#still dawn gets some time to shine <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[lavenoon]

So! I’m curious! Would there be much difference between the events of Sunset and Nacreous Cloud in the canon version and Reverse AU? I imagine Dawn would still be sent alone maybe, because it seemed like a very fast mission until things went south, but Robin would still be at work so I wonder how that would go, also considering that Dawn has seen Robin get stabbed, so this would mean now Robin also sees their rival being injured with the ray torn off and all!

Ahh, now that's interesting! Because the point of Sunset and Nacreous Cloud wasn't just to break the news to the agency (perhaps it's time to start calling them EVOC on here, too - otherwise it's "the agency" vs Abra Fez, that's gonna get confusing soon) and also kick off the Glamrock Arc. Those are definitely important effects of those chapters!

But a big part of the motivation was to have the two who only knew each other as neighbors see each other in action. Dawn got caught, yes, but he also got himself out, only to run into the one man backup that was Robin. They see each other, for the first time in a decidedly not neighborly context, and still all they feel is the relief that the other is (relatively) okay.

(discussions of and just plain injuries to animatronics, you know the drill)

So we'll go two routes - if Dawn is indeed still the one being sent out and getting caught, then perhaps he and Robin had lunch plans together for which he wanted to be back. So Robin waits, and waits, and waits for his knock, except it never comes. They skip lunch as a result, too keyed up to eat alone and also not inclined to give up on Dawn showing up - except then afternoon slowly turns into evening and he's still not back, and they know something is off.

This Robin however is also much more used to lying. They're the undercover agent, they lie for a job - so when River finds them in Dusk and Dawn's office they might just talk their way out of a reveal. They had plans with their partner, and he's not there, so something is wrong and they plan to fix it.

Maybe River still pushes for a reveal, goading Robin until they admit to it, but Robin will be more steadfast because they're much more used to social interaction and staying calm in conversations that don't bode well for them.

The surprise then would be to see Robin going back to their stealthier roots only to be surprised by evidence of their partner being hurt. They got stabbed to prevent that. And this time they have their weapon already at the ready and do not hesitate to fight their way through to him.

Mostly, Dawn would feel guilty for making them come get him - he also very vividly remembers what happened last time they protected him, and is very concerned about any potential repeats. So his relief will be tinged with fear still until he makes sure none of the blood on Robin is theirs, and Robin might just end up a tad annoyed because hey, they're saving him so if he could please stop fretting -

But, yeah, honestly? I don't see this happening in Reverse AU. Because it's missing that core aspect of seeing their neighbor be ruthless and still caring, in both directions.

So getting their hands on the info they want remains easier at night, and it's Moon who promises to be back for breakfast as he hands over a little tupperware from Sun with dinner for them. It's perhaps a bit startling to hear their somewhat shy neighbor just casually talk about breaking into a place with (even at relatively low) high security, but they've done enough of that themself to somewhat brush it off.

They wake up a little early, but their breakfast buddy never shows up. They manage a cereal bar, and then rush into work, too frazzled and too early for River to not be suspicious, and whoop, there Robin goes.

It's been a while since they went into a mission already expecting trouble, but that doesn't mean they aren't prepared. They're the one chasing runners, they're the one still squeezing in parkour whenever they can, on and off the clock, and they're the one thinking they just got to know both Sun and Moon so much more, so much closer, and they're not giving that up now.

Dusk knows his neighbor is a good agent, too - Sun's recounts leave absolutely no doubt about that. But he's an agent too, and as we've established in that other ask, Dusk is the one with the potential to be the most dangerous out of the three.

Perhaps that's why he doesn't just lose a sunray - not that any are out to be ripped off, anyway. But remember that Reverse AU skips First Aid and the explosion in there to, because they weren't idiots and told Y/N right away?

Would be a shame if Dusk gets blown up before he ends up trapped (:

Sure, wrangling him into a position that keeps his one remaining arm restrained is a bit more difficult, but with the cracked lens of his optic it's at least rather easy to pretend he's in rest mode with a dead battery.

Really, no one looks at the one armed and broken animatronic expecting a threat - so they leave him be, until it's time to get him out.

One arm is enough to make sure that doesn't happen though. Dusk is still lethal, and has access to one of his tasers (well, five), and he still has (half of his) thermal vision that he makes generous use of as he sneaks around finding his way towards backup.

And then it's Robin. Not in the outfit that Dawn usually sees them in, but a muted, sporty look, if not for the tears and blood.

Robin, at this point, has already been presented with Dusk's detached arm - they don't carry it, because let's face it, it would simply get in the way without a convenient way to carry it - but they know Moon is hurt and even knowing he can handle himself, it's a lot to go from "haha yeah that's my cute funky neighbor" to "someone just threw his arm in front of me and I don't know where the rest of him is"

They watch him rise from his half crouch, watch the electricity drain from his fingers as his eyes bleed back from red to blue (because he has to see, as much as he can, not just their heat signature), and then they're already sobbing and coming his way.

Bit more awkward to hug while still used to having one more arm to do it with, but Dusk does his best to make up for the missing one as he meets them in the middle and just holds onto them, too. They didn't even hesitate, didn't flinch back at him being so different from what they're used to, and they're currently crying in his arm because they found him.

Sun reminds him that Robin has seen him use the taser generously before, and they've established that Robin isn't scared of him anymore (This would place this version of events past Sonne(t)), so really, he shouldn't have been so worried about what they might think - and also perhaps reign in those heart eyes, because he's getting a bit obvious about things.

Ground support communications still interrupt the moment, and the heart eyes get worse when Robin continues taking the lead. It's approaching noon, perhaps, or at least late morning, and everything is very strange because Dusk does not like being out this time of day and he dreads having to do the mission report Robin already warned him River expects, and things get a little more chaotic. (Nearly wrote chaotik again, good going)

Because Robin tries to take the lead in the conversation, but doesn't quite manage to convince River that all of them together knowing each other's identities is less of a risk than it's a benefit, and Sun decides to intervene. It distracts Dusk for a hot second, but Sun is pushy - he's the social one, he knows what to say, and they can use this as a demonstration.

Robin doesn't even flinch when suddenly Dusk turns to Dawn, and is even less surprised than River who knows about the change but has never witnessed it herself (probably, but tbh I'm keeping my options open).

Dawn also very much enjoys that he receives a squeeze to his hand when he starts arguing, and River just ends up very tired when she agrees to give them their chance. She's dealt with these three enough for one day.

They go home, and while Sun wants to be reassuring and push Y/N into getting that breakfast they pretty much skipped as well as the definitely skipped lunch, they just aren't having it. It ends up being even more reassurance for Sun, because Y/N is outright furious - but only out of concern. They're coming down from the adrenaline rush, all the fear and anxiety, and that urgency to get their partner(s) back safe.

They berate him, yes, for getting hurt, trying to make him promise to not let it happen again, and the entire time they refuse to let go of him even for a second.

Sun does not promise. He says they know the risk comes with the job - he's not eager to let it happen again, but could they ever promise not getting stabbed again?

Y/N can't, for the same reasons.

Fortunately for them, they now get the opportunity to look out for each other, all of them, and they decide to make full use of that <3

[buckymorelikefuckme]

drink up, me hearties

pirate king wanda x fem reader

words: 1.4k

warnings: **18+ ONLY** consensual somno, oral, fingering, scissoring, lesbians in ~love.

a/n: "ease back into it," i said. "take your time, there's no rush," i said... anyway, here's some seggs! any and all mistakes are my own. feedback is encouraged and greatly appreciated! xo

part 1 ❀ part 2 ❀ part 3

Slumber begins to elude you, awareness trickling in slowly. Glaring sunlight shines directly across your face and you squeeze your eyes shut even tighter, turning away from it. Your brows furrow slightly, though, as a certain sensation starts to dawn on you, coming from between your thighs. It's almost ticklish, never failing to make you squirm, and you can never tell if it's to get away from it or to push closer.

The sound of it alerts you next, the wet glide of a tongue and slick sucking from full lips reaches your ears, and even before you open your eyes there’s a rush of heat surging to your cheeks. You know what you'll find once you glance down, and it does not disappoint.

Wanda is already staring back, a slow grin stretching across her mouth as she pulls away long enough to murmur, “Good morning, my angel,” and then she's right back to what she was doing.

You let out a raspy whimper as Wanda drags her tongue from your opening up to your clit, circling it lazily, just to make you writhe the way she loves. Her cheeks are flushed, likely from the combination of also having woken up recently and from the way she's taken to waking you up. Atop her head, her hair is a wild mess, tangled in places and sticking up in others. She's still the most handsome person you've ever seen.

Of their own volition, your thighs spread that much further, allowing your lover more space to do as she pleases. It is in your favor that what she decides to please is you.

She has your sleeping gown rucked up around your waist, and you know without even asking that she probably grumbled to herself about it being in the way, since she prefers to sleep in the nude and has begged you to do the same, but you can't help worrying about one of the crew finding you in such a vulnerable state.

And it’s not like it really matters anyway, what with the extremely thin material it's made of leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination of what lies beneath it. You can see your nipples tightening through it and it makes you feel like a harlot, though you've learned to appreciate that feeling, have embraced it after Wanda’s hearty encouragement.

Your thoughts are stripped away in an instant when Wanda begins sloppily kissing her way down to your entrance, dipping her tongue inside the same way she does your mouth. You moan, high and drawn out, sliding a hand down to bury in her hair, not to guide, but for something to hold on to. She makes a noise of contentment and continues to slowly thrust her tongue in and out of you.

The pacing is driving you to madness, practically glacial, like there's no rush, like she isn't making every inch of your skin tingle with anticipation. Your pleasure builds and builds, inching closer to your high, but so slowly you feel as if you could cry.

Suddenly, you feel her fingers join her tongue, and your legs attempt to clamp around her head, but with a soft huff, Wanda is pushing them open again, using her arms to keep them that way. Your pussy immediately clenches down on her fingers, a strangled whine catching in your throat, hips twitching up into her touch. She groans, the vibration of the sound only adding to everything else her mouth and hands are doing.

With your free hand, you tug your sleeping gown even higher, exposing the rest of your torso to the warm morning air, just so you can pinch at your nipples. You gasp as you do, the spark of pain sending a zing of pleasure straight to your core. Wanda moans at the sight, blessedly picking up the pace of her fingers. She pauses every few thrusts to curl them against your sweet spot, rubbing at it incessantly until you're crying out so loud you're sure someone’s heard you.

You let go of her hair, using that arm to prop yourself up on your elbow so you can better watch what she's doing. Although, as you stare at the way her fingers glisten with your wetness, see it shine on and around her mouth, and as you meet her heated gaze, you're not sure if it was the most intelligent choice. Your head drops back, baring your throat as you pant for breath, thighs trembling on either side of Wanda. Your fingers haven't stopped plucking at your nipples, and as you approach your climax, you pinch harder, twist tighter.

