#so sorry for the abrupt ending

[rosewinelonging]

theres always been something about rose that kanaya couldnt quite put her finger on. it wasnt bad per se, it was just. odd. she couldnt figure out what it was, not even after all the hours shes spent watching her. they had complete access to the kids throughout their lives watching as they went from tiny humans to slightly bigger tiny humans and yet all time spent staring at the screen did nothing to solve this feeling.

even now with rose being face to face it hasnt gone away. if anything getting worse as time went on. like a puzzle with a single piece missing, you can still make out the image but its still wrong. kanaya couldnt lie and say it wasnt bothering her. it was something about her presence, the way she moved, even moreso the way she didnt. her ability to sit and just, be still was almost frightening. she was deathly quiet usually settling into some corner where she reads or watches others in the room. the feeling of her sharp, knowing gaze always leaves her stumbling.

its during one of these so-called “quiet times” (as dave has so loving named) that the missing piece is finally found.

she was sitting on the coach trying to focus on not stabbing herself with the sowing needle again. rose was sitting with a book a little ways away. supposadly reading but the feeling of being watched never stopped for a moment.

dave walks in through the door and comes straight towards kanaya. “yo. have you seen lalonde?”

she looks up. “oh! well..” her eyes move to look past him, at rose seated just out of view of the enterance. he follows her gaze and turns around, startling at the sight of her.

“fucking christ!” rose smirked. “can you stop doing that? lookin’ like a creepy fucking doll-”

the rest of his words are cut off as her head begins to pound. oh. oh. she understands it now, that nagging feeling of something about rose that she just wasnt seeing. a doll. of course, she looked like a doll. graceful, elegant perhaps, a pretty little thing to be dressed up and admired. if kanaya was still alive shes sure her blood pusher would be pounding in her chest. 

“ah!” she blinks back to reality when her fingers slipped and poked herself with the needle. the others stop their heated discussion to look at her. heat rushes to her face. “no need to worry, just uh poked myself with the needle! haha..”

she needed to think about this. with that she excused herself and hurried out the room.

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

it had taken a week to gather her thoughts. the whole she skirted around rose, making excuses to escape the scrutiny of the girl. it was painfully suspicious and a confrontation was inevitable.

“are you avoiding me kanaya?” rose had backed her into a corner, quite literally. she was pressed into the wall, opposite of the door.

“well. i would never avoid you. i am simply..” the girl raised an eyebrow. “i am of the opinion that you would be a good doll.”

“doll?”

kanaya nods sharply. “yes. i have been preparing clothes that would be fitting. that would make me expentionally happy if you were to wear.”

and to her utter suprise (and delight) she agreed.

they were in kanayas room. rose was perched on the edge of the bed that was never used but she never bothered to take out. now shes glad she hadnt. beside her were the clothes she made, laid out. a simple black skirt and a white button up skirt, the collar was embroidered with flowers. on top were the undergarments which took much longer than they should have. dark green matching set of lingerie. rose was inspecting the fabric with a small smile. “its pretty.”

kanaya was positively vibrating at this point. the anticipation of seeing rose wear her clothes was nearly too much to bear.

rose looked up. “seeing as im acting as a ‘doll’ in this scenario, and you my master, one must assume to be given commands..?”

she rubbed her hands together, clearing her throat. “that would be correct. all you need to do is act like a doll. which is to say, dont do anything.” that seemed to be acceptable to her as she nodded.

with just a moments hesitation kanaya finally reached out, grabbing roses arm and gently leading her to stand in the middle of the room. she grabbed the sides her godtier robe and began to lift up, rose putting her arms up letting her slide it off easily. kanaya dropped it to the floor unceremoniusly, leaving her in a simple bra and orange leggings. her hand hovers over the waistband. once this was off she would be in undergarments which shes seen many times on the monitor [though only when in private] but it was much different in person. sensing her hesitation rose pulled them down herself, bending down to pull them off her legs then dropping it next to her robe.

kanaya sucked in a breath. almost done. she circled around rose, the girl had returned to her doll-like status keeping her eyes directly forward, not acknowledgin her at all. it made her stomach jump and she rushed behind her so she wouldnt see her flushed face. she unlatched the clasp of the plain black bra. it was honestly disappointing, she had expected something fancier, a little more delicate from rose. but that was okay because thats why she was here. from now on she’d make sure rose wore only the prettiest clothing, it was what she deserves. moving the straps off her shoulder to let it drop to the floor.

finally, the last item of clothing. a pair of solid lavender panties. she wondered if there was decoration, like a bow or design at the front but wouldnt dare turn her around to check. the thought of rose watching her, all sharp and calculated like she could see directly into her mind revealing all of her deepest desires. it was too much. so she laid a trembling hand between her shoulder blades and began to trail her fingers down her spine. rose stiffened under her fingertips so she leaned in and said, “relax.”

she did. the tension fell away as her muscles drooped. then kanaya was centimeters away from her underwear. with a steadying breath she hooked two fingers beneath the waistband and tugged it down. there was no resistence or climactic happenings as it fell to the floor. just like that rose was completely naked. placing one hand lightly on her shoulder she walked back around to the front, admiring the sight. rose was shorter than her by a good bit, barely coming up to her chest. but what she lacked in height she made up generously in weight. she was heavy, with large wide hips and strong arms. her chest, though under-developed, was not lacking in any means. and despite this she looked more delicate than a feather on the water.

kanaya brushed her knucles against her cheek. there was no shame or embarrassment in features, only a quiet satisfaction. what she would give to have stay like this, a true goddess of her own right. she wanted to lay her down and map out every part of her body, get familiar with the holy. but she had a job to do. rose, her doll, was waiting to be dressed and displayed. [though if she really though about it, dolls dont care how their owners play with them, no opinions or voice of their own…] she turned and marched to the bed to grab the underwear, a dark green lace that would constrast wonderfully against her skin.

moving back, she grabbed roses hands and placed them on her shoulders for balance. it would be easier to make her dress herself but that would be a cruel request of a doll. she held the underwear down, letting her move to slip into it. kanaya took care to pull it up, the fabric fitting snuggly against her hips and ass. next she grabbed the matching bra, this time holding each arm as she slipped the straps to her shoulders. instead of turning her around she reached behind rose, finding the clasp and clipping it together with nimble, practiced fingers. she pulled the wire lining down checking to make to sure it was comfortable and low enough to give a nice view of her boobs.

next were the clothes. kanaya picked up the blouse from the bed. she had gotten rose to send measurements long before she started making these so she only hoped it fit. if not she could always spare some time so adjustments could always be be made.

she helped her through the short sleeves, tugging it the fabric up to her shoulders and flattening out the collar. starting from the bottom she began buttoning. it was natural muscle memory from years of practice yet she still fumbled. face flushing as her hands shook too much from excitement and anxiety to get them through the holes. eventually she managed to reach the top putting the last button throw the hole. she tugged at the collar, pulling the edges and flattening them out so they sat even against her jugular.

kanaya ran her fingers down her shirt, pinching and pulling at any odd sections until satisfied. the skirt was next, a simple black, pleated and it came to her knees. there was no hassle with getting her to step into it, pulling it up so it waistline settled just over her bellybutton. she spent a few minutes focused on pulling her shirt down, straigtening it out and fixing the skirt.

when satisfied she glances up and rose met her eye. they stared at eachother, her face tinged a bit red, eyes are a hazier than usual. softer around the edges like shes lost her constant sharp observance. kanaya brushed a piece of hair from her face. she ran her fingers through her soft hair, brushing out any kinks and moving it until her face was framed perfectly. holding her hand she led the doll back to her bed, helping her to sit down. once again fussing with her appearance before pulling back.

[heedthetenofwands]

ghost x (lowkey unhinged) sunshine f!reader

suggestive nsfw (but non-explicit)

His girl was the sweetest thing. Smile as bright as the sun and you looked at him like he’d hung the stars and the moon. Coming home to you was always the highlight of his day.

But something was amiss ever since a week ago.

He had come back from base, a day of planning for the next mission and cleaning up from the last, and his heart yearned to be at home with you. Stepping through the front door, he was ready to hear his bird chirping his name and telling him about the day. But the house was silent, the lights were off, and he couldn’t hear a thing.

He waited a moment before calling out your name. It was only when he walked up the stairs to the bedroom that he saw you sitting on the edge of the bed. Your back was to the door.

“Love?” He called to you. You turned your head back to see him before standing up and making your way around the bed to smile and greet him. You hug him tightly, a bit firmer than usual and he had to brace his core a little in surprise. You let go and look at him with an innocent smile.

“Did you have a good day?” You asked.

“It was OK, better now.” He replies. You continue staring at him, almost in contemplation and, without blinking, kiss his cheek and move out of the room.

Alarms bells are ringing.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

"There's something wrong." He confesses to them at drinks after work a couple days later. "She's angry."

"Your bonnie? She doesnae seem ta have a malicious bone in 'er. I'm sure it'll pass." Soap says.

Ghost grunts dismissively. "Never been this long."

Gaz hums in thought, "Did you forget a date?"

Ghost stays quiet but Gaz doesn't miss the confused stare. He clarifies, "Birds care about 'em. 1st anniversary, birthdays, the milestones. Can fall through the cracks if you're not careful though."

Ghost replies, "Maybe." In his mind, he's already running his fingers through their calendar.

Price cuts through, "Why not just ask 'er?" Straight to the point, as Ghost expected.

He leans back, "Rather not." Ghost knows he's hiding the real answer. What do I do if I can't fix it?

Price looks at him, assesses him and sees right through him. But before he can press further, Ghost hears his phone buzz. He pulls it out of his pocket and after reading the message from you, grumbles a quiet 'fuck' that draws the attention of his team. They lean over to catch a glimpse of the message.

The screen showed previous conversations between the lieutenant and his girl, you sending him your texts with smiley faces, hearts or emoticons with every message. That is, until your latest one which read:

Love: pick up bread on your way home.

The team winced at the cold tone.

"Good luck, mate."

"Warning ya, bakery closes earlier than usual today."

"You're fucked."

Ghost glares at them all before standing up and leaving.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

The rest of the week had followed similarly with you just not acting like you're usual self.

That Friday it was your turn to pick a film to watch, where you would usually put on a cheesy rom-com or a tense-filled drama, that night it was a R18 horror movie. Ghost did not utter a single complaint when you put it on. Or move an inch when you lay your head on his chest and smiled at a scene where a cheating husband and his mistress get sliced in two.

Where you two would usually stay in bed together to bask the warm glow of a slow Sunday morning, instead, Simon woke alone. He called your phone again and again until you came home a couple hours later. You ignored his questions. Fearing the worst, he let it go.

And the bite of your finger nails into his skin got stronger and stronger every night as you two lay in bed. It was as is if you were clutching or branding onto him with all your might.

It was later that week, that Simon decided to was time to ask. Time to confront the dissonance that was ringing louder and louder in his ears whenever you touched him, looked at him and smiled at him.

He was going to do it. Right after dinner, he was going to do it.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Ghost, in fact, did nothing after dinner because as soon as you had gathered up the plates. You had returned with a cake.

You brought it to the table. “I know how much you love my desserts, Si. It's been forever since I've made one so I thought I would make your favourite today." You sit down before adding, "I've changed it up a bit, too. New ingredient and whatever.”

Ghost stills at that. “What’s the ingredient, darling?” He says as casually, as he could. Cyanide? Arsenic?

You smile sweetly at him, “It’s a surprise Si, where’s the fun in knowing before tasting it?”

“Right.” He replies, hesitantly.

You start cutting a slice, and place it on his plate before sitting down and waiting for him.

He takes the fork. "You're not hungry, love?"

You shake your head, "I want to see your reaction."

There's a moment where Ghost is trying to remember the poison hotline contact number so he could ring it after his 'taste test' but he finally breaks.

“Nope, can’t do this anymore.” He says.

“Can’t do what, Simon?” You asked with faux concern. You stand up and come to his side of the table to face him. “What’s wrong, baby? You're going to love it.”

“Did I forget an anniversary? Your birthday?” He thought aloud. He doubted it, but he must have done something wrong. He reaches for your arms and gently pulls you to stand in front of him, he holds your hands and bows his head before you. “Tell me love, have I been neglecting you? Spending too much time at work? You can tell me.”

You gently remove your hands from his hold, moving one hand to cup his cheek and the other to tilt his chin so he could meet your gaze. At first, he leans into the gentle palm of your hand but the cold look in your eye with that small smile of your lips makes him freeze.

“Don’t bullshit me, Riley.” Your voice cuts through the candlelit room. He has to fight to not let this do something to him. It gets worse when you use both of your hands to cup his jaw and force his head upwards to meet your gaze. “I found a second phone when I was sorting the laundry. There was a message from another woman. Asking if you would be coming over that night. What a greedy fucker you are.” He has to fight any sound that may escape from his lips at seeing you speak so harsh. “You listen to me, Simon.” His eyes widen as you close the distance of your face to his and your lips are so close. He wants to kiss you. “I will fucking kill her.”

Ghost had no idea what was happening, mind moving too fast and too slow all at once. All he could do was focus on his sweetheart's voice. You stand upright, move closer to Ghost, forcing him to spread his thighs so you can stand between them and press his face to your form, stroking the back of his head, his shoulders, his back as if to soothe and comfort. “I am yours. You made it so. And now, you are mine too."

He can't help the chills running down his spine as he laid his head against your body and felt the presses of your touch. You tell him, “All you need to do is give me her name and where I can find her. And after tonight, we can forget all about this, my love. If you work hard enough, I will forgive you. And in time, I will ask you what deficit I had to make you think you can replace me."

You sigh, "I gave you all week to confess, but you have no shame do you?"

Finally, Ghost's mind seems to catch up, "Wait, wait, sweetheart I don't have a second phone." At that, you tighten the hand in his hair, grabbing a good chunk of the back of his head. He whines at the sensation, "I swear, love." But you do not yield.

