#someone needs to stop me from making OCs bro

[lolipoptheclown]

I'm trying to make a new guy but I'm struggling so hard uhhh yeah I'll share em at some point

[suiana]

*Kicks the door open again*

It's horny thoughts by 🐄 anon time-

Ngl you have no idea how many times I've had fantasies about waking up and the monster under my bed just Eating the fuck out of me 😭✋

Or just waking up and getting railed by said monster under my bed

🐄

bro that's me with the shadow man in the corner of the room... NEW YAN IDEA WOW (for the horny monster fuckers!1!!1)

✎ yandere! shadow monster headcanons . . .

✎ warnings . . .

― unconsensual touching(?), nsfw, possessiveness, murder(?) etc.

(gn! reader x male yandere! oc)

✎ yandere! shadow monster that's been lurking in the corner of your room since how many years ago. learning every little thing about you, slowly falling for you as he swoons at your every action... and his favourite activity! staring at you with big eyes as you turn over to avoid his uncomfortable gaze.

✎ yandere! shadow monster who is content with just watching you so he lurks around, watching you go about your daily activities... wait who's that person you're blushing about? oh no... looks like he has to deal with a problem... look at the news! they've disappeared!

✎ yandere! shadow monster who loves watching you get off. you're so cute you know? trying so hard to cum... maybe he should help you out?

✎ yandere! shadow monster who gets jealous when you bring people over to do anything. be it just doing homework or one night stands, he can't stand the thought of someone other than him touching and looking at you.

✎ yandere! shadow monster who finally makes the first move and pins you to the bed just as you're about to fall asleep. sucking and biting on your neck as you squirm under him, he's just marking his territory! and you don't mind, it's actually one of your fantasies to belong to a hot monster lol!!!

✎ yandere! shadow monster who follows you around, a visible shadow following behind you wherever you go. it scares others away and it makes him so delighted! saves him the hassle of getting rid of others.

✎ yandere! shadow monster who always has his way with you every night. helping you get off, filling you with his seed, fucking you until you pass out... who knew the monster in the corner of your room was so good at sex?! you don't even bring home guys anymore because your monster is practically a fuck machine that fulfills all your needs! he learnt all of your likes and dislikes from watching others fuck you and you pleasuring yourself.

✎ yandere! shadow monster who has an endless sex drive and is touching you even in your sleep. just the tip!!! he says as he goes for a fifth round 💀 don't worry, you consented to this before hand. he's not that much of a monster you know?

✎ yandere! shadow monster who wakes you up by kissing you. he gives you a surprise each morning as he ducks his head under the covers and eats you out/sucks you off.

✎ yandere! shadow monster who visits your admirers in their dreams and haunts them so much that they eventually stop bothering you. being a shadow monster isn't that bad sometimes <3

✎ yandere! shadow monster who is basically a big horny fucker who's super possesive over you. have fun with your horny monster who won't leave you alone!!!

✎ "sweet dreams my love, I'll be watching over you~"

[uceyliyahh]

SOMETHING BOUT’ US

Summary: "I want you more than anything in my life." After being in a difficult relationship with Carmelo Yasmine decided to move on from him and become the next big thing while getting drafted on the smackdown roster she always thought she would never find love again due to her commitment issues until she met him.

This fanfic is 18+! NO MINORS ALLOWED

word count: 3327

smut warning; it’ll come in the story randomly so PLEASE PLEASE look out for it I’m not really good at writing ✍🏽 smuts but I’m improving at the moment.

Jey Uso x Yasmine

AWFUL GRAMMAR IM GETTING BETTER I SWEAR LOL.

comments, likes, repost are appreciated I would love the constructive feedback in what area I need to approve in. 🤍

ALSO! I don’t not want nobody stealing my fanfics or take it as theirs that will be an issue fasho so keep it cute respectfully.

I only own my OC along with the make up scenarios

But I’ll be writing along the way since this story is in my drafts on Wattpad right now so yuh. 💁🏽‍♀️

TAGS ⬇️ lmk if you wanna be tag 🏷️@pinkwithhearts @420days @jstarr86 @empressdede @angiedawn02 @biancasreign

@bebesobrielo @skyesthebomb @aikosilo @papireigns-05 @punksyeet @paigereeder @magnificentbouquetmusic

@hunnidmilly @celesteheartsjey @charmed-dreamssss @fearlesschimera @partypoison00 @mselenalovebug @bloodlinesbabe93 @lov3rla03 @simpin4pixels

2.

YASMINE Today was the day for the WWE draft. Honestly, I was fucking scared because I was more worried about Carmelo being on the same brand as me and all the drama that has been spiraling between him and me which the only people that knew were Trinity, Montez, Bianca, and Jonathan knew about.

Both Montez and Jonathan had blown my phone up, telling me that I should've listened to them. Then I wouldn't end up in this situation, but they will protect me if shit goes down.

I was in the catering area sitting down at the table eating my lunch while listening to some music so I wouldn't be in my head about all of this.

As I was doing that, I felt someone touch my shoulder, which made me jump. I turned around and saw Trick standing behind me, chuckling.

"Shit! Trick, you can't be doing that nigga" I said.

"My fault minks didn't mean to scare yo' ass." He said, chucking at me as I threw up the middle finger at him.

He sat down next to me at the table, munching away on his food as I continued doing the same thing. I haven't told him what Carmelo did. I don't think it would matter since Jonathan and Montez were already on that with him. There wouldn't be any point in Trick getting involved.

I was on my phone when I saw that Trinity sent me a text message probably about the draft that's happening tonight, which, like I said, I am shitting rocks right now.

IMESSAGE 💬 Trin🤭🫶🏽: Hey Babygirl! How are you holding up? Minnie🧃: I'm alright just eating right now with Trick ass 🙄 Trin🤭🫶🏽: PLEASE leave that man alone 😭😭 but are you nervous about the draft? Minnie🧃: yesss I am Trin like I pray that Carmelo doesn't get drafted on smackdown ion want no shit started between him and Montez Trin🤭🫶🏽: well ion' know about that Yasmine it might happen. Minnie🧃: STOP DONT SAY THAT BITCH! 🥲🥲 Trin🤭🫶🏽: what? I'm just saying Yasmine; just don't get your hopes up Minnie🧃: fineeee bro fineeee fuck man why does it have to be this way? 😟 Trin🤭🫶🏽: Yasmine it's going to get better I promise just focus on the draft tonight ight? Minnie🧃: ight then Trin Trin🤭🫶🏽: okay I hope I'll see you in smackdown byeee Minnie🧃: byeee

After texting Trinity, I saw Trick all over my phone, so I turned my phone off and gave him a stern look.

"Damn, nigga you all up in my conversation dawg." I said.

"What happened between you and Melo?" He questioned me.

'Shit, why did he have to be so fucking nosey all up in my damn phone? Now I gotta spill the tea.'

Rolling my eyes in the process, I avoided the question while getting up from the table, along with my plate, and walking towards the trash can to throw it away.

I felt his presence behind me as I continued walking away from him, trying to avoid him asking me this question like I wanted to answer it. I didn't want anyone else involved in this situation, especially not Trick.

I continued to fasten my pace, feeling Trick grab me by the arm as we looked at each other.

"Minks, c'mon, mane. You can't just leave me in the dark. What happened?" I could read his facial expressions; he seemed concerned. I sighed in defeat while yanking my arm away from him.

"He put his hands on me, Trick, okay? He fucking put his hands on me, your own best friend." I said, folding my arms over my chest.

His face went into complete shock. Hearing that from me, it almost seemed like he didn't believe me. I just sighed before walking away from him as he stopped me in my tracks. "Look, imma talk to him to see." I turned my head, looking at him in disbelief, like, is this nigga fucking serious?

"What's the point of talking to him for when I literally just told yo' ass—you know, fine, go ahead. If you're going to believe him, then that's my problem." I walked away from him and went towards my locker room, trying to calm myself down from crying at work.

I just needed to be alone for a minute to get myself together before this damn draft for tonight.

✧˚° I was heading towards the ring, finding my seat since the draft was about to begin. As I saw Carmelo and Trick talking to each other, I just rolled my eyes at them, sitting down in my seat and looking up at the screen.

I pulled out my phone, scrolling through my social media as my legs were crossed, seeing what everyone was posting on their stories and whatnot until I felt a presence that didn't need to be felt. When I looked up, I saw Carmelo gazing down at me with his arms folded.

"What? Melo?"

"So you just telling everyone I put my hands on you?" Carmelo said.

I scoffed his disbelief. I knew Trick wasn't going to believe me in the first place; I don't have time for the shit.

"Nigga you did put your fucking hands on me; why would I lie about that?" I said sternly.

"Because you're lying; all I did was choke you just to put you in your place." Oh, nah, this nigga had me fucked up now.

I stood up, pushing him in the process. I couldn't believe this fuck nigga bro sitting up there playing the fucking victim.

"You what? I don't have time for this shit with yo' ass Melo, so please get the fuck on." I sat back down in my chair, getting on my phone, watching him standing there with his hands on his hips.

I heard his footsteps walking away to his seat he was sitting next to Trick my eyes directly looked at Trick who made eye contact with me I gave him the middle finger while muttering "fuck you" in the process as the draft was about to start.

✧˚° "From the NXT roster smackdown chooses..Yasmine!!!"

When I heard my name, I couldn't help but smile. I saw everyone cheering for me, and Lash hugged me while I walked past them, seeing Shawn Michael's with a smackdown blue cap.

He hugged me, whispering in my ear how proud he was and that I hope I'll do big things on the blue brand. I gave him a faint smile, as my anxiety was creeping up on me, and I was worried that Carmelo might get drafted, too.

After I sat back down in my chair, feeling very anxious, I decided I didn't want him on the same brand as me because it would only make matters worse.

"Yasmine girl, you're with the big dawgs now." Lash said.

"Yeah, I know it's crazy," I said while looking at Carmelo, who was staring down at me.

We avoided eye contact with him as we continued to listen and watch the big screen to see who else was getting drafted.

I felt my phone buzz, and when I saw a text from Bianca, I pulled it out and texted her back.

IMESSAGE 💬 Breezy🫶🏽: omgggg girl are you with us fr? Minnie🧃: Yes ma'am I am officially drafted on blue brand 🤭🤭 Breezy🫶🏽: OMGGG YESSS I AM SO EXCITED I KNOW TRIN FINNA GO CRAZY Minnie🧃: Righht but I'm worried B Breezy🫶🏽: why? Is this about Melo ass bc if he does get drafted which I hope he doesn't he better watch his back Minnie🧃: speaking of him; him and trick talked about it and I knew I've shouldn't have told him but he kept pressing me Breezy🫶🏽: so what I am hearing is that he didn't believe you? 🙄🙄 Minnie🧃: yeah, basically and then Melo gonna come up to me saying that he only did it to put me in my place like what? Breezy🫶🏽: awh hell nah bro he's playing the victim card rn Minnie🧃: fasho he is I was finna whoop his ass I front of everyone Breezy🫶🏽: hollon I think they're announcing the next person to get drafted

"From the NXT roster smackdown chooses...Carmelo Hayes!!"

My face fell as I heard his name shouted out. I saw him stroll by us, flashing me a smile as my nervousness began to rise. As I went out, I informed Lash I was going to the toilet and then to my locker room.

I slammed the door closed behind me, locking it. As I sat on the couch, trying to calm myself down, it seemed as if my entire universe had been ripped apart by that.

Why did it have to be him? Out of all the humans, who selected his ass? I looked up at the TV and noticed his confident smirk with the blue brand cap on as he dapped up Trick.  I fucking hate Trick now, but it was my fault for telling him when I knew he wasn't going to trust me. I mean, I can't blame him; that's his boy.

Breezy🫶🏽: Yasmine? Are you okay? Breezy🫶🏽: Text me back please so I can that you're okay?

I couldn't understand what she was messaging me since my anxiousness was hammering my ass right now.

Minnie🧃: B, it feels like my whole world his coming down Breezy🫶🏽: Yasmine take long deep breaths do I need to send Montez? Minnie🧃:NO! don't okay? He's already worried about me enough Breezy🫶🏽: I understand but that's yo' brother he would do anything for you Yasmine Minnie🧃: I know I know B...I just can't fucking believe it. Breezy🫶🏽: me too like ugh...but don't worry we'll be here for you Minnie🧃: thank you B

After conversing with Bianca, I decided to stay in my locker room until then since I didn't want to see him again, especially with that fucking smile on his face, knowing he'd be on the same brand as me.

Without realizing it, if he does something wild, either Montez or Jonathan will beat him up; they are so protective of me it's not funny.

I heard a gentle knock on the door. I got up from the couch and almost opened the door, but I was scared to.

"Who's at the door?" I asked.

"It's me, Lash girl!" That voice didn't sound like Lash at all. When I opened the door, he was standing there.

He pushed me back, shutting the door behind him, locking it as he walked up towards me. I backed up, falling on the couch.

A/n: trigger warning contains rape ion want nobody to feel uncomfortable reading this so please and I mean please, skip this scene I'll keep it short I promise 😟

He was hammering me so hard that it made me cry; this man was insane.

He smacked me in the face after gripping me hard around the throat and gave me the most disgusting make out session ever.

"Yo' ass better take this shit, you bitch." He hissed while continuing to pound into my now abused cunt.

"You're hurting me! Get off of me Melo!" I shouted as he covered my mouth.

"You want them to hear us? I expect you to shut the fuck up then." I was crying softly while trying to fight him off of me.

This man was truly fucking nuts; he was doing this without my consent. I felt so powerless that I couldn't even push him off of me; he was more stronger than I was.

Sticking his tongue down my neck while rotating his hips and fiercely hitting my area, tears streamed down my face, and his grasp around my throat was so tight I couldn't breathe.

"Yeah, this is my pussy, you hear me? Yo' ass better not give it to nobody else but me." He slapped me in the face again, causing me to winched at the feeling.

"I fucking hate you...you piece of shit." I said, spitting in his face, and he didn't like that at all.

Grabbing a full load of my hair and assaulting my cervix, forcing me to yell yet again, I'm over here apologizing for it and begging him to stop.

But he didn't listen and continued to rape me in my own locker room, literally.

✧˚°

My body shook fiercely as I stared up at him, putting back on his clothes and mending himself, while he looked down at me, dejected and torn.

He smiled like a smug ass before leaving. "Remember you belong to me and only me." He shut the door, leaving me distressed as my worry gripped my ass. I was a weeping mess as I put on my clothing that he had taken off.

I couldn't stop sobbing. I didn't know who to tell since no one would believe me if I told that a WWE superstar named Carmelo Hayes had just raped his ex-girlfriend in her locker room; they'd think I was insane, so I'll keep it to myself.

After retouching my makeup, I decided to go early. I was able to sneak out before anybody could see me as I drove away from the garage.

My head was spiraling into a melancholy I didn't want to be in; all I wanted was to be happy, but after what occurred, I am now a victim of rape by someone I thought I loved but no longer do.

Now I'm just more broken than ever before he made me feel like this. I eventually arrived home, driving into the driveway as I stepped out of my car.

Opening the door and tossing my shoes someplace while hurrying upstairs to the bathroom, I fell to my knees and vomited into the toilet. I continued to heave up in the toilet until there was nothing left inside of me. I sat on my knees for a minute, tears streaming down my face, weeping silently. Why did this happen to me? I picked up my phone and phoned Trinity's number.

'Please pick up Trin it's urgent.'

OTP Trin🤭🫶🏽: Yo' Yasmine this is Jon Trin is in a match right now what's up?

'Fuck...what am I going to tell Jon?'

Minnie🧃: O-oh I didn't know...I can call back Jon Trin🤭🫶🏽: Yasmine? You don't sound okay did something happen? Minnie🧃: N-no I'm fine look I'll call back later on or tmr actually Trin🤭🫶🏽: nah fuck that what happened Yasmine Minnie🧃: it's nothing J-Jon I swear Trin🤭🫶🏽: stop playing with me Yasmine is about his ass again?

I hung up the phone so quickly that I didn't want to explain to anybody what had occurred to me. I got up from my knees and flushed the toilet as I proceeded towards my bedroom.

I removed my clothing and threw them somewhere so I could burn them later or whenever I wanted as I headed towards my bathroom and turned on the shower.

As I was doing that, I noticed my phone light up, indicating that Jon was calling, but I ignored it because if I had informed him that Carmelo had raped me, he would have been furious, so I now keep my distance from everyone.

Walking inside the shower, I felt the warm water contact my body, sighing in relief and closing my eyes. I had to keep this hidden from everyone, but I know Bianca or Trin will eventually find out.

I rested my head on the damp wall next to me, not understanding why I had to go through this. Why me? Why, oh why? It didn't make sense to me that every time I closed my eyes, I saw him all over me, doing things I never wanted him to do.

I suppose he's telling Trick how he hit it with me and we made stuff up, which I know how dumb Trick is in believing his lies.

I walked out of the shower, wrapped the towel over my entire body, and looked in the mirror, sure that everything would fall into place.

Seeing the marks on my neck it just made me feel disgusted in my body, I turned off the light inside the bathroom while walking out shutting the door behind me.

I sat down on my bed grabbing my phone and saw all of the missed phone calls from Jonathan and some from Bianca too probably Jon told her I was acting weird.

Breezy🫶🏽 sent 4+ messages

Breezy🫶🏽: Yasmine? Jon called me and said that you were acting weird is everything okay? Breezy🫶🏽: I didn't see you on the rest of the show during the draft Breezy🫶🏽: did he do something to you Yasmine? Breezy🫶🏽: please text me back you know I'm here for you.

I didn't know how to feel at the moment it just felt like I was completely numb how was I supposed to tell her or trin about what he had done to me?

I didn't want to leave her or anyone else in the dark but I just couldn't tell.

IMESSAGE 💬 Minnie🧃: I'm fine B Breezy🫶🏽: are you sure? Minnie🧃: yeah, I just felt really tired after the show that's all Breezy🫶🏽: well that's not what Jon had told me when you called looking for Trinity seemed like something happened during that time. Minnie🧃: whatever he told you was a lie I'm fine B I promise Breezy🫶🏽: Yasmine I know you; you don't have to lie to me yk Minnie🧃: IM NOT LYING OKAY...I-I'm just...fuck Bianca...idkkk...

I started to have a mental breakdown again thinking about what Melo did to me he made me feel worthless.

Breezy🫶🏽: what's going on? Calm down talk to me what happened Minnie🧃: Melo...he... Breezy🫶🏽: what did he do Yasmine? talk to me I'm here we are all here for you. Minnie🧃: He fucking raped me Bianca....in my own locker room...he fucking raped me. Breezy🫶🏽: WHAT? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS? NAH THATS IT IM TELLING MONTEZ TO COME GET YOU Minnie🧃: O-okay... Breezy🫶🏽: make sure take you let the people know that you're moving out pack all of your belongings okay? Minnie🧃: ight B see you then.

