrary to her expectations, the Mandalorian hands the child to a bounty hunter. But the next moment he points his blasters at someone, shoots and starts a fight.

Quickly, (Y/n) runs to the one who is holding the baby and kills him with a blaster she found in the red snow. She presses the child to her chest and hopes for the Mandalorian to win this fight. Unfortunately, more bounty hunters jump from the trees and only seconds after their feet touch the ground, Din is laying in the bloody snow with a blaster to his helmet.

“That was your last fight, Mando”, the leader of the group says and wants to pull the trigger but (Y/n)s pleads stop him.

“Please. Don’t kill him. I will go with you. I have the child. Just leave him here. He will die in the next snow storm, I promise”, (Y/n) says with shiny eyes. The group of men looks at her. After some time the leader nods and takes his blaster out of Dins sight.

Slowly, (Y/n) walks to the men. One of them wraps an arm around her and presses her body to his filthy one. For one moment the female closes her eyes, trying to control her fear, anger and sadness.

“Oh, I promise you, Mando. I will do things to her you weren’t even able to think of. She will scream my name tonight”, the leader says, kneeling next to the Mandalorian. A grin decorating his disgusting face.

“But I can’t keep your promise, little one”, he says and looks back at (Y/n). Of course, he wouldn’t leave the most wanted Mandalorian in the whole universe alive. “I will kill you, Mando. What do you think, men? Should I take off his helmet?”

They were lying on the small and slightly uncomfortable cot in the razor crest, pressing their bodies together. Their arms as well as legs were entangled. (Y/n)s head was resting on Dins chest without his armor on.

The room was filled with silence but both of their heads were full of thoughts. While (Y/n) was trying to figure out what to talk about, the Mandalorian has other thoughts. He was looking for the right words to tell his girl he wants to leave the guild. That he wants to take off his helmet just for her. So that they can start a new life on a beautiful planet. So that he can love her properly.

(Y/n) sighed and cuddled the man she loved harder, wrapping her arms so tight around him it was almost difficult for him to breathe.

Till today, he doesn’t know why but at this moment something changed his thoughts completely. It was definitely not the lack of love towards (Y/n). Maybe it was the human touch and warmth he was still not used to. Maybe it was the peace of the moment. But he felt angry and quickly left the cot as well as (Y/n).

How dare someone have such an effect on him that he wants to give up everything?

(Y/n) looked at him with worry as he put on his armor again. He went straight to the cockpit to fly the razor crest to the next planet and leave (Y/n) there.

The moment the door opened (Y/n) was confused because that was definitely not the planet they were heading to.

“You stay here”, the Mandalorian said and pushed the girl out of the space ship. (Y/n) raised her eyebrows in confusion when he gave her a backpack full of food and cloths. Everything she ever owned was inside this backpack.

“What do you mean?” The Mandalorian turned his back to her and wanted to close the door again. Without an explanation. “Din?” He turns his helmet back to (Y/n).

“I don’t love you”, he said and with those words he disappeared out of (Y/n)s life. Without an explanation.

Everything happens so suddenly, (Y/n) has problems following the movement of the animals. The first one ending up dead is the man holding the girl to his chest. Because he doesn’t let got of her, (Y/n) falls in the snow too.

The huge black, brown and white wolves tear the bounty hunters to pieces. When one of them walks to the armed Mandalorian he raises his hand to protect himself with his fire thrower.

“No. He is a friend”, (Y/n) says while standing up and walks him, protecting him with her body. The black wolf stares at her with his huge eyes, then howls and the pack disappears behind the trees. They were Dogs friends.

(Y/n) takes a deep breath and without minding Dins groaning while he stands up, she walks inside the razor crest to lay the child on the cot. Memories fill her mind when seeing the makeshift bed which lets tears well up in her eyes. Before the Mandalorian can walk in on her crying, the girl wipes them away and walks out of the ship the moment Din wants to enter it. Her plan was to walk away without exchanging another word with him, but he holds her back.

“(Y/n), please. We need to talk”, the man says, tightening his grip on her wrist because he fears she might run away.

“I have nothing to say, Mando”, (Y/n) spits and after staring in his eyes with supposedly anger which is actually fear, she turns to the forest. But the Mandalorian doesn’t let her go. Not without an explanation.

“But I have to tell you so much. Listen and then you can choose between staying here with me or leaving.” (Y/n) turns back to the Mandalorian and nods. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

“But you did”, (Y/n) says with a broken voice.

“I know. I know that because it hurt me too to leave you on this planet, knowing I might never see you again. It broke me. It broke my heart to see you standing there in the middle of a forest, all alone. But I thought I had to do this. You don’t know but that day I thought about starting a life with you, (Y/n). I was ready to take off my helmet for you. But then I realized I couldn’t give up my way of life for one person.”

“Then it’s all cleared up. You don’t want me in your life because I endanger your religion. I understand”, (Y/n) says, rips her wrist from Dins grip and walks away from him. Not looking back.

“(Y/n)”, he says her name once, twice, even a third time, but she stops not until she hears steps in the snow. With a sigh the girl turns around and what awaits her there is taking her breath away.

The Mandalorian is standing in front of his beloved ship without his helmet. His face is covered in scars and some fresh scratches. His brown hair sticks to his head because the helmet simply doesn’t give much room for it. His almost innocent looking brown eyes stare at (Y/n) - with love.

“Din, no”, the girl whispers because she can’t think about the right words to say in this situation. Din Djarin just did what she least expected him to do. He gave up everything for her, so that they can be together. “No”, she says again but nevertheless the brown-haired man comes closer.

In her eyes he is perfect, even though his hair is greasy and he could use some shaving. He is gorgeous, so gorgeous.

“You have to put it back on”, (Y/n) says and points with a shaking hand to the helmet which lays in the red snow.

“It’s too late for my creed but it’s not too late for the two of us”, Din says and takes one last step so that he stands directly in front of (Y/n), only a few inches parting them. Tears well up in (Y/n) eyes because she can’t believe Din did this for her.

Unsure the Mandalorian grabs her waist and pulls her closer to his body. Oh, how he missed this feeling of her warmth next to his. His brown eyes meet hers. A small smile appears on his lips and makes his mustache rise.

“I love you so much, (Y/n)”, he says but his eyes are the proof. Din looks at (Y/n) as if she is the only one in this whole universe, as if she is his universe. He lets his hands wander from her waist to her face, grabbing it gently.

“I love you too, Din, but you have to put your hel-”, (Y/n) starts but gets interrupted by the Mandalorians soft lips. Butterflies fill her stomach and let the girl feel something she never felt before. Their lips move delicately.

But the kiss stops as fast as it started because both aren’t used to this. It’s their first kiss. For Din even the first kiss of his life.

Tears stream over (Y/n)s cheeks and wet Dins fingers which are still caressing his lovers beautiful face. With his thumb he wipes the tears away but others follows - tears of happiness.

