#something about losing hope and going to jump off a bridge

[novelmonger]

Everyone is reading A Christmas Carol this time of year, but I decided to try out another of Charles Dickens' Christmas stories. The one I chose was The Chimes (which ended up being actually about New Year, not Christmas, but oh well). It was a good story--I plowed through it in one sitting--but I can definitely see why A Christmas Carol has remained popular and gotten a heck-ton of adaptations and references to this day, while The Chimes has not.

There are a lot of similarities between the two stories. Both are about an old man who is visited by spirits (in a dream?? vision??? out-of-body experience????) on the eve of a winter holiday, showing him a potential future of how dreadfully things could turn out if he doesn't alter his thinking, until he wakes up and finds out it hasn't happened yet and there's still hope, and the story ends with a giddily joyful celebration.

But The Chimes is just not quite as powerful or memorable as A Christmas Carol, for several reasons. First and foremost, I think, is the main character. Scrooge is one of the nastiest, most cold-hearted and miserly people you could possibly imagine, so it's really satisfying to watch him slowly changing over the course of the story. He's humbled, softened, and warmed throughout his adventure to become the joyful, generous man we see at the end. The difference is so striking, but so wonderful because it's like night and day. You can tell at a glance that he's a new man.

Trotty Veck, the main character of The Chimes, doesn't have quite the same effect. Don't get me wrong, he's a great character--Dickens excels at making interesting characters that leap off the page--but he doesn't seem to be in as dire need of changing as Scrooge. He's a poor man who works as a ticket-porter, doing odd jobs and running deliveries for people. Due to a run-in with some stuffy gentlemen and seeing horrible news in the papers, he loses faith in the working class, wondering if maybe they're just wicked by nature with no hope of improvement, as the upper class seems to think. That's what apparently prompts the spirits in the belltower to show him the bleak future of how he and all his loved ones could end up because they assumed there was no hope for them.

It actually took me a while to understand why the spirits were admonishing Trotty in the first place. His crime didn't seem worthy of the punishment. I mean, a common message running through all of Dickens' work is to be generous to the poor and treat them with dignity. That's seen powerfully in the character of Scrooge, who hoards his coin at first but then becomes generous in the end. Trotty, on the other hand, is one of the poor himself, and is clearly a victim of the kind of people Dickens is criticizing. Trotty even takes in a destitute uncle and niece who are also victims of the corrupt system, giving them a place to stay and using his day's earnings to give them food while he and his daughter go without. And yet, Trotty is the one who is admonished by the spirits, like he's the one to blame for losing hope when everything's against him.

And even when everything turns out all right in the end, and the horrible future he saw is averted because love wins out over despair...Trotty isn't really that different than he was to start with. We see him as a generally cheerful, loving, kind man in the beginning...and in the end, he's cheerful, loving, and kind. Instead of going through a radical transformation of character, he has a brief period of despondency and despair of his fellow man, but then gets over it really quick and is back to normal. It's just not as powerful.

Besides, it's hard to see why Trotty is the one who needs to change in order to prevent the awful future he sees in his vision. In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is able to immediately do something once he wakes up and realizes he has a second chance. He can throw a Christmas party, help out Bob Cratchit's family, give money to the poor, etc. But when Trotty wakes up and finds out that the horrible future he's seen hasn't happened yet...it's actually not due to him at all. In the vision, it seemed like everything went wrong because the gentlemen convinced Trotty's daughter Meg from getting married to her sweetheart Richard, and that was going to lead them down the path to misery, Richard would succumb to alcoholism, the little girl Lilian would eventually have to resort to prostitution, and in the last extremity Meg would end up jumping in the river with her baby out of despair. But then Trotty wakes up and discovers none of that would have happened anyway. He learns that Meg and Richard had already decided not to listen to what those men said to them, and even though it dampened their spirits somewhat (as someone being rude to you naturally would), they were still planning to get married the next day anyway. So...Trotty changing his outlook on life doesn't actually affect anything that's actually happening. There's no sense that he was even trying to prevent Meg and Richard from getting married, so his loss of hope wouldn't have changed anything for them.

Now, don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed this story a lot, and will probably come back to it in New Years to come. Dickens' characters are all as fun as ever, the writing is excellent, and the joy at the happy ending is exquisite. He even got me to cry at one point, even with so much less time than normal to get to know and love these characters. Dickens, how do you do it?!

"So may the New Year be a happy one to you, happy to many more whose happiness depends on you! So may each year be happier than the last, and not the meanest of our brethren or sisterhood debarred their rightful share, in what our Great Creator formed them to enjoy."

[rafecameroninterlude]

hi victoria!!! i love ur pogue!sweetheart!reader and i was wondering if u could do a lil hurt/comfort thing where one of rafes friends tells reader she talks too much/is too loud and she gets super upset? i’m a super big crybaby and i talk a LOT and i’d love to see how you write how rafey defends n comforts her :,)

warnings: protective!rafe, topper and kelce are pretty mean in this one >:(, rafe defends you <3, sight angst, fluff, rafe being the king of reassurance

a/n: i have personal beef with anyone who tells ppl to quiet down when they’re excited for something, or just naturally outgoing. also idk how to play poker so excuse the way i explained it if it’s incorrect lol

before you, friday nights were always reserved for rafe and his friends, the group of them either going out for a beer or staying in and betting money on card games. but now? rafe spent his friday nights buried inside of you, both of you laughing and kissing each other in the dark until one of you fell asleep first. and rafe wouldn’t have it any other way. his friends however, weren’t very fond of your boyfriend choosing you over them.

which would explain their impromptu visit while you two were mid-makeout session. “so this is why she has you locked away, huh?” you jumped, rafe covering you with a throw blanket as he slipped his shirt on. “what the fuck, guys?!” rafe glared at kelce and topper, your skin hot with embarrassment. “you left the door unlocked, playboy.” topper pushed a twelve pack of beers into rafe’s chest, the pair of friends walking to the kitchen.

“are you okay, baby?” rafe leaned down, wanting nothing more than to sucker punch his idiot friends for making you feel mortified. “i’m in my bra and panties!” you whispered, scrambling up from the couch and running up the stairs to rafe’s bedroom. rafe pinched the bridge of his nose, cursing under his breath before meeting topper and kelce in the kitchen. “y’all should’ve called me or something.” his tone was harsh, kelce holding his hands up defensively.

“she has you so pussy whipped bro, would you have even answered?” no, the answer was no. “it doesn’t matter, you two shouldn’t have walked in like that.” topper scoffed, popping open a can of beer. “chill, man, we just came to see our boy,” kelce slapped rafe’s shoulder, “and beat your ass at poker.” he added. rafe laughed, muttering a ‘not a chance.’ before going upstairs to check on you. “y/n?” you were fixing your disheveled hair, your lips still swollen from your previous activities.

“hey..” you turned, rafe pulling you in for a hug. “why don’t you come downstairs? be my lucky charm for the game we’re gonna play.” you shook your head, recalling topper’s words from earlier; ‘so this is why she has you locked away, huh?’ locked away? really? “i better not, you should go have your ‘bro’ time, i know it’s been awhile..” you smiled, hoping he didn’t catch the way your gaze faltered. he did. “i want you with me.” he pecked the tip of your nose, your eyes shutting momentarily.

“what if they don’t, though?” rafe was already dressing you, waving off your words. “well then they can leave.” he shrugged. you sighed, letting him walk you downstairs where topper and kelce had the game set up on the table. “the girl scout is joining us?” you didn’t miss the way topper exchanged looks with the boy on his right. “yes, she is. is there a problem?” kelce mumbled a ‘no.’, followed by an awkward clearing of his throat.

rafe pulled you onto his lap, the guys starting the game as you rested your head against his chest. you didn’t know a thing about poker, your lips quirking every time your boyfriend shouted excitedly. “there’s no way!” topper slammed his losing cards on the table, “i have nothing!” kelce was getting frustrated, the chances of him winning decreasing with each turn. “if i flip this card and it’s right, i take all of this.” the guys had already put in well over four hundred dollars, the tension in the room incredibly thick.

“with this money we’ll get you that mixer you been wanting, how does that sound?” you nodded, both you and rafe leaning forward in anticipation. as soon as rafe turned his last card over, you screamed, jumping up as topper and kelce heads fell down in defeat. it was the first time you had even opened your mouth tonight, and kelce wasted no time in shutting you down. “calm down, do you really have to be so loud?” your smile dropped, along with rafe’s. “forreal.” topper glared at you before pushing the money in your direction.

“what’s up y’all’s asses? she’s just cheering,” rafe pulled you to his side, “just a reminder that you two came here on your own accord and interrupted us, not the other way around.” in that moment you felt like a little girl again, always having someone to tell you to quiet down and suppress your excitement. you couldn’t help the tears from welling in your eyes, their judgmental looks making you want to disappear. prior to you and rafe being together, topper and kelce had always been nice to you, but all of that seemed to go out the door when your boyfriend stopped participating in their little get togethers.

“we hardly see you anymore, bro, we just don’t understand why she can’t lay off sometimes.” topper looked over at you, his jaw ticking as rafe laughed bitterly. you couldn’t believe your ears. if only they knew how much you encouraged rafe to hang out with them. “has it ever occurred to you that maybe i rather spend my time with my girlfriend than hanging out with you two? get the fuck out of my house.” topper and kelce looked like they were at a loss for words, both of them apologizing to you under their breath.

“and not that it matters anymore, ‘cause you two are so convinced that she has me trapped in her evil lair somewhere, but she encouraged me to come down here by myself before i dragged her along with me. you don’t even know what you’re talking about.” rafe basically pushed them out before shouting, “and i’m keeping the beers assholes!”

rafe shut the front door, making sure to lock it this time before he scooped you up in his arms. “don’t cry, sweetheart, they’re both idiots.” you sniffled, laughing softly. rafe smiled at the fact that he knew how to make you feel better. “talk my ear off while i order that mixer, i love hearing your voice.”

[not-neverland06]

How About a Nuke?

Part I / Part II

Cooper Howard x fem!reader A/N: This is really a prelude to the real story. It’s who they were before the bombs dropped and not as fleshed out as it could be. Summary: Hollywood doesn’t agree with you, as much as you wished it would. Until you meet Cooper Howard and he flips your world upside down. (Image below does not represent reader, I mean I don’t even look like that)

“Quench your thirst and a little bit more,” you winked and held up the dripping bottle of Nuka-Cola. You shot your best smile at the camera in front of you, holding it until the director let out a loud “Cut!” The smile dropped instantly and you dumped the bottle back in its cooler. 

Tom walked behind the camera, a frown on his face as he replayed the clip. You’d been here two hours already for a thirty second promo, there’s no reason it should have been taking this long.

You shifted, the leather on your legs creaking uncomfortably. They had you in some odd little space suit, more sexy than functional. The backdrop behind you was of painted stars and an out of scale moon. You weren’t sure how space and Nuka-Cola connected but a check was a check. 

“Is that who I think it is?”

You turned around at the sound of gasping. Your eyes widened and your stomach dropped when you watched the Cooper Howard walk through the entrance of the studio. Your biggest celebrity crush and idol just walked through the door and you were dressed like a sexy astronaut. This is beyond embarrassing. 

You had begged your agent to let you take some more serious roles, or at least a few fun ones. You’d been stuck in the same role of sexy bombshell for too long. You couldn’t even escape it doing a few advertisements. You wanted someone like Cooper to think you were classy or distinguished at least. Not some sellout with over lined red lips. 

You whipped your head around, hoping he wouldn’t notice you, and pretended to be fascinated by the cheap set you were on. “Mr. Howard, a pleasure,” you briefly glanced over your shoulder to watch your director shakehis hand. Cooper looked up, his eyes briefly catching yours. You winced and turned back around. 

“What are you doing here?”

”Filming a new advertisement for Nuka, would you like to see?”

”Why, yes I would.”

Oh, this was wonderful. Just great. You reached up to pinch the bridge of your nose but your hands just jammed painfully against the plastic of your helmet. You listened to them replaying your clip, hating the sultry tone of your voice. You hated being typecast like this. 

You didn’t work so hard to earn your spot in Hollywood just to be forced into the role of a sex symbol. You could be more, you knew it. You just needed a chance. “You did wonderful.”

You jumped in shock at the voice near your ear, your helmet hitting something hard. You heard a groan of pain and turned around mortified to see Cooper holding his nose. “Oh, Mr. Howard, I am so, so sorry.”

He shook his head and held up a hand, smiling amicably at you. “My fault, sweetheart, shouldn’t have snuck up on ya.”

You let out an annoyed huff and finally pulled the damn thing off. “Honestly, I should pay more attention, this damn thing’s a safety hazard.” He chuckled and it made you smile without even realizing it. You could feel the heat already blooming under your skin, just barely resisting the urge to fan yourself. But you couldn’t help but be flustered. It was Cooper Howard!

He finally let go of his nose and you sighed in relief when you saw that it wasn’t too badly damaged. He seemed to understand your relief because he laughed again. You heard whispers behind the two of you and finally realized just how close you both were. A couple PA’s stood huddled together, pointing at you with accusing fingers and harsh glares. 

Probably not smart to be a sex symbol and stand so close to a married man. 

You dropped the smile and took a step back from him. As much as you disliked typecasting, you would hate losing jobs more. You didn’t need any rumors to spread because you smiled too widely at Cooper. Lord knows your career barely survived the last round of gossip, that you’d been sleeping your way into roles. Which you hadn’t. You don’t need anything more like that bothering you now. 

Cooper glanced over your shoulder and seemed to notice the same thing as you, but he didn’t seem bothered by it like you were. Of course, he was a man and he was very happily married, he didn’t have to worry about the same things as you. He was secure in both his relationship and place in the world. You’d just barely gotten a foothold on everything. 

“I thought you seemed just sweet as peaches in that clip.”

You gave him a brief smile, “Thank you.”

”Though,” he frowned and glanced over at the director. You rolled your eyes when you saw Tom point over at you and then gesture to his stomach. If they sinched your waist one more damn time your ribs were going to crack. “I don’t quite understand why you had to be seductive.” He seemed genuinely perplexed but it didn’t take a genius to understand the underlying message of his words. 

You shrugged, “Just seems to be the way my career is going right now.”

”Is that what you want?”

Your brows furrowed in confusion. You haven't been asked that before. Of course you’d spoken up about being unhappy with your roles, though you still took them. But no one had ever asked you what you wanted. An odd feeling bloomed in your chest and you took another precautionary step back. “Um,” you frowned and shook your head, “no. It’s not what I want.”

He smiled, seemingly pleased by the answer. “Look, sweetheart, I didn’t come here to drink cola or chat,” he held up his hands in apology, “as wonderful a conversationalist as you are. I’m filming a movie right now. We're looking for a lady with a strong presence to be my companion in the film. I’ve seen your movies, you’re capable of a lot more than they’re giving you to work with. I think you’d be perfect for the role.”

Your ears started to ring as you stared at him in shock. It was hard to keep your jaw closed the longer he spoke. There’s no way that everything you’ve been wanting was just being offered to you on a silver platter. Stuff like that only happened in…

Well, it only happened in movies. 

“That is if you want the role? You’re not looking particularly enthused,” he gave you a charming grin and you finally remembered you actually had to respond to him to get what you wanted. 

“Yes!”

You didn’t care how loud you were or how dirty the looks you were getting from others were. There was nothing on your mind other than the man in front of you and what he was offering you. 

Everything you wanted. 

You stared up at the poster on Cooper’s wall. “I always thought I looked ridiculous in this one.”

“Well,” Barb came up behind you and handed you a martini. You took it from her with a grateful smile and took a sip. You tried to stop your face from screwing up but alcohol had never really sat well with you. “I think you look amazing.” She smiled at you and walked back towards the living room. 

You stayed where you were at the end of the stairs, staring up at the too-large poster. You and Cooper were standing back-to-back, your gun raised to your lips and a smirk on your red lips as your hat laid tilted over your eyes. The bright red cursive title sat under your spurred boots, The Outlaw and The Sheriff. 

Well, they certainly hadn’t been creative with the name. You couldn’t really bring yourself to care, though, it had been your first real role. You had played someone of substance, someone whose entire life didn’t revolve around the man she wanted to have an affair with. Cooper had opened up more doors for you then he would ever understand. 

You turned from the poster and back to the party. For once you weren’t being surrounded by a group of groping producers or Hollywood execs. Being a part of Cooper’s family, someone he was mentoring, it carried a certain power within the den of vipers. You weren’t untouchable, but you weren’t someone to be so easily ruined. 

