#step aside; i'll be fumbling her too-

[tyrianludaship]

(sighs dreamily) it'd be an honor to fumble her

[illusioninfnty]

"i'll do anything!" ↠ day 23 ; virginity loss

↠ bo sinclair x reader

fandom: house of wax word count: 2.8k warnings: nsfw 18+, bimbo!reader, reader has shitty friends, coercion, corruption, dubconish, fingering, blowjob, cum swallowing, dirty talk, kind of semi-public sex, unprotected sex, creampie, pervy!Bo, allusion to murder, the plot is like a bad porno but i promise this is good guys

kinktober m.list || read on ao3

“God, did you forget to fill the tank again?”

You lean over from the backseat to take a look at the fuel gauge, and see the arrow is nearing empty. You furrow your eyebrows. “I was sure it filled up all the way,” you murmur. You try to recall when you all last stopped at a gas station, and how your friends delegated you to fill up the car while they went into the shop and bought snacks.

“Well it obviously didn’t, you idiot!” Your friend jerks the wheel and pulls over on the side of the desolate road. “This is why we never like to go anywhere with you.” 

You bite your lip, holding back tears. It wasn’t your fault that you were so forgetful sometimes, always getting distracted and lost in your thoughts.

This was supposed to be a fun road trip with your three closest friends, celebrating your college graduation nearing. But after a car karaoke session that went on for too long made you guys miss an exit, you’d been stranded on empty roads with nothing but trees surrounding you for quite a few miles now.

Your friend sitting in the backseat with you turns to face you, her arms crossed against her chest. “You should be the one to go find a gas station,” she protests. “It’s your fault we got stuck out here anyway.”

Your two friends in the front row look back at you and then at each other before nodding in agreement.

You crane your neck to look at the journey that would be ahead of you. It looked as though it continued to stretch for miles and miles with no end in sight, only the empty road and dying trees.

“By myself?” you ask hesitantly.

All three nod in unison.

You huff in defeat, unbuckling your seatbelt and stepping out of the vehicle.

“I’ll try to be back—”

They slam the door in your face before you can answer.

“—Soon,” you finish before sighing and starting the long walk, hoping to find some destination before it got too dark.

~

Bo was not expecting to see a pretty little thing like you around Ambrose when it was nearing dusk, especially all alone. You had your arms wrapped around your bare midsection, and even from his spot inside the gas station he could see that you were shivering from the cool air as the sun set. You were looking around frantically, and he could tell immediately that you were lost and looking for help.

He smirks. Oh, he’d help you, alright. Bo took that as his cue to reveal himself to you. He wipes his hands with a dirty rag and tosses it aside, exiting the station.

You hear the ringing of the bell as Bo opens the door, and you turn your head towards the source of the sound. You scurry on over, seeing Bo in his mechanic’s uniform.

“Sir! Hi!” you start, fumbling over your words. “You work here, right? Do you have some gas? My car—well, it’s my friend’s—but it’s, like, miles back there and we ran out.” 

Your eyes then shift to the side and he could tell you were embarrassed. “It’s kind of my fault.”

Hmm. Sir. He liked hearing that come from your pouty lips.

Bo gives you a toothy grin. “Don’t gotta worry your head ‘bout it, sweetheart. I’ll get ya all settled. Come with me.” He slides his hand across your lower back, just barely grazing your ass. You gasp under your breath at the feeling, and Bo can’t help it when his cock stirs at the sound.

As you walk into the gas station, Bo scans you up and down. He notices that you have nothing on your person but your clothes, and even then it’s just little scraps of a skimpy top and skirt—which means you must’ve forgotten a wallet, too. His grin widens even more.

Reaching behind him without you noticing, he cranks the thermostat down. The air gets cooler within seconds, and Bo revels in seeing your nipples harden as they poke through your top.

He goes to find a can of gas, rolling up his sleeves as he plucks it from a top shelf. He notices when you gulp and stare at his muscles as he flexes them subtly.

You were such a cute little doll. He was going to have fun with you.

He plops the can on the counter. You go to reach for it, but he holds a hand out. “Ten bucks, little lady.”

Your eyes bulge almost comically and it takes all of Bo’s strength not to laugh at your expression.

“Wow, that’s a lot more than I thought it would be,” you say nervously, shifting on the balls of your feet.

Bo exaggerates a sigh. “Times are tough out here, owning a small business like this. We don’t get many customers out here.” He opens his hands to motion to you the desolate town of Ambrose.

You completely buy into his bullshit excuse, nodding your head in complete understanding. “Oh my god, that sucks, like, a lot.” Patting down your lame excuse for a shirt, you look up at Bo with wide eyes, jaw dropped in surprise. “I forgot to bring my wallet!”

You were such a dumb little thing. What were your sorry excuses of friends thinking, sending you off all alone?

“I’m so sorry, sir!” You clasp your hands in front of you in a pleading manner, looking up at him with big, watery eyes. Bo holds back a groan. Jesus, those eyes could make a man cream his pants if he wasn’t too careful. “Please, is there anything I can do to pay you back? I’ll do anything!”

Bo pretends as if he’s thinking long and hard. Oh, he knew exactly what you were going to do as payment.

“You know, I get lonely sometimes,” Bo starts, a mock frown on his face. “A cute lady like you could really help a man like me out.” He shuffles up to you, and palms your ass under that sorry excuse for a skirt.

“Oh!” You gasp, grabbing onto his arm. “That’s really sad, sir.” You look lost in thought for a moment before continuing. “I don’t know if I can do that for you though.” You bite your lip, looking unsure of yourself.

“Aw, you gotta be kidding,” Bo clicks his tongue, rubbing his hand around the plumpness of your behind. “I bet you’ve helped lotsa guys out, huh?”

“A-actually,” you look down in shame. “I’m a—” you lower your voice to barely over a whisper, “—virgin.”

Bo blinks. That wasn’t a response he was expecting from you. So the slutty clothes were just for show, was it?

“Oh really?”

You nod, blatant regret all over your face. “I don’t think it’ll be good for you, ya’know, since I haven’t really had any practice and all that.”

He puts a smile back on, laughing gleefully and patting you on the shoulder, rubbing a thumb between the groove of your collarbone. “Well, that’s no problem for me, sweetheart. I can teach ya!”

Your eyes lighten up. “You can?”

“Sure I can!” He starts to undo his belt, throwing it aside on the counter. “Just need you to get on your knees for me and I can show you what to do.”

His cock jumps in anticipation, looking forward to seeing your juicy, plump lips wrapped around—

“Wait a minute!” you cry out, interrupting his fantasies.

Bo pauses in his movements, his jaw ticking at your interruption. “Yes?” he askes, concealing his frustration.

“What’s your name? I don’t wanna do this without knowing it.”

He sighs and points to the nametag on his jacket. “I’m Bo.”

You slap a palm across your forehead and nervously giggle. “Oh jeez, I should’ve known to look first!”

“That’s okay, sweetheart,” Bo mutters through his teeth impatiently. “Now lemme help you out, alright?” “Oh! Yeah, sorry!” You—finally—drop to your knees in front of him. “What do I need to do?”

The sight of you in front of him like that, so eager and pliant, had his cock jumping in his pants.

Bo lowers his jeans and boxers, his hard cock now revealed to you. He wraps a hand around the base stroking his full length as it puts it on display for you.

“That’s…big,” you murmur. You look up at him, concern plastered across your features. “I dunno if it’s gonna fit.” Your eyebrows crease together and those damn pouty lips of yours come out again.

Bo bites his cheek to conceal his smirk. This was gonna be a lot more fun than he thought. “I told you, that’s what I’m helping you with, ain’t I?”

You nod.

“Great. Now open those pretty lips up for me.”

You open your mouth as wide as you can, giving Bo a perfect hole to stick his cock into. He guides himself inside you, hissing as the warmth of your mouth envelops his length.

“Good girl,” he praises. He begins to thrust his hips slowly, your lips latching onto him as he does so. “You gotta let me move, sweetheart.”

“Sorry,” you mumble around him, and he groans at the vibrations that travel up his cock.

Your lips loosen and you start to suck on his cock, the suction of your lips making shivers of pleasure run down his spine. He grips the back of your head, controlling the pace of his thrusts.

“Fuck, look at you,” Bo hisses. You look so pretty and innocent with his cock stuffed down your throat, gags escaping your lips. “You’re a natural. Sure you haven’t done this before?”

“I told you—!”

Bo slaps your cheek, shushing you. “Stop talking.”

You nod obediently, the action making him pulse inside of your mouth. His grip on your hair tightens as his thrusts become harder, more primal. He fucks your mouth with vigor, ignoring your gags and the way your nails dig into the skin of his thighs.

He cums faster than he’s ever had before, groaning as his hot release coats the back of your throat. You cough around his cock, spurts of liquid splashing against your cheeks.

“Swallow it,” Bo commands.

You gulp harshly, your lips still secured around his cock. The extra pressure has him bucking his hips and like a good girl you swallow all of his cum. He pulls his cock out of your mouth, and you begin to cough and sputter as you regain your breath.

“Is that it?” you question him.

“Baby, I still gotta get rid of that virginity of yours.”

“Oh.” You giggle behind your hand. “Right.” You start to strip, only taking a couple of seconds since you’re practically naked already. “What do I do now?”

Bo’s cock hardens back to life at your nude form in front of him. Your nipples are hard, attached to your perky breasts that bounce up and down right in front of his eyes. He stares lecherously, licking his lips. “Now that you got my cock all wet,” Bo rubs his length, now slick with his cum and your saliva, “I can stick it in your pussy.” You bite the inside of your cheek and nod, your eyes flicking between his face and his cock. “I know I asked before,” you begin, and Bo moves to place your hand over his cock, “but will it really fit?”

Lord, he was really starting to understand why your friends let you go alone.

“Yeah, I told you, I’ll make it fit.” He lifts you from the back of your legs and places you on top of the counter. He brings his thick fingers to your pussy, sticking a fingertip inside.

You gasp and arch your body into him, throwing your arms around his broad back. Your bare breasts brush up against his chest and he relishes in the contact. 

“That feels really good, Bo!” you cry out. He adds a second finger inside of you, pushing the digits in deeper. He can feel how wet you are and the way you clench around him so desperately. Your hips jerk into him unsteadily, chasing the pleasure his fingers bring you.

He chuckles. “It’ll feel even better when I stick my cock in you.”

Bo removes his fingers, basking in the way you whine as he pulls them out, leaving you pulsing and desperate to be around him. He lines his throbbing cock with your entrance and pushes himself in without hesitation.

“Bo!” You scream, nails digging into his back. Little gasps leave your mouth as he begins to thrust in and out of you. Your pussy grips him like a vice, and it’s difficult for him to move inside you with you so needy for him.

He shushes you, gripping your cheeks and watching as tears leave your eyes.

“It hurts,” you whine to him. Your nails grip onto him as if your life depended on it.

He shoves his face into the crevice of your neck, placing kisses upon it. “Gotta relax a bit for me, okay?” he coos into your ear. “Or it won’t feel good for you.”

“You promise?” you ask through glassy eyes.

He nods, and feels as you unclench just a tad around him. Bo is able to rut himself into you harder now, and he can’t help but be more forceful with his thrusts as it causes your breasts to bounce right in front of him.

“Look at that.” He motions towards where the two of you are connected, his cock pulsing at the way your blood and juices coat the base. “Look at how we're connected now.”

Oh wow,” you gasp in awe. “That’s kinda romantic, huh?”

Bo doesn’t respond. If you wanted to put it that way, he wouldn’t stop you. He ignores the way his heart stutters in his chest.

His hips continue to pound into you, your body bouncing along with the power of his thrusts. The whines that come out of your mouth sound so angelic, and Bo has to fight the urge to kiss you.

“I—I think I’m gonna cum,” you moan out, your head thrown back and your eyes are scrunched up in pleasure.

Bo didn’t need you to tell him that. Your pussy goes back to clenching down on him, your walls tightening around his cock, fitting themselves to the shape of him. He curses quietly into your neck. He never wanted to leave the warmth of your pussy.

“That’s it, baby,” Bo coaxes you. He moves a finger to your clit, enjoying the way you jolt at the newfound sensation as he rubs circles on the bead. “Cum around my cock.”

“Cumming!” Your voice is squeaky as your legs come up to wrap around his backside, and you finally reach your peak. Your pussy tightens around Bo even more, and he can’t help it when he cums for a second time as you squeeze every last drop out of him.

You pant heavily as you come down from your orgasm, sweat rolling down your temples despite the cold air of the station that surrounds the two of you.

Bo’s own breathing is heavy, something he’s not used to much. You squirm out from beneath him as you drop from the counter, legs still shaking from the aftermath of your orgasm. You bend down to gather your scraps of clothing, and Bo has to take all of his strength to conceal his groan as he watches his cum slowly leak out of your pussy.

“Leaving so soon?” Bo didn’t know what compelled him to say that. You were just some cute college kid passing through that was a chance to get his dick wet. Yet there was something about you that drew him to you, like a moth to a flame.

You shimmy back into your clothing, and he notices how you ignore the trail of his cum that runs down your thigh. “My friends’ll be mad at me if I take too long getting back.” You pause in your movements. “I can take the gas now, right?”

Bo’s heart drops in his stomach. He realizes quickly that no, he wasn’t going to let you take the gas. In fact, he wasn’t going to let you leave at all. He wanted you—needed you—here with him. He couldn’t let a pretty little thing like you just pass by him like that.

He glances outside quickly. The sky's already turned to a pitch black hue, and he knows there’s no streetlights on your way back to where your friends wait for you. He turns back to you as you stand awaiting his answer.