Din places a kiss on (Y/n)s forehead and takes one of her hands, pulling her to the razor crest and the rest of their lives.

[bucketofcowboys]

2 Idiots At 2 AM

Thank you to RachelSnow on AO3 for beta reading this fic for me! I really appreciate it!

Relationship: Kazuma Kiryu & Akira Nishikiyama (NOT SHIP)

Warning: Underage Smoking, Smoking, a lil bit of angst, no spoilers for the games tho

Words: 2,044

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29684367

--------

Everything felt hazy, and the first thing Kiryu realized was that someone was holding his hand. The second thing he realized was that the hand was guiding him forwards, and his legs went with it like it was the natural flow of things. He didn't know who it was, nor did he know where he was going, all he knew was that for some reason he was completely at peace with it. He felt lax, like he was floating atop calm waters. It lapped at his skin in tranquil waves.

When he finally raised his head up to meet the gaze of the person that was holding his hand, he realized that they had no features. Instead they were smudged, like the scribbles of a pencil streaked against paper. Even with the terrifying lack of a face, he proceeded like nothing was out of place. Though he could not properly get a look at her, for some reason naturally in his mind, he identified the person guiding him as his mother. Her hands were soft and warm. Her voice was gentle, though he couldn't process what she was saying.

They approached a building that looked very familiar to him. It almost looked like Sunflower, but the signs were gone and it looked empty. He mindlessly labeled it as 'home'. He felt like he had lived there for years with his mom, though he couldn't pinpoint any specific memories that proved it. In front of the building stood another person with the same smudged looking face as her. He identified him as father. He smiled as they stepped in front of him. He had no face, so there was no way he could actually smile, but Kiryu felt it. He felt him smile at them, all cordial and bright and sunny.

"Kazuma!" Kiryu heard someone shout, and in an instant that warm calm feeling shattered like sheets of ice against the pavement. He turned around and he saw Nishiki on the ground. He was crying, broken. Knees torn open in great gashes. He turned back towards his parents, wanting to ask for help, but they were gone. Dissipated like dust in the wind.

"Kazuma! Wake up!" He opened his eyes and found himself laying on the wooden floor of he and Nishiki's shared room. He pulled his pressure numb arm out from under him, which he had been using as a pillow, and blinked a few times as he regained consciousness. Nishiki was squatting above him, flicking his forehead. They both were in the doorway of their room, and Kiryu had no idea how either of them got there. 

"Stop it!" He swatted the hand away from his face and pushed himself to sit up, "What happened?" He was still phased out of reality after that dream. Dreams about his parents always made him feel a bit disconnected once he woke up. Nishiki rolled his eyes.

"You fell asleep when I told you to be on the lookout for me, you dumbass." Nishiki flicked his head once more, and Kiryu groaned in disapproval. 

"They didn't catch you though, so I did my job." Kiryu pointed out, "Did you get it?" 

Nishiki rolled his eyes as if he was annoyed by his lack of confidence in him. 

"Yeah, of course I did." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of hi-lights. He popped open the top to show off the fact that it still had a few cigs in it. Kiryu raised his eyebrows, impressed. 

"Well give me one--" Kiryu impatiently grabbed at the package, and Nishiki immediately pulled back and held the cigarettes up and as far away as he could from him. Kiryu was taller, and could easily reach over him and grab them if he wanted to, but he didn't. He just sat there pouting. 

"Are you stupid? We can't smoke in here! What about my sister, dumbass!" He went to knock Kiryu on his head, but he quickly blocked it with his arm and threw Nishiki off of him. "We gotta smoke outside."

Kiryu shivered at the idea. It had been freezing the past few days, and he doubted just because two rebellious teens wanted to smoke that the temperature would magically spike up. But, Nishiki was right. Yuko definitely wouldn't fare well if she inhaled a bunch of smoke in her sleep, and smoking inside the building was banned anyways. If they smoked in there he was sure everyone would recognize the smell and they'd be in big trouble. He sighed, and got up to grab his jacket.

Once he arrived back at the doorway, Nishiki was already tiptoeing his way down the hall. Kiryu quickly made his way to follow, closing the door behind him as quietly as he could manage. If someone woke up and saw their door wide open, they were sure to become suspicious. He cautiously avoided the especially squeaky floor boards as he walked down the corridor, passing by Yumi and Yuko's own room with a flinch. If either of them found out what they were sneaking out to do they'd probably kill him and Nishiki. 

They finally entered the main area, and peered around the corner of the wall before they even attempted to get close to the front door. Scanning the darkened room, they saw no one occupying it. The usually full and bustling orphanage was disturbingly quiet during the night, many of the younger kids in a dead sleep after hours of play, the older ones confined in their rooms doing homework with only a flimsy book light to keep them company. He chased after Nishiki as he dashed towards the door, almost falling as his socks slid on the slick hardwood. Nishiki flipped the lock on the brass knob and it gave a click of approval, then he opened the door, as slowly as he possibly could to prevent any creaking.

Cool air rushed in and brushed past the both of them, causing a conjoined shiver. Kiryu tugged his jacket on tighter and regretted not putting anything over his tank top before deciding to do this. Eventually the door slid open to where the both of them could squeeze their body through, and then they spent a good couple minutes slowly closing it just in case. Outside, little flakes of snow had begun to fall from the dark gray sky. Under the cover of the night and winter, the white specks could be ash from a volcano and neither of them would notice a thing. Cool winds blew past, and the only things that illuminated their faces were the half moon in the sky, and the nearby porch light that lit up the wooden Sunflower sign. 

Nishiki quickly made his way to hide over at the side of the building, thinking they were less likely to be caught if they weren't directly in the front. Once they were under cover, they squatted down against the siding and Nishiki pulled out the pack of cigs again. He opened it and pulled out two of the white sticks and handed one to Kiryu while keeping the other for himself. Kiryu eyed at the object for a second, quickly realizing that the side with the blue lines was the side you were meant to smoke from, judging by the white foam filter he could see. The other side was jammed packed with dried tobacco. He sniffed at the odd end and flinched at the offending smell. 

"Shit, did you grab something to light it with?" Kiryu said when he finally realized that they had no way to actually smoke them. Nishiki waved him off. Kiryu noticed that he had already placed the cigarette between his lips, and he copied him. 

"Yeah of course, I'm not stupid." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a suspiciously familiar lighter. 

"Wait... that's-- Akira! Kazama-san’s already going to be pissed off when he finds that his smokes are missing, but you stole his lighter too?!" Nishiki shrugged, already flicking his thumb against the gear to try and light it. 

"Everyone else lights his cigarettes for him, he won't notice." He finally got the thing to spark hard enough that it lit, and he quickly moved the flame over to the tip of his cigarette. Kiryu watched as the fire slowly caught on the paper, and smoke began to plume at the end. He then reached over and brought the lighter closer to Kiryu. He leaned forwards and aimed the tip at the flame. He went cross eyed trying to get a glimpse of it as it lit up.