His mind is racing.

A second phone?

And finally, he realises. "Sweetheart, wait. It's Johnny's. He mentioned that he lost his phone, the idiot must've dropped in my gym bag. That's why you found it."

Your body stills. "Are you sure, Si?"

While you stay still, Ghost only wraps his arms around you, nestling his face against the warmth of your body and your hesitance. He pleads, "On my life. Call him, darling. Please."

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

A phone call later, you confirm that Soap indeed dropped his phone, and was seeing the woman you saw in the notifactions. With a sinking feeling, you return to the kitchen table.

"Si, I'm so sorry." You tell him, tears already brimming your water line. "I should've just asked you-" Before you can say another word, Ghost had already stood up and embraced you. You sink against him.

You should have never doubted a starving dog.

Ghost smiles as he releases you from his hold, "You still want dessert?" He looks back at the cake.

You only giggle, "Yes, let's eat. Not that one though." You ignore Ghost's questioning gaze as you walk to the fridge, humming a small tune, and then pull out another identitical cake. You set it on the table, smiling innocently as the blood drains from Ghost's face. "Let's eat, Si."

[householdcryptid]

Omg you’ve rotted my brain with on-call nurse reader x pope!

I’m watching AK from the start now, I’m almost done season one and like 😍😍 I love the concept so much

I especially like imagining how everyone reacts to her being into Pope, like everyone expects her to be into Baz or even Craig, but nope, she’s head over heels for Pope and nothing will change that

Like remember in one of the first episodes when Smurf asked Nicky, ‘if you had to choose one to be stuck on an island with, who would it be?’ Imagine the reaction to nurse reader answering pope haha

I also love the idea of Pope being obsessed with someone that is equally obsessed with him… he deserves it… but anywayssss

Okay, hope you don’t mind my rambling, I’m done for now!

please! ramble all you like! you're sooo right btw he needs someone equally as obsessed with him as he would be with them. my freaky little guy :)

sorry this ends so abruptly! i could not for the life of me figure out a better ending, so my sincerest apologies.

CW: smurf being YUCKY, uhh blood sort of, Pope Stare, nothing else I don't think ! she's a little 900 words

Spending time at the Cody house is not something you prefer to do. You think it wouldn’t be so bad, if Smurf weren’t there. The woman is nice enough, but there’s an air about her that makes you feel unwelcome. Like she’ll be damned if you feel like anything more than an outsider.

You’d only showed up for your check, but of course she’d insisted you stay for lunch. You’re starting to think said lunch is never coming.

Watching the boys wrestle each other in the middle of the pool is mildly amusing, at least. Not to mention it gives you a good excuse to ogle at Andrew. He’s different, since he got back from Folsom. You guess that makes sense, in a way, but it hurts your heart a bit to see him be so… closed off again. Not that he was particularly open before, but at least he’d been sleeping somewhat normally then.

You twitch forward the next time he climbs out of the pool. Blood drips from his mouth, falling in little rivulets of red down his chin and chest. It shouldn’t make your stomach twist like it does, you think, but God help you it’s kind of sexy.

You’re just opening your mouth to tell him to let you have a look at his mouth, for medical reasons only of course, when Smurf’s voice rings out.

“Sunshine, Nicky,” Your teeth grind together and you force a smile. “Would you come help me in the kitchen?”

It’s clear it isn’t so much a question as it is a demand, and if only for Nicky’s sake, you hop up and trail after the woman. You can feel Pope’s eyes on your back as you walk away.

Nicky is sweet, if a little naive. She trusts Smurf, you wish you could tell her not to.

“D’you always cook like this?” She asks the older woman in an incredulous tone, sprinkling salt on thick cuts of beef.

“My boys have big appetites.” Smurf replies from where she’s piping deviled egg mix into halved eggs. You watch from the corner of your eye, hands busy mixing coleslaw, when you catch Smurf’s smirk.

“If you were ship-wrecked on a dessert island, and you could only choose one,” Smurf starts, tipping her head to the side some, faux playful. It makes your skin crawl. “Who would you pick?”

The way she talks about her sons makes your stomach wrench with disgust. What kind of mother asks questions like that?

“Other than J, of course.” She goes on to clarify, uncaring of the slight discomfort in Nicky’s gaze. “I’m only asking, you’re a beautiful young girl.”

Nicky glances at you, before trailing her eyes to where the boy’s are drying off outside by the pool.

“Baz is… pretty cool.” She replies, a sheepish little smile playing at her lips.

You swallow down a snort of amusement. If Nicky knew how frequently Baz stepped out on Cath, you think, he wouldn’t seem so cool then.

“What about you, Sunny?” Smurf turns, giving you a plastic smile, her eyes sharp.

Your skin prickles with discomfort, your hands stilling for only a moment. You take a second to stall, look out at the boys yourself, just as Nicky had. Andrew is staring again, expression blank as he towels at his hair. You smile faintly, shrug a shoulder.

“Andrew, probably.”

Smurf tenses for only a second, the tiniest crack in her porcelain mask, before her smile widens, calculating.

“Interesting.” She hums, wiping her hands on the rag slung over her shoulder.

“Why?” Nicky asks, frowning, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. She seems to notice her mistake when both you and Smurf look to her, and she falters. “Well- I mean, he’s a little… scary, isn’t he?” She laughs, looking nervous.

“Not really,” You shrug. “If you don’t know him, yeah. I can see why you’d think that.” You cut a glance at Smurf, whose smile has faded. She looks at you like you’re a problem, something she needs to remove.

Nicky opens her mouth to reply, but the glass door slides open and Smurf’s smile returns.

“Smells good, Ma.” Craig grins, side stepping around you to grab new beers for everyone from the fridge.

Andrew hovers close to your side, but not close enough to touch, nursing a beer. He doesn’t say anything, not that you expect him to, but you turn to give him a smile anyway.

“Mouth okay?” You ask, as casual as you can manage, nodding to him.

He seems a bit taken aback by the question, eyes flickering across your face for a second.

“S’fine.” He mumbles, shrugging a shoulder, noncommittal, but his eyes soften just a touch.

His head tips to the side some, gaze flicking from you to his mother and then back again, a silent question residing in deep pools of hazely green.

You shrug, roll your eyes, wave a hand vaugely. Silent conversations are a common commodity with Pope, something you became accustomed to years ago.

Smurf’s eyes burn into the side of your skull, but you won’t give her the satisfaction she’s after. You know to be wary, but not fearful. Showing fear is like rolling over to show belly to Smurf.

It's easy to ignore her, when Andrew is giving you that look. Like nothing in the room is as interesting as you are. How can you care about his neurotic mother when he’s looking at you like that?

[straows]

“Why are you so clingy?” P.4

—In which, after waking up in bed with a certain someone, you start to question things.

A/n: this is wrapped up in a nice little bow. (Final part.)

<<part one, part two, part three

You didn’t open your eyes when you woke up. Your head ached, absolutely pounding.

Fucking wine.

And even tho you had a hangover that was just as bad as a kidney stone, the warmth you felt around you was intoxicating. It had you sighing softly and curly further into said warmth.

Except, said warmth loved.

Said warmth had a heartbeat.

Said warmth smelled fucking amazing and painfully familiar.

Forcing your eyes open, your whole body tensed when you were met with a muscular chest. Then the feeling of strong arms wrapped around you registered—

Oh shit.

Immediately, you sat up so fast it had Gojo jolting away. His voice rough and gravelly from sleep, his eyes squinting as he looked up at you. “What’s wrong, sweets?”

“You— You. WHY are you in my bed?” You tore at out bed so fast you were tripping over your own feet. Almost busting your ass as you yanked on a hoodie over your shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. “Did we— oh god. Oh no.”

Your skin crawled. You were mad. So mad. Mad and sick. Your stomach hurt. Why did you do this?

“What? No. You got drunk last night off wine, and I took you home. You kept whining about wanting me to stay so… I did.” Gojo shrugged and rubbed his eyes, before sitting up, back against the head board.

“..oh.” Now, that anger was replaced by embarrassment and that sick feeling only deepened.

Ok. So this is my fault.

“Relax, we didn’t do anything.” Gojo crossed his arms, biceps flexing as he did, “but we could if you wanted to.” He winked.

“You are insufferable.” You rolled your eyes, finally calming down. Putting a hand on you temple, trying to calm the migraine— you made your way into the kitchen. “This is so fucking stupid. Fucking wine.”

Chugging down a glass of water, you stared at the stove top. That was, until you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist.

And oh, that feeling of warmth and that familiar scent. It felt so nice, and yet so sickening.

“Did you mean what you said last night?” Gojo murmured against your shoulder, not missing the way you side eyed him.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t remember?” His brows were furrowed now, almost offended.

“No??”

“You said you loved me. That you missed me.” Gojo filled in the gaps, and turned you around in his hold. Eyeing you with so much hope.

You stared at him for a long time, a long long time. Debating whether or not that was true, regardless it didn’t matter. “So what? Not like we’ll ever get back together.” You pulled away, huffing at the way your heart ached slightly as his shoulders slumped.

“Wait what?” Now Gojo was pulling you back. “It does matter, because if you do love me, we can— no we need to get back together.”

“And why would I? You’ll just become an asshole all over again. Remember? ‘Why the fuck are you so clingy?’” You did air quotes before slapping his hand away.

“But— but come on now, I’m— I was stupid. I took you for granted. I’d never do that to you— not ever, ever again. I will spend the rest of my life making you see how I’ve changed if I need too.” Taking a step closer to you, “please, please just give me another chance. Do you want me to get on my knees? Want me to beg?”

You glaring at him, “yes.” You didn’t think he’d do it. When you’d dated him before he was all pride. ‘Worlds strongest’ this and ‘chosen one’ that.

However, your breath stalled in your throat when he knelt down in front of you, literally on his knees as his hands found your hips. His eyes almost puppy like as he literally begged you.

Like a sinner at an alter, pleading for forgiveness.

You hated how much you like it. How it made you so happy to see him like this. So weak that he’d beg— on his knees.

“Please baby, I swear on everything— I swear on my eyes that I’ll never hurt you again. If I ever do— you can have them.” He pressed gentle kisses to your knuckles.

You swallowed thickly, your heart pounding in your chest. “…you ever, and I mean ever, talk to me like you did— behave like you did, to me again— I’ll hold you to that swear.” Your hand held his jaw, fingers digging into his jaw.

He nodded so fast, and when you pressed your lips against his, he was just as fast to stand up. Kissing you like a man starved and you were a tall glass of ice cold water.

Gojo’s hands held your hips in an iron grip, pulling you flush against him. Lord he was moaning into the kiss, murmuring about how thankful he was— how much he missed this, missed you.

You weren’t much better. Your nails clawed up his arms, his chest, dragged through his hair just to tug slightly hard.

“Missed you so— fucking much.” He grunted against your lips. Already hard and throbbing and oh so pathetic.

“You really are a desperate ex.” You smiled against his lips.

“Yeah, ‘m desperate for you. Sure as shit not your ex anymore.” He leaned down to press bites and nips all across your shoulders.

Now that had you smiling. “Yeah. Not my ex anymore.”

Your next kiss was sweet, all love and adoration.

This time, you knew he wouldn’t fuck this up. Who’d want to lose their eyes?

[aayakashii]

"Go inside. Immediately." Romeo lightly pushed you inside his obscenely wide bathroom and pointed at the tall wooden stool propped in front of his bathroom counter.

"You really don't have to do this..." you dragged your feet slowly and stood awkwardly beside the seating, staring at yourself in the mirror.

You had a full face of makeup, carefully and masterfully applied by Romeo himself after he required your presence in Sinostra for a special night. Some rich student decided to celebrate their birthday at the casino, and Romeo would be damned not to take that chance to drain their pockets for all they were worth.

What was your role in it? Romeo wasn't really sure. But he did make sure, however, that you were there and impeccably attired.

And he did a great job, if he must say so himself. Especially with your eyes. They looked striking and sharp, and he watched all night, with smugness and a bit of a weird discomfort he couldn't quite understand, how so many students seemed to willingly trap themselves inside your gaze. If Romeo could have gotten a nickel for every student who complimented your eyes, he was pretty sure he could have made some solid cash.

Alas, he didn't, so he could only listen as stupid boy after stupid girl after stupid boy after stupid girl came and went, complimenting his very own work of art. The makeup. Obviously. Makeup is artistry, after all. You just happened to be a convenient, compliant canvas (that he kept close to himself all night).

Or so he kept saying to himself.

"Quiet." He hissed, closing the door to the bathroom and making his way towards you and his counter. He unceremoniously grabbed your shoulders and turned you around, with your back now facing the mirror.

"If I don't do this, you'll definitely do a terrible job removing your makeup, then you'll get acne because of those clogged pores, and THEN you'll be even more of an eyesore for me. In the end, I'm doing this for MY sake. Sit down and shut up." He rambled on, satisfied enough with his excuse, as he thoroughly washed his hands.

"Sure..." you said, rolling your eyes, disbelief making itself clear on your voice as you sat on the wooden stoll.

"Do you have any allergies?" He rummaged through the drawers of his counter, carefully selecting a whole collection of products and placing them right next to you. Romeo flipped his hair as he admired himself in the mirror for a second.

"No, siree." You answered, feet dangling as you read the flashy labels of the products.

"Good." He huffed. "Lean back on the counter and close your eyes. Don't open them, otherwise you're gonna get itchy eyes and I don't wanna hear you whine."

"Ooookay." You muttered and leaned back, doing as he said. You knew there wasn't much reason for you to discuss with him when he had his mind set on doing something his way, so you just chose to accept your fate.

Romeo opened a bottle of ridiculously expensive micellar water and poured it on a makeup wipe, shuffling closer to you as he leaned down to apply it on your face.

As much as he tried not to focus on your face as he slowly dragged the cotton pad on your skin, Romeo couldn't help but observe all of your minute details.