Wanda focuses her mouth back on your clit, sucking on it harshly, forcing out sob after sob from you. Your hips jerk upward, wordlessly begging for more. Happy to oblige, Wanda squeezes your thigh in silent command to leave it there, then uses her other hand to replace her mouth on your clit, rubbing at it in quick circles.

“Wanda,” you cry out, curling forward briefly before falling onto your back once again, knees hitching higher.

“You sound so fucking beautiful,” she praises, her voice still a little gravelly from sleep. “Look so perfect taking my fingers.”

“Please, Wanda,” you beg, so close to the earth-shattering orgasm you're sure is on the horizon.

She kisses at the crease of your thigh, sucks a mark there for good measure. “I simply cannot wait for your present from the glass blower.”

Your toes curl at the reminder. She'd put in a special order for a piece that would be… phallic shaped. Just thinking of something filling you more than her fingers—which are already incredibly talented in their own right—has your back bowing off the bed, breath seizing in your lungs, as every ounce of white-hot pleasure pools in your cunt, and like a dam breaking, you come with a gasping wail. Your entire body jerks through your climax and you sob as Wanda draws it out even longer, trying and failing to catch your breath.

Which is only made harder when Wanda abruptly pulls away, and you foolishly think you can finally begin to relax, but then she's quickly climbing up the bed and straddling one of your legs, aligning her warm, wet pussy with yours and grinding them together messily. You whine as she groans, pushing the leg she's not sitting on higher, clutching it so hard you're sure her fingernails will leave marks. Your pussy is still so sensitive after coming, and you try to wriggle and writhe, but she's using her strength to hold you down, and it only succeeds in furthering your desire.

“Close, so close,” she gasps, head tipping back towards the ceiling.

Your vision blurs with tears as you're pushed into oversensitivity, but the burn of too much feels much too good to really try and stop it. With hiccuping cries, your own fingers dig into any part of Wanda that you can reach, bucking up into her filthy grinding to help her chase her climax.

“So good to me, so perfect,” she babbles, “I love you, my sweet angel, you feel so—you feel like sin, my god, I love you, I love you, I love you!”

You open your mouth to return the sentiment, but all that comes out are strained whines.

Wanda’s movements start to become less coordinated, and it's not a moment too soon, as you feel a second orgasm cresting within you.

“With me this time,” she instructs, clenching her jaw and grunting, sending a shiver down your spine.

She grinds down harder, your hips tilt higher. Your moans are harmonious as you both come, Wanda now lazily moving until she slows to a stop.

The air is filled with the sounds of your heaving breaths. It feels like lightning is crackling across your flesh, a bone-deep satisfaction settling in you. Wanda gently lifts off of you and carefully lays your leg down on the bed before gracefully falling beside you with a gusty sigh. You press your thighs together, twitching at the pressure and feeling more heat bloom in your cheeks at the messy slide between them.

“I love you too,” you finally manage to murmur, voice cracking.

Wanda hums, shakily propping herself up on her elbow to peer down at you with a happy, smug grin.

“I’ll bet the entire crew heard you,” she teases, laughing when you halfheartedly swat at her in reprimand. “One of these days I’ll convince you to let me have you on the deck, so that not only the crew, but all of the heavens can hear how beautiful you sound when I take you apart.”

You hide your face in her neck, allowing her to wrap you in her embrace as she laughs again at your bashfulness. Silently, you're already planning to let her do just that, but only after your special present is ready.

[bananayuyu]

Cabin Fever [part 4]

Pairing: Yunho x f reader

Genre: fluff and smut

Word count: 9.9k

Summary: Sometimes actions have consequences for your fragile body, your morning getting off to a sore start. The day thankfully offers you a calm morning, a long-overdue conversation, and a desperate Wooyoung bringing laughter to everyone, in his own special way.

Warnings: MDNI, smut, fingering, voyeurism

A/n: Apologies for how long it took me to post this chapter, I kept editing and rewriting different sections of it because I wanted it to be perfect. I realized recently how much this series means to me, I think because of how much I relate to the main character, and the kind response I've gotten from all of you <3 I'm so glad to be finally posting, and will definitely continue to write the other parts I've planned. I really hope you all enjoy!

Linked here is my masterlist where you can find the previous parts. Again let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist! (it will be six parts in total if everything goes to plan)

Read part 5 here!

Taglist: @certifiedmoa @pautiny27 @luvbit3z @dawn-iscozy @artistic-rendition

@yeosangiess @drinkingrumandcocacola @smally97 @kierraperkins3 @newworldwritings

@peachyy-jooniee @lucid-galaxys-world @arigakittyo @staytinyroha @yoonjikim

You wake in a blurry haze, the early morning light shining gently in through the window. You wonder for a moment if another storm rolled in last night, if the light is so soft because the sky is blanketed in clouds. A quick glance at your phone tells you it's just the light of dawn, the sun not risen enough yet to fully brighten the room. You groan internally, wishing your body let you sleep in after the crazy day you'd just had. You lay awake for a while, eyes still closed, as you hear Yunho's steady deep breaths of sleep. You try to let your mind rest more, but soon you can tell there's no point, your brain desperately chewing through every intense conversation you'd had the day before. As quietly as you can you sit up and scoot yourself off the bed, rubbing your eyes as you walk yourself to the bathroom.

Immediately upon standing you notice the feeling, a slight soreness deep in your core. It almost doesn't feel bad, at least initially, and it makes you giggle to yourself, remembering your previous night. You hadn't expected Yunho to fuck you so hard, and truthfully you loved it. Miraculously your body had been able to take it, maybe even needed it because of the emotionally exhausting day. But you also knew you might pay a bit of a price for it now. You'd certainly joked with people like Ari, or Wooyoung, about being fucked so hard you could still feel it the next morning. And in theory it sounded like the best case scenario, like something everyone would want. But now that you were here it also felt a little concerning, that your muscles were that sore.

You were quiet in the bathroom as well, not wanting to wake anyone in the living room. You carefully clean your thighs, wiping a damp towel over them, and gently brushing it past your core to clean yourself there as well. Immediately the contact feels a bit painful and you wince, frustration bubbling in you as you breathe deeply, taking a moment to let the pain subside. No matter how many times you try to pretend it isn't true, your body always has a way of reminding you how fragile and delicate it is. With a sigh you finish up, tossing the towel in the hamper, then washing your hands. Making your way back to the library, you open and close the door as carefully as possible, gently settling yourself down on the pull out couch that hadn't been used now in days.

You hadn't had a chance the whole trip to crack open your book, and with the chaos of the previous day some calm, focused reading sounds oh so perfect. You grab it out of your bag and begin reading, the sun slowly brightening as the day starts to bloom. Yunho is still sound asleep, his breaths so gentle you almost forget he is there. Eventually your stomach grumbles and you head out to the kitchen, being met with Seonghwa and Hongjoong sipping their first coffees of the day.

If you're entirely honest, it feels a little uncomfortable seeing them, especially Hongjoong. Though you tried the previous night to just move on, to forget what happened, the tension still lingers, especially now that you know so much of why Hongjoong acted the way he did. You aren't sure if he's told Seonghwa anything yet, and you don't want to say anything that could make things awkward between them, so you decide you'll take your breakfast and head outside, hopefully getting to spend a little more peaceful time by yourself. With a quick hug to both of them you head out to the fire pit, your tea in one hand, breakfast in the other, and book tucked precariously under your arm.

It's refreshing sitting outside by yourself, under the shade of the forest trees, your book the only company you have. You normally spend a lot of time alone, so sometimes on these trips you get a bit overwhelmed by everyone. As the sun begins moving across the sky the day gets warmer, Yunho's hoodie now feeling a bit too heavy. You realize you've been wearing it for days now, and probably should change into something else. But you kick that thought aside, relishing the feeling of being in it. You don't entirely understand your own feelings yet, but something about wearing his clothes feels perfectly right.

"Hey, nerd," you hear Yunho say, lifting your head up to see him walking over towards you, his own breakfast in hand.

"Hi," you respond, smiling at him, but returning to your book. You were just nearing the end of a chapter, and you really wanted to finish it.

"You'd rather read then talk to me?" he jokes, plopping down in a chair next to you.

"Just give me like two minutes," you say, eyes still not leaving the page. Yunho just nods and starts wolfing down his breakfast, glancing over at you occasionally to see if you're really that focused. Apparently, you are, which is something he loves so much. As much as he jokes with you, he finds it precious how lost you get in the things you read.

"Ok, we can talk now," you say brightly, sliding your bookmark into the page you just finished. It makes Yunho chuckle, his eyes bright with adoration.

"I wanted to ask you a question," he says, quickly taking another bite.

"Okay," you respond, not sure where he is headed.

"I wanted to see if you felt okay with everything that's been going on, you know, between us. Make sure I haven't crossed any lines," he says.

"Not at all," you say, looking back at him. You seem reluctant to talk much this morning, which isn't like you, and Yunho feels a bit concerned. But he really wants to know where your head is at; he just honestly didn't think he'd be the one to have to bring this up. You were the one who was so good at talking about your feelings, but you hadn't said anything specific about it yet. Well, maybe you did that night you both said 'I love you,' but nothing had been said since.

"So how are you feeling?" he asks.

"Well my vagina hurts, but otherwise pretty good," you laugh, adjusting yourself in your seat to try to alleviate the soreness.

"It hurts?" he asks, with genuine concern.

"Like it's sore, you know, from last night's activities," you say, cringing at yourself. You didn't feel like you could say 'it's sore from you fucking me so hard,' but some part of you wishes you did.

"In a good way? Or bad way?" he asks.

"Um, kind of both?" you respond, not really sure yourself. "I don't hate it but it's, well, worse than ideal. I have to be careful when I sit," you say, trying to keep yourself from laughing again.

"What's so funny?" he asks you, thankful to see you laughing and not grimacing in pain.

"I just never imagined actually having this conversation with somebody," you say, smiling. You appreciate when ridiculous moments happen, and remind you that life doesn't have to be so serious all the time.

"Was I too rough?" he asks, making you giggle again.

"No, I liked it," you say. "I mean, I guess maybe, I just... I haven't really had this happen before," you say, still laughing. "It's probably cause your dick is, um, so big." You turn to see Yunho fighting to keep a smile off his face at your comment, his head turning away from you for a moment.

"Was it just too hard? Or too long?" he asks, making you burst into laughter harder. "I mean, how I fucked you y/n, not my di- ugh," Yunho covers his face, his cheeks reddening some.

"You're being so funny right now," you say. You can't help but find it terribly adorable how awkward he can sometimes be.