Nishiki shoved the lighter back into his pocket and took his first smooth drag from his cig, so Kiryu tried to follow suit. When he huffed the smoke in, he immediately began to choke. The taste was downright offensive, and his throat and lungs burned furiously. After trying to stifle his cough, he looked back up and saw that Nishiki seemed totally unaffected and blew his puff out with no problem. He furrowed his brows. 

"Have you done this before?" Kiryu asked, still gasping. 

"What? No!" Nishiki held the cigarette between his index and middle finger and gestured with it with mock experience, "I'm just cooler than you Kazuma." He added smugly. He took another drag, and this time Kiryu took notice that he had to stifle a cough. He smirked, but didn't point it out. 

They sat there for a while, quietly nursing their cigarettes, stifling coughs and chokes and accidently burning their nostrils as they let the smoke go through the wrong pipes. Their hearts pounded heavy in their chests and adrenaline pumped through their veins, knowing what they were doing was against so many rules and if they were caught they probably wouldn't be allowed outside of the orphanage for a week. But that was the appeal of it, wasn't it? The thrill.

As Kiryu kept smoking, a feeling of nausea fell over him. People always talked about how cigarettes were calming, and he thought that the more and more he inhaled the more relaxed he would get. Instead it was the opposite. He felt sick to his stomach and everything burned. He had no idea why adults smoked so often. All it seemed to do was hurt. He couldn't even finish his cigarette before he stubbed it out on the ground. 

"What's wrong?" Nishiki asked, Kiryu looked up at him pale faced and big eyed. 

"I feel sick, ototo-kun." He said honestly. He felt like he was going to throw up. Nishiki gave him a look of concern. 

"You wanna go inside?" Kiryu quickly nodded. Nishiki stubbed his cigarette on the side of the building and left a petty burn mark against the siding, a reminder of what they did here, then grabbed Kiryu and led him by the arm back into the building. They tip-toed their way back to their room, and Kiryu curled up on his bed with the sickening taste of tobacco and nicotine sinking in his stomach. By the time morning came around, the sickness had passed and he felt much better, but they soon came to regret their decision later in the day when Kazama came to visit. 

It turns out that he had, indeed, noticed the lighter Nishiki stole was missing, and he lined all the kids up and asked for whoever stole them to come clean. When no one stepped forward, he made his rounds and after only a few seconds he figured out it was he and Nishiki just by the smell of tobacco that still clung to their breath. He forced the two of them to fess up and apologize in front of the whole orphanage (Kiryu wouldn't have been so embarrassed about it if Yumi wasn't angrily eyeing him the entire time), then he sent them off to their room and grounded them for a couple of weeks. What Kiryu remembered the most was that he was less pissed off about the smoking, and more pissed off about Nishiki stealing, and getting away with it.

About a year later, when they both had turned fifteen, they tried the same thing all over again.

It went about as well as the first time.

[moonlightchess]

The Winter Wolves (1)

Eirik and Eija Sturmborn are twins, born to a long local tradition in northernmost Minnesota, of winter wolves and pack wars and family bonds as deep as they are destructive. Things are changing as of late, and worse, not changing at all - they’re adults now, and they have yet to shift into the wolf-skin their wild-bred parents should have passed on to them long ago. Wholly human they remain, albeit strong and hardy and ready to die fighting back the howling rival packs threaded throughout their family’s Gray woods as rumors spread that the Sturmborn twins are never going to make the final change and now is the time to strike, to wipe out the Sturmborn pack entirely so that their dwindling bloodline will finally cease to be a threat in the inevitable statewide pack war that has been simmering for years. 

There’s also the death of their lost brother Sven, years ago, killed in an alpha fight during a wolf run with their parents when the twins were children - as the story goes, anyway. Details are emerging, cults are stirring, and the twins can’t stop dreaming of ravens and death. The Danish Larsen witches to the south who claim Eija’s dearest friend and heart’s desire Sara have no idea that she’s been using her magic to aid the twins in uncovering what really happened to Sven and holding off the Karlsen and Jorgunsson packs for as long as possible. Meanwhile Eirik’s continued clumsy attempts to woo the elegant violinist, the newcomer to Angle Inlet Julian Hassan, are not going well at all. The brutal tragedy and burgeoning madness stirring in their land and their blood are nothing compared to the battlefield of human longing, a truth more evident every day.

“All religion is only ever a desperate search for the freedom and relief of not being held accountable for your own life, your own future, your own actions,” Eirik told his sister once, huffing the words into a cloud of sawdust as he’d hunched over his current project - a kitchen table for upstairs. “The trick is finding the right god to apply to your personal aesthetic, the right doctrine to inspire your vanity and ego. You have to find the god that’s willing to tell you what you want to hear, who looks the way you think god should look. Once you do, of course you’ll die for them. The mass appeal of Christianity lies in how malleable and forgiving it is, and churches and cults alike all feed on growth. That’s why the Buddhists are so welcoming to any ignorant white college student with a “namaste” bath rug, they’ve figured it out. It’s the same reason romance novels with empty, undefined characters always sell the best. People like to see themselves in things, I revere the old gods as much as anyone, but I’m not stupid. We are nothing if not our own egos. It’s the invite-only religions that you ought to keep an eye on.”

Eija had laughed, the inhalation of a lungful of sawdust of no concern to her. They were woodworkers and potters by trade, the Sturmborns. Her own palm was slowly working out a thick pine splinter from a week ago. “So now my brother is a philosopher,” she’d observed, stealing his iron beer stein for a healthy gulp. At eighteen apiece - twins, they - technically the state laws of Minnesota frowned upon such indulgences. But the town of Angle Inlet was also acutely aware of the elective and social power of its enormously Scandinavian population, who poured beer and honey wine out at winter gatherings for everyone present, including their young. Such was their culture, and they’d been raised into responsible sorts. The ale of tonight was a heady, oaky blend with a thick head of caramel foam, heavily scented of smoked apples.

“Hardly, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about.” Eirik lapsed into a comfortable silence without further elaboration, another habit to which they were prone. She eventually retrieved some homework from under their longest work bench, history tonight, and settled cross-legged on the basement’s gritty stone floor while her brother worked. He was sanding the chair smooth by the time she looked up again, rising to his considerable height - both of them quite tall and sturdy like their parents - to tap her on the top of her head. Her nearly-buzzed snow-blonde hair scraped his fingertips like velcro, and she lifted her head without comment. His own was much longer, down just past his shoulders in thick wheat-blond waves. “It’s getting late.” He handed her the last of the beer stein to finish, which she did, bringing it upstairs to wash later.