He couldn't help but notice how your pores were a bit bigger on your cheeks and how you had the thinnest, almost imperceptible, crease lines between your eyebrows. Probably from furrowing them on the daily, and knew he probably contributed to the etching of those lines on you. He thought of maybe getting you your own jade roller but dismissed the idea with a shake of his head – why would he willingly spend his own money on someone else? That would never be his brand.

He noticed the acne scars on your cheeks and your forehead and scowled. Not at the markings per se, but at how his mind immediately raced to imagine how you looked during your teenage years. You were probably a mess, even more unkempt and disastrous than you were as an adult – a pitiful ugly duckling; something completely unrelatable to Romeo, who had perfect porcelain skin his whole life (a courtesy of being born with a golden spoon in his hands).

And yet, it still frustrated him how he would never be privy to the life you had before meeting him. He would never see you grow into yourself, like a baby deer with shaking legs finally learning how to trot a little less clumsily. Romeo would never be part of a whole chunk of your past, and deep inside, it upset him.

And the fact that he was upset made him scowl ever harder. His fingers unconsciously pressed down on your skin more forcefully, and you winced.

"Hey, don't use so much strenght." You murmured, holding his wrist with one hand. Romeo clicked his tongue, shaking you off.

He grabbed another cotton pad and applied a dab of moisturizer, resuming his ministrations with less intensity.

And with them, his eyes focused on you again: on the dark circles under your eyes and your darker eyelids. On the fine smile lines on the sides of your lips and the bunny lines on the bridge of your nose. He analyzed every patch of discoloration and hyperpygmentation on your face with some sort of secret reverence that he wished eluded him, but didn't.

After all, you lived through joy, sorrow, anger, and despair, and your skin told your story to those who could see it up close. You were an open book for him, someone who could read the words carved in every little detail of your face. He could almost claim he knew you best just from that. What he didn't know, however, was if you were brave or just plain stupid.

Romeo knew his flawless appearance wasn't exactly the blueprint for courage. He donned a mask of perfection in order to stay in control: to control how others saw him and to control how he saw himself. The more poreless and uniform his skin was, the more things could stay the same, with money in his pockets and people under his command.

And so, he hid his traumas under retinol serum and rosehip oil and infrared lights. Fake it till you make it, or so his mother would say after it all came crashing down.

Romeo knew better than anyone else that he couldn't be as vulnerable as you. Vulnerability would mean assuming his losses and bequeathing the only power he had.

So if that meant you were just a bit stronger than he was, just a bit more courageous than he was, then maybe – maybe – he could quietly admit to himself that he admired you.

He would never ever say that to your face, though. Fuck no. That would never be his brand.

[cowboyemeritus]

Can i request brat tamer aether pleasee 😩😩😩

why yes you can >:)

“This is for your own good.”

Thwack!

You jolt as Aether’s large, open hand makes contact with your ass. Mercifully, he’d removed his rings before starting, placing them on his bedside table, but the sting has tears pricking in your eyes nonetheless. Bent over his lap, you whimper, trying to wriggle away, but he holds you down easily.

“I’m sorry.” You’re really not, but it’s so much more fun when you play your part like this.

Aether shakes his head. “Sorry’s not good enough, love. You know better than to distract the boys while they’re trying to practice.” His hand comes down again, and, not expecting it, you yelp. “Damn near ruined rehearsal, you did.”

“It’s not my fault Dew can’t keep it in his pants.” You can still feel his (and Swiss’, and Phantom’s) cum leaking out of you. “If they didn’t want to be distracted, they wouldn’t have invited me to come wa-“ Another spank, this one harder than the last two. You cry out, the pain going straight to your center. He always makes it hurt so, so good.

The large ghoul huffs out an incredulous laugh. “Making excuses now, are we?” He strokes the welt forming on your buttock with his thumb, admiring his handiwork. “I thought I taught you better than that.” This time he goes for the other cheek. There can be no way for you to sit comfortably after what you’ve done. You moan, a tear finally spilling over. “What number was that? Have you been counting like I asked you to?”

You nod, sniffling. “It was five.”

He scoffs. “And now you lie to me! What’s gotten into you?” Two strikes come in rapid succession, and a sob wrenches itself out of you.

“’S not fair!” Not that you mind. “You’re punishing me for something that’s not my fault!” This time, Aether growls.

“I can’t believe you.” He grabs at your ass hard enough that the tips of his claws dig into the reddened flesh a little. With his other hand, the ghoul pinches the bridge of his nose. “We’re starting over. Count out loud, since you can’t be trusted anymore.” In your periphery, you see his hand wind all the way back. When he hits you, it echoes off the walls. You let out a strangled cry, thrashing in his lap.

“One,” you gasp, ecstasy twisting your guts. Aether hums, satisfied by this.

“That’s more like it.”

He’s able to keep you in line for another nine strikes, alternating between sides. By the time you call out number ten, your ass burns, radiating heat and no doubt an angry shade of red. You’re entirely too close from this treatment alone, sobbing and moaning and loving every fucking second of it. Aether runs his palm over your tanned hide, soothing the skin with the faintest trace of quintessence. You shift your hips in the hopes of getting a little friction and he takes that as his cue to keep going, clucking his tongue.

“There,” he says. “Was that really so bad?”

“Fuck you,” you hiss, eager for his response. He’s quiet for a moment, then sighs, exasperated. 

“Up. Hands and knees. You clearly need more instruction.” He swats at you one more time when you remain still, and you yip, like you’re a little dog he’s just stepped on. “I’m not asking.” On shaky legs, you comply, Aether threading his fingers into your hair to help guide you, positioning you on the edge of the bed. He takes his sweet time unbuckling his belt, and when you hear his pants finally hit the floor, it’s hard to contain your excitement. You wiggle your reddened ass for him, looking back with a smirk as he spits into his hand and strokes his cock a few times, rolling his violet eyes at you. As he lines himself up, teasing the head against your opening, his tail snakes up your body, wrapping itself around your throat and squeezing. When he finally pushes inside you, it takes everything you have to not fall over the edge. Your back arches as he starts fucking you at a punishing pace, hips slamming into your tender backside. 

“Really, this is my fault,” he mutters, watching your face contort with rabid pleasure. “I clearly haven’t given you enough discipline.”

You laugh. "Clearly not."

In truth, no amount of discipline could ever be enough. Both of you love this little game far too much.

[dindjarindiaries]

can you do “No, I-I’m okay. It was just a nightmare. Go back to sleep.” and “You don’t have to go through this alone. I’m right here for you if you’ll just let me in.” for din pretty please??? thank you so much! 💘

character: Din Djarin (The Mandalorian)

prompts: “No, I-I’m okay. It was just a nightmare. Go back to sleep.” and “You don’t have to go through this alone. I’m right here for you if you’ll just let me in.”

main masterlist • prompt masterlist

You were still getting used to sharing Din's bed, which made you even more confused when you woke in the middle of the night and realized he was no longer beside you. Blinking into the darkness of the ship compartment that served as his makeshift bedroom made it even more disorienting. After a few heartbeats, however, you could make out a silhouette at the end of the cot—one without a helmet.

This was the closest you would get to seeing his face for a long time, until he was ready to let you in all the way. Considering the fact his shoulders were heaving and a hand was carding through his hair, you were still somewhat on the outside of his heavily protected heart.

But you took no offense. Instead, you remained as patient as you had been with him these last few months. You sat up and made your way to where he was, gently wrapping your arms around him from behind so as to avoid scaring him. Your lips spread into a smile when he relaxed underneath your touch.

Your chin rested on his shoulder as you whispered to him. "It's a bit early for you to be up."

Din huffed and turned his head towards you. "Yeah, you too." The sound of his voice without his modulator still made your stomach burst with the sweetest kind of butterflies.

But the way it shook when he spoke was new.

You furrowed your brow and ran soothing circles over his middle with your nails. "What is it?"

Din swung his head away from you, and you could hear the hard swallow he took. Your entire body tensed with fierce anxiety as you slowly started to pull yourself away from him. You began to recount everything you had done as the two of you had fallen asleep that night.

"Did something happen?"

Din held your hands to keep you in place. "No, I... " He threaded his fingers through yours. You relaxed with him. "I’m okay." Din shook his head as if he was attempting to dispel a bad thought from it. "It was just a nightmare." He gave your hands a gentle squeeze. "Go back to sleep."

You frowned. "I'm sorry." Your voice was as soft as the kiss you placed upon his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Din hesitated, but he ultimately shook his head again. "No, that's okay."

You exhaled a breath. It was another moment where you would have to debate gently pushing him to lower his guard or waiting it out. The way his hands trembled over yours, however, made the decision for you. "You don’t have to go through this alone." You ran your thumbs over his the best you could manage. "I’m right here for you if you’ll just let me in."

Din began to knead his hands against yours, as if the movement was subconscious. Your chest ached, but you remained strong for him, supplying another kiss to his shoulder in the silence. Eventually, he nodded, taking a deep breath that caused you to move with him. "I can try."

You smiled and pressed your cheek against his back, being sure to keep his face concealed from view. "Only if you're comfortable."

"I am." The reassurance was quick. It only made your smile grow more. The longer his silence went on, the more that smile began to fade. "I..." Din's jaw circled. "I still have dreams about my childhood."

You hummed, acknowledging his words while giving him the proper silence to continue.

"But, this time, it wasn't just them." You didn't have to ask who "they" were. He had opened up enough about his childhood for you to know. "It was you, too."

You closed your eyes in sympathy for him. "Me?"

Din nodded. He adjusted his grip on your hands, tightening it without hurting you. "I know a dream is just a dream." He sighed, clearly frustrated with himself. "But it felt so real."

"I understand." You drew him in closer. "Dreams can be very vivid."

Din nodded again. "I won't let this be real, though." He raised your entwined hands to his lips to set a kiss over your knuckles. "I promise."

You lifted your chin back to his shoulder. "I know. Thank you for protecting me." You gestured with your head to the rest of the cot behind you. "But I can protect you, too."

You closed your eyes when Din instinctively turned his face towards you. "What do you mean?"

You unraveled your arms from him and held one of his hands, guiding him back onto the cot. As you encouraged him to lean back and lay down, you held him close, inviting his head into your chest and securing it in place with a hand in his hair. "I can't make the dreams stop." You kissed his head. "But I'll always be here for you to hold onto, to remind you that they're nothing more than dreams."

Din had already relaxed into you, his voice as soft as ever as he spoke. "Thank you."

You smiled again. "You don't have to thank me. I'm just grateful that you're letting me in."

"You make it easy for me."

din djarin tag list: @yorksgirl @zenrobbins0021 @cyaredindjarin @cw80831 @maddiedrmr @pigeonmama

[lylacynth13]

And the Universe Said You Are Not Alone

Word count: 3803

An ambush leaves Kanade in the clutches of the Zoo Rangers, and it’s up to the rest of the Fussy Eaters to bring her back.

It only took three words for Rui’s blood to run cold.

“Boss was captured.”

He was on his feet immediately, the invention he was tinkering with swiftly forgotten. Activating his Coda, Rui practically sprinted through the door. No time for transformation sequences, he thought, before turning his attention back to Ichika on the line.

“What happened?” She’d had enough insight to send her coordinates before calling, meaning he wouldn’t have to waste time figuring out where she was. “Who’s over there right now?”

“We were facing the Zoo Rangers when FOW joined in and caught us off guard. Rin and I were able to slip away but Boss got caught,” she said hurriedly. Rui frowned for a moment; an ambush of this scale was unusual. “There’s no sign of White Crow, though. Or HopeHopeHeart.”

“Where are CBNEL and Devoted Evil?”

“Nearby, in hiding. We’re all waiting for a plan.”

So the odds weren’t hopeless. Rui quickened his pace, mentally composing a course of action.

“Tell CBNEL to create a distraction that will lead away FOW,” he told Ichika. “And send Devoted Evil out to find HopeHopeHeart and keep them away from the Zoo Rangers.”

There was a bit of shuffling on the other end, and Rui could hear Ichika tell Rin to relay his instructions to the other groups. “What about White Crow?” He paused. It was rare for White Crow to not be there, but they’ve always been able to handle her in the past.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Do they seem to be doing anything?” 

“Nothing but ask her questions,” Rin said suddenly, taking over the phone. “They’re trying to get her to reveal information about the villain league.”

“Alright. I’m almost there, we can talk more once I arrive.” Rin and Ichika both let out a noise of acknowledgement before ending the call.

Rui couldn’t help the dread that sunk in as he approached the location Ichika sent him. As a whole, the Fussy Eaters were more than capable of handling the Zoo Rangers. It was practically routine, even. Letting Kanade handle things on her own was different. Reliable as she may be, Instant Boss could get reckless if she was dealing with a situation alone.

That’s our Boss, I suppose. Rui chuckled to himself humorlessly. Despite being evil she’d never do anything careless that could put a fellow villain in harm’s way.

He could only hope she wouldn’t do anything that would put herself in harm’s way before they could reach her.

🎵🎵🎵

Admittedly this wasn’t Kanade’s proudest moment. Restrained and unable to use her powers, Kanade could do nothing but warily eye the heroes surrounding her. They’d been trying to get her to reveal information to them for the better half of an hour, but seemed to finally realize they weren’t getting anywhere. Instead they took to standing around, trying to figure out what to do with her.

“Hey, are we sure this is Instant Boss?” Orange Eagle turned to the rest of the Zoo Rangers. “Looking at her now she seems kind of…I don’t know, pathetic?”

“Urk…” Kanade winced at the words like they had physically slapped her. 

 “Of course, Orange Eagle!” Pegasus Man Red let out a laugh that managed to shake Kanade to her bones. Just how loud could one person be? “She was with Bread Eater and Picky, so she must be Instant Boss! Though, it's unfortunate that the other two managed to escape…”

I guess that’s one good thing about this, Kanade thought to herself. At least I know that they got away. Speaking of absent team members…

“Where’s White Crow?” Her question made the heroes turn to her in suspicion, but her curiosity was genuine. It was odd for Mafu- no. For White Crow to be a no show.