I put on some clothes and began packing all of my belongings I didn't feel safe anymore not even at the company I was with. While I was packing I grabbed my phone texting the person about taking me off the lease due to me moving out tonight hopefully they'll get back with me tomorrow so I can get my money back.

I continue to pack all of stuff making sure that I didn't leave anything else behind and just waited for Montez to come get me. Hopefully when I do go on the smackdown brand they'll protect me.

Fuck Trick maybe if I didn't tell him what happened between me and Melo I wouldn't be in this situation but I just had to run my mouth about it.

And I just knew that his dumbass wouldn't believe me but believe his own best friend such a fucking hypocrite. I heard the door knocking as I got up from the bed walking downstairs opening the door seeing Montez standing there along with Jon.

I couldn't help but to form tears in my eyes hugging them tightly while they did the same for me.

"It's okay little sis we are here for you now." Montez said.

"When we see him it's on sight." Jon said.

We pulled away from each other as I wiped my eyes taking deep breaths, Montez told me to wait in the car while they get my things out from the apartment.

As I was waiting in the car I just looked outside the window in the backseat just in my head wondering if things would've been different if me and him didn't get together.

Maybe I should've listened to them.

SomeThing Bout' Us

biancabelairwwe, MontezFordWWE, jonathanfatu and others liked your post.

minnieminks: on the blue brand with the big dawgs 😘💙

biancabelairwwe: yessss I am so happy girl trinity_fatu: all of us can hangout together now 🥹🥹 minnieminks: @ trinity_fatu yesss finally gosh I missed yall MontezFordWWE: you couldn't put on a different outfit? minnieminks: @ MontezFordWWE here yo' ass go leave me aloneeee brotherr 🙄 jonathanfatu: @ minnieminks I mean he's not wrong 😭😭 carmelohayes: damn all mine 🤭 minnieminks: @ carmelohayes fuck you; you piece of shit.

Read all Comments.

A/n: I am soooo sorry for writing that scene I'm glad I kept it short I didn't want to continue to write that. But Carmelo is in a rude awakening when he gets to smackdown.

ALSO ANOTHER THING WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT SAMI??? HE PISSED ME TF OFF SEEING HIM WITH SOLO ASS.

I hope yall enjoy the chapter, lmk in the comments.

Stay Ucey.

[blythings]

MESS IT UP | TOM BLYTH

— pairing: tom blyth x filmmaker!oc (fem.) — summary: hope that you're sleeping well knowing i'm not. — tags: exes-to-lovers, named oc, attempts at humour, mentions of other celebrities. —notes: can you tell from this instalment that i miss nicholas galitzine's social media presence? lol anyway i'm still getting used to this format so forgive me if it's a bit clumsy! lmk what you think of this chapter 💞 also, comment/send me a msg if you'd like to be added to the tag list!!

← series masterlist | send me an ask →

liked by rachelzegler, balladofsongbirds and others tomblyth HG film dump. Just some of the many people I love who breathed life into this movie. @/songbirdsandsnakes opens tomorrow 🤍 lionsgateuk this film has already become my entire personality rachelzegler i love you sweetheart user White boy of the month 🤩🤩 user pls go blonde again im so serious tom please TOM PLEASE user New crush unlocked 🤚🏻

liked by taylorzakharperez, treaclychild and others alexisnakamura Past few weeks ⏯️ mari.arai i think nick should change his profile pic on raya to that so people can know what they're getting into ↪ user NICHOLAS GALITZINE IS ON RAYA???!!!! ↪ taylorzakharperez @/mari.arai so real ↪ alexisnakamura @/taylorzakharperez @/mari.arai guys stop bullying pookie under my post user YOUR BACK??! I’M GOING INSANE 😩 user hey (with rizz) user can you announce your next movie queen i'm due for a personality change user i need to be in the alexis nakamura cinematic universe saur bad

liked by user, user and others tomblythfans old 📸 of tom with director and screenwriter alexis nakamura! user LMAO TOM IN THE LAST PANEL user oh tomblythfans dug for gold here ↪ user fr they must've combed through the internet bc tom and alexis deleted all traces of each other from their socials user does anyone actually know the timeline i'm so curious ↪ user it's none of our business ↪ user so? they're in the public eye and it's natural for fans to be curious ↪ user just because they're in the public eye it doesn't make it right to speculate ↪ user LMAOO get off ur high horse. nothing wrong w celebrity gossip

liked by filmupdatesmain, kaiagerber and others alexisnakamura missing the rockbridge fam 💋🌈 user fumbled the bag so bad by breaking up with tom right before he becomes a big deal in hollywood lol ↪ user she's literally a famous director? bye ↪ user making a mean comment still gives her clout bro user someone @ me when deuxmoi finally posts the tea btwn her and tom ↪ user i did a deep dive last night and i reckon she dumped him while he was filming tbosas ↪ user LMAOOO that wouldn't surprise me, she's way too close to her male actors it's actually kinda problematic ↪ user i think tom is better off honestly, alexis is talented and her movies are good but she seems like a lot of work ↪ user fr i feel like sometimes she puts on a persona to seem more relatable

[lewmagoo]

it’s happening again | rhett abbott

the fifth and final installment of the wolf series ; must read other parts before reading this one

listen to the playlist here (i recommend listening to it's happening again by agnes obel while reading)

description: in which a wolf is caught in a battle between life and death

characters: werewolf rhett abbott x werewolf f!reader, reader and rhett's children, my own ocs as members of the abbott pack

warnings: 18+, mentions of injury and bodily harm, violence, character death, depictions of grief, mentions of pregnancy and birth, angst

dedication: to @lovinglyeternal ; without you this story would not exist. to @bro-ooke for being my beta reader. and to @bradshawsbitch for always supporting me through this endeavor

Previously in The Wolf series…

You held back a sob, the hand over your mouth lowering to rest against your belly, where your unborn pup lay. You had only one thought. “He’s going to die, isn’t he?”

The doctor’s mouth pressed into a thin line. Her eyes, deep brown and ever sympathetic, filled with tears. She could not sugarcoat her diagnosis. 

“I can give him some ancient herbal medicines that will help slow its effects, and ease his pain. But I’m afraid that all I can do right now is make him comfortable. I’m sorry.”

Your tearful eyes flickered to Rhett’s sickly form. His eyes were closed. His breathing was shallow. He was getting worse by the minute, and your world was falling apart. Your shoulders shook as another set of sobs wracked your body, painful and deep. 

You were losing him. And there was nothing you could do to stop it. 

Now

You shook your head, cheeks damp with hot tears. “There has to be something else you can do!” 

She sighed softly, hesitating, choosing her next words carefully. “I don’t want to get your hopes up, because the chances are slim, but…I do know someone who might have an antidote. A wolf doctor who’s an old friend. But he lives far away…I don’t know that we would be able to get the antidote here in time. Not to mention, there’s no guarantee that he still has it.”

“Well it’s worth a try, isn’t it?!”

“Honey, I just don’t want to get your hopes up. He might pass before the antidote ever gets here.”

“Please,” you whispered, grabbing her hand. “Just try. I need…I need to know we did everything we could to save him.”

Rose held your gaze for a moment before she reached a hand up to gently pat your cheek. “Okay. For now, I have a few things I can give him to at least make his pain less severe. I’ll give him some medicine and then make a phone call.”

You nodded, sniffling at more tears spilled down your cheek. You wiped them with the back of your hand. Rose moved to grab her medicine bag, which she promptly opened and began rummaging around inside. 

She set out three different glass vials. One had a botanical substance in it, which looked like a plant root. The other contained a powder. The other was a liquid. Then, out of the bag, she pulled a small mortar and pestle. She deposited a little of each ingredient in the mortar, and once she was satisfied, she ground it all together with the pestle, until a paste was formed. 

“Get me a cup of water, please,” she said, as she retrieved a spoon from her bag. 

You turned on your heel and rushed to the bathroom, where you filled one of the disposable cups you kept on the counter with water. Then you ran back to her, placing the cup in her outstretched hand. 

“Here,” she motioned toward Rhett, “help me get him propped up.”

You wasted no time in grabbing extra pillows from your side of the bed, carefully lifting Rhett’s head and shoulders before you put the pillows in place, raising him a little. He took a deep breath, though ragged as it was, and you realized this position made it much easier for him to breathe. 

Lovingly, you brushed your fingers through his hair. “I’m here,” you whispered. His head moved slightly in search of your touch. 

“Hi, Rhett,” the doctor gently spoke. “It’s Doc Tenpenny. I’m going to give you some medicine to help with your pain, okay?” She warned him before she even began to administer the dose. 

His eyes fluttered open, and he hummed weakly in acknowledgment. You held your tears back as you climbed into bed beside him, cradling his head as the doctor set to work. She carefully spooned the paste she had just made into his mouth. She followed that by giving him a drink of water to help it go down. 

He coughed, but managed to swallow it, grimacing at the bitter taste. 

Then, Rose used the paste to very gently smooth over his wound. The contact made him growl loudly in agony, and he tried to pull away from it. You wept as you held him down. 

Finally, she was done, and she carefully placed a bandage over the wound. “He’ll need an oral spoonful every half hour,” she informed you. “It will slow the poison down. The goal is to slow it enough to keep it from reaching his heart. But there’s only so much it can do. I have more of the ingredients in my clinic if you need more, but…with the fighting going on out there I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get to it.”

“How will we get the antidote?” You asked, your hand lovingly brushing against Rhett’s sweaty forehead. 

“I’ll call my friend. His name is Klaus. The last I heard he had come up with an antidote, but he had no way of mass-producing it. He may not have any left. I just want you to be warned that there is a very high chance we won’t be able to save Rhett. You have to be prepared for that outcome.”

“I know,” you whispered. “But we can still try.”

Rose nodded. “Where’s your cell phone? I’m afraid I left mine at the clinic.” 

“It’s downstairs, charging on the kitchen counter.”

With that, she hurriedly slipped away to make the phone call. This left you completely alone with Rhett. As you gazed down at him, you felt a fresh wave of tears well in your eyes. 

“Oh, my love,” you whimpered. “I’m so sorry. Please hold on, we’re trying to get you help.”

He took a labored breath, his eyes coming open again. “D-don’t know how much longer I can hold on,” he croaked. 

“Don’t say that. Don’t you dare. I know it hurts. But I need you to fight. Fight for your children. Fight for the pup in my belly. Please.”

He coughed again, groaning lowly as pain blossomed through him. “I’m…I’m tryin’. But you need t’…be ready, in case I c-can’t.”

“Don’t talk like that. I’m not letting you go that easy, you hear me? They’re not taking this pack’s alpha away from us.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, and you could see the tears that slipped down his cheeks. His trembling hand came up to weakly grasp your own. “St-stay with me, at least? Don’t…don’t want to be alone.”

You leaned forward to rest your head on his chest. “I won’t leave you alone. I promise. Now save your strength, please. Just rest, baby.” 

And for a few fleeting moments, everything was quiet. The storm howling outside was forgotten. There was no threat to the sanctity of your pack. No wolf fight taking place amidst the icy winds. No blood staining the snow crimson. All you knew was peace, there in your bed, curled protectively around the one you loved. 

But the reality of the matter began to set in. A bitter taste in your mouth. An ache in your chest. Your mate was in pain, and you could feel it all the way down to the marrow of your bones. 

You knew, then, what he’d felt when he almost lost you all those years ago. The terror and the pain he had experienced. All because Tillersons stole you away.  They prevented him from being able to sense you by putting a special sort of masking collar around your neck. Because of it, Rhett had thought you were dead. It was, as he had described to you, the worst moment of his life. 

And now, it’s happening again, you thought. It’s happening, it’s happening, it’s happening again. 

What if you lost him? The keeper of your heart. The father of your children. What if he slipped away forever, and you were left to go on without him?

The thought was agonizing. You had heard stories from other wolves who’d lost their mates. How it felt as if one’s soul was being stripped from their very being. You couldn’t fathom a life without him. He was the half of your whole. The piece that completed the puzzle that was your life. 

But here he was, gravely wounded, barely hanging on to life, and you were falling apart. 

Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me. 

You weren’t sure how much time had passed, but soon, Doctor Tenpenny had returned. You sat up in the bed, eyeing her, awaiting her news. 

“I got ahold of Klaus. He told me that he has one vial of antidote left. But he’s going to have to fly in, and with the weather being the way that it is right now…it might be several days before he gets here. I don’t know if Rhett has that long, honey. He might not make it.”

You nodded silently, gazing down at your husband’s face. White as the sheets beneath him. A glimmer of sweat on his brow. You held back another wave of tears. 

“But he’s on his way, right?” You looked up at her, waiting for reassurance. 

“He is. But he’s traveling all the way from Alaska, and he can’t leave until tomorrow, at the earliest. All we can do is hope and pray my medicine will keep Rhett alive long enough for Klaus to get here.”

And so, the waiting game began. 

There was much uncertainty you were facing. It was the most frightening moment of your life, and your knees threatened to buckle under the weight. But you had little ones to be strong for. You couldn’t fall apart. Not when you were the glue holding them together. 

“I need to…I need to go check on the kids,” you finally spoke. “Call for me if anything changes?”

Rose nodded, offering a kind smile. “I will.”

You slid out of the bed, standing on unsteady legs. It broke your heart to walk away from Rhett. You were terrified you would miss something. Terrified he would slip away and you wouldn’t be there to hold his hand and tell him goodbye. 

You leaned down to kiss his forehead. “I love you,” you whispered. Reluctantly, you turned away, making your way back downstairs, even though half of your heart remained upstairs. 

Outside, the blizzard continued on, winds howling through the rafters of your home. Cautiously, you stopped to peek out the window, only to realize there was no one out there. It dawned on you that Malakai had likely lured the invading wolves away, leading them elsewhere so that your family would be safe. 

While you could hold your own in a fight, because combat skills came naturally to wolves, you were still vulnerable because of your children, and now, because of what had happened to Rhett. 

A pack was considerably weaker without its alpha. You prayed silently that there had been no casualties in the battle. You weren’t sure if you could stand to hear the news that your pack members had been killed. 

Malakai knew what he was doing. He would protect the pack in Rhett’s stead, and do what he could to extinguish the danger. You just had to trust in his abilities, and pray that those trying to harm your pack would be overpowered and defeated. 

You stepped back from the window, drawing the curtain so that no one could see inside. You double-checked that the door was locked tight, and then you finally moved to go check on your children. 

When you cracked open the bedroom door, you found that Amy had managed to get them all down for a nap. Even Arya, who’d long since graduated from daily nap taking, was sound asleep, cuddled up beside Leia. Amy held a half-asleep Zoella in her embrace. 

Your heart warmed at the sight, and you quietly stepped into the room. “Hey,” you whispered. 

“How is he?” Amy asked. 

You shook your head, trying not to well up with tears again. “No change. But we did get ahold of a wolf doctor who has a possible antidote. He’s traveling in from Alaska.”

Your niece nodded thoughtfully, her face still grim with worry. “What do you think?” She inquired. “Do you think this is gonna kill him?”

All you could manage was an uncertain shrug before you quickly reached out and wrapped your arms around her. The two of you stood in the middle of the room, crying softly as you embraced. You felt so lost, but you were grateful for Amy’s companionship. Rhett was very special to her too. The thought of losing him broke her heart. In a way, it felt as if she was losing her father. In her mind, her father was not the man sitting behind bars at the Wyoming State Penitentiary. It was the man upstairs in your bedroom, fighting for his life. 

“It isn’t fair,” she breathed, pulling back to wipe the tears that had trailed down her cheeks. “He doesn’t deserve this. You don’t deserve this.”

You couldn’t utter an answer, because you were too overwhelmed with emotion. But you didn’t need to say anything, because there were no words that could truly describe the way you were feeling in that moment. The one that popped into your head was the word crushed. You were crushed. 

But it was only just beginning. 

After your moment of shared emotion, you led Amy out to the kitchen, intending to prepare you both a cup of coffee. Something to occupy your hands would distract you for a moment. But just as you were placing each full mug on the kitchen table, frantic knocking could be heard at the front door.

Both of you froze in fear. Cautiously, you stood, making your way to the door. Using your heightened scent, you breathed in, and sighed in relief when you realized it was just Malakai. But when you opened the door, you gasped. 

His clothes were tattered. His skin was stained with blood. He was very clearly injured, but not fatally so, for he was still lucid and upright. Quickly, you stepped aside, allowing him into the house. You could smell the scent of other wolves on him. The iron of their blood. 

“How’s Rhett?” He asked. 

“No change,” you answered. And then, “What’s happening out there?” You asked him as you hurriedly shoved the door shut behind you. 

He turned to you. His face was bleak. “It was a blood bath. We killed most of Kane’s wolves. The few that were left retreated. There’s no telling if they’ll be back or not. But…you need to know that we had several casualties.”

“Oh, no,” you whispered, your heart sinking in your chest. 

He hesitated, as if his next words were difficult. “Sweetheart, I know you’re dealing with a lot right now. As alpha, it’s Rhett’s responsibility to hold memorials to honor our fallen wolves, but because he’s not able to…would you mind if I did it for him? I don't want to overstep, because he is your mate and you have jurisdiction to make decisions in his stead.”

Considering his offer, you nodded. You knew you didn’t have the emotional wherewithal to conduct a mourning ceremony. You were fairly certain you would collapse from your grief and the grief of those around you. 

“That’s okay,” you replied. “Go ahead and do it. But please send the families my sympathy. Who are the ones that passed?”

He listed the names of the pack members, all of whom you had known your whole life. It made your heart ache, and you found yourself lowering down to the couch beside you, resting your head in your hands. Everything was in shambles. 

“How…how are we going to come back from this?” You whimpered. Then you looked up at Malakai. The wolf who had once been your alpha. The one you still admired and respected. The one Rhett tried to emulate in his own plight as alpha. “Uncle Malakai, I can’t…if Rhett dies, I can’t take up his mantle.”

He stepped forward, kneeling so that he was eye level with you. His face was kind. His eyes were sympathetic. “You don’t need to think about that right now. What you need to focus on is taking care of yourself and your pups. Do what you have to do for your family. I’ll take care of the pack end of things. Alright?”

You nodded, sniffling as you wiped at your tears with your sleeve. “A-alright. Thank you, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He nodded. “Don’t mention it. I’m happy to help.” Then he stood. “I should tell you, Rhett’s mother is asking about him. I told her he was hurt. I think she’s on her way over here right now.”

“Oh, I should’ve called her,” you bemoaned, “I was so preoccupied with everything that I just didn’t think of it.”

Malakai shook his head. “No, it’s understandable. That’s why I told her myself. Figured it would take one less thing off your plate.”

“Thank you,” you whispered, trying to keep your emotion at bay. A knot was forming in your throat. 

He smiled, patting your shoulder. “No need to thank me.” Then he moved to leave. “I’ve got everything else handled for now. Let me know if you need anything.”

And with that, he departed. You remained on the couch, your elbows resting on your thighs, your chin resting on your palm, staring straight ahead. You felt frozen in place, unable to move, still processing what Malakai had told you. 