The house was quiet, still. They hadn’t seen their parents in weeks, which was not unusual. The wolves had come calling in September, as they were wont to do, and Kaspar and Emma Sturmborn had bolted from the house one night at last, howling and wild and tearing at their clothes. They’d returned once or twice before the autumn chill had cracked the damp haze of summer, naked and soaked in blood, flesh scored raw with gore and gashes that healed in a day or two. On the last night of September though, their mother had been snappish and restless at dinner. Their father’s profoundly sexual longing for her had oozed through his attempts at polite conversation, the occasional baring of teeth suggesting that marital relations weren’t the only carnal craving he was experiencing just then. The blood moon had come.

The howling, the clicking of claws on their porch, the soft whuffing and whimpering of the pack had kept the twins up that night, and in the morning their parents had been gone, lost to the woods with the front door swinging open in the slight breeze. Every year the pack came, and every year they stayed away a little longer. But Eija and Eirik knew hunting, knew canning, fermenting, cooking and cleaning. They knew how to make and repair furniture, ceramics, clothes. They knew how to maintain embers in the wood stove to keep the house warm, and they knew how to play chess to keep each other entertained. Every year they were fine whenever their parents returned, and this bred a sense of confident abandonment in Kaspar and Emma. No questions were ever asked, no details ever offered.

The matter of Sven though, was troubling.

Sven had been their brother, once. He’d been tall and thick like them, pale and blond with a strong jaw and ice-colored eyes so light and glittering they were nearly colorless mirrors. He’d turned with their parents early, tumbling around the woods as a pup and laughing at the way his body had shifted so fluidly from yipping gray wolf to boy and back again. Sven had never stopped laughing, in fact - he’d been funny, loud and bright. He hid Eija’s shoes and teased Eirik into putting his hand into a box full of shaving cream to find out the “secret.” His hugs had always been warm and tight, and one day he’d bounded out the door with his parents and the pack to chase the blood moon and he’d never come back.

There had been a hunt, their parents had explained. A fight, an accident, Sven’s blood splashed dark across the trees and snow. He’d never come back from the woods, and they’d never spoken of him again. Eija though, she kept his sweaters at the back of her closet and would occasionally put one on, for bad nights. She still had Eirik at least, who was steady and intelligent without any of Sven’s lively humor but all of his sturdy support and dependability. Their parents would not speak his name, as if to acknowledge that he had once been would invoke some darkness, violate some pact. Still, on the night of the Friggablot every May, after honoring their mother with dinner and gifts, the twins would slip into the wolf-woods to light a sacred fire for their lost Sven. He never found it, no matter where they camped.

Eirik’s nighttime routine was a quiet one, as was Eija’s. They shared a dinner of beef stew and bread, and Eirik brewed them warm root tea as the sun sank. Wordlessly, they washed the dishes side by side with Eija scrubbing and her brother drying, and he pressed his lips to her temple before they separated for the night. “Drom sott,” were his only words, and she smiled faintly, squeezed his hand. Hausblot had already passed and the nights were going brisk and chilly, but their northern blood was ready and she didn’t bother leaving the woodstove lit. Instead, she waited for Eirik to finish his bath before taking command of the upstairs bathroom herself, the scent of his wood-and-mint soap lingering soothingly. 

She’d cleaned and laid out the old furs for her bed the month before, in preparation for northern Minnesota’s half-year deep freeze, but even snuggling down under at least ten pounds of fur and fabric couldn’t lull her to sleep. Normally this was not an issue for her, but a buzz filled her brain that wouldn’t be silenced even as the night wore on. It was around midnight that she finally abandoned all pretense and let her mind find Eirik, who was not in his bed. He was in fact, directly over her head.

The roof of their log home was flat to the east side and angled to the south, with a lip of log rising up around the perimeter that acted as a sufficient barrier to prevent one from rolling off in their sleep. This had led to some years of the twins sleeping on the roof when there was no rain predicted, and she found him up there several minutes later via the ladder hooked to her bedroom window that only asked for a little swinging and dexterity to get there. The air was sharp and cool, the sky swirling dark, the milk-dense moon casting the world in a pearl glow. An icy, pine-sharp breeze bit through her soft pajamas, and she shivered, tiptoeing across weathered roofing to him.

He’d laid out all of his own thick bedding, his pillow, and in his flannel pajama pants and long-sleeved black henley he looked as comfortable as anything indoors. Eija tossed her own pillow, managing to land it just beside his head so that he didn’t stir, but when she crawled into their now-shared nest of furs and blankets he silently slid an arm around her shoulders to draw her close. His heartbeat steadied under her cheek when she rested her head on his chest, the cool air sweeping out toward the woods unable to cut into the warmth of them, and finally she slept.

A cold, gray-soft dawn had broken when she next opened her eyes, the loss of Eirik’s soothing heat abruptly jarring. He was sitting upright beside her, leaning forward a little and peering out toward the woods. She opened her mouth, but before a breath escaped her he silenced her with a raised hand and pointed. “Look.” His voice was a whisper, strange considering that they were at least ten miles from their closest neighbor. The word floated away from his lips on a cloud of steam as it met the frigid air, his breath dissipating even as she obeyed.

The tree line of the woods surrounding their house began after roughly half an acre of wild growth that served as something of a kitchen garden - their parents had taught them how to grow potatoes, carrots, turnips and herbs to sustain them when trips into town became a snow-packed luxury in the winter months. Eirik’s pale eyes were fixed upon the space now, and after a moment of bleary adjustment, Eija came to understand why. A small collection of people were emerging into the burgeoning light, spilling out from the woods like a tiny swarm of rolling bugs out from under a lifted rock. They were all in dark hooded robes obscuring their faces, but their heights suggested men, women, maybe even children.

“What were they doing in our woods?” Eirik’s hand tightened around her forearm, where it had fallen moments before, and he shook his head to silence her. No one had noticed them yet, they were likely too far away. There were at least ten of them, and the way they moved together felt familiar. A rival pack then, maybe the ones who had challenged their father for his alpha position and killed Sven - laughing Sven -years ago. Eija’s teeth bared themselves and she tensed all over, but Eirik was only alert, watching. The group slowly broke apart, crossing their land on silent feet in the earliest possible morning, several heading west toward the Lost River, others east into town. It wasn’t until the last of them was no longer visible that Eirik seemed to exhale, lifting his hand from Eija’s arm.

Something about what they’d seen felt profoundly wrong, despite the robed figures having done nothing particularly threatening. “It wasn’t a blot,” Eirik said quietly. “Hausblot’s done, they’re quite late if they’re observing out there at this point.”

“Erik the Red’s day?”

“Couple of days too early. Maybe. I don’t know.”

They rolled their bedding in silence and carried the piles back into the house through her bedroom window, where Eirik laid them neatly back across their beds. He slept below Eija’s attic room, down the hall from their parents’ empty bedroom. She realized as she was inhaling deeply of the cold forest scents still clinging to her furs that part of her had hoped their parents would be among the strange hooded figures, on their way home from a few months with the pack. But none had crossed the kitchen garden to enter their house, and some natural instinct had held her back from calling out to the group to ask for them.