“It’s pretty dark out there, little lady.” You peek over his shoulder, and your eyes widen as you realize just how late it had gotten. “It ain’t safe for you ta’ be out walkin’ all alone. Why don’t you stay over at my place for the night?”

“B-but what about my friends?” A pout overtakes your face and you look up at Bo with puzzled eyes.

Bo smirks, holding you close to his chest and running a hand over your hair. “Don’t need ta’ worry about them, sweetheart. My brother’ll come an’ fetch ‘em.”

[tamayakii]

a son for a son.

notes: I changed a thing or two of what happened in the show, basically putting Maelor in cause i still cant believe they didnt put him in it (same thing with Daeron) this can be read as a stand-alone fic or paired with the Their Angel series. pairings: Otto x reader (romantic), Helaena x reader (can be viewed as one sided or platonic) warnings: Otto & reader have a son, SPOILERS FOR HOTD S2;E1!!!

The candle light illuminates the room, flickering against the stone walls of your and Helaena’s chambers. You had moved into her living spaces the night that Aemond had come back from the Stormlands, a sick smirk upon his face as he waltz into the small council room.  

And when your husband had shown no remorse for your brother's actions, no sympathy for your dead nephew? You couldn’t stand to look at him, matter of fact, you couldn’t bear to look at anyone. The grief toppled upon the hatred you had towards everyone who had played a part in usurping your sister’s throne. 

The twins and Maelor were already asleep within their beds, and your own son blinks his big owl-ish eyes at you. He looked so much like his father, even at two years old, a little wisp of white tangled within his brown locks- almost emulating Otto’s salt and pepper hair.

“Why can’t I..?” Alerion fumbled over his words, tiny hands curling over the cotton blanket, trying to fight his heavy eyelids as they dropped low. Chuckling lightly as you brushed his hair aside, he was quite stubborn. Especially as bedtime neared and sleep hovered over him. “Because I said so, besides; don’t you want to play with your cousins on the morrow?” Your reasoning seemed to reach him, Alerion’s brown eyes slowly shutting as he murmured. Sighing, reaching around your back to unclasp your heavy necklaces, you couldn’t help but smile as your son unconsciously pulled the blanket closer. 

The recent days weighed heavily on you; the war was impending. With no word from Rhaenrya, Rhaenys and Meleys helping guard the gullet with the hundreds of Velaryon ships, war was going to burst like a bloated goat. 

Perhaps if you were more active in the small council, you would’ve stopped the rats that sat in those seats. Staring at the necklace as you set it down, dark jade glimmering in the light. Helaena’s soft reflection reflected in the deep sea of green. It hits the table with a soft thud.

As you hear steps incoming, you simply assumed it was Helaena. She always had a sense for when you were upset, coming to you like a doe, with her big purple eyes and soft face filled with worry. 

Or perhaps she came to take you to bed. Since your move, Helaena was delighted to have you close, and near-ordered that you sleep in the same bed, just as you did when she was a little girl. “Quiet! Quiet!” The voice made you turn around, and your gasp died in your throat. Fear laced through your veins like a snake coils around its prey, freezing your body like the north. 

A strange man holds a dagger to Helaena’s throat, her blood dripping over the steel. Her eyes were wide with fear. The man's eyes flicker over to you. “Move and I'll cut her throat.” He spits, slowly dragging the blade, causing more blood to leak. Nodding as the tears well in your eyes, heart beating against your rib cage. The blood roars in your ears like a thousand horses stampeding. 

Another man comes in, a bigger and scarier man, and your heart stops. 

“A son for a son.” His words were all muddled until he said those five words, a son for a son. Helaena offered her necklace to the men, trying to convince them to run off with its worth, but the bigger man snatched it from her. “It’s not a son.” He turns around and looks at the twins in their beds, sleeping ever so peacefully. Gently, you reached back for Alerion’s crib. Shaking hands gripping the wood with a grip tighter than death and yet you were too weak to fight these men off, in the past week and a half, you’ve neglected your meals within your grief and even if you didn’t, you’d sooner be dead on the stone floors of the Red Keep with your sons fate unknown. 

The men came to the realization that they did not know which twin was the boy, and for a brief moment you felt elated that perhaps they would give up their mission, but all hope vanished when Helaena pointed at Jaehaerys.

“Helaena..” You whisper, lips trembling and you can't help but feel bile come up your throat as the men storm to Jaehaerys, the bigger one covering his mouth, covering his scream. Helaena shakes as she makes a move to her daughter and youngest son, and you do the same.

As you hear the splatter of blood, a sob escapes your throat, your hands trembling as you hurriedly and carefully retrieve Alerion from his crib. Helaena runs out first, holding her children close to her and you’re not too long after her. 

Whilst Helaena makes a mad dash down the stairs, you run onward. Climbing up the other pair of stairs, Alerion stirs in your jumbling hold. Whining at the rude awakening and you try to shush him over your crying, 

“Shh.. shh.. Alerion,” The halls rushed past you as you ran, the skirt of your night-dress threatening to trip you. Only thoughts of protecting your own son ran through your frightened mind, fearing that perhaps he would be targeted too. 

The doors to Otto’s chambers slam open and a flurry of fabric and hair falls to the floor in sobs. The man looks at the sight bewildered, but soon he realizes it is you, his wife, that refused to look him in the eye. Surely, you had come to beg for forgiveness, having come to your senses. 

But as you look up at him, your son in your arms, cradling him like he was about to shatter- he knew something was wrong.

“They killed him.. They kill the boy!” 

[neochan]

FAULT LINE (M) - TEASER

PAIRING. ex!haechan x reader

GENRE. exes to lovers, toxic relationship, smut, plot of sorts, street racer au (barely)

WARNINGS. toxicity, smut mentions

WC. teaser is 1.1k

A. NOTE. so i needed a break from the pick me chronicles and stumbled across this type of hyuck characterization!

"where the fuck are you at?"

blearily blinking, you take a look around. when did you step outside? you think as hard as you can, but nothings coming too. you're drunk. very drunk.

people littered the front of the club - some waiting on ubers, others making out. but you - why were you out here? where were your friends?

"y/n. tell me where the fuck you are."

oh shit.

the phone pressed to your ear brings you back into a sort of semi-focus. you faintly remember crying to a random stranger in the bathroom about your recent break up. the poor girl had reassured you that everything would be okay, but you barely recall pushing her aside and mumbling something about calling your ex to make up.

that was until you had caught the attention of a guy at the bar and ended up doing green tea shots with him.

oh.

oh shit.

okay yeah, every memory was bombarding you now.

if the the still sticky cum dribbling down your thighs didn't serve as a reminder, than the memory of him pressing your hips against the porcelain sink while he fucked into you should have.

"y/n?"

and then you stepped outside to call your ex because. . . you felt bad? yeah you felt bad.

his voice was becoming more impatient with each passing silent second.

"hy-uck?" you hiccup.

he sighs, "god, i thought you passed out or something."

he didn't sound mad. had you already told him what you did? you can't remember.

"hyuck." the whimper trembles from your lips, "i need you."

"i know, that's why you called me." he seems to be fumbling around with something on his end, the muffled strain of his voice giving it away. "baby, where are you? i called you earlier but you didn't hit me back."

tears start to well in your eyes as you press against the brick wall of the club.

"i went out dancing and i did something bad. i-i'm sorry." your words are slurring together and it's becoming harder to breathe. "i didn't mean to, he- he just. . ." your voice trails off in a whisper.

"he? who the fuck are you with?" the jangle of keys sounds on the other line, a few seconds later accompanied by the slam of haechans front door. his temper is rising. he knows he should calm down. shit, he's probably scaring you bad right now, but the thought of you with another guy? you broke up two days ago. why the fuck would you be with another guy.

"i fucked up, hyuck."

"this isn't a game. send me your fucking address." the purr of his car engine rumbles through the phone.

shakily, you take the phone from your ear and send him your location.

"i'll be there in five." another sigh on his end... "if i see whoever this guy is, i'm not sure i'd be able to stop myself from killing him."

you hiccup, "yeah, i know."

four minutes and thirty eight seconds later a black ford shelby GT500 screeches to a halt against the curb.

through blurry eyes, you watch as grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt approach your slouched figure. his jaw is set, eyebrows drawn up - yet you feel nothing but relief.

"jesus, how much did you fucking drink?" he scoops you up in his arms to help you stand despite your wobbly frame. the earth is swimming in your frame with each step you take, but being pressed against his lean body grounds you. so does the cologne doting his chest - so familiar and warm, you press your nose into his t-shirt.

"you smell good." you hum.

"thanks." he peers down at you with a curiosity you don't notice. maybe the breakup affected you way more than he thought because he's never seen you this fucked up. "theres a curb right here, be careful."

deep in your muddled brain, you want to kiss him and thank him for coming to get you - for actually being worried about you for once.

but you don't.

instead, you climb into the rich leather interior of his car and settle back. it stings, being back in a place you once felt so comfortable in. tears pinprick the corner of your eyes for a quick second, but you blink them away. you just let hyuck reach across your chest and buckle you in.

"hyuck i'm sorry."

his gaze fall to yours, millions of emotions lurking deep in those luminous doe eyes. you look nearly innocent and he felt bad.

he swears underneath his breath, "your guilty conscious is gonna be the death of me."

a shaky hand reaches out to touch his cheek. a familiar gesture you can't yet get rid of - not when he's three inches away from you. "hyuck-"

"fuck this." he pulls back and cards a hand through his hair. "what were you doing with another guy?"

"we- we were doing shots and -"

"how many." he breathes.

"a couple? i don't know, maybe. . . maybe three?"

a forced huff leaves his chest, "three shots with a fucking stranger?"

"hyuck, i said i'm sorry-" your hands twist regrettably in your lap.

"yeah yeah, and then what?" he's leaning against the passenger doorframe, leg bouncing right next to you.

"and then he took me into the bathroom and we fucked."

a few seconds of silence. you try to face him. you can't. why did everything have to be so complicated.

"you fucked another guy but called me to come get you?" he sneers. he has to have lost all respect for you. there's no way he hasn't.

"i'm sorr-"

"i get it. you're sorry." he pushes off the doorframe and starts to pace. "what's his name?"

the lump in your throat grows when you realize you never caught his name. "i don't know."

"you don't know? so you fucked a complete stranger?" a laugh rips from his throat, "this is unbelievable."

"can we just go? please."

he ignores your question and presses you further, "what does he look like?"

"hyuck no. please, can we go."

each word is punctuated by the grit in his teeth. "what does he fucking look like."

it was futile to argue with hyuck when he got this way. he was gonna find out who this guy was either way.

"pink hair, silver button down, black pants, expensive watch. probably drinking green tea shots." the details of the night might have been distorted, but you could have picked out this handsome stranger in a line up.

"stay right here. i'll be back."

"no! hyu-" your cry is cut off by the slam of your door. anxiously, you watch his lithe figure move past the bouncer and into the club. a sinking feeling falls in the pit of your stomach.

what the fuck did you do.

ANOTHER NOTE. is this worth continuing? let me know if it is :)

[leiawritesstories]

Mom, Please!

@throneofglassmicrofics August prompts "Lake" & "Splash"

Word count: ~1k if you squint 😂

Warnings: swearing, teenage antics, Rowan getting grey hairs from stress

Enjoy!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I hear footsteps," Aelin mumbled, half-drowsy.

"Go back to sleep, Fireheart," Rowan mumbled back, burying his face in her hair. "It's probably just a rabbit or something."

"At---" She cracked her eyes open and stared at the fuzzy numbers on the clock across the bedroom. "One in the morning?"

"Mmmh, fine." Her husband attempted to push himself upright and flopped back into bed with a groan. "Dammit!"

She kissed his shoulder. "Don't throw your back out, old man. I'll go check on things." Aelin pushed herself out of bed and tucked the covers up over her sleepy, grumpy husband, who grumbled something about I'll show you a thrown-out back as she stepped into her slippers and crept out of their bedroom.

The hallway of the lakeside cabin was dark and silent, broken by strips of silvery moonlight filtering in through the skylights. Aelin came into the living room and paused, wondering why the hell the sliding door that led to the patio was cracked open. Had one of the kids forgotten to close it?

And there were those damn footsteps again.

Slowly, she crept up to the windows and nudged the curtain aside just enough to peer out and find---"Gods above, Mom!"

"Holy shit, Lana!" Aelin and her oldest daughter screeched at each other at the same time, and Aelin leapt back from the window as if it had slapped her, wishing she could scrub the sight of Lana and her boyfriend playing tonsil hockey out of her eyes. "Fucking hell," she groaned, rubbing at her eyes with both hands. "It's too damn late for this."

There was a rustling outside the house, and a very sheepish Lana snuck back inside through the patio door to find her mother sitting on the couch with her head buried in her hands. "Mom?" she ventured. "Are you...okay?"

Aelin grumbled something incoherent in reply.

Lana discreetly tugged her sweatshirt's hood up, relying on the shadows it cast over her neck. "Um, Mom?"

"I'm fine," Aelin mumbled. "Just gonna have to tell Yrene about this. You could've at least mentioned that Cal's family was here too."

"I didn't know he'd be here," Lana whispered, blushing an adorably bright pink. "He surprised me."

"Pebbles on your window and all that romantic shit?" Aelin teased.

Lana grinned, her smile a mirror of her mom's. "Yeah."

"Can't hardly blame you, then." Aelin stood up. "Well, I'm going to bed before your overbearing father decides I've been gone for too long and hurts himself trying to find his way down the hall in the dark. G'night, sweetheart."

Rowan, of course, was awake when she came back into the bedroom, fumbling for his glasses. "Stop that, buzzard."

He sighed and flopped back into bed. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, just Lana and Cal tangling tongues out behind the patio." She turned onto her side and fluffed up her pillows.

Strangled wheezing erupted from Rowan, and Aelin flipped back over to rub her husband's back until his shock dissipated. "The fuck?" he croaked.

She chuckled and handed him his water. "You know, Lana's boyfriend?"

"I know who," Rowan grumbled. "When? How? Why?"

"Ro, honey, you really don't want me to answer any of that." She kissed his forehead. "Go back to sleep, love."

~

The summer sun shone brightly over the lake, and Aelin lounged comfortably in her chair, enjoying the warmth and the laughter surrounding her family.

"Owww! Get away from me!" The shrill shriek was accompanied by a pair of feet sprinting towards Aelin and a smaller body taking refuge behind her chair. "Mom, Bran keeps shooting his stupid water gun at my face!" It was Charlotte, their third child.

"It's not my fault you're afraid of your stupid lashes falling off!" Bran, who was nearly sixteen, yelled back at his younger sister.

Indignant, Charlotte gasped and stood up, planting her hands on her hips. At fourteen and a half, she was the most strongly opinionated of the Whitethorn kids, and she wasn't afraid to show it. "You take that back!" she demanded, and when Bran told her to make him, she picked up a nearby bucket and headed for him.

Aelin opened her eyes and watched her wildfire daughter dump a whole bucket of lake water over her oldest son's head, which resulted in him screaming like a little girl because a frog had happened to be in the bucket and had now found a new home in the back of Bran's swim trunks. She chuckled to herself.

"Kids these days," Lana fake-sighed as she walked past, three more baby frogs cradled carefully in her hands.

"Says the kid who snuck her boyfriend over in the middle of the night," Aelin deadpanned.

Lana's face went scarlet. "Mom, please! Everyone can hear!"

"Just like last night," Aelin added. She winked. "Uncle Fen would be so proud of you, sweetheart."

"Oh my gods," Lana groaned. "You're the---"

"Are those frogs?" A younger voice broke into the conversation, eager eyes peering at Lana's hands. Rielle Whitethorn, the older of the twins by three and a half minutes, jumped up, trying to see the little frogs as Lana put her hands up higher. "I wanna see the frogs, Lana!"

"Shhh!" Lana shot a look over towards where Bran and Charlotte had moved their water gun fight into the lake, joined by Cal and two of his brothers. "I'm gonna dump them on Bran's head." She winked at her little sister. "Wanna join?"

"Hell yeah!"

Aelin lowered her sunglasses. "Rielle Enna Whitethorn!"

"Sorry, Mom." Rielle was ten, and she and her twin brother Declan were like sponges around the older siblings that they idolized. She ran off, following Lana down to the lake, and Aelin watched with her smile hidden behind her book as the two of them crept up behind Bran and successfully released the frogs onto his head.

He howled and scrambled frantically, arms flailing, until he finally gave up and ducked beneath the water to get the frogs off of his head. Aelin snickered, beyond pleased that her children had inherited her fondness for fun little pranks.

Down in the lake, Cal slung his arm around Lana, and she rested her head on his shoulder and smirked up at him. He leaned down, whispered something in her ear that made her shake with laughter, and pressed his---

"Gods above," Aelin groaned, shoving her face into her book.

Not again.

~~~

TAGS:

@live-the-fangirl-life

@superspiritfestival

@thegreyj

@wordsafterhours

@elentiyawhitethorn

@mariaofdoranelle

@rowanaelinn

@house-of-galathynius

@tomtenadia

@julemmaes

@swankii-art-teacher

@charlizeed

@booknerdproblems

@earthtolinds

@goddess-aelin

@sweet-but-stormy

@clea-nightingale

@autumnbabylon

@llyncooljones

@silentquartz

@renxzs

@anarchiii

@fauna-flora11

[pascaloverx]

Moonlight

Summary: You and Edward Cullen used to have a romantic relationship. But fate seemed not to believe in the possibility of a vampire and a potential she-wolf being together. Years after your separation, you return to Forks. Edward is committed to Bella Swan, and Jacob Black has his own pack. What happens when, upon your return, you begin to transform into a she-wolf and both Edward and Jacob seem eager to revisit the past with you?

Author's Note: The characters in this fanfic do not belong to me but to Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight universe. The story blends events that happened in the Twilight saga movies with invented ones. If you're enjoying the fanfic, please interact. This story will contain inappropriate language, a possible love triangle, scenes of violence, and romance. This is the possible ending. If there are no further interactions or if no more chapters are desired, consider this the conclusion. I hope you enjoy it.

ELEVEN

TWELVE (FINAL)

Surprisingly, your pack agreed to attend your wedding with Edward. Most of them seem intent on going to ensure your safety in case anything goes wrong, but nearly all are curious to witness your union with a vampire. You pace nervously through Jacob's house, waiting for him and Mr. Black to get ready. Leah left with Bella to find an outfit for her, as going all the way to her house would take too long.

"Jacob, you're taking longer than I normally do to get ready. Are you trying to outshine the groom?" you call out from the living room, your tone laced with mock exasperation.

"Don’t make me laugh, Y/N. I’m already better than your groom without even trying," Jacob responds, stepping into view as he finishes adjusting his shirt.

You can't help but laugh at how clumsy he looks, fumbling with his tie and jacket. "Come here, you idiot. Let me help," you say, moving closer to fix his tie and smooth out the creases in his suit. Jacob stands still, watching you with a smirk as you fuss over his appearance. "What would I do without you?" he teases, his tone light but warm.

"Probably die without me. Fortunately for you, I'll be around for a very long time," you say with a smirk, though you suddenly feel a wave of dizziness wash over you. Jacob quickly steadies you, his hands firm yet gentle as his expression shifts to one of concern. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" he asks, brushing a thumb against your cheek in a rare display of tenderness.

"I'm fine," you reply, forcing a smile. "I think it's just nerves. Marrying a vampire isn't exactly low-stress, you know," you add, trying to steer the conversation away from your discomfort. The truth, however, gnaws at you. Something feels off. Not just nerves—something deeper, something unfamiliar. But for now, you push it aside, unwilling to alarm Jacob or admit even to yourself that it might be more than pre-wedding jitters.

"There’s no need to worry. Everything will work out, and if it doesn’t, I’ll take you far away from Forks myself. Your safety is my priority," Jacob says, pulling you into a warm embrace. His unwavering support tugs at your emotions, and for a fleeting moment, you feel tears welling up.

"You’re my family, Black," you whisper, your voice thick with sentiment. "And you’re mine," he replies, tightening his hold on you.

Clearing your throat, you step back and try to lighten the mood. "We need to leave soon. I still need to get ready, and Alice has already sent me about ten thousand texts. Apparently, she’s got the perfect dress for me, and even Rosalie is helping." Jacob rolls his eyes dramatically. "Just so we’re clear, you’re the only family I’ve got. The Cullens aren’t included in that deal."

You laugh, playfully smacking his arm. "Fine, fine, but you’ll have to behave at the wedding." Your laughter is interrupted as Bella walks in, wearing one of Leah’s dresses. Her hair is done, her makeup simple but elegant, and the transformation is enough to render Jacob momentarily speechless.

"Wow, Bella. You look... amazing," he says, his voice softer than usual. Bella blushes slightly under his gaze, giving a shy smile. You can’t help but feel a little amused watching the dynamic unfold, but time is pressing. "Alright, let’s go before Alice starts threatening to come here herself," you say, ushering everyone toward the door.

"Leah asked me to let you know she'll be a bit late because Seth disappeared to find something blue for you to wear. She had to go after him," Bella says, her gaze lingering on you and Jacob with a thoughtful expression.

"I think we should get going; Seth and Leah can catch up," Jacob says, and you agree. You need to head to the Cullens' house to get ready for the ceremony.

"I feel like you're forgetting someone, Black. Your father isn’t even finished getting ready yet," you say, raising your voice just enough for Mr. Black to hear. Moments later, he appears in the living room, seated in his wheelchair, dressed in formal attire.

"Tell him, Y/N, that he should remember his father instead of trying to rush out," Billy Black says, gently tapping the wheel of his chair against Jacob's leg. Jacob quickly apologizes for overlooking his father.

"Dear, I’m certain that if your parents were here, they’d be proud of how far you’ve come," Billy says, holding your hand, and you feel a lump rise in your throat, almost bringing you to tears.

"Well, Dad, I’m not so sure they’d be all that proud, considering she’s about to marry a vampire," Jacob says, shattering the emotional moment. Bella smacks him on the back of the head and snaps, "Shut up, Jake."

"I think we should head out already; Alice has sent me another thousand messages asking when I’ll arrive," you say, holding your phone. Shortly after, most of your pack begins making their way to the wedding near the Cullen house. Leah texts to let you know she still hasn’t found Seth but will make it to the ceremony soon.

You arrive quickly, and before you know it, Alice and Jasper whisk you away to a room in the Cullen house where you’ll be getting ready for the wedding. In no time, you’ve showered and are dressed in a stunning wedding gown while Alice applies your makeup and Rosalie works on your hair.

"I don’t see the need for all this fuss, but I do appreciate your help," you say, trying to stay still as Alice finishes your makeup.

"I’m only doing this because my family asked me to. Honestly, I think you should just back out," Rosalie says as she ties up the final touches of your hairstyle.

"Rosalie, give it a rest!" Alice snaps, shooting her a slightly irritated look. "The rest of our family is eager to welcome you as part of this wonderfully dysfunctional family," Alice says, pulling you into a side hug, careful not to ruin your makeup.

"It's all right, Alice; Rosalie’s comments only make me feel like we’re truly family. After all, no family always agrees with everything you do," you say, noticing that you’re finally ready to get married. Honestly, you look like a princess.

"Edward is a lucky man," Rosalie says abruptly before leaving the room.

"I think she’ll warm up to you eventually," Alice remarks as the two of you watch Rosalie step out.

"I hope so," you reply, standing up from the chair as Alice picks up the veil to place over you.

"Let’s go. Edward must be anxious," Alice says as she carefully sets the veil and accompanies you to where the ceremony will take place.

Everyone is there, seated on wooden benches, the aesthetic simple yet beautiful. Everything feels improvised yet sophisticated. Jacob offers you his arm to walk you to Edward, as if he is officially giving his blessing for your union. Edward’s face lights up with a radiant smile as you walk toward him, passing by the wedding guests seated along the aisle.

"You look beautiful," he says as soon as you reach him, placing a soft kiss on your cheek. You feel the urge to cry from sheer emotion as everyone settles in, preparing for the start of the ceremony.

"We are all gathered here to celebrate the union of two beings destined for hatred, who, amidst rancor and discord, found love. Not merely love that was rushed or fleeting, but a love that Edward and Y/N chose to nurture and allow to mature, waiting until they knew it would only enrich their lives," Carlisle says, his voice calm and steady. You and Edward can't take your eyes off each other.

"Edward Cullen, do you take Y/N to be your wife?" Carlisle asks. "I do," Edward replies, his smile unwavering as he finds your hands and holds them gently.

"Y/N, do you take Edward to be your husband?" Carlisle asks, his tone as warm as ever. "I do," you respond, leaning in to kiss Edward as a wave of pure joy washes over you.

But just as your lips meet, Leah bursts onto the scene. Her dress is torn and bloodied, her face a mask of rage. "You damned Cullen, what did you do to Seth?" she screams, her voice echoing through the space. Before you can react, Leah throws Edward with immense force, sending him flying across the clearing. Chaos erupts as gasps and shouts fill the air.

"Leah, calm yourself," you say, moving toward her with some difficulty due to the weight of your wedding dress. "Do you want to start a war here?" you murmur, gripping her tightly to stop her from advancing toward any other Cullen.

The Cullens are visibly on edge. Jasper has already disappeared to check on Edward, who was thrown far across the clearing. Rosalie stands defensively, her expression a mix of anger and wariness.

"They—those damned vampires—started this war, Y/N!" Leah growls, struggling against your hold, her gaze locked on Rosalie.

"What are you talking about?" Jacob interjects, stepping in to help you restrain Leah as she begins to calm, though her breathing remains ragged with fury.

"Seth was attacked. By a vampire," Leah snaps, her voice laced with rage. "Sam took him to the hospital, but the worst part? He muttered 'Cullen' before he lost consciousness." The accusation hangs in the air like a dark cloud. A stunned silence falls over the crowd, broken only by the sound of Rosalie’s sharp inhale and Esme’s quiet gasp.

"I understand that you want to avenge your brother, but think for a moment. If you attack any of them, you'll start a war, you don't know if you can win. Please remember that your brother needs you," you say, locking eyes with Leah. The tension around you is palpable, as if everyone is on the verge of striking.

"Are you taking their side, Y/N?" Leah growls, nearly baring her teeth as she steps toward you. "Leah, she's just trying to keep you alive," Jacob interjects, positioning himself protectively between the two of you. The three of you stand together, almost like a united front.

"I will stand by you, Leah; we are a pack," you say firmly, your voice unwavering. "But think this through. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. There's a human here."

Leah narrows her eyes, her rage simmering but tempered by your words. "Fine. I’ll leave, but this is far from over. And you—" she points at you with conviction, "I hope you truly stand by me, Y/N." With that, she turns and stalks away.

"Jacob, take the pack out of here. I’ll follow you shortly," you say to Black, the weariness in your tone unmistakable. Jacob hesitates for a moment but, realizing this isn’t the time for arguments, nods and begins ushering the others away.

When you turn back, the Cullens are all standing still, watching you in silence—everyone except Emmett, who is nowhere to be seen. Bella is speaking quietly to Edward, whose expression is a mixture of worry and frustration.

"Tell me you don’t believe I hurt Seth," Edward finally says, his golden eyes fixed on you as he steps forward, the world around you seemingly forgotten in his determined stride.

"What I believe is irrelevant," you reply, your tone steady yet firm. "A wolf was attacked by a vampire, and your family’s name is involved. Until Seth can clarify what happened, we can’t take any risks." You barely finish your sentence before Edward’s hands gently cradle your face, as though he’s searching your expression for any trace of doubt or mistrust.

Edward moves toward you and presses a kiss to your lips, soft and sudden; yet, for some inexplicable reason, you push him away, almost as though defending yourself from a threat that does not exist.

“Sorry, I…” you begin, searching for the right words, but he raises a hand, signaling that no justification is needed.

“You’ll choose them over me, as you did before,” Edward murmurs. It’s not a question, but a statement—one laced with disappointment.

“That’s not the point here,” you protest, adjusting yourself and reaching for him, but he steps back, putting space between you.

“I want you to leave,” Edward says firmly, his decision clear. You don’t fully understand him, but you don’t think anything you say now could undo the damage done.

"There's no need to say it twice," you respond to Edward, a certain anger lacing your voice. It feels like the end of your relationship, but it is far more significant than that. The end of love.

"Edward, Y/N, I believe you are both acting in the heat of the moment. Surely, by tomorrow..." Carlisle attempts to mediate, but you can only glare at Edward, fury burning in your eyes. He was the one who sent you away, after all.

"There will be no tomorrow, Carlisle. Thank your family for their hospitality, but from this moment on, we are all enemies," you declare as you turn to leave. What had become an almost definitive goodbye—or so you thought.

Edward's disappointed gaze lingered with you throughout the year you spent away from Forks. You had to flee what had started to feel like home for a reason far greater than Seth being attacked. During that year of absence, you maintained no contact with any of the Cullens, while both the wolves and vampires found themselves in their most chaotic period. Until Seth could awaken, the Quileutes and Cullens struck a fragile agreement to avoid each other. From what you heard, Leah despised the arrangement. But as far as you know, it worked. Once you left, you heard nothing more of Edward or his family.

"Look who’s awake, " Jacob says, rocking Jace in his arms as the baby sucks on his tiny fingers. Your son, Jace, only a few months old—a hybrid of vampire and wolf—is the very reason you had to flee Forks and never returned to see his father.

"Your uncle disturbed your sleep, my son. Such a mean uncle," you say, swatting Jacob's arm lightly before taking Jace from him and holding your baby close. Jace smiles, amused by the interaction. You glance at Jacob, noticing his expression has turned serious, as though he’s hiding something."Spit it out!" you demand, cradling your son.

"I got a message from Sam. Apparently, Seth woke up, and he wants to talk to you," Jacob says, his voice tinged with nervousness, knowing the weight of what it would mean to show up in Forks now—especially with Jace. You had moved to a small house in Brazil, all in an effort to stay far away from anyone.

"This will put Jace's safety at risk, but if Seth needs me to go there to put an end to all this animosity, then that’s what we’ll do," you say to Jacob as the two of you watch baby Jace babble nonsensical sounds.

"To the rest of the world, Jace will be our son, and we’ll leave Forks just as quickly as we arrive. Agreed?" you confirm with Jacob. He gently takes Jace’s tiny hand in his own and replies, "Agreed."

END OR NO...?

[chaotic-on-main]

Dandelions | CanonAU One-Shot

☾ Pairings ➼ Levi Ackerman x gn!Reader

☾ Content/Warnings ➼ friends to lovers, first date, love confessions, just pure unadulterated FLUFF

☾ A/N ➼ I'm gonna have to start a separate thing for my song fics I s2g. The amount of songs I have written down to write fics about is insane. Anyways, this is actually a little fic I wrote for @humanitys-strongest-bamf because she said she really wanted a flower date written for her. I kinda took that idea as well as the inspiration from Ruth B's song Dandelions (attached below) AND I forgot Kat had also sent me a prompt request awhile back so this also fulfills that lmao. I hope y'all enjoy!! I've listened to this song for days on repeat so I hope I have captured it well.

☾ Word Count ➼ ~2k

It had only taken a couple months for the pure titans to be disposed of, thanks to the efforts of the scouts. This eradication is the reason why you find yourself sneaking off for another lone ride before dusk falls. The hard part wasn’t getting your horse or permission to go outside the walls, it was trying to get out without too many questions from your fellow cadets. You didn’t know how to tell them this was your way of escaping from them and everything else that came crashing since the battle of Shiganshina.

“Oi oi oi! Where do you think you’re going?” A deep voice rings out behind you as you’re saddling up. You feel your heart jump with your body. You take a deep breath to steady yourself before turning around to face a stern Captain Levi.

“Just a little ride before dinner tonight, Levi. I already got the okay.” He eyes you wearily.

“By yourself?” He crosses his arms.

“Yes, by myself. It’s not like we have any threats out there anymore.” You roll your eyes, smile now fading, before turning back around to tighten straps.

“People can be just as dangerous.” He gripes back. You feel his eyes burning holes in your head.

“Sounds like someone is worried about me.”

“Of course, I’m worried. Who knows what trouble you’ll get yourself into.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Tch, I trust you.” His words make you grin, but you quickly wipe it off your face before turning back around once you’re satisfied with your gear. You stare at him for a moment, his eyes meeting yours a second later.

“I’ll be back. I promise.” You say softly as you grip your reins tightly ready to lead your horse out of the stables.

“Just be careful.” He mutters, stepping aside to give you space to leave. His words make your heart jump again. Your eyes linger on each other as you walk past, a quick nod shared between the two of you as a goodbye.

On today's ride, you decide to aim for a bundle of trees sitting at the base of a small mountain to the west of the southern gate that you had noticed a while back. A couple hours pass before your destination comes into view. By your estimate, you had about an hour before being forced to head back lest you be surrounded by darkness.

You stare into the thick trees as you hand feed a treat to your tied off horse, an abrupt nip at your fingers alerting you to your now treat-less palm. A small laugh escapes your lips as you pat her nose reassuringly.

"I'll be back, okay? Don't go anywhere." You whisper up at her wide eyes. She bids you goodbye with another nip.

As you make your way through the overgrown shrubbery and gangly trees, you can't help but feel excitement for what might be on the other side. Looking up, you use a hand to half cover your eyes from the late afternoon sun filtering in between the leafy branches. Bird song weaves through the now thickening trees and into your ears. You softly whistle the song back as your fingers fumble with the latches on your waist. After a moment, the sketchbook you currently use as a guidebook is free from its confines. As always with every expedition you've ever been on, you are ready to document anything you see and hear.

It takes several more minutes before you finally stumble into a clearing. Whatever you had expected to find, it was leagues under from your current display. A meadow, far grander than anything you've ever seen, expands in an oval in front of you. Trees surround the whole area tall and strong, like knights in a line of defense. A small stream cuts through diagonally, telling stories with its gentle babble. You step deeper into it all with your eyes as wide as can be, soaking in this picture-perfect moment.

Looking down as you walk, your eyes become overwhelmed with the multitude of colors peppering your vision. Flowers of various sizes and lengths shift in the breeze as you walk by and something in you warms. Your eyes catch something that makes you stop abruptly.

“Oh wow.” You whisper as you slide down to your hands and knees so that you are eye level with a particular looking plant that didn’t very much look like a flower at all. The stem is brown, an odd color, you think, but it looked like a normal stem at least. The top however, where the petals would be, was soft and… furry? You reach out and lightly touch it. Much to your surprise, some of the fuzzy bits detach and fly off into the wind. A burst of laughter escapes from your chest and a memory stirs within you at the sight.

Armin had talked to you about these plants - dandelions. According to him, if you blow on the white bits to make them scatter and make a wish at the same time, it will come true. It was so silly, you think, but really what could it hurt? People wish on shooting stars all the time - this would be no different.

It takes you a moment, but you find a dandelion perfect for the wish you had in mind. You decide to plop yourself into the plush grass next to the creek, flower in hand. You feel a rush of heat sear your cheeks at not only what you were about to do but also what you were about to wish for. After making sure you were alone with a quick survey around, you sit forward and stare hard at the white fuzz. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath.

“I wish for Levi to be mine.” Then blow.

.

Levi calls your name from behind, snapping you out of your anxious thoughts for a moment. You pull back on your reins until Levi can fall into step with you. When you glance over, he arches an eyebrow at you with a silent question of, "Where are we going?" He must have noticed your change in course, now heading west instead of straight south. To be honest, you wouldn’t have even noticed that you had shifted directions if Levi hadn’t said anything. This ride has become second nature to you. After your initial discovery, the meadow quickly became your fortress of solitude and you found yourself coming back again and again without thinking about it.

After weeks of patiently waiting, an opportunity to team up with Levi to check out the port construction progression finally came. Whether that came from luck or your constant pestering to Commander Hange, you didn't know. Regardless, you were both nervous and excited to finally share your most prized secret with Levi no less. All you give him in return for his silent question is a simple, "Trust me." before squeezing your thighs together then galloping off, leaving your captain in the dust.

The sun bares straight down by the time you and Levi make it to your makeshift hitching post just outside your favored path. On the ground next to it sits a half bucket of water and you give yourself a mental reminder to fill it the next time you’re here. Levi doesn't say anything as he ties off his horse, mirroring your movements with deft fingers. Nor does he say anything as you pull off the basket you had tied onto your saddle so long ago hidden with goodies you packed the night before. He still doesn't say anything as he follows you on the beaten path you’ve made from your many visits. Levi's silence was normal, and yet…

"Aren't you going to ask where I'm taking you? I could be leading you to your death, you know." You glance back at Levi, eyes locking on each other. His expression might be unreadable to most, but to you there was a subtle bliss written all over his face. You shoot him a smile while you wait for his answer.

"You asked me to trust you. So I'm trusting you. Besides, you can't take me on your own. You got a death wish?" He grumbles back to you.

"Who said I was alone?" You quip as you twist back around to watch where you were going, swinging the basket in your hands as you walk. Levi scoffs behind you. A comfortable silence blankets the both of you yet again.

It takes a bit but finally the clearing comes into view and those anxious thoughts start clouding your mind again. What if he thinks this is a waste of time? What if he thinks you're ridiculous for this? What if he doesn't share the same feelings for you as you do for him? Levi calls your name again to get your attention. God, you loved how he said your name.

Your eyes focus just as you step through with Levi in tandem. There's a gentle wind today; it blows through the multi-colored meadow in a way that makes the flowers look like they're dancing. The breeze is even soft enough that your favored dandelions stay intact, not a single seed threatens to blow away.

"Is this where you’ve been escaping to?"

"You notice?" You glance his way nervously. As usual, he has no significant emotion on his face, but to say he was emotionless would be a lie. His eyes shift from the babbling creek to the colorful field and then onto your face, eyes soft. The way he looks at you, it makes a part of you feel so alive and free.

"Sometimes." His comment makes you look away, a flush of heat already nipping at your cheeks.

"I-uh, I wanna show you something." You set off deeper into the meadow without checking to see if he’s following.

A moment later, you come upon the spot you had surveyed a couple days in advance, perfect for what you had in mind. In a swift motion, you pull out a blanket from the basket hanging from your arm and splay it on the ground. Once settled, you plop yourself down on the cloth to keep it from flying away. When you look up, Levi’s staring at you incredulously.

“Is this a date?” he asks dryly.

“Do you want it to be?” You ask, patting the empty spot next to you as you do. He hesitantly sits down next to you, unsure of what to do with his body but eventually settles on sitting crisscross like you. He stares over at you, a little bit of shock cracking through his still features. “Levi, I’m kidding. It doesn’t have to be. I just wanted to show you my favorite spot.” You mutter over to him, rolling your eyes. You swallow down your nerves. Maybe he isn’t as interested in you as you had hoped. As you start to unpack the basket of the lunch rations you had stowed away, he speaks up softly.

“I wouldn’t mind. It being a date, I mean.” His voice stays monotone, but his words make you double-take at him. Levi is flushed pink, starting from his neck then ending at the tips of his ears. A wide grin breaks out on your face as you finally comprehend what he just said.

“Really? Because this would have been so embarrassing if you didn’t feel the same way. I mean, I would have had to run away and start a new life somewhere else. When I talked to Mikasa about this, she was all ‘love like this only happens once in a lifetime.’ and it made me think that you might actually be the love of mi-“ You’re cut off by Levi’s nimble fingers pulling your chin in his direction, his face a lot closer than you remembered it being. He whispers your name again.

“Shut up.” And then his lips are on yours, soft and tender. You don’t remember much after that, but you do know that whatever they said about wishing on dandelions had to be true. And you couldn’t wait to wish upon many more in the meadow now shared between you and Levi.

taglist: @humanitys-strongest-bamf @averysmolbear @youre-ackermine @notgoodforlife @roseofdarknessblog @missamity @levis-squishy-cheeks @icansmellsouls @Dkbktk420 (idk why it won't let me tag you properly) If you'd like to join my taglist, please go here! Your information will never be shared. <3

[mistkissedmoon]

Rebuilding Azarath

Raven visits azarath sometimes, to wander in between the wreckage of what used to be buildings, for a reason she doesnt know. Nostalgia? Punishment, and reminder both? Either way, she is obedient to her duties on earth and always precise in her timing, telling starfire how long she will stay beforehand and returning when she says she will, so starfire permits it with a worried frown that eases whenever robin asks to join her. Raven would accept his company for that alone, even if she didn't find his silent presence at her side grounding. He made time for her without complaint, even when she only gave him a few rushed minutes notice, until one day she knocked on his door and he opened it to reveal a packed bag on his bed.

Raven's stomach dropped, and Damian read her expression and frowned, stepping aside to let her in. "It's a mission in Gotham," he explained. He packed the last of his clothes and turns back to her. "I won't be gone for long." His eyes betrayed his concern, and raven straightened to reassure him. "I'll be fine. I'm just going to walk around for a bit, then I'll teleport back." 

She repeats it to herself firmly as her feet touch azarathian soil, but it's so much lonelier without Robin. She hadn't noticed how much easier it was to breathe, and take up space and make noise with him beside her. Slipping through the broken streets, raven felt as though she were choking on the silence. Her footsteps ring out unbearably loud in contrast to the silence, yet the noise didn't help her at all. It feels as if she is being rude by disturbing the silence, as if Azarath itself disdained her presence here. 

She frowns at the thought, before seeing if flying silently would help her feel a fraction of the serenity she felt with Damian's strength to lean against.

It doesn't.

She's wasting his time. 

Raven hovered outside Damian's door, willing herself to knock.

Why would he come with her, if he has anything else he could be doing? When before she hadn't even given him an hour's notice, certain she wouldn't mind if he joined her or not? 

She shuffled in place, before deciding, miserably, to leave. As she turned, his door opened, catching her off guard. Damian, looking unsurprised to see her, raised an eyebrow at her and she flushed, realising he had been waiting for her to knock.

"You must have something to say, after waiting so long at my door." Damian said dryly. Raven flushed deeper, and he leaned against the door, studying her expression as though he wanted to memorise it. His inspection made it harder for her blush to recede and she fumbled for an answer, before clearing her throat to compose herself. 

"Would you mind visiting Azarath with me?" It came out meeker than she intended, and she cleared her throat again in embarressment. There were so many explainations on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't want to pressure him into agreeing by telling him how much safer she felt when he was with her. Caught between the urge to defend her unexplainable need to visit azarath and the desire to tell him why she wanted his company, she wrested with her tongue and stared at the floor between them, too many thoughts in her head to say something coherant. 

"Of course I wouldn't mind." Raven peeked at his face and found his eyes softened and gentle. "If you give me enough warning, I'll try to rearrange my duties to go with you."

Raven felt warm. "Why did you come with me every time, even when I didn't give you warning?" She murmured. Although they were alone in the corridor, this moment felt intensely private and she leaned closer to him without thinking.

"You needed me." He said simply. "I won't let you down when you need me." Damian reached around her waist and gave her a quick hug that she leaned into. 

Though it takes courage, it becomes easier to ask for his company after that. He makes it so obvious that she's a priority. Damian is far too stubborn and perceptive to let her slip away. Raven loves him so much.

Raven waited patiently for damian to stand after he kneeled to check something in the dirt. It was commonplace, as her wanderings grew more like wanderings and less like feverish hauntings, for him to stop and inspect something he saw; a piece of rubble, a ruined sign in the dirt.

"Raven. Your father…" Damian hesitated before continuing, his voice toneless in a way that told her he was hiding nervousness, and she turned, alert and wary. He was still inspecting, or pretending to inspect the soil, and with his back turned to her she couldn't see his expression. "The soil may be useable a few centimeters below the surface. I believe the years have been enough time for it to recover, only the seeds were all destroyed. We could replace them, if you like." Raven froze, shocked. Azarath, blooming with life, again? After what she did to it? Could it recover - No. Nothing could ever make the ruins clean again. Would the monks have thought she was trying to absolve her guilt by growing a garden on their graves? Cowardice. She seethed with self loathing. "Raven. Breathe." Raven became aware of Damian's, warm, calloused hands cupping her face and her own panicked breathing. Tears pricked at her eyes and despite her best efforts, a few rolled down her cheeks. Damian's eyes stayed fixed to hers and in a bid to calm herself, she slowly leaned towards him until their foreheads were pressed together. Damian didn't move, though his eyes showed uncertainty, and after a few tear soaked minutes she took a deep, heaving breath and stepped away, honoured by his trust in her and embarressed that she broke down in front of him.

"Let me think about it." Raven croaked. Damian waited patiently as she tried to order her thoughts. She didn't know what the monks would have wanted. Years of guilt and avoiding thinking about them had made their memories so blurry she could barely remember their faces, and only the repeated lectures their stern voices drilled into her. Their lessons hadn't been enough to halt youthful foolishness, though they had tried their best to ensure she understood the inherent value found in living things. "A garden. I think they would have liked that." She rasped, finally. Damian didn't pry about who she was talking about, and stayed with her silently, sensing she needed a minute. A garden for them. They would want to be in a garden. It won't be for me, and I won't forget what i did. If you can hear me, she prayed, thank you, and I'm sorry.

The rows of potato plants looks strange against a backdrop of collapsed columns and crumbling stone stairs, but after so long with nothing but the ruin left in trigon's wake, raven is glad to see any life growing on azarath. It's a far sight from the elegantly draped flora that used to grace Azarath, but she was too young to remember the names of any plants before they were incinerated to look for them on earth and after, all that remained of them was ash. The thought of making the hollow corpse of Azarath into a copy of what it used to be makes raven shiver, anyway, and she hasn't figured out how to remember the old azarath without seeing her mother dying. Restoring azarath to what it was exactly would not help her; she already suffers through visions of the past superpositioned onto the present - where this monk died, and or that monk was cut down as he ran - where buildings survived enough to facismile an appearance of before and during. Damian's offer to ask swamp thing for any plants that might have been on Azarath was sweet, though, and Raven takes it as the offer of support it is, and breathes through the guilt he didn't mean to elict.

Instead, a sprawling, tangled web of pumpkin vines that neither of them remember buying shove their neighbors to make themselves comfortable in a large corner of the messy plot she and Damian had cleared of rubble to prepare for a small garden. They had tilled the soil, damian easily working through his half while she panted through hers. Her patch of ragged, overturned soil and untouched earth looks both freshly overturned and strangely methodical and uniform when she comes back from her break, and she shoots Damian a wry look that he pretends not to notice. She supposes she won't turn down his help on her side, though it hurts her pride, since her shoulders ache worse.

She silently planted Purple hyacinth for regret, and a few days after find blooming zinnias (remembrance, goodness, friendship) amongst her flowers. They bring a smile to her face, although she privately thinks damian esteems her too highly (he thinks the same of her).

She considers planting asphodel (my regrets follow you into the grave) but Damian has been determinedly trying to persuade her to grow spices for cooking with a ferocity that Raven privately finds adorable, and she aquieses in anticipation of the food he will feed her. She hopes the departed monks won't notice the difference between the plants.

Damian has been bringing Daylillies to fringe the edges. Raven admires the way the golden petals look in the sunlight, and adds her own seeds and saplings, until the garden has been expanded twice and the vegetables make regular additions to the titans fridge. The garden looks overgrown, huge and healthy but riotous, individual plants boundaries' ill defined and sloppy from where the plants had grown beyond their boundaries and she hadn't had the heart to clip them. It was a wonder they were growing at all - how are plants supposed to flourish in half melted, seared soil? Whatever mixture Damian has been pouring into the soil (It might be magic), Raven is grateful, knowing he does it for her sake. She doesn't think she could bear it if her garden died now. She wouldn't try to grow anything here ever again.

Ravens aware it's irrational, but she'd been secretly convinced in a guilty, superstitious way, that nothing except her and her father would be able to breathe the air without slowly dying. Raven never tells anyone her fears, even though she suspects Damian already knows. The first time Damian asked to plant something there, she froze, after all. When she realised they had been on azarath for hours every weekend, she trembled, and fiercely hoped that damian would remain as strong and lively as ever. Raven would do anything, anything at all, to make sure what happened on Azarath wouldn't happen again (especially not to Damian). Damian didn't remark on the days when she doesn't leave his side, giving her tasks to do and things to hold when he kneels to inspect the soil. Although it doesn't - shouldn't change anything, the grief and fear in her eases when she sees the garden, and even the guilt is sometimes replaced by a contented peace. She wishes that serenity would be less rare; she knows enough psychology to know her self flagellation hadn't helped anybody, but she doesn't know how to stop loathing herself even as she tried not to nurture these feelings. She wants to stop feeling awful about herself. "Thank you. For - everything." He stands to face her, and Raven bit her lip, wondering if she should leave it at that, but he's done so much for her. "For being so patient. And keeping me from drowning here. And the plants and the food and -" The words flood out until she runs out of air, and sucks more in noisily, cringing in embarressment, but he's been looking at her with a gentle, tender look in his eyes since she started talking, so she continues. "You're a good - great friend. I'm so glad to have you in my life." And if she's been silently admiring the way his hair looks in the sunlight more than paying attention to the plants when he's not looking at her, he'll never know. Damian blushes uncharacteristically and looks away. "I'm glad you're in my life, too, Rae." He mutters, clearing his throat. He looks like he wants to say something more, but looks away again, pretending to look over their garden. An unfamiliar tension coils between them, and she stares at him trying to make sense of it until his ears burn red. Feeling pleased at his blush, and embarressed that she was pleased, raven broke the tension by turning away to put away her tools for the night so they could leave.

The air seems fresher then before, the land less imposing (haunted) with a garden, so when Damian suggests bringing Titus to Azarath, she agrees, thinking of dog produced fertiliser and bringing his water bowl.

Titus gambols around, flattening springy stalks. "Titus. Heel." Damian commands. Titus, aware that his master can be charmed into forgiveness with the application of puppy eyes, huffs playfully and races off to chase a dragonfly. Damian grumbles in exasperation, waiting for his dog to return as he always does, which makes raven smile, charmed.

Raven takes her rambling garden all in and hopes the plants won't die. Although she is a poor gardener (not for lack of effort, but skill and experience), she trusts Damian to step in where her attempts aren't enough. There are times where she retreats into herself and does nothing more than hauling bags of fertiliser around for fear that the plants will somehow sense her relation to the demon that scoured all life from this planet, as if they will wilt the moment she touches them. One day, Raven sees a plant drooping and drops whatever she was holding (she cannot remember what it is and does not register if it breaks), gripped by the a wild panic that she is killing this planet again - but no. It is a plant, it does not care of her heritage, and simply needs more water. Damian presses a watering can into her nerveless fingers with a knowing, gentle look and goes to pick up what she had dropped before she can protest and persuade him to tend to it. Days later, it is as green as it's neighbors and Raven decides that it is her favourite plant. She pats it's broad leaves every time before she leaves sheepishly, aware of Damian's amused eyes on her. They had been more amused when she'd dropped a kiss on the leaves before knowing it was covered in spines.

She doesn't bother to define what kind of love she feels for Damian, and she won't until they're ready. She does love him; she can't deny that. All that matters is he is the most important person in the world to her and by the look in his eyes and the shy smile and the unfailing loyalty and support he gives her when he stays with her instead of patrolling, she can tell he feels the same way.

[rainintheevening]

🍁🍁Comfy-vember🍁🍁

Day 10: Sharing a bed | Lullaby

Grant Ward & Rose Ward, Agents of SHIELD, Saving Grant Ward AU, implied/referenced abuse

-----

He didn't sleep for two nights after The Well. He paced instead, a caged animal, unable to quiet the frantic questions, the wild fears, the burning hatred that battled in his mind.

His father believed Christian, of course. Mother had threatened to kill him, but settled for locking him in his room as much as possible. And Thomas would not look at him.

But on that third night, Rose came, all tiptoes and whispers and key fumbled in her little hands. She slipped in like a burglar, and shut the door behind her, leaning back against it for a second, all wide blue eyes and quick breathing. She was wearing one of Grant's Star Wars t-shirts as a nightgown.

He didn't quite believe it at first, too worn and wild to trust what he was seeing in the night. And how had a four-year-old gotten the key?

"Rosie?" he murmured, sitting down suddenly on the bed, and she came running, leaping to hug him, and knocking him backwards.

She was so small and warm and soft in his arms, and she clung to him like a koala, burying her face against his neck.

He lay there, staring up at the shadows on the ceiling, stroking a hand over Rosie's back, thoughts gone suddenly quiet.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he murmured.

"Can I sleep with you?"

He snorted softly—as if he would say 'no' to that tiny voice.

"Sure, Rosie-Posie."

She giggled a little, rolled off him to sit up and stare down at him. "Why aren't you in your pyjamas?"

"Because I haven't gone to bed yet?" He squinted up at her, poked her gently in the belly. It had to be a game for her, that was the only way to keep her safe. "I'll go change in the closet. You check under the bed for spies and aliens."

"Okay!" Her giggle was enough to make him relax, even as he thought again how careful he had to be to make sure she never got hurt. "Go!" She shoved him toward the closet, and he went, laughing quietly.

They knew how to be quiet.

There were no spies or aliens or even dustbunnies under the bed, and before he could come diving under the blankets to join her, Rose waved a hand toward the lamp on his desk.

"Turn off the light. It's safer in the dark."

He knew what she meant, he agreed, so why did that make him sad? Why did it feel wrong? He padded back to his bed, stepping sure in the dark, crawled under the blankets next to Rosie.

"Grant?" She came snuggling in tight to his side, heavier and warmer than his teddy. He was too old for a teddy bear, but he was old enough and big enough to protect his sister. And no one would ever hurt Thomas again.

"Yeah?" he whispered.

"Can you sing?"

He yawned, tried to push aside the idea of something pressing down on him, crushing him. Nothing could find them in the dark. "Okay." He didn't feel like singing, he was so tired, but Rosie... Rosie needed him.

What should he sing? He didn't really know any lullabies. He thought of his piano teacher, her little smile as she sang along with his playing...

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine...

He felt Rosie sigh against shoulder, relaxed and safe.

You make me happy

When skies are grey...

He shut his eyes, wrapping an arm tighter around her.

You'll never know, dear

How much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away...

-----

She heard him singing from the kitchen, as she wiped the table down. The dishwasher hummed, and Earl was whistling somewhere upstairs. But she heard Grant's voice, drifting from the living room, soft and slow.

The other night dear

As I lay sleeping

I dreamed I held you in my arms...

Damp cloth in hand, Rose walked to the archway that led into the living room, peered in.

The Christmas tree shone softly, surrounded by a jumble of unwrapped presents. Coulson dozed in the armchair, feet up on the ottoman. And Grant lay stretched out on the couch, with Jason curled on his chest.

When I awoke, dear

You were beside me

So I held you close and smiled...

Tears filled Rose's eyes, and she had to turn away for a moment. Jason was so tiny under Grant's hands, folded so gently and protectively over him, and she remembered with sudden clarity the sense of safety and warmth she had known, curled up against her big brother's side in the dark, many times throughout their childhood.

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine...

A great jumble of emotions welled in her heart, as Grant sang now to his nephew, the little one they'd both sworn would have a better life. And it starts here, she thought. It starts with Christmas laughter, and a man back from the dead, and my brother singing a new song, a better one.

Grant sang on:

You'll never know, dear

How much I love you

You have been my sunshine today...

[cloudymistedskies]

"Flower Origamis"

Marimui - "When these flowers wither, I'll stop loving you."

The sounds of small audible giggles can be heard as Mari watches Muichiro fold origami papers. The little brunette was encouraging her friend as he folded a flower origami. He has already made a few prior.

"You really are talented at this, Mui...!" Mari exclaimed while watching Muichiro fold the origami paper in fascination. The ravenette gets immediately flustered by her praise, tensing up before quickly focusing back on folding the next flower origami.

"T-Thank you, Mari..." He mumbled, trying to not look back at the brunette, especially with his cheeks turning red. After a few minutes, he was done with the fourth one. The two beamed, celebrating over it.

"Yay! You did it!" The green-eyed girl cheered, helping him get up so the two would jump together in joy. Both were giggling and laughing as Mari scoops him up and spun him around, which was her way of showing affection.

"I did it! I did it...!" Muichiro repeated his dear friend's words, giggling as Mari kept spinning him around before putting him back down to his feet, giving him a cheeky smile. As Mari sits back on the floor and Muichiro was about to do the same and prepare the fifth origami flower, they were suddenly interrupted by his father calling out for Mari.

"Mari, Muichiro, It's getting late. I'll have to take you back to your home now." Muichiro's dad said, chuckling as he looks at the two pouting children who obviously weren't thrilled of their playdate being over. The brunette just nodded, standing up and walking up to the taller figure and holding his hand.

As the two were about to head off to the small village, Muichiro would run up to them, holding the origami flowers in his hands.

"M-Mari...! Wait!" The young boy would nearly fumble as the two paused so he would catch up to them, which he eventually did. Muichiro then handed out an origami bouquet to the brunette with a red blush coating his cheeks. Mari blinked, not realizing what he was trying to imply...until now. Her green eyes widened as her cheeks heat up too. Was he...

"I-I love you, Mari! When we get older, I wanna be your husband!" He declared his love, slowly making eye-contact with her. Muichiro's father would step aside, not wanting to disturb this heartwarming moment. Mari would slowly take the origami bouquet from the ravenette, looking down at it with her eyes softened and a smile forming on her lips.

"I love you too, Mui. And I wanna be your wife too!" She would return his feelings, and the two shared the same joy together. Bidding their goodbyes, Mari would then make a declaration that she'll keep to her heart.

"When these flowers wither, I will stop loving you."

As she walks away with his father accompanying her to her home, she would hear Muichiro yell out once again.

"I'LL ALSO STOP LOVING YOU WHEN THEY WITHER!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, and that caused his older twin brother to come out of their estate and smack him, scolding him for disturbing his nap. Both Mari and his father just giggled at hearing their little squabble.

That was something they promised together.

No matter what, they'll never stop loving each other.

No matter what.

No matter...-

...

The cloud hashira would sit before Muichiro's grave, still holding onto the origami bouquet that was made long ago. She still kept it with her after all these years.

"Good evening, Mui... Sorry I wasn't able to get your favorite food today... My siblings ransacked the whole kitchen while my parents and I were away..." Mari chuckled as she gently caressed the tombstone before her. She would usually bring his favorite everytime she visited him.

"I hope you're doing well up there... Things have been not going well for me, however..." The brunette continued speaking to her late-lover. She would apologize to him every visit.

She's sorry that she wasn't able to help them out enough.

She's sorry for leaving him and Yuichiro behind.

She's sorry she couldn't get along with his twin brother after his passing.

She has so much to apologize to him, and it hurts her that she would never be able to actually apologize to him...

Despite his passing, Mari still kept loving him. She was somebody who often was asked out often, but she would always decline their love.

No matter what, she'll keep her promise.

She'll even drag herself to her own grave if it meant never breaking the promise.

Even if he's dead, she'll make sure that when they reincarnated in a place where demons ceased to exist, they'll met again.

And this time, they'll get married together.

"I love you..." Mari mumbled, before standing up and taking her leave. A few hours already passed and it was her time to do her night patrols.

// Hey guys!! I hope you all enjoy eating ANGST for dinner. Like and follow for more YEAH!!!!! //

Oh yeah, speaking of which, this fic is mainly based on the bow-less mari au.

[kanerallels]

@zushigirl Sorry it took me so long to respond to this one!!

42. Frank Travels the US and meets all my blorbos. This au is self indulgence at its finest-- it's basically me just going "what if after S1 of the Punisher when Frank left, he met this person and this person and this person--" almost none of whom are actually from Marvel

I've written a few things for this (including a Madam Secretary crossover, which remains one of the most deranged but actually super fun things I've ever written) but I think I'll share this one, which is kinda a side au of this au.

(Full disclosure, this is a Star Wars Rebels crossover. I started thinking about it at work and absolutely lost my mind over it about a year ago, so I had to write this scene. Pretty sure this is actually the first Kastle fic I ever wrote. Let me know if you need context, but I think I explain it pretty well!)

There was someone in her apartment.

That was the first thing Karen registered as she fumbled for the key in her purse, then spotted the light under the door. She froze— but only for a second. Okay, don’t panic. Karen, she told herself. It could be you just left the light on. And if it’s not… well, I can handle that, too.

Releasing her key, she went for her gun instead, sliding it outside of the confines of her purse. With her free hand, she tested the door handle— and it opened easily, with only the slightest creak.

Crap. She knew for a fact that she’d locked the door before she left. Which changed things considerably. Moving deliberately, she slipped through the doorway, weapon at the ready.

Three steps into the apartment, she paused, straining her ears. At first, there was nothing— then Karen heard a rustle, and the murmur of someone’s voice. There’s more than one person, she guessed, and took another step. Bracing herself, she started to step out into the open, when someone spoke.

“Karen.”

Her heart jumped in surprise, and then the voice registered. “Frank?”

Cautiously lowering her weapon, Karen moved out into the open, taking in the view of her living room.

The lamp on the coffee table was switched on, dimly illuminating a small patch of the room, while the rest was shrouded in shadows. Frank Castle was kneeling on the ground, his gaze locking on her. His eyes moved to the gun in her hands, and a tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before it vanished. “I’m sorry to just show up like this, but we didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“We?” Karen asked, and then she saw the teenage boy on the couch, clutching a bloody rag to his arm and looking pale. “Oh.” 

He managed a grin and waved at her, then turned slightly green. “Ow. Uh, nice to meet you, Miss Page. I’m Ezra. Frank has had a lot of good things to say about you. Also we’re very sorry we broke into your house.”

“I would have gone somewhere else, but the kid wasn’t going to make it much farther—”

“Oh— no, you’re fine,” Karen told him, sliding her gun back into her purse. “Hold on one minute, and I can give you a hand.”

She went back and closed the door, then returned to the living room, setting aside her purse. Frank had pulled out his medical kit, and was sorting through the contents, which Ezra was eyeing warily.

“Why are there so many pointy things in there?”

“In case there’s a bullet stuck in you,” Frank said, not looking up. “Lucky for you, you just got stabbed. But we’re still gonna have to stitch you up.”

Grimacing, Ezra said, “I don’t feel lucky— wait. What do you mean, stitch?”

That actually made Frank look up. “What do I mean? What, you never been stitched up before?”

“Yeah, they don’t have that where I’m from.”

Wordlessly, Frank held up the needle and thread, and Ezra’s eyes widened. “Uh, I think I’d rather bleed, thanks.”

“Not gonna happen. Give me your arm.”

Groaning, Ezra said, “Shouldn’t you at least explain to Miss Page why we’re in her house?”

“That would be appreciated,” Karen agreed.

Frank hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. But you’re still getting stitched up.”

“I can make coffee while I’m waiting,” Karen offered. She had a feeling it would be a while before either of them got any rest.

“Yes, please,” Frank said, shooting her a grateful look. A look that sent a flash of warmth through her, which dispelled the last of the shock and pulled her headfirst into the realization she’d been trying to avoid.

Frank Castle. Was in her apartment. Was here for the first time in months. And she’d missed him, more than she cared to admit.

Focus, she told herself, heading into the kitchen and switching on the coffee maker. Don’t think about that, not right now.

As she worked, pouring water into the reservoir, she heard Ezra speak.

“So that’s Karen? Who you’re always talking about?”

He talks about me? Karen banished the thought before it made it more than a few inches into her mind, even as Frank responded.

“I don’t talk about her that much.”

“Oooh, that should be the title of the book you write. “I Don’t Talk About Her That Much, And Other Blatant Lies By Frank Castle”.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re real smart. Why don’t you save some of that for next time you decide to block a knife with your arm?”

“Well, we can’t all be Frank Castle— OW!”

Ezra cut himself off with a cry of pain, and Karen winced in sympathy as she finished making the coffee. She heard a few more following yelps and curses, with Frank intermittently speaking in a low, soothing voice, ordering him to stop moving.

As she finished, and moved to get three mugs from the cupboard, Frank stepped into the kitchen. Heading to the sink, he flipped on the faucet, sticking his hands under the stream of water.

“Is he going to be okay?” Karen asked him quietly. 

“Who, the kid?” Frank nodded, his gaze focused on his hands, scrubbing them clean. “Yeah, he’ll be fine. Tough kid.”

“Hmm.” Karen filled one of the mugs, adding a dash of cream. Starting to pour into the next one, she said, “Are you going to tell me how you two met?”

An amused look crossed Frank’s face. “It’s a long one— you got time?”

By way of response, Karen handed Frank the mug of coffee she’d poured for him. “How does Ezra like his coffee?” she asked, turning back to the counter.

“Better make it about half cream,” Frank said, taking a sip of coffee and letting out an appreciative grunt. “Kid still can’t handle real coffee.”

“I heard that!” Ezra called from the living room. “It’s not my fault everyone likes to drink it all hot and bitter and tasting like you licked the road.”

Frank looked offended, and Karen bit back a laugh, adding a stream of bright white cream to the mug, and a little sugar. Scooping it up along with hers, she headed out into the living room and passed it to Ezra. “I used to hate black coffee, too,” she told him, taking the chair next to him.

 Leaning back against the cushions, Ezra grinned. “Told you it was terrible, Frank,” he said triumphantly as the older man came out of the kitchen.

Dropping onto the couch next to him, Frank swatted lightly at the back of Ezra’s head, and Karen couldn’t hold back a smile. “See if I stitch you up next time, with that kinda talk,” he grumbled. He turned his gaze on Karen, raising an eyebrow. “And I expected better from you— sticking up for him?” 

His tone was teasing, and the laugh Karen had been holding in slipped out. “Hey, don’t judge— I came around eventually,” she said, lifting her mug.

“Attagirl.”

He sent her a smile— the real one, lopsided and warm, his eyes crinkling at the edges. It wasn’t one she’d seen often, but Karen started to suspect she’d seen it more often than almost anyone else still living. It was the kind of smile you couldn’t help but respond to, one that warmed her to the core and made her want to draw closer. Closer to him, which was… impossible. 

That didn’t stop her from wanting it.

Pushing away the thought impatiently, Karen took a sip of her coffee. “I think you promised me an explanation,” she told Frank. 

“That I did,” he agreed, his brow furrowing. Glancing at Ezra, he said, “This one is… kinda a tough one to start on. Umm…”

“I’m from space and there’s a blue maniac trying to kill me?” Ezra offered, and Frank let out a long sigh.

Karen’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”

Grimacing, Frank rubbed a hand across his face. “That’s not helpful, kid. Even if it is true. Uh, I guess it started at that truck stop in Missouri.”

Coffee almost forgotten, Karen leaned forward in her seat as Frank began his story, telling her about how he’d bumped into a kid with strange clothing and the look of someone being hunted.

Unsurprisingly, he was right— Ezra Bridger was being hunted by powerful enemies, ones that were from a different world. So was Ezra, as it turned out, and he wasn’t exactly an ordinary teenager, either.

When Karen had asked for clarification on that point, Frank nudged Ezra, who’d dropped back against the couch with his eyes closed. “Hey. Explain.”

Letting out a grumpy noise, Ezra reluctantly opened his eyes. “I can tap into the living Force, which is this thing that surrounds and encompasses living beings. That means I can float stuff, sense living beings and their intentions, and do a sick backflip. Among other things.”

Karen’s jaw dropped, and she glanced at Frank, who nodded. “Yeah. I’ve seen him do it. It’s as crazy as it sounds.”

“Much like your life for the past five months, right, Frank?” Ezra said, grinning.

Snorting, Frank took a sip of coffee. “No argument here. Where was I?”

Continuing the story, he explained how after he had helped Ezra escape from his enemy’s troops (“Thrawn”, Frank had said, a scowl crossing his face. “He’s smart, and he knows it. Love to meet him in a dark alley.”) and the Department of Damage Control, the two of them had gone on the run.

“Evaded a couple Avengers, hid out on a derelict farm for a while, and then we heard about the killings here,” Frank said. “Thought we should come check them out.”

“Oh, you mean the killings you supposedly did,” Karen said dryly. “I saw those. Someone’s trying pretty hard to get you locked up, aren’t they?”

A look of relief flashed across Frank’s face, for just a moment. “Yeah, well, Ezra says it’s probably Thrawn. Apparently he’s some kinda genius.”

“You don’t think so?”

Shrugging, Frank said, “Even geniuses can bleed if you hit ‘em hard enough.” He paused, rubbing his thumb along the edge of his cup. “So, uh. You didn’t think it was me?”

Karen took a drink from her mug, and grimaced when she found it had gone cold. Setting it to the side, she said, “No, I didn’t.”

“Why not? I mean, a coupla drug dealers— seems like my style, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe,” Karen said. “But when you wrote to me last, you said you weren’t going to kill anyone else if you could help it.” She paused, waiting until he looked at her again, and continued, “And you don’t lie to me.”

He didn’t smile, exactly, but his features softened in a way that was almost as rare as a real smile. “This isn’t gonna be the exception.”

“Good,” Karen said simply. She got to her feet, picking up her coffee mug. “You want any more coffee?”

Shaking his head, Frank said, “Ah, better not. Should probably get a little rest.” Standing, he grabbed his mug as well as Ezra’s— the boy had fallen asleep not long ago, the half empty mug dangling perilously from his hands— and followed her into the kitchen.

The two of them spent a few minutes cleaning up— Frank dumping out the leftover coffee and washing the mugs, Karen drying them at his side.

It felt oddly normal. Him being in the apartment, handing the mugs to her one by one. Standing so close to her that their shoulders would occasionally brush. Karen tried desperately not to overanalyze every touch, every time their fingers would meet when he handed her a cup, and knew she was failing.

I’m absolutely hopeless, she thought, holding back a defeated sigh. But there wasn’t anything she could do to fix that now. One problem at a time.

Aloud, she said, “It looks like you’re staying the night?”

“If it isn’t too much trouble,” Frank said, sending her an apologetic glance. “Didn’t really plan on it— not much of tonight has been planned, though.”

“No trouble at all,” Karen promised him. “Let me find you two some blankets.”

When she returned from digging through her cupboards, armed with two blankets, she found Ezra curled up on the couch, still asleep, and Frank settled in the chair facing the door. He rose at her entrance, accepting the blankets from her with a grateful nod. “Thank you. For all of this— I know it’s probably not how you wanted to spend your evening.”

“Since when has anything gone according to plan in either of our lives?” Karen said. She hesitated, then added, “I’m glad you came, actually. It’s good to see you, regardless of the circumstances.”

“It’s good to see you, too,” Frank said, voice low, with a note of something Karen couldn’t quite read. It sent a slight shiver up her spine, one that she didn’t exactly dislike.

“Will you be here tomorrow?” she asked on impulse. She knew what the answer was likely to be, that she’d likely wake up to an empty living room, blankets neatly folded on the chair. 

But then he hesitated, and hope lit up bright in her chest. “Depends on how the kid’s feeling,” he said slowly. “And he’s not much of an early riser as it is, which doesn’t make traveling easy.”

“I’m sure,” Karen said, trying to pretend that her heart wasn’t pounding. “So… will I see you tomorrow?”

Before Frank could answer, Ezra’s sleepy voice came from the couch. “Say yes and then we can have breakfast for once. You know you want to, Frank.”

Frank rolled his eyes, but Karen could see the fondness in his gaze as he tossed one of the blankets at Ezra. “Go back to sleep.”

“Only if we stay and have pancakes,” Ezra mumbled, yanking the blanket over him. From under it he added a muffled, “Thanks, Miss Page.”

“Call me Karen,” Karen responded automatically. Looking back at Frank, she raised an eyebrow. “So? Will I see you at breakfast?”

Another heartbeat passed, then Frank chuckled, low and wry. “Don’t think I could avoid it even if I wanted to, between you and Ezra.”

“You got that right,” Karen said, finding herself smiling. “It’s been a long time, after all.”

“It has,” Frank agreed. “Okay. Breakfast it is.”

“Okay,” Karen repeated, relief sweeping over her. She’d see him again, before he left. That was enough for now.

Sending him a final smile, she said, “Good night, Frank.”

As she turned and headed towards her bedroom, she caught him say, “Good night, Karen.”

What she didn’t hear was right afterwards, when Ezra said, “Dude, your crush is showing.”

And a very tired Frank responded with, “Shut up, Bridger.”

[daintyduck99]

One more! "holding them close by their hips" + "coming back for another kiss" + Reggie/Kayla/Julie??

Julie juggles her bag and container of cookies as she fumbles to knock on Kayla and Carrie's door. The cookies are mostly for Carrie, given that she has to deal with two of her roommate's partners coming in and out constantly. She's softer than she seems, but Julie figures it couldn't hurt.

She waits, smiling as Kayla calls her name and something more muffled. Julie could let herself in with the spare key, but she rarely ever does. It feels…

Potentially invasive.

They'll have to puzzle out the apartment situation eventually, but it's a little difficult for Julie to even look at Reggie right now.

Which is unfortunate, because he answers the door.

He must've just gotten out of the shower. His face is flushed from it, and his hair is damp and tousled, the messiest she's ever seen it. He's also wearing a blank tank top that she's never seen before, and her heart starts hammering on her rib cage.

That's before he sends her a crooked little smile, and she bites her lip hard as she stares at his, which is absolutely kiss swollen.

Okay. Maybe the problem isn't that she can't look at him…

It's that she can't stop. Or do much else.

He clears his throat, and she nearly squeaks as her eyes snap back to his.

She can't help but notice that his flush has spread, though, a deep red that crawls over most of his face and down his neck.

He blurts, "I like your braid!"

"Oh—"

She nearly drops everything she's holding as her hand flies to her braid, and she blushes to the tops of her ears when he goes to catch her things and their fingers brush. She clutches the strap of her bag tightly, but he caught the cookies, though he doesn't so much as glance at them.

Her other hand tugs at her braid.

"Um, thanks. I thought that maybe the ribbons would be cute for the show tonight, but I haven't decided if I'm keeping them."

"You should!" His voice cracks, and he banishes a wince by swallowing hard. "Sorry, I'm at a hundred because—I really gotta get to work, I have zero sense of time and—anyway, I should let you—"

He steps aside, but she doesn't move.

"Do you want a cookie? Before you go?"

His forehead creases with confusion. She gestures at the container in his hands.

"I brought…and I just thought, if you're in a hurry, maybe you haven't eaten…"

"I haven't," he says slowly, in a tone she can't decipher. "Are you sure?"

Kayla calls out before Julie can answer.

"If you're that worried about it, just buy her a drink tonight to make up for it, babe."

Julie stammers, but Reggie brightens.

"I could do that! A drink for my first partner once removed, whatever you want."

She snorts in spite of herself.

"Sure, if you never call me that again."

He grins more broadly, and her heart skips a beat. He presses the container back into her hand and takes two cookies, eyes sparkling with mischief, and gently hip-checks her on his way out the door.

"Sure thing, Jules. Bye, girls!"

Kayla says it back instantly, but Julie's response is delayed…and far too soft.

"Bye," she breathes, then proceeds to spend the rest of the morning recovering in Kayla's arms, cuddling and watching some silly Netflix show in Kayla's room.

Kayla just coos, carefully stroking her hair.

"Don't be embarrassed, babylove. It's cute. Both of you are being unbelievably cute."

Julie huffs. "What do you mean?"

"How shy you're both acting around each other now. And you both refuse to realize, no matter what I say. He likes you, too."

"I…I never said I like him!" Julie squeaks.

Kayla giggles, then leaves a light kiss on Julie's pulse, which is just rude because she knows it always makes Julie melt.

"You didn't have to. But I'm glad you do. You're both very loveable and I think you should give it a shot. At least kiss once!"

Julie just groans. Kayla giggles again.

"Come here. I'll kiss you for both of us."

She has to redo her braid after said kisses lead to more, but she can't complain.

Especially when Reggie sees her later, redressed in one of Kayla's sundresses and a leather jacket. His eyes pop.

His lips part, but no words come out.

Julie preens a little. She smiles at him.

"Hey. I like your nail polish."

His mouth snaps shut. He blinks a few times, then looks at his hands. After a long moment, he drags his gaze back to hers.

"Thanks—I got the idea from you, actually. Spur of the moment, so it's sloppy, but—"

He shrugs, flushing even in the low light.

"They had all of the Candi colors at CVS."

Julie hums, but then the show is starting.

It's amazing as always, and they give it the hype it deserves. Toward the end, Reggie puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles, which makes Kayla crack a grin as Carrie pauses. Presumably, she's rolling her eyes behind the cover of her sunglasses.

Julie smothers a giggle behind her hand, and Reggie shoots her a crooked smirk.

She's just starting to feel more comfortable than flustered when someone shoves her.

She crashes into Reggie’s chest with a yelp, and he catches her by the hips, which does nothing to help the way her heart is pounding. So is his, though. She feels it jumping through his shirt.

When she lifts her head, his face is wreathed in a familiar flush.

He swallows. "Are you okay?"

Julie bites her lip.

His eyes flicker to her mouth.

"Yeah," she says slowly. "You've got me."

Then she rises on her toes to kiss him before she can lose her courage.

Their lips brush in the softest whisper of a kiss, but it's enough to create sparks under her skin, and her mouth is tingling when she pulls away. Her eyes flutter open.

He's giving her another awed look, softer than the first. Less comical, for sure.

Reggie wets his lips.

And he surges to kiss her more soundly.

It lights her up from the inside out, and she melts with a little sigh as he squeezes her hips. His heart thunders under her hands.

They only separate when Kayla speaks.

"See? You guys just needed a nudge."

Julie gasps. "A n—you shoved me!"

She turns in time to see Kayla shrug.

"Sorry, babylove. I knew you'd be safe."

Her eyes are warm and her grin is wild and…

It's hard to even be annoyed at her when she looks like that.

And she does have a point.

Reggie brightens. "Babylove?"

Julie smiles at him. "What, lindo?"

He goes red again as Kayla coos.

"Oh, I—I still owe you that drink, if you want—if you'd like—"

Julie loops her arms through theirs. She presses another kiss to Reggie’s cheek.

"Yeah. I'd like that very much."

Needless to say, by the time Kayla and Carrie's lease is up…

The apartment situation has been neatly squared away.

[toasty-death]

It's not too late, let's go.

Original Fiction.

Summary: Gale and Blaire have been living their whole lives being told that it's dangerous to go outside. Gale wakes up one morning and his lover Blaire is missing, only to lead him to a beautiful discovery.

Word Count: 1,357

Category: Futuristic, Mind Twist

 The silvery waves splashed against the granite sand, looking out you could see the expanse of the Mercury Sea out to the horizon. It was beautiful, but I knew it was time to head back inside since the sun was kissing the surface of the ocean, creating its usual array of blue and red clouds. Night would be upon us soon, but I didn't want to leave. "Come on, Gale, let's head back inside. You don't want to be caught by the rain, you know?" Blaire was right, it was supposed to rain tonight. We'd be dead if we got caught in it, I doubt we'd even last 10 seconds.

We headed back inside the grotto entrance, the steel steps seemed like they would go forever before we reached ground level. The walk was quiet, but I enjoyed her company like this. We didn't have to talk to feel comfortable with each other, that was the kind of relationship we had. My eyes strained against the glow of the neon sign, Paradise Grotto. Right, like this shit-hole was a paradise. We were forced to live here our whole lives, as the rain kills everything on the surface. We were allowed to venture to the surface when the weather reads clear skies for extended periods of time, but the entrance is sealed within an hour of any sign of rainfall. As we walk pass the entrance, the alarm begins to blare for the coming rain.

We made our way through the main entrance hallway, passing by cross sections that leads to the other sections of the Grotto. Our path was pretty straight forward, just down the main hallway and make a left at the recycle plant, then eight halls down. Blaire fumbled for the right key standing outside our apartment, she always had trouble remembering which key was the correct one. "Ugh, this one." She found it.

"I got the lights." I made my way over to the generator and started the process of starting it up. We can't have power running while we're outside of our apartment, just how things work around here. Power began to hum throughout the room as the lights flickered on, home sweet home. Blaire was already in the kitchen setting plates aside to prepare dinner. Probably freeze-dried meatloaf, again. One day I'll have to get us into one of those higher floor apartments, like one of those that the heads of divisions stay in. We'd never eat freeze-dried meatloaf again. I started cleaning around the house as Blaire finished up, it was my routine. Just another thing about how everything works here, you need to keep up a routine. Those who don't have a routine usually don't make it to their 30's, since there really isn't much to do in the Grotto unless you spend all of your earnings drinking it away.

We sat down and ate in silence, afterwards I cleaned the dishes. This is how our lives are here; we wake up at 0500, work from 0600 to 1800, we watch the sunset between 1800 and 1900, we eat at 2000, and sleep at 2100. That was our routine together in our wonderful lives inside the Grotto, we didn't need anything else to be happy.

"See you in the morning." Blaire kisses me goodnight. "And every sunset after." I kiss her back. I fall asleep fairly quickly and let the darkness take me.

I wake up in the morning with the sound of the alarm clock buzzing, I've always hated that noise. I shut it off and rub the sleep from my eyes, it looks like Blaire woke up earlier than normal. Well, I should start getting ready for work now, too.

My normal morning routine is washing my face, then I brush my teeth, then I gargle mouthwash for 30 seconds. After that I take my morning medication, it seems I'm running low on Vitamin D again. After my morning routine I head out to the living area to eat breakfast with Blaire, only the lights are off. "Hun?" I flick the lights on, but the living room is empty. I search the bedroom again, and she isn't there. "Blaire?" I begin to panic, is she hiding? This isn't like her at all. I begin searching everywhere frantically. She isn't anywhere, I open the front door and there she is, fumbling with her keys and soaking wet. "What the hell happened? Why are you wet?" She just stared back at me with wild, wide eyes. "Gale, I need you to come with me." She mumbled just low enough that I could hear her. "What, where? Where have you been? We are going to be late for work."

The next thing I knew she grabbed me by the arm and began pulling me down the hallway. "Hey! Blaire, talk to me!" She stayed focused on leading me somewhere, did she get into an accident? Is she in trouble? Eventually I gave up on trying to ask her what had happened, and I allowed her to lead the way. She leads me eight halls down, we make a right at the recycle plant, and up the main hallway. Paradise Grotto. She stops in front of the neon sign, I can hear the alarm up the stairwell for the signal that it's raining again.

"We need to go up the stairs, do you trust me?" She turns to me with a dead serious expression on her face. Up the stairs? "What's going on, Blaire?" Her eyes are darting between mine. "Gale, I can't explain unless I show you. We need to run up the stairs, we can't stop running. Do you trust me?" My mind is racing with hundreds of thoughts. I look up and see the entrance security has started paying attention to us now as one of the middle-aged guards gets up to walk over to us.

"Yes." We take off up the stairs. The guards shout for us to stop but we have a head start on them. We move as quickly as we can up the hundreds of steep steps. My chest begins to hurt, we've been running for 10 minutes. I can hear Blaire struggling to keep up her pace, eventually I'm the one in the lead, grasping her hand and pulling her along. We keep running, and running, until we reach the top of the stairs. The hatch leading to the outside is in front of us with the red hazard lights on, the alarm is ringing in our ears at this point.

We pause for a moment to catch our breath, and then she reaches for the latch handle. I reach out and grab her wrist to stop her. "Blaire, it's raining, we can't go outside." She places her hand over mine as she leans forward to place her forehead against me. Her hair is still wet and it gets my shirt damp. "I need you to trust me, please." She takes my hand off hers and opens the latch. The sound of the rain pouring down against the earth fills the stairwell, I've never heard such a sound before.

I watch in shock as she bolts outside into the rain with arms wide open. "Blaire!" It's too late, I can't save her. She'll be dead in seconds. Only, she isn't in pain. I stand there baffled, my mouth open as I watch her dance in the rain. It was the most beautiful sight that I've ever witnessed, it was as if she was a piece of art. For the first time in my life, she's the happiest I've ever seen her.

She spins around once more and looks at me with a huge grin. "Come with me." She reaches her hand for mine. My heart was racing, what was even going on? How is this possible? I couldn't get my thoughts straight, I felt dizzy. I think I might throw up.

"Gale, it's not too late, let's go." The rain was dripping from her outstretched fingers.

Suddenly, my mind was blank, and my feet moved on their own. I stepped out into the rain.

[crushculture03]

Chapter 2

It had been a day since Jaime told her the big news, she would be going on tour with the 1975.

When he told her that she would be touring with them she almost didn't believe him.

She remembers him chuckling saying  " Jules you still breathing ?" he knew you had a love for the band, as you had told him in your interview and you could also be spotted with the iconic box tattooed on your arm .

"Yeah jaime" she had chuckled back " Thank you truly this is an absolute dream" she smiled even wider. "Of course Jules, now tomorrow will be here around 10. I want you to meet the boys and get acquainted with all of them, since you all will be together for basically the next year".

That led her to today. She woke up early in the morning, not like she got any sleep anyways. She was up all night tossing and turning, thinking about the fact she was going to meet the band who saved her life and not just that but would also be going on tour with them.

She made sure to pick out her best outfit, she wanted to make a good impression after all, and deep down she was slightly more nervous about meeting matty. She sighed as she looked in the mirror, silently plucking out everything wrong with her body. Jules is all for body confidence, but sometimes those evil thoughts pop into her head, telling her that her thighs are too big or the stretch marks that cover her thighs and butt are ugly, or her boobs aren't perky enough. When those thoughts pop into her head she can't help but think those are the reasons she's never had any kind of relationship go further than just the talking phase.

She decides to push those thoughts aside and pick out her favorite dress, she quickly slips it on and makes her way out the door and takes the dirty hit head quarters.

She arrives about 5 minutes before 10 and quickly rushes to jaimes office, "Hey Jaime" she says as she opens the door, as soon as she looks up she in fact doesn't see Jaime but instead sees the four infamous boys that make up the 1975.

She chuckles nervously "You're not Jaime" she says, causing the boys to break out in laughter. "No darling we're not, I'm afraid he had to run to a meeting but it's lovely to meet you, I'm Matty" He says, sending her a smile.

Jules can feel the heat rise to her cheeks when he looks her way. "H-hi I'm Julie , but you can call me Jules" she says and reaches out to shake his hand, her box tattoo slightly peaking out from under the sleeve of her cardigan. "Well Jules it's lovely to meet you, judging by the tattoo on your arm I see you're a fan" Matty replies again, almost teasing.

She laughs nervously " yeah, i'm honestly not convinced this isn't a dream" she responds. " We promise it's not" Ross says and he steps forward to shake her hand, "lovely to meet you jules" he continues. " It's nice to meet you all too, I'm looking forward to working with you all" she smiles. Eventually as the day passes, the five of them all get acquainted we eachother and exchange numbers and the band follows her back on social media.

"Well it was lovely meeting you all, I have to head out and start packing since we leave soon, but I'll see you all at the airport in a couple days" Jules responds as she bids the boys a quick goodbye and heads out the door.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, she suddenly hears a voice shout, "wait up" she quickly sticks her arm out causing the doors to open back up again. The owner of the voice is none other than Matthew Healy, "Hey jules" he smiles and presses the button for the lobby. " Hey matty" she responds, trying not to fumble over her words. "I forgot to ask you what your favorite song of ours was" he asks, sending her a cheeky grin.

It's no lie Matty found her quite beautiful, she had beautiful blonde hair and brown eyes, freckles that littered her face perfectly, and her pillowy thighs that he wanted to rest his head on. He had flirted with her slightly though out the morning, finding it cute how her cheeks would flash pink eveytime he would look in her direction

"Well that's a tough question, probably It's not living if it's not with you or If you're too shy" she responded, sending a bright smile back his way. "Ah great choice love" he responded, him calling her 'love' caused her cheeks to flash a bright pink color. "Now Jules not to quote my own lyrics but if you're too shy let me know" he grins, this causes the girl to giggle. He could tell fr her demeanor that she was more relaxed now. " you don't have to be nervous around me jules i'm just a normal person" he smirks, moving closer to her. " yeah normal except for the fact that you have multiple number one records, a sold out tour and multiple girls who would get on their knees for you" she chuckled, gaining more confidence.

"You're not wrong love, thank you for fueling my ego on the first two, but now see there's only one girl i want to see on her knees" she looks over at her suggestively and winks. " hey never say never right matthew" jules responds and smirks.

And with that the elevator doors reopened, now in the lobby. "Till next time matty, you have my number" she winks and heads off to the underground, leaving matty with a wide grin on his face and a very erotic image of her in his head.

[timeguardiansarchive]

Shield // Nancy and Ned @atacfiles

Send ‘Shield’ for my muse to push your muse out of harm’s way and get shot/stabbed to protect them. @atacfiles

"So you're going to make me chase you, then KILL you." A seething growl beckons. To which the irate gunman receives no vocalized response. "Alright. I'll play your game MISS DREW." The same threatening chord raises against the bitter cold of the warehouse. Stormy steps seem to follow in the wake of the PROMISE. "It'll be all the worse for you-- when I find you!"

Nancy is keenly aware that she has made a grievous error digging too deeply into the wretched man's past. Hector StoneRidge disappeared twelve individuals who worked for him. Now, she is destined to be the thirteenth.

Frantic, Nancy presses herself into the looming shadows and begins to skillfully back away from the intrusive thunder of oncoming steps. Her dirtied hands slip against the concrete until they hit something SOLID. Something familiar, and -- and was it muscular? YES!!!! NED!!!! Her eyes spring wide in bewildered astonishment.

Ned Nickerson shouldn't have doubled BACK for her!!! Not to this barbaric hell, where she seemed destined to die. Regret colors her sky blue eyes as her porcelain fingers snare about his mightier hand. Breathless, she mutters a curse in the spell of an exhale. "What are you doing?! Are you CRAZY???" She wants to shake him for being so LOYAL. She would have done so too, were they not running out of time and space to run.

The strawberry blonde's raucous heartbeat swallows the impending rush of steps, just when she needed to hear them the most. With a gentle nudge, she motions him towards a door. The LONE exit.

Just as as her fingers curl around the unmoving, solid door, they're cornered by StoneRidge. Fumbling for a moment, her large eyes glance down the barrel of the man's rifle. "Y--- you -- you don't have to do this," she remarks. The deployment of Nan's own fatigued chord sounded piteous, even to her. Quivering hands are raised in a placating gesture.

But it seems the time for TALK had long ago passed.

"NEEDDDDDDDDDD! NOO!!!" Nancy shouts, but the chord of her voice futilely carries several moments too late. He has already propelled his form into motion, pushing her aside, just as the DEAFENING BLAST of a SHOT splinters the air.

And down, her BELOVED Ned goes in her stead. Scarlet abounds, gushing in horrifying rivers, out of his chest. The Strawberry-blonde, now oblivious to the mostly undeterred threat, scrambles back to her feet and to Ned's side. "Why?!!! Why'd you do that?" Nancy cries. Her heart balls up, swelling and rising, just high enough to clog her throat. "That was so STUPID." Brave, yes. But very, very STUPID. Dirtied hands collapse over the wound in an effort to stem the wet, warm flow. "St--- stay with me. P-- please. Just -- just stay with me." She'd never forgive herself if he would perish in her place.

Though his form is sturdy and far heavier than her own, she moves to pull Ned into her arms. She needs to be able to better stay the flow. She willfully attempts to banish all thoughts of his DEATH despite feeling his blood seeping into every groove and crevice of her hands.

Mr. StoneRidge flees. Though his second, a man by the name of Gustlov, arrives several moments later.

"Call the police. Pl-- please, Mr. Gustlov. You-- You have to help us----" She knows the entreaty will likely engender no sympathy from the man. But she is DESPERATE. Too desperate to care. She knows, he has been SENT to finish the job. But maybe, just maybe-- he is the merciful type.

[m00nz-writes]

Welcome Back Dusker! - preview

A/N: The second act of Blackened Angel is being released now. Things are gonna get even crazier this act.

Alyssa smiled as she leaned over David's shoulder and watched the video that he, Bradley, and Kane were watching. Lyss wrapped her arms around David's shoulders as she giggled and patted his chest as more of his friends joined them in watching the video. Alyssa smiled more when David smiled brightly.

"That Pranksy guy is awesome!" he exclaimed excitedly as the other boys agreed. Alyssa looked up from David's phone as they heard people screaming and running somewhere, and saw Dirk Baddison being mobbed by over-excited students. Lyss giggled and shook her head as she watched Ethan approach Dirk and try to talk to him. Erica stepped in and took Dirk away while Lyss rolled her eyes and smiled, looking back at the phone as David played another video. Lyss perked up when her phone rang in her pocket and she quickly pulled it out when she saw that she was getting a call from Minnie. She broke away from the group and stepped out into the hallway, where it was a lot less hectic, before answering.

"What's up, Min?" she asked while the woman on the other line sounded panicked, breathing shakily and rustling around as if hiding somewhere.

"We have… a problem…" she whispered shakily as Alyssa's eyebrows furrowed.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, already making her way to the student parking lot.

"They're here…" Minnie whimpered, sounding like she was about to cry.

"Who's here? Minerva, you have to explain!" Lyss said before Minnie screamed and dropped her phone. Alyssa started to run as soon as she heard the scream, pushing her way out of the doors and towards the car. "Minnie?! Min?!" Alyssa yelled, fumbling with her keys before unlocking the car and getting in. She started it, holding the phone to her ear as she pulled out of the parking lot and sped out onto the street.

"If you want to see her alive, come to the Council." a man said as Alyssa's eyebrows furrowed.

"If you do anything to her, I'll fucking kill you!" she shouted before hanging up and speeding off, making a sharp turn to get to the Council.

Alyssa stopped near the old building and ran through the fences, punching a vampire that came too close. Another tried to grab her, but she grabbed him and slammed his head into the ground, stunning him. She quickly walked to the building and made her way inside, shoving another vampire aside before grabbing her and throwing her against a wall. She stormed up the stairs and into the council chamber, glaring at the vampires there.

"You just can't leave our kind alone, can you?" Anastasia asked as Lyss made her way to the table and drew one of her weapons, pointing it directly at her face.

"Give Minnie back or I'll be a much bigger problem than Jesse ever was." she warned as she flicked the safety off.

"Minerva is safe. But she won't be for long if you don't back off." the girl snapped, glaring back at Alyssa.

"This isn't a fucking negotiation!" Alyssa screamed. "You either give her back or you all fucking die!"

"Detain her." one of the other council members said boredly as two vampires grabbed her arms and pulled her back. Alyssa screamed and tried to fight, but their combined strength made it difficult for her to break free. She stumbled as they took her to another room and pushed her into what appeared to be a cell, causing her to scream as she slammed her body against the door in an attempt to free herself.

"You'll be released when your steak-weilding friends get here." one of the vampires commented as Alyssa glared at him and slammed into the door again, hoping it would break and she would be free. She continued to slam into the door, screaming in rage and pain as the force of her body hit the door. She finally gave up as she sat on the floor, breathing heavily and leaning back against the door, waiting for something to happen.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and tried to make a call, frowning when she realized she had no service in the building. She sighed and put it away, leaning her head back.