Wolves were dead. Your husband was dying. Your children were frightened. And so were you. For a moment, the grief felt too heavy to bear. Like you were going to drown under the weight of it. 

But then there was another knock at your door, and it pulled you out of your wallowing. You straightened, springing up from your seat and hurrying to the door. You opened it to find Cecilia on your doorstep, her face pinched in concern. 

“I heard about Rhett,” she informed you. There were tears in her eyes. “How is he?”

You reached out to take her hand. “Come with me,” you said. You guided her through the house and up the stairs, straight up to the bedroom. 

There, Doctor Tenpenny had just finished giving Rhett another dose of medicine. When Cecilia saw him, her hand came up to cover her mouth. 

She stepped forward, moving to stand at his bedside, and she shook her head. “Oh, my boy. My boy,” she whispered. You came up beside her and placed your arm around her shoulders. 

“What happened?” She whispered. 

“Malakai didn’t tell you?”

“He just said he was badly hurt.”

You took an unsteady breath. “It’s Wolfsbane. He was stabbed with a blade that was laced with it.” 

Cecilia gasped sharply, her eyes widening. “Dear Heavenly Father,” she whispered. Her shoulders began to shake as she cried silently. “I can’t lose anyone else. I can’t…I can’t lose my baby boy.”

Your own eyes welled with a fresh wave of tears. It amazed you that you even had any left to cry. Over the years, Cecilia had lost so much. She never spoke of it, but long ago, after she’d had Perry but before she’d had Rhett, she had suffered a miscarriage. Following that, many years later, she had lost her daughter-in-law, with whom she’d had a close bond. Then she had lost her husband and son to prison because of their involvement with Trevor Tillerson’s murder. 

She was all alone now. Rhett was all she had left. the thought of losing her son was too much to bear. “Can you save him?” She asked Doctor Tenpenny. 

Rose sighed softly. “All I have is medicine that can ease his pain and slow the poison down. I’ve called a doctor friend who has an antidote for wolfsbane poisoning, but I have to warn you, he might not get here in time to save Rhett. And even if he does, there’s no guarantee that it will work. He might be too far gone.”

Cecilia shook her head, reaching out to run her fingers through Rhett’s hair. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully. But just by looking at him, and listening to the slow beating of his heart and his quiet breaths, you knew he had slipped into a coma. 

“Please, save my boy.” 

You realized Cecilia wasn’t speaking to you. She was praying. It was something you hadn’t heard her do in a long time. After what happened with Royal and Perry, it seemed that she had lost her faith. But now here she was, whispering to a God you weren’t even sure existed. How could he allow such a thing to happen? A young father with four, almost five, little ones to take care of. It didn’t seem fair. 

But you weren’t going to argue with Cecilia over God’s existence. If praying gave her peace of mind, you would let her have that. 

She turned to you then, wiping at her tear-dampened cheeks. “Where are the pups?” She asked. 

“Downstairs, they’re all napping in Arya’s room,” you replied. 

She hesitated a moment. “Do you need help with them?”

“I don’t want to put all of that on you.”

But she shook her head, reaching out to touch your arm. “Nonsense, you wouldn’t be puttin’ me out. You’ve got a lot on your plate right now and I want to do what I can to help. Do you want me to take them to my house?”

“No, I don’t want them too far away, just in case he…” You trailed off, trying to keep your emotions in check. 

Cecilia nodded, already knowing what you were insinuating. “I understand. Listen, I’ll watch over them, you focus on takin’ care of our boy, alright?”

Finally, you relented, because in all honesty, you had no idea how you were going to balance caring for Rhett and wrangling your children all at the same time. Having help would greatly benefit you, and lift some of the weight off your shoulders. 

So you let Cecilia assume that role, knowing she was happy to take care of her grandchildren. It was the least she could do during that terrible moment. 

“Amy knows their routine like clockwork,” you explained. “She’ll help you out.”

Your mother-in-law smiled softly. “Thank you for letting me do this. I need…I need to do something, at least. And I want to be close by, in case Rhett gets worse.”

“I’ll let you know if there’s a change, I promise.” 

She reached out to hug you. “I love you, honey. And I’m so sorry this is happening.”

“Me too,” came your whisper, your voice trembling. 

With one last look at Rhett, she slipped away, headed downstairs to speak with Amy. In the meantime, Doctor Tenpenny spoke up. 

“I have other pack members who were injured in the fight. Will you be okay by yourself for a little while?” 

You turned toward her, nodding your head. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.”

“I’ll stop by my house to grab my cellphone while I’m out, just call me if there’s any change. I just gave him another dose of medicine so you won’t have to worry about that for another half hour.”

“Thank you,” you told her, “I’m grateful.”

She offered a sad smile as she reached up to gently squeeze your shoulder. “I’m happy to help. It’s the least I can do for my alpha.”

Soon after, she departed, and again, you were alone with Rhett. The silence that filled the room felt deafening. Suffocating, even. All you could hear was his breathing, so slow it was almost if he wasn’t breathing at all. 

“Hold on, Rhett. Just a little longer.”

You weren’t sure if he could even hear you or not. 

In the following hours, you were hit with ebbing waves of emotion. Deep moments of terrible sorrow that tore itself from your lungs in the form of wretched, heaving sobs, as you clutched Rhett’s hand, crying over his unresponsive form. Then there were moments of numbness. Where you were certain you had no more tears to cry. Where you sat there and stared at him and realized that hope was fleeting and fate might not be kind enough to preserve your husband’s life. 

And then, there was anger. Scalding, vibrating rage that thrummed through your veins. You thought of Kane, and the havoc he’d wreaked on your pack. Part of you wished he was still alive so he could suffer for what he’d done to your mate. You longed for him to die slowly, just like Rhett was dying. It shouldn’t be your husband in this bed. It should be the evil wolf who had done this, instead. 

But life was unfair in that way. Bad things happened to good people. 

As your emotions cycled through you, you grew weary, the events of the day finally catching up to you in the form of aching limbs and tired eyes. 

Cecilia made dinner that night, and she brought some up for you, but you couldn’t eat. You had no appetite, and the thought of food nauseated you. Instead, you threw yourself into caring for Rhett. Administering medicine every half hour, wiping at his clammy skin with a cool cloth, trying to keep him comfortable. 

The only time you left his side was to head downstairs to kiss your children goodnight and tuck them into bed. Your two youngest were irritable, and they both put up a fuss as you tried to get them to bed. Being off of their routine, and knowing something was wrong with their daddy, threw them for a loop. As little Zoella cried at the top of her lungs, your own eyes welled with tears, and the overstimulation was murder on your senses. 

It made you panicky, and Cecilia was the one to notice your distress. Immediately, she stepped in. “Go. I’ve got her.”

You didn’t argue. You turned on your heel and fled from the bedroom, your feet carrying you as you scrambled to the door, on autopilot. You had to flee. Had to breathe. Had to have silence. 

You threw yourself out into the icy night air, dashing down the porch stairs, bare feet hitting the snow. One, two, three, four running steps until you went down, knees hitting the ground. You threw your head back and let out an agonized wail, your pain echoing throughout your surroundings, above the wind and snow. 

Why does it hurt so fucking bad?

“Don’t take him from me! You hear?! Don’t you fucking take him from me!”

Who were you speaking to? God? The universe? Death itself? 

You had no idea that at the very same moment, upstairs in your bedroom, your mate wasn’t alone. Someone was there with him, seated at the edge of the bed, inching closer and closer. 

His body was not conscious, but he could see it so clearly in his mind. The beautiful, but sad, face of a woman. Stormy eyes. Skin so pale it seemed gray. Dark hair that fell loosely around her shoulders. 

“You’re almost mine, young wolf,” she spoke. Though she appeared to be no older than thirty, her voice sounded ancient, as if she had existed before the conception of time. 

“Not yet,” he told her, for he knew who this was. This was Death, come to steal him away. 

“The clock is ticking,” came her warning. “You can only stave it off for so long. Soon, I will have no choice but to take you.”

“No,” he insisted, determined. My babies need me. My mate needs me. I’m not leavin’ them yet.”

“Soon,” was her final utterance. And then she was gone just as quickly as she had come, leaving a draft of cold air in her wake. She was determined to have this soul, for it was so close to Death’s door she could almost taste it. 

Rhett wasn’t going down without a fight. 

Outside, amidst the drifting snow, you rose to your feet, wiping your cold cheeks with the back of your hand, clearing your tears away. That was it. You had drained every ounce of mournful emotion from your body that you had left that night. You dragged yourself back into the house, and up into your bedroom, where Rhett still lay peacefully. 

You went through the motions, deciding to get ready for bed. You threw on a pair of sweatpants and one of his flannels that smelled like him. Then, you administered another dose of medicine before you climbed into bed beside him and went through your phone to set an alarm for every half hour so you would remember to give him more doses. 

As you settled in, you rested your head upon his chest, whispered “I love you,” and closed your eyes. That night, you drifted in and out of a fitful slumber. Waking to give him medicine, plagued with bad dreams in between. Your mind kept replaying watching Kane plunge that dagger into him. The moment your life fell apart. 

You continuously found yourself between sleep and consciousness, until finally, when the sky began to very faintly lighten, you dragged yourself out of bed for the day. The hardwood floor was chill as you walked across it, and you shuddered as you rushed to gather your clothes for the day. Hurriedly, you changed, uncaring if you looked presentable or not. You had other things to attend to. 

As soon as you were dressed, you set to work taking care of Rhett. You knew that you needed to see to it that he was kept clean, especially so no infection set in. 

Doctor Tenpenny had returned late the night before, and you had told her she was welcome to sleep on the couch downstairs. You could easily ask her for help, but you didn’t want to, because this was a very intimate thing, and you wanted to be the one to care for your mate in this way. 

So you filled a small bucket with warm water, grabbed a towel and a washcloth, and set to work. Lovingly, you began to wipe him down, running the damp cloth over his body. He didn’t stir while you worked, he simply remained in his unconscious state, seemingly unaware that you were even doing this. 

You fought to hold your tears back. He was so vulnerable, and seeing him this way was incredibly difficult. You were so used to him being strong and steady. Now he could not even take care of himself. This powerful alpha was essentially reduced to a helpless child. 

But you couldn’t stand here and weep over him. You had to press on. So you took a steadying breath and continued your gentle washing of his body. You tenderly dabbed the dry towel against his skin to absorb any moisture, and then you carefully dressed him in a pair of sweatpants, leaving his upper body bare. 

You took the time to place a clean bandage over his wound, trying not to cry as you realized that it had gotten worse. The poison was sucking the life out of him, slowly but surely. 

There was a very real possibility that this doctor friend of Rose’s with the antidote would not show up in time. Oh, how you prayed that wouldn’t be the case. 

After you were finished dressing him, you gave him another dose of medicine, leaning down to kiss his forehead after you had done so. “Good morning, my love. Fight for me today,” you whispered. 

You hoped he could hear you. 

As you tucked the covers back over him, Doctor Tenpenny came up the stairs. For a moment, she watched you quietly, waiting before she gently alerted you with the quiet clearing of her throat. 

“I can watch him. Go get some food in you,” she urged. She noted the reluctant look on her face, and immediately shook her head. “That wasn’t a suggestion. I know you probably don’t have much of an appetite, but you need to keep your strength up. That pup in your belly needs you to.”

You sighed softly, hand coming up to rest over your abdomen. “I know,” you whispered. “I just…”

“I’ll yell if anything happens. Now go, feed yourself.”

You relented, shoulders slumping as you turned and headed down the stairs. She was right, you still needed to take care of yourself, even if you didn’t have the energy to do so. 

When you reached the kitchen, you found Cecilia already awake, preparing a pot of coffee. When she saw you, she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Instead, they were darkened by grief over the state of her son. 

“Mornin’, sweetheart. How is he?”

“No change,” you murmured, voice hoarse. 

She nodded sadly. “I figured.” She closed the lid to the coffee maker and hit the on button. “Want me to make ya somethin’ to eat?”

“Sure, but…I don’t know what I can stomach,” you replied honestly. 

She held up her hand in a ‘say no more’ motion. “I’ve got just the thing.” She then set about making you some buttered toast, complete with a little cinnamon and sugar. On the side, a cup of chamomile tea. 

“This was all I could stomach when I was pregnant with each of my boys. It’ll at least give your stomach somethin’ to digest. Don’t want you collapsing on me now, because you didn’t eat.”

You whispered your thanks to her, taking a seat at the table to enjoy your toast. As you began eating, you hadn’t realized just how hungry you actually were. You devoured the piece of toast quickly. 

“Can I actually have another piece?” You asked, moments later. 

Cecilia smiled at that, and this time, it reached her eyes. 

As you were finishing your breakfast, the house began to stir. Arya was the first one awake, and she came padding cautiously out of her room. When she saw you sitting at the table, her pace quickened, and she ran straight to you. 

“Mama!” She exclaimed as she put her arms around your neck. 

You embraced your daughter, squeezing her to your chest. “Mornin’, baby.”

She pulled back to look into your face. “Is Daddy feeling better yet?”

You tried not to react emotionally as you shook your head. “No, he’s not.” You reached up to run your knuckles over her cheek. 

“But I thought Doctor Tenpenny was giving him medicine.” Her voice trembled. 

“She is, but it’s not going to heal him. All it’s doing is making sure he isn’t feeling as much pain as he was before.”

Tears welled in her eyes. As you looked into her little face, you saw her father so clearly in her features. In the shape of her nose and the quiver of her mouth as she tried to hold her tears back. “How is he going to get better then?”

You pulled her into you again, cradling her head against your chest. “Another doctor is coming to see him. He’s going to give Daddy a different kind of medicine that we hope will help him feel better.”

A few moments of silence before she spoke again. “I hope it works. I’m so scared, Mama.”

You saw no use in hiding your emotions from her. “Me too, baby. Me too.”

You held her there for a little while longer, until Amy emerged from her bedroom, followed by Max. Then, you parted from Arya and stood to have your children sit around the table while their grandmother made breakfast for them. 

You were eternally grateful to Cecilia for stepping in and helping you take care of the children. You knew there was no way you’d be able to do it without her. 

Although you longed to go upstairs and sit at Rhett’s bedside, you took a moment to spend time with your pups, because you knew how frightened they were. They needed their mother. 

You felt so torn. Part of your heart lay with Rhett in your bed. The other remained at the breakfast table with your kids. It was a very specific kind of pain that you could not describe with words. But your mind traveled back to the torment you had endured over seven years ago, at the hands of Patricia Tillerson. That was what you would liken it to. 

Cruel torture. 

The ache was incessant. And it only worsened as you kissed the top of each child’s head and finally made your way back upstairs. As expected, Rhett was in the same place that you’d left him. But this time, Doctor Tenpenny had news. 

“I just got a call from Klaus,” she said, and at that, you immediately perked up. “He’ll be here tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, thank god,” you whispered, placing your hand over your heart. 

Cautiously, she stepped toward you, placing her hand on your arm. “Listen to me. He might not have that much time. We’re already pushing our luck. You need to know that I only have enough ingredients left to make one more round of medicine. If we use it sparingly it will last us until tomorrow, but I don’t know how his body will react to lessening the dose. I don’t…I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep him alive.”

“All we can do is try,” you simply said. You felt so powerless. Hope was so close you could almost taste it, but Death hovered even closer, waiting to strike, prepared to steal your mate from you. 

Don’t take him from me. 

While Rose left to retrieve more ingredients from her clinic, you sat with Rhett, holding his hand in yours. You lovingly stroked your thumb over his knuckles, staring at the way your fingers wrapped around his hand. Your mind drifted to your wedding day, where you had stood in front of your pack, your hands in his much larger ones, pleasing your love and eternal loyalty to each other. 

It had been one of the most joyous days of your life. 

That day, you had made a blood oath to each other, which had joined yours and his packs together as one. But now, his blood was poisoned. 

What if he slipped away before Klaus could even get here? What if you had to hold him in your arms as the life left his body? The thought sent a terrible ache through your chest. 

“Please, just hold on a little longer.” You were so exhausted. So tired of begging him to stay with you. 

What if he wasn’t meant to stay with you? You couldn’t fathom a life without him, it didn’t make sense. But what if fate had its own plans, that involved taking him from you? What if your lot in life was to go on without him?

Could you truly do that? Could you walk around with only half of your soul? It seemed impossible. It seemed excruciating. But you had to prepare yourself for the very real possibility that he wasn’t going to survive. He was already on borrowed time. This medicine Rose was giving him could only do so much. 

Were you willing to give him permission to let go? Even though losing him would be torment, you also did not want him to suffer. You didn’t want him to struggle for every breath, you didn’t want him to have to fight constantly just to stay alive. 

A soft sob left your throat, and you leaned forward, lifting his hand in yours, resting your forehead upon it. You wanted to plead with him to stay. Wanted to cry, wanted to scream, wanted to destroy your surroundings. 

But instead, you spoke softly. “If…if you need to let go…” but you couldn’t get the words out. Couldn’t force them onto your tongue, because speaking them out loud made them reality. Your soft sobs grew in volume. “Oh, god. Rhett, I…I’m trying to be strong right now. I’m trying to be okay with letting you go, but I can’t! I feel like my soul is being ripped from my body. I’m losing you and I don’t know how to stop it!”

You were wailing at that point. Great, heaving cries. You were so tired. So fucking tired. The rollercoaster of emotions. The grief. The denial. The hope. The fear. You experienced all of it in the course of five minutes, and it was a never-ending cycle. You felt as if you were going insane. As if your grief would crush you beneath its weight. 

But your moment of despair was soon interrupted when Doctor Tenpenny returned. You managed to pull yourself together, drying your tears as she set to work preparing another round of medicine for Rhett. 

And so, the waiting game began. 

That day was one of the most agonizing days of your life. Time seemed to slow, minutes dragging into hours, as if someone had filled an hourglass with molasses. Periodically throughout the day, you went downstairs to eat meals and to be with your children. But as evening began to fall, Rhett took a turn for the worse. 

You were downstairs, helping Cecilia and Amy get the kids ready for bed, when Doctor Tenpenny came rushing down the stairs, her face grim. 

“I need you to come upstairs right now,” she said. 

Filled with trepidation, you followed her, your legs as heavy as lead. “Is he dying?” You managed to whisper. 

She didn’t answer, she simply kept going until she’d brought you to the bedroom. There, Rhett was still in the same place you had left him. “He’s burning up with fever,” she said. “It’s dangerously high. I’m trying to bring it down but with how quickly his temperature is rising…honey, I don’t know if he’s going to make it through the night.”

You thought more tears would come. You thought you would sink to your knees as the severity of your emotions overwhelmed you. But instead, you simply stood there, staring at him, unmoving. 

For the first time since this terrifying ordeal had begun, you felt numb. There were no tears left to cry. There were no wails of pain to be uttered. All you could do was slowly step forward and gingerly take a seat at his bedside. 