[kyidyl]

Not Deer

(This was inspired by that post that was circulating about the Not Deer in Appalachia and the town that I currently live in.  @leftturnat4thandbananas​ I especially thought you would enjoy this little bit of quarantine-induced madness.  You’ll probably recognize some of the things I’m describing.)

“Alexa, stop!,” Macey yelled at the black cylinder sitting on her night stand.  The alarm shut off, and I started packing up my stuff.  I caught her frown as she watched me.  

“What?,” I asked, “It’s almost curfew.  You know how my mom is about curfew.”  

“It’s snowing outside, and it’s dark,” she swung around so she was sitting on the edge of her bed and flipped her long, dark braid back over her shoulder.  

I finished packing my homework into my backpack and stood, “It’s always dark and cold when I go home in the winter.  I’ll be fine.” 

Both the argument and the concern in her brown eyes was familiar.  She was definitely the mom friend in our group, “It’s not always snowing.  People aren’t careful in the snow.”  

“They’re never careful on that road,” we both lived along a back road that wound through farms and woods.  It had a lot of curves, hills, and blind spots - and no sidewalk.  But it was the only way to get home, so it’s the way I went.  She stood up too, following me as I left her room and started down the steps.  

“You can stay the night, you know.  My mom won’t mind.”  

“I know, Mace, but I will.  You know I don’t like getting ready for school here.  All my stuff is at home.  I’ve either got to get up at the ass crack of dawn,” which never happened because we always stayed up late talking, “Or do a walk of shame.”  

I let my backpack down in the hallway with a thunk, and retrieved my coat from their closet.  I’d brought gloves, a scarf, and a hat, too even though I normally don’t.  I was glad I’d grabbed them.  She stood on the bottom step, chewing her bottom lip.  Her parents were out to dinner, so she couldn’t bug her dad to drive me, but I know she would have if they’d been here.  She tried one more tactic to get me to give up on my walk home, “What about your mom? Can she come get you?” 

I shook my head, “Dad has the car.  Listen, I’ve walked home in the snow before.  It’ll be totally fine.”  

She sighed and dropped her arms, “This is what you were talking about earlier, isn’t it.  The worrying.”  

“Yeah, but it’s ok.  I get why you do it,” I gave her a quick hug and hefted my backpack onto my shoulders, “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”  

“Text me when you get home?”

“Of course! Later!”

“Later, Apple,” I smiled at her nickname for me and left.  After I closed the door behind me, I heard the lock click into place.  Her parents’ rules: if you’re home alone, you lock the door.  I shifted the weight of my books on my back, and looked around.  

Macey lived on a small farm, and so she had a long driveway between her house and the road.  I started walking, and the sand and rocks of the unpaved drive crunched under the soles of my shit-kickers.  Macey’s dad had salted the drive before they’d left, and the stones glimmered wetly in the moonlight.  It turned out that the snowing had stopped while we’d been hanging out, and the clouds had gone.  The ground was blanketed in a couple of inches of unblemished white.  Just enough to cover the grass, but not enough to get school canceled.  

The moon was out, bright and full, and it illuminated the flat, white expanse of the land that stretched out on either side.  The air smelled like ice and cold, like icicles and sleeping forest.  There was only a little wind, and it blew up swirls of loosely packed snowflakes from the ground.  Everything had that cushioned silence that follows a new snowfall.  

It took a few minutes for me to reach the actual road, and unlike the Romero family’s driveway, it hadn’t been touched by salt, sand, or plow.  Typical.  It probably would be covered until tomorrow morning.  Our little town wasn’t exactly proactive about things like that.  They preferred to suffer, I guess.  I gave an annoyed snort to the empty night,  

I was careful as I turned left onto the empty road, watching for the glow of headlights to give me some forewarning of a car.  None came, and I kept walking.  

Soon, the flat land of the farms gave way to the woods.  Houses, none of them of the new construction that made up the subdivisions further up the road, were set back from the road or behind a screen of trees.  This road had hills, and further along it the side of the road would give way to steep ditches and gullies.  Our here, there were plenty of animals.  My parents have hit deer especially a number of times; my dad even bought these weird things for his hood that are supposed to whistle and chase the deer away.  

As the landscape transitioned into woods, there was an old, broken barn.  Not even a barn, really, more like a two sheds stuck together.  Half of it was beaten, lilting boards and a slice for a door.  The other half was a rusting tin can of a structure, the metal walls little more than rust and the vines that held it together, and a set of open doors that led into gloom.  A barely-there metal roof was slanted over the rested half and pitched over the wooden half, and it was only slightly less rusted than the shed itself.  A useless decaying horse gate was off to the side, slanting drunkenly to the right, and a path into the woods was behind it.  

(picture to break up the wall o text.)

I hated that barn.  

It creeped me out.  The hairs on the back of my neck rose every time I got close.  Even as a little kid I hadn’t been curious enough to overcome that particular fear, and it hadn’t gotten better over the years.  Every time I walked home I crossed the street to avoid walking too closed to it and sprinted passed it.  But tonight, the snow and slickness made it dangerous for me to do either of those things.  My heart rate ticked up and I took my hands out of my pocket.  When it came to fight or flight, I was very much in the fight category.  It seemed like the wind blew a little harder, and suddenly I thought I could hear all kinds of noises that I hadn’t heard before.  

The cracking of a stick somewhere in the woods, almost like a gunshot in the dark.  

The fump has a pile of snow was pushed off of a branch somewhere.  

The flap and tumble of some unlucky bird.  

A barking dog menacing me from one of the homes nearby.  

These sounds were normal, but as I was walking in front of the sad, lonely little structure, they all seemed sinister.  They were living things, pulsing in the darkness when I wanted to be alone.  The sounds of my steps in the snow answered.  Shit kickers aren’t stealthy.  

I walked past that structure as fast as I could, the fear tightening my shoulders more with every step.  I clenched my teeth and my fists, and walked.  The stillness was oppressive now, where moments before it had been soothing.  Fear makes you see things in shadows.  

Which is why, when the winter-bared bones of the bush in front of the shed clacked and scraped together in a gust of wind, I screamed and ran.  Damn the snow, damn fight or flight, I was not looking to fight some supernatural entity tonight.  

Apparently, though, the laws of physics still applied to me.  I ran, but I didn’t get very far before I tripped have a big branch on the side of the road.  My feet slipped in the snow, and I went down face-first onto my hands and knees.  

In case you have ever wondered: snow does very little to cushion a fall onto rocks and rough pavement.  It only makes your clothes wet on top of giving you road rash.  And that ish hurts.  