You flashed kind smiles and coy waves at the people who called out your name and made your quick escape to the backyard. 

Cooper’s new movie had been released and he was having a sort of celebration party. Though, you think it’s just Barb trying to integrate Vault-Tec into the movie industry. From the disgusted looks on some of your co-star’s faces you could tell it wasn’t going very well. 

You sighed in relief at the fresh air and slowly made your way over to the pool chairs. Your feet ached in your heels and you could already feel blisters starting to form. You undid the straps and slipped them off. You lowered yourself onto the edge of the pool and dipped your toes in, the relief instantaneous.

You weren’t out very long before you heard steps approaching. You let out a deep sigh, mentally preparing yourself for your peace to be ruined by whoever wanted to bother you. “You’re not skipping my party, are you?” 

You opened your eyes to find Cooper smiling down at you. You always wondered how his smiles could be so genuine when he spoke to you. You hadn’t felt like you’d given anyone a real smile in a long time. This industry had taken a lot from you and lately you’d been wondering if it had stolen your happiness too. 

You shrugged, “It was getting a little boring.”

He grinned and slipped his shoes off. You watched him roll his pants up and groan as he dipped his legs in the pool with you. His smile slipped and his eyes widened when his legs landed in the water, “Damn, it’s fucking cold!”

You barked out a laugh, rough and very unladylike while he squirmed like a girl at a little cold water. “Didn’t you fight in a war?” You teased. 

He nudged his shoulder into yours, “Watch it,” you shook your head, dismissing his faux warning. You knew he didn’t really mind when you bugged him. It’s how you two had been acting around each other since day one. Tabloids labeled you two as close as kin, brother and sister. 

As much as it bugged you every time you read a headline like that while standing in line at the grocery store, you supposed it was better than everyone thinking you were some two-timing slut. But it bothered you how much your relationship being labeled siblings in nature irritated you. He had a wife and child, you couldn’t let some pathetic crush cloud your judgment like this. 

It was real hard to remember that, though, when he looked at you the way he did. Sitting by his side, under the moonlight, his eyes warm and earnest as he sent you an easygoing smile. You’ll never figure out if it’s in your head, but you swear he doesn’t smile at anyone the way he does at you. 

You feel like the only woman in the world sitting there with him. Like there wasn’t a party going on a few yards away in his house. And you hadn’t just accepted a martini from his wife who had graciously invited you into their home. It was just you and him. 

You didn’t realize you were leaning in until your lips were brushing his. He should have pulled back. You shouldn’t have leaned in. But his hand was on your waist and the other was buried in your hair, desperately pulling you closer. 

It wasn’t gentle or slow like you’d always imagined it. His mouth was moving hungrily over yours, practically devouring you in his desperation to get as close to you as possible. His hand tugged at the roots of your styled hair, a pained moan slipped through your lips. That wasn’t enough to snap you out of your trance, but his tongue licking into your mouth was. He groaned, tasting and savoring you like you would be his last meal. Like he had wanted you just as much as you had wanted him and he wasn’t going to let this chance slip away. 

You jumped back but he didn’t let you go far with his hands on you. His eyes slowly opened while the reality of the situation dawned on you both. You let out a horrified gasp at the sight of your lipstick smeared over his lips. “Oh, god, Coop.” You whispered, voice strained as you stared at him, “What did we do?”

His eyes darted between yours, the realization coming slower to him. When it did, you could pinpoint the exact moment it hit him. His mouth drew up in disgust and he ripped his hands off you. He leapt up, water splashing your dress as he did, but you were too hurt to really care. He clamped a hand over his mouth, looking very much like he was about to throw up on you. “Fuck,” he hissed, jaw clenched and eyes squeezing shut. 

You grabbed your bag and shoes and rushed to your feet. You dug around in your purse, hands shaking so much you could barely undo its clasp. When you finally found your handkerchief you dipped it in the pool and held it out to him. 

He glanced towards your outstretched hand and then to your ashamed face in confusion. “You have my lipstick on your lips,” you whispered. He snatched it out of your hand and scrubbed at his face so hard you wouldn’t even be able to make out the lipstick with how red his skin was. 

Slowly, and without a word, you both made your way back into the house. The tension was thick, neither of you able to look at each other. You kept an unusual amount of space between you for two people who were always so close. If anyone looked out the door at you right now, well, even Bud Askins would be able to tell something was wrong. 

You made it to the glass door and Barb intercepted you. Your heart leapt to your throat. You’d never been more disgusted with yourself. Not only did you kiss this woman’s husband, you had fucking enjoyed it. 

In fact, you wished you were out there still. As small a taste you’d gotten of him, you craved more. Your body was on fire with desire, core throbbing when you thought about the way he’d kissed you. You forced yourself to stop imagining what it would be like if he had kissed somewhere else. God, the thought made you burn. 

She laughed and gave you an odd look, “You look like you saw a ghost.”

Cooper chuckled and you whipped your head towards him in shock. Not only did he look completely unaffected, but he was smiling at you. You couldn’t look at him long, afraid your face would further give you away. You were a good actress, but not nearly as good as him. 

“This one almost accidentally took a dip in our pool,” he and Barb both laughed and you forced yourself to join in. 

“Yeah, and I think that might have been enough excitement for me.” You smiled at Barb and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, the taste of her husband still on your lips. “I’m gonna head home. Enjoy the rest of the party.”

Cooper stopped you before you could completely slip away, “I’ll walk you out to your car, honey.” You nodded, not willing to argue in the middle of his crowded home. Still, you didn’t make it easy for him to keep up with you. You were at the door before he could blink, practically flying out of the house. 

You probably would have made it all the way to your car without another word if it weren’t for him clasping a hand around your elbow. “We need to talk.”

You shook your head and he let out a disappointed sigh. You already knew what he was going to say, and you agreed wholeheartedly. What had happened tonight was a mistake. Not only were you risking your career but you could ruin his whole life if you continued down this path. As much as you wanted him, as much as you had yearned for him, you couldn’t be so selfish. 

But you also couldn’t handle hearing him say that to you. It would break your heart to have to listen to him explain all the reasons you could never be with the man you were so desperately in love with. “I know, Coop, I know.” 

His grip tightened on you when you tried to slip away. You set pleading eyes on him, praying he couldn’t see the tears already starting to build. You knew he could, though, when his gaze softened and he eased his grip on you. After another whispered “please” he finally nodded and stepped back from you. 

You slipped your arm from his hold and ran to your car. You leapt inside and peeled out of the driveway like the devil was on your tail. And maybe he was, maybe you deserved it. Because you still couldn’t help yourself, glancing in the rear view mirror to see Cooper standing at the end of his driveway, watching you go with a distraught look on his face. 

You wiped the tears off your face and turned back towards the road. You could never be with him. You could never love him the way you wanted. You’d have to be satisfied for the rest of your life with the taste you’d gotten tonight. That would be all you would ever allow yourself. 

“A fallen star, Cooper Howard has become a reject within Hollywood. Fellow actors and actresses have been refusing to work with him, making it difficult for the former celebrity to find work. Recent reports say he’s been seen at birthday parties more than on set.”

The female reporter shook her head, “Such a shame. We’ve been hearing that this is all due to his former ties with Vault-Tec. Ties which were recently severed in a grisly divorce with ex-wife and Vault-Tec employee, Barb-”

You clicked the TV off, shutting the ridiculous news report up and ran a hand down your face. You hadn’t seen Coop in a few months. After that night at his house, you’d dropped the movies you’d been doing with him and put as much distance between the two of you as you could. 

That thought made you feel like the worst piece of shit. You couldn’t have known that Hollywood was going to turn its back on him. You couldn’t have known that nearly two weeks after you cut ties his entire life would go up in flames. You should have been there for him. How you feel about him shouldn’t matter when your friend needs you. 

He’d given you everything he could and you couldn’t even be there for him when he needed you. Of course, once you’d heard about the divorce, you’d called up Sebastian. But he had warned you not to try and reach out to Cooper. He seemed to think it would only make things worse. The more you heard, however, the more guilty you felt about not being there for him. Tabloids and gossip columns certaintly hadn’t been kind when the news of his divorce had come out. 

They pounced on the opportunity to further rip into his wounds and present them to the world. You glanced down at your couch cushion, the magazine you’d picked up in the store staring back at you. The front was a picture of him walking out of a house, donned in cowboy gear and clearly performing for a children’s party. 

You sighed and decided you should finally push aside your pride. You snatched your keys from the hook and headed out the door. 

Cooper didn’t seem to believe it was you when he opened the door. His eyes, cloudy and red, narrowed before he frowned and took a step back. “That really you?”

You offered a weak smile and a, “Hi, Coop.”

He scoffed and you could tell he was getting angry. His accent always got a little rougher when he was pissed off. “‘Hi, Coop’,” he mocked, a sneer on his face. “Four months without contact and that’s all you have to say. Fuck off,” he went to close the door but you blocked him with your foot. 

It stung, honestly, the cruel way in which he spoke to you. But you knew he could be a lot meaner if he wanted to and it wasn’t as if you didn’t deserve it. You had been a shitty, selfish friend. “I’m sorry, I was just nervous. I just,” you paused, struggling to find the right words to make this any better. He crossed his arms, still refusing to let you into his house. “I called the second I heard, but Sebastian had told me it would be better if I didn’t come.”

His brows furrowed before he glared at you. “So you don’t even fucking call?”

“I was wrong and selfish. Cooper,” you reached out, laying a gentle hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, I’m not asking for you to forgive me. I am genuinely so sorry I wasn’t here for you. But I’m here now, if you’ll let me be.”

The next minute was unbearable. You felt too awkward to take your hand off his arm and he refused to speak. He didn’t even blink, just glared at you, the longer the silence went on the more you could feel yourself losing your nerve. Maybe this had been a mistake. 

Finally, he sighed and your heart leapt to your throat. “Come in,” he stepped to the side and opened his door up further. You kept your mouth shut and slipped into the house. It seemed to be the only thing he’d been able to hold onto since the divorce. 

The door slammed shut behind you and he pushed past you to slip into the living room and throw himself down on the couch. You followed slowly behind him, taking oddly tentative steps, like if you made a noise he would kick you out. 

He had his arm thrown over his face, his eyes clenched like he was in pain. You perched yourself on the edge of the chair you usually sat in, feeling oddly uncomfortable. You fidgeted restlessly on the cushion, crossing and uncrossing your legs, tapping your toes against the floor. 

It had seemed like such an easy decision to come here half an hour ago. But you hadn’t had a plan and that was really biting you in the ass now. Desperate for anything other than the sound of the fabric underneath you, you blurted out the question that had bothered you for months. 

“What happened?”

He sighed, like he’d been expecting it. He sat up slowly, grabbing a glass of brown liquor off the coffee table and taking a swig. He leaned forward on his knees, glaring over at you. “What are you talking about? You’re gonna have to be specific, sweetheart, everything in my life has fallen apart.”

You winced, hating the callous way you’d asked the question. You’d meant to approach the subject more gently, but it wasn’t easy to keep your curiosity contained. “Everything, I guess. Last time I saw you, you were on top of the world. What happened?” You tried to ask your questions as gently as possible, but there really was no use sugarcoating anything. 

“Flew too close to the sun and I fell,” he shrugged and sent you a sarcastic smirk. “But I see you’ve been doing great, huh?”

“Not really, I’ve stepped back from taking on any contracts. I would have dropped Nuka-Cola too if their lawyers weren’t so damn good.”

He shrugged, like he didn’t really give a shit about your life or how it was going. This hurt, how he was acting, you’d never seen him like this. He was acting so mean and despondent. “Found out Barb was advocating for nuclear war and Vault-Tec was backing her. Finding out your wife is orchestrating war crimes really puts a wrench in your marriage.”

You wished you could be surprised, but Barb’s odd behavior since joining the company had been obvious to everyone but Cooper. He laughed when he saw the look on your face, “You say ‘I told you so’ and I’ll throw something at you.” You shook your head and sank back in the chair. “Anyway, Vault-Tec dropped me and since everyone in Hollywood hates me that was the last paying job I had. Now, I’m working kid’s parties.” He scoffed and smiled mirthfully, but the hatred in this look was directed at himself. “How the mighty have fallen, right?”

He threw back the rest of his whiskey and slammed the glass back on the table. 

“I really am sorry, Coop. I should have been here.”

He didn’t look at you, just shook his head, “No point. If you had been, I would have dragged you down with me. Probably the smartest thing you could have done.” You hated this, it made your heart hurt to see him so down on himself. 

This wasn’t the Cooper you knew. This was a man completely broken by what life had thrown at him. You hated this. You hated yourself for not helping him. Hated his wife for abandoning him. You hated the world for so easily turning their back on him like he was nothing to them. 

You slipped from the chair and kneeled in front of him. You grabbed his hands in yours, holding on tight when he tried to slip away. “I’m sorry, Coop, truly. I wasn’t here for you. But I am now, I swear. Let me help you, please.”

He glanced down at you and stared quietly, trying to decide whether he should be an asshole and tell you to fuck off or just accept the help. He had been lonely for a long while now. He needed someone to tell him he was doing okay. That he had done the right thing in getting Barb out of his life. So, he nodded and squeezed your hands back. 

“Pancakes?”

You laughed and sat up in bed, glancing over at Cooper while he got dressed. “Is that all you know how to make?” He smiled and crawled back onto bed to plant a hard kiss against your lips. 

“You want food or not, smartass?”

You laughed and pressed another quick kiss to his lips, “Please.” He shook his head and walked out of his bedroom and towards the kitchen. You sank back against the pillows and stared blankly up at his ceiling. 

You wished there was a title to describe what you were to each other, but you weren’t completely sure yourself. A few weeks after you’d stopped by his house you’d slept together for the first time. And then again and again, and you’d taken to staying at his house more than your own apartment. 

You’d worried that you were letting yourself be a rebound after his divorce. Afraid that he was simply going to sleep with you and move on once he’d found something better. But he didn’t treat you like you were something to throw away. 

But that doesn’t mean anything when he’s never explicitly stated that he wants something serious with you. You sit up when you hear him padding back down the hall, a tray in his hands. You smile at him and help him settle back in bed. 

When you’re done eating you both lay back in bed and you figure you don’t need something definitive for now. You’ll just enjoy what you have while you have him. The shrill ring of the phone jolts you both out of your comfortable state. 

He sighs and reaches over to grab it from its place on the nightstand. The cord stretches over you while he leans back and talks to whoever is on the other line. “Hello?” His brow furrows in confusion when the other person began to speak. You can make out their muffled voice but not what they’re saying. You give him a questioning look but he just shrugs and hands you the phone. “It’s for you, sweetheart.”

“Hello?” 

Cooper watches you with growing confusion as your face lights up and you shoot out of bed. He sighs, knowing his morning is probably over. He figures he should go ahead and get dressed while you finish up the call. 

When he comes out of the bathroom you’re still talking. Your finger is coiled through the cord and you’re pacing a track into his rug. You’ve got a serious expression on your face, listening intently, before you light up once more and let out an eager, “Oh, thank you so much!” You slam the phone back down on the dial and turn to him with an eager smile. 

“That was Tom, he’s got a role for me.” Cooper shoots you a happy smile but he can’t help the twinge of jealously in his gut. A few weeks ago some pictures of you two together had been leaked. While your career and offered had considerably slowed, you hadn’t been completely stonewalled by all of Hollywood like he had. 

He couldn’t help but resent that at moments, that you still got to live your dream while he was punished for doing what he thought had been right. He wouldn’t let that ruin your mood right now, though. “That’s great, what is it?”

You shrugged, going through the room and quickly changing into a long skirt and blouse. “He couldn’t give me many details over the phone. He wants me to head over to his house to pick up the script real quick.” You ran up to him, planted a quick kiss on his cheek and darted towards the hall. “I’ll be back for lunch,” you called over your shoulder. 

Cooper sighed, overwhelmed slightly by your whirlwind of energy. He called out a quick goodbye he wasn’t sure you heard and tried to ignore the nauseating feeling settling in his stomach. 

You stared up at Tom’s door, knocking quickly. You were the perfect picture of naïveté, wide-eyed and eager as you waited for him to open the door. When Tom wasn’t directing Nuka-Cola ads he directed only serious movies. The type that only critics liked. 

Getting another serious role could really help in getting you back on track. Maybe you could even start helping Coop out, he was going to have to sell the house soon if he didn’t make real money. 