So this was it. This was the end, wasn’t it? You were faced with a decision. The most difficult one you’d ever make. “I’ll go gather up the kids. I want…I want him surrounded by love when he dies.”

As you descended the stairs again, you wondered if this was acceptance. How quickly you had gone from begging him to hold on, to now rounding up your little ones to say goodbye to him. 

You stepped into Arya’s room, where you found her huddled up in bed, her favorite stuffed animal clutched to her chest, still awake. When she saw you, she sat up, her face morphing into confusion. 

“Mama?”

“Baby, we’re going to spend the night upstairs with Daddy.” 

She perked up at that. “Is he all better now?”

Mournfully, you shook your head. “No. I just want us all to be around him tonight, okay? Now get your stuffy and your blanket. I’m going to go wake your brother and sisters.”

As you stepped out of the room, Amy caught you in the hall. “What’s going on?” She quietly asked, her face tight with concern.

You reached out, taking her hand in your own. “I don’t think he’s going to make it through the night. I’m getting the kids and we’re all going to sleep upstairs. I want…I want him to be surrounded by all of us. Want him to feel as much love as possible.”

Amy’s eyes welled with tears, and she lifted her hand to cover her mouth. “No,” she whispered.

You pulled her toward you, wrapping your arms around her. “Go get Cecilia. I want both of you up there too.”

You embraced for a long moment, soon releasing her so you could continue rousing your little ones from their beds. Soon, with your smallest one, Zoella, gathered safely in your arms, and Arya, Max, and Leia all trailing after you, you made your way back upstairs. 

You felt like you were not of your body. As if you had detached from yourself, and were watching the scene unfold before you from the outside looking in. You saw yourself guiding your children toward the bed. You saw yourself spreading blankets on the floor for them to sleep on. You saw yourself kissing the tops of their heads and telling them to hug their father goodnight. 

You weren’t the only one experiencing an out-of-body sensation. While Rhett lay perfectly still on the bed, he found himself standing in the corner of the room, watching as you got the pups settled. A cold hand rested on his shoulder, and he turned his head to find he was staring into the haunting gray eyes of Death. 

“It’s time,” she whispered. 

His gaze shifted back to his family. His mate. His pups. His mother. His niece. The ones he loved most in this world. The ones he could not bring himself to leave behind. “No,” he breathed. “No, I’ve still got lots of life left to live. I have a new little’n to meet. I have a family to raise. You’re not takin’ me yet.”

Death laughed, though it was a grating sound that reverberated through his head. “You think you have a say here, Abbott? You have no ground to stand on. When I say it is time, then it is time. I’ve come to take what’s owed me.”

Rhett shrugged her hand off of his shoulder, stepping away from her. “No, you’re not fuckin’ taking me! It’s not my time yet!” He exclaimed.

She only smiled, shaking her head, long dark hair swirling about her shoulders. “You’re a foolish one, aren’t you? This is fate, Rhett Abbott. You belong to me now.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, he shook his head. “Give me until sunrise, please. As soon as the sun starts peekin’ over that horizon, I’m yours, fair and square.”

For a moment, Death seemed to consider this. Then, “Fine. You have until sunrise. No later.”

And then she was gone, leaving Rhett standing alone in the corner, watching helplessly as his family surrounded him, certain he was going to slip away. He had no idea if he was going to survive this. How could he? Even now, outside of his body, he could feel how weak he was. The wolfsbane had sucked all the energy out of him, rendering his body weak and frail. 

Could he truly fight this? Could he defy Death? For his family’s sake, he hoped so. He didn’t want to leave his babies. They still needed him. And he had yet to meet the little pup you carried within your belly. Another boy, he knew because of the way your scent had changed. It was the same as when you’d been carrying Max. 

He wanted to be there when that little one was born. But now, as he watched on, he realized that mortality truly was catching up to him, and he might not get a chance to continue the life he’d built with you. Was it really all for naught? Finding his mate, starting a family, achieving alpha status, all for it to come to an end in such a short time?

You had no idea that he was watching you. No idea that he was battling Death in the corner while you stood at his bedside, trying to be strong for your children. You had just gotten them settled in, after making up little sleeping spots on the floor for each of them, with Cecilia’s help. 

You tucked each child in, and then, you took a seat on the bed, beside Rhett. Amy and Cecilia sat at the end, wanting to be close by. Doctor Tenpenny graciously excused herself to head back downstairs to her sleeping spot on the couch, allowing your family this private moment, informing you to call for her if he got worse. 

After she left, Amy could no longer contain her emotions. Quietly, she began to weep, her shoulders shaking as she cried over the man who, essentially, was her father. Her grandmother pulled her in close, cradling the young woman to her chest. 

“Shh,” she soothed, rocking slightly from side to side as her hand came up to rest against the back of Amy’s head.

Of your children, it was Max who rose from his bed, driven by his tender heart. He wrapped his arms around Amy, and the sight brought your previously vacant tears back to the surface again. Arya followed her brother, and Leia, not wanting to be left out, joined both siblings as they crowded around Amy and Cecilia. Both women moved to hug the children, creating a little huddle at the end of the bed. The somber atmosphere had rendered everyone silent. But no words were needed. 

You did not move from Rhett’s side. Instead, you took his hand in your own, squeezing it gently, all while you cuddled a sleepy Zoella to your chest. Here, you had two of your greatest loves in your arms. One so full of life, and the other barely holding onto it. 

It felt as if your heart was being torn in two. You supposed that feeling would never go away.

But it was eased a little by the presence of your children. That night, instead of sleeping on the makeshift beds you’d set up on the floor for them, they all crowded into the bed. You didn’t turn them away, because you realized how much you needed them. Those four babies were your only comfort during the most difficult moment of your life. 

As they all drifted off, you remained awake. The room was blanketed by a moment of peace, with each child sound asleep, and Amy and Cecilia asleep on air mattresses on the floor. In those midnight hours, you huddled against Rhett’s side, hyper aware of every breath he took. You were waiting. Waiting to hear his breathing grow shallow. Waiting to hear his heart slow to a stop.

You listened for hours, so terrified that he was going to pass, and you would miss it. 

But sometime during the night, your body succumbed to your exhaustion. You slipped into a restless slumber, still partially aware of your surroundings. And then, in a dreamlike state, you saw something. 

A woman, standing at Rhett’s bedside, caressing his face. Your body went cold as you sat upright. Her gaze flickered to you, and she smiled. A haunting smile that made your heart sink. Her cold, gray eyes seemed to peer straight into your soul. She was beautiful, in an unsettling way. And you already knew who she was. 

“Get away from him,” you commanded. 

She sighed. “My dear, the sun will rise in just a few short hours, and he will be mine.”

“No, you can’t have him,” came your snarl. 

“You think you have any say in the matter?” Her fingers traced over his mouth. “I will kiss his sweet lips and drink his life force.”

“No! Get away! Get away, get away, get away!” You were shouting, flashing your golden irises, as if you could threaten Death herself. It didn’t work that way. You had no power over her. No leverage. She did what she wished and answered to no one. 

But then, all of a sudden, you heard the sound of knocking. Faint at first, but it soon grew so much louder. Death disappeared into the shadows, and you came to full consciousness as you gasped. 

Someone was at the door. 

Your heart seized in your chest as you hurriedly lept from the bed, startling the entire room awake in your haste. But you kept going, scrambling down the stairs as fast as you could. Doctor Tenpenny had reached the door already, and she did not wait for you to join her. She pulled it open to reveal Malakai on your doorstep, and there was someone behind him. Someone you didn’t know.

“He tells me he’s here for Rhett,” your uncle spoke.

He stepped aside, and you knew this stranger was the one who held the antidote that could save your mate’s life. Doctor Klaus Forrester. Highly skilled in lycanthropic medicine. 

“Klaus!” Rose exclaimed, reaching out to grab his arm. “Come! Come! We haven’t much time.”

He jumped into action, pushing past Malakai as he strode into the house. “What are we working with, Rose?” He asked as he followed her to the stairs. 

“He’s not well. I’ve given him an herbal paste to slow the spread of the poison, but it can only do so much. He’s burning up with fever. It’s been touch and go all night.”

Once the three of you made it to the bedroom, Klaus turned to you. “You. You’re his mate?”

“Yes,” you answered, voice thick with emotion.

The doctor nodded before he glanced about the room at the sleepy, frightened children. “The pups must go,” he continued, “they cannot be present while I’m working.”

“But–”

“Young wolf, I assure you, you do not want them to see what it about to happen. This antidote is vicious in the way that it attacks the poison in his blood. I do not know how he will respond to treatment. So please, get your children out of the room until it is over.”

Cecilia and Amy were already awake. Had been from the moment they’d heard the pounding on the door. They shared a look, and in seconds, they both sprang into action, gathering your pups, even as they expressed fear. 

“Mama, what’s happening?” Arya tearfully asked, running to you, pressing herself to your side. 

You knelt so that you were eye level with her. “Go with Grandma and Amy, okay? We’re going to try to help Daddy feel better. You can come back up when it’s over, understood?” You cupped her face lovingly, thumb stroking her cheek.

Bottom lip quivering, she nodded. “O-okay.” 

And with that, all four children were ushered down the steps. That left you, both doctors, and Malakai, who had just joined all of you in the bedroom. Anxiety roiled in your gut, and your hands trembled as you stepped forward, watching Klaus as he set his supplies out on the end of the bed. 

“How long has it been since he was poisoned?” He asked. 

“Three days,” Rose answered.

He shook his head, his brow raising. “He might be too far gone.” Then he turned to you, his face somber. “I will do what I can, but I cannot promise that this will work. It is very difficult to come by the ingredients for this antidote, and this is the last vial I have. If it does not work, there is no way to save him. With how long the poison has been in his system, it is going to be extremely challenging for the antidote to fight it.”

It sounded like you were damned either way. “I’m already losing him. Just get it over with,” you responded, defeated, broken, destroyed.

Doctor Forrester nodded. “Very well.” Then he turned to Malakai. “You. I will need your help to hold him down if his body physically reacts. This process is going to be very painful for him and the body will not respond well at first.”

Malakai stepped forward to assist the doctor. Silently, you moved to stand at Rhett’s bedside, gazing down at him, so peaceful in this state. It would only last for so long. 

Klaus set to work preparing the antidote, and you watched as he dipped a large syringe into a vial, filling the chamber of the syringe with the liquid inside. You were silent and unmoving, so terrified of what was to come. Malakai squeezed your shoulder. It did little to comfort your crumbling heart. 

Klaus spoke instructions to Rose, and she worked alongside him with the practiced ease of an old partner. They had worked together before. They were a team. But could they save your Rhett? Could they bring him back to you?

Klaus prepared a spot on Rhett’s arm for the needle to be inserted, disinfecting the area before he tapped on the syringe to release any air bubbles. Then, he began to carefully insert the needle into Rhett’s vein. On a silent count, he pressed down on the plunger, effectively releasing the antidote into his bloodstream. 

And just like that, it was done. The last of the wolfsbane antidote was now flowing through Rhett’s veins. All that was left to do was wait and pray that it would work. For a few minutes, nothing happened. Rhett remained still. The room was heavy with silence. 

And then, a sharp intake of breath.

You froze. 

Another gasp. Then another. You watched in surprise as Rhett’s chest heaved. His face began to contort into an expression of pain. He groaned softly, and then a little louder. Klaus knew what was happening. “It’s entering his system,” he said. Then he looked at you. “If this works, this is going to bring him to the brink of death as it purges the poison.”

You nodded, unable to speak. Your gaze flickered from the doctor to Rhett, as he took another great, heaving gasp. He shifted against the bed, and then, his sounds of pain grew louder. Sweat had begun to form on his brow. His limbs shook. His breathing grew labored. 

“Come on, Rhett. Come on,” you found yourself whispering. 

His body jolted. He growled, and his hands curled into fists. You gasped as he began to writhe. His muscles tensed, and his jaw clenched, so hard you feared he might break his teeth. His head turned from side to side against the pillow. Again, he growled, but this time, he sounded like a wounded animal, crying out in the forest as its leg was captured in the vicious jaws of a steel trap.

It was pitiful, and it sent a new wave of tears welling in your eyes. He grew louder still, and he began to thrash, fighting against the terrible agony that plagued him. “Hold him down,” Klaus spoke.

Hesitantly, Malakai moved to place his hands against Rhett’s shoulders, holding him in place. And that’s when Rhett seemed to come to a slight state of consciousness. You covered your mouth with your hand, shaking your head as you stepped back. You wanted to look away. You wanted to cover your ears. But you remained frozen in place, unable to move, unable to do anything else but watch as the love of your life seized in pain.

And then the cries started.

He let out a harrowing wail, so deep and raw that it nearly brought you to your knees. You could feel it then. Every last bit of his pain, coursing through you as if you were the one lying in that bed experiencing it firsthand. He cried, he howled, he fought and thrashed and clawed and scratched.

His claws tore the sheets to shreds, and left bloodied scratches down Malakai’s forearms. But the older wolf did not flinch. He held Rhett in place with all his strength, even as he fought with all his might to escape it. 

The sounds of torment would not stop. They filled your ears and reverberated through your skull. Your body vibrated, filled with an unspeakable agony. And you cried. You lifted your hands to your ears, and you shouted, “MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!” 

But it didn’t stop. And you found yourself sinking to your knees, sobbing, shaking your head as you tried to drown out your husband’s screams. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. No more, no more, no more. 

All you could see was white flooding your vision, blinding you, searing through you like fire. You bowed in on yourself, curling into a fetal position, all while Rose Tenpenny rushed to your side, wrapping her arms around you as you wept brokenly. 

And then, suddenly, you were not of your own body again. You were standing outside of yourself, watching the scene unfold. You stood at the end of the bed, and you saw her then. Death, hovering over Rhett, her hands wrapped around his throat, strangling him.

“NO!” You yelled at the top of your lungs.

“It’s time, wolf! The sun is rising!” She exclaimed.

Rhett clamped his hand around her forearm, fighting with all his might to remove her hands from his throat. He shook from exertion, his face red, his brow furrowed in determination. You surged forward, wrapping your arms around Death’s narrow waist, pulling at her with every ounce of strength you could muster. 

“LET HIM GO!” 

She leaned in, her mouth hovering over his own, and there, Rhett stared into her eyes. Cold and gray and dead. “You’re mine, Rhett Abbott.” 

You couldn’t pull her away from him. Couldn’t stop her. Couldn’t save him.

To your horror, Death brought her lips down to rest upon his, kissing him deeply. But something was wrong. In a strange twist of fate, Death pulled back, confusion written on her face. And that’s when she saw it. Rhett’s eyes were glowing red as fiery embers, clear and bright. 

He snarled. “Not this time, bitch.” 

Death let out a sickening gasp, just before Rhett reached up and slashed his claws against her throat. She dissolved into a cloud of sparkling black dust, and your arms, which had been wrapped around her, were empty. 

Your head snapped up, and you looked into Rhett’s face. You tried to speak to him, but in an instant, the scene faded, and you sat up with a gasp, returning to the reality of the moment. Doctor Tenpenny was still hovering over you, a careful hand placed upon your shoulder. It was as if nothing had changed. Except now, the room was quiet. No more cries of pain. 

You sat up, looking up at the woman above you. Against her cautioning, you suddenly scrambled to your feet, gripping the end of the bedframe to pull yourself upright. Confusion struck you as you realized Rhett still appeared to be unresponsive, his body still against the bed.

The only inclinations that he’d just fought for his very life were the shredded sheets and the healing claw marks on Malakai’s arms. And then Rose’s arm was around your shoulders. “You need to rest for a minute,” she told you, concerned. She had just seen you collapse. She worried for your well-being, and for the well-being of the pup you carried. 

But you? You thought of nothing but Rhett. “Is he…is he okay?” You asked, as Rose guided you to the bed, urging you to take a seat. You did, climbing in beside Rhett, your gaze never leaving his form.

Doctor Forrester was checking Rhett’s pulse. He didn’t answer you right away, and it spiked your anxiety. “Doctor? He’s okay, right?” You repeated yourself. 

He finally looked at you. “I can tell you that the worst is behind him. But he’s still not out of the woods yet. He needs at least twenty-four hours to recover. I won’t know for sure that the antidote did its job until he wakes up and I can give him a thorough examination.”

So it wasn’t over yet? You still had to worry about whether he’d survive or not. The thought sent you collapsing against the bed, curling against his side. 

“Everyone, leave,” you said. 

“I don’t know that—” Rose began, but you cut her off. 

“Leave. I want to be alone with my husband.”

No one argued. Klaus, Rose, and Malakai quietly excused themselves from your presence, and as soon as they were gone, you buried your face against Rhett’s neck, and you wept. 

What you had just experienced was the most harrowing event of your life. Paramount even to the suffering you had been subjected to when you were taken by the Tillersons. 

You had just witnessed your mate nearly lose his life, you had felt every last bit of pain he did, and you watched him fight Death with his bare hands. All of that, and you still had no idea if he was going to survive or not. 

You had no words left to speak. All you could do was continue to cry. And you did so until you were overwhelmed with utter exhaustion. You succumbed to sleep, allowing your weariness to wash over you in waves. 

You had no idea how long you slept. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. But you were dead to the world, entirely unaware of what was going on outside of this bedroom. 

You were so deep in the throes of slumber that you did not notice the warm, familiar hand sliding up your arm. Nor did you hear the intake of breath in your ear. 

In fact, you were sleeping so heavily that you did not hear these two simple words. “Little wolf.”

They were echoing somewhere. From a far-off place, traveling faintly through the air as a fond smile tugged at your mouth. You knew that voice. It was so comforting and kind. It greeted you every morning, and sang softly to you every night. 

You tried to focus on the voice. Tried to hold onto it and not let go. Again it spoke. Deep and rumbling. Permeating your dreams. Summoning you to consciousness. 

You woke with a gasp, scrambling to sit upright. You hadn’t been dreaming it, had you? You turned abruptly, eyes falling upon the man beside you. Staring back at you were those beautiful blues that you loved so much. 

“Oh my god,” you whispered, your hand coming up to cover your mouth. “You’re…you’re really here?”

His mouth curled into the softest of smiles, and he moved to sit upright, leaning closer to you. “I’m here,”

You melted into a fit of sobs, but this time, they were joyous. Surging forward, you collided with him, throwing your arms around his neck as his own arms came up to encircle your waist. 

He held you as you wept, your body trembling in his arms from the force of your emotion. “Y-you’re alive. You’re alive. You’re alive,” you repeated in disbelief. 

Rhett squeezed his eyes shut, nuzzling closer to you. Tears began to trail their own way down his cheeks. The last several hours had been amongst the most difficult hours of his life. He felt as if he had just fought in battle. And he had. A battle between Life and Death. 

Life had won. 

And now here he was, holding his mate in his arms. Your cries broke his heart. He hated that you had been put through all of this. But he was grateful that he could be here, now, to comfort you. 

You pulled back to look into his face, your shaking hands coming up to cup his cheeks. Your thumbs dried his tears. “I thought…I thought I was going to lose you,” you whimpered. 