“She’s on her way!” Salmon Pink was quick to speak up for her absent teammate. She stared at Kanade with wide eyes filled with determination. Maybe it would be a good idea to recruit someone with this much enthusiasm…

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Orange Eagle moved to stand between Kanade and Salmon Pink, as if protecting his fellow hero. He quickly led her away, but Kanade could still hear him whisper to Salmon Pink, “Ignore her. We just need to wait for the rest of ‘em to show up. Doesn’t mean we need to strike a conversation.”

Having lost the attention of two Zoo Rangers, she turned towards the members of FOW. Internally, she wished she had paid more attention to their files. Cafe Master and Teardrop…I don’t remember if they have any food dislikes. What did Rui tell me about Cute Ribbon? Something about hot food? No, that’s too broad. Vivid Rum…tomatoes I think?

“Say, Vivid Rum,” Kanade started, drawing the hero’s attention. “Are there any foods you absolutely can’t stand?”

“Hm? Well I guess there’s-“ Vivid Rum cut herself off suddenly. “Hey, wait, if you’re trying to recruit me it won’t work!”

“But what if I told you we could get rid of all the food you don’t like?” She implored. “Including dishes that incorporate tomatoes? If you help me, then we could make sure you never have to worry about them ever again.”

“How did you- wait, a world without tomatoes…?” Vivid Rum paused, sounding almost mystified by the idea. “Maybe…no. I won’t join your side!”

“Why not?” She was so close…Kanade didn’t understand. “Why wouldn’t you want to live in a world where you’re free to eat whatever you want?”

“Well I sorta already live in that world,” Vivid Rum explained. “Tomatoes aren’t difficult to avoid if you ask for them to be removed. Besides, I have a duty to protect!”

How noble, Kanade thought. But that nobility is getting in my way right now!

Sensing the end of the interaction, Vivid Rum turned to talk with one of the other heroes. Sighing, Kanade tugged experimentally against the binds around her wrists. She knew they were magic but couldn’t determine much else. Maybe they were connected to the Coda? Rui would probably know more. 

Aside from being able to block out her powers, the restraints didn’t feel any different from a normal rope. A well-timed strike and they’d probably come right off. 

That may be exactly what I need, she considered. They’d left her legs unrestrained, probably because they assumed she wouldn’t try anything while surrounded by heroes. If she could get them to throw an attack her way…

Kanade bolted suddenly, aiming for a space between the heroes that was large enough for her to weave through.

“Wah!” Salmon Pink let out a cry of shock. “Hey! Come back!” As soon as the words left the hero’s mouth, an abrupt boom echoed through the street. Four more immediately followed.

She risked a look back as she ran, seeing five towers of smoke rising in the distance. CBNEL’s calling card.

“Now of all times…?” Kanade heard Vivid Rum mutter. “We’ll deal with it! Get Instant Boss!”

The members of FOW took off as the Zoo Rangers gave chase. A guttural shout was Kanade’s only warning as a blast of heat shot past her, grazing her arm but just missing her restraints. Orange Eagle.

“Careful!” Pegasus Man Red scolded his teammate. “That fire is dangerous! If you don’t watch out you could seriously damage something!”

“Is now seriously the time to be yelling at me about this?” Orange Eagle shot back. “Instant Boss is gonna get away!”

“Not if I can help it!” Salmon Pink declared. Vines and roots shot out of the ground, reaching for Kanade. 

She tripped as one of them grabbed her foot, hitting the ground with a harsh thud as her face collided with the pavement. A metallic taste filled her mouth. She must have bitten her tongue when she hit the ground. Wearily, Kanade lifted her head. The Coda is meant to boost my stamina and endurance…but I guess there wasn’t much to boost in the first place...this is definitely going to bruise…

She turned to face the heroes as they approached before stopping as her gaze landed on a small bramble bush.

Salmon Pink must have summoned it, she concluded. If I can reach it then maybe…

“Wowww!!” Pico-Pico Rainbow let out an ecstatic cry of awe. With the Zoo Rangers’ attention turned towards the blue-haired hero, Kanade reached her wrists out towards the thorns. “That was so cool, Salmon Pink! The way you made the planties burst out like that! Can you show me how to do that?”

”Oi, you know that controlling plants is part of her Coda only don’t you?” Orange Eagle scoffed. “Besides, we don’t have time for- hey, what do you think you’re doing?!”

Kanade let out a yelp as she was roughly grabbed by the collar of her outfit. Orange Eagle picked her up with ease, keeping her away from the bramble.

“Agh! I’m so so so so sorry!” Salmon Pink let out a hurried stream of nervous apologies, quickly doing away with the bramble bush. “I should’ve put that one away! I didn’t realize she was going to try to cut her restraints! Forgive me!!”

“Yeah, yeah, calm down,” the orange-clad hero grumbled. “It’s fine. No harm no foul, right?”

“That’s right!” Pegasus Man Red loudly chimed in. “Besides, it was your swift action that managed to stop her! Your work should be rewarded!”

“R-really? You mean it?” He nodded. The salmon themed hero turned to look at Orange Eagle, her expression asking for his approval.

“I said it’s fine, didn’t I?” Orange Eagle sighed. He turned his head to look at Kanade as the others started a new line of conversation entirely. Something about stars? It was probably better to tune them out.

“…could you let me down now?” Kanade couldn’t help but feel embarrassed at being handled like this. She was a respectable villain, not a cat to be domesticated!

“You think I’m falling for that again?” came Orange Eagle’s reply. “You obviously can’t be trusted not to run off. Better to just keep you like this until the rest of your group mates show up.”

“Oya? It seems we’ve arrived just in time then.”

That voice…! Kanade raised her head and immediately spotted Rui descending from the skies, standing atop a drone. Ichika and Rin were nowhere to be seen. They must be hiding somewhere close.

“About time, Death Veggie!” Pegasus Man Red let out a hearty laugh. “Have you finally come to surrender your ways as a villain? We have your boss after all!”

”Keeping a hostage?” A grin spread over Rui’s face. “Fufu~ Sounds like villain work to me.”

“H-Hey!” Salmon Pink protested, shaking her arms around wildly. “We’re not the bad guys! You’re the ones always causing chaos around the city!”

“Oh?” The drone lowered closer to the ground, and Rui jumped down when it reached a safe height. “And here I thought two wrongs don’t make a right. Honestly, what sort of example are you hoping to set for the children you perform for?”

“That’s not what we’re getting at and you know it,” Orange Eagle growled out. “Where are the rest of you? There’s two more of you Fussy Eaters, aren’t there?”

“They’re scheduled to arrive soon.” Rui let out a mischievous chuckle. “I’m sure they’ll be here in a flash.”

As if on cue, a burst of light appeared from behind Rui, hitting all of the heroes and Kanade. Orange Eagle let out a cry of shock and let go of Kanade, momentarily blinded. Dazed from the light herself, Kanade could do nothing to stop her fall.

Suddenly, two pairs of arms wrapped themselves around her, grabbing her and leading her away from the heroes. As the stars in her eyes faded, she could make out black and yellow hair.

“Ichi- er, Bread Eater?” Kanade’s vision began to clear more, letting her fully see Ichika and Rin’s concerned faces. “Picky?”

“Boss!” The two of them cried out simultaneously, faces morphing into expressions of relief. Ichika quickly took notice of the burn on her arm as Rin got to work on her restraints. “You’re hurt!”

“It’s not urgent,” she tried to reassure. She looked around them. It looked like the two of them had sought out safety in a hidden alley. “Where’s Death Veggie?”

“He brought his army of robots,” Rin said, finally doing away with the binds around Kanade’s wrists. She rubbed them, the restraints having made them sore. “He’ll be fine.”

“He’s alone with the Zoo Rangers?!” Kanade stood up urgently, stumbling slightly. “We need to go help him!”

Ichika caught her arm before she could run off. “Boss, wait. Are you sure you can handle going back? Rin just said Death Veggie has his robots, he’ll be able to handle the Zoo Rangers just fine.”

“What kind of boss would I be if I let one of my own face the heroes by themself?” Ichika and Rin exchanged worried glances before looking back at Kanade.

“Alright,” Ichika relented. “We’ll all go.”

Kanade nodded, satisfied. She let Ichika and Rin lead the way; she wasn’t actually sure where they had brought her. As they reentered the street, it was clear that Rin and Ichika had been right. Rui stood on one side, smirking smugly as the heroes chipped away at his robots on the other end.

Reaching for the shadows with her Coda, Kanade willed them to wrap around and restrain the Zoo Rangers. Startled, they flinched away from the darkness, but couldn’t stop it from restraining them.

“Boss?” Rui looked at Kanade with worried eyes, but his voice betrayed his relief. He gave her a tense smile. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be content with leaving me here. Forgive me for not having more faith in you.”

“It’s fine-“ Kanade began, before an arrow embedded itself into the ground just next to her foot. She stared at it in shock before recognizing the design. “White Crow…”

The hero in question emerged from behind her fellow Zoo Rangers, who took advantage of Kanade’s surprise and freed themselves from her shadows. “You’re late.” Orange Eagle bristled, annoyed. “What took you so long?”

“Sorry,” White Crow responded, not sounding particularly apologetic. “I had some trouble slipping away.”

A wave of understanding washed over the Zoo Rangers, and Orange Eagle’s demeanor softened slightly at her answer. Unbeknownst to the heroes, the Fussy Eaters also caught onto the implications of White Crow’s response. They were perhaps the only villains to know of the hero’s true identity, and they went to great measures to make sure no one knew they had this knowledge.

Whether White Crow herself was aware of the fact that they knew her identity was uncertain, but as far as they knew she had never brought up the topic with the other Zoo Rangers. 

“Boss.” Rin tugged at Kanade’s sleeve. “What’s your Coda level at?”

Kanade grimaced internally. Between keeping up the identity protection glamour, containing the damage of the burn, and her shadow manipulation just moments ago, her Coda levels were running thin. If I told her that then she’d insist I sit this one out. It’s better if she doesn’t know.

She gave Rin what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” Rin frowned, unconvinced, but let the matter drop.

“Let’s deal with this as quickly as possible.” White Crow shot off another arrow towards Ichika, who managed to swiftly move out of the way.

“Little late for that, don’t you think?” Despite his irritated words, Orange Eagle readied himself into a fighting stance.

Kanade locked eyes with Rui and gave him a nod. At his command, the small army of robots advanced. Immediately, White Crow and Orange Eagle took to the skies while the other Zoo Rangers fended off the robots from the ground.

Ichika willed the sunlight to lessen, allowing Kanade to bend the newly made darkness to her whim. She directed a shadow beam towards Orange Eagle, who deflected it with a burst of firelight. White Crow let out a barrage of arrows, forcing the Fussy Eaters to back away in order to avoid them.

One arrow whizzed past her head, catching her off guard and making her lose her balance. Seizing the advantage, White Crow prepared another arrow and fired it her way. It grazed her shoulder and Kanade winced at the sudden sting. Before she could fall, Rin caught her, helping her stand properly.

Kanade’s eyes widened as she noticed a cut across Rin’s cheek. “You’re bleeding!”

“So are you,” Rin pointed out. “If you’ll be fine then so will I.”

Unable to argue, Kanade turned her attention back to the fight right as Ichika shot a beam of light towards White Crow and Orange Eagle. It clipped one of Orange Eagle’s wings, and he faltered in the air for a moment before landing with a grimace. White Crow masterfully dodged the attack and fired off one of her own.

Rui threw a device towards the arrow, and it formed a shield around Ichika as soon as the objects collided. Ichika shot him a grateful look before the two rejoined the fray. While all of the other Zoo Rangers battled on the ground, White Crow remained hovering above them, eyes narrowed and locked onto Kanade and Rin.

“Picky, you need to step back,” she warned. “Your illusions won’t be able to protect you here.”

Before Rin could respond, the sound of an arrow flying towards them caught their attention. The two turned to find the projectile responsible for the noise headed their way, aiming straight for Rin. Without another thought, Kanade released a burst of shadow that simultaneously destroyed the arrow and burned through the rest of her Coda.

The glamour dropped, revealing her identity to anyone looking. White Crow, being anyone, did nothing but stare at Kanade with wide eyes.

White Crow’s not just anyone though, she thought as panic began to settle in. She’s Mafuyu. And now she knows.

Rin wasted no time in setting up an illusion of Kanade’s outfit. It wouldn’t fool the Zoo Rangers forever, but it was a substitute glamour that would last long enough for them to escape.

Not that it matters. Not now that Mafuyu knows.

Kanade felt distant, like her soul had been separated from her body. The world around her turned fuzzy. She could hear Rin’s voice call for a retreat, but it sounded far away. There were hurried movements all around her, leading her away.

When the movements finally stopped, the voices began, too blurred for her to fully make out what they were saying. Something about a smoke screen  and the Zoo Rangers and Mafuyu-

“She knows…” Kanade muttered, almost deliriously. The voices around her went silent. “Mafuyu knows and she’s going to hate me-“

“-oss.”

“-I told her she could trust me but now she’s never going to trust me again-“

“Boss!”

“-but I can’t just leave her with her mom! This is all my fault, if I hadn’t gotten captured, if I’d managed to get away on my own, if I’d done something right for once-“

“Kanade.”

Startled by the sudden use of her real name, Kanade paused her mad rambling. Lifting her head, (when did she start looking down? What sort of leader becomes so out of it they lose track of their whole body?) she looked up to see Rui, Ichika, and Rin watching her.

Ichika and Rui smiled softly at her, but she could see the worry in their eyes. Rin, meanwhile, wore her concern clearly. Her knuckles were white from how tightly they were grasping the fabric of her skirt.