"I'm trying to be serious," he says, fixing you momentarily with a stern grimace, which only makes you both laugh harder. After a few moments you both calm down, making eye contact again.

"For real though, I don't want to hurt you. Was I too rough?" he repeats, truly wanting an answer.

"No, you really weren't. I liked it, I liked it a lot. It felt really good. Sometimes, with the way my body is, I have to sacrifice the future days of pain for doing something I really want to do. Sometimes I feel it's worth it. If I spent my life trying to prevent myself from ever feeling pain, I'd never get to do certain things. And obviously I have to be careful how often I do things like that, because usually it means I have to recover for a day or two, or even longer. But I can do it occasionally. I can deal with pain, extremely well," you finish, emphasizing the last two words.

"But I don't want sex with me to cause you pain," he says, eyeing you. "Is that really worth it to you? Aren't there things we could do that wouldn't hurt you?" he asks.

"Well, honestly part of the problem last night was probably that I just like, put your dick inside me without any warm up. Which was on me, I take full responsibility. But like, if you finger me first, it helps the muscles relax. Just doing that probably would have prevented most of this pain," you say.

"Thank you for telling me that," he says, his mind intently focused on every words coming from your lips.

"I liked what happened though, it was very..." you trail off.

"Feral?" he asks, making you laugh yet again. You put your face in your hands remembering everything, especially the way he grabbed you and flipped you over, and the sounds he made in your ear when he finally came.

"Yeah, I liked that," you giggle, face still hidden. You sigh into yourself, basking in the feeling of this conversation. You never thought you'd be having it with Yunho, and you realize that despite everything you couldn't be more comfortable. He knew you so well, and explaining all of this to someone who didn't know you at all would have been ten times more complicated.

"Y/n, I have to tell you something," he suddenly says, his tone completely different. You quickly put your hands down, turning your body in your chair to face him, as he sets his plate down on the ground, turning to face you as well.

"What is it?" you ask, trying to keep yourself from tensing up.

"I- I don't really know how to say this, I'm sorry if I start rambling. I just, I just need to say this, even though I think you already know, but in case it isn't clear. I-" he takes in a shaky breath, quickly letting it out. "I love you, obviously, I have for many years. But I'm also in love with you, and I don't know if you realized that. That's why certain things just keep coming out of my mouth, when we're having sex, and I'm sorry if it's weird. It doesn't seem to bother you but, I know we hadn't talked about it. I like calling you baby, it feels right, but if you want me to stop, or you want any of this thing, between us, to stop, you just say the word. I don't want anything that I ever do, or say, to make your life worse. You already deal with so much shit all of the time, and it would be my worst nightmare to know that I'm adding to that." Out of nowhere you feel a tear hit your cheek, quickly followed by one hitting your bare thigh. Yunho is staring at the ground between you, not able to stomach seeing your reactions in real time. "Above all I love you, and I want you to be happy, and even if tomorrow you tell me you never want to sleep with me ever again, I'd still love you, I'd still want to live with you and be your friend. I'm serious, I mean that. I would not hold it against you, I would not make things awkward. I don't feel like you owe me anything, at all. But you should also know if you want me to be more than a friend to you, I would gladly oblige. I know I should have probably told you this before we started having sex, but..." finally he trails off, looking up at you.

"Fuck, I'm sorry," he says seeing your tears, thinking he's upset you.

"No, don't apologize," you squeak out, trying to get ahold of your breathing.

"What's wrong?" he asks, coming to kneel next to you, taking your hands in his.

"I- I don't know," you croak, tears still streaming down your cheeks. You truly don't know why you suddenly burst into tears, after having such a calm morning. What Yunho said was sweet, unbelievably so. Your head spins, all the conversations from yesterday again playing through your head, like twenty radios going at the same time. It's incredibly overwhelming when your brain does this, and you grab your ears momentarily to try to make it stop. Yunho wipes the tears from your cheeks, sitting patiently as you calm yourself, as you finally wipe what you think are the last of the tears with the sleeves of his hoodie.

And when you finally look up you're met with big brown eyes that feel like they're looking into the depths of your soul, making your heart ache with a feeling so intense you can't name it. Suddenly the world slows, everything stops. It's just him and you, in this vast forest, and everything feels alright, like it's meant to be. Suddenly you're not feeling your sticky sweaty skin under the hoodie, or the ache in your core. You can't feel any of it when sat in front of you is your favorite person in the entire world. It hits you like a train, that realization. You'd never get over how kind he was to spend nights in the hospital with you, when you were so out of it you hardly remembered a thing. You could have said anything; you knew you acted strange when you were there. But still he was there for you, still he treated you the same. This beautiful, tall, talented man who could have been doing anything he wanted with his life. You could imagine doing everything with him, imagine living with him forever. You couldn't trust him more or respect him more if you tried. You realized the myriad dialogues playing out in your head had gone away, left with only one; a part of you, screaming at the top of her little lungs, 'how did it take you this long to realize?!'

"I'm-I'm so sorry I didn't see it sooner," you stutter, leaning down to hug him, to hold him tight. You have so much you want to say to him, but it's hard to get words out with how overwhelmed you feel.

"Shh, it's okay," Yunho comforts you, holding your head in the crook of his neck.

"I love you too," you say, struggling to find the right words. "I mean, more than platonically, I love you. I'm sorry it took me this long to realize it."

"I thought, maybe, that was the case," he says, chuckling into your hair.

"So even you figured that out before I did?" you ask, huffing out a laugh.

"What do you mean, even me?" he responds. You sit up to look at him again, putting your hands on his shoulders.

"Literally all of our friends knew we liked each other before I did," you say, like it's groundbreaking news.

"Does that surprise you?" he asks, incredulous.

"Well, yeah," you respond.

"They always do that though, don't they? I mean we all knew Hongjoong and Seonghwa liked each other since forever ago, it was just a thing. Sometimes I feel like they know me better than I know myself." You nod in response. It was definitely true with your friend group, time and time again.

"But Yunho, if you thought I liked you why didn't you ask me about it earlier?" you ask.

"I didn't want to put you in an awkward spot," he says, stroking his hand comfortingly down your arm.

"But, wait, how long have you suspected I like you?" you ask.

"Um, a while," he says, trying to think. "I don't remember exactly, but probably the last year or so."

"Year??" you ask, genuinely shocked. "How- what made you think that?"

"The way you are with me, when you're sick. I don't think you realize the things you say..." he trails off, grabbing your hands in his again.

"Oh god, what have I said to you?" you groan, trying to look away.

"It's nothing embarrassing, I swear. You just become so clingy with me, in a different way than you are with Seonghwa. Like, in a literal sense, not wanting me to let you go. You've asked me to sleep in your hospital bed before, and nurses have to kindly ask me to move so I'm not in the way. You will sometimes cry about how worried you are that I'll leave you, in a way that made it feel like we were already together. One time you said you were scared I'd stop loving you because of how sick you were. You'll profess your love for me, beg me to stay with you forever. Things like that."

"That sounds intense," you say, imagining it from his perspective. You shudder at the thought, a part of you feeling sick at how overwhelming it must be to care for someone like you.

"Well, yeah," he responds.

"I'm sor-"

"No. Don't do that." He grabs you tightly again, wrapping you in his arms. "I'm grateful for it all. I'm just so glad we finally talked about this. I'll always love you, no matter what happens. I want you to always remember that."

You nod into his shoulder, squeezing him tightly, just as you hear some foot steps approaching.

"Hi guys, I'm sorry to interrupt," Ari starts, speaking gently. You both break apart to give her your attention. "Can I borrow a pad, or a tampon or something?" she asks you, fidgeting. "I don't know why, but my period started today when it wasn't supposed to till like, next Tuesday."

"Oh my god, of course," you say immediately. "They should just be in my bag, easy to find. Feel free to grab whatever you need. Oh and my Tylenol, it might be in the bathroom if it's not in my bag."

"Thank you so much, you're a life saver," she says over her shoulder as she heads back in quickly, nearly breaking into a run. This cabin is messing with our hormones, you think. At first the thought amuses you, but then it feels scary too. Because what if everything that had happened between you and Yunho here, wouldn't feel the same back home? What if your feelings would change? It had taken the chaotic events of this trip to bring them to the surface, and would the monotony and business of real life bury them again?

There's also the possibility that it was inevitable, that all along this was going to happen. It certainly seems that everyone else thinks that, and that offers you some reassurance. But you can't help your own doubts, and your intense fear of what this means. It's all finally in the open, your feelings at least. But will you actually date? There is so much to discuss, and although he knows a lot, Yunho doesn't know the full of extent of your health issues. How much it can affect you, randomly for weeks or even months, how your sex drive changes, your moods change, your likes and dislikes even, if complicated medical issues are happening. You know you're bound to be pissed at him, to not want his attentions sometimes. You know he's bound to be way busier than you; which could be a good thing, you remind yourself. But if spending less time together feels almost relieving in a way, then is dating really the right thing to do? Maybe relationships with other people in general aren't really something you're built for. It's not like you've made many friends since high school, and the ones you have are almost exclusively online. You feel your soreness again, like a stabbing reminder of how messed up your body is.

"What are you thinking about?" Yunho asks you, cutting off your train of thought. It takes you a few moments, but you manage to collect your thoughts.

"Do you realize how sick I am?" you ask, your voice small.

"What do you mean?" The look he gives you is one of genuine care. It makes your heart flutter.

"I- just- I don't know what this is going to be going forward, but like, I can't date someone in the normal way. No, that's not a good way of putting it," you sigh into your hands. Gathering yourself you start again. "Dating me isn't even like dating someone with a diagnosed disease or disability. My health issues are ever changing, and none of them have been truly figured out. Obviously I've fainted since I was young, but sometimes I go through periods where I barely do at all, and then other times it's super frequent. Sometimes I randomly develop an allergy to a new food, and I have to basically obsessively read through every item I buy at the grocery store to make sure I'm not accidentally injesting it. There was a time, three years ago, when I had no desire for anything sexual for like, half a year. My periods were so bad, and everything down there just always felt weird and it hurt, and I literally thought I might never feel horny ever again. These things just, happen, and there's no way for me to predict them. And it would mean that, being with me, would be different," you finish, with a huge sigh.

"I know all of that already," Yunho says, sighing himself.

"But, so- what do you want to happen?" you ask, finally getting to crux of what you wanted to know.

"Whatever you want," he says.

"That's not true, that can't be," you say, feeling dubious. "There must be something specific that you want."

"I want to date you," he says. "But I knew you might not want that, because of everything you have going on. So whatever you're willing to do, I'm in."