“I’m here now, and I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he whispered with conviction. 

Again, you wrapped your arms around him, squeezing him tight, as if you were afraid he’d float away if you let go. But he was right. He wasn’t going anywhere. He was here in your arms, and he was alive. All the agony, the fighting, the fear. It was behind you now. 

It was replaced by an all-consuming warmth, flowing through you like a comforting hug. An unspeakable sense of relief and peace. The storm had passed. The sun had broken through the clouds.

Your mate was alive. It was time to rejoice. 

Tears still trailing down your cheeks, you pulled back to look into Rhett’s face. His beautiful, kind face. With his stubble-shaded jaw and his button nose and his big, round cerulean eyes that crinkled around the edges when he smiled. 

You traced your fingers over his cheeks, which dimpled when he grinned. You circled your thumb over his lips, the ones that always kissed you so lovingly. You memorized the shape and feel of his face beneath your hands, so relieved that he was here, and he was real, and he was alive. 

“I love you,” you whispered, voice trembling. “I love you so much.”

Bottom lip quivering, he hummed. “I love you too, little wolf. More than anythin’.” He placed his hand gently upon your rounded belly, where his pup safely lay. 

You embraced again, crying softly as you held him close. “I was so scared,” you whimpered. 

He let out a shuddering breath. “So was I,” he admitted. “Was fuckin’ terrified.”

Again, you leaned back to look into his face. “Thank you for fighting,” came your whisper. “For coming back to us.”

“I’ll always fight like hell for you. Our story ain’t over yet, little wolf. We still got more to write.”

You smiled despite yourself, wiping at your tears. “I should…I should go get the doctor. Have him make sure you’re okay. He used the last of his wolfsbane antidote to save you.”

Rhett shook his head in disbelief. “I’ve gotta thank him,” he said. 

You leaned in and kissed him once more. “I’ll go get him.”

Your peaceful reunion came to an end as, reluctantly, you slipped out of his arms, climbing out of bed and making your way toward the steps. 

You were quick to descend them, making your way downstairs where you found both doctors sitting at the kitchen table, alongside Cecilia and Malakai. Cups of coffee were in front of them all. Nobody was speaking. They all wore somber expressions. 

But then, hope. 

“Rhett’s awake,” you called out. 

Cecilia’s head snapped up, and her eyes widened as she immediately stood. “He is?”

“He’s awake and he’s talking.”

Klaus rose from his seat. “I’ll check on him,” he announced, already making a beeline for the steps. You trailed after, interested in what he would say when he examined Rhett. 

In the bedroom, he found Rhett sitting upright in bed. “Hi there, Rhett. I’m Doctor Klaus Forrester.” And then, “you gave us quite the scare there, you know that?”

Rhett nodded, letting out a breath. “I know,” he murmured. 

“You, my friend, are lucky to be alive. Quite frankly, I’d consider it a miracle. With how long that poison had been in your system, it’s a wonder the antidote was even able to work. You’re a testament to true resilience.”

Rhett smiled softly. “I had a lot to fight for,” came his reply, as his gaze shifted to you, fondness shining in his eyes. 

Klaus turned to glance back at you, and he hummed lowly in agreement. “You did.” Then, his attention shifted back to Rhett. 

You moved to sit at the edge of the bed, watching as the doctor began to check Rhett over. He checked his blood pressure, his pulse, his breathing. Silently, you prayed that everything would be okay. That his health was restored and he was on the road to recovery. 

As he was working, Doctor Tenpenny joined the three of you, and she gently coaxed you into letting her check on you, too. “Your poor body has been through a lot these last few days. Let’s just make sure everything is all good, and that baby is healthy.”

You settled into the bed, right beside Rhett, as Rose checked yours and your baby’s vitals. Much to your relief, everything was perfectly fine, however, she did note your elevated heart rate, and told you to spend the next few days resting after the harrowing things you had experienced.

Knowing it was all over was such a strange feeling. Rhett had gone through the valley of the shadow of death, and you had walked through it alongside him. In the midst, it felt as if you would never make it out to the other side. And yet, here you were, both very much alive. However, not unscathed. The trauma you had experienced during these last few days would stick with you for the rest of your lives. But you would be that much stronger together because of it.

“Well, it looks like you’re going to make a full recovery, Rhett,” Klaus announced, after he’d finished his examination. “I advise you to take it easy for at least a week, until you get your strength back. It’s going to take you a lot longer to fully heal, since you were so close to dying.”

“Thank you,” Rhett said. “Really. I’m grateful. You saved my life, doc. Gave me more time with my family.”

Klaus shook his head. “All I did was inject you with an antidote. Your body did the rest. You’re one determined son of a bitch. Excusin’ my French,” he said with a wry smile.

Rhett returned the smile. “I put Death in her place,” he said. He reached over and squeezed your hand. You squeezed right back. 

“What do we owe you for the antidote?” You asked. 

The doctor shook his head, waving his hand. “Nothing. Considering the circumstances, I don’t want anything for it. Just save your money to take care of your family.”

“Are you sure? You said it’s the last of your antidote. Don’t you need more funding to make more?” You continued.

“Don’t you worry about that. I’m happy to do this service for you. Knowing your pups still have their daddy is compensation enough.”

Your eyes welled with tears, and you were overcome with emotion at his kindness. “Thank you,” you whispered. You looked at Rose. The doctor who you had known your whole life. The one who had delivered each of your children. “And thank you. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

And it was true. Rhett would be dead if Rose hadn’t been there. She was the reason he’d been able to get the antidote in the first place. You were eternally grateful to her for calling Klaus for help. 

“I think our work here is done,” she spoke up, glancing at Klaus. “I’m sure the two of you would like to enjoy your reunion in peace.”

You shot her a smile. “Thank you, again.” And then, “would you tell Cecilia and Amy to come up here? They need to see him too.”

And with that, the two doctors responsible for saving your husband’s life bid you their farewell, and left the room. Moments later, your mother-in-law and niece came rushing upstairs, eager to see Rhett healthy and whole again.

When Cecilia saw him, she immediately rushed forward. “Rhett!” Her arms were thrown around his neck, and for the first time since he was a small child, she cradled her boy in her arms, rocking side to side as she cried, whispering silent praises to God for sparing his life. 

Your gaze flickered to Amy, who remained at the top of the stairs, her eyes glimmering with tears in her eyes. As Cecilia slowly pulled away from Rhett, he looked over her shoulder, and he saw what you were looking at. 

Reaching his arm out, he motioned Amy forward, and in an instant, she crumpled into a fit of sobs, rushing forward and falling into his arms, trembling with the force of her emotions. “I thought you were going to die!” She wailed.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, soothing her. “Shhh. It’s okay. I’m okay.”

The three of you surrounded him, huddled in close, just relishing in this moment of utter relief. Rhett felt so loved, so cherished. After the suffering he had endured, the tenderness he was now experiencing at the hands of the three most important women in his life was something he savored.

But all too soon, the reunion was interrupted by Malakai. However, his presence was welcome. In a sign of deep reverence and respect for his alpha, he knelt at the side of the bed and bowed his head before he looked up at Rhett. “I cannot tell you how good it is to see you alive,” he confessed. 

“It’s good to be alive, Malakai,” Rhett replied with earnest.

Malakai slowly rose to his feet. “I wanted to ask your blessing to tell the other pack members that you’re alive. Everyone has been waiting anxiously to hear how you’re doing.”

“Go on. Tell ‘em I’m alive and not goin’ anywhere anytime soon,” Rhett said. And then, “What about Kane and his wolves?”

The older wolf’s face turned grim. “He’s dead. We defeated most of his wolves, but a few of them are still out there. We’ve been keeping watch the last few days, but I have a feeling they won’t be back.”

“And were there any casualties?”

“I’m afraid so. You weren’t in the position to make any decisions, so I had to ask your wife here if I could hold vigils to honor our fallen wolves.”

Rhett sighed softly before he reached out to grasp your hand, giving it a squeeze. “Tell the families to come see me in a few days. I want to talk to all of them personally,” he said. His tone was serious, and his eyes were sad. The thought of losing pack members broke his heart. 

“I will,” Malakai promised. 

“Thank you.”

“Anything else you need, you let me know, alright? Wanna do what I can to take care of my alpha.”

Not wanting to encroach further, Malakai quietly excused himself, allowing your family privacy again. But there were still four small pups that had yet to see that their father was okay. Cecilia volunteered to go get them, excitedly rushing downstairs to bring them to him.

You and Rhett waited with bated breath, and a few minutes later, you could hear their whispered chattering as they all came up the stairs, with Cecilia holding Zoella in her arms. Arya and Max were the ones who reached the top of the stairs first. 

You would never forget the looks on their precious little faces when they saw Rhett alive and well. It was like Christmas morning. “DADDY!” They shrieked, and within seconds, they were swarming the bed, and the room was filled with joyful giggles once again. A distinct contrast to the fearful cries they had once uttered as they witnessed their father upon his deathbed. 

As Rhett welcomed his little ones into his arms, cradling them close, he wept, for he could not contain his joy. He was crowded, surrounded by little hands, grabbing at him, hugging him, and tears ran down his cheeks. 

“Daddy’s here, little pups,” he breathed. “I’m here.”

The moment was amongst the most precious he had ever experienced, save for the day each child was born, of course. Life was as it should be again. The pain and suffering of the last few days had passed, replaced with a moment of healing and peace. 

“We’re gonna be okay,” he assured you, as you snuggled in close, joining the sweet embrace. 

Rhett held his children close for what felt like hours after that. None of them wanted to be apart from him, and that was okay with him, because he did not want to let go. It broke his heart that they had to experience such a traumatic instance, inadvertently caused by him. But what mattered most was that he was still here, with his babies. He could hold them and kiss them and tell them how much he loved them. 

And then there was you. His light. His love. His mate. The best thing that had ever happened to him. As the pups snuggled around you both, he reached out, cupping your cheek. “I love you, little wolf,” he confessed. 

You leaned into his touch. “And I love you.”

For the next few days, every available moment was spent in that bed, all together as a family. Respectfully, Amy and Cecilia allowed you to share that time without their presence, even though you assured them they were more than welcome. They wanted to give you and your children space as you all recovered from what you had endured. 

Lazy snow days were spent watching old Christmas movies, huddled together beneath blankets, never far from Rhett. The time spent together was therapeutic. You allowed your children to sleep in the room for the next few nights, knowing they needed to feel that security.

But time began to pass, as it always did. Life slowly began to return to normal. Rhett’s strength improved, and his body healed. He was able to assume his duties as alpha over his pack again. But this time, he had a renewed zeal about him. A new appreciation for life and its sanctity. 

He never took a moment for granted. 

–

As the months passed, and winter began to melt into spring, something happened. 

A new life joined your pack. Magnus Alexander Abbott was coincidentally born beneath the light of the full moon, in an unexpected turn of events. Rhett was the one who helped you bring the child into the world, catching Magnus in his arms as he made his grand entrance.

Together, you wept for joy as Rhett placed the little one on your chest. To think, you had almost lost him. But now here he was, having just delivered your second son, his eyes shining with tears of disbelief. 

He thanked the heavens for allowing him to take part in this sacred moment. For allowing him to live. He held you in his arms as the two of you experienced your son’s first moments earthside, and Rhett knew he wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world. 

He had gone through hell to get here. And so had you. But in the end, you had both survived. He knew, in that very moment, that as long as you had each other, you could face anything that came your way. Even Death itself. 

And that following morning, as you introduced your children to the new little one you had just brought into the world, Rhett gazed at you with love burning brightly in his heart, and he knew that everything was going to be alright. 

You would be faced with trials along the way. Life would never be perfect. But that was okay, because, in the end, you would always have one another. Your bond as mates would never die. And neither would your love for each other. 

Fin.

-

taglist:

@bradshawsbitch @laracrofted @sebsxphia @milesmillergf @rhettabbotts @hangmanapologist @withahappyrefrain @damrlova @just-in-case-iloveyou @theliterarybeldam @nobody7102 @agentorange9595 @powerlvr25 @mygyn @yanna-banana @whisperofsong @kmc1989 @peachystenbrough @callsign-magnolia @briseisgone @up-thereinthesky @attapullman @auroralightsthesky @bcarolinablr @ryebecca @ohtobeleah @floydsmuse @blindedbythelightt @combat-sixty-three

[solplease]

i've been very excited to post this but here are my ocs haha!! meet lune, cecilia, nox, and aster!

close ups, more info, and a more detailed relationship chart under the cut! this is gonna be a long post haha. there's also some more info about rowan!

cecilia's twin (he's the older twin) ((by two minutes. lol))

the type to go “here to here, i’ll buy it all”

he's got a temper

possessive, devoted, and jealous yandere

people think he's a tad bit insane (and he's self aware mostly,,)

gets into fights often

“want me to kill that guy for you?” (he’s serious btw)

he’s not nice lmao, but to you he is (in his own special way of course..!)

kind of like a cat who will proudly leave dead rats and leaves on your doorstep as a gift bc it thinks you can’t hunt for yourself

hates nox LMFAO

difficult to approach at first but once you get close he won’t ever let you go.

extroverted

LOUD. someone shut him up, this mf does NOT stop yapping bro

annoying as hell and he doesn’t know that lmao

if he absolutely has to, he’ll behave. but it's... odd

constantly needs to be doing something or he’ll get bored lol

has a bit of a sweet tooth (typical)

Bastard (not literally)

played the piano when he was younger with his sister, but he hated playing it

bad terms with his family except for cecilia

huge rebellious streak

shockingly will not kidnap you! everyone already knows you’re his, and he’s yours. and he won’t let anyone get in between you two. yay..!

hates it when you don’t pay attention to him (will absolutely start sulking too)

he’s impulsive but he’s not completely reckless

you probs shouldn’t trust him too much though he has good (????) intentions lol

seems silly (debatable really) but he’s dangerous.

half of the things he says sound like jokes but trust me, he means it. he’d do anything and everything for you, don’t forget!

shockingly pouty and whiny, only in front of you though

him and cecilia have matching bracelets from when they were younger which they both wear to this day

he’s oblivious as fuck, and an idiot

lune's twin (she's younger)

normal (somewhat) ((not really))

sweet and friendly

really likes giving gifts to people she cares about

jumps to conclusion and freaks out easily, but she’s subtle about it

constantly stressed (lune is her brother, so… i get it)

introverted (runs on a social battery)

says things without thinking sometimes

people pleaser

awkward as hell tbh, but it’s really not obvious because she’s good at putting on a front 

kinda has the ”””””princely””””” persona (i didnt know how to describe that better lmao

has abandonment issues

girlfail tbh

hardworking

shes really protective of her loved ones

likes cute things

has issues with her family but still talks to them (lune does NOT)

on really good terms with lune, they’re very close (even though he’s a huge troublemaker that stresses the shit out of her) ((if he fucks around too much she’ll give him a good smack))

packs a good punch

SENSITIVE…

potential yandere? still not too sure if i’ll make her a fully fledged yan but she def has some of the traits lol

her and lune have matching bracelets from when they were younger! (she wears it everyday!)

she doesn’t mean to put on a front it just kinda happens automatically lmao

could kill someone... probably wouldnt tho

used to play the piano with lune, she still plays it now too (as a hobby)

cunning and annoying

def the type to kidnap you

oddly sweet (???)

but also ominous as hell

docile with the one he loves

isolating and manipulative yandere

dislikes lune

nice but you can tell he’s putting up a wall (with strangers and friends)

introverted

wouldn’t put stalking past him tbh

he’s the type that wants to know everything about you.

he has a tough time interacting with others. he feels awkward in social situations

the type to go to a party and spend the whole time petting the cat in the corner (he would not go to the party in the first place tho lmao)

he’s not misunderstood tho, he just can’t socialize and doesn’t really want to

grabs the end of your shirt in an awkward situation (its kinda cute)

takes time to open up, but when he falls for you, his love is so strong, it’s almost overwhelming. so just accept him, alright?

shittiest sleep schedule known to man, like srsly, what is bro doing

this man’s brain probs short circuits every 5 minutes LMFAO go to bed you idiot

really good with his words, very convincing

loves cats

hidden piercings

careful and patient

is really good at taking care of others (but he would only wanna take care of you) you’ll let him, won’t you?

startles easily lol

elf oc

ditzy and kind (to you)

bit of a mean streak (not to you!) 

wants to appear princely in front of you

kinda stupid (a farce but not completely lol)

has a bit of a temper, but nothing too bad

clingy and cunning yandere

two faced

struggles with empathy (he tries, he’s not human, what’s he supposed to do!)

extroverted (?)

he’s really lonely

when he met you for the first time he was absolutely fascinated as he’s never interacted with a human being before!

BLUNT. he’s not used to convos… just give him some time!

at first it was simple curiosity, but that curiosity turned into something… deeper

he was completely alone before this, but now you’re here, and you’re going to stay, right? 

is obsessed with the idea of you staying here with him forever, so why do you keep talking about going home? can’t you stay here? 

but then you bring up the idea of him coming with you, well why didn’t you say that earlier! he's happy to come with you

It takes him some time to grasp certain concepts so please be patient with him, he’s not used to humans

he’s paranoid and hostile to other humans. it’s not fair, he wants all of your attention, so why is everyone trying to take you from him? he doesn’t like that everyone is getting in his way… 

he’s terrified of bugs. will scream incredibly loudly if he sees one lol

he pulled you through a mirror, that’s how you ended up in his land

so if you wanna go back, just ask and he’ll take you! 

gives you jewelry, expensive jewelry. (maybe he’s slipped on a ring before. haha. jk… unless..?)

prefers to stay inside your place because he really doesn’t like people who aren’t you lmao

don’t stray too far from him, okay? he’s always waiting for you

rowan (who i don't have a new drawing of rn </3 sorry!):

he absolutely hates not being a priority, so please don’t ignore him. please? he just wants you to love him.

clingy, devoted, and obsessive yandere

if you don’t reciprocate he might (unknowingly) try to guilt you into liking him back. will appear like a kicked puppy to really sell it (but it’s not an act lol he’s just like this)

at least his intentions are pure! (?????????) but is that better..?

if when (it will happen) you two end up together, he’ll give you the world if you’d asked for it

used to cut his own hair! :D (not great at it tho tbh)

very attentive and will work hard to keep you happy! just don’t forget that you’ll love only each other for the rest of your life. please don’t leave.

has tripped over nothing, will definitely happen again

here's the shitty relationship chart that i rushed </3 its very ugly im sorry HAHA

i really want to clarify that NONE of them will ever hurt you physically on purpose (they might have to pay up for emotional damages tho. they have your best interest in mind ig)

also i would say that they all share some traits like being clingy, devoted, possessive, obsessive, jealous, protective, and loyal. but if i specifically wrote it, it's probs just a bit more intense... just a bit,,, haha...