“I’m sorry.” Kanade blurted out. Her hands shook as she clenched them into fists. “We had to retreat because of me. You should’ve left me there instead of coming to rescue me.”

“Enough of that,” Rui softly chided. “We would never leave you behind. You’re our Boss. And above that, you’re our friend.”

Ichika nodded in agreement. “Us Fussy Eaters have to stay together.”

“Kanade.” Rin stepped forward. Slowly, as if waiting to see if Kanade would back away, she let herself lean into the white-haired girl, pulling her into a hug. The physical contact said everything the normally touch-averse girl couldn’t.

Shakily, Kanade lifted her trembling arms up and wrapped them around Rin. Her vision blurred for the second time that day, this time with unshed tears. “What are we going to do…?” Kanade whispered. “She knows.”

“We’ll figure that out when we get there,” Rui said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “For now, I say we all get some rest. Today turned out to be much more stressful than any of us anticipated.”

As if to disagree with Rui’s suggestion, Kanade’s communication device rang. Rin detached herself with a frown. She pulled out the device, but hesitated as she hovered her finger over the call button.

Rui extended a hand. “Would you like me to take care of it?”

“Yes.” Kanade nodded. ”Could you…put it on speaker please?”

Rui made a hum of affirmation as he picked up the call.

“Boss?” [E]’s voice came out from the other end of the line.

“It’s me,” Rui responded. “Boss can’t come to the phone right now. There’s been a bit of a…complication. We’ll explain more later. Did something happen on your end?”

“[C] got hurt.” [E]’s voice was shaky. “She’ll be alright, I think, but I don’t know if she should go back to her house tonight. She seems like she’d rather not be there.”

“Bring her over to Safe House Gamma,” Rui instructed. Kanade startled as she finally realized where they had brought her. “We can assess her injuries and share information here. I’ll tell Devoted Evil to head this way too.”

“Alright,” Ena agreed. “We’ll be there soon.”

The call ended and Rui stepped away to update Devoted Evil of the situation. A wave of exhaustion hit Kanade all at once, and she could feel her eyelids grow heavier. This didn’t go unnoticed by Ichika or Rin, and the two led her over to one of the safe house’s couches.

“Get some rest,” Ichika told her. “We’ll wake you when everyone gets here.”

Despite how tired she was, Kanade felt obligated to wait for the others to arrive. She tried to protest but was quickly stopped by Rin, who looked up at her with worried eyes. “Please? For us?”

Hesitantly, she laid down on the couch. She closed her eyes as Ichika hummed a gentle melody and Rin carefully placed a blanket over her. Distantly, she heard Rui’s footsteps, and he let out a soft chuckle as he approached. Finally drifting to sleep, Kanade couldn’t help but smile.

Their company…it makes me feel warm.

[kingarmorking]

How did you feel about endo's obsession writing? I felt Sakura was thrown under the bus and got tortured for nothing 🙁... completely creepy and uncomfortable

hm hm hm... (slight disclaimer i... really don't care about endo and chiika IM SORRY IM SORRY THEYRE JUST REALLY FAR DOWN THE LADDER FOR ME OF CHARACTERS I ENJOY (i think i just have to reread the noroshi arc tbh). theyre just kinda there for me. i dont dislike them im just neutral on them)

now with that outta the way, i definitely get where youre coming from with this, it was definitely... Out There but i dont think it was for nothing, if anything it seems like a natural progression of threats in the story. Sakura had never fought the "BBEG" of any of the arcs up until this point

Umemiya fought Choji which was self-contained to Shishitoren and Bofurin Kaji fought Shingo, though self-contained KEEL could've very well spiraled out of control if they didn't get their asses kicked Tsubaki fought Suzuri, completely outside of Bofurin territory

having Sakura, the outsider with nothing but the clothes on his back, be the one to step up to the plate to defend the town, his new home and his new family, from Noroshi i think is thematically appropriate

Endo through his manipulation and gaslighting of Sakura, trying to get him to leave Furin by telling him that they'd leave immediately just cemented Sakura staying in Furin

Makochi made Sakura feel so safe, so loved, so cherished that he wants to do whatever he can to return the favor and protect it and Bofurin is there again and again to tell him that he doesn't have to do everything alone, that theyre gonna be there to catch him when he falls and he doesnt have to worry about them blaming him for anything!

it finally got through to him this time too

the clarity in his eyes, hes made peace with the doubts thatve plagued him for fuckin Months at this point, he knows hes got a place here in Makochi, in Furin, in Bofurin.

as for Endo's obsession... uh more under the cut

pushing aside all the religious imagery cause i aint gonna touch anything like that with a 39 and a half foot pole i am not the person for that stuff

honestly i think of him as Sugishita cranked to 11 and then breaking the dial by pushing it so damn far

Endo and Sugi are both devoted to one particular person (Chiika and Ume respectively) and they're both well aware of this fact and are willing to go to Extreme Lengths for their person, which reflects the person theyre devoted to imo

Chiika doesn't care for anything but his interests so therefore Endo is equally unhinged in that way, he literally says he did all this just because Chiika smiled one time while he was spitballing ideas and Chiika doesn't do anything to stop him cause again he just doesn't give a damn

meanwhile Umemiya cares about everything and everyone so Sugishita does things he has no idea about because he loves Ume so much (his love and respect blur i feel), he's thankful for him for making him feel comfortable like how he feels with his grandparents and Ume also takes care that Sugi can grow and be his own person outside of his devotion to himself

Ume and Chiika were Sugi and Endo's whole worlds until Sakura showed up, this wild card that came outta nowhere that just... really captivated them

and with their personalities (though Sugi again through Ume's care isn't as extreme as Endo) im not surprised that they both cant just look away from him, esp when his presence just really makes you Look At Him whether he wants you to or not

[kibblz-n-bitz]

Keep Watching.

Short drabble i wrote for @kingofthe-egirls and @bokutosbiceps

Summary: You and Ace play a "game" while watching a show.

Warnings: Fingering, Ace is a Tease, he's also a lil mean🤭

"Keep your eyes on the screen, babe." Ace's voice rumbles against your back, where his warm chest is pressed against you.

You squirm in his warm embrace as his hands trail all over your body. He chuckles, breath fanning against your ear as you arch into his hands. You want to turn your head into his neck so badly, but you knew you had to obey him, or there'd be dire consequences. You two had just started an hour long episode of some stupid show. If you could sit through the entire thing without cumming or looking away from the screen, Ace would reward you. Sounds easy, right?

Wrong.

Not even past the intro, and already Ace is kissing at your neck and shoulder while one of his hands plays with your nipple. You knew he was hellbent on getting you to lose. He loved teasing you. It turned him on to see you whine and squirm as you fought your orgasm, only to writhe in pleasure as it finally took over you. But you really wanted to win this time. You weren't going to give in so easily, you told yourself.

So here you were, leaned against him in your bed, facing the TV. Ace continued fondling your breasts, but decided to up the ante. He kissed you below the ear. You gasped and tipped your head back against his shoulder, still watching the television. You felt wetness pool between your legs.

"A-Ace..." You whine, frustrated at his lack of mercy.

"Hmm? Something wrong?" The boy hummed against you, his other hand now traveling further downward. He paused to draw slow circles against your navel. That fucking tease. Ace sucks a bruise into your shoulder before speaking again. "Want me to stop?"

"No..."

"Then keep watching."

With that, he dips his hand lower. His other hand gropes at each breast accordingly, alternating between tugging at your nipple and rolling it between his fingers. A chuckle vibrates through his chest as he brushes against your wet pussy through your panties.

"Already?" He applies pressure to your clit and you gasp, your hands fisting the bedsheets. "We aren't even 10 minutes in, babe."

"Shut up," You huff, legs kicking out a bit under Ace's ministrations. "You aren't... -mnhh-... playing fair."

"Oh, really?" Ace hums against your ear. He nips at it. "I think I'm being pretty fair."

His fingers tug harshly at your nipple as his other hand down on your clit through the fabric. You let out a moan, head thrown back onto Ace's shoulder. He laughs at you again. "This 'isn't fair.'"

"Oh! P-please, Ace, you c-haa... You can't!" You plead as you squirm in his arms.

"Then keep those eyes forward, baby." He nudges your head from where it's on his shoulder. "You don't want me stopping, do you?"

Cruel bastard.

Ace lets you watch a little further on into the episode before going further. Your eye twitches when you feel his hand that rubbing against you through fabric now push past the waistband of your panties. His fingers trail through your soaked lips and you whimper, clamping your legs shut around his hand.

"Ah ah ah," Ace chides you as his other hand reaches down to spread your legs again. He cooes at you, "Can't have that now, Darlin'"

His voice darkens as one hand prys you open, while the other dips into your folds. "You're supposed to take what I fucking give you."

Your pussy flutters, your breath quickens and you whine at his dominating words. Fuck, how many minutes were left? You blinked at the TV, mind cloudy. 28 minutes in, 32 to go. Your fists balled against the sheets, you clench your jaw momentarily. You could do this.

Ace had other plans. He knew you wanted to win, more than anything. He wasn't going to let you, but it was adorable to see you try. He had an idea.

His fingers stroked your pussy, never dipping in, occasionally circling your clit on the upstroke. When you'd try to push your hips into his fingers, trying to get him inside, he'd pull his hand away.

"Stay still." Ace rumbles into your ear. It's a warning, one you must obey. small whimpers and gasps escape you as your boyfriend continues teasing your pussy.

When he finally does dip into your pussy, you breathe a sigh of relief. His teasing was starting to drive you insane. You weren't sure if you would've lasted much longer if he'd kept it up. So the feeling of him sliding his middle finger into your pussy is much appreciated. He curls his finger and you moan, legs twitching. He his finger in and out of you for a while, teasing, he knows you want more. You check the time.

35 minutes. 25 to go.

Ace chuckles at your resolve, your determination to see this through. He adds another finger, this time moving at a bit of a quicker pace. You bite your lip. Shit. Ace laughs again, this time at the way you twitch when he curls his fingers just right. You whimper and grip at his forearm.

"A-Ace-"

His fingers speed up, and you're moaning and writhing in his arms, not sure whether to curl away from the pleasure or bask in it. His fingers reach deep. Wet sounds can be heard from where he's fingerfucking you, and you flush to your ears in embarrassment.

"Hear how wet ya are, gal?" Ace's fingers keep up their rough assault against your g spot. Your thighs tremble as you try to stave off your impending orgasm. "Such a good girl. You gonna be good f'me?"

Your hips buck as his fingers curl repeatdly against your bundle of nerves, nails digging into Ace's arm from where you hold him. Biting your lip, you nod. You want to be good. You want to make it through the episode. Your eye peeks open (you hadn't realized they shut) to check the time once more.

20 minutes left.

"Please, Ace..." You whine. Your other hand comes up to bury itself in the boy's hair from where he's got his chin hooked over your shoulder. Gently scratching his scalp, you try all the stops to try and get him to show some mercy.

"Please what, Y/N?"

"P-please... slow d-ah! Down..."

"Poor baby, what's wrong?" Ace cooes, lack of sympathy evident in his tone. "Ya gonna cum?"

"Ffgh- No... I j-just-"

"Then take it."

His other hand, that was holding your leg open, now reaches down to circle your clit. Electric pleasure shoots through your body. You're warm from the inside out, God you're not gonna make it.

"Ace!" You cry, hand fisted into his hair. Your hips twitch as your orgasm approaches. Trying to stop it now was futile. The boy laughs as you writhe in his arms.

"Shhh, I know baby, I know." He kisses your cheek. "Just let go, baby. Let go."

You feel the pleasure wash over you. The pounding of blood in your ears washes away any other noise, the TV or the challenge you were given far away from your mind. You roll your hips against Ace's hand, riding out your orgasm. Basking in all it's glory before the punishment you knew would come.

When you finally come down, Ace is lazily trailing his fingers through your pussy. You turn your head to face him and he looks back at you, shit-eating grin etched onto his face.

"You lost, Y/N."

[littleoddwriter]

Can I request Billy Lenz (1974) x reader fic (established relationship) where, since reader is probably a sorority girl, she asks Billy if he wants to move into her house with her (there’s an attic ofc) since she’ll be forced to move out beacuse she’s in her last year?

Not Without You | Billy Lenz x Female!Reader

Hey there! Thanks for the request, I hope you like what I've done with it! And thank you for waiting patiently for it. I may be slow in fulfilling the requests, but at least they're coming eventually... <3 notes; Female!Reader (can be read as Gender Neutral tho, it's mostly because of the setting being a sorority dorm house, but there are no words or indicators that wouldn't allow for anyone else to read this without problems!); Short Fic; Established Relationship; Kissing with Tongue; Brief Mentions of Murders.

“You know I’m about to graduate, right?” you asked Billy, while you were sitting cross-legged on the attic floor, facing your boyfriend. He was huddled in the corner and the moonlight shone through the window, illuminating him enough for you to make out his shape and half of his face. You could see that your words upset him.

He nodded jerkily, making a soft sound of distress.

“Yeah, so… I was wondering if you’d wanna move into my house with me, then?” you continued, “It also has an attic if you’re more comfortable that way. I don’t expect you to sleep in the same bed with me or anything like that if you don’t want to. But… I’d love to at least continue living in the same building with you…” 

There was a certain sense of caution to your inquiry. Not because you were afraid of him. Never. You knew he wouldn’t hurt you on purpose. But you were worried that maybe you had read too much into your relationship and his current distress. Maybe he was only with you because you lived in the sorority dorm house, after all; and perhaps he was only upset about you leaving because you steadily provided him with basic needs and more, forcing him to find somebody else. It scared you that by bringing up that you were moving out in a few months, the reality of your relationship’s nature would come crashing down on you. 

Billy suddenly leaned forward and grabbed your hand tightly. That action startled you for a moment, but you instantly relaxed when you looked at his hand grasping onto yours like it was his lifeline. And when your eyes travelled up to his face, you smiled softly. Your anxious thoughts disappeared as soon as you saw how grateful and in awe he looked.

“Is that a yes?” you asked him quietly with a teasing edge to your voice.

He nodded almost frantically in answer. “Yes,” he said shakily, “I wouldn’t have let you leave. Not without me. Not without Billy. Never without Billy!” 

Now it was time for you to startle Billy as you leaned in and pulled him into a tight, loving embrace. He froze for a split second before melting into your arms and returning the hug with force, almost crushing your ribs between his arms. You couldn’t really breathe anymore, but he loosened his grip soon enough for you to not even be forced into saying something. 

As his arms loosened around you, you leaned back a little to look at his face. For a moment, you simply looked at him, admiring his features in the soft moonlight along with the contrast of the harsh shadows due to the otherwise dark attic. To you, he was almost an ethereal being. 

With a soft smile, you leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Billy’s lips. 

He reciprocated it with a fiery passion that you only knew him to be capable of, and you loved it more than you could put into words. His tongue slipped out and licked your lips as you two kissed, making it a lot messier than it needed to be; but you were used to it by now, and you were never one to complain about being wanted so fiercely.

Eventually, you leaned back, parting from him enough to speak. 

“I’m looking forward to living with you and not having to sneak around just so you won’t be caught,” you whispered against his spit-slick lips with a quiet little giggle in your voice before kissing him again, eliciting a soft grunt from Billy, who grinned in response.

[lologoinsolo]

I read the most amazing and delicious fic about Orc Price that’s also omegaverse and went into a stupor. (PLEASE PLEASE GO TO THAT BLOG AND REBLOG THAT POST!!!! ITS LITERALLY THE BEST AND EARLY IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!) Oh my godddddddddd I had to make something and got inspired!! I started thinking about Alpha Price becoming so infatuated with a Beta because the Beta smells so, so good to him.

MDNI 18+ONLY. Abrupt ending and little to no editing under the cut

Alpha Price and his Beta that absolutely drives him wild. Like he’s an alpha, he can smell you insanely well and you call to him way more than an omega ever did but dear god you don’t even notice. At first he thought you were an omega that never used a scent block till he got your records illegally and he felt like pulling his beard out when he read over it. It makes sense now with how you act around him and his boys. You never seem to mind the postering or rough housing of the alpha’s on the team.

It would be easier if you were an Omega but he likes a challenge and he’s no stranger to getting exactly what he wants. It just means that he’ll need to time the heat and rut cycles but…Beta’s don’t go through major heat cycles like the way Alphas or Omegas do. You still get them but they’re not as hard nor as easily able to smell out that pre-heat scent. So, what does Price do?

Smells you damn near any chance he gets. He’s subtle about it at least. He’s a grown man, not a pup in the slightest, he’ll sniff around your usual spots to figure out your cycles. Sniffs quietly when you come into the gym or out of the showers, sniffs around medbay when you’re sick or hurt. Tries to find when you’re gonna get your heat so he can swoop in and mate you proper. He’s a patient man, has the patience of a mountain but dear god he’s blue balling every time he smells you. He has half a mind to induce a heat till he smells that soft, sickly sweet smell that makes his alpha go wild one day.

It was faint but he caught wind of it in the breakroom when he was making himself a cuppa in the middle of the night. He knew it was you, smelled you countless times and he broke his mug with how hard he clenched it. His hand’s a bit bloody but he runs down the hall to see you just barely making it inside your room to nest for the week.

He barges in like he owns the place and you’re quick to get to your feet. You nearly screamed till you noticed it was your Captain.“C-Cap?” You pant a bit, heat sweat sticking to you and his eyes are blown so wide it’s like his eye color was never blue. “I— uh? Sir?” Confusion is evident but he smells incredibly good to you right now. It makes heat pool to your belly, your Beta on edge but purring up a storm.

He doesn’t say anything just comes right up and grabs you. You should run, should scream, should yell at him but his scent is leaving your Beta in a mess. He’s been everywhere no matter where you are, that whiskey, cigar, cinnamon smell has been intoxicating even though it’s been so faintly everywhere you hang around. It caused your heat to come quicker than you expected and now you know why.

“Tried to hide your heat?” He growls against your neck. His nose pushing against your swelling unmarked glands. “Tried to hide from your Alpha?” He inhales you deeply, his nostrils expanding and filling his lungs up with you. You’ve never smelt better than right now.

“You’re not,” you choke out when he sucks a gland into his hot mouth. You nearly crumble if it wasn’t for him gripping you so tight when you feel the sharper points of his teeth graze your sensitive gland. You’d melt into a puddle and slip through his fingers if he wasn’t so iron tight on your arms. “You’re not m-my alpha.” You manage that but it brings something fierce to his blown out eyes. Challenging an Alpha is never good.

“Yet.” He nudges his thigh between your legs and grinning something dark when your heat muddled mind makes you grind against him. “Seems I’ve caught my Beta just in time.” You whimper at that, warnings blaring in your head but you’re getting too far gone. “What kinda Alpha would I be if I left you alone?” Groaning against your neck, he’ll have you marked before sunup. He’s sure of it. “Want me to make you feel good, sweetheart?” He flexes the muscles in his thighs causing you to hiccup a breath.

“Alpha,” whining and being helpless to your instincts as you grind harder over his thick thigh. Your Beta giving in despite the red flags raising up in the back of your mind. “Please, please, I-I need—“ he shushes you with a searing kiss. He’ll give you what you need. He waited this long for you and he doesn’t have the heart to punish you for that. Right now though, he needs to knot you before it bursts in his pants.

“Get on the bed, love.” He pulls back and its a feat in itself. “Present for your alpha.”

[hannahssimblr]

It’s just us and the man picking up rubbish here, on the grass by the small stage where I met Weed Alison. I don’t tell Evie I’ve been here before, because telling her the story requires so much explanation, and will lead me back down a winding path that ends with me bickering with Jen before the Foo Fighters gig. I wish I could erase almost every moment between the last time I sat here and this one. It’s been a day and a half fraught with poor decisions and even worse behaviour. 

I still hear the rave tent thudding, but it is so distant now, mostly replaced by the wind shaking the leaves above us. 

“I like it when it’s quiet like this,” Evie whispers. “I feel like I’ve forgotten what quiet is.”

“Right. It can be hard going, a festival. It takes a lot out of you. I hope that you’re having a good time, like, I hope it isn’t overwhelming, despite that… thing at the rave.”

“I’m having a good time,” she says, adding hastily, “today was honestly a little weird, but the festival has had its moments.”

“Yeah, today was a bit weird for me too,” I hesitate, as my excuses catch in my throat. “I’ve… had a lot on my mind, I think.”

“Do you get like that a lot?”

I huff out a laugh. “What? Like, have stuff on my mind? Don’t you?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then same.”

Her eyes do a quick tour of me. “Jen said you’re a scorpio, and that’s why you’re moody.”

“Oh yeah? What else does she say whenever you two are apparently gossiping about me?”

“Rich of you to assume we talk about you at all.”

“Do you?” 

She shifts self-consciously, but her eyes remain playful. “Well, do you talk to her about me?”

“Yes.” Obviously. 

“Oh. What do you talk about?”

I smirk. “None of your business.”

“Well then,” she says, “I’m not telling you either.”

“Bet I already know.”

“You think?”

“I bet she tells you I’m secretly a boring, moody dickhead under all the facade or something, doesn’t she?”

“She didn’t say ‘boring’. You’re not boring.”

“But she did say ‘moody’.”

“‘Sour’, I think, is the word she used. Which, like, I never thought of you like that. You always seem happy to me. Well, mostly.”

“Maybe because when I’m having a particularly sour day, I just stay in my room.”

“Hm. And you couldn’t stay in your room today.”

My stomach sinks. “No. I couldn’t. Sorry, I didn’t think it was, like… that obvious.”

“I thought it was.”

Again, the words I want to say seem to get trapped. Why is so hard to express myself? Why is it I have such limited understanding of my own feelings? I want to express regret, to tell her I’m sorry if I hurt her by avoiding her, but I feel like I keep opening my mouth and uttering nothing.

“Sometimes thing pile up,” I manage. “I overthink. And… and maybe I’ve been overthinking too much this summer.”

Oh, great, yeah. Good job. That’s perfect.

“Are you overthinking what happened last night?”

“Yeah, maybe.” There I go again, picking at the grass. The bits that I pull from the soil are so dry that they’re like straw, and I take my time examining them while Evie sits and waits for me to say something with any kind of substance at all. She probably wants to hear all about how I don’t regret kissing her, and if I had any sense, I would say just that, but I can’t lie to her face. It’s not who I am, so I just pick at the ground. 

“Hey,” she says. “I know I’m a bit younger than you, and I’m sorry if that freaks you out, but we’re really not that different when you think about it. Like, yeah, for sure, I have a good bit less experience than you, but-”

“It’s not that,” I say. “That’s not what I’m overthinking about. It isn’t you, or your age, or your experience.”

“What is it then?”

Christ, what is wrong with me? I can’t even look at her. With the shrug of one shoulder, I say, “I don’t think it’s a good thing for you to like me like that. I don’t really want you to.”

“It’s hard not to,” she says.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“How could I not, Jude? It’s you.”

I frown. “Mm.”

“Can you just look at me for a second?”

So I do, and her face is determined, her eyes steady, before they drop to my cheeks, my nose, my mouth where they linger. 

Oh, she’s going to kiss me.

I know it seconds before she plucks up the courage, which gives me ample time to stop it, but I don’t. I don't want to. She leans in, and I let her.

She goes in carefully, with her hand on my neck, and her head tilts to the side before she dots one little kiss on my lips. Two. As though experimenting, she turns the other way, three, four… 

I slide my hands around her waist and kiss her back.

Other kisses don’t make me feel the way I felt last night, as though she’s thrown a match on me and set my body alight, so I can justify doing it again by deciding I am too weak to resist it, that they day is long and that I deserve to surrender to something good.

Moving my hands to cradle her head, I glide my tongue along her bottom lip and she opens her mouth to me, soft and hot and slow, as my thumbs stroke her cheeks. I bite her bottom lip, and her top, as into my mouth, she moans against my gentle onslaught. The moment she makes that sound, I’m gone. 

I kiss her cheeks, then her nose, and angle her head so that I can kiss her neck, where she smells like sweet perfume, and against her skin I whisper, “fucking hell, Evie.”

Her voice vibrates under my lips as I trail hot, hungry kisses along her throat. “If you want to go back to my tent, we can.”

Yes, I think. The tent. It would make sense to be in there. She lifts my face to hers.

“I can get Claire to sleep in with Shane. We can have it to ourselves.”

I fall back to my body the second we mesh gazes, crashing down, along with the common sense, the guilt and the shame I shed as I kissed her. In a second I have released her and carved distance between us again. “Evie, no,” I say firmly. Tomorrow, I will be impressed by my self-restraint under challenging circumstances. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“It’s okay, I want to.” She has so little conviction that I can’t help but laugh. She screws up her face. “What’s funny?”

“Evie, it doesn’t really matter if you want to. I don’t want to.”

“You don’t want to… do it. With me?”

“No. Is that okay?”

She blinks, eyes a bit wild, and I swear I can pinpoint the moment when her brain jumps to her conclusion. “Is there something wrong with me?” It’s barely a question. Somewhere between that and a statement of the obvious, a confirmation of something she already believes. 

“No. Of course there isn’t. I’ve just been thinking about it, and I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. Look, I got carried away last night, and I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. I was… a bit drunk, to be honest.”

“You’re not going to break me,” she persists, “if that’s what you’re thinking. I don’t mind. I have to do it eventually, and I’d rather if it was with you.”

“No, you wouldn’t. Not really.”

“I would.”

“It would make things complicated.”

“Jude, I know you don’t want me to like you, but I already do. Honestly, I’ve never really felt this way about anybody else. It’s different with you. I don’t care about any other boys, this is why I couldn’t be with Liam-”

“God, Evie, please.” I put my head in my hands. What she does she want from me? What does she expect? She knows as much as I do that there’s no chance for something to work between us, not when I’m going away in two weeks. Can’t we just have left it all unsaid? “Please don’t make this harder on me.”

And to my utter horror, my face heats, and my eyes prickle with tears. I am about to cry. In front of Evie Kilbride. I think I’d rather be dead than do this, but here I am, with nowhere to hide. 

She rests her hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay. It’s just that… like, um, I heard you were thinking of staying in Ireland, and that when you get your college offers next week, you might decide to do a course in Dublin, and I just thought-”

What? My head snaps up. “Evie, what are you talking about?” 

“Jen said-”

“I told you I was leaving. As soon as I met you, I told you I was leaving.”

“But Jen-”

“What about Jen?”

Evie shrinks away. “She said that you might stay. That she thought you might decide not to go to Berlin, because you didn’t seem that excited about it.”

The blood roils. “I don’t know why the fuck she would have said that to you.”

“You not staying?”

“No!”

“But…” her mouth opens, then shuts again. The air thickens between us. “But Jen told me.” She insists, one more time, like it's true as long as she continues to say it. 

“Whatever she said to you is a lie, Evie. I’m sorry. She shouldn’t have told you anything about me. I know it’s unfair…”

“But maybe if things… If I… maybe you’ll still decide to stay.”

I swear I can see that last glimmer of hope in her eyes, and it kills me to squash it, but it’s honest, and it’s right. “I won’t.” I make sure she is looking right into my eyes as I say it. “I am moving to Berlin in two weeks. It’s done. It’s happening. I don’t know why she- I can’t believe that’s what she said. That’s insane.”

“You’re really going? It’s confirmed?” As her voice cracks and she fills up with tears. I have a moment where I wish I was blind, just so that I wouldn’t have to watch her cry. 