"Yunho," you sigh, frustrated. Frustrated because those words feel too good to be true, and as much as you trust him in so many ways, a part of you still wants to run away in doubt. It's a huge deal, trusting someone with this part of you, and it's just hit you now that you've been sleeping with him, in more ways than one, and you haven't batted an eye. If he ever did something, in any scenario but especially a sexual one, that hurt you, it would be so hard to recover. Things had happened in the past to make you understand that. You were so determined to never let those things happen again, that you'd basically stopped dating or even thinking about it. You could physically please yourself, and have your friendships to give you companionship. You'd never felt very centered on romantic relationships anyway. You had so written off the possibility of developing another romantic relationship that you'd stumbled into one without much of a thought. It made you feel so stupid, so immature. It was hard not to scream at yourself internally.

"What do you want to happen?" he asks you, placing a hand on your knee comfortingly.

"I- I don't want to lose you," you say, sighing into yourself. "And I don't want to get hurt. I don't want- I- I don't know."

"I won't hurt you," he says, squeezing your knee.

"I know you'd never intend to, but you can't guarantee that," you say. "And I can't guarantee I won't hurt you, either."

"Isn't it still worth it?" he asks.

"It depends what we decide to do," you say, eyes soft.

"I love you," he says again. It's all he can think to say right now, seeing how much you seem to be spiraling. And it works; it brings you back down into your body, into the chair you're sitting on. Suddenly you feel heavy, like the weight of all of your thoughts crashed down on you in an instant.

"I love you too," you say, nearly tearing up again. "This got way too serious and heavy," you say, trying to shake loose the dread starting to fill your veins.

"Why don't we do something fun today, then?" he asks.

"Like what?" you ask, nodding your head.

"Do you want to go to the falls, just the two of us? I felt bad you couldn't really join in the other day when we all went. If you feel up to it," he says.

"That sounds perfect," you reply, smiling at him. You're thankful he seems okay leaving the conversation where it was. You could feel yourself coming undone a bit, your thoughts running out of control, and you knew there was truly no use in continuing. You needed to reset, to calm down, and Yunho's suggestion seemed like just the thing to make you feel right again.

***

Inside you both change into your swimsuits, grabbing towels and water and snacks for your journey. Yunho liberally applies sunscreen to your body, obviously enjoying the proximity, but also genuinely wanting to protect your skin. You burn extremely easily, and sunburns always make you feel exhausted for days.

"Everyone, the two of us are going to the falls," he announces to the room as you head towards the back door. "Follow at your own risk. Consider this your official warning," he says, eyeing everyone, making you giggle at the implication. He hopes they know what he means.

You take the walk slowly, again picking flowers from the path and putting them in his hair. It's hard for you to resist your little habit, given just how beautiful the landscape is out here. You love the wilderness, but your friends and family and life are in the city, so you cherish your moments out in nature when you can. Especially when you get to place flowers in Yunho's shaggy hair, that you absolutely love. You still haven't told him that, and it gnaws at you now that things are different between you. It wasn't something you would have necessarily thought to tell him before. You generally avoided having strong opinions about others' appearances because you just didn't feel it was your place. But your opinions about his clothes, his hair, had always been a bit stronger. You'd certainly noticed it from time to time, that you reacted when he borrowed his dad's suit for a wedding, or when he'd cut his hair a certain way. Maybe a part of you felt awkward about telling him that, in a way you wouldn't about any of your other friends. You'd justified to yourself that you never said anything because he didn't care about those things either, so you didn't need to say it. But now you realized, maybe it was because you felt nervous. Because there were lingering feelings there that you weren't really aware of.

"I really like your hair right now," you blurt out, not wanting to wait any longer. You were done being distant from your feelings, not understanding them when it came to him. It was too important to you now.

"Oh, really?" he asks you, turning to you with a smile as you near the lake. "The other day my mom said I desperately need a haircut," he laughs.

"No, I like it long like this," you say, admiring your work. You know the flowers will disappear as soon as he dives in the falls, but for now they're beautiful.

"Then I'm keeping it," he says, sighing contentedly as you finally reach your destination.

The falls are beautiful today, the sky bright and blue reflected in the sparkly clear water. You set your things down on a smooth rock, far enough from the edge that they won't fall in. Quickly Yunho dives in, and you follow after him much more carefully, gently lowering yourself into the wonderfully chilly water. The temperature is a welcome pairing with the heat of the day, and you sigh, taking a deep breath before finally dunking your head under. You swim out towards the actual waterfall, breathing in the mist that forms at the bottom, the sound nearly deafening when you're so close. But it feels electric; moments like these always do, when your body is well enough for you to be out experiencing something intoxicating and brilliant. Yunho sidles up beside you, pulling you with him as he ducks through the water to come behind the fall. Behind there is a small cave, invisible to the outside world, with light bouncing across the ceiling as water droplets skip along the surface, finding their final resting place after their journey over the cliff.

Yunho's hands are on you quickly, as you wrap your legs around his waist and your arms around his shoulders. He's holding you up, making it so you don't have to do any work, so that you can just breathe deep and enjoy the peace of the cave. In the water your bodies move slowly, sensually, and it makes you want to touch him as closely as you can. His wet hair sticks to his forehead, water beading down his face and shoulders. The gentle light dances across his face, and the steady sound from the falling water is almost hypnotizing. Your lips are on his before you know it, and it feels just right to open your mouth as he sucks on your bottom lip, letting out a soft moan. His hands are groping you, holding you up by your ass, snaking underneath your bikini bottoms. In here it truly feels like only you and him exist, and you release into that feeling, into the realization of just how strong your feelings for him are. You keep kissing him, small pecks of love, running your fingers through his hair and brushing it out of his face. You tug on it gently, not knowing if he likes that but so intoxicated by the pleasure you're feeling. Yunho groans, making you tug harder, your breathing speeding up from his reaction.

"I wanna fuck you out here," he says over the rushing water, his lips swollen from the kiss. You groan, grinding your hips into his as you lick across his lower lip, coaxing his mouth open again. Your tongues swipe over each other, you both incredibly hungry for more.

"Follow me," he says, starting to make his way back out of the cave. The bright sun feels shocking for a moment when you exit the dimness of the cave, but it feels wonderful. Like you've been transported back to literal paradise. You follow behind him as he swims towards the muddy bank of the lake, the part that boarders a bunch of trees and is relatively shady. When you arrive he lifts you up, sitting you down on the side of the lake where he can reach you.

His lips are back on yours in moments, his hands now able to explore the entirety of your bikini, snaking underneath your top to feel your chest, rubbing his thumbs enticingly over your nipples that are already hard from the cool water. A gentle breeze blows through the woods, making your wet skin feel cold. Your body shivers, from the breeze and from Yunho's touch, and you sigh in pleasure.

"Can I take this off?" Yunho asks as he tugs at your bikini, and you nod, starting to help him remove it. "Wait," he stops you, just for a moment. "You don't really answer me, when we're having sex. Do you like being so non-verbal?"

You just nod in response, showing him just how much it's true.

"Do you like me telling you what to do? Or do you want me to ask?" he continues.

"Either," you say, managing one word.

"And you'd tell me if you didn't like something?" he asks.

"Of course," you answer, feeling it's important. "I just don't like having to talk too much."

"I understand," Yunho nods, taking in your answer. He actually finds it incredibly hot, but again, it's not really something you've fully talked through yet. He so badly wants to know that he isn't hurting you, ever.

"Take this off then," he says, gently tugging on your bikini before pulling back from you. You throw it on the bank behind you, and it falls between two flowers in the grass.

Your feet sink into the mud as he pulls your legs again towards him, gently pushing them open. With your arms behind you, and bare chest to the sky, your naked body is on full display. Yunho's hands trace over the entirety of you, his legs still in the water as he kneels down, bringing himself closer to your center. He eyes your cunt hungrily, and it makes you throb, just how much his demeanor changes when he's finally truly in control. Your whole body buzzes from your surroundings, from the knowledge that you're in the wide open air and anyone could see.

"You like being naked in the forest, don't you," he says, seeing the way you so freely tossed your clothing, how comfortably you bore yourself to the world. You blush and giggle, soaking in the smells of the forest and grass behind you.

Yunho's hands slink down your thighs, finally coming to gently brush over your slit, when you jolt back in pain. The wimper that escapes you is pathetic, the realization of just how sensitive your pussy still is hitting you. It makes you upset, almost irrationally so.

"What's wrong baby?" he asks, immediately coming to comfortingly stroke your cheek.

"She hurts," you pout, looking down.

"Does she need a break today?" he asks.

"I guess," you say, frowning dramatically.

"That's okay baby, you don't need to be upset," he says, pulling you into a hug.

"But I want to do stuff," you whine into his shoulder.

"If your body needs a break, then we should give it a break," he says logically, making you roll your eyes. You feel petulant, and just want this time at the falls to be perfect.

"Is there anything that would help her feel better?" he asks, stroking a hand down your back.

"You could massage her," you say, smiling into him.

"What do you mean? Inside or outside?" he asks. You know it doesn't really make sense, the idea of massaging a pussy. But it makes sense to you.

"Just outside like, real gentle," you say, your voice small.

Yunho pulls back, gently bringing his hand down to your slit again. You inhale sharply at the initial contact, your body reacting without your control. But soon his methodical, slow movements up and down start to feel good. You body finally relaxes into it, your head dropping back as you soak in the warmth of the air. Yunho continues moving his fingers up and down, over and over brushing gently over your clit when he reaches the apex of his movements. The pleasure grows steadily each time and soon you're moaning softly, dropping to your elbows and spreading your legs even wider as your body starts to revel in the feeling.

"Does it feel good baby?" he asks you, and you nod your head, whining in response. He moves his thumb up to focus on your clit, gathering the wetness from your entrance and spreading it around. He adds more pressure to his small circular movements, the focus making your clit feel hot and sensitive. Waves of pleasure run down your legs and race up your abdomen, making your body feel sizzling hot in the summer air. You arch your back further, pushing yourself harder into his fingers, chasing the pleasure.

"You want more?" he asks, making you mewl in response. "I know you can take more baby, even if you're sore. Relax your pussy for me," he says before lining up his other hand, gently gathering more of your wetness on his middle finger before pushing it inside of you. You gasp instantaneously, again wincing at the initial pain. But with his other hand working your clit the pain quickly leaves you, your insides feeling like they're melting from the pleasure. His long fingers feel like they reach all the way inside of you, all the way into your guts, and it feels electric. Your breathing is ragged, your awareness no where else but your core and his fingers. "Good, you're so relaxed for me. I knew you could take it," he says, slowly pumping his finger in and out, focusing on putting pressure on that spongy sensitive spot that feels the best. "That feels good, doesn't it?" he asks, and you moan in response, almost whimpering. It makes blood rush to his cock seeing you so engrossed in how good you feel, the way you can so fully submit to him and your body and all the pleasure it gives you. "You need more," he says, no longer asking. He adds another finger, careful at first to not stretch you painfully fast. Once he can tell your body is ready for it he pumps faster, still focused on adding pressure in the right places.