“Great, Alisha, juuuust great.  Skinning your damned knees like a five year old because of some wind,” I grumbled aloud to myself as I stood and started brushing debris off the now-wet knees of my jeans.  I checked under my gloves, and while my hands stung, the gloves had saved me from the words of the skinning.  In fact, the worst was the throbbing on the back of my head where my backpack had slid up my back and smacked my head.  Well, that and the knowledge that whatever goblin lived in that shed was probably having a laugh at my expense.  

The fall did do one good thing, though.  It broke through the worst of my fear, and I laughed to myself as the adrenaline started wearing off.  I started down the road again, stomping in protest, my cold hands jammed back in my pockets.  

From here, the road got darker as the trees reached overhead.  Even in the winter they blocked most of the light from the moon, and out here in the country they didn’t bother with street lights.  The embankments on the side of the road rose and forced me to walk directly on the road instead of off to the side.  This was the most dangerous part, because this was also where the tight curves started.  I felt my adrenaline spike again, but this time there was nothing supernatural about it; I was alert for headlights bouncing off of the tree branches.  

As I walked, I listened to the world around me, my caution making my senses stretch further.  I heard the same things as before: the cracking of sticks in the forest as some creature shuffled around them, the huffing of a dog that probably just wanted to play, the whispered hush of snow rearranging itself in the trees, and the occasional noise of some small creatures settling in for the night.  They were the same noises I always heard around here at this time of year, familiar as the nose on my face.  It’s funny how the mind plays tricks.  

I found a good walking speed that wasn’t so fast it was dangerous, but wasn’t so slow that I’d be frozen before I got home, and the time passed quickly.  Before I knew it, I was almost at the little bridge before the turn off for my house.  Really, bridge was a generous word for the small overpass that took the road over the little creek.  It was just a flat stretch of road with a thin shoulder and a low concrete guardrail.  On the other side, the road curved out of view.  

(another pic to break up the wall o text.  Both images are screenshots of Google street view edited in PS.)

Here, the trees pulled back some and the moon was able to shine clearly on the flat surface of the bridge.  There, standing in the middle of the road, was a huge buck.  I’ve seen a lot of deer living out in the stix, but this was easily the biggest one I’d ever seen.  I’m 5′2, and this thing looked like its shoulder would be somewhere around my head.  I didn’t even know they could get that big.  The moon painted its orange-brown coat with silver, and threw the shadows created by its twisting antlers into sharp relief.  They were as big as him - thick and heavy, and wickedly sharp.  I couldn’t count the points from here, but it had to be at least twelve.  

Wait...antlers? It was February.  My dad liked to hunt, and even though I’d never gotten into he, he’d taught me a few things about deer.  One of those things was that the bucks dropped their antlers earlier than this, and it was a good time to go hunting for the shed racks in the woods.  This deer shouldn’t have any antlers this late in the season.  

I stopped in my tracks, and as I did, it whipped its head around to look at me.  There moonlight was a sharp little blade in the dark eyes of this thing as it stared at me from the other side of the river.  It stared, and stared, and as it did, the same fear grabbed hold of my guts and scratched its way across the nerves of my skin.  My heart was pounding, my muscles clamped tight.  This was nothing like the fear I’d felt while passing the shed.  It seemed like a cozy little refuge, now, as I started down this deer.  

I couldn’t understand why I felt this way - it had done nothing but be big and not shed its antlers yet.  That logic didn’t matter.  I wasn’t getting a single step closer to that thing.  I ground my teeth as I stared at it.  I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t.  Right now, my actions were being guided by a part of my brain that kept my ancestors alive.  

Predator, it screamed, that is a predator!

It made no sense.  It was a deer.  Sure, they’d eat meat sometimes if it was around.  They looked at gut piles like they were treats this time of year, but they didn’t kill and eat humans.  That was another thing my instincts were saying - hungry.  This thing was hungry.  I still couldn’t say why or how I knew any of this, but I knew it down to the red marrow of my bones.  

It was strange - the longer I stared down that deer, the more of a tug I felt to keep walking.  To cross the river.  But the terror was useful; it kept me from following that impulse.  The deer huffed, and its breath didn’t fog in the cold.  My brain filed that detail away automatically with the height and the antlers.  The animal sounded frustrated, although it shouldn’t have been possible for me to identify that emotion so clearly.  

Then it started pacing.  I watched in fascination horror as it moved with an awkward, stuttering gate.  It didn’t seem to know how to place its hooves, and it swayed back and forth, all while not taking its too-intelligent eyes off of its prey.  It didn’t know how to move properly, and I remembered that my dad had told me of an illness.  Chronic Wasting Disease - mad cow for deer.  He told me how to spot one, and to steer clear of it.  He told me it was neurological; that it made it hard for them to move.  

But this wasn’t that.  No, this deer moved like it was something else wearing the skin of a deer.  Like it was new to that body and didn’t know how to use it.  Its fumbling reminded me of the way a toddler moved - wobbling and unsure of what its muscles should do, but enthusiastic about being up and walking instead of crawling.  It was like that, but with far less innocence and far more jerks and twitches in its movement. It almost looked like it was adjusting its deer suit as it paced on its side of the river.  

It huffed again and then growled.  Not like a tiger or a dog would growl, more like a cat growling if that cat had the vocal cords of a high-pitched cow. I screamed in surprise and covered my ears at the sound.  

Come.  Here.  I could feel its anger and frustration pressing in on me, looking for purchase, looking for a crack in my terror.  

There was none.  It was all-encompassing.  It was terror of the sort that fueled strength.  Terror that sharpened your mind, that made time slow so you could think faster and survive.  It was the same kind of terror that had saved the earliest of my kind on the savannahs in Africa.  It was terror that whispered to me with a small, comforting voice, do not cross the moving water.  

Of course - it hadn’t even attempted to cross the stream, pacing back and forth over where the edge of the stream was rather than where the edge of the bridge was.  It couldn’t cross the moving water.  

As soon as I had the thought the creature’s growling was honed into a scream.  It stood on two legs, making it tower over me.  It was trying to be more threatening, but I knew now.  I knew as long as I stayed over here I was ok.  

“No,” I said, my voice stead and calm.  I wasn’t loud, but my voice carried in the snowy stillness and into the moon-bright night, “I won’t cross.  You can’t have me.”  

It screamed at me again, eyes narrowing in an almost human expression of incredulity.  Inside my clothes, my skin was hot from the anger coming from the not-deer, sweat trickling down my spine, but I planted my boots and fisted my hands and would not move.  I could taste ice on my tongue, and I took a deep breath through my mouth, letting the cold soothe me.  

Then, there was a sound.  High pitched and clear, it came from somewhere in the woods or fields around us.  It was sweet, and some of the heat of the not-deer’s anger seeped away from my skin.  Its had flung around awkwardly towards the sound and it went back on all fours with a loud thud.  It snorted and pawed the ground, but it hesitated.  Then, the call came again, louder this time.  With a final, angry look at me, it took off into the forest away from me and the road home.  