The smile on your lips was hard to dismiss as you impatiently waited for the door to open. It didn’t take much longer, you could hear Tom approaching through it and then it was swinging open. He had a wide smile and seemed oddly breathless as he stared at you. “There you are! Come on in, I’ll grab the script.”

Not thinking much of the odd invitation you took a step inside and glanced around. You heard voices in the next room and your smile dropped just a little. “Come on,” he waved you forward when he noticed you had stopped, “I’ll get you something to drink.”

“Oh,” you took a hesitant step forward. “I’m fine, really, I need to get back home pretty quick.” Tom stopped in his tracks and turned around. The look on his face had your hairs standing on end, both of your smiles completely gone now. 

“I said come in.” You tried to back up but your back hit something soft. Jumping forward, you turned to find one of the tallest men you’d ever seen towering over you. He pushed forward and you stumbled back, starting to feel real panic settle in. 

He kept pushing until you found yourself standing in the middle of a crowded living room. Execs you recognized from meetings with your agent and premieres circled around you like a pack of hyenas. Each of them tittering and laughing, pointing at you with a dangerous gleam in their eyes. 

You felt tears pricking your eyes, your gaze darting up to Tom. But he refused to look at you, accepting a large wad of cash from one man and shaking his hand. He spared you one brief glance, a distant regret in his eyes as he walked out the room. 

You spun in a quick circle, breaths coming short and fast when the men started to close in on you. One of them grabbed you and you threw your elbow back into his face, it didn’t matter. They were all reaching for you now. Hands snagged on your blouse and the buttons popped open. 

You opened your mouth, to scream or bite one of them, you don’t know, it didn’t matter. A large hand clamped around your mouth, forcing you to breathe in the cloth on their palm. You sucked in a sharp breath, something sweet tickling your nose before your eyes were rolling back in your head. 

end. — I do not own the characters or the game/show Fallout, but this writing is my own all rights reserved © not-neverland06 2024. do not copy, repost, translate & recommend elsewhere.

[satorusugurugurl]

I Think He Knows: (Chapter Eight)

Summary: When your novel takes off and becomes a best seller, doors of opportunities open for you. You can work on the series you have dreamed about all your life. And you’re also given the chance to stay in a tiny cottage in Europe for two years to help with inspiration! Your best friend, Geto Suguru, shatters at the news. How could he tell you how he feels when you leave him? His opportunity appears right before him when you confess that your editor thinks a change of scenery will help with your not-so-steamy romance scenes. They’re lacking a particular spice because you’re a virgin. So, Suguru does what any best friend would do. He offers to teach you how things work. Will you cross that line as friends? Or will you both say goodbye?

Pairing: Geto Suguru x FAB!Reader

Word Count: 4,759

Warning: nightmares, mentions of character death, panic attack, night terror, blood, PTSD, suvivor guilt Language, suggestiveness, grinding, neck kisses, dry humping,

A/N: oh man!! We have three parts left after this update, maybe two. Still plotting out the last chapters!!

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven

Suguru knew something was wrong with you. Something was up the second you both boarded your plane as you mindlessly stared at your computer screen. He wanted to believe that maybe something happened with your agent or you were stuck doing rewrites, but his anxiety told him you were beginning to regret your decision to come with him. He didn’t want to hold you back if staying in Tokyo with something you wanted to do. He wanted you to follow your dreams.

He just needed to figure out how to bring it up.

However, that seemed like a terrible way to start this trip. He should be elated, jumping with joy over the fact that he spent time with you. You were going to be living together for the next four months. It would be if there were any time to tell you how he felt now. If he could muster up the courage to do that, he would follow his friend's advice, preferably today or tonight, once you guys got to your condo.

Suguru was going to tell you how he felt finally. He was going to be upfront and honest. He didn’t want to be your friend anymore. He would much rather be your boyfriend if you would accept him.

If he continued to beat around the bush, there was a chance he would lose you. That was something he could not afford to do. Losing you would be like losing part of his soul.

For now, he just needed to keep things lighthearted and stress-free. Which would be easier if you weren’t mindlessly staring at your computer screen. Your eyes were slightly swollen, and your manicured nails tapped against the side of your laptop as the word seemed to evade you, seeing you were so lost in thought.

Without thinking, Suguru reached over and gently grabbed your hand, holding it tight, drawing you out of your fantasy world and back into reality. Your tired, swollen eyes glanced down at your conjoined hands, and for the first time since you boarded the plane, you smiled. It wasn’t the fake smile that you had put on since you both sat down. No, this was your genuine, honest smile.

Which made his whole heart sing.

“You okay?” Suguru asked as you pulled your headphones up to listen to him.

“Oh yeah, I have a nasty case of writer's block. I hope going to the beach when we get there will help.”

Hearing you speak so freely about the issues you were having lifted some of the tension on Suguru’s shoulders. Knowing that you were just stuck in writer's block and not regretting your decision to join him, he slumped back against his chair as his fingers slowly interlaced with yours. He was afraid if he moved any faster, you would disappear.

“I’m sorry, having a blockage like that sucks. Is there anything I can do to help?”

A flush crept across your cheekbones and over the bridge of your nose. “H-Here?” The shushed, almost reprimanding tone of your voice had your best friend smirking. “W-We’re in public! And people would catch us.” Suguru gave your hand another reassuring squeeze.

“I didn't mean like that. Is there anything I could do to help you get through your writer's block?”

“Oh,” your flush deepened in color, “right, yeah, you didn’t mean us fucking in the bathroom.”

Fucking?

You hadn’t noticed the word you had used, but your best friend did. None of your sessions thus far had gone farther than touching and dry humping. So, for you to outwardly say something like that, it was entirely out of left field. Suguru’s cheek flushed a rosey shade as you continued to ramble on about how there were no planes in your fantasy world, and you didn’t see how that would help with your writer's block but profusely thankful for his offer.

Fucking?

That word had been something he was familiar with countless times before. He had had his share of partners in the past, but you were different. You weren’t just some girl. You were his best friend, and you deserve the absolute best. Fucking, was something he never wanted to do with you. No, Suguru wanted to make love with you.

Love. Making love. That sounded so much better than fucking. Making love sounded like something you were so deserving of.

“Suguru?” Your free hand reached forward, touching his forehead with the back of your hand. “Are you okay? You look a little flushed.”

“Oh, yeah, I uh—it’s just a bit warm in here.” it sounds like a bullshit excuse because it is a bullshit excuse.

You just softly grin, dropping your hand down to cup his face. The gentle touch alleviates all the stress and thoughts continuously forming in Subaru’s mind. He finds himself in the back of your hand, leaning into your touch. Everything would be okay as long as he had you by his side.

He could return to Okinawa and paint a mural of a girl he had failed. He might be able to go back to the street where she had died eventually. And he would tell you how he felt.

All because you were with him.

Even though you were by his side, he found himself shaking as he looked out at the ocean as the taxi drove you both to the condo you would call Home for the next four months. Thoughts of Riko and Gojo playing with sea cucumbers on the beach and enjoying soba noodles at a restaurant just up the shoreline, there were a lot of memories in this place, ones that had been fueling his nightmares for years.

Before those dark thoughts could dig their claws into his arms, pulling him under, you leaned your body against his back, peering out the window with him. “Whoa, look at those waves!” Your breath fans against his cheek before you press your face against his. “We should go for a walk tonight once we’re all settled in!” As he had thought on the plane, you were doing exactly what he knew—making this whole excursion easier for him to process.

“Yeah, a walk sounds nice.”

Anything involving you sounds nice. The remainder of the ride to the condo is quiet. A peaceful, calm, serene, until you're dropped off at the condo building. That relaxed, tranquil feeling is replaced with a sense of excitement, especially when you both walk inside.

The condo was a one-bedroom, one-bath, one-bath condominium with a living room, kitchen, and balcony. What made it even better was that it was fully furnished with all the necessary furniture and necessities. Making it a perfect home away from home for the next few months. Suguru stepped inside, holding the door open for you, watching your eyes sparkle as you kicked your sandals off, running across the polished wood flooring. You made a beeline for the balcony window, your back straightened before your world around to face him as he shut the door.

“Suguru! We’re super close to the beach! We should go for that walk later tonight!”

The excitement planted across your face and thick in your voice had Suguru’s heart fluttering. “Yeah, weekend. I have to call the aquarium first and let them know we made it.”

“Hell yeah! I’ll go start unpacking!”

Suguru chuckled, watching as you carried all the bags to the bedroom. He quickly called his employer. Much like he thought this time in Okinawa would involve a lot of working and less playing. The aquarium Director wanted to stop in the office to discuss what they wanted and where the mural would be. They had also been kind enough to purchase all the supplies for him. Paints, brushes, ladders, everything he could want or need would be provided.

The director wanted Suguru to take the rest of the day off to settle in before you came in the next day, which was great—having a day off. Which meant he would be able to spend it with you. Maybe if things went right tonight, he could finally tell you how he felt because he was getting tired of hiding behind some bullshit excuse to ‘help’ you with your book.

“Hey,” Suguru tapped his knuckles against the door frame as he shoved his phone into his pocket. “So the aquarium said that we could—” When he enters the room, you glance up from your phone, and Suguru can see tears swelling in your eyes. His heart drops into his stomach as you quickly wipe at the falling tears. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m okay!”

“Please don’t lie to me.”

The talent of his voice leaves no room for arguments, which she’s anticipating you giving him. “Sugu.” But instead of arguing with him, you smile, blushing yourself off the bed before grabbing his hand. “I was just reading a fan someone wrote about Oaklynn and Ilsan!” You swallow hard, whiter as you squeeze his hand tight. “But what were you say about the aquarium?” Suguru knows there's more than just some fanfic behind your tears, but if you keep pushing, he’s afraid he’ll ruin the first night in the condo with you.

“They said we could take today to settle in.”

You both head to the store to get groceries to cook dinner together. The whole time, Suguru watches you with weary eyes. Knowing you guys were out and about, you seemed fine, but he also knew you. You were pretty talented at putting on a mask behind your genuine emotions. He signs that if you’re not doing better by the following day, he will bring it up again and confront you about what was happening.

The next day, you’re okay, and the following day and the day after that. He’s happy to see your smiling face with no traces of tears in them. He wishes his face mirrored yours. Instead of worrying about you, he’s beginning to worry more about himself. It’s not that being with you makes him sad or that living together for the last week hasn’t been what he has always dreamed about. Being with you was a dream come true. Waking up next to you, cooking meals with you, taking an evening stroll on the beach, and being with you were the best part of returning to Okinawa.

But it was the flashbacks he wasn’t loving.

Images of Riko on the beach, running down the sidewalk. Enjoying her life to the fullest, not knowing this would be the last trip she would ever take because of him.

The second night in the condo was when the nightmare started up again. The same ones he’d been having for years. Riko in the aquarium, the blue hue of the lights around turning red before he was lying down on the street, staring into her lifeless eyes, while her blood-stained mouth told him it was his fault. He hadn’t been fast enough and pushed you out of the way. He had chosen one over the other; those toxic thoughts were the source of the nightmares plaguing him. That also had him stirring in his sleep next to you.

You had been struggling to fall asleep. You and Suguru had been in Okinawa for a week, and you still hadn’t been able to break the news about the cottage to him. That was why you were so upset when you arrived and had been crying a week prior. Eventually, you knew you would have to come clean about it, but you couldn’t do that right now, not when he needed you.

Not wanting to linger on those thoughts any longer, you were about to turn onto your other side when Suguru gasped, yelling your name as he sat up in bed.

“Sugu?!”? You sat up with him, watching his chest. His eyes are brimming with tears. “Hey, I’m right here.” Very gently, you grabbed his thigh, squeezing him, grounding him. “I’m right here with you.”

Suguru breathed heavily and yanked your hand to his chest, holding it there as if he was afraid he would vanish if you didn’t touch him. Scooted towards him, sitting on your knees, watching the adrenaline coursing through his veins slowly settle down. His muscles relaxed, and he watched as the pulse in his throat slowed down. Once he calms down, you lean closer, copying your hand against his cheek.

Leaned into his lips against the palm of your hand. “Sorry.” He pressed another gentle kiss. “Did I wake you?” Shame and embarrassment clouded his eyes as they roamed over your face.

“No, I was already awake.” That seems to make his shoulders relax more. “Were you having a nightmare about me?”

“How did you—?”

“You screamed my name.”

Suguru averts his gaze, biting down on his bottom lip. “Sorry, I—I—uhm—“ your hand leaves his face quickly, grabbing his hand again and squeezing it.

“Talk to me, please.”

Suguru never went into details about his nightmares with you. He only talked about it with his therapist and had mentioned them to Gojo one night when he had been drinking. His therapist had said that it was his conscience. The guilt of what had happened was eating away at him. After increasing his meds, he had encouraged Suguru to talk to his friends about the nightmares, but he had never had the urge to.

Right this second, as he sat down in bed with you. Countless times, you had woken up alone, having to deal with the pain, fear, and memories in the dead of night. Now, it was different. You were with him held. This was why you had agreed to come with him to Okinawa. Even if the nightmares revolved around you, want to talk to anybody else about it

“I have nightmares about the accident over and over again. And it’s not just about Riko—it’s about you too.” Suguru went into details, telling you about the aquarium, Riko, and the street where she had died. In that dream, he described how Riko always blamed him for pushing you out of the way of the moving car. The entire time, you were silent, taking in his words, holding his hand, caressing the back of his knuckles with your thumb. You would give him a gentle, reassuring squeeze whenever his voice would crack or his gaze would linger on the sheets for too long.

You had known his nightmares were terrible, but you never knew how bad they were. Suguru had to suffer with them constantly. Of course, he would have insomnia! But there was one thing about the dreams that didn't make sense.

“Suguru, why do you think you pushed me out of the way?”

Your best friend blinked slowly, looking up from the bed to focus on your face. “Huh?” Confusion was etched into your features. “Be—because I did?” Suguru’s face contorted with confusion as you quickly moved forward, cupping his face in your hands.

“You didn't.” When he says nothing, you feel like your stomach is crawling up your throat. “Oh my god, Suguru, all these years, you seriously thought you had picked me over Riko?” His eyes go wide, and a mixture of relief and confusion swirls in the pit of his stomach. “Suguru, honey, I was across the street. Satoru stole my boba, so I chased him.”

“I—I don't remember that—”

“Of course you don't.” You stroked his cheeks with your thumbs. “You were crossing with Riko when the car lost control.” Images of that day flashed through Suguru’s mind. Him walking in front of Riko, grinning back at her on a perfect sunny day. “The second you saw the car coming, you turned around to grab her—” Your eyes watered as you could feel the heat creeping into his cheeks. “You wrapped her in your arms, shielding her. But her head hit the crib when you guys hit the ground.”

Hearing you tell him the truth, the details of what happened, brings the memories back. They were fuzzy and distorted, like a television during a horrible thunderstorm, but he could see the picture. You pouted, jumping up and down across the street as Satoru held your boba above his head. You were right; you were nowhere near him when the car lost control. It had just been him, Riko, and Kuroi.

He remembered the screaming and yelling as he heard the blaring car horn. Jumping into action, he grabbed Riko, pulling her into his chest, with his back towards the car. The hit hurt, but he tucked his body as he and Riko took the hit, slamming against the street hard. Everything hurt, and his ears had been ringing, but what mattered the most was that he and Riko were okay.

At least, that's what he had thought until he felt the warmth of spreading blood pooling beneath them.

The room felt like it was spinning as everything hit him at once. He hadn't pushed you out of the way. He tried to save Riko! He had shielded her. He didn't choose you over her.

“I—I tried to save her.”

“Yes, and it wasn't your fault that she passed. You did everything in your power to save her.” you brushed your thumbs over his flushed cheeks, watching as tears streamed down them. “It wasn't your fault.”

That truth, in a way, had set him free. Well, part of him, at least. That night, he lay there with you, watching you sleep, remembering how you screamed his name after he was hit, how you were the first person running towards him as soon as traffic stopped. You had been sobbing, stroking his hair back, holding his hand; you had been the one, holding his hand, sitting in the chair next to his hospital bed.

You, god, it was always you. How was it even possible for him to fall even deeper in love with you? He had to tell you how he felt, but he couldn't just blurt it out; he needed it to be perfect.

A week passed, and you were dragged down the sidewalk, grinning up at your best friend, who was holding your hand as tightly as he could. He was talking you to the aquarium to show you his work on the mural so far, which had been a vast improvement since he always dreaded going. But since last week, he seemed to be doing a bit better.