Your moans are higher pitched now, your clit feeling red hot with pleasure. Your pussy is still sore but it feels so good, his movements mimicking the night before but not as rough, your body remembering everything that had transpired between the two of you the past few days. It's like everything with him; it builds, slowly, and suddenly you realize it's the best feeling in the world having him in control like this, able to read your body perfectly. A true dream come true, and it makes your head fuzzy with desire as you realize just how much you like it when he touches you all over, when he takes you out to a lake in the wide open air and touches you where anyone could see. Your careful, boring life would never have anyone suspect you like this and yet he could see, he knew. It almost feels fated that you went down this path, not knowing for so long what your true feelings were. Truly, how could this get any bett-

"Baby, stop thinking," Yunho says, bringing you back to him. And in a moment you're coming, the feeling ripping through you from your clit, making your whole body tingly with warmth and pleasure. The tightening muscles of your core are sore, but still clamp down around Yunho's fingers as you ride it out, your hips rolling to meet his movements. "Good girl, good girl," he repeats in your ear, or at least it feels like he's whispering into your ear, your eyes closed and taking in every sound so vividly. You finally lay fully flat on your back, riding out the last of your orgasm, your body limp and relaxed against the dirt and grass on the bank. Finally you blink open to look at him, seeing the blown pupils you love so much, taking his hand off your clit with a small 'too much.' He smiles at you, stroking that hand across your stomach and leaning down to kiss you, hungrily coaxing your mouth open and then pulling back to suck on your bottom lip.

***

And unbeknownst to both of you, Wooyoung watched on from behind a tree, his hand down his pants as he palms his painfully hard cock, trying to offer himself some relief. He understood Yunho's implication a mile away, and after spending a long time coming up with a good excuse, trekked his way up the hill to find you two. He really was getting incessantly horny on this trip, which wasn't completely out of the ordinary given his typical predisposition to horniness. But something on this trip especially, the amount of sex happening around him, made him feel insatiable.

As he crested the small hill before the lake he saw you two immediately, saw Yunho's hands under your bathing suit and your head thrown back in pleasure, the perfect curve of Yunho's back as he leaned into you, his hands possessively roaming. Wooyoung felt himself getting hard immediately, especially as he snuck around to between the trees, the threat of being caught adding to the arousal pooling in his pants. He saw you two talking, saw some exchange happen. And then your were stripping off your bikini, throwing it behind you, and your naked body was bare to the sky. He'd told you a million times how hot you were, and you usually laughed it off; but he truly meant it. Though he couldn't hear any of the words between you he could sense your submission and the way Yunho was taking control, the way he comforted you when you seemed to be in pain, and the way he reached down again and touched you differently. Wooyoung wished he could experience Yunho's domination, how kind and gentle it was. It wasn't his usual style, not what he usually wanted. But something about seeing the two of you together made him ever so slightly jealous; it made him think of the woman he was now involved with, how he missed her hands on him.

His hand provided him some pleasure but it just wasn't enough, just couldn't satisfy him the way he needed. His dick was hard and leaking in his shorts, and the longer he watched he just didn't care anymore; he pushed them down, his movements becoming more erratic as he chased his pleasure, not caring when he heard some twigs snap under his foot. The pleasure was good, so good, but he knew it couldn't be enough for him. Did he just watch you come? God he needed the feel of someone else, the intensity of fucking another person. He needed a better look at you, needed to see all that he could, so he stepped beside the tree, a larger branch snapping under his weight and echoing against the cliff, making Yunho's head snap up.

"Wooyoung, Jesus Christ," Yunho laughed, lifting himself off of you and helping you sit up, his two fingers still inside you.

"Oh my god, Woo," you laughed too, seeing his boner even all these feet away. It made you feel good, your core clenching a moment as your realized he'd been watching.

"Sorry, I-" Wooyoung sputtered, not sure what to say. Desperately he pulled up his shorts, his cock creating an obvious tent in the material. You both keep laughing, looking over at his pathetic face, his cheeks red from being caught. Painfully, it turned him on even more, the way you both were laughing at him. "This isn't fair," he whined, trying to look away from your naked bodies.

"What do you mean?" you asked him, still laughing.

"I'm fucking horny," he whined again, his tone still pitiful, but the smirk on his face betrayed just how much he was loving this. "And you guys just keep laughing at me; I'm not even trying to be funny."

"What are you trying to do then?" Yunho asked, eyeing him.

"I-" he started, stopping himself.

"Woo, just say it," you giggled, loving every moment of seeing Wooyoung like this.

"I'm trying to- I need someone to fuck me," he blurted out, finally.

"And you're hoping it'll be me?" you jokingly batted your eyelashes at him, making his head feel fuzzy. "Or, him?" you asked, pointing at Yunho.

"Either of you, I don't care," Woo responded, his whole body flushed with how turned on he was.

"You don't prefer me?" you asked, acting like you were hurt.

"Y/n," Wooyoung groaned, his hand coming put to cover his face. "I know you're fucking with me," he sighed, trying to collect himself.

"Yeah, stop messing with poor horny Wooyoung," Yunho laughed, his hand still inside you. He liked feeling the way your pussy clenched as you teased Wooyoung; you clearly loved doing it, and he filed that thought away for later.

"You both suck," Wooyoung groaned, carefully untangling his shoe from the broken branch, making his way back towards the trail.

"Woo, maybe just ask someone instead of sneaking up on them," Yunho called, his tone light as he chuckled. Neither of you really minded his intrusion, it just probably wasn't the way he was going to succeed at his little mission.

Tumbling down the trail Wooyoung almost broke into a run, adrenaline from the conversation he'd just finished coursing through him. As he neared the cabin he tried to slow down, steadying his breaths as he spotted Mingi shooting hoops by himself, shirtless and no doubt sweaty in the afternoon heat. Taking Yunho's advice he decided to play it as cool as he could, approaching Mingi with a clear goal instead of messily stumbling up a mountain in a pure horny haze.

"Mingi!" he called out, making his way over towards the court.

"Hey Woo," Mingi replied, passing him the basketball. Wooyoung wound up, missing the basket completely, the ball bouncing away into the grass.

"You really are terrible at shooting," Mingi laughed, jogging over to pick up the ball.

"Not nice," Wooyoung pouted, his arms crossing over his chest. "I'm very good at plenty of other things," he stated, jutting out a hip.

"Oh, sure you are," Mingi joked. You weren't the only one who enjoyed messing with Wooyoung; in fact, it was kind of a default setting for most of you. It was just too fun, seeing him get all flustered and bothered in the way that he did. The crazy thing was Mingi hadn't even seen Woo's shorts yet, too focused on retrieving the basketball a moment ago.

"I am," Wooyoung fixed Mingi with a steely gaze, just as Mingi wound up for a shot. The ball bounced off the backboard, headed straight for Wooyoung, but he didn't even bother catching it as he continued to stare Mingi down.

"Woo, what are you- oh my god," Mingi laughed, finally seeing the tent in his shorts. "Did I do that?" he joked, pointing. Wooyoung's face grew pink again, that feeling of being caught doing something bad returning in full force.

"Well, yeah," Woo responded, snaking his eyes down Mingi's entire body. "You're out here playing basketball shirtless, how was I supposed to react?"

Mingi smiled and laughed, honestly flattered by Woo's admission. "So you had an ulterior motive, you didn't actually want to play with me?" he asked, jogging to the back of the court to pick up the ball Woo had let go.

"Mingi, I'm horny," Wooyoung groaned, eyeing him pathetically.

"I'm shocked," Mingi responded, laughing again.

"Mingi," Woo groaned again. "I need someone to help me, to, take care of it," he mumbled, his body tingling with embarrassment.

"Just go jack off, if it's that bad," Mingi replied, shooting the basketball again. It was all so casual to him, this conversation not affecting him the way Wooyoung hoped. Well, that was a failed attempt. Grumbling something incoherent Wooyoung walked away, heading towards the back of the house until he spotted Seonghwa and Hongjoong out by the trees, laying together in the grass. He walked his way over, determined to play it right this time.

"Hi guys," he said brightly, finally coming upon them to see Hongjoong on top of Seonghwa, their lips pressed together in a deep kiss. They were more tangled together than Wooyoung realized, and he braced for the response.

"Oh my god, Woo, you fucking scared me," Hongjoong sputtered, lifting himself enough to look at him. "What's up?" he asked, confused by the sudden interruption.

"How- how are you guys, doing?" Wooyoung asked hesitantly, trying to tread lightly.

"Um, good. We're kind of in the middle of something," Hongjoong replied, Seonghwa holding back a laugh underneath him.

"I know, I- um-" Woo stuttered, not able to come out with it.

"Woo, is something wrong?" Hongjoong asked, getting annoyed.

"No, I'm-"

"Okay then what are you doing! We're clearly in the middle of something!" he nearly yelled, his dick hard in his pants and frustrated with the lack of action he was getting. Wooyoung pouted, the sharp sound of Hongjoong's voice penetrating through him. He liked being yelled at like that.

"He probably wants to join us," Seonghwa laughed, his body still lax against the grass.

"Oh, I should have guessed," Hongjoong replied, laughing too. A moment lapsed, the two of them giggling into each other, before their faces came close again. But just before they could kiss again Seonghwa held his hand against Hongjoong's shoulder, stopping him.

"Woo, seriously, we want to spend some quality time just the two of us," Seonghwa said, his voice gentle but his demand clear.

"God, all of you suck," Wooyoung huffed before turning on his heel, stalking his way back towards the cabin. He now had his sights set on the bathroom, his needs growing too severely now for him to keep wasting time hoping that one of you would join him. It was time to deal with this himself, even if it wouldn't compare to what he really wanted.

When he busted through the door he didn't even consider acting normal for everyone; his desperation was too severe. Ari noticed his strange demeanor right away, pulling him aside in the hallway.

"What's wrong?" he asked, her voice soft.

"Nothing, nothing," Wooyoung replied, trying not to be driven crazy by how attentive she was being. God, he really just needed to lock himself in that bathroom and get this shit over with.

"Woo, clearly it's something," she said eyeing his crotch, wracking her brain for what exactly it could be.

"I really shouldn't have worn these damn shorts," Woo sighed, shaking his head at just how poor his choice was. They truly were the worst, the thin grey material leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. "Sorry, I'm just so horny right now and no one I asked was willing to, uh, sleep with me," he laughed. Saying it out loud made him realize how silly it all was, some of his tension melting away.

"Woo, I-" Ari looked over to San, seeing him engrossed in a conversation with Yeosang and Jongho. "Give me a sec, stay right here," she said before grabbing San, pulling him into their shared bedroom for a quick conversation. Soon she had returned, Wooyoung waiting patiently with his hands covering his crotch as he tried to act as normal as possible.

"Woo, come with me," Ari beckoned, holding out her hand. He grabbed it, following diligently towards the master bedroom. Once inside Ari sat him on a chair, her and San facing him while they sat on their bed.

"Woo, you seem very in need, and well, we're offering to help you," Ari started, not a single awkward pause tainting her sentence.

"Wait, really?" Woo asked looking between the two of them, absolutely shocked. They were the last people he'd ever have thought would be open to this, mostly because he'd never even met San and had no way of knowing what sort of thing he was into. But even Ari, she'd never seemed like the kind of person who'd want to share.

"Yes really. We can, tonight, if you want to," she finished, San nodding along. They'd actually discussed this possibility of this exact scenario about a month before, both laughing at the time about how unlikely it was to really happen. But they both found Wooyoung attractive, and decided they wouldn't rule out the idea of messing around with him together. At that time San had only seen pictures and spoken to Woo on the phone a few times; still, his interest was piqued.

"I-" Woo stuttered again, his words failing him badly with how fuzzy his head had felt for nearly the entire afternoon. "I don't know if, if my girlfriend will like it," he suddenly blurted out, surprising everyone, including himself.

"You have a girlfriend?" Ari asked.

"Yeah, that woman Mingi told you guys about, that choreographer," he responded.

"So things are really that serious, between you two?" Ari asked, so curious. There was no judgement in her tone, this was just truly a bit out of character for Wooyoung.

"We haven't discussed it yet," Woo replied, his own eyes still wide.

"Why didn't you invite her to come along?" San asked him, smiling at how genuine Woo's surprise clearly was.

"I- I didn't even think to," Wooyoung sighed, shaking his head.

"You should text her, we've still got a few days. And aren't your cousins leaving tomorrow morning? That'll free up some space on the couches," Ari said, smiling genuinely at Wooyoung.

"Fuck, I should," Woo smiled, the corners of his lips turning up ever so slightly. "I'm sorry guys, I hope I'm not making you feel rejected or anything, by saying no. I'd gladly fuck both of you, any day," he finished, making them both laugh.

"Don't apologize Woo, it's no big deal. Go, go text her," Ari responded, shooing Wooyoung out of the room. It was honestly so adorable how genuine Wooyoung was being, so careful with this woman's feelings, and it made Ari so happy to see her friend experiencing what all of you had wanted for him for so long.

***

The day pulled to an end, the sun starting to fall beyond the tree line, covering the sky in a beautiful subtle shade of orange. S'mores were on the menu tonight, the whole group of you gathered around the fire pit as Yunho and Mingi stoked the fire, their faces lit up with the brilliant light of the flames. You sat wrapped up in Yunho's hoodie again, yawning hard as you shivered in the cold air of the night. Earlier, when you'd finally made it back to the cabin, you'd realized your skin was burnt, and it only took a few hours for the exhaustion to start setting in. So much for trying to be careful, you thought. But it really was worth it today, getting to spend all that time alone with Yunho.

"How was everyone's day?" Ari asks from San's lap, a blanket wrapped around the two of them.

"So good," you smile at her, and she waggled her eyebrows at you, making you laugh. "I wish I could go to that waterfall, like, every weekend," you say, a murmur of agreement passing through the group.

"I'm sure Wooyoung wishes you could do that too," Yunho adds, looking over at Wooyoung with a smirk.

"Do tell," Ari prompts him, seeing clearly he has a story to share.

"Well, Woo came and interrupted me and y/n while we were, you know, in the middle of the things out by the lake. It was funny," he laughs, smiling at you.

"He did the same to us," Hongjoong responds, making both you and Yunho's eyebrows jump up.

"Woo I told you not to sneak up on anyone else," Yunho chastises him, laughing harder.

"Damn Woo, you really asked everyone today," Mingi laughs, smirking.

"You all are such cunts," Wooyoung responds, fighting back the laughter himself. "You just keep rubbing it in my damn face how you're having sex every goddamn day we're here."

"I haven't been," Mingi retorts, earning an eye roll form Wooyoung.

"Okay well you're rubbing it in my face how perfect your body is, so yeah, you still qualify as a cunt," Wooyoung responds.

"Did you text your girlfriend Woo?" Ari asks.

"Girlfriend?" you ask, looking at him expectantly.

"Yes, girlfriend. And yes I did; she said she has to check her schedule but she's probably coming tomorrow," Woo responds, looking almost nervous.

"Oh my god Woo, this is so exciting!" Ari responds.

"Wait, are you two like, together together? Officially?" you ask. Woo nods, that shy smile not leaving his lips.

"Look at him, he's growing up," Seonghwa sighs, making you all laugh. There is a palpable relief washing through the group, at seeing Wooyoung willing to explore a relationship again after swearing everything about love off so long ago. High school relationships can be so scarring, and a big part of you felt so thankful you never even considered dating at that age, despite at the time feeling like you were missing out on something so integral to growing up.

"And what's the deal with you two?" Ari eyes you and Yunho, smiling at the way your eyes can't even meet hers.

"We haven't talked about it yet, we'll tell you guys in our own time," Yunho responds, not angry by any means but firm enough to shut down the line of inquiry.

"Things are good," you add, seeing the curious looks of everyone.

"Your boyfriend is really cool, by the way," Jongho says to Ari, earning a small chorus of 'so true' and 'I agree' from the group.

"Thank you, that's so nice to hear," Ari responds, snuggling closer in San's lap. "You always worry what people will think of your boyfriend, especially your favorite people."

"He seems basically perfect," you say, Ari's face lighting up with a smile. San has finally lost the battle with himself, his own face curling into a shy smile that makes his dimples pop.

"Aw look, he's blushing!" Mingi calls, making you all break into giggles once again. "Here, who wants the first one?" he asks holding up a toasty marshmallow, Wooyoung holding out his plate of graham crackers and chocolate. "Be careful guys, they're gonna be really hot," he says as he pops another marshmallow on his stick, carefully holding it the perfect distance above the now-steady fire. Eventually you all have hot marshmallows on your plate, the chocolate melty inside the delicious sugary sandwich you all are enjoying. Well, everyone except you has melty chocolate, because of course chocolate was one of those pesky things you couldn't eat. Still you enjoyed the treat, resting your head against the back of your chair as you all chowed down, the group falling into near silence.

"She said she can come tomorrow morning," Wooyoung suddenly announces after checking his phone, the light from the sun nearly totally gone now. You all murmur in approval, genuinely excited to meet this woman who your dear friend so cares about. Soon everyone is done, wiping their faces as they finish the last of their s'mores, the fire slowly starting to die as Yunho and Mingi let it burn out. In the darkness of the night you can see so many stars, the sight always taking your breath away when you have the chance to see it. You lay staring up for a while, trying to find the constellations you know, your eyes eventually feeling too heavy to hold open. Soon you're woken from your slumber by Yunho, as he carries you inside to properly go to bed, your head resting against his shoulder as he carries you. You're out moments after snuggling into the soft sheets of your bed nook, your mind enveloped in a comforting darkness after the wonderful day you'd just had.

[ckret2]

Chapter 45 of human Bill Cipher would give anything to be trapped in the Mystery Shack again; The Eclipse, part 3.

Whatever's making gravity disappear in Gravity Falls is accelerating; Bill continues to insist he knows exactly what it is but won't say what; Ford's getting pretty fed up with him; and poor Dipper's just got to put up with them.

Oh, and totality arrives.

Bill woke up before full dawn with his cheek in half an inch of water.

He sat up with a gasp. The movement flung his bedsheet off; it floated gently in the air. Bill's exhalations moved it faster than gravity did. The lake was flooding the tent.

He was collapsed halfway out of his tent. He crawled the rest of the way out, dry heaved, splashed some water on his face, forced himself to his feet, and looked at the golden sky.

He didn't like what he saw.

####

Ford and Dipper were woken up by "Reveille" playing on a kazoo. "Rise and shine, puppets, the situation's gotten worse!"

Ford sat up with a groan. "The devil's going..." He lifted his hand to rub his eyes, and instead splashed himself with water. He gasped. "What?"

Bill kicked at the zipped tent flap. "You're flooding, and that's the least of your bad news."

When Ford got out of the tent, Bill was pacing back and forth on top of the water, wringing water out of his bedsheet. "My estimate was wrong. Totality's happening today," he said. "The eclipse must have accelerated."

"Oh, that's ridiculous," Ford said. "How can an eclipse accelerate?"

"You don't know everything! You study the paranormal, you should be used to the inexplicable!"

"My job is to explain the inexplicable."

"Split hairs later!" Bill pointed toward Tate & Backle's Bait & Tackle shop at the far end of the lake. From that distance, it seemed to be sitting on the surface of the water as well. "The closest shelter's the bait shop. We can wait out totality there—"

"No," Ford said.

Bill stared at him. "What do you mean no. You don't still plan on hiking up to Gravity Peak—"

"I do."

"Are you insane!"

"That's an interesting question out of you."

"It's going to be here in hours! And you want to be at the highest point in Gravity Falls?!"

Dipper shuffled out of the tent, blinking groggily. "Why do you have a kazoo?"

"Not! Important! Now!" Bill resumed pacing. "What'll it take to convince you to take this seriously and stay low?"

"You could start with a proper explanation."

"I've explained as much as you need to—" Bill abruptly fell silent and stopped walking, eyes wide with horror.

Dipper and Ford turned to see what he was looking at.

There was nothing. Just a few pine trees in front of a line of gray rocks still tall enough to stick up out of the shallow water in front of the sheer cliff face below Gravity Peak. Dipper turned to Bill. "What?"

Bill didn't answer. He just took off his backpack and started stuffing his damp bedsheet inside. "With gravity so low, the climb through the tunnel to the peak should be a lot faster than humans can usually go," Bill muttered. "If we can get up there in an hour or two, do your stupid scans, and at least get back to the cave before totality..." He looked worriedly at the sky, then slung his backpack back on. "But we need to leave now."

Ford said, "I suppose we could have breakfast on the go. As soon as we pack our tents and change into dry clothes..."

"No time," Bill said. "You can change in the cave, you'll just get your clothes wet again if you do it here. We'll come back for the tents later."

Dryly, Ford said, "Who put you in charge of this expedition?"

"If we waste any more time, the lake will rise higher than the cave opening and we won't be able to get in."

Ford mentally measured how high the lake had risen already. "We'll come back for the tents later."

The survival equipment Ford kept in his backpack included a self-inflating raft with two collapsible paddles, which was well worth the slightly-unstable magic he'd used to get it to fit without being too heavy to carry. He inflated the raft, everyone climbed in, Ford gave Dipper the second paddle, and they set out across the lake in the pinkish early morning light.

Bill looked back over his shoulder one last time at the the line of sharp, gray rocks, and the beforeimage of brilliant red blood drying on their points, such a dramatic and permanent change to their appearance that even hours beforehand he could see it; and then he forced himself to turn away. The only way they were avoiding that was if they were off the cliff before totality.

####

As they crossed the lake, Bill ran his hands beneath the surface next to the inflatable raft and scooped up a handful of water. With the water came eight small, wriggly, ghostly axolotls, clear as glass and shining in the thin rays of dawn.

Dipper gasped. "What are those?"

Bill gave him a sharp look. "You can see them?"

"See what?" Ford asked, leaning over to peer at Bill's hands.

Dipper said, "The—the axolotls?" At Ford's frown, Dipper asked, "Can't you see them?"

"He can't see them," Bill said.

Uncertainly, glancing over the side of the boat, Ford asked, "In the water? Where?"

"No, in Bill's hands."

"He can't see them," Bill repeated. "You shouldn't be able to see them, either." He spilled the axolotls back into the lake. They melted into the water as though they'd never existed. "You really, really need to get inside."

Dipper did not like the sound of that. He swallowed hard.

"What exactly did you see?" Ford asked.

"Bill just... scooped a bunch of tiny axolotls out of the water," Dipper said. "Like the one in the fish tank, but smaller. And they were completely clear, like they were made out of ice."

"Were they alive?"

"Yeah, they were wiggling around. They disappeared when he dropped them back in the water."

"At least they're still transparent," Bill muttered. "And I suppose you won't take this as proof that I've been right about everything."

"Wh—" Ford lowered his paddle and gestured at the lake, "How do invisible axolotls that only some people can see prove anything about 'gravitational eclipses'! If anything, that sounds like the exact kind of weirdness that would come from the Nightmare Realm ripping open!"

"Oh, I wish it was the Nightmare Realm, I would love for it to be the Nightmare Realm," Bill snapped. "You know what, never mind! I changed my mind! Keep saying your thing about the sky ripping open and pouring all my friends into town! Maybe if you say it enough times I'll be wrong and it'll happen, that'd be great!"

"It at least makes more sense than your story! What in the world are a bunch of invisible axolotls doing in the lake, anyway!"

"Migrating."

"Axolotls don't migrate to Oregon, their native range is in Mexico!"

"Fine. Harbinging. They're harbingers."

"Of what?"

"The eclipse."

Ford dropped his oar, made a gesture like he was fighting himself not to strangle Bill, and finally dragged his hands down his face. "Why. Are invisible axolotls the harbingers of an eclipse."

"I don't know, it's just one of those things! Are we going to the cave or not?!"

Ford furiously started rowing again. Dipper had to hurry to keep up. 

As he paddled, Ford snapped, "And for as often as you've told us not to look up, now that this 'eclipse' of yours is nearly at 'totality,' I still don't see anything out of the ordinary in the sky!"

"Of course you don't," Bill snapped back, "it's not in the sky."

"Then why can't we look up?!"

"I don't mean up, I mean up-up."

Ford stared at Bill like he'd grown a second head. "WHAT?!"

"I mean... ahhh," Bill made a frustrated noise, snapping his fingers, "English doesn't have a word for— upward-but-not-skyward! You know what I mean!"

Ford almost snapped at Bill again; but then paused. "Hold on," he said slowly. "That's from..."

"Who cares what it's from, you at least know what it means—"

"Flatworld," Ford said. "That was the name of it, right?"

A brief grimace flashed across Bill's face. "Yes, that."

Dipper looked between them, confused. "What?"

Ford said, "It's a novella that explains the concept of higher dimensions by using a metaphor about lower dimensions. A sphere visits the second dimension to teach a square about the third—but where the sphere intersects the second dimension, all the square can see is a circle."

Bill muttered, "Would you drop the wise mentor schtick for five minutes—"

Ford raised his voice. "The sphere tries to explain that the rest of its body is above the second dimension—but having never seen the third dimension, in the square's language 'up' and 'above' mean the same thing as 'north.' The sphere resorts to calling the third dimension up-but-not-north to indicate that it's a different, unseen dimension."

Dipper nodded slowly. "So, if the eclipse is upward-but-not-skyward, then... what, you're telling us not to look in the fourth dimension?"

"Finally!" Bill sighed. "It's not exclusively in the fourth, but—it's close enough, you get the idea!"

Ford said, "But we can't see the fourth dimension."

Bill gave Dipper a dubious look that Dipper didn't like at all; but Bill only said, "Then you've got nothing to worry about, just like I've been saying! Keep your eyes shut just in case."

"Convenient that your proof is only visible in a dimension we can't see," Ford said wryly.

Dipper looked up, squinting at the sky. Bill shoved his head back down.

####

The waterfall was more of a waterfloat. Large orbs of water gently descended from the cliff high above, catching the early morning light. Ford and Dipper stopped paddling to watch in wonder. Bill muttered a spell under his breath, and a foot over their heads the waterfall landed on an invisible umbrella and rolled to the sides rather than land in their raft.

The water level had risen so high they had to lay nearly flat in the raft to get through the cave entrance; rather than paddling, Ford pushed them through with his hands on the tunnel's ceiling. Bill was out of the raft and walking across the water to the shore while Ford and Dipper were still getting their paddles positioned again. 

"Gravity's currently��what, about twenty-five percent?" Bill tugged off a shoe, dropped it, and observed how fast it fell. "Twenty to twenty-five percent." He took off his other shoe, rung out his socks over the lake, and stuffed them in his backpack, preparing to climb barefoot. "And it's only going lower. You should be able to just jump up most of the way to the top of Gravity Peak. So if you waste my time trying to climb..."

"Would you relax?" Dipper said irritably. "You should be glad we got up at the crack of dawn for you at all." He climbed out of the raft, copied Bill's attempt to dry out his socks and shoes, and then rung out his wet hat.

"You should be grateful I warned you totality's getting closer! Weren't you the ones convinced the world's going to end if you don't chuck a glue bomb at the sky?"

Ford muttered, "I'm surprised you didn't just have us waste time until the cave was inaccessible."

Bill processed that. He pressed his lips together, squeezed his eyes shut, and his face contorted in an expression of exquisite pain and regret. Through gritted teeth, he muttered, "Happy to help."

Ford reeled out a few feet of cable from his infinity belt, looped it around Dipper's waist, and tied it securely. An infinitely-long cable wouldn't be very helpful on a real climb—if Dipper lost his grip, it would just keep unreeling rather than stop his fall—but this wasn't much of a real climb, and at least it would ensure they couldn't get separated. Dipper took out a flashlight, Ford lit his antique lantern—instead of rising up, the flame inside looked nearly like a ball—and Bill hurried ahead of them, not bothering with any light source, eyes occasionally flashing like a cat's in the dark when he glanced back to check the humans' progress.

This was the fastest Ford had ever climbed the tunnel path up to the top of the mountain, easily leaping nearly twice his height to grab handholds that would previously have taken several minutes to climb to; and before long, he was all but ignoring basic spelunking safety to keep up with Bill. Losing his footing simply meant a slow, gentle fall back to the nearest level ground to try again. The only thing holding Bill back—who, Ford suspected, was now simply flying through the shadows—was Dipper, who was also climbing as fast as he could.

The only time Ford even came close to catching up was when Bill paused to look down the path that, if Ford remembered right, led to the thousand-year-old cave paintings where Ford first learned about his "muse"; but then Bill was gone again, rushing ahead into the dark. 

While Bill was at the furthest end of his tether, Ford dropped back to keep pace with Dipper. "Keep your voice low," he said, "but—Dipper, are you absolutely positive that what you saw in the lake were axolotls?"

"Pretty sure. They had the frills and everything, I don't know what else they'd be," Dipper said. "Do you think that's important? In your third journal..."

"That's just what I was thinking."

When Ford had documented his interdimensional travels in Journal 3, he'd included a few strange references to axolotls he'd heard over the years: refugees in the Nightmare Realm who'd cried "praise the Axolotl" when Ford had said he would kill Bill; an oracle who mentioned Bill's history and prophesied his defeat, whose temple was filled with tapestries and paintings of axolotls.

"Maybe they're connected?" Dipper asked. "Maybe the axolotl they're talking about is some kind of... ancient enemy of Bill?"

"I think it's more complicated than that," Ford said. "I was only able to describe a few of my travels in Journal 3—but I heard 'the Axolotl' mentioned in multiple dimensions."

Dipper processed that. "What, so... do you think they're all talking about the same god or something?"

"Yes and no. Some societies referred to this Axolotl as a divinity—although not a creator god. But nobody seems to agree on what its domain is. I heard some say it's the god of goodness. Other, the god of justice. The god of luck. The god of second chances. I've rarely seen the same label twice." Ford shrugged. "But then sometimes it was described like a vast animal or a force of nature—something that travels between stars and watches astronautical travelers, like a curious dolphin watching a boat. I never learned if they were all describing the same being, a group of beings—or if it was a simple translation error for some other term like 'demigod.'"

Dipper scrunched his nose. "'Translation error,' what? Across multiple civilizations?"

"The dimensional translator I received was somewhat buggy," Ford said. "From time to time it would offer wildly incorrect translations for individual words. For instance, it consistently replaced the word 'soccer ball' with soccer ball, of all things. You can only imagine what kind of trouble that got me into."

Dipper blinked in bafflement, opened his mouth, decided maybe this was a can of worms best opened later, and shut his mouth.

"And on top of all that, not all the cultures I encountered respect this 'Axolotl.' In some places, it was called the god of injustice, inequality, or cruelty. The patron deity of criminals and tyrants. Sometimes it's a villain in folklore—a legendary thief, mercenary, liar, or thug. I don't know why the stories vary so wildly," Ford said. "But that Axolotl certainly doesn't sound like someone who would be Bill's enemy."

"I guess not." But how could one being be the god of both justice and injustice? Second chances and cruelty? Either some of the stories had to be wrong, or else they were about different axolotls.

"So in the end, I have no idea what the Axolotl is. But," Ford said, "I wouldn't be surprised if it has something to do with whatever Bill's hiding."

####

When they reached the tunnel's exit, Bill was standing beneath a tree, staring fixedly at something unseen in the sky. "I think it's still speeding up," he muttered. "Not that either of you care. I suppose I'm just talking to myself."

Ford elected to ignore Bill as he untied the infinity belt's cable from around Dipper's waist and reeled it in. He started the walk to the highest point along the cliff's edge. Dipper followed, and reluctantly Bill did too.

The tunnel had meandered sideways as it rose through the mountain; the stream that fed the waterfall they'd passed under was far to their left side, and the cliff looked out not over the lake, but over what used to be the shore, which was now submerged in several inches of water.

Dipper followed Ford to the edge so he could look over at the waterfall. For a moment, he couldn't figure out why the lake below looked wrong; but then he realized that the sun had risen high enough that the sky had changed from pink to pale blue. Which meant the lake should have been reflecting blue. "Why's the lake pink?" 

When Ford just gave him a puzzled look—"It doesn't look pink to me."—Dipper turned to Bill.

Bill didn't even glance toward the lake. "Congratulations on being able to fully see the axolotls."

"There can't be enough to turn the lake pink," Ford protested, a tad irritably. "Leucistic axolotls are rare in the wild, they usually come in shades of brown and black."

"Oh you'll find anything to—" Bill pointed toward Dipper. "If you don't like their coloration, take it up with him! I'm not the one that told you how they look! If there weren't an independent witness here, you wouldn't have even believed me if I said there were axolotls."

"If there weren't an independent witness here, you wouldn't have told us there were axolotls." Ford slung off his backpack to rummage through it for the micro-rip scanner.

"Why am I seeing axolotls?" Dipper asked. "I mean, why... just me?"

Bill didn't answer for a second. He was still staring at the sky, watching something. He finally muttered, "Good question."

Dipper wasn't reassured by the fact that Bill wasn't even interested in pretending he knew the answer.

Bill said, "Remember when I told you that meeting some things—even just looking at them—will drive you mad? And that you almost met one?" He finally lowered his gaze to give Dipper a cruel smile. "Well, lucky you, you don't even need to build a portal. One's coming here."

Dipper swallowed hard. "So, don't look up?"

"Look who's finally catching on." Bill's gaze drifted away from Dipper's face and back to the sky.

"If just looking at it can drive you crazy, why are you looking?"

Bill laughed bitterly. "I've already taken as much damage as I can." With considerable effort, he tore his eyes from the sky. He floated to the edge of the cliff and peered over the edge.

Below were the sharp gray rocks near last night's campsite. Even from this high up, the future bloodstains were visible, bright red. They looked soon. Bill suppressed a shudder; his feet settled back on the ground and he backed away. "We're running out of time," he said. "You're as high as you can get, and you're still hundreds of feet below where the rift was. What now, smart guy?"

"I'm working on it." Ford was tying the end of his infinity belt's cable around the scanner. He gave the cable several feet of slack; twirled it in the air a few times to build up speed; and then let it go, sending it soaring into the sky. With gravity practically non-existent, the act of throwing it knocked Ford back a few inches, and the scanner simply kept on flying into the air.

Bill watched with his hands on his hips and a sour look. "Yeah, okay, all right, I guess that works."

"If anywhere is likely to have enough micro-rips to threaten reality, it'll be here," Ford said. "Here, we may need this." He took out the glue grenade, poured in his remaining adhesive, and handed the grenade to Dipper.

When the scanner reached its apex and began slowly falling, Ford pressed a button on his belt to retract the cable. He caught the scanner, examined the numbers, and frowned.

"Well?" Bill asked. He'd backed under the protective shade of a tree and was leaning on it with his arms crossed.

"Twenty-seven thousand micro-rips," Ford muttered. "The highest number so far. Nearly double the amount by Mabel's Fault."

Bill cupped a hand around his ear. "Sorry, did I hear you say 'a quarter of the danger threshold'?"

Ford didn't answer, still glaring at the numbers.

"So can we go now?" Bill asked. "Totality could be here any minute, and I do not want to be exposed on the highest spot in town."

Ford twirled the scanner over his head and chucked it again at another spot.

Bill let out a very quiet, very long, very high-pitched scream.

Ford whirled around. "Would you stop complaining!"

"SORRY! I've been seized by the FATAL HUMAN DELUSION that my actions might have an IMPACT on my FUTURE!" His face flushed with rage and his feet lifted several inches off the ground with the force of his screaming. "Or that MAKING SOUNDS with my MOUTH will COMMUNICATE MESSAGES that the HUMANS AROUND ME CAN COMPREHEND! But don't worry! I'm QUICKLY being proven wrong!" 

Ford actually bared his teeth at Bill, and immediately felt stupid for it. He turned away and reeled in the scanner. Catching it bounced him into the air; it took him several seconds to settle back on the ground. "Twenty-five thousand."

"Great!" Bill snapped. "Let's go!"

"So... does that mean we don't need this?" Dipper asked, holding up the glue grenade.

Ford hesitated, looking out over the town. Maybe the danger threshold was lower than Fiddleford had calculated. Or maybe Ford hadn't thrown the scanner at the right spot. Or maybe the problem was dozens and dozens of sites that didn't reach the danger threshold alone, but compounded on each other to destabilize the whole region. Maybe throwing the glue grenade and dispersing it over town was still necessary to stop all this. Bill was right about one thing: "totality," whatever it really was—the full disappearance of gravity—was close. Every movement seemed to knock him minutely off the ground, and he could see his clothes floating.

But he had no evidence the glue grenade would do anything but wreck the environment. Plus, axolotls were endangered; he couldn't imagine invisible leucistic ones were doing much better. He sighed, stuffing his scanner away in his backpack. "I suppose not." Dipper nodded and stored the glue grenade in his own backpack.

"Great," Bill said. "Let's go."

"The micro-rip theory doesn't look likely," Ford said. "But that means something else is going on. And we don't have any backup explanation." He turned and gestured impatiently at Bill. "Except your stupid eclipse story, which is too vague to explain anything and probably riddled with lies."

"GREAT! Let's GO!"

"I came up here to find out what's going on. So what's going on?"

Bill's worried gaze flicked from Ford's face to the sky, back to Ford, over to Dipper. "Your uncle's gonna get himself killed, kid. We don't have to join him. Get over here, at least we can get back in the cave."

Dipper glanced at Ford, crossed his arms, glared at Bill, and stood his ground.

"Hsgd—Fffss—shhk." Bill covered his face, whimpered, and dragged his hands down his face so hard his nails left red lines. "I hate you both so much."

They weren't getting anywhere unless Ford caught Bill off-guard enough to accidentally reveal something. "Bill, what's the Axolotl."

Bill's gaze shot to Ford's face. He pointed past him toward the lake. "Kid saw as much as I did, he can tell you—"

"No, Bill. What is the Axolotl," Ford said. "Friend of yours?"

All the blood drained out of Bill's face.

Ford had struck a nerve. "What does it have to do with all this?"

"How much do you know."

Ford laughed harshly. "And give you an opportunity to mold your lies around my knowledge? Tell us what it is!"

"It's—a curse," Bill said. "It's a curse in living form."

"No. Tell the truth."

"What do you want to hear! He's my defense attorney, okay?!"

"I said the truth, Cipher!"

"WHY?! How would you know the truth if I told it?!" He flung his arms wide in defeat, voice climbing toward a desperate shriek, "I haven't lied once since the eclipse began! What else can I do?! Should I start making up plausible stories again?! Why are you pumping me for information you don't even believe! How can I tell you the truth if you won't give me any trust!"

Ford didn't have an answer.

Bill didn't deserve trust. Offering him even a sliver of trust could be fatal. Ford was 100% certain of that. And if Ford never trusted a single word out of Bill, then they'd never be able to hold a conversation, about anything, ever. Which was fine. He didn't want a conversation. That bridge burned over thirty years ago. Don't trust him.

So then why was Ford trying to hold a conversation with Bill? If Ford didn't believe him, why did he keep trying? What was he hoping for?

What did Ford want to hear?

He didn't have a chance to figure it out. Bill's gaze flicked behind Ford, he screamed, "Anchor yourselves!" and he flung his arms around the tree.

"Wh—" Ford dropped to one knee as he turned to look where Bill was looking, and Dipper tried to fling himself to the ground; but neither had a chance to get a grip in the grass before the last little bit of gravity disappeared—and was replaced by something new.

The waterfalls stopped flowing, then curled up into the sky. The grass and trees tilted toward the center of Gravity Falls, as though blown by an unfelt breeze. Water slowly rose up out of the lake. The Island Head Beast was lifted into the air, eyes frantically rolling around and groaning in alarm.

And an unseen force pulled Dipper and Ford over the edge of the cliff and into the sky.

Dipper only made it five feet before the bracelet's invisible thread pulled taut. It took him another second to realize he wasn't moving and stop screaming. Bill was still clinging to the tree. The bracelets' thread could pass through objects when it was invisible, but if you tried to grab onto it, you could; could Dipper use it to climb back to land?

"Don't let go! I'm gonna reel myself in!"

Bill laughed hysterically. "Do anything you want, I'm not going anywhere."

Dipper groped blindly around his braceleted wrist with his free hand; caught the thread; and started dragging himself, hand over hand, down toward Bill. But even as Dipper tried to reel himself in, the unseen force continued to pull him back—in more dimensions and planes than he could see.

Something poorly attached tugged loose.

His vision swam and the world went gray.

And his soul popped out of his body.

Dipper's ghost looked at Bill. Bill looked at Dipper's ghost. They both looked at Dipper's dead body. They started screaming.

"What happened?!" Dipper groped at his ghostly torso—and through it—and then flailed his arms in a desperate attempt to make them more corporeal. "Ohmigosh what happened to me!"

"It's not me!" Bill shouted. "I didn't do it, you saw me, I wasn't even touching your body, I'm innocent!"

"I'm in the mindscape," Dipper said, "this is the mindscape, right?" It was unmistakeable; the world was cool and gray and muffled, just like last year, just like in all his nightmares. "Why am I in the mindscape! What am I doing here!"

And then the gray landscape fell beneath a reddish-pink shadow.

Dipper turned around.

A massive shape, winding slowly through the air as though it were swimming, descended over Gravity Falls, sunlight filtering through its translucent pink body. So massive that Dipper couldn't see both ends of it at once. So massive that even though only a tiny cross section of its body passed through the third dimension's mindscape at once, the full mass of its unseen higher-dimensional body was vast enough to eclipse Earth's gravity—and cause every loose object in town to slowly fall skyward toward its body.

It was awe-inspiring and terrifying and majestic; and Dipper was sure he'd seen it before.

The Axolotl twisted back on itself, doing a loop in the sky that carried it halfway to the moon, to position itself to look down at the peak over Gravity Falls with one huge, black eye. Bill looked at the ground. Dipper looked at its face. 

As Dipper made eye contact, the world froze. Everything slowed down. A hole in time and space opened where only the two of them existed; no one else could hear them and they could hear no one else. The Axolotl was so massive that Dipper could feel its thoughts like the static charge in a lightning storm and hear them like the echo of thunder. It thought—thunderously, apocalyptically, infinitely kindly—"Ah, yes. Hello again."

Dipper swallowed hard. "Hey," he croaked. "Have—we met?"

"Yes," the Axolotl said. "I'm afraid that's the only question I have time to answer. Tell your sister I said hello." Its world-making gaze moved off of