I stood there on that road waiting, too afraid to cross, until I was sure that I couldn’t hear it crashing through the bushes anymore.  Then I took off like a shot, snow be damned.  I ran across the creek, my feet sliding as I took a sharp right onto the road that led to my house, down that road and up to my house.  I ran straight in the front door, locked it behind me, and pounded up the steps to my room.  

I texted Macey when I got my backpack off, but I knew it was going to be a long, sleepless night.  

[falseroar]

Silver and Peppermint (Part 1)

((Back in August I had the idea of trying to do AU August, only to get totally wrapped up in a different project. As a part of that, I wrote this Monster Hunter!Abe AU, a murder mystery which kind of turned out way longer than the one shot I meant it to be at about 7/8 parts in all. Might be related to a certain Goretober prompt I wrote last week, if you don’t mind probably obvious spoilers.

I’m using the same tag list as from Can You Wake Up?, although I know this is a very different thing. If you’d rather not be tagged in this or future parts I totally understand, just let me know.

Warnings for series as a whole: References to blood, death, murder, poison, and werewolves.

Links to Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and the Epilogue.))

“A monster hunter? Really, Damien?”

Abe paused outside of the Mayor’s office with one hand outstretched to knock and glanced behind him, but the receptionist was already almost back to her desk after showing him where to go. He should knock and let them know he was out here, but as a professional he knew the importance of getting the lay of the land before jumping straight into a new case.

Plus, he was nosy.

“I had to do something,” came the rich voice that Abe recognized as belonging to the mayor, the same voice he heard over the phone just yesterday. “The police are stumped and the press is having a field day. The last thing we want is a mob with pitchforks and torches looking for someone to blame.”

“I have leads, the police are just too scared to move. They’re not used to handling this kind of thing, not with the risk it involves.”

“Which is why I called in a professional.”

It was as good an introduction as he could hope for, so Abe knocked on the office door and walked in at the mayor’s invitation.

“Ah, you must be Abe,” the man said as he rose from behind his desk and leaned over to shake Abe’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about your previous work.”

“And I’ve heard a lot about your current problem, Mr. Mayor,” Abe said, narrowing his eyes as he sized the man up. Well-dressed, slicked black hair, and a genuine smile that looked out of place on a politician. And a cane beside his desk, black with a silver top. Did he need assistance getting around? “You made the right call, bringing me in before this got any worse.”

“Please, call me Damien.” The mayor paused, his eyes flickering toward the other person in the room as though in response to a sound they made, and said, “And this is the District Attorney, Y/N. They will be working with you to find the culprit behind these vicious attacks.”

“What?” Their disbelief at those words almost matched Abe’s own. “Damien, please. Now isn’t the time for jokes.”

“I wasn’t joking, my friend,” Damien said as he sank back into his chair. “Abe is highly qualified and comes with the best of recommendations, but he doesn’t know this city like you do, and at this point you know the case better than anyone. It only makes sense that you would serve as the city’s liaison during this investigation.”

Abe cleared his throat and said, “I think some of those recommendations might have mentioned that I don’t have the greatest track record when it comes to partners.”

He tried hard not to look at the District Attorney, but he had noticed the way they looked him up and down when he walked in, the distaste in their eyes as if even his very presence bothered them on a deeply personal level. They couldn’t have been any more the kind of partner he would have chosen for himself if given the chance.

“While you do have a…worrying tendency to lose partners, I believe Y/N can handle it. There isn’t anyone in this city that I would trust more,” Damien said, smiling at the District Attorney who appeared to bite back a word at that even as they began to crack.

“…What do you know of the situation?” they asked, turning to face Abe.

“Three victims already, all attacked at night as if by a wild animal. Except wild animals don’t walk into a person’s home and lock the door behind them when they’re done,” Abe answered. “Nothing I haven’t seen before, of course.”

“It’s four now,” the DA said with a sigh. “That’s why I stopped by here. They found another one in the park this morning, less than an hour ago.”

“Sounds like the scene should still be fresh then,” Abe said, and realized he may have sounded a little too enthusiastic judging by the Mayor and his DA’s reactions. “The faster we get there, the faster we can catch the beast responsible. Think you can handle it, Partner?”

“I am not your partner,” the District Attorney said, flashing the Mayor a look when he made a sound at that.

“You two will be reporting directly to me,” Damien said. “I want you to keep me updated on everything, and I’ve already received assurance from the Chief of Police that he will provide all the manpower you need once you find the person or creature responsible. I’m counting on you.”

He had heard that tune plenty of times before. No one called him in unless the situation was truly desperate, because everyone thought they could handle it on their own until people started getting angry and looking for someone to blame. That Mayoral seat was probably starting to look unsteady if they’d already lost four people in less than a month.

But the District Attorney looked deadly serious as they nodded to the Mayor and led the way out, leaving Abe to follow in their quick, brisk steps out of the building and down the marble steps to the street below.

“How long have you known our dear Mayor?” Abe asked once he caught up and fell into step alongside them.

“…Since university,” they answered. “He is one of the few friends I have from back then.”

Probably one of the few friends they had in general, Abe thought to himself. As if sensing his thought, they gave him a frown and asked, “And how long have you been roaming around playing monster hunter?”

“Playing? This isn’t some kind of game, I save people’s lives,” Abe said. “I’ve slain vampires and werewolves, caught witches and rooted out a ghoul running a pie shop. Vicious monsters, every last one of them.”

The District Attorney stiffened and he could feel the anger rolling off of them as they crossed the street and led the way to the trees in the distance that marked the park in the center of the city. They took so long responding that he had almost give up on getting another word out of them.

“A pie shop?”

“Yeah, that one was…” He winced, putting a hand to his mouth. “Still can’t look at meat-based pies the same way. Lost a good partner in there too. Blueberry pie to the face.”

The District Attorney did a double take at that one but failed to ask any follow up questions before they arrived at the police tape blocking off the entrance to the park. There an officer recognized the District Attorney and led them both farther into the cover of the trees, off the path to where a sheet covered the body.

“We’ve already been over everything,” he said. “A pair of joggers noticed the new marks on the trees and the crows hanging around this area so they came over to investigate. Victim is a male, maybe in his thirties, same injuries as the others. We’re still looking to identify him, so we don’t know if there’s any connection yet.”

“Out in the open this time,” the District Attorney said as they strayed around the area. Abe noticed that they kept their distance from the corpse, their eyes instead focused on the claw marks on the trees, in the soft ground that wasn’t soaked in blood.

“Nowhere’s safe,” the officer muttered.

“What was that?” Abe asked.

“Nothing. Look, I should get back to guarding the perimeter. You two can find me if you have any more questions, okay?”