“Yes, I’m really going. I was always going to go.” I pull her to my chest, and there, in the circle of my arms, she breaks into shoulder-shaking sobs, while all I can think to do is smooth my hand over her back and press my cheek against her hair. Her hands fist in my t-shirt, face boiling. “Oh, come on Evie, please don’t cry. I’m sorry that you ever thought otherwise. I tried to make it as clear as I could. I didn’t think that Jen was telling you that stuff.”

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I know, I know.” I wrestle back my surging emotion with a hard swallow. “Well, maybe it won’t work out, hm? And I’ll come back after a while.”

For some reason, this makes her cry harder. 

“Shh, shh, come on.” I whisper. She turns her head and leaves a stamp of black makeup on the cotton of my t-shirt. “God, sorry,” she blubs, mopping at it ineffectually. “I’m a mess.”

“I don’t care about the t-shirt. It’s fine, it’s just a bit of makeup.” I hook the strand of hair stuck to her cheek behind her ear. “I’m sorry. I thought I was doing a good enough job of staying neutral, keeping my distance. I really never meant for you to have feelings for me.”

“Of course I do,” she sniffles. “You’re the best person in the world. You couldn’t have stopped me from liking you.”

“I probably shouldn’t have kissed you yesterday, should I? It didn’t help.”

And she sits up out of my arms and wipes the grey streaks of wet makeup. “Do you wish you didn’t?”

“It was really selfish. I was only thinking about how badly I wanted to, the way you looked under those lights. You’re so pretty when you’re smiling. I wasn’t thinking about whether it was fair to you to do it.”

Her laugh is watery. “You think I’m pretty?”

Beginning // Prev // Next

Corresponding LG Chapter

[skyward-floored]

Sunlight

Downfall iau, checking back on Wind and Four and everybody again :) I've been working on this one for a while, hope you all enjoy! Helpful previous fics for context are this one, this one, and this one (but not 100% necessary to read this one lol)

(small blood/injury warning)

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

Wind woke up feeling... well, less exhausted than he had when he'd fallen asleep at least.

He stared up at the ceiling of the room he and Four had landed in, his brother nestled up against his side. It was just a sofa bed tucked in the corner of what Wind guessed was a sun room or something, but it was comfortable at least.

Sun had tried to convince them to sleep in the more secure area downstairs, but Wind had refused. He wanted to know when Sky would get back as soon as possible. Plus Legend was sleeping up here too, and the thought of being away from him was... weird. There were a few emergency hiding spots up here if it was really a problem anyway, and so Sun had finally given in.

“Wind?”

Wind turned his head at the soft question, and saw Four looking at him, his younger brother’s hair a mess and eyes still fuzzy with sleep.

“Morning,” Wind said quietly, and Four breathed out, closing his eyes again.

“Morning.”

Wind watched him for a minute, lines of sunshine mostly blocked by the blinds sending stripes across Four’s face. He looked about as weary as Wind felt.

“You feeling okay?” Wind asked, and Four nodded, pushing some of the hair from his face, and reopening his eyes.

“I guess. You?”

“Same,” Wind shrugged, and Four let out a little huff of a laugh.

“Well, maybe breakfast will help,” Four said, and he sat up, yawning as rubbed his eyes. “I hope there’s eggs.”

“I hope there’s bacon,” Wind sighed, thinking longingly of the bacon Malon had been making yesterday that he hadn’t gotten to taste a single strip of. His mood immediately dipped at the sharp reminder of Malon though, and Four must have picked up on it with the way his face also fell.

“I hope she’s okay,” he whispered, and Wind nodded, his throat tight.

“I hope so too.”

A soft knock at the door made Four and Wind go quiet, but before either of them could worry much, a familiar voice asked about coming in. Relief swept over Wind as he called back that it was okay, and a feathered wingtip poked inside, both him and Four perking up.

“Sky! You made it!” Wind said with a smile, and Sky walked in, returning it.

“Yeah, I did,” he replied, and Wind didn’t miss the dark circles under his eyes. “Not a scratch on me. I heard talking and figured I’d come check on you two and fill you in.”

“Any news?” Four asked quietly, and Sky sighed, sitting down on a chair.

“Not much,” he said grimly, rubbing his forehead. “Nothing about Malon, or Twilight. Things are busy out there though. We’ve been trying to monitor the radio— we think Hyrule is still their priority, but I heard at least one notice about you two and Legend and Ravio. We also picked up some chatter about investigations, and we’re a pretty likely target here for them to check out since we’re relatives. Me and Sun think it would be best for you all to stay below now,” he said apologetically, and Four and Wind both shrugged.

“If it’s safer that way,” Wind said, then fixed a smile on his face. “I wanted to see down there anyway, so this is just an excuse to do that.”

Sky chuckled. “Well I think you’ll like it. Sun actually got breakfast ready down there, so grab anything you brought, and I’ll show you around after you eat.”

Wind and Four nodded, and Sky left the two of them to get dressed and gather the measly amount of things they’d brought with them. It didn’t take either of them long— the hardest part was cramming the sofa bed back in the way it was supposed to go to be a sofa again— and soon Wind and Four were headed to the kitchen with their bags.

Legend was already there, sitting on a stool and tapping a finger against a glass of milk. He looked like he hadn’t slept a wink, and maybe it was Wind’s imagination, but his eyes seemed a bit red.

“Good morning,” Wind said to him, and Legend acknowledged it with a nod, taking a silent swig of milk.

“You two got everything?” Sky asked as he appeared from around the corner, and Wind and Four nodded. “Great. This way, then.”

Sky stepped out of the kitchen and Wind and Four followed him, Legend slipping off his stool and trailing after. Sky led them through the living room and to a door in the back that led outside, sunshine spilling through the few bare-leafed trees in the yard.

“Um, I thought we were going down, where..?” Wind began to ask, but Legend cut him off.

“Sky knows what he’s doing. Relax.”

“I am relaxed,” Wind huffed, but didn’t push it. He wasn’t in the mood.

They walked across the yard, shoes squishing in the carpet of wet leaves and mud. It was a chilly morning despite the sunshine, a little foggy too, and Four shivered a bit, walking closer to Wind. A familiar shed slowly came into view through the fog, and Wind raised an eyebrow at the small structure.

“Isn’t that where Sky woodcarves?” Four whispered, and Wind nodded. Strange how it looked exactly the same as in their world.

Sky led them inside, pulling the door shut behind them as they looked around. The whole place smelled of wood shavings and sawdust, but Sky didn’t stand around to smell it, instead striding forward and pushing a small chest away from the wall. Wind leaned in to look, but there was nothing there except... wall.

Wind frowned, and Sky chuckled at his reaction, kneeling down and feeling his hands along the wood. He carefully positioned his hands, then pressed three of his fingers in seemingly random spots on the boards.

Wind heard a click, and then a trapdoor opened up in the floor, revealing a ladder that disappeared into darkness.

“Whoa... that’s not like that in our world,” Wind said with a hint of excitement, and he saw a curious smile on Four’s face.

Legend didn’t look surprised, and he walked silently to the trapdoor, Wind and Four hurrying behind him.

“Careful with the climb,” Sky warned, pressing his good wing close to his body. “It’s pretty dark, and the steps are a little uneven. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve dropped something on my way down because of it.”

He smiled as he said it, and Wind snorted, moving so that Legend could go ahead of him. He didn’t really want to trip.

Wind and Four followed as soon as Legend’s head disappeared, slipping down into the darkness. Sky took the rear, and pressed something on the wall once they were all down. The door neatly slipped closed again, the only light coming from a small stone Sky took out of his pocket, and they all climbed steadily down the ladder.

It was small in the tunnel, and Wind felt uncomfortably like he was descending into a sewer, but the further they went the more it opened up, and it steadily grew brighter as well.

Wind heard Four let out a little noise of surprise as he reached the bottom of the ladder, and Wind couldn’t help doing the same as he looked around.

They’d ended up in what looked something like a mix between a large basement and a cave, somehow both comfortable and rough looking. It was obviously hewn from the rock, with powers of some kind of Wind had to guess, and the floor was smooth, with lights set up around that lit the cave in a warm glow. The spot where they were standing was something of an overlook, a gentle slope beside them that led to a lower area, and Wind peered over the railing, seeing crates of what must have been supplies against a wall below, and two women moving them around and chatting with each other.

Every bit of space was being used for something, though Wind saw a door that must have lead to a different area... maybe where the beds were? He even heard water running down from somewhere, and hints of fresh air on the bit of wind he was picking up, but couldn’t see where they were coming from.

All in all, the place was a lot bigger than what Wind had been expecting, and he and Four stared, flabbergasted.

“Huh?” Wind finally got out.

“We know a few people who were willing to help us out,” Sky said with a smile, running a hand along a smoothed wall. “This isn’t much, but it’s as secure as we could make it, and very few people know how to get inside. You guys should be plenty safe here.”

Wind exchanged relieved looks with Four, and even Legend looked a little more relaxed down here. They were safe.

“That’s great,” Wind grinned, and Sky smiled.

“Glad to head it. Hey Arty!” he called, and one of the women looked up.

Her blonde hair hung partially over her face, held in a tight braid over her shoulder, and it took Wind a second to place her even with the familiar name. Her face slotted in as his Aunt Artemis after a few moments though, and he blinked. He was less surprised at the sight of their other aunt then some of the people he’d seen here so far, but it was still jarring. Especially with the reminder of his uncle it brought with it.

Wind‘s stomach churned a little. Are she and Warriors..?

“Will you see if we have any extra clothes that would fit these two?” Sky asked Artemis, seeming not to notice Wind’s sudden angst. “They don't have much at the moment. I’ll help you once I’ve shown them where breakfast is.”

“No need, I’ve got it,” she called back, and then turned and walked straight through the wall.

Legend looked at the two of them like he expected them to be surprised, but Wind and Four barely even blinked. They were used to Artemis ignoring things like walls and doors. Wind was more surprised by the fact that she was here at all, and his head was still sort of stuck on that.

“...Ah. You know Artemis too?” Legend said as Sky began walking again, and they followed him down the slope. It wasn’t really a question.

“Um, yeah,” Wind replied awkwardly. “Does she... what does she do here?”

“Helps out with stuff,” Legend shrugged. “She usually goes out and helps get people out of situations they’re stuck in, since her powers are good for that. She was friends with Sun when they were younger, I don’t know the whole story.”

Wind nodded, rubbing his arm, and Legend gave him and Four a suspicious look.

“...What is she to you in your world?” he asked, and Wind and Four exchanged looks again.

“She’s... our aunt. She’s married to Warriors,” Four said quietly, and Legend’s expression creased.

��Huh,” he muttered, and didn’t ask any more questions, striding up to walk next to Sky.

Guess that answers that, Wind thought with a dull pang in his chest. It looked like she and Warriors might not even know each other here.

“Oh, hey Hyrule!”

At Four’s call Wind looked up, and he smiled as he saw Hyrule standing in the doorway they were about to head through. The healer looked about as tired as everyone else did, but he still smiled as they reached him, letting Sky affectionately nudge him with his wing.

“Hi,” Hyrule smiled, circles under his eyes almost as bad as Legend’s. “Here for breakfast?”

“Yeah. And it sounds like we’re going to be staying down here for a while after that,” Four added, and Hyrule perked up just a little.

“That’s great! I mean, not great you have to hide, of course, that’s bad, but... not many people stay here very long,” Hyrule admitted, scratching his neck. “I see a lot of people, but it’s mostly them getting supplies and stuff, or stopping by on their way to go other places.”

“Well you’re stuck with us for now,” Legend said, and despite his flat tone, Hyrule looked happy.

“Sooooo... breakfast. Please tell me you have bacon,” Wind begged as he changed the subject, and Sky laughed, Hyrule’s smile growing a bit.

“Assuming Aryll and Ravio haven’t eaten it all, yes, there’s bacon,” Sky assured, and Wind whooped, stomach growling. Sure things were terrible, and he was still worried out of his mind for Malon and Twilight, and extremely homesick, but the prospect of bacon very much cheered him up.

Four seemed to think similarly, and they headed into the living area, the delicious smell of breakfast wafting through the air.

(...)

After breakfast, during which Wind met this world’s Aryll and was relieved to find she was very much like their own, Sky showed them around as promised.

There were only a few rooms in the base, but at Wind’s guess you could probably fit a good fifty people down here before it would get uncomfortably crowded. And there were a lot of beds, which when Wind asked about, Sky explained that they often smuggled supers and other folks through here on their way to other places, and they often stayed a few nights. Nobody stayed long though, apart from a handful of people like Artemis and Hyrule.

But there were still some other people around. It was interesting to see who Wind and Four already knew and who they didn’t— Wind nearly jumped out of his skin when one of Wild’s friends showed up, but seemingly had no connection to him. It was also hard to know what to say to most of these people, especially when most of them did double takes at the sight of Four.

There may not have been many of them, but telling them the story they’d decided on for cover was weirdly exhausting. They’d gone with distant cousins, and though it wasn’t the best cover, it was better than trying to explain a whole different dimension... thing. Wind wasn’t sure how convincing they were though.

Especially since both of them almost called Artemis aunt at least twice, and by the time they moved on from talking to her, a glint of suspicion rested in her eyes.

At least exploring was fun. Wind and Four may have been tired, but they weren’t so far gone that they didn’t want to poke around an actual secret base. Hyrule showed them some of the most interesting things, and Wind even found a tiny side passage that lead to the flicker of fresh wind he’d felt, finding a little underground brook.

It all did an excellent job of keeping his mind off of things, and Wind appreciated the distraction, especially with what they’d decided at breakfast. They were going to keep monitoring the radio, and Sun planned to head out with Artemis once the sun set to look for Twilight, but the rest of them couldn’t help with that. Not while they were all high-profile and stuff. Legend argued up and down to be allowed to go, but Sun had rebuffed all of his arguments until he was finally forced to admit defeat.

Which Wind was sure meant he was going to try and sneak along, but he’d think about that later.

Right now he was letting his mind wander away from homesickness and arrests, and trying to be a good distraction for Four and Hyrule. He didn’t see much of Legend, but figured he was with Sky, since he didn’t see much of him either.

Maybe they were sleeping. They both looked like they needed it.

“Uno!”

Wind scowled, glaring over at Ravio as he waved his card in the air with a grin. It was sometime in the afternoon, and having found a couple decks of cards, they were all trying to teach Hyrule some card games since he knew pretty much none of them. Except go fish, somehow.

“That’s good for him, right?” Hyrule asked, and Wind huffed and nodded, glaring at his own huge hand of cards. All but one of them was yellow. And the color was blue.

“Yep! If he gets rid of that one, he wins,” Aryll explained helpfully, and Hyrule nodded. “But Four also has an uno, so he might win first.”

“Your turn,” Wind said as Four smiled, and Hyrule looked thoughtfully at his cards, obviously thinking through his next move. Then he gently placed a draw four on the deck.

Giving Wind four more cards.

“It was all I could play,” Hyrule said sheepishly as Wind groaned, the other players laughing at him.

“The deepest betrayal Hyrule. I’m beyond hurt,” Wind bemoaned dramatically, picking up his cards. Three of them were yellow. “Who shuffled these?!”

The laughter grew, and the game kept going, but Wind’s attention was grabbed from it when he saw Sky walk by, giving the five of them an amused look. He was headed for the ladder that led out, and Wind swallowed.

“Oh— here, give my cards to Four,” Wind said, quickly standing up. “I gotta ask Sky something. Don’t wait for me.”

“No don’t give me his! Just skip his turn until he comes back!” Four squawked, and Wind left to the sound of Aryll doing her best to make him take them.

“Hey Sky?” Wind asked hurriedly, jogging up to him. His uncle paused and looked over, a questioning look on his face, and Wind swallowed. “I... can I go up with you? I think I forgot one of my bags.”

“I could just grab it for you,” Sky offered, and Wind shuffled his feet.

“Well... yeah. I... I also wanted to talk to you,” he admitted quietly, and Sky studied him a moment, face calculating. Then he nodded.

“All right. I have some dishes up there I need to wash anyway, so you can help with those. But no dilly-dallying,” he replied, and Wind nodded. “And if I say to hide in the spot Sun showed you yesterday, then hide.”

Wind nodded, and they both began to climb, the tunnel feeling longer going up. Wind kept pace though, even when Sky’s feathers tickled his nose, and they were soon back at the top and heading into the house.

Wind quickly found his bag inside, relieved he hadn’t actually lost it since it was the one with his toothbrush, and then joined Sky in the kitchen, setting it aside and taking the towel Sky handed him.

“I’ll wash, you dry,” Sky said with a smile, and Wind returned it.

They scrubbed dishes in silence for several minutes, Sky’s wing occasionally brushing Wind’s arm. Golden sunshine spilled in through a window, making the whole room seem warmer, and a little crystal dangling from the windowsill sent flickers of rainbows across the wall. Wind watched them while he gathered his thoughts on what to say, but then Sky looked over at him, and Wind swallowed.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Sky asked, moving the sponge in a steady motion across a plate.

Wind swallowed again. “Right. Um. I was... sort of wondering, if... well. I was kind of...” Wind sighed. Better to just get it over with. “...Warriors. I wanted to ask more about him.”

Sky nodded, a conflicted look crossing his face. “Legend told me he was there yesterday.”

“He was. He was the one who... who got Malon,” Wind said quietly.

Sky breathed out, staring at the dish in his hands for a long moment while the bubbles slowly popped. “I guessed as much. Legend skimmed that part a bit, but it wasn’t hard to figure out. I almost can’t believe it.”

“But that’s the thing,” Wind continued, drying a little more forcefully than necessary. “I think Warriors helped us.”

Sky’s eyebrows went up. “What?”

Wind looked over and met Sky’s eyes, setting the plate aside. “Before anyone came to the door, me and Legend saw Warriors from the roof. He was just standing there and staring at us, even after I went to go warn everyone, I think he was trying to give us a head start. And later, when... when we escaped, he froze the door behind us, in really thick ice. I think he was buying us time,” Wind finished in a whisper. “He did get Mo— Malon. But he didn’t get anyone else.”

Sky stared at Wind, then breathed out, running a hand through his hair. “That does sound like something Warriors would do.”

“But Legend doesn’t think he helped us,” Wind added quietly.

“Legend is... dealing with a lot right now,” Sky said, pain showing briefly in his eyes. There was soap in his hair now. “He’s always resented Warriors for the choices he’s made. This didn’t help, I’m sure. And his mother did just get arrested.”

“I know, but it’s like he’s not even giving him a chance,” Wind said. “That’s not fair!”

“It’s a tough situation,” Sky said softly, handing him another dish. “Try to cut Legend some slack, Wind. Warriors has been out of his life for years, and he doesn’t have the same context towards him you have.”

“I know. I’ll... try,” Wind sighed, setting aside another dry plate. “So... you really think it’s possible he helped us?”

“I couldn’t say for sure. I wasn’t there, but while Warriors has made some... difficult decisions, he’s got a good heart. I still trust him with my life. But at this point I think we’ll have to wait and see how things develop,” Sky sighed.

Wind nodded, and silence fell over them, the splash of water and clink of dishes the only noise. They’d finished with the plates and moved onto bowls when Wind hesitated, looking over at Sky.

“...I actually have another thing I want to ask about,” he said.

Sky looked up, and gestured for him to go on.

Wind breathed out. “Hyrule... he said something to me after we got him out. I haven’t told anyone in case he was wrong, but... but he thinks Time might—”

Something thudded.

Wind jumped, nearly dropping the bowl he was holding, and Sky froze, ears pricked. Wind could tell that it had come from the front door, and he swallowed, hands suddenly shaking. It hadn’t seemed like a thud of someone trying to break down the door again, but... had it been?

“Sky?” he asked quietly, and Sky carefully set down the bowl he’d been cleaning, giving his soapy hands a quick rinse.

“I know. Don’t worry, if it was someone here to search, we’d be getting a lot more yelling by now,” he said, obviously trying to sound reassuring as he wiped his hands on his pants. Wind saw him swallow. “I’ll check it out. You... better hide though, just in case.”

Wind nodded, and Sky went to the front door, his pose relaxed and casual. Wind hesitated at the sink, then quietly crept behind him, hiding in the living room doorway while Sky went to the door.

He knew he was supposed to hide, but there still hadn’t been anymore noises, and definitely no yelling. Plus Sky might need backup, Wind wasn’t going to just leave him.

Wind poked his head through the doorway, just enough that he could see the front door. Sky walked up to it and looked through the peephole, but obviously didn’t see anything as he drew back a moment later with a confused look.

“Who is it?” he called loudly, and several tense seconds went by, silence stretching out.

Sky furrowed his brow when there was no answer, no further noise or anything, and he slowly pulled open the door, Wind craning his neck so he could see who was there.

And was treated to the sight of Twilight slumped against the wall, holding his arm tightly to his chest with dried blood in his hair.

Wind’s heart stopped.

Twilight raised his head and blinked at them while they stared in shock, circles like bruises under his eyes, face sweaty and pale, and he swallowed.

“Um— h-hi,” Twilight stammered, and Sky grabbed his nephew before he could collapse, quickly tugging him inside.

“Twilight— Twilight. By the three, we thought for sure you’d been arrested!” Sky gasped as he held his arms, and Twilight quirked the faintest of smiles.

“They tried,” he mumbled as he swayed, and Sky quickly caught him, Wind noticing Twilight shake against him.

“Okay— it’s okay now. You’re safe here, we’ll fix you up,” Sky reassured, adjusting his hold and gently stroking his head. “Come here.”

He slipped his arm under Twilight’s, putting his good wing around him. Sky practically carried him in, and Twilight swallowed, looking dizzy at the movement. Wind rushed forward the moment Sky toed the door closed, and he looked frantically at Twilight, the alternate version of his brother looking like an utter disaster.

“Twilight,” he managed to stammer out, and Twilight looked at him, the same quirk of a smile on his lips.

“Hey,” he breathed, and Wind’s stomach tightened at the dried blood smeared on his cheek. “Y-you made it.”

“Yeah, I-I did,” Wind replied, waves of shock and relief still pouring over him. “And Four too, and also—”

“Hey Sky?” a voice called, the sound of the back door closing accompanying it.

Wind looked behind him, and began to rush to the doorway as he saw Legend walk into the other room, his expression vaguely annoyed. Legend turned and saw him, and sighed.

“Wind, Sun wants you downstairs, and Sky—”

Legend cut off the moment he looked behind Wind, his eyes going huge as he took in the sight of Sky supporting his missing brother. Twilight raised his head and looked at him, and an utterly relieved smile pulled at his cheeks.

“Twilight,” Legend said in a thick voice, and bolted, Twilight lurching forward to catch him halfway and hugging him tighter than anything.

Legend hugged him back, and Wind stayed quiet as Sky set his wing around his nephews. Twilight clutched at his brother like a lifeline, and Wind looked down at his feet, the familiar ache sharp in his stomach. He’d do anything to be able to hug the Twilight he knew.

“Twi they got Mom,” Legend whispered suddenly. “They were at the house, they—”

“I know,” Twilight said wearily, his face grieved as Legend pulled back a little. “We kn-knew this would happen someday.”

“But they got Mom,” Legend said thickly, and Twilight closed his eyes, a pained look on his face.

“We’ll just have to get her back,” he said, voice oddly slurred, and Wind straightened, suddenly noticing the sheer amount of red staining Twilight’s shoulder.

“Sky!” he yelped, and his uncle dove forward as Twilight’s knees buckled, face white and sweaty. Sky carefully lowered him to the floor, and Legend dropped to his side, eyes huge as Wind hurried back over to him as well.

“What happened?!” he gasped, and Sky quickly looked Twilight over, starting with his bloody shoulder and giving the rest of him a quick examination.

“Something grazed him here,” Sky said, quickly pushing up the bloodied shoulder of the shirt Twilight was in. “And there’s something up with his arm. I think he’s just exhausted otherwise, but... I don’t know for certain. He’s got some blood on him here too...”

“We should get him downstairs,” Legend said, face almost as pale as Twilight’s. “Hyrule can help him, and that’s where the supplies are.”

Sky nodded, and Legend and Wind helped him lift Twilight up, Twilight’s skin clammy where it brushed Wind’s. Twilight let out a soft groan, and Legend clutched at his hand, fire in his eyes.

Wind scrambled ahead and held the door open for Sky to go through, his head spinning with mixed relief and fear. Twilight had made it, somehow he hadn’t gotten arrested, but he was so banged up and seemed near delirious... Wind couldn’t help being worried.

But he was also so, so relieved.

Twilight made it.

Wind watched Sky carry Twilight out, Legend supporting him with a wild look, and swallowed, hurrying after.

[astros-silly-place]

photosensitivity warning/flash warning/weird freaky glitchy stuff

//

Tyler the creator after making good songs that I have to edit to

[monstrsball]

The night before Iwaizumi leaves for California, his mother gives him a gift. It's wrapped delicately in yellow wrapping paper.

Iwaizumi has a feeling he knows what it is.

"I know it's last minute," She says, sitting next to him on his bed in his childhood bedroom. "Your bags are all packed, I don't expect you to make room to take it with you or anything, of course." She watches him, hands folded in her lap. "Ah, and you'll probably think it's embarrassing any-"

"Mama," Iwaizumi interrupts, fighting back a little smile at her fretting. "Let me at least open it before you try minimizing it."

"Right, right." She laughs, waving her hand. "Of course. Go on then. Open it."

Iwaizumi doesn't take his time tearing it open.

It's a book. A scrapbook, Iwaizumi guesses. It has his name handwritten in both kanji and hiragana on the front. It's a little smaller than the other scrapbooks his mom has on her shelf. The binding is a dark forest green.

The only sound in the room is the flipping of pages. Iwaizumi takes his time to study each page, his chest feeling a little tighter the more he flips through the book.

Iwaizumi knows his mothers have always taken lots of pictures, ranging from polaroids to digital. His aunties too but he still finds himself surprised by the amount Sachiko has collected in the book. Including pictures she must have received from other people because neither of his moms were present at said event.

The pages are simple. Each one has about two to five (depending on the sizes of them) pictures on it. They're decorated with stickers and little notes written in his mom's graceful handwriting neatly squeezed where they can fit and still be legible.

Notes like "you gave your poor mother a fright the first time you came into the house with one of these" under a photo of Iwaizumi proudly showing off a jar with a beetle in it and "i'm surprised you convinced tooru to go, lol" by a photo from a fishing trip Iwaizumi took with the other third years.

"This is one of my favorite pictures," His mom says, watching as Iwaizumi flips pages over his shoulder. She points to a picture of the two of them when they first moved into the house. He was only three. They're sitting on the front steps together, neither of them are looking at the camera. He has his arms wrapped around hers and is looking up at her as she laughs.

And he breaks.

"Oh, Hajime." She says softly, pulling him into a tight hug. He tucks his face into the crook of her neck and she strokes his hair as he cries. He feels like he's five again, crying because he accidentally squashed a bug when he was trying to catch it. Ten, crying because he was sick with the flu and thought he was on the brink of death. Thirteen, crying because he and Oikawa had a fight and he thought he would never talk to him again.

Eighteen, crying because he's leaving the country tomorrow and it suddenly hit him that he doesn't know what he's going to do without his mom.

He doesn't say that though.

He doesn't tell her that he's scared, scared that he's going to crash and burn in California, scared that his friendship with Oikawa won't survive the distance, scared that everything is going to go wrong because he left.

Or that he's really going to miss her.

(Maybe he should have told her that.)

-

That night before Iwaizumi spends his last night in his childhood room, he wraps the scrapbook up in the hoodie that Oikawa gave him and tucks them both into one of his bags.

He thinks about where he's going to put it in his dorm room when he gets to California.