[lmkobsessedmoth]

LGBTQ hot line

Welcome to the woods of the moth man. This post shall be an introduction ish thing for new people and for people who need a refresher (please note I’ll be adding more to this post as time goes on and I reveal more about my au and introduce new characters)

🌙About me💫

Hi I’m Loyd/the moth man

I’m a nonbinary trans man (pronouns they/him) and I would appreciate that you use my preferred pronouns when talking to me

I love answering questions so don’t be afraid to send me asks (unless you’re going to ask me something invasive or to draw your oc) 

I love interacting with people and answering their questions but please do not message me without my permission. I have social anxiety so I would appreciate it if you sent your messages to my ask box

I’m not in a lot of fandoms but I do like monkey kid, arcane, murder drones, fnaf, gacha life/club and avatar the last air bender

Here’s what my sona looks like (I haven’t drawn a full reference for them yet)

About my art

I’m an artist and storyteller who loves to share ideas and random scenarios through their artwork

I’ve been drawing for almost 5 years and have been an lmk fan artist for half of that time which my style makes obvious 

The only social media I post my art on is tumblr and discord (I use it post my art and twitter and koo but I stopped for a few reasons). If you see my art on any other platforms please report the account as that’s not me 

I do requests but only regarding the lmk show and my fan au. Please do not ask me to draw your ocs as I can’t do that with how my mind works

If you want to make fan art of my oc’s or au that is completely fine just credit and ping me, I would love to see it

I do not do art trades so don’t ask me about those

Do not trace or repost my art on other platforms. I’ve spent years working on my art skills and would rather people see my art through reblogs and links to my posts rather then someone taking my work and putting it on their social media with credit or not 

People who I don’t want to interact with (tw, mention of problematic shipping and bigotry)

Pro shippers and people who support problematic ships that contain things like incest or pedophilia will not be supported on my account or in my community

Racists, homophobs and general bigotry. Reality Can suck and I want this blog to be a break from that so if you think that people who are just living their lives as who they are is bad then this isn’t the community for you

Ai bros. Ai is cool for something’s but not for replacing people like artists and writers. I do not consent to having my work be used in ai at any point in time

Art “fixers” and people who generally change a characters design, race or body type to “fix” them aren’t supported here as it only hurts the artist who made the original art that gets changed to fit an agenda (redesigning a character for fun is fine)

You’re under the age of 12 to 13. My art and scenarios can deal with some serious topics that aren’t suitable for young children and personally I don’t feel comfortable talking to very young children

✨Information of my lmk au🌙

The death au (place holder name) is about mk and the gang finally getting a chance to breathe and get used to the new world after the events of seasons 3 through 5, that is until spirits and humanoid monsters start seeping into the 3 realms and mk starts getting dreams about past events. Mk being the hero he is try’s to deal with the spirits alone but his efforts (and nightmares) don’t go unnoticed for long as macaque agreed to teach him more about spirits and how to not summon 1 that will destroy the city

(This may change in the future)

✨Oc’s included in the death au🌙

Ren Yu ling

Diedie

Bendy

Hou lin wel

The king of the north

The mystery maiden

The lady

✨Bonus Oc’s🌙

The tiny dragon

The assistant

[red-room-studi0]

Here's my TurboTime Dev oc

About damn time I actually introduced him, for some reason I had zero motivation to post this guy. But now i'm finally showing him off cuz one, I needed too, and two he's gonna be in another au lol.

SO. Me and my two friends @dani-be-existing @sunn-e-bunare made this au called Deadstock about three game developers that are in a Poly relationship (we call it a polycule lol). And they go through absolute hell (who would've guessed).

So Tucker Tatum is one of the two game Devs of TurboTime, The other Dev being Kensuke ←(link to Ken's character intro). He is a fucking idiot and a loser, Think of Grunkle Stan and Turbo in one person but worse. Yeah, that's Tucker.

Bro has some bad anger issues and hates kids. Which sucks for him cuz Ken and his wife have a kid and they both hate each other (Ain't no way this grown ass man has beef with a 9 year old 😭😭😭).

Tucker is the Game coder/programmer while Ken was the pixel art and visual game designer.

Tucker being the loser he is he vents in his game coding (Uh Oh, shouldn't have done that Tucker).

One day Tucker and Ken got into a heated argument and then Tucker just left the room leaving Ken alone. After left the house and grabbed a couple of beers to calm his nerves, Tucker came back to the house and into the room to apologize and share a drink or two but to his horror all he sees is the games cabinet screen shattered and covered in blood. From what it seems like... Ken was forcefully pulled into the screen from some unknown force.

Even worse, Kens wife Haru walks into the scene only seeing the bloody shattered screen and Tucker by it. Of course, she accuses Tucker of killing her husband and is incredibly upset (I mean who wouldn't). Tucker tried to explain but she had already called the cops and she just wouldn't let Tucker talk.

Tucker had been detained and taken in. The court statements came in and he was found not guilty due to no evidence that Tucker had killed Ken. But he did have to serve some time in jail for not paying his past due payments (classic Tucker).

Tucker attempted to to call Haru with the only call time he had to try and explain things to her but she never answered. So instead Tucker called his next door neighbor and asked her to bail him out. She doesn't like Tucker all that much but Tucker was being an annoying little shit pleading to be bailed out and she finally agreed. But Tucker owed her $200 back.

Tucker somehow got hired to work at a car dealership (that mostly sells trucks) and had to make that money quick (She would not leave him alone till she got paid back).

As for the Cabinet that is covered in blood with the screen shattered and is evidence to try and figure out what happed to ken... Tucker took it (he's living with his neighbor now cuz his home is a literal crime scene), cleaned the blood, fixed the screen and thought it would be a GOOD IDEA TO STILL SELL THE GAME CUZ HE'S SO FUCKING STUPID HE LITERALLY TAMPERD WITH EXTREMELY IMPORTANT EVIDENCE AND SOLD IT TO LITWAK (LITWAK HAS NO IDEA MIND U)

The police found out that the Cabinet was gone and they have no idea where Tucker is living so they wouldn't be able to find him with no clues of his whereabouts and have no idea where the cabinet is. (They stopped to care at this point cuz they're lazy and stupid)

So the case went cold after a while and Tucker just decided to live the rest of his life with his neighbor (cuz he's not risking living inside his own home again in case someone brings the case up again, and trauma. Also he had to pay rent at this point or his neighbor will kick his ass.)

There is more to the story but I'll leave that for later or if Dani or Sunny wanna talk more about it.

[the-name-is-z]

SKELETONS | ch. 24

daryl dixon x f!oc

masterlist

a03 link

Summary: As the group starts to make a new home of the prison, someone sabotages their plans, leading to unfortunate losses. Warnings/Information: AMC's The Walking Dead OC Insert | 18+ Advised | strangers to lovers; the slowest of slow burns; gore; angst; horror; humour; m/f; canon character death; killing walkers; ethical discussions; murder

Chapter 24 - Where Else

“Okay, let’s get the other car in. We’ll park ‘em at the West entry of the yard.” Rick instructed as they drove the vehicles in from the road. Iris backed the truck up on the side of the gate, careful not to drive over any walker’s they’d left on the ground.

“Good. Our vehicles out there look like a giant ‘vacancy’ sign.” Daryl remarked.

“After that, we need to load up these corpses so we can burn ‘em.” 

“Gonna be a long day.” T-Dog grumbled.

“Where’s Glenn and Maggie? We could use some help.” Carol stated. Iris walked over, rolling her neck. Those prison mattresses were terrible. She’d rather sleep on the ground.

“Up in the guard tower.” Daryl replied.

“Guard tower?” Rick asked, putting his hands on his hips. “They were just up there last night.”

“Glenn! Maggie!” Daryl yelled across the field. Iris could see their silhouettes as the two of them stood up, and Glenn shouldered the door to the balcony open, shirtless, still buttoning up his pants.

“Hey, what’s up, guys?” He called back. Iris whistled loudly, earning a hearty laugh from Rick and T-Dog.

“You coming?” Daryl asked impatiently.

“What?” Glenn asked. The rest of them burst out laughing, grinning to themselves. Carol had to cover her mouth as she smiled.

“You coming?” Daryl asked again, smirking. “C’mon, we could use a hand.”

“Yeah, we’ll be right down.” Glenn replied. Iris shook her head, turning around as they walked back to the gate.

“Hey, Rick.” T-Dog called, stopping them in their tracks. Smiles faded as they turned, seeing Axel and Oscar walking across the courtyard toward the field. Rick started storming toward them, Daryl and Iris following quickly.

“That’s close enough.” Rick hissed as they stopped about six feet away. “We had an agreement.”

“Please, mister. We know that.” Axel replied quietly. Glenn and Maggie came out from the guard tower behind them. “We made a deal. But you gotta understand… we can’t live in that place another minute, you follow me? All the bodies— people we knew. Blood, brains everywhere. There’s ghosts.”

“Why don’t you move the bodies out?” Daryl asked.

“You should be burning them.” T-Dog stated.

“We tried. We did.”

“The fence is down on the far side of the prison.” Oscar explained. “Every time we drag a body out, those things just line up. We’ve been just dropping a body and running back inside.”

“Look, we had nothing to do with Tomas and Andrew. Nothing. You trying to prove a point, you proved it, bro.” Axel assured. “We’ll do whatever it takes to be part of your group, just please, please… don’t make us live in that place.”

“Our deal is not negotiable.” Rick said sternly. Iris pursed her lips. “You either live in your cell block or you leave.”

“I told you this was a waste of time.” Oscar muttered. “They ain’t no different than the pricks who shot up our boys. You know how many friends corpses we had to drag out this week? Just threw ‘em out, like. These were good guys. Good guys who had our backs against the really bad dudes in the joint, like Tomas and Andrew. Now we’ve all made mistakes to get in here, chief. And I’m not gonna pretend to be a saint, but believe me. We’ve paid our due— enough that we would rather hit that road than go back into that shit-hole.”

Rick turned to get one glance from Daryl, who shook his head. They decided to lock Axel and Oscar up in between the front gates. Axel muttered small complaints, but they were safe at least. T-Dog argued for them to join in.

“Are you serious? You want them living in a cell next to you?” Rick asked. “They’ll just be waiting for a chance to grab our weapons. You wanna go back to sleeping with one eye open?”

“I never stopped.” T-Dog replied. “Bring them into the fold. If we send them off packing, we might as well execute them ourselves.”

“I don’t know. Axel seems a little unstable.” Glenn pointed out.

“More-so than the rest of us? He already said, he was in for drugs, which we don’t have, and Oscar broke in to some place. They’re not killers.” Iris argued.

“After all we’ve been through?” Carol asked. “We fought so hard for all of this, what if they decide to take it?”

“It’s two against eleven.” Iris replied. “And I still cuddle my knives like teddy bears.”

“It’s just been us for so long.” Maggie murmured. “They’re strangers, I don’t— It feels weird all of a sudden to have these other people around.”

“You brought us in.” T-Dog pointed out.

“Yeah, but you turned up with a shot boy in your arms. Didn’t give us a choice.” Maggie replied.

“They can’t even kill walkers.” Glenn replied.

“They did. Sort of.” Iris chuckled.

“They’re convicts, bottom line.” Carol frowned.

“Those two might actually have less blood on their hands than we do.” T-Dog countered.

“I get guys like this. Hell, I grew up with them.” Daryl said. “They’re degenerates, but they ain’t psychos. I could have been in there with them just as easy as I’m out here with you guys.”

“So you’re with me?” T-Dog asked.

“Hell, no. Let them take their chances out on the road, just like we did.”

“What I’m saying, Daryl—“

“When I was a rookie, I arrested this kid.” Rick started. Iris bit down on her tongue, looking out at the forest. “Nineteen years old, wanted for stabbing his girlfriend. The kid blubbered like a baby during the interrogation, during the trial— suckered the jury. He was acquitted due to insufficient evidence and then two weeks later, shot another girl. We’ve been through too much. Our deal with them stands.”

Rick and Daryl turned back to go speak with Axel and Oscar. T-Dog looked frustrated, but he was definitely outvoted. Plus, Rick had a point. They didn’t know them. Axel was a coward, but sometimes cowards did the most damage in situations like the ones they found themselves in all the time. Iris had often considered herself lucky she never wound up in prison as a youth. A few overnighters in a holding cell, but never anything crazy. But she knew people like the boy Rick described. And unfortunately, he was right. They’d lost so much already, the stakes were high.

-

They spent the rest of the afternoon piling the bodies up all together. They were sweaty and tired, but it was done.

“Move the cars to the upper yard. Point ‘em facing out. They’ll be out of the way but ready to go if we ever need to bail.” Rick explained, tossing the gate keys to Glenn. “We’ll give the prisoners a week’s worth of supplies for the road.”

“They might not last a week.” T-Dog replied spitefully.

“It’s their choice.” Rick replied.

“Did they really have one?”

Iris left them to talk it out as she followed Daryl to the gates. Maggie got into the SUV while Daryl got onto his bike, ready to pull up to the courtyard.

“Twin cylinder, is that a Triumph?” Axel asked Daryl, observing the bike.

“Don’t even look at it.” Daryl grumbled.

“Didn’t want it bored out?” Axel asked. Daryl ignored him, starting the bike. “Sounds like it could use a tune up. I’m pretty handy with a wrench. Heads are leaking. I know my bikes!” Iris chuckled as Daryl pulled away, leaving Axel to himself.

“Man, will you just stop? Have some balls.” Oscar scoffed.

“Just sayin’.” Axel muttered as Glenn closed the gate behind them.

-

A few hours later, Iris passed Axel a box of supplies as Daryl, Rick and Glenn went through the fence to scope out the hole Oscar had mentioned.

“I’ll cut you loose as soon as they get back.” Iris said quietly, clicking the lock shut.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Axel replied. Iris cringed.

“Don’t call me ma’am, it makes me feel old.” She replied. Axel chuckled lightly. “Sit tight.” She sat down on the gravel in the dog run, watching the hole in the fence as the others climbed through, weaving the wire back through the links.

“So what’d you do before this?” Axel asked. Oscar muttered for him to keep his mouth shut.

“I was a mechanic. Mostly bikes, cars.” She replied quietly. “Hence the matching outfits.” Axel nodded. “You?”

“Gambling man.” He said, putting the box down. “Never had much in the way of a career. Though Oscar here was an electrical engineer.”

“Yeah, well…” Oscar grumbled.

“You think you could maybe put in a good word for us with your man? I know we—“

“We tried. If you can prove yourselves, maybe he’ll let you stay.” Iris murmured, frowning as she watched them walk the perimeter.

“How are we supposed to do that?” Oscar asked. Iris didn’t answer, instead turning back toward the prison. She smiled as she spotted Hershel taking a stroll with Beth, Lori and Carl in the courtyard. 

“Alright, Hershel!” Glenn called. Iris’ smile fell when she spotted the walkers come out of the courtyard behind them.

“Walkers!” She yelled, scrambling to her feet. Rick, Glenn and Daryl were running to the hole in the fence. Iris scrambled to unlock the gate in the dog run, sprinting past Axel and Oscar toward the other gate.

“Walkers, look out!” Carl called. Lori, Carl, Maggie and T-Dog started shooting, but that didn’t stop the swarm from growing. Hershel hobbled out of the way on his crutches, but he was slow. Beth screeched in fear from beside them as they moved around away from them. Iris threw the gate open, sprinting across the field and unsheathing her knives. She didn’t bother opening the gate to the yard, climbing over the fence and hopping down. She pulled her gun and started firing, bore walkers coming as fast as they shot them down.

“That gate is open!” T-Dog yelled, gesturing to further inside the courtyard where they had locked off all the walkers before. Iris grimaced. Maggie herded Lori and Carl inside, Carol and Iris backing up T-Dog as he ran for the gate. He shoved a few out of the way, pulling it shut.

“T!” Iris yelled, running over, but it was too late, and the walker was too close. He screamed as it’s teeth sunk into his shoulder, ripping out flesh with reckless abandon. Iris put a bullet in it’s brain as Carol screamed.

“Here!” She called, shoving open a door on the other side of the catwalk. She pulled T-Dog inside and slammed the door behind them. Iris was somewhat surrounded and she grimaced, making a break for the chain link cage Beth and Hershel had locked themselves in. They watched as she climbed the fence, perching on top of it while the walkers pooled around them. She unloaded her clip but there were still more.

Daryl, Rick and Glenn finally made it to the courtyard, pulling the gate open and unloading their own guns into the walkers surrounding them. Glenn used his machete to cut through to the gate while Daryl unleashed his crossbow on the walker’s surrounding Iris, Beth and Hershel.

“What the hell happened?” Rick yelled.

“The gate was open!” Iris replied, jumping down from the roof of the doorway after they’d removed the walkers surrounding her. “Lori, Carl and Maggie went through to the cell block. T-Dog and Carol went through there, but T got bit!”

“Anyone else?”

“No.”

“Stay put!” Rick yelled to Beth and Hershel while they continued clearing the courtyard.

“You alright?” Daryl asked. Iris nodded. She was fine, albeit shaky and nervous. 

“Those chains didn’t break on their own.” Glenn said after slicing the top of a walker’s head off. “Someone took an axe or cutters to ‘em.” Rick turned around, staring daggers through Axel and Oscar, who stood warily at the edge of the gate. “You think they did it?”

“Who else?” Rick growled. Iris nearly jumped out of her skin as a loud alarm blared out across the compound.

“What’s that?” Glenn asked, alarmed.

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me!” Daryl yelled, exasperated. The noise was drawing walkers in from everywhere, and they started to gather along the outer fences. 

“Kill it!” Rick yelled. They pulled out their guns, aiming for the loudspeakers. He wheeled around, pointing his gun in Oscar’s face. “How the hell can this be happening?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, it has to be the backup generators.” He insisted, putting his hands up.

“How do you turn those on?”

“There’s three that’s connected to a diesel tank, okay?” Oscar explained frantically. “Each one controls a certain part of the prison. The hacks shut them all off when the prison was overrun.”

“Can someone open the main gates electronically, with full power?” Rick asked.

“I only worked in there a few days. I guess it might be possible.” Oscar shrugged.

“Okay, come with us!” Rick yelled, grabbing him by the shirt and hauling him along. They burst through into the cell block, but there was no one there. A few walkers, but that was it. “Lori! Carl!”

“Maggie must have taken them further in.” Iris said, out of breath as she kicked her mattress that had been knocked askew.

“We just took down five of them in there.” Daryl called, running in from the other room.

“Four in here, but no sign of anyone.” Iris replied.

“They must have been pushed back into the prison.” Glenn breathed. 

“Somebody is playing games!” Rick yelled in frustration. “We’ll split up and look for the others. Whoever gets to the generator first, shut them down!” They split up, Iris following Daryl, Rick and Oscar as they jogged through the corridors.

Oscar led them to the generators and they burst through the door, narrowly escaping a few hungry, snapping jaws. 

“Daryl, get the door!” Rick yelled. Daryl and Oscar threw themselves against the door, holding it shut as the walkers pointed against it. Rick ran for the generator. “How do you shut these down?!”