And with that he was gone, leaving Abe with the District Attorney and the body. Without waiting for an invitation, Abe pulled back the sheet to get a better look at what was left of the victim.

“What are you doing?” the District Attorney snapped a few seconds later.

“Getting a read on the corpse,” Abe answered without looking up. “It’s my expert opinion that he died at three-thirty last night. Strange time to be out in the park.”

“He may have been chased here,” the District Attorney said. They knelt and Abe saw they were examining something in one of the bushes.

“Nice find, Partner!” They jumped when Abe was suddenly at their side to get a better look at the clump of light hair caught in the branches of the bush. “Is this fur?”

“Don’t do that,” they protested, scrambling away as he pried off a few hairs and sniffed them. “And don’t—Did you just lick that?!”

“Wolf hair,” Abe muttered.

“How do you know that?!”

“Like I said, I’m a professional,” Abe said as he straightened up and began taking a closer look at the ground all around. “And I’ve worked with enough of these beasts to spot the signs from a mile away. Look at this, Partner.”

“Stop calling me that,” they said, but followed his stare.

And then swore softly as they knelt, one hand hovering over the massive paw print left in the soft ground for reference. Not only was the paw print nearly twice the size of their hand, the depth suggested the weight and size of the beast that left it behind.

“Werewolf,” Abe said with absolute certainty and the District Attorney’s shoulders tightened, their hand curling into a fist. “I’d know one anywhere.”

“This isn’t right,” they said softly. “Last night wasn’t a full moon, if whoever this was changed then they had to have been…They were in full control.”

“And they knew exactly what they were doing when they attacked this poor schmuck and all the others,” Abe said, privately impressed. Most people weren’t aware that werewolves had the ability to change at any time, and usually didn’t live long enough to learn from their mistake. He lost a partner once that way, and never intended to make that mistake again. “See any sign of where it went?”

They spent a few minutes trying to follow the trail in either direction, but aside from a few furrows in the ground farther into the park it was no good. Even there they could not be certain if the marks suggested the werewolf had been chasing its victim out of the park or fleeing further in. A sweep of the park proved that whoever it was, they were long gone now.

“Well, guess there’s nothing for it but to tell your mayor friend what we’re dealing with,” Abe said, brushing some dirt off of his knees after spending several minutes examining some droppings that turned out to have come from a rabbit. “Full moon’s only a few nights away. If this sicko is like this when they’re in control, I don’t want to see them the rest of the time.”

The District Attorney nodded in mute agreement, and remained silent all the way out of the park with barely an acknowledgement of the officer outside. Abe thought that was probably for the best; better to let the news come from the top than spread out from the bottom and cause a panic in the city. But he didn’t think that was the reason for the attorney’s silence, judging by their furrowed brow and shaking hands.

Just as he was about to say something that would probably make them hate him even more, the District Attorney said, “I need some coffee. Do you want anything?”

“…Sure,” Abe answered. He wasn’t about to say no to a good cup of coffee, especially if the caffeine might help calm the attorney’s nerves. Poor kid must not be used to this kind of thing here in the city, he mused as he followed them into a small shop on the corner.

One where they must be a regular customer, judging by the way the barista called, “Y/N! We were starting to wonder when we’d see you again. Your usual?”

“Please,” they said, already reaching for their wallet.

Abe ordered the darkest cup of tar he could find and winced when he smelled the cup that was placed on the counter, the scent of peppermint overpowering even from a distance.

“What the hell is that?” he asked.

“Mine,” the District Attorney said, scooping the cup up and breathing heavily from the warm fumes. Almost immediately they began to relax, or at least as much as they seemed capable of.

“You gonna drink that or just inhale it?” Abe asked as he picked up his own cup and left a tip in the jar.

“Jury’s still out,” the District Attorney replied. They held the door open for him and followed him back to the mayor’s office.

“A werewolf?” Damien asked once they had finished explaining what they found to him. Or once Abe finished; the attorney still seemed less than ready to talk about it, but Abe was familiar enough with filling the silence left by less than talkative partners. “Are you sure?”

“Not a doubt in my mind,” Abe said, noting how Damien glanced at the attorney for confirmation, who gave a single nod in response. “Look, we need to get ahead of this before it gets any worse. One survivor with a bite and we’ve got an outbreak on our hands. I suggest a curfew and a kill on sight for any wolves spotted within ten miles. Do your police have access to silver bullets?”

“Yes, because we want them using the highest-quality of bullets when they put down the neighbor’s lost dog,” the District Attorney said, sarcasm dripping from every word. “Don’t you think we need to put some effort into finding the culprit instead of shooting anything in the right shape?”

“Maybe they should have put a collar on it if they cared,” Abe muttered, not wanting to admit that they had a point. Even if properly armed, the cops would be jumpy if this was really their first time dealing with a were.

“Damien!” The District Attorney’s expression said they realized how much they sounded like a kid calling for the teacher, but they continued, “Can I talk to you? Alone?”

They both glanced at Abe and he shrugged. “Sure, I’ll just wait outside like I have nothing better to do with my time.”

“And we can do without the eavesdropping this time,” the District Attorney said just before the door shut behind him, causing Abe to consider that he maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t been as smooth listening in as he thought.

He sighed and grumbled to himself, making sure it was loud enough for them to hear in the office before he made his way to the foyer, where he took up a seat and focused his attention on his coffee, which was probably feeling neglected by this point.

It was a good cup of coffee. Abe made a mental note to go back to that place again just as the District Attorney walked out, their expression suggesting they lost that particular battle with the mayor.

“He’s talking to the chief of police now,” they said once they stopped in front of his chair. They crossed their arms in front of their chest and looked away as they added, “The chief will probably want to talk to you about proper procedure, which I can only think means he’s never seen you in action on a crime scene before.”

“Please, I know my way around a dead body. I’ll remind you that it wasn’t until I stepped on the scene that this investigation started going somewhere.” Abe stood and tossed his empty cup in the trash can. “I’m just saying, it didn’t take me four bodies to figure out what’s going on here.”

“This crime scene was different from the last three,” the District Attorney admitted, choosing not to rise to his bait. “The others were all inside the victims’ homes, with no sign of forced entry.”

“And werewolves aren’t exactly known for knocking on doors,” Abe said.

“But if the victims opened the door, recognized their murderer and let them in, the werewolf could have changed right there in the room, killed them, and changed back to walk out again like nothing happened.”

They looked at him and Abe quickly nodded like he hadn’t been staring, watching as their eyes narrowed and then lit up at the realization. “Yeah, yeah, makes sense. One way to find out for sure, and that’s to put heels to the pavement and go to the other crime scenes and ask some hard questions. You up for it?”

“You were right about one thing back there in Damien’s office,” they said, a fire in their eyes as they opened the door. “We need to get ahead of this before it gets any worse. After you, hunter.”

((Thank you for reading!

Link to Part 2.

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