Just because he had realized that the accident itself was not his fault didn't mean he was going to heal overnight miraculously. It was more like he was a glass of dark water, and you had turned the faucet on, allowing clean water to start flowing in. Over time, the dark water would become more transparent and clearer. Riko and everything that happened here in Okinawa will always be part of Suguru, but thinking about it would be less painful over time.

“Come on, this way!” he grinned, pulling you through the halls and leading you to the area he’d been hired to work on.“I can’t wait to show you.”

“Okay! Okay!” You giggle, gripping his hand tighter as you enter the main aquarium you had been to when you were seventeen on your class trip.

The room had a certain blue hue as blue whales and other fish swam in the tanks around you. A wall on one side of the room had been zoned off with plastic covers, hiding what was going on behind the scenes. Suguru pulled the plastic cover back for you, and as you stepped inside. The second you’re both behind the fronted cover, Suguru turns on a light and points it to the wall.

There in all its well-sketched glory are Riko and the whales. You walk along the wall, fingers gently grazing over her sketched-out form, following the sketch. The wall had to be half a kilometer long, and seeing Suguru’s art on a wall like this was surreal. The pencil work was excellent to see it painted—you stopped in your tracks, taking in the wall.

It wasn’t just Riko, not anymore.

All your friends were there: Gojo, Shoko, Nanami, Haibara, Suguru, and you. Each of your friends was spread out, mixed in with different people, each other except for you and Suguru. The two of you were standing near each other. Seeing you on the wall near your best friend, depicting both of you grinning at each other, made your heart race.

God, you wanted to be with him so bad. You wanted to be more than friends. Especially now, seeing what he had drawn made you realize how badly you wanted to be his girlfriend.

“What do you think?” Suguru asked as he joined your side, his hand rubbing against the back of his neck. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

“Yeah? The aquarium staff seem to like it, too.” His fingers trace over the pencil markings on the wall. “I can’t remember the last time I had been so excited about doing a piece like this.” You watch with bated breath as Suguru runs his thumb over your drawing on the wall. “I have a pretty amazing muse and friend to thank for pushing me.”

Friend.

You swallow hard, clenching your hands tight. Tonight, you would finally take Yuki’s advice and show him how you felt about him. You could do this!

While those thoughts were in your mind, you ran through different scenarios. Suguru was thinking about his plans. Tonight was the night he was going to tell you how he felt. He’s going to sit down with you and have an honest conversation about how much you meant to him. he wasn’t going to allow this façade to continue. Now was the time for honesty.

Honestly, it ended up with you kissing each other the second you made it back to the condo. Your hands tangled in his dark hair, and you kissed him with no remorse while he reciprocated with gentler kisses. You kicked the door shut, moaning into his mouth while he locked the door. You pushed him inside, turning into the bedroom, where you shoved him against the bed.

“Wh-whoa—“ he chuckled nervously, pushing himself on his elbows. “What’s gotten into you—mmhm!” You straddled his hip, kissing him harder, rocking eagerly against his crotch with whimpers and whines. Suguru groaned, hands twitching as he resisted the urge to grab your hips and rock you faster against him. “Y-You break that writer's bl—ahh fuck.”

“Mhmm.” Your pussy twitches against the hardening bulge in his pants. “Mmm~.” Gentle kisses are planted down Suguru’s neck, over and over, down to the collar of his shirt, where your teeth nip at.

“Princess—we should—“

“Shh, just relax.” You pull back, tugging your shirt over your head and throwing it to the ground before you do the same to Suguru.

Fuck, it was hard to relax with you being so seductive. Your perfect, beautiful body rocks and rolls against him, leaving Suguru wholly enamored by how gorgeous you look on top of him. His shaky hands gently grab your hips holding them, and you try with all of your might to rock against his cock.

You fight against his hold; you need him to know how much you care about him. You wanted to be more than just friends. Showing him how you felt was going to be your best bet. What better way to tell him you want to be more than friends than sleeping with him? If it worked for Yuki, surely it would work for you.

Reaching around your back, you unclasp your bra, allowing the flimsy fabric to fall to the bed, revealing your bare tits. They jiggle with each roll of your hips against his. You can feel his fingers digging into your hips before you slowly trail up the sides of your body. His fingers caress over your sensitive skin before inching further and further up until they cup your breasts.

As his hands gently massage them, your head rocks back while you rut your hips faster against his jeans. His cock throbs hard at your sensual rocking while his thumbs gently rub circles over your nipples, and his fingers knead at your sweet soft breasts. Out of all of the sessions you two had shared, this was by far the most sensual one. This felt real and raw.

Suguru felt it, too, as did how hot and heavy things were getting. He could feel how wet you were through your panties that hid underneath your floral skirt. He could see it in your face, the way your skin flushed, and your eyes rolled back as your hands gripped his pectoral muscles for support as you rolled your hips harder against his throbbing cock. That’s when he knew this wasn’t about your research; this was you taking control, taking what you wanted. He would’ve been happy for you to do that any other time.

But he didn’t want to be a one-time thing.

“Princess.” He began watching as you sat back on the heels of your feet, unbuckling his belt, the clanking of the metal deafening. “Princess.”

“It’s okay,” you pull the zipper to his jeans, tugging them down to his thighs.

“Hey—” his boxers are pulled down.

“Shh—” The Floral skirt is the next to go, flying across the room before your panties join it.

“Hey.”

“Sugu—”

“I can’t do this!”

He shouted, sitting up completely and staring at your naked body as your eyes widened with shock. Did Suguru not want to take this further? Was all of this to help you with your book, like really help you, nothing more than that?

Your chest heaves as your hands cover your breasts while you quickly slide off of his lap. Embarrassment, shame, and Amy of other emotions settle in your heart and stomach as his words repeatedly replay in your mind. This is not what you had anticipated when you sent your plan in motion. You thought that maybe deep down inside, he felt the same way you did.

Your eyes and the inside of your nose begin to burn with tears that you’re trying hard to hold back. What were you even supposed to say in a moment like this? What was the proper etiquette for being turned down by your best friend you had fallen in love with over the years? The only thing you could think was to collect your clothes and leave.

Before you even have a chance to jump off the bed and grab your panties to slide back on, Suguru pulls you back into his arms. Your bare chest is pressed firmly against his. The sudden reconnection of your body makes you inhale sharply as his hands slowly down your back.

“I can’t hook up with you.”

“Yeah, you made that clear, Sugu—“

“Stop!” One of his hands rests against the smell of your back while the other grabs you by the back of your head, pressing your forehead firmly against his. “I can’t just hook up with you because I love you!”

Forever Tag List:

@darkstarlight82 @pandoness @nealeart @simp-plague @sugurubabe @chilichopsticks @reap3erslov3

INHK Tag List (TO BE ADDED AGE MUST BE IN BIO)

@lemonintrovert01 @spankmydepression @renttheannihilator @witchbybirth @missmuffinr @lialia3945 @theobsidianempress @aquasan29 @toffeebrat @aussiemeerkat @chimichangagirl @zoroisminty @spankmydepression @em-aizawa @gojosimp26 @moonlightazriel @candy-s72 @makingtimemine @strflp @angel-academia @xocandyy

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Floored Decisions | Spencer Reid

Add yourself to my taglist! | Here’s my masterlist!

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Warnings: None

Author's note: Yeah, I'm back, bitch! Just for one short little fic, though. So, I hope this scratches your Spencer itch.

Words: 1,293

It had been a long and exhausting day. My boss was being the worst, my mailbox had absolutely exploded and customers were just being bitter. I was glad to walk through the doors of my apartment that I shared with my boyfriend, Spencer. 

The apartment was dark and cold. It saddened me to see that I had come home to an empty place, having hoped that Spencer had come back from his job before I had. I craved his embrace, his honey eyes shimmering with excitement when he told me about his day. He had been gone for five days straight, and I had missed him for every second that had passed without him. 

I kicked off my shoes, turned on the cozy lights and turned on the heat before heading into the bedroom where I changed into sweatpants and a sweater that still smelled like him. Then, I turned on the music and made a beeline towards the kitchen where I poured myself a generous glass of rosé and started on tonight’s dinner. 

“There’s a fire starting in my heartReaching a fever pitch and it’s bringing me out the dark,” I sang along to the song playing from my iPod in the stereo’s dock. 

It took a few moments before I could put the dish in the oven, but then I had a good twenty minutes time for the cheese to melt. I cleaned up the mess I had made and then laid down on the cool tile in the kitchen. It was something Spencer and I often did. After tough cases or whenever we needed a moment to reconnect, we laid down on our backs and chatted until we felt okay. 

Our best decisions were made on this very floor. 

He had asked me to move in on this very floor. 

“You tired?” I asked him, lying on my side to face him. 

My index finger stroked from his forehead to the bridge of his nose as he hummed, keeping his eyes closed. “It was a pretty harrowing case,” he said before opening one eye to look at me. The teeniest, sweetest smile curled his lips upwards. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” 

Spencer grabbed my wrist and kissed the palm of my hand. “The victims all kind of looked like you,” he whispered and placed my hand on his own cheek, needing to feel my skin on his, needing to feel close. “It kinda scared me to think of losing you.” 

Rubbing his cheek with my thumb, I leaned down to kiss his lips briefly. “You could never lose me,” I whispered. “Because you always protect me.” 

Spencer smiled before kissing me again. “I love you, you know that?” 

“I do,” I replied, then kissed him again. “But I love hearing you say it.” Another kiss. “I love you, too.” I then retracted from him and started to get up. “I better get going, let you get to sleep.” 

Spencer followed my example as I put my used wine glass in the sink. When I turned back around, he was behind me and locked me against the sink. His hands were on either side of me, leaning against the kitchen unit. 

“Please, stay,” he whispered and kissed my lips, then kissed my neck. 

I let out a giggle, tangling my fingers in his hair before grabbing his hand and leading him towards the bedroom, but he stopped me near where we had been lying before. Without saying a word, he laid down again, pulling me with him. 

As he laid on his back, I placed my head on his chest. His arm was wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me close to his body and kissing my head repeatedly. “Can we stay like this forever?” I asked, snuggling further into his chest. 

Spencer was silent for a moment before saying, “We can – and we should.” 

“What do you mean?” I asked. 

“Move in with me.” 

As Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” blasted through the speakers and I sang along quietly, Spencer’s tall frame suddenly came into vision. I probably hadn’t heard the key in the door over the music, yet I didn’t jump when he was suddenly in front of me. 

“You doing okay there, Angel?” he asked, a soft smile tugging at his lips. 

I hummed and watched as he kicked off his shoes, put his satchel on the dining room table and loosened his tie before he joined me on the floor. With a grin, I turned my head towards him and pecked his lips. 

“I’ve missed you,” I told him. 

Spencer smiled back and placed his hand on my cheek, rubbing his thumb across the apple. “I’ve missed you, too.” 

From the way he turned to face the ceiling again and the deep sigh that followed, I knew he’d had a terrible five days. Being in his line of work, I supposed he never really had a ‘good day’ at work. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” I questioned without turning my head. 

“No,” he answered, his voice just above a whisper. 

I reached for his hand and laced my fingers through his. “Do you want to talk about something else?” He simply hummed his response. “Okay, how about you told your coworkers you wanted to get married without consulting me about it?” 

It was true. Penelope had sent me a few wedding dress stores in the neighborhood without any context. When I asked what she was doing, she had told me how Spencer had been talking about marriage to his coworkers, something we had only talked about once, ages ago. 

Spencer chuckled. “I’m sorry, Angel –” he whispered, though from the way his eyes sparkled, I could tell he wasn’t really sorry. “We had been talking about marriages and divorce rates and when Morgan asked me if I wanted to get married, I told him that I did. I-I didn’t mean I wanted to get married, like soon, I-I meant I–” 

Kissing him on the lips, I shut him up swiftly. “Maybe we should,” I told him. 

“What?” 

“I wanna marry you, too, Spence,” I stated and stroked back the dark blonde curl out of his face. “When Penny sent me those wedding dress stores, I-I started browsing and I just…” I sighed before continuing, just above a whisper as though I was sharing a secret. “I saw it, Spence. I saw me in one of those dresses, and I saw you, handsome as always, in a tux, at the altar. I saw it… I saw the rest of our lives together.” 

A single tear rolled off Spencer’s cheek as he smiled. “Is this your way of asking me to marry you, Angel?” 

A nervous buzz rushed through my body. For a split second, I was scared of answering his question, but then I saw the look in his honey eyes and I knew. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man, loving him and being loved by him. 

“Yes,” I replied. “Yes, it is. Will you marry me, Dr. Spencer Reid?” 

He smiled before rolling onto his side and locking his lips with mine, kissing me deeply. “Yes… A thousand times yes!” He pecked my lips again and again, his stubble tickling my skin, causing a fit of giggles to erupt out of me. 

Many decisions had been made on the floor of our apartment. It was my favorite place to be, grounded and close to my favorite person in the entire world. Moving in together, deciding to get married, and even a few months later, I was elated to tell him he was going to be a dad. 

There was no better place for important decisions than the hardwood floor. 

Everything taglist: @calamitykaty @n0wornever @wanniiieeee @unnowhatthisistbh

Criminal Minds Taglist: 

@kenseverything @samsbirks @tinaasthings @dysphoricsanity @love4lando @elenamoncada-ibarra @r-3dlips @magstheslayer @astess @sylvcaplath @tillypettitt @mordechaisworld @ssameadows @spikedhe4rt @spencers-bookworm @littlemissaddict @kirbybean

[sleepykye]

I love your writings so much! Could I please request a Tamaki x Reader fanfic where Tamaki sees you always clinging to Nejire and gets jealous?

Bridging the Distance

Tamaki x Reader

Of course, my dear. I accept every single request, so please don't be shy to ask ! 🫶🏼

U.A. High School was always a whirlwind of activity, with students buzzing around, training, and preparing for their future as pro heroes. Amidst the organized chaos, Tamaki Amajiki found solace in his close-knit group of friends, the Big Three: himself, Mirio Togata, and Nejire Hado. Tamaki was used to Nejire's cheerful and energetic presence, which often served as a comforting contrast to his own shy and reserved nature.

However, recently, Tamaki noticed a new addition to their little circle: you. You were a first-year student with an infectious smile and boundless energy that rivaled even Nejire’s. From the moment you met Nejire, you two had become inseparable, constantly chatting, laughing, and clinging to each other in the hallways.

Tamaki, usually content to observe from the sidelines, found himself feeling something unfamiliar—jealousy. He wasn't used to feeling this way, especially not about someone as kind and vibrant as you. But every time he saw you with Nejire, a pang of longing and envy twisted in his chest.

One afternoon, after a particularly grueling training session, Tamaki walked into the common area to find you and Nejire sitting on the couch, your head resting on Nejire's shoulder as you both giggled over something on Nejire's phone. Mirio was nearby, grinning at the scene.

"Hey, Tamaki!" Mirio called out, waving him over. "Come join us!"

Tamaki hesitated, his eyes darting to you and Nejire. He gave a small nod and walked over, sitting down awkwardly on the edge of the couch.

"Hi, Tamaki!" you greeted him with your usual enthusiasm, your eyes bright. "Nejire was just showing me some hilarious memes."

"Y-yeah, I see," Tamaki replied, forcing a small smile. "Sounds fun."

Nejire, always perceptive, noticed the tension in Tamaki's posture. "Tamaki, are you okay? You seem a little off."

He shook his head quickly. "I'm fine, really."

But Nejire wasn't convinced. "You know, (Y/N) and I were just about to go get some snacks from the cafeteria. Want to join us?"

You jumped up, grabbing Tamaki's hand. "Yeah, come with us! It'll be fun!"

Tamaki's heart skipped a beat at your touch, but he nodded, allowing you to pull him to his feet. As the three of you made your way to the cafeteria, Nejire walked ahead, chatting animatedly. You stayed close to Tamaki, your hand brushing against his every now and then.

When you arrived at the cafeteria, Nejire excused herself to grab some drinks, leaving you and Tamaki alone. You turned to him, a concerned look on your face. "Tamaki, is something bothering you? You seem... distant."

He looked down, struggling to find the right words. "It's just... I feel like I'm losing Nejire. You two are so close, and I... I don't know."

You blinked in surprise, then your expression softened. "Oh, Tamaki, I'm sorry if it seemed like that. Nejire is amazing, but that doesn't mean there's no room for you. You're important to me too."

Tamaki glanced up, hope flickering in his eyes. "Really?"

You nodded, smiling gently. "Of course. I admire you a lot, Tamaki. You're kind, strong, and always there for your friends. I want to be closer to you too, if you'll let me."

Tamaki's heart swelled at your words, and he found himself smiling genuinely for the first time that day. "I'd like that."

Just then, Nejire returned, balancing a tray of drinks. "Here we go! I got your favorites. Everything okay?"

You and Tamaki exchanged a glance, then you both nodded. "Yeah, everything's great," you said, squeezing Tamaki's hand reassuringly.

As you all sat down to enjoy your snacks, Tamaki felt the jealousy melt away, replaced by a warm sense of belonging. He realized that there was no need to be envious. With you by his side, he knew he had found something special—something worth cherishing.

[ofstarsandvibranium]

My You-niverse: Duke Leto Atreides

Fandom: Oscar Isaac

Pairing: Duke Leto Atreides x F!Reader, throughout the series: Marc Spector x F!Reader, Steven Grant x F!Reader

Summary: You and America get stuck portal jumping until you reach your universe again. In the meantime, you meet various versions of your husband.

Series Masterlist

You're staring out the window when a woman's voice broke your trance, "I'm surprised you're still here."

You turn to see a woman in elegant, yet casual wear. Jessica, your mind clicks, Lady Jessica. Your husband's concubine and your dear friend. Mother to your step-son, Paul.

You completely face her, "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About?"

"My time here.," you answer, but Jessica looks at you knowingly. You chuckle, "What?"

"Is something wrong?"

You shake your head, "No, should there be?"

"You seem different," she walks over to you and grabs your hand, "Stardust, whatever it is, you know you can confide in me, always."

You nod, "I know, thank you. It's just..." you're conflicted. The mind, is at war right now. The memories of the 'original' you and this you are clashing. You're seeing flashes from this universe, the one before that. You're seeing Marc, Richard, Laurent, all of these different versions of your husband. Your head is pounding and you start feeling dizzy.

"Y/N? Y/N!" Jessica yells out as she catches your falling form. Before things fade to black, you hear, "CALL THE DUKE! NOW!"

________________________________________________________

"A prison?!" Steve exclaims in surprise, "Y/N's a prisoner in this universe?"

"Seems so," Stephen Strange answers as your necklace glows bright, "This is the brightest I've seen this glow." After discovering the spell to help track you down, him, Steven, and America had travelled to five other universe, such as one where Marc was a homicidal drifter and another where he was a Russian security guard. It was very...odd, for Marc and Steven to see themselves as such.

"So this is a good sign right?" America asks, "Because it's glowing so bright, that means the next universe or so, we'll find her, right?"

"Here's hoping so," Stephen leads them further into a forest near the prison, "Alright, kid. Go ahead."

For the past few universes, Stephen has been transporting them. America, still guilty for losing you, had been apprehensive about using her powers. It took a lot to bring her confidence back. Thankfully, Marc and Steven didn't blame her at all for losing you. A lot of her guilt had washed away, but she still felt bad.

She steps forward and gulps. She's mentally hyping herself up. With a deep breath, she pushes her palm out and a portal the shape of a star appears.

Stephen gives her a proud nod, "Good." He proceeds to walk through the portal with Steven following behind and then America after them.

When they walk through, they're standing on a grassy cliff. The sky is gloomy and huge waves are crashing against the cliff.

Your necklace is hot and bright in Stephen's hand, "She's here." He states, "We just need to find her. Remember to stay vigilant and don't run into our dopplegangers."

America salutes, "Aye aye, Doc!"

Steven nods, "Yeah, alright."

_____________________________________________

You're sitting on a picnic blanket in Potters Field Park with the perfect view of the Tower Bridge and River Thames. The sun is shining on you, a slight breeze going by. You're focused on the book in your lap.

Marc lays beside you on his side, his arm propping his head up. He stares at you with so much fondness in his eyes while you read.

"You're distracting me," you simply state, eyes not moving from the book.

"What? Can I not stare lovingly at my wife?" he asks with a smirk.

You look up from your book and he's still smiling at you. You place your bookmark in between the pages of where you left off and shut the book. You poke Marc's shoulder and he falls onto his back. You proceed to lay down with him, taking your place in his arms, right where you belong.

The both of you lay in silence, cherishing the warmth of each other and the ambiance of London around you.

You feel him kiss your head, "Love you, baby."

You smile and curl into him more, "Love you too."

Your eyes snap open. You're confused and head still hurts . The lights in your bedroom are low, but you hear the crackling of a fire ablaze. You take a quick inhale as you sit up, alerting the others around the room.

"Stardust," Leto says in relief as he rushes from his chair, Jessica sitting beside him.

"What happened?" you ask, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

"We were talking in the training room. Something seemed off about you and then you just fainted," Jessica answers.

"If you weren't feeling well, you shouldn't have trained with me. You should've told me," Leto looked slightly upset with you, but mainly concerned.

"No, no, I was feeling fine. I..Who's Marc?"

Leto's brows furrow, "Who?"

"Marc. I-I had this dream, but it didn't feel like a dream. Like a memory. Leto, it was you, but not at the same time. Same face, but you went by Marc and-and we weren't here in Caladan. We were...I'm not sure where we were, but you were there."

Leto looks at Jessica with confusion and concern. She shakes her head in response to his silent question, but then speaks, "I will seek council with the Reverend Mother Superior. Perhaps she might know what's going on."

You hold your head, trying to grasp what's happening. In your mind, you're still getting glimpses. You see yourself with Leto here, your marriage that occurred for political gain, but then grew into genuine love. You see yourself spending time with Jessica, allowing yourself to not be jealous of the relationship she has with Leto. You see Paul training with you and Duncan.

But then in slips, other versions of Leto. One where he's in some sort of masked costume, another where he's bald with a beard and waring a sweaty tank top. Another where he's wearing some sort of tactical vest.

"What is happening to me?" you ask to no one in particular, but Leto answers.

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out," he reaches out and takes your hand. It feels comforting, his callous hands in yours.

__________________________________

"Well...that went well," Steven snarks as him, Stephen, and America are lead towards some sort of throne room. A woman stands at the forefront with a questioning look on her face.

"Who are you and what brings you to our planet?"

"Ah, so not only are we in a different universe but a different planet, splendid," Steven retorted and Stephen shot him with a glare, "Sorry," he mumbles and looks down.

"Marc?" the woman asks, which causes Steven to look up in surprise.

"Did you just say Marc?" he asks.

"Are you Marc?" she asks skeptically.

"Uh, well, yes, but also no. I-It's a little complicated, but, I-er-"he takes a sharp inhale and stares for a bit, when he comes back to, his demeanor is different.

"I'm Marc. How do you know my name?"

"The lady of the House, Y/N Atreides, she mentioned your name earlier. Why?"

"If I may-" Stephen stepped forward but Gurney immediately stuck his arm out.

The woman held up her hand, "It's alright, Gurney. I sense these people aren't here to harm us."

"Lady Jessica-" the burley man's words halt as Jessica gives him a look. He lets out a disgruntled sound before dropping his arm and taking a step back.

"Y/N, she's here?" Stephen asks.

"Yes, but she's in no condition to speak right now. She's resting."

"We need to see her," Marc demands.

"Marc-"

"No! We've spent all this time looking for her and she's finally here! We can take her back with us!"

"Calm down-"

"I want my wife back, Stephen!"

The woman holds up her hand again, "I will bring you to Y/N, however, I need some answers before you do."

________________________

Leto had moved to join you in bed. He lays beside you and you're resting your head on his now bare chest. He's gently rubbing his hand up and down your arm. You feel at peace, that is, until the door opens to reveal Jessica.

The both of you sit up, "What did the Reverend Mother say?" you ask.

"I didn't speak to her yet. We had some unexpected guests." she steps to the side and in runs America with Marc and Stephen behind her.

"Y/N!"

Marc pauses as he sees his doppleganger with longer hair, fuller beard, but the same cautious expression he gives when he's around strangers.

"What's going on?" you ask.

Marc's attention goes back to you, "Hi, baby," he says in relief and goes over to you, "We're to take you home."

"You're Marc. You were in my dream."

"Baby, that wasn't a dream. It was a memory. This isn't your universe. This isn't your home." he reaches out and places his hand on yours, "We're your home."

You pull back your hand, "No, you're not. This is my home. You're-You're just a figment of my imagination. Or-Or I'm still asleep!"

Marc looks at Stephen, "What's happening?"

"I was afraid this was going to happen."

"What was going to happen?" Marc stands and approaches the sorcerer, "What didn't you tell us?"

"Will all of the universes she'd been dragged to, her mind, her memories, they're getting jumbled. The ones from our universe and the others, she's now struggling with her other selves."

Leto slips out of bed and goes to Jessica, concern written all over him, "What did you do?"

"Nothing, my love, I, promise. These people...they come from another universe and it seems that Y/N," she gestures to you, who is now listening to America, "is from their universe."

"And what, we just let them take her from us?" Leto asks with hostility.

"I've already called for the Reverend Mother. Hopefully she will be able to-"

"NO! I WON'T GO WITH YOU!" you're yelling. Leto immediately pushes past Marc and America who seem to be pleading with you.

"Leave her alone!"

Marc stands chest to chest with his doppleganer, "Listen, she doesn't belong here. She belongs back with us in our universe. She's my wife!"

"You need to leave."

"Or what?"

"Or I make you leave."

Marc and Leto glare eat each other, one trying to best the other. However, their attention goes back to you when you speak, "Wait, let me see that." you point to the necklace in Stephen's hand.

Marc grabs it and holds it out to you, "I gave this to you for our anniversary. Whenever we went on missions, you asked me to hold it because you didn't trust yourself to keep it safe."

He places the necklace in your hand and a burst of white light blasts out of the pendant, blinding you and everyone else in the room.

[phonydiaries]

Worse for The Wear, P X Reader

Disclaimer: I've barely progressed past the first miniboss in Lies of P and I don't want to spoil the story for myself so I'm going off of information pretty much exclusively based on gifsets and screenshots,,, so if some of this isn't lore-accurate pls forgive me! it's indulgent fluff. Also if you enjoy this short piece and want to read more from me please tell me! I'd love to interact with this fandom more. Thanks, hope you enjoy!

---

As you kneel under the dank and decrepit streetlights, your knees are dirty, damp, and freezing cold against the pavement of Krat Station. Couldn’t this stranger have chosen a more convenient place to lose consciousness, you wonder. Perhaps he could’ve collapsed in a setting just slightly less dramatic than a torrential downpour? You’ll be sure to ask him as soon as he awakes. If he awakes. God, you hope he does. 

You came upon him by accident really. Weaving your way through alleyways, dimly lit and speckled with decaying automatons. Miraculously you were able to avoid being detected, though the boy now lying in front of you wasn’t so lucky. The sight of him made your heart sink; limbs strewn about on the ground, his face equally obscured by dark soaked locks over his eyes and the wet pavement pressed against his cheek. The poor thing’s once-white shirt was discolored to a near black, smeared with slick tarry oil. Against your better judgment, you stopped to make sure he was alright.

With one arm you reach around the man’s torso and ungracefully heave him into a face-up position. As gently as you can, you adjust so his head is allowed to rest in your lap. The stranger's face, like his clothes, is marred with automaton grease; streaked across the bridge of his nose, caught in his dark angular brows, blotting his delicate mouth. He looks elegant somehow, even in his current state. His lips are slightly parted as he breathes in, shallow. Breath! He is alive! Curious, you ever so slowly bring two fingers to the man’s mouth and carefully wipe away a smear of oil. As you go to inspect the material closer, something closes, steely and cold, around your wrist. Startled, you yelp and your eyes dart to whatever is now clutching your arm. A masterfully crafted hand of pure steel curls its fingers around your wrist. The metal chills you to the bone. Monetarily frozen, you catch a glimpse of brilliant blue glinting in the eyes of the stranger, like sunlight diffused through seaglass. 

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.” You say, your voice a bit more shrill than you would like. The stranger's eyes narrow momentarily, but quickly soften. His energy is clearly limited, without much to be spent on anything other than remaining conscious. This is clearly evidenced by the immediate loosening of his grip as his head lolls back into your lap. 

“Oh…” You murmur, watching him with some concern. It’s difficult somehow to work up the courage to ask for more details on his injuries. You find yourself somewhat distracted by the beauty radiating from his waifish face. Your hand slides into place, cupping his pale cheek against your palm. His skin is soft, but cold. He can’t stay out in this storm much longer if he’s to have any chance at recovery. He seems to have momentarily slipped back into sleep, and so you take the opportunity to swipe away a lock of dark hair covering one eye.

“Sir,” you say softly “Can you stand? I’ll help you out of this rain if you’re able.” 

He stirs then. His lids flutter, heavy, as if each time he blinks it becomes harder to keep his eyes open. Your heart jumps a bit at the sight of it. 

“Please,” You trace the line of his sharp cheekbone “I’d be happy to get us both out of this mess.”

The stranger says nothing, but nods, and leans forward in an attempt at becoming upright once again. You preemptively hold your arms open, and he falls somewhat awkwardly into your chest. He’s heavier than you expected for someone with such a slight build! Although the mechanized arm probably accounts for most of it. With a bit of strain on your knees, you’re able to hoist him up into a standing -albeit hunched- position, his arm slung haphazardly around your shoulders. You swear a whimper escapes his lips as his chin dips into the nape of your neck. You try to focus on the task at hand, but have to admit to yourself that the feeling of his breath on your skin is electrifying. 

“Where -um- which way did you come from?” 

The stranger lifts his head just barely and looks around, obviously dazed. His gaze settles ahead and he raises his mechanical arm in a weak gesture towards a structure in the distance. You recognize it as Hotel Krat, a place you know of, but have never actually been. 

“There?” You ask, and the weary boy nods. In preparation for the journey ahead, you adjust your stance slightly. “Onwards and upwards then…” You mutter; and the two of you stumble forward stepping on each other's toes occasionally. Slowly but surely, you head towards shelter. 

The interior of the hotel is lit warmly, inviting and decorated beautifully. Under better circumstances you would’ve taken ample time to admire the whole place, but as soon as you step through the doors your companion collapses against the wall. He sucks in a sharp breath of air at his shoulders collision with the wall. Quickly you come to his aid, holding him steady at the waist and offering up your shoulder once again for him to lean on. Through a thick curtain of thoroughly drenched dark hair he looks at you, appreciative. 

“Thank you.” 

And the words are so soft, so melodic, you have to wonder if you only imagined it. Stunned, you respond simply,

“You’re welcome.”

You feel those striking blue eyes dance across your face, making it wildly difficult to think straight, much less speak. A sudden realization comes upon you; that in this moment you want nothing more in the world than to stay here, even freezing cold and soaked to the bone, taking in the sight of this man. 

You notice just above his brow there’s still remnants of that black liquid. Absent-mindedly, you move your hand from your companion’s waist to wipe it away, leaning in ever so slightly to get a closer look. The boy catches your hand halfway. At first you think he’s swatting it away, but instead he stares at it with undivided attention, as if it were some rare treasure. Silently he intertwines his fingers with yours. For a moment, you’re frozen again, a jolt of blue lightning shooting up your spine at the quiet intimacy of the gesture. The mysterious boy inches closer, his nose grazing yours as he places a tender, appreciative kiss on your lips. You feel your face flush and reflexively tighten your grip on his hand. This seems to startle him and he stumbles out of the kiss. Your hand, however, is still holding tight to his, and so the two of you take a short sweet tumble onto the glossy floor. 

Quickly you attempt to readjust, but you’ve landed conveniently head first against the boy's chest, so close you can hear a mechanical whirring beneath his skin. Your companion lifts your face with his human hand and inspects it carefully for injury. He squints, but seems satisfied that the only thing bruised by the fall is your ego. Carefully, the boy stands, pulling you up with him. His mouth curls into a kind smile, which becomes a melodic laugh gracefully escaping his lips. 

We’re even now, you think to yourself.

 Now we’ve both helped each other up. 

---

[saulocept]

sunset boulevard

pairing: kenji sato/reader

rating: g

summary: After Mina’s “death”, Ken needs someone to fulfill the role of a babysitter.

And after your sudden unemployment, you need something to get you by.

It’s only through chance that the two of you manage to find each other.

parts: one; two (you are here)

There’s no reply that comes, and the post is deleted by the time you wake up from your short nap. You’ve expected this, obviously; the offer seems a little too shady, and it doesn’t help that the person behind the post is anonymous, with no other way to reach except for the dummy email address they included in the post.

Whatever. As disappointing as this is, it’s not the first time it’s happened. You’ve already done your part, but there’s not much else you can do except the usual: scout the sites you frequent on and hope that there’s another new job offer this time – hopefully not as suspicious as the last one.

You’ve spotted a few entries since then, and you’ve promptly sent out your applications to each one, though even now, your efforts still bear no fruit.

You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose in exasperation. You don’t know how long you can keep doing this: stuck in a limbo with no solution, or even a way out. You don’t even know what’s wrong; you send out your applications, your resumes, you go to the interviews, you follow the instructions, but even now, nothing seems to happen.

You’re not even picky. You’ve applied to any job opening at this point, including that kaiju babysitting offer that proved to be a scam after all.

With a groan, you cover your face with your hands, trying your hardest not to cry. Whatever. There’s no using moping about it, anyway. What’s done is done, and it’s not like you’ve got anything to lose, anyway.

Well, maybe your apartment.

Ugh. You’ve almost forgot about it, especially with all the stress of everything, but any day now, you’re certain that your landlord would visit you with the intention of kicking you out on the spot. He’s sent you multiple messages this week: long, angry reminders about paying for your rent, coupled with a few threats here and there.

Not like you can blame him; you’ve been behind on rent for months now, and he’s been considerate enough to let you stay this long, even if it comes in the form of high interest rates.

You’d pay him double, if you could, just to keep him off your back, but it’s not like you’ve got money. In fact, you’ve been living off of your savings this whole time – which isn’t much to begin with, and you’re this close to emptying the entirety of your bank account.

There’s not much of it left, so you’ve stocked up on instant coffee and water just to stave off your hunger (they were on sale at the time; a few bucks for a whole box). Not a good thing to do, but it’s not like you’ve got much of a choice.

You could sell off your belongings on the internet; that would keep you afloat, probably, for a few more days, but that doesn’t really solve the crux of the problem.

Besides, you don’t really own that many things to begin with: just your laptop and your phone – both of which you need to apply for jobs, and also emergencies; some clothes shoved into your backpack – just in case you get kicked out of your apartment any minute now.

You need a job, and fast.

You’re still mulling over your options when your phone rings beside you, loud enough to make you nearly jump. Heart racing, you reach for your phone, glancing at the flashing numbers on the screen. You don’t recognize it, and briefly, you wonder whether or not this might be your landlord, using a different number just so he could threaten you once again.

Still, you answer it anyway, pressing the phone against your ear. “Hello,” you say, a little cautiously. “Who is this?”

“Hey.” The voice on the other line is different, unrecognizable. This couldn’t be your landlord, or at least, you don’t think it is. The stranger sounds younger, less angry, non-threatening even – which could still mean a lot of things for you. “This is, uh, Baseballlover26?”

Oh. You sit up straighter, clutching the phone tightly in your hands. You’ve never even expected a call, dismissing the whole thing as a scam or some sort, and now that it’s here, you’re still not entirely sure what to feel – or think. “You saw my email?”

“Yeah.” There’s a nervous laughter that comes on the other side, and something that seems like screeching, though slightly muffled. It’s a little hard to tell, especially when it seems to come from a distance. “And well, I’m here to tell you you’re hired.”

“That fast?” you ask, narrowing your eyes, suddenly suspicious. It seems quieter now on the other line, and eerily so now that the screeching’s finally disappeared. “This isn’t just a ruse so you can sell my organs to the black market, right? Because I’m telling you right now, they’re failing. I haven’t eaten a proper meal in months—”

“What?” he asks, a little taken aback. There’s a moment of silence between you, growing longer by the second that for a moment, you think he might’ve hung up and left you in the dark. But then: “You think I’m trying to sell your organs?”

“Honestly? Yes.”

It takes him a few more seconds to come up with a reply. This time, his voice is softer; there’s an urgency to his voice that wasn’t quite there before, something that tugs at you, though you’re not sure what that is. “Listen, can we meet?”

You mull over his words, thinking. Anyone rational enough would refuse him outright in fear of something dangerous, and maybe once upon a time, you were that person. But now, you’re not entirely sure; you’re broke and desperate, which makes you even more reckless than usual, prone to rash decisions. And more than that, you’re curious. Against your better judgment, you want to know more.

As if sensing your hesitation, the man continues to speak, trying to ease your worries. “I promise this isn’t a ruse to sell your organs. Can you at least trust me on that?”

You know what? Fuck it. “Alright. Where?”

You could practically hear his sigh of relief on the other end of the line, and you bite the inside of your cheek, trying not to laugh. “Tonkatsu Tonki. Do you know where that is?”

Not really, but you’ll figure it out. Better to wander around for an hour in hopes of finding something rather than owe a stranger already more than you already have, especially a shady one at that – even if he’s ready to prove you otherwise. “Yeah. I’ll, um, see you later?”

“See you in ten.”

And then he hangs up without another word.

[paintyoureyeswithavividmind]

close to home | chapter thirty three

close to home | chapter thirty three

plot: the reader and her group receive a gift from a friend, and shelter from the storm

series masterlist

Pairing: Eventual Daryl Dixon x f!reader Word Count: 2,474 Warnings: violence, blood, typical twd A/N: thank you for reading!!!

To say you were feeling embarrassed about what happened between you and Daryl was an understatement. You felt like an idiot kissing him like that, and every time you thought about how desperate you were just to feel something, you wanted to curl up and die. And you hated that you couldn’t adequately explain to him that it was him you wanted that from. 

It was Daryl you were so scared to lose now, so desperate to be close to. You wanted to feel that connection with him. You didn’t care that he had at least a decade on you or that he didn’t know how to express his feelings in the way you could. But he had to feel something for you. He made it too obvious. 

But maybe it wasn’t any different than how he felt toward Carol. She seemed as close to him as you did, and you knew he talked to her about things. Who knew if they’ve kissed or fucked or whatever. But the way he kissed you. It was so deep and robust, and he held you so tightly that you feel cold without it, even in the blistering heat. And he was protective over you in a way that he wasn’t with anyone else. 

Maybe your judgment was cloudy. You didn’t know what to think, and he looked away every time you tried to look at him. And he had gone off the road to hunt a while ago, so it didn’t matter anyway.

“(Y/N).”

You looked up at Rosita, who had appeared next to you. Her face was sweaty, and looked just as exhausted as you probably did. You’ve been walking for hours, and it was only early afternoon. The run was still up. 

“Did you hear Rick? There’s a bridge up ahead; he wants to take out the herd.” She told you. 

You glanced back at the herd forming the past few miles and nodded. A bridge could do the trick. You followed Rick’s lead and stood with him, Glenn, and Michonne. The walkers approached slowly, and Rick’s plan was working--until it wasn’t. 

With Sasha going rouge, you all broke formation and jumped in to take down the herd. You followed Rick and Glenn, taking on walkers as they came. 

You were breathing heavily with each one down, and your lack of food and water didn’t help. You knew everyone was feeling the same, and you tried to keep an eye out for everyone else. 

You didn’t realize Daryl showed up, and soon the last walker fell from Michonne’s blade. After all that, you were struggling to breathe, and you wiped the sweat from your brow. 

“I told you to stop,” Michonne said to Sasha. You glanced over and waited for the two to go at it, but Sasha walked away. 

So that’s what you all did. Continued to walk. 

***

The group found many abandoned vehicles an hour later and a few more miles. Daryl glanced at you; you were shielding your eyes from the sun and holding your stomach. I’m so hungry. Your voice kept ringing in his head, eating away at his heart. His guilt and sorrow filled him. All he wanted to do was make sure you were okay. He felt like a failure for not being able to hunt anything. He couldn’t provide you with the one thing you so desperately needed. 

“I’m goin’ huntin',” Daryl said, “I’ll circle back,”

“May I come with you?” Carol asked. 

Daryl shook his head, “No. Just me.”

He left the group and headed into the woods. With it getting cloudy earlier, the woods were a bit cooler. Still, he was sweating as he walked. The Virginia heat was suffocating. 

As he walked, Daryl searched the ground for tracks, hoping to spot something. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t caught a damn thing--not a squirrel or anything. His frustration grew as he walked, and he knew he was only making it worse for himself. 

When he came across a half-eaten deer on the ground, hopelessness set it, and he decided to turn back. The group sat in some shade a mile up the road, and he caught up to them quickly. He spotted you immediately; you were sitting with Michonne, looking half dead, with the damn cat on your stomach.

He sat down on the opposite side of the group, ignoring your gaze. He couldn’t look at you without thinking about the kiss the two of you shared. It only saddened him. And he deeply regretted kissing you. Not because he didn’t want to, he’s wanted to since the prison. But because he knew it wasn’t him that you wanted to kiss. You were so hysterical; he knew you would’ve kissed anyone. If Rick had gone to you, he knew you would’ve done the same. And he didn’t blame you for your actions. He understood them too well. 

The group sat silently, with a few conversations here and there, but mainly in silence. You all heard it at once, and Daryl grabbed his crossbow. But the footsteps were too quick to be walkers. 

A group of dogs emerged from the woods, barking loudly with aggression. Daryl glanced at you. You were holding onto your machete, ready to jump up. But it didn’t matter; Sasha was quick with her gun, and the dogs died in thirty seconds. 

It didn’t take long for the group to prepare the unexpected meal. Daryl noticed you hanging back, holding Tora in your arms. He knew exactly what you were thinking. At what point would Tora become food. He knew you’d die before that happened. And he would too. 

Daryl grabbed the cooked meat that Carol offered him and walked it over to you. Without saying anything, he gave it to you and then walked away. 

***

For the first time, camping for the night wasn’t terrible. You had your watch rotation, and because you’d had a decent amount of food, you slept well. But that was hours ago and many miles between then and now. 

A bit of dried meat was rationed, but by mid-afternoon, it started to smell, and Rick made Carol toss it. It was like the food you had yesterday didn’t count. You were starving again and were even lower on water. 

You walked with tears in your eyes. You hadn’t spoken to Daryl since yesterday when you kissed him, despite trying to last night. You wanted desperately to tell him how you felt and that you were sorry about everything. By now, you got the message. He didn’t feel the same way for you. And everything you believed to be true yesterday was wrong. Maybe he did have a thing with Carol. Or with anyone. Or with no one. It didn’t matter. You needed to apologize and try to save whatever friendship you had left. 

So when you overheard Daryl telling Abraham he would go look for water, you decided you wanted to do it now. Because you didn’t know if you would make it to the end of the day. 

“I’m gonna go with you,” You said to Abraham. “We’ll circle back around.”

He nodded, and you went off toward where Daryl had gone. He had disappeared quickly, and you couldn’t see him when you scanned the treeline, but you picked up his trail quickly. If there was one pattern you could easily recognize, it was human. It was one of the first things Daryl taught you about tracking. 

You knew he was walking quickly, not yet running, though. So you followed the trail to a small clearing where it stopped. You sighed and looked around. He could’ve gone anywhere. You were about to turn back when you smelt cigarette smoke, and you looked around again for him. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

You finally spotted him sitting against a tree. You knew then that looking for water was a lie, and didn’t want to intrude on him. You knew how important his own time was. But when you saw his shoulders shake as he cried, you couldn’t help it. 

“Daryl,” You said as you approached him. 

“What are you doin’ ‘ere?” He asked angrily, wiping his eyes. 

You knelt down beside him and looked at his face. “I, I wanted to help you look.” You said. You glanced down at the burning cigarette on the ground and then at his hands, where you saw a fresh burn mark. You let out a soft sigh. 

“Just let me be,” He gruffed. “I didn’ ask you to come out ‘ere,”

“You didn’t have to,” You snapped back, grabbing his hand and looking at the burn. “This isn’t going to help anything, Daryl,” You said in a softer tone. 

He didn’t respond, and you could tell he was trying his best not to cry. 

“You can cry,” You said. “You can cry with me.”

He glanced at you, lips trembling as tears finally fell. Your face softened, and you moved, wrapping him in a hug. You pulled him so his head was against your shoulder, trying to give him the same comfort he gave you yesterday. 

You’ve seen Daryl cry before; you’ve seen everyone cry before. In this world, it was expected. But this time was different. It wasn’t because someone died or your home was destroyed. It was hopelessness, grief, and anger. All the things you felt yesterday. 

So you held him for the few minutes he needed, and then his tough guy persona came back and he quickly stood up. “We should head back,” was all he said. 

“Daryl, I…” Your voice trailed off as he started to walk away, and you knew it was pointless trying to talk to him anyway. 

You followed him back to the road, feeling like crying yourself. But all that left your mind when you arrived and saw water bottles and containers sitting in the middle of the ground, with your group surrounding it. 

Rick handed Daryl a paper, and you looked at it, your head brushing against Dary’s upper arm. From a Friend, the paper read. Both you and Daryl immediately grabbed your weapons. 

“What else are we going to do?” Tara asked. 

“Not this,” Rick replied. “We don’t know who left it.”

Everyone was on edge, and Daryl stepped in front of you with his crossbow. 

“If that’s a trap, we already happen to be in it. But I, for one, would like to think it is indeed from a friend.” Eugene said. 

“What if it isn’t?” Maggie asked. 

“They could’ve put something in it.” You said. 

Eugene grabbed a bottle while Rosita and Tara yelled at him. “Quality assurance,” He said. But Abraham knocked the water bottle out of his hand before he could take a sip. 

“We can’t,” Rick finally said. 

A loud clap of thunder sounded from above, and you all stopped to look up at the sky. It had been cloudy for most of the day, and when you felt a few drops of rain on your face, you breathed deeply in relief. 

It started coming down harder as you heard someone laugh, and you spread your arms out and slowly spun in a circle, letting the cold water hit you. You opened your mouth and stuck out your tongue, collecting droplets that tasted like they were from heaven itself. 

Within thirty seconds, you were nearly soaked, and you laughed when you saw Rosita and Tara lying on the ground. Some part of you wanted to join them, but Rick started ushering people to collect the rainwater. You walked over to Carl and checked on Tora in his bag. She was displeased at the rain, but you knew she’d be happy to drink it later. 

As you set up bottles, Juidth started crying, and lightning cracked across the sky. Thunder boomed overhead, and you realized the storm was nearly above you. You were soaked to the bone, and the wind was picking up. You were actually cold. 

“We gotta keep moving!” Rick yelled over the storm. 

You grabbed Daryl’s arm, “The barn!” You yelled. 

Daryl turned to Rick to tell him about the place, and after everyone grabbed their things, you all started to race towards the barn. Thankfully it wasn’t a long walk, but the storm was even worse, and you could hardly see ten feet in front of you. 

Michonne linked your arm with hers, and you walked together. 

You were shaking when Rick led everyone into the barn. You’d clear it together to get out of the rain. There was only one walker, but you weren’t there to put it down. You and Michonne set up every bottle you had outside to collect the rainwater. 

It had gotten increasingly dark and you knew the storm was directly above you now. You could only hope and pray the barn would hold. 

***

Aside from the lightning, the barn was dark. The fire that Daryl and Glenn kept trying to keep was fruitless; the wood was too wet. You were still on the colder side and sat side by side with Michoone, leaning against each other. Carol and Rick were also with you, and everyone else had scattered to get some sleep. 

You wanted to check in on Maggie, but Glenn asked you not to. She needed time to process, and he didn’t think crowding her would help. You agreed with him on that; it never helped her. Even before.

You paid attention to the conversation, but your eyes were heavy, and you kept nodding to the side. You tried to fight sleep, but it was too strong and pulled you under. But you weren’t asleep for long. Michonne was shaking your shoulder in a way that had you panicking before you were awake. 

And when you saw the group pushing against the doors, struggling against them, you jumped up to join the fight. Your body slammed against the wall, and you looked to your right to see Daryl struggling. His face was desperate, and when he met your eyes, you couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He yelled something at you, but you couldn’t hear over the walkers, wind, and shaking doors. 

The muddy ground kept making you slide, but you fought like hell to stick your ground. You weren’t going down like this. You didn’t want to go down at all. You wanted to live. And now it was time to fight for it.

[abarbaricyalp]

If you can combo 5,6, 30 intimacy for Sam and Bucky... Thank you

5: holding hands, kissing the back of it 6: kissing the tip of their nose 30: being protective Not gonna lie, I had difficulty imagining them being in a situation where they'd be kissing each other's hands and noses while also needing to be protective 😅 I know this is probably not what you had in mind, but it would not leave my mind.

All things considered, a cave behind a waterfall was pretty damn romantic. Bucky had found the cave. The dinosaurs they were hiding from, were not his fault. He should get all the points for the romanticism and lose nothing for the dinosaurs.

"Let me see your hand," he said, scooting closer to where Sam was washing his hand off in the waterfall. They should stay away from it. Who knew what kind of vision dinosaurs had. Sure, he'd been obsessed with them as kids, but he was pretty sure dinosaurs were one of those things that books in the 20s had been wrong about.

Sam held out his hand without complaint, which was a small miracle. "I cut it while we were climbing," he explained. He sucked in a sharp breath as Bucky put his thumbs on either side of the gash in his palm. "It's pretty deep."

Bucky nodded in agreement. For the first time in this whole forsaken night, the fact that they weren't in battle gear was actually helpful. He tore off the hem of his shirt and tied it around the middle of Sam's hand. It was not remotely sterile, but he couldn't really do anything about that. This would at least keep him from bleeding so badly and maybe keep dirt from getting in easily.

Sam stared at his hand, cupped gently in both of Bucky's and then let out a short laugh. "Oh my God, we look like a stupid action movie."

Bucky thought they looked like stupid action movies pretty regularly, but he figured Sam meant an action adventure movie. One of those ones with jungles and cargo crates and giant monsters, ancient runes and lost cities. Impossible feats of strength, like jumping over a ratty bridge or climbing up the side of a ship in the middle of a storm or hanging out of the blown out window of a two-seater plane. Probably based on a video game or some other existing IP.

"Those don't usually start in the middle of dinner at a local pasta place," Bucky pointed out. "We didn't even get our second glass of wine."

"It was good wine. Congrats on recognizing that. I'll make you a cultured man in no time." Sam started to pull his hand back, started to make to get to his feet.

Bucky curled his fingers around Sam's, up high, away from the cut. Sam settled back on the rocky ground with a raised eyebrow. "We can't wait around for someone to throw another temporal displacement bomb at us, Buck," he pointed out. "We've gotta figure out a way out of here."

"I know," Bucky accepted, though he kind of didn't think it'd be that easy. Without any reinforcements, without any gear of their own, what the hell were they going to do? Use their cells to call for help? He doubted that even the Kimoyo beads could traverse millions of years. And no one knew where they were, or were expecting them some other place. They wouldn't be missed until something else exploded or they missed the next call-out. It had been a long time since Bucky had felt helpless--he could force his body to extremes unheard of to survive, to protect Sam--but being chased by a dinosaur he couldn't name through forest growth so dense and thick and large the sun didn't reach the ground and then being forced to climb a cliff face so new every rock was rough and unpolished had just about wrung out the hope from him.

"I just..." He hesitated for a second, then brought Sam's hand up to his mouth and placed a soft kiss over the bandage on his palm, then turned Sam's hand over to kiss his scrapped up knuckles. "Just wanna make sure you're okay before we get back to adventuring."

Sam's face softened. He put his other hand to Bucky's cheek, thumb brushing over the crooked prop of it midway down where he'd been hit by a falling rock earlier. "I'm okay, Buck. Eventually, we'll have to add lizards to our list."

"What list?" Bucky asked, shaken from his deepening, pooling panic. Back to the world of a beautiful waterfall and dappled sunlight just for a second.

"Androids, aliens, and wizards."

The force with which Bucky rolled his eyes was enough to skyrocket the blooming headache snaking through his brain. "You can't say wizards and lizards in the same stupid catchphrase."

"Sure I can," Sam scoffed. "We're fighting morons who call themselves the Serpent Society. I think we need to add lizards."

"Just accept that you and I do not fight wizards that often," Bucky insisted.

"We fight wizards plenty."

"When, Sam? When do we ever fight wizards?"

"Loki," Sam said.

"Loki is a god. Apparently. And neither us ever fought him."

Sam reached over then, hands on either side of Bucky's face, and realigned his nose with an audible crack of cartilage snapping back into place.

Bucky had been led to believe by countless sci-fi books and his favorite modern movie that dinosaurs hunted by sound because their eyesight was bad. This was the only reason he did not howl with indignant pain and anger. He smacked his hands up against his own face--which did not make anything feel better--and glared at Sam--the effect of which was lessened by the tears that had naturally sprung to his eyes.

"Asshole," he ground out. "I told you it would set itself. The serum always puts things back where they belong."

"I couldn't stand looking at it anymore," Sam defended. "And it was making your voice sound weird. Move your hands." He batted Bucky's hands away and examined the line of his nose, then the full effect of his face. "Right as rain. Stop being a baby." He leaned forward and kissed either side of Bucky's nose, then the bruised bridge of it, then brushed the tip of his nose against Bucky's in apology.

Fine, that was enough to sate Bucky. He brushed his nose against Sam's again before leaning back against the cave wall. "How are we gonna get out of this one, Sam?" he asked.

Sam adjusted to sit beside him, grimacing as rough rock bit into his shoulders and back. "I don't know. Do you think the temporal imbalance will still be where we came in at? It disrupts the fabric of time and reality, right?"

"I don't think anything at all about this shit. I just call Strange and tune him out when he gets bitchy."

"So, all the time," Sam surmised with a tired, but affectionate, grin.

"Yeah, kind of," Bucky admitted. He dropped his arm around Sam's shoulders and pulled him closer. "Do you know anything about dinosaurs?"

"Not really," Sam admitted himself. "I missed both boys' dinosaur phases."

"Do you think they're, like, diurnal?" Bucky ventured.

"No idea. There had to have been some nocturnal ones, right?"

"Yeah, but probably not the big ones."

Sam's eyebrows rose in thought. "They're all big, but I guess that kind of makes sense. So, what did you have on you for our date night?"

Bucky looked at Sam with a little bit of an abashed look. "Don't make it sound like I wore a tac belt," he muttered. "I just have a few knives. Didn't even have a gun in my jacket. Wherever that is now. I don't think a handful of combat knives are going to help us out here."

Sam had retrieved his own knife and flipped it around in his fingers. Each time the sharp side passed over the pads, it made an low scratching sound. Sam didn't need Bucky to tell him to take care of his shit and clearly he did it well. It still wasn't going to help.

"The only thing we can try is looking for that temporal weakness," Sam decided. "And the longer we wait, the more likely it is to close."

"I'm gonna tell Torres you had no faith in his ability to find us," Bucky threatened emptily.

"I don't think he'd blame me," Sam assured. He stood, then offered his hand down to Bucky to haul him up. "Hopefully we'll be able to tell when something big is coming at us. We didn't recognize the sound last time because we weren't prepared. Now we know what we're up against."

Bucky nodded. "Stay close to me, alright? Vibranium is still stronger than dinosaur teeth."

"Your arm is the size of their toothpicks, Buck," Sam pointed out, but he let Bucky take the lead.

Bucky half expected something to be waiting for them as they came through the water. They had to get into it to get back to the cliff face and all he did was hope there was nothing flesh eating in the water. Large or otherwise.

But there was nothing waiting for them and nothing eating them. A win all around.

The water helped wash away some of the grime and blood though, which was nice. Bucky had no idea if dinosaurs had acute olfactory systems, but he imagined smelling like the landscape and not unknown human should help. Besides, he thought better when he wasn't disgusting.

The climb down was a different kind of difficult from the climb up. Gravity was useful, but neither of them could see what they were doing and Sam kept managing to put his foot down on Bucky's fingers.

"I'm usually flying," Sam pointed out in a hiss while Bucky pulled out some ancient foul language on him. "I don't have to climb."

Impossibly, they managed to get to the ground without dying. The landscape they'd been dropped into was wetter and greener than Bucky had been expecting. There was foliage and trees and the cliffs provided run off that snaked around in thin streams. It had been a mad dash earlier to find shelter, so Bucky hadn't been able to examine their current prison. He wasn't sure what the safest route-of-action would be.

Sam kept looking up at the trees, but he evidently wasn't finding what he was looking for because he kept walking with a grunt.

"I don't think we should risk eating anything yet," Bucky called over to him, jogging a little to catch up. "That should really be a last ditch effort. Like...you should eat me before you eat something you find here."

Sam's nose scrunched in abject disgust. "I'm not eating you. I'm not looking for food," he added. "I'm looking for birds."

"Why?" Bucky asked. "I don't think birds existed back here. They're all, like, pterodactyls."

"Pterodactyls aren't the closest relatives to birds," Sam corrected. "I mean, like, birds are the closest living relative to pterodactyls, but not the other way around."

"Why are you looking for birds?" Bucky redirected. Because he kind of didn't care about living relatives when they were stuck with the old version.

"Because I--" Sam stopped suddenly, just on the other side of an opening in the tree line. "Buck," he warned so quietly Bucky almost couldn't hear him. Bucky pushed away the safety bar arm that had gone out in front of him so he could stand by Sam.

In the clearing, there was a whole entire T-fucking-rex.

There were lots of times Bucky's thinking brain shut down in favor of his fighting brain. Back in the war, he'd always felt like something else took over his body and moved it around like the worlds most skilled marionette. Since breaking Hydra's conditioning, he'd felt the Soldier settle into his skin during difficult fights.

Coming face to face with a real fucking T-rex, huddled like the world's largest chicken over a nest, had about every dissociative disorder filling Bucky's bones and muscle and soul and hollow spots. He put himself in front of Sam immediately, pushing Sam back so that he'd have a head start on the running.

The dinosaur was tense, but hadn't stood. Bucky had a cat. He knew that look. He knew that not standing didn't mean anything for a predator with power. It was watching them intently. Buck felt like he couldn't move.

"Sam, run," he whispered, pushing at Sam's hip again. "I'll distract it. You need to get back to the cliff."

"Shut up," Sam whispered back. "Just...just let me think. Give me a second."

The T-rex crouched. Terror punched through Bucky like a real object. He almost got sick with it. "Sam, please," he begged. "Get out of here."

"Hey," Sam said. Loudly. Bucky jumped and looked at him with wild desperation. "We're not here to hurt you or those eggs," he said. "We didn't mean to walk this way."

The T-rex cocked its huge head. It blinked, the way lizards did, which was uncanny. And then, for some reason, it settled back down.

"What the fuck is happening?" Bucky whispered.

"I'm saving your life," Sam answered. To the T-rex, he added, "Are there others around? We could use some help."

The T-rex bellowed. It wasn't like in Jurassic Park. It was...deeper. Fuller. Not so metal-on-metal reverb screeching. It was still damn terrifying and Bucky yelped a little. "What the fuck, Sam?" he hissed.

"T-rex is one of the closest relatives to birds. I can talk to birds, ergo I can talk to dinosaurs," Sam explained like that made any sense.

"What the hell do you mean you can talk to birds? Did it just call another T-rex over here?"

"Actually, she called the other one to some other spot. She wouldn't want it near her nest. We have to go meet it."

"Like hell," Bucky objected.

"Do you want to make this trek on foot again? How did that turn out for us last time?"

"What do you mean you can talk to birds?" Bucky repeated.

"Thank you very much," Sam said to the dinosaur. "And sorry again." He ducked back into the tree line and pulled Bucky with him. "I'll explain later. Right now I need to focus. It's not the same as with birds. I'm having to think a lot more here."

"Did you drink the water? Are you having hallucinations? Hell, am I?"

Sam pinned an unimpressed look on him. "Let's just get going before she changes her mind," he said blandly.

Not for the first time that afternoon, Bucky wondered what the hell his life was.

[yanderemommabean]

Victoria Jenifers Body AU Drabble

((Hiya! I made a little short involving my oc Victoria with the Jenifers Body AU, I hope you like it beans! ))

Victoria hasn’t been the same since that night you two went out. She left in a weird van and came back more cold, and seemingly off. You brushed it off as just your friend being stressed and being her typical bitchy self, but this was too different.

She wasn’t just bitchy and catty, she was cold hearted and bitter. Not towards you, but towards everyone else on campus who she used to fawn over and even crush on. The girls she used to gush to you about are hardly ever brought up anymore and she’s always behind you, hovering, like she doesn’t like the others talking to you.

Sending her a text, you flop in your bed and try to dry the tears on your face. Another person was declared missing and possibly dead, and the whole town was beginning to believe it was the work of a serial killer. You knew him, he wouldn’t hurt anyone and was genuinely a good guy to be around, and it broke your heart that he possibly met the fate of the others.

The killer didn’t seem to have a preference, woman, man, good, bad, they all went missing. The only real lead was they all seemed to have been around the campus or close by, such as at the stores or gas stations. It was seriously stressing you out and you needed Victoria to be there, even if she’s been off and maybe won’t be able to comfort you entirely.

“Oh…poor sweet little thing” Her voice purrs, coming up from behind you and making your body jump. You weren’t expecting her to get here that fast, let alone so quietly. She has a key to your place and everything so why didn’t you hear even the slightest jiggle of the knob or shake of the keys?

Doesn’t matter, you’re upset and you feel so confused and dare you say, isolated. She hardly tells you anything anymore, and during a scary time like this, you need someone who’s open. It might be a good time to bring up what’s been going on not just on the news, but between the two of you as well.

“Something on your mind?” She asks softly, her hand coming to touch your cheek and feel the warm tears still drying on them. Her eyes flashes something cold and sinister for just a second, but you chalk that up to you just being paranoid. “Who made you cry like this? You can tell me. We’re best friends after all”.

You tense, sitting up as you gently shove her away. Her being that close didn’t feel normal anymore. It felt more smothering than it did anything else. “You did, Vic. You…you don’t talk to me anymore. You don’t hang out with anyone like you used too, you barely let me know when you’re doing anything and I feel so left out of the loop! And on top of all of that, when you DO tell me where you are, it’s late at night while a killer’s on the loose!”

The blonde doesn’t say a word, simply staring at you. Fuck it. You can’t stop the tears from falling anyway, and you deserve to know what’s happening!

“If it’s about that stupid drunken kiss we did, I’m sorry! I didn’t want to ever push that boundary! We were just drunk and we can call it a mistake! We don’t have to put up walls and- and- and-“ you start stuttering, breathes shaky and uneven as you spew your feelings out like a child.

You were scared. Scared of losing your closest friend and it being all your fault.

Lost in your own emotions, you feel her yank you closer, hand in your hair as she forces you to face her. You wince as her grip tightens, eyes watery as they stare into hers, silence filling the room. Victorias lips come to press behind your ear as she whispers into it, her other hand circling your wrist as she speaks.

“You’ll understand why I’m doing this. Right now just isn’t the time” she breathes, then nudges the bridge of her nose into your hair to inhale, shoulders relaxing as she indulges in your scent. “You’re a smart girl. I know you’ve seen the shady things as of late. Tell me, pretty girl, why is it when everyone goes missing, I’m the last person they’re often seen with?”.

Your breath gets caught in your throat, eyes widening in horror. Was she really saying what you thought she was? Was she the one who left horrible bloody heaps for the police to find every night?

Her hand comes to slide under your shirt, rubbing your back as she toys with your bra. She smirks at the way you tense and jump, unable to escape her hold as she uses more strength. “Those sweet lips on mine, that night, was a gift I couldn’t imagine handling at the time. When I left with those people…they turned me into something that could. A stronger, smarter, better version of my old self, so I could give you everything you deserved”.

“You’re a killer!”

“Only in the sense of protecting what’s mine at any cost”

“They were innocent!”

“They were trying to take you away from me.” She says coldly, her teeth bared in a snarl as she holds you against her body. You begin to cry once again, this time thinking you were about to meet the same fate as the others. If she was about to kill you, all you ask is that she made it quick.

“You still think I’m human. It’s sweet, really” her voice sounded amused, her hand coming to slide over your stomach and feel the heated skin. “That stupid group turned me into something better. And now…I get to eat the things who get in my way, or try to hurt what’s mine. I guess I’ve been too busy on protecting you that I left you so neglected “ she says with a fake pout to her voice.

Her other hand comes to trace up your neck, wiping away the trail of tears as she feels your pulse under her fingertips. “My poor, needy little Y/N. You must feel like I don’t love you at all, tsk tsk tsk. I’ll have to fix that. But-“ her lips come to tease at your ear again, wicked smile gracing her features as she whispers “I’m going to give you a lot more than just shy little kisses. I’m going to devour you”.

((-Mommabean))

[aurumacadicus]

It's time to pick our August book for book club! Tumblr will vote, and the book club will then vote among the top three in Discord. If you’d like to join the book club, send me a message and I’ll send you a link to the discord! Keep an eye out for the other poll, and check out the books’ summaries under the cut!

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s Reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.

They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and with 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen’s childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things head up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen’s royal brother. Lex Croucher’s Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.

Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

It’s bad enough waking up in a half-destroyed evil wizard’s workshop with no eyebrows, no memories, and no idea how long you have before the Dread Lord Whomever shows up to murder you horrible and then turn your skull into a goblet or something.

It’s a lot worse when you realize that Dread Lord Whomever is… you.

Gav isn’t really sure how he ended up with a castle full of goblins, or why he has a princess locked in a cell. All he can do is play along with his own evil plan in hopes of getting his memories back before he gets himself killed.

But as he realizes nothing – from the incredibly tasteless cloak adorned with flames to the aforementioned princess – is quite what it seems, Gav must face up to all the things the Dread Lord Gavrax has done. And he’ll have to answer the hardest question of all – who does he want to be?

A high fantasy farce featuring killer moat squid, toxic masculinity, an evil wizard convocation, and a garlic festival. All at once. All in all, Dread Lord Gavrax has had better weeks.

A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon

Twenty-nine, depressed, and drowning in credit card debt after losing her job during the pandemic, a millennial woman decides to end her troubles by jumping off Seol’s Mapo Bridge.

But her suicide attempt is interrupted by a girl dressed in white—her guardian angel. Ah Roa is a clairvoyant magical girl on a mission to find the greatest magical girl of all time. And our protagonist just may be that special someone.

But the young woman’s initial excitement turns to frustration when she learns being a magical girl in real life is much different than how it’s portrayed in stories. It isn’t just destiny—it’s work. Magical girls go to job fairs, join trade unions, attend classes. And for this magical girl there are no special powers and no great perks, and despite being magical, she still battles with low self-esteem. Her magic wand . . . is a credit card—which she must use to defeat a terrifying threat that isn’t a monster or an intergalactic war. It’s global climate change. Because magical girls need to think about sustainability, too.

Park Seolyeon reimagines classic fantasy tropes in a novel that explores real-world challenges that are both deeply personal and universal: the search for meaning and the desire to do good in a world that feels like it’s ending. A fun, fast-paced, and enchanting narrative that sparkles thanks to award-nominated Anton Hur, A Magical Girl Retires reminds us that we are all magical girls—that fighting evil by moonlight and winning love by daylight can be anyone’s game.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Shiori’anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted. But it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes. She warns Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to forswear—no matter what the cost.

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

“Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. I’m just a Jade. I’m not a real hero.”

As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the chaotic Obsidian gods at bay. Sol selects ten of the most worthy semidioses to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. The winner carriers light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all—they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body melted down to refuel the Sun Stones, protecting the world for another ten years.

Teo, a seventeen-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of the goddess of birds, isn’t worried about the Trials . . . at least, not for himself. His best friend, Niya is a Gold semidiós and a shoo-in for the Trials, and while he trusts her abilities, the odds of becoming the sacrifice is one-in-ten.

But then, for the first time in over a century, the impossible happens. Sol chooses not one, but two Jade competitors. Teo, and Xio, the thirteen-year-old child of the god of bad luck. Now they must compete in five trials against Gold opponents who are more powerful and better trained. Worst of all, Teo’s annoyingly handsome ex-best friend and famous semidiós Hero, Aurelio is favored to win. Teo is determined to get himself and his friends through the trials unscathed—for fame, glory, and their own survival.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

A forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison and revenge. Welcome to the Lost Apothecary…

Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.

Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Carline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

Vermilion by Molly Tanzer

Gunslinging, chain smoking, Stetson-wearing Taoist psychopomp, Elouise “Lou” Merriwether might not be a normal 19-year-old, but she’s too busy keeping San Francisco safe from ghosts, shades, and geung si to care much about that. It’s an important job, though most folks consider it downright spooky. Some have even accused Lou of being more comfortable with the dead than the living, and, well… they’re not wrong. When Lou hears that a bunch of Chinatown boys have gone missing somewhere deep in the Colorado Rockies she decides to saddle up and head into the wilderness to investigate. Lou fears her particular talents make her better suited to help placate their spirits than ensure they get home alive, but it’s the right thing to do, and she’s the only one willing to do it. On the road to a mysterious sanatorium known as Fountain of Youth, Lou will encounter bears, desperate men, a very undead villain, and even stranger challenges. Lou will need every one of her talents and a whole lot of luck to make it home alive…

[dannyboy-writes]

Out of days II

Chishiya drove through a bridge and got to a greenhouse, lit only with the necessary light, mostly dark. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” He asked again.

“Yeah, what if I have to kill you? Who’s gonna drive me places,” you said with a grin.

He fake laughed and raised his arms, “If you’re sure. I’ll wait here.”

You nodded and got into the greenhouse, seeing gardening tools and knives with a sign ‘Take at will’. You grabbed two knives, just in case, and took a phone, waiting for some more people.

A guy and a girl came in, holding hands, probably together. They grabbed a phone and waited at the other side of the table with tools, eyeing you from time to time.

Some minutes later a tattooed man got inside, hustling before the registration closed. He grabbed a phone and a screwdriver, and waited for the instructions.

Hide and seek. One wolf and three lambs. Oh, and a 7 of hearts game. Great.

Thank god I told Chishiya to stay behind, you thought.

The first wolf was the girl, who quickly looked at her boyfriend, giving him the role. He looked back at her, and so on for some time.

You figured the lambs were less at a disadvantage than in nature, and so did the guy with the tattoos, who quickly launched at the guy with a knife wide open. He slashed his throat but failed to get the wolf.

The girl had it.

She started running but the guy found her and stole the wolf. He turned to you nex, avoiding eye contact, there were ten minutes left on the clock. Anything could happen, really. 

“You don’t have to die right now,” he warned.

You tighten your grip over the knife. “I’ll die anyways if I don’t,” you told him.

-

Chishiya stood by the car, trying to stop his mind from thinking the worst. It was hard already, but even harder for him, who was always planning ahead. Always thinking about the next step.

He had just gotten you back, so to speak, and he wasn’t sure he could lose you again.

A figure left the greenhouse, holding tightly to their shoulder. He approached them and soon enough realized it was you.

He ran to you and held onto you, helping you stand.

“I thought you weren’t coming back,” he said, walking to the car.

“Yeah, well, almost didn’t,” you said, showing him your blood soaked hand.

“Fuck,” he muttered, hurrying to the car. “There is a first aid kit in the trunk, come on.”

You nodded and followed him, sitting in the back seat as he tended to your wound. 

“What game was it,” he asked in hopes of keeping you awake.

You flinched as he put a gauze over the wound. “Hide and seek.”

“What type?”

“Hearts,” you sighed. “I have a week to recover from this, so there’s time.”

Good, thought Chishiya.

Once you were all parched up he started driving, leaving you to doze off in the back seat.

You woke up in an abandoned building and saw Chishiya staring outside the window.

“Is it raining?” You asked him, making him jump.

“Yes,” he mused before turning to you. “How are you feeling?”

“Could be worse, really.”

“We have to go back to the Beach.”

You furrowed your eyebrows confused, “No thanks, I rather not go back to where they all want me dead.”

“There’s something I have to do,” he said, walking towards you. “You’ll be safe, don’t worry.”

“Right…” You muttered. "What would that be? Just to know.”

“Kuina and I were planning something…”

“You're making plans without me?" You teased him. “Oh, come on. A little laugh. I almost died Chishiya.”

“I know.”

He kept driving in silence, looking at you through the rearview mirror. I know.

“Once we get there, wait for me in the car. Ready to leave as soon as possible.”

“Sure.”

You waited over twenty minutes for Chishiya to return, and your initial uneasiness had worn over, now just resting in the driver's seat. You had bandaged over the cuts in your stomach and arms lousily, and traced with your eyes the cuts and soon to be bruises in your hands. Picking a maroon tint from under your nails.

You didn't know whose blood it was, really.

Chishiya ran towards the car as you flinched, starting the vehicle. With him came Kuina and two more people. All scurrying towards you.

“Let's go.” He said as everyone was inside, and you hit the gas quickly, turning the headlights on at the last second possible to avoid being seen.

“Where to?” You asked when you had reached a calm enough highway. Double checking you weren't being followed.

“We were thinking of going to the outskirts,” The girl whose name you didn't know.

“Whatever,” you shrugged.

You didn't really care, and Chishiya seemed to be on board. Your injuries could use a doctor such as himself. So you kept driving.

[gojos-thot-patrol]

Nanami Kento, angst/comfort, “we will burn those bridges when we get there”

Thank you!

I had to fist fight my demons to keep this an angst/comfort and not an angst/comfort/angst, just fyi. I do it all for you, Dear Reader.

Now Presenting...

Starring: a sick of it all Nanami Kento

The gin burned in your chest as it flowed from the bottle to your stomach. You wanted to gag, but managed to force it down with a grimace. You looked up at the stars, glittering bright in the sky above you from where you sat in the garden. You had read somewhere that all the stars you saw in the night sky had died like, a million years ago or something, and that the light you saw was because of how far away they were or-something. You weren’t an astronomer, but, you did know you felt pretty jealous of all those dead lights at that moment.

“Hey,” Nanami startled you out of your head long enough to look at him, “I thought I’d find you here.” He said, going and sitting next to you. You let out a humorless huff trying to masquerade as a laugh.

“Am I really that predictable?” You asked. He thought for a moment, then shrugged.

“The gin was a surprise, I kinda expected vodka to be honest.”

���This was just the first thing I found in the liquor cabinet.” You confessed.

“Ah.” Kento nodded in understanding, before pulling out a pack of cigarettes  and lighting a smoke. You watched the way the smoke danced from his lungs into the sky, swirling around itself and the dead stars. There was a metaphor there somewhere. 

“I heard what happened,” Nanami cut through the silence again, “I’m sorry for your loss.” You looked away from the smoke and down to the ground. The grief of losing your best friend hadn’t settled in yet, instead denial and shock taking it’s place. You dreaded the moment the reality set in.

“It’s fine, I guess,” You lied, “They were a sorcerer. We kinda know the deal when we sign up for this job.”

“Do we though?” Kento questioned, turning his head to look at you. You let out another huff.

“Yea, not really. They tell us they do everything in their power to limit as many fatalities as possible-”

“Then send a second grade sorcerer after a special grade curse.” Kento spoke from experience. You nodded, finally finding it in you to look at him.

“Yea. I just…Did you ever feel like you had a choice?” You asked, tears welling in your eyes again.

“No, not really.” He admitted with a shrug, “I felt like the moment my technique manifested everyone decided this was what I was going to do, regardless of what I wanted.” You knew that feeling all to well. You thought most sorcerers did. You knew your friend did. 

“It’s not fair,” You stated the obvious, “They treat us as disposable, as if were all fucking Satoru, invincible.” You spat, feeling the anger building up inside your chest again, looking for someone to light the fuse.

“And then they bitch about not having enough sorcerers after sending them all to die.” Nanami struck the match. You jumped to your feet with a groan, unable to sit still for any longer. 

“Yea, exactly! And like, look I’m not saying I agree with Suguru, but he’s right about how society treats sorcerers! Like we only exist for them like were not our own people with our own hopes and dreams-!”

“Please tell me you’re not planning a eugenics fueled mass murder.” Nanami demanded rather than asked, looking at you with sharp, concerned eyes.

“No, not at all,” You assured him, watching the tension visibly leave his shoulders as you said so, “I just…I don’t know. I want to run away.” You confessed.

“So then why not do it?” Kento asked, taking a drag off his cigarette, “I want to leave too,” He revealed, “And we could do it. There’s nothing stopping us from doing it.” Honestly, you didn’t expect that from Nanami. If anything. You expected him to try and convince you to stay, to fulfill your duties as a sorcerer. You liked that he still managed to surprise you. 

“Because we can’t just leave,” You sighed, shaking your head.

“Why not?”

“We have responsibilities here. What about the elders? They’d never forgive us.” Nanami shrugged at your concerns.

“We’ll burn those bridges when we get there. Honestly, I’m not too keen on letting a bunch of people that referred to World War One as “The Great War” dictating my every move for the rest of my life.” a very sudden and very heavy realization hit you at that moment.

“wait…You’re serious, aren’t you?” You asked. He looked up at you from where he sat and nodded.

“Yea. I wouldn’t suggest it if I wasn’t,” He chuckled a bit, “ There’s nothing tangible keeping us here.”

“Where would we even go?”

“I got two tickets to Malaysia.” He offered. 

“Wait, like, right now?! Ready to go?!” You scoffed, your brain struggling to keep up in the pool of gin.

“I bought them on impulse about a week ago. They were cheap and I thought it was a two way flight. It wasn’t, but, I kinda assumed that was fate. I’ve been meaning to ask you, I just…I couldn’t fine the right time I guess.” Not that now was the right time, but, it was a time.

“When does the flight leave?’ You asked.

“Two days. Think that’s enough time to get your affairs in order?” You thought for a long time about what Kento was offering, the real gravity of what it would entail. You would never be able to return to Jujutsu Sorcery again.

“Yea. Two days is more than enough.”

[shortmexicangirl]

graphical representation of how songs on Speak Now (Taylor's Version) correspond to different miraculous ships/characters because YEAHHHH DATA!!!

full breakdown of each song and their corresponding category under the cut!

mine - feligami

“You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded / You say we’ll never make our parents mistakes”

sparks fly - marichat (in elation)

“Kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain”

back to december - first half of s5 ladynoir

“You gave me roses and I left them there to die”

speak now - adrienette (in emotion)

“Horrified looks from everyone in the room / But I'm only lookin' at you”

dear john - adrien @ gabriel agreste (gabriel agreste SUCKS #1)

“Well, maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blame / Or maybe it's you and your sick need to give love and take it away”

mean - marinette @ gabriel agreste (in pretension specifically) (gabriel agreste SUCKS #2)

“All you are is mean / And a liar, and pathetic / And alone in life, and mean / And mean, and mean, and mean”

story of us - s4 ladynoir

“A simple complication / Miscommunications lead to fall out / So many things that I wish you knew / So many walls up I can't break through”

never grow up – emilie @ adrien

“You got nothing to regret / I'd give all I have, honey / If you could stay like that”

enchanted — love square

“These are the words I held back / As I was leaving too soon / I was enchanted to meet you / Please, don't be in love with someone else”

better than revenge — marinette @ lila

"She's not a saint and she's not what you think, she's an actress"

innocent — ladybug (in strike back)

“Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days? / Always a bigger bed to crawl into / Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything / And everybody believed in you?”

haunted — ladynoir (post chat blanc)

“I'm holding my breath / Won't lose you again / Something's made your eyes go cold”

last kiss — ok… i’ve always said this song is ladynoir because i miss them and i’m biased but post revolution it’s gotta be adrienette

“I do recall now the smell of the rain / Fresh on the pavement, I ran off the plane / That July ninth, the beat of your heart / It jumps through your shirt / I can still feel your arms”

long live — ladynoir (always but especially in revolution)

“Long live all the mountains we moved / I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you / I was screaming, "Long live that look on your face" / And bring on all the pretenders I’m not afraid”

ours — adrienette

“I love the riddles that you speak / And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos / Will be ignored, 'cause my heart is yours”

superman — ladrien (adrien’s pov) (these specific lyrics are LITERALLY that chat blanc ladrien scene)

“I'm lovestruck and looking out the window / Don't forget, don't forget where I'll be / Right here, wishing the flowers were from you / Wishing the card was from you”

electric touch — adrienette (post kwami’s choice)

marinettes pov: “Just the first time ever hangin' out with you tonight / I've got my money on things goin' badly / Got a history of stories ending sadly / Still hoping that the fire won't burn me / Just one time” adriens pov: “I've been left in the rain, lost and pining / I'm tryin' hard not to look like I'm trying / ‘Cause every time I tried hard for love, it fell apart”

when emma falls in love - marinette dupain-cheng

“When Emma falls in love, she paces the floor / Closes the blinds and locks the door / When Emma falls in love, she calls up her mom / Jokes about the ways that this one could go wrong / She waits and takes her time / 'Cause Little Miss Sunshine always thinks it's gonna rain"

i can see you — feligami

“I've been watchin' you for ages / And I spend my time tryin' not to feel it / But what would you do if I went to touch you now? / What would you do if they never found us out?”

castles crumbling — ladybug (in strike back)

“And I feel like my castle's crumbling down / And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground / And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down / You don't wanna know me now”

foolish one —adrigami (kagami’s pov)

“Cause you got her on your arm and me in the wings / I'll get your longing glances, but she'll get your ring / And you will say you had the best of intentions / And maybe I will finally learn my lesson”

timeless — love square

“We would have been timeless / Cause I believe that we were supposed to find this / So, even in a different life, you still would've been mine”

ok and i'm DONE! join me next time i try to push my taylor x miraculous agenda on you all