“Go, I got it.” Iris traded places with Oscar, and though he was much larger than her, some help was better than none. She and Daryl pressed themselves against the door, boots skidding against the ground. Iris heard her heard pounding in her ears before the scream. Andrew yelled as he popped out from the corner, slamming his baseball bat into the electrical panel, aiming for Rick. They wrestled, Rick attempting to disarm him as they slammed into various panels. Daryl let out a cry of effort as they strained against the door. Iris slid to the ground, scrambling up against it with a grunt.

“We gotta let go.” He grunted. Iris nodded and they moved in tandem away from the door, grabbing their weapons. They killed the first few that were slamming against the door before Daryl shoved it closed once again. Oscar tossed one of the metal panels at Andrew, shoving him off of Rick before picking up Rick’s gun.

“Shoot him! We can take back this prison!” Andrew pleaded as they both stood on shaky legs. Rick held out his hand. Oscar panted. “What are you waiting for? It’s our house! Shoot him!” Oscar pulled the trigger, and Andrew’s body hit the ground. He handed the gun back to Rick and Iris keeled over, hands on her thighs as she panted. Rick shut the generator down, the alarms stopping, finally. 

They made their way down the hallways, searching for the others. There was a scuffle somewhere down, but when they rounded the corner, they found Glenn and Axel. They all moved together down the hallways, finding two walkers standing over a body. Rick shot them both, but Iris held a hand to her mouth in shock.

“T…” She whispered. He was flayed open, barely a corpse as his innards littered the ground. They all paused for a moment and Daryl belt down to lift Carol’s scarf from the floor. She was nowhere to be seen, but they had no idea. They followed the halls all the way through to the door T-Dog and Carol had escaped through, Hershel and Beth waiting on the stairs.

“Hershel!” Glenn called.

“You didn’t find them?” He asked.

“We thought maybe they came back out here.” They both shook their heads.

“What about T? Carol?” 

“They didn’t make it.” Daryl replied.

“That doesn’t mean the others didn’t. We’re going back.” Rick said lowly. “Daryl and Glenn, you come with—“ Rick stopped as the sound of an infant crying carried over the courtyard. They all turned to see Maggie stumble down the stairs, a small bundle of Carl’s coat in her blood-soaked arms. Carl followed blankly, his face dark and his eyes empty. His own hands were covered in blood and Iris held in a gasp.

Rick dropped his axe as he faced Maggie, shaking his head. She was crying, clutching the baby close. Rick shook his head again, his lip quivering. He blinked, staggering back and forth as he walked closer.

“Where— where is she? Where is she?” He asked. When Maggie didn’t answer, he made for the door.

“No, Rick no!” She cried, pulling him back. Rick sobbed, clutching his hands to his face as he stared up at the prison. Carl stood next to him, motionless.

“Oh, no. No!” Rick cried. Glenn walker over, pulling Maggie to his chest as she cried, resting her head on his shoulder. Iris sheathed her knives, running a hand through her hair as tears lined her eyes. 

-

TAGLIST:

@heidiland05

@ryoujoking

@catlalice

@maxinehufflepuffprincess

@lowkeyhottho

@fadingpalacebonkpsychic

[choicesficwriterscreations]

December MC of the Month: Luca O'Rinn

Please welcome December 2023's MC of the month! Each month, we will highlight one MC or OC that is currently on our Meet My MC / OC List. The MC / OC is selected randomly on the Wheel of Names, and eligibility requirements can be found here. We accept MC / OC profiles on an ongoing basis. Please feel free to send yours in!

This month’s MC of the month is…

@aria-ashryver 's Luca O'Rinn

More below...

In your own words, tell us what you like most about your MC / OC.

This little idiot just doesn’t stop. They are so damn resilient! I love their bravery, compassion and that Luca takes the time to make sure the people around him feel seen, heard and understood. Communication is important to him — he’s a little tactless or graceless with it sometimes, but he tries so hard to make sure the people he loves know it. I love how talented and inquisitive he is, and that he has such a strong sense of self — Luca just feels so bright to me, so vibrant and joyous. “Lightbringer” was an accidental name meaning, I just picked “Luca” at random when creating my MC because it felt right, but it really was the perfect choice for them!

2. Do you feel your MC / OC is like you at all? How are you alike or different?

Luca is much more impulsive than I am, and has a bigger social battery, but I think we are both the kind of people friends come to for advice and comfort. We are both musically inclined, both love hugs (probably more in my case), animals, and the beauty and magic of the natural world. I’m 6ft tall, Luca is tiny. Luca’s heritage is a nod to my own Scottish roots — my grandparents / great-grandparents emigrated from Scotland, and I’m lamenting the slow death of any Scottish cultural influence in my family’s day-to-day life as the generations pass. There are parts of me in Luca, sure, but ultimately they are very much their own person.

3. What is most important to your MC / OC? What is their motivation in life?

Authenticity, truth, and (this one might sound weird, but) movement. Luca will never be someone he’s not. For him, to live is to grow, to always seek out opportunities to find out more about himself and the world he lives in. 

They can’t stand being stagnant and idle, both mentally and physically; Luca is a dancer with a truly avid curiosity, so they just need to keep moving, no matter what they are doing. Right now for Luca, that means having intense, emotional conversations; breathing love into the world;  learning new skills; knuckling down on language studies; uncovering vampire lore; fighting to protect the ones he loves; doing a lot of introspective thought and trying to be a better version of himself with every day that passes.

4. What are their biggest pet peeves/dislikes?

Luca has a strong sense of social justice, so there are plenty of things that annoy them —particularly in regard to the treatment of other people; they’ll be the first to jump to someone’s defense— but in terms of more minor pet peeves, pertaining to him personally? Being called “bro” / “man” / “dude” by someone who obviously means it in a cisheteronormative way (and people who blatantly ignore the “they” aspect of their pronouns). Luca definitely picks their battles, and they are totally fine with being called any of those names by friends and family, but it often elicits an eyeroll coming from closed-minded and/or queerphobic people.

Also, early mornings. Luca is firmly of the opinion that mornings should be banned. No more mornings. The day doesn’t exist before 10am. He will never understand how Gabriel keeps getting up at dawn to go for a run. On purpose. That’s just wild.

5. If your MC / OC could change one thing - anything - what would it be?

Luca hasn’t had the easiest life, but it was one that led them to find Cas and Gabe. They would go through it all again and then some if it meant a life of loving those two and being loved by them in turn… but Luca sees how much Cas and Gabriel are hurting, too. How much they ache for a place of belonging. How deeply lonely they have been.

If Luca could change one thing, it would be for them, not himself. He’d bring back their parents. Choi Harin. Sofia Adalhard. Remiel Adalhard. He’d bring back Gabriel’s sisters, Raquel and Michaela. His grandmother, Sarah. His cousin, Joaquin. Cas’s halmeoni, Choi Miyoung. His harabeoji, Choi Yongho. Cas’s best friend, Ricky Harlow.

If Luca could steal them even a moment with the people they have lost, then he’d do it in a heartbeat. He knows it's an impossible dream, but that won’t stop him from making sure that, at the very least, Cas and Gabriel know they will always, always be a part of his family. That the O’Rinns will always be there to welcome them with open arms.

6. What is your MC / OC’s favorite quote or song?

Luca’s favourite song changes with the wind, but at the moment they are making good use of Hozier’s “De Selby (Pt1)” to practice their (rusty) skills on acoustic guitar, as well as their pronunciation of Irish Gaelic (which they’d like to be fluent in — Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic share a root language, so they are very similar in many ways. Think Spanish to Portuguese!) Luca has a firm grasp of Gàidhlig, but the only fluent Irish-speaker in the family is their great aunt Morag. Given the O’Rinn’s ancestral ties to Ireland, Luca aims to fix that!

He’s also currently messing around with some original contemporary choreo to Lee Taemin’s “Just Me and You” and “Guilty”.

7. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your MC / OC? 

Luca has come to mean so much to me. I never intended to write about them when I first started reading ID —I had never written fanfic at all!— but the more I learned about them and fleshed out their backstory, the more I knew I had a story to tell. Rather than write a simple, short piece, fool that I am, I decided to dive right into a (currently) 250K+ word longfic centring on not one, but four romantic relationships (Luca x Cas; Luca x Gabriel; Cas x Gabriel; and the dynamic of the poly ship between all three of them). 

Despite being a retelling, I think “Starlight” gets a lot thematically heavier than Immortal Desires ever did, with a broader focus on worldbuilding and characterisation, and the experience of writing it has been so rewarding — I think in large part because of Luca.

I just adore them. So much. And I’m grateful to have them along for the ride while we find our way through this story together. There is no one else I’d rather have along for the ride. (Also, I’m sorry I make you suffer so much, sweet Luca. I promise your happily ever after will be worth every hardship 💖)

Thank you so so so much to CFWC for letting me gush about Luca!! If you would like to know more about them, you can read about them in my longfic, “Snow In Crimson, Starlight in Gold” on AO3, or find more on my masterlist.

[minisugakoobies]

Best friend’s bro trying to cheer OC up when they come home

🥺🥺🥺 Oh my god, YES, that is definitely something San would do!

So here's 700+ words about it. No warnings, other than PINING oh my god the pining!

******

Meetings with your editor are never your favorite thing. But today's meeting was especially stressful, given all the "cutting back" going on at work. The staff size is shrinking and you feel like your neck is on the chopping block.

It feels like you've run the gauntlet by the time you get home. Mentally exhausted, back aching from holding yourself upright so rigidly during the meeting, trying to look interested, like a good employee.

But to get into your apartment, you need a key, and right now, yours appears to have fallen into the Bermuda Triangle via your purse. Swearing profusely, you dig through your bag for a few minutes, before finally finding what you need.

The door opens, then stops suddenly, like there's a weight on the other side. "What the f-"

Nero greets you. Not on the ground. In the air.

You take a step back, baffled laughter leaving your lips. Your black cat is suspended in the crack of the doorway, bright green eyes blinking at you in similar confusion, San's hands gently wrapped around his middle. Around Nero's neck is his little fish-spotted bowtie, the one that makes him look like a proper gentleman.

"Nero?"

“Mrow?” 

"Good afternoon, sajangnim," San's voice says from behind the door. He shifts Nero slightly, like he's snapping to attention. "Welcome home."

"Thank you," you giggle, giving Nero a chin scritch. You push on the door slightly, and San steps back, bringing Nero into his arms.

"Hi Noona," he grins. HIs fingers stroke the back of Nero's neck, which is one of Nero's favorite spots. Which San knows now, too. He and Nero are inseparable. 

“When did Nero get a job as our doorman?” you ask, sliding your shoes off before slipping into your house shoes. 

“Just today. And he’s doing such a good job, isn’t he?” San rubs Nero’s ears, earning a loud rumble in return. “Yes, he is.” 

It’s too cute, the way San fawns over your cat. Like he knows Nero has a piece of your heart. So he protects him. Protects it. 

It’s too cute and it’s too much to think about. 

You don’t lay down so much as collapse onto your couch, a loose pile of bones sprawling across the cushions. San takes a spot on the floor, leaning back against the couch. Nero leaps from San’s arms up onto your legs, where he proceeds to bake biscuits in the meat of your thigh. 

“Where’s Haneul?” you ask. Normally when San’s sister is working third shift, she’s up by now, zoning out in front of the tv until she has to get ready for work. 

“Jongho took her out for breakfast slash dinner,” San informs you. “Just me and Nero home.” 

“Well, good thing he’s here to keep you in line. And he got a promotion today, so I think someone’s earned an extra treat tonight.” Nero’s purring grows, ears pricking up at the word ‘treat.’ 

San passes you the remote. He watches you scroll through your Netflix queue for a few minutes. As your fingers run over Nero’s smooth coat, you wonder idly if San’s hair feels as soft as it looks. 

“What about me?” San tips his head back, letting it rest on the cushion beneath your hips while he glances at you. “It was my idea to make him doorman.” 

He pouts, but not his usual pout, not the one that makes you want to give him everything in the world, but a comic pout, bottom lip stretched to its limit, meant to do nothing more than to make you giggle. Which it does.

“Why’d you do that, anyway?”

Something shifts in San’s eyes.

“You said this morning that you had a meeting today. I remember how stressed you were after the last two. So when I heard you in the hall, cursing like a sailor, I figured maybe you could use a laugh.”

“Oh.” Looks like San knows other things now, too. “Oh, yeah, that’s - I did have a meeting. And it sucked. So, um, thanks.” Too many emotions swirl through you, your voice shrinking as you speak, unsure how to express how you feel. Or if you even should. “I appreciate it.” 

“Of course.” When he smiles, your chest physically aches. “Anything to see you smile, Noona.” 

There goes another piece of your heart.

*********

Previous installments of bff's lil bro San: one two three four

Tagging a few people who I think are interested @moni-logues @kiestrokes @augustbutwinter @sweetnspicy-noona @krystal-a @yeontan-my-love

[theoldoor]

fenrir lore maybe

“those eyes, child. who did you steal from?”

left over crumbs of a thief

—- fenrir lore time :3

two thieves with weird ass eyes

sooo fenrir lore timeee :3

i wanted to make his eyes similar to that andalusite over there but keeping a cooler colors because, well, kiwis LOL

i was on a hiking trail and then i stopped by a kiwi stand and i was like “hold on that looked like fenrir’s eyes” and it actually works so well as his eyes cuz this is what i planned to make his eyes to be LOL

but lore time,

I rewrote fenrir’s lore a bit so his origin is a weebit different now,

>group of people following harmony decided to be evil and borrowed powers from the abundance to mix species together to in hope, make a superior humanoid and piss off the aeons

>kinda success but they gotta borrow powers from obsidian’s race (vampires and shi)

>they make a deal like “ok we throw all the waste babies to you to eat alr you vampies”

>fucked up chimera human babies thats get fed to the vampires like a bunch of them

>those that can function gets sold off

>getting more success and selling these fucked up chimera babies off/human trafficking cuz theyre versatile with genetics and shit

>commissioned by a big vampire family to fulfill their weird little fantasy story

>>”hey so i want you to make my family generation’s oc come alive but we this gotta follow this weird ritual too cuz its my family prophecy to piss off the harmony”

>the ritual involved a bunch of sacrificial babies and even more fucked up chimera babies and like 34 people died and have a part of them taken off to merge into this living thing

>weird ass abomination of a baby, barely functional

>”ok chat this is going well we need the last step who got the gems”

>”oh shit the gems is in another persons hand”

>so they went and stole the gem from obsidian’s family / at the same time making contract with this weird entity that has something to do with destruction path

>>”ok i give you gems but you gotta let me have a piece of that weird baby thing youre making too.”

>>”alright what do you want”

>>”give him horns and make him real sexy ok”

>>”what”

>>”pls”

>>”why”

>>”i want to take him after the vampires died out and i dont want this ugly slug of meat in my basement”

>>”ok”

>with the power of destruction he became his beautiful entity that the family drooled on cuz how can someone be so angelic looking yet bear the traits of the devil? “DAAYUMMNN U FINE ASF BABYYY” “what im a literal baby” “we’ll wait for u to grow up” “w h a t t h e f u c k”

>>”hi im daughter i will be your mom but i am like 6 years older than you”

>>”ok i will expect you for love and attention”

>>”sorry i am being manipulated by my own family so i disregards my actions even though i knew its wrong but i seek comfort in it”

>>”ok your actions are normal to me”

>>’thanks son”

>>”YAYY IM YOUR SON!!!”

>>abusive family can provide a roof, they provide all the physical necessities for him to live but shunned him out until theyre bored and they wanna play (like a pet lolol)

>live with the rich family as a premium house pet now but doesnt realized it CUZ BRO HE WAS A KIDD

>before he was frail so he has to rely on understanding ppl to get attention, develop weird obsession w it. became close with other servants/slave of the said family.

>ok but grow strong and now physically capable harhar

>put through extensive training and shii so he grew even more desperate and attached to the family out of fear

> other servants jealous GET HIS ASS!!!

> oh shit the daughter is doing smth

> fenrir gets more scared and overly dependent on the daughter cuz in his eyes she was the figure he could rely on

>the daughter’s mental conditions gets worse and she wanted her moms attention too so she jus started gambling, (hurt ppl hurt ppl lol)

>>generational trauma ahh

>puts fenrir as a bet

>FUCKK SHE LOSTTT

>fenrir was passed and used around as a premium house pet, “magazine model”

(BLOOD WARNING NEXT DOODLE)

>>(this is heavily implied but not explicitly stated) “convincing” other people to join the vampire household as a cattle/slave etc, contributing in its human trafficking business (astarion?!??!)

>was first auctioned for thousands of credits but after a lot of events, which he had marred himself in hope of either getting cared for or totally discarded away, the price was reduce to less than a hundred credit on his last ‘sale’

>>tried to kill himself but cant die cuz they keep reviving him cuz he’s this chimera superior humanoid baby

>”fuck yall ima pray to the lord (random god he found i havent decide yet I was thinking Ena) answer me pls save me chat- OOOUHHH SHITTT”

>container carrying him crashed, landed in Wasteland of the Galaxy, Talia

>nomadic clan Avidity was passing by, “Ayo who is that baddie” - Aelyn (another oc)

>picks up fenrir and realized he could read so he joining the team now

>well respected for his work rather an appearance, hell yeah jigsaw u da goat

>talia lore I LOVE THIS BUM

[neverchecking]

Awww… thank you for the nice comments about my drawing… I do really think that I could have done better ;-; but I’m glad that you liked it. And thank you for the banana, since you were nice to give me a gift, I shall return the favor!

Mature Content Warning.

{ A bit of context: Ok so I ship my oc (her name is D.A. as a nickname) with Link (BOTW/TOTK) a lot… for many different reasons but all you need to know that D.A. is a Tall Queen and Link is her Short King. But that will be another story for another time, so this will be about the Reader of any gender, and the Chain. }

The chain and the reader are just hanging around at a campsite, doing their own thing. Unfortunately it is very hot outside and Wild is not having it at all. So after lunch is over, he chills next to reader under a tree and tries to take a nap. While he sleeps, he began to have a bit of a fun dream. He sees himself at the bottom of the hill, (in the Barbarian Armor cuz I’m that type of person) and on the top of this hill, he sees his flower, but he has to climb to get to them. So he climbs and climbs and climbs, ironically enough, the higher he goes, the hotter the atmosphere is around him. Wild starts to sweat and sweat, but he doesn’t stop, he wants his lover so badly. It’s only at the top, he realizes that his sweetie is a giant now, and unfortunately they can’t hear him from way down there. So he gently climbs onto the hot smooth skin of this beautiful being in front of him. He continues to climb, up their body, all soft and warm, and Wild is starting to become crazy, just aching for relief from this mayor yet. Finally, he makes he way face to face with his lover, with him standing on their chest. And an reward for climbing all the way to the top, Wild is given a kiss from this beautiful beautiful being (kinda like how those huge fairies kiss him when he upgrades or something? I haven’t played the game .3.) When the kiss is done, suddenly there is this waterfall above Wild, giving him the cooling relief he craved so bad as he wails out in satisfaction. Once the ordeal is over, Wild opens his eyes and is meet with a bunch of eyes on him. The Reader and the chain just look at him.

Reader is confused and concerned.

Wind doesn’t even has a clue what is going on as his eyes are being covered by Legend, Hyrule was attempting to cover Wind’s eyes but failed miserably.

Twilight and Sky both have second had embarrassment.

Calamity refuses to acknowledge what the hell just happened for his own mental sanity.

Warriors just has a smirk on his face.

Sage is just disgusted….. DISGUSTING!

And any other Link that I missed, their just have the confusion of da highest orda.

As for Wild… he feels like he is on top of something… so he slowing looks down, face is totally painted the bright shade of red by the way, and below him is an unfortunate (chulu? I honestly don’t know, it’s the blue thing with the eyes) jelly. The jelly seems like it has seem better days, and it wants to be out of its memory. Luckily it’s wish is granted, Wild pulls out his sword and pops it instantly. Eventually everyone continues to go about their day, refusing to mention anything that happened… all but one person that is…

Sage: Y’all get mad at me for how I act, but HE gets a PASS!? …. F all of y’all, all of y’all can go suck a caterpillar di-

Then the Reader just pulls Sage away to give him a stern lectures on how to treat people, but he’ll never listen…

So yeah… I know I draw but I seriously need to start writing all my random ideas and put them on this app… I named myself “mrswritter” damnit!! I’ll work on this one day… but I hope you enjoyed this! Please take your time as you relax from the requests, you’ve feed us so well, now we shall pay the bill. This story was my payment, and as a tip, here’s an apple, a red one this time! 🍎

BRO THE MEAL YOU JUST FED ME I AM LICKING MY FINGERS

Legend is offended on your behalf. Like he is acting like a wounded mother who had someone swear in front of her kid. Hyrule is like, hand to the mouth, shocked.

Twilight is just defeated bc that was who he was mentoring and he doesn't know if he failed wild or Wild failed him. Sky doesn't know where the timeline went wrong.

Time is wondering if it's too late to go back and eradicate the timeline. Wars for sure is smirking because now he gets to hold this over Wild's head forever.

And Cal and Sage? They are by far the most insulted. Cal is downright disgusted since he's more duty bound than the other two, so he's a little more...sophisticated in a way. Sage is furious. He kisses you one time and they separate the two of you for two hours. But Wild can do this and just...get away with it?!

Fucking Double Standard. He is ranting and raving about this constantly. He even gets Cal on his side.

Reader has to prolly scold them both lmao.

I enjoyed it very much! Honestly, it was a struggle to start consistently writing for me lmao. I require no payment, but tidbits like this are always appreciated! Since you've switched it up, I shall too! 🍋 Have a lemon!

[runningfrom2am]

the sea around us; chapter thirteen

In which Rafe Cameron has to choose between his dad and a pogue who's changing his outlook on life more and more every day.

(rafe cameron x f!oc)

(eventual!jj maybank x f!oc)

warnings/tags: violence, drug/alcohol use, smoking, sexual content (if you squint), slowburn, older brother’s best friend, (these tags are obv not exhaustive but regardless it’s pretty PG13)

wc: 1.6k

my masterlist

series masterlist

requests

*:･ﾟ✧*:･

~Rafe's POV~

"Rafe, bro, I am so god damn serious right now if that wasn't my sister I would've thrown one your way, man." Kegs says to me, lighting up a j as we stand in the parking lot of the theatre, leaning against my bike and watching the screen burn and smoke and ash fly into the sky.

"Yeah, I get that." I respond, holding my hand out for him to pass it to me.

"What's up with her now, anyways?" He asks, taking a hit before passing the joint over. I take a drag as well before answering.

"She's staying at John B's." I answer, blowing the smoke out of my lungs.

"I figured that much." Kegs chuckles. "I meant more what's happening between you guys."

"Oh, yeah, uh.." I take another hit and hand it back. "Not fully sure, man, to be honest." I lie, avoiding eye contact as I hand him his weed back. It's not completely a lie. I mean, I know in my gut that I want to be with her. She's all I've been able to think about for a while now, even before I offered her a ride home on the night of the storm, but Snowy had never looked twice at me before then, I just don't know what she wants. Or how she feels. I just know that it took everything in me to leave her standing behind the burning screen as she cried over what we did to her friends. Fuck- it makes me sick remembering how she watched me walk away, the way her long, red hair hung down in front of her, and her cute little shorts. I need to stop. I just need this high to kick in so I don't think about it anymore.

"Really? 'Cause that's not what that video of you guys making out at Kelce's made it seem like." Fuck.. Someone filmed that? I sigh, running my hand through my hair. "I don't think I need to mention what I'll do to you if you hurt her."

"Yeah, man, of course. I wouldn't do that." I mumble.

"Dude, I'm serious. You haven't had a serious girlfriend the whole time I've known you." Kegs laughs and I shrug.

"I've just never had a nice girl." I chuckle.

"Snowy is nice." Kegs says, nudging me. "Listen, I'm not trying to scare you. You know that. I just don't want her to be another chick you hit and quit. She deserves better." I know that. She deserves better than me at my best, honestly.

"I agree." I tell him. "I don't know what she's doing hanging out with those pogues anyways." I say, in attempt to change the subject.

"Yeah, I mean, she thinks they make her happy." He shrugs. "She doesn't get that in the long run, like, she won't want to live on the cut forever. She'll marry that JJ kid and stay at her three jobs until the day she dies, funding his drug addiction." I feel my teeth grinding just at the thought of that. She deserves everything. I want to give her everything. I'm being crazy- I hardly know her, yet.

"Listen, I better dip. I'll see you tomorrow?" I ask, grabbing my helmet and straddling my bike.

"Yeah, of course man." Kegs nods, handing me the j for one last hit before I leave. I take it, then pull my helmet down and start my bike. Snowy wouldn't want me to drive high. I find myself pushing those kind of thoughts out of my head more and more.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･

I get home, and my dad has this great idea, more like demand, that I invite Snowy to Midsummers this weekend as my date, obviously to keep up appearances. I love that idea, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it, but I didn't want to put her out of her way, and I couldn't imagine she would want to come. Especially after she just hardly forgave me for what we didI don't have much of a choice now anyways.

I'm on my way home from the gym, and I see her old, beat up car parked outside the coffee shop she works at. Now is a better time than ever, I suppose. I park outside and sit on my bike for a minute after I take off my helmet, looking inside through the window. I don't see her, but I don't see anyone else either. It's perfect.

I take a deep breath before I get off, putting my helmet on the back and approaching the door. My hands already feel sweaty. Gross. I wipe them on my shorts and then look at my reflection in the glass, quickly making sure my hair looks okay before I open the door and walk in.

"Good morning, what can I get for you?" Snowy asks as she walks out from the back, customer service voice in full swing. She has her hair up in a ponytail that looks like it could fall out at any minute, and wearing these leggings that hug her curves perfectly. She is so pretty. She wipes her hands on her apron, since they're dripping wet. She was probably doing dishes- I feel guilty for interrupting.

"Iced Caramel Macchiato please." I say, trying to mimic her from when she ordered those for us the other day. She looks up, her face relaxing into a more genuine smile. It is so contagious.

"Oh, hey." She says, reaching down and clicking a few buttons on the register. "Just get back from the gym?"

I laugh slightly, gesturing down to my clothes. "How could you tell?"

"Just a guess." She shrugs, walking over to the espresso machine.

"So, uh, I needed to talk to you about something." I say, and she hums back in hesitant acknowledgment as I rub the back of my neck. I'm sweating like crazy- it's hot in here for it being before 8 am. "There's this thing this weekend, kind of a big deal apparently, and I was wondering if you would be okay with going with me?" I internally cringe at the way I said that. God- that probably made no sense.

"Midsummers?" She asks, pausing making the drink to look up at me. I'm getting butterflies in my stomach, just looking at her brown eyes.

"Yeah, that. My dad is getting some sort of award or something." I explain. "So? What do you think?"

"Uhm.." She pauses, clearly thinking. Great. I screwed this up with her already. Of course, I saw this coming- she should still be mad at me. "I would love to, I really would, but I don't think I'd be welcome there. Besides, I don't own anything even remotely appropriate to wear." She replies, with a nervous-sounding laugh.

"If you're my date, you'll be welcomed. Besides, my dad wants you there." I tell her, smiling despite how anxious I'm feeling.

"Ward? He specifically requested that I come?" Snowy raises her eyebrow at me, getting back to working.

"As a matter of fact he did- I can tell you don't believe me, but he loves Kegs, and he wanted me to bring someone to keep up appearances, since he's the guest of honour or whatever." I say, immediately hearing how bad that sounded. "Not like- fuck, that sounded bad. Not like I don't want you there." I laugh nervously. "I do want you there, and so does my dad. There. That's what I meant to say." This is humiliating. I'm waiting for her to laugh in my face- even though I know she would never do that. She's too kind.

"Okay.." She nods, placing my drink up on the counter in front of me. "I still don't have anything I could wear. I just don't want to embarrass you. I'm sorry. Maybe ask one of Sarah's friends? I'm sure they would be all over you." She jokes.

"That's the easiest problem to solve." I dismiss her comment. "I've got it. Here.." I say, pulling out my wallet and digging around for the bills I'm looking for.

"Oh my god, Rafe, no. I seriously can't let you give me any money. I can borrow something from Kie, maybe. I'll sort it out. I'd love to go." Snowy says quickly, shaking her head at me. She is so cute.

"Okay fine, then this for my drink." I say, placing eight hundred's on the counter. She just looks at me, as if to say 'come on, seriously?' and that makes me laugh.

"Your drink is free." She replies, crossing her arms. "On me."

"Oh, thank you. How sweet. Then that's a tip." I grin, pointing at the cash and she rolls her eyes.

"I'll pay you back, Rafe." She sighs, picking up the money and folding it before putting it in her pocket. "Thank you." Snowy says honestly, looking back up at me.

"Don't worry about it. I really want you to come." I say as I pick up my drink. "Can I pick you up from John B's at 3 and you can get ready with Sarah? That's a thing girls do, right?" I laugh, totally unsure. I've just seen that in movies.

"Yeah, totally." Snowy laughs, leaning her elbows on the counter. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too." I smile, taking a sip of my drink. "This is good, I need to come while you're working more often, Juliette." I tease her, reaching down and flick her name tag.

"Oh my god, ew. If you keep calling me that I'll get you banned!" Snowy laughs, swatting my hand away.

"I gotta run, but I'll talk to you later?" I suggest and she nods.

"Of course. Thanks again, Rafe." She says as I wave and start to head for the door.

"Oh, and one condition on me paying for your dress," I say, turning as I walk back toward the door. "Send me pictures of everything you try on." I wink, seeing her roll her eyes.

"Bye, Rafe." She giggles, waving me off. I don't know when I stopped feeling nervous, but I leave feeling much better than I did when I walked in.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･

A/N; Bet y'all didn't see his POV coming lol I hope you liked it though! I tried my best but as always feedback is appreciated :) -R

taglist: @boo22sstuff @madelynie (you mentioned you liked this series so i added you but lmk if you want to be removed!!)

[c00kiesart]

Hey, I just wanna say I really like those mha ocs u made! The two girls and that one curly haired guy. Can we get more details on them? Anything u wanna say about them?

Oh yo?? Thanks for showing interest my man?? I’ll put it all under the cut so I don’t flood anyone’s screens

Let’s start off with my gal! cuki chokochi, she’s in the hero course at UA by the name “Precious pockets” and her quirk is, u guessed it, portal pockets! she can store basically anything inside ANY pocket/bag and be the only one to access it! She even knows how to sew to add more pockets, It can’t be organized for shit so she takes a while to find stuff but she is incredibly versatile on the field! she def keeps you on ur toes! But don’t fret normally she’s sweet as she is fluffy, And fun story actually, the reason why her design is kinda misleading is cuz the first quirk concept I had for her was a beast transformation quirk, but the idea was already taken by a canon character and thus had to be changed xD Izzy actually helped spark the pockets idea, I just liked the design too much to fully redo it. Her horns are unevenly grown and she’s a little insecure about her furry features but her friends reassure her she’s lovely way she is, she likes fairy kei/decora fashion but can’t wear too many layers due to her fur, and her favorite things are waffles and stars. she’s also dating iida, she helps him learn to relax.

Next up is my bestie @needs-to-stop-looking-at-valves ‘s girl! Kokomo kiri. she’s in the support course and has a real knack for creating countless new support items/costumes. Her signature is brass knuckles lol and her quirk is nightmare noms, She can make nightmares reality just by eating them from her victims minds when asleep, thanks to her eyes she can visually see their dreams. They can even look different based on the contents of said dream. Once eaten, she can conjure up very convincing illusions and use all your senses against you, She’s a master at mimicry and can even make someone fall asleep just by making eye contact, it’s why I designed her eyes to be hypnotic swirls! basically nightmares are her fuel, but if she gets too backed up she vomits a black sludge that if touched can make one more prone to fear. It’s actually why her hands are permanently stained. She also suffers from insomnia, she’s an acquired taste for sure and she speaks very weirdly but she just loves in her own special way! Albeit she’s very crude and impulsive. And very blunt. with a super dark sense of humor too. But I promise she’s nice! She wears a beanie to hide her messy bed head and Her favorite things are banana bread and bats, she’s dating sato. And yes. He makes her banana bread whenever she wants.

And lastly but not LEAST we have our absolute LAD tomonari jishaku! Him and cuki are in the hero course together! He goes by the name “checkmate”. Cuki gives him confidence whilst kiri keeps him humble. By bullying him. but she loves the nerd, she really does. His quirk is magnet, he has metal protrusions on his chest and arms, with the left hand he pushes and with the right he pulls, he’s super skilled and trains hella hard but if he over uses it’s a lotta stress on his poor nerves. despite his very anxious and quite frankly pushover demeanor, when the time calls for it, he for sure can kick your ass. He just needs a little encouragement?? Don’t we all? He’s a huge video game nerd and he actually tends to avoid cursing, and conflict. his favorite things are pineapple pizza, pink lemonade and photography. He has pictures hung up everywhere and He’s dating tetsutetsu. They’re very homo gym bros

And all together this trio is called the creation crew, like how the big three call themselves. Well. The big three! These guys all create things in their own ways, pretty fitting team name if you ask me, And if you really read this far? I SUPER appreciate it! ✨

[personasdestinyy]

Sorrowful Love | Ch#1 | JJK

↳ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬; All he desires is vengeance.

⇢ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: thriller, angst, love at first sight, au! sexting

⇢ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: jungkook × Sena oc!

⇢ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: This story contains explicit language, graphic violence(murders, blood etc), and other mature content, If you are easily affected by such themes, it might be best to avoid reading it.

⇢ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 0.8k+

a/n: READ IT BEFORE YOU PROCEED TO THE CHAPTER.

So, years ago, my sister and I came up with this story that had us laughing like villains. We were pretty immature back then :⁠-⁠). Well I attempted to write it down about a year ago, but my writing skills weren't quite up to par, so I ended up abandoning this story (sadly) . However, now my soul is urging me to give it another shot. It's our very first story that we created together, and I feel compelled to give it a try. Oh, and PLEASE if you're not a fan of thrillers or action-packed tales, then refrain from reading it.

𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱 | 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭⇢

Jungkook's Pov:

The constant echo of "I don't want to die" reverberates in my mind, drowning out any other thoughts. The fear of death has taken over, leaving no room for anything else. The throbbing pain in my head intensifies, making it nearly impossible to concentrate on anything. As the blood slowly drips down the back of my head, my eyelids become heavier with each passing moment.

As I struggled to regain control, my thoughts became fragmented, my focus slipping away. The world around me seemed to blur even further, as if my very perception of reality was being distorted.

The air felt heavier, as if it was resisting my attempts to draw it into my lungs. The simple act of breathing, something I had taken for granted my entire life, now became an arduous task.

Time seemed to stretch, each passing second feeling like an eternity. The haze that enveloped my surroundings only intensified. The once vibrant colors of the world now appeared muted, as if drained of their life and vitality.

As I believed everything was over, a voice suddenly called my name. A soft tap on my cheek soon followed, as if someone was gently trying to rouse me from unconsciousness.

And I jolted awake in my bed, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. My shirt clung to my body, evidence of the intense perspiration. The throbbing pain in my head intensified as I sat up.

Without wasting a moment, I rushed out of my bedroom, barefooted, and made my way to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, I grabbed a water bottle and took a seat at the kitchen counter, desperately needing to quench my thirst.

As I take a refreshing sip of water to satisfy my thirst, I notice my breath becoming more relaxed. With the water bottle in my right hand, I exit the kitchen and head towards the comfortable living room to find some painkillers. As I reached the living room, I quickly retrieve the pain reliever from the drawer and consume it, hoping for some relief. Just as I swallow the pill, the sound of my phone ringing emerges from the bedroom, grabbing my attention.

I walk into the bedroom, my curiosity is sparked by the caller ID on my phone. After a quick glance, I pick up the phone and hear my hyung's voice on the other end, filled with anger.

"Hey, Jungkook, why did you put my number on your Instagram page? Your customers keep calling me late at night and it's really getting on my nerves. If another one of your customers contacts me at midnight, I'll be dead furious. I might even kill you."

Unable to contain my amusement at my hyung's adorable angry voice, I attempt to calm him down.

"Hey, hey, bro, listen," I say playfully, but Jimin continues his rant.

"Bro, just hear me out," I state seriously this time, and Jimin abruptly stops talking and starts to listen.

"The reason I included your phone number in my bio is because I've been feeling isolated lately. I know it's not right, but at the moment, I just need a break from social media and don't feel like creating art for others. Please understand and handle the customers for a few days. If anyone wants to order artwork, ask them to be patient. I would really appreciate it if you could understand my situation."

And I know Jimin does understand. He knows me since I was four and a half years old and has always treated me like his own brother.

"Okay, bro, just don't stress yourself too much. I'll do as you say, alright!" Jimin says solemnly before ending the call.

Alternatively, I slip my phone into the right pocket of my pants and head towards my basement art gallery. Grabbing my paints and brushes, I settle down on the stool in front of a large canvas. With a whirlwind of emotions inside me, I feel the urge to express them all on the canvas, finding solace in my art.

As I pick up my colours, the weight of the world seems to lift off my shoulders, replaced by a surge of vibrant colors that dance before my eyes. With every stroke, I am transported to a realm where words fail to capture the depth of my feelings, and only the language of art can truly express my emotions swirling within me. The process is both exhilarating and exhausting, as I pour my heart and soul into every detail.

Finally, the moment arrives when I step out of the gallery, my masterpiece complete. The weight of the world returns, but it is now accompanied by a sense of accomplishment. With a contented smile, I whisper to myself, " Finally i can find some peace now". And then I retreat to my bedroom, ready to rest and recharge.

© 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲𝐲 [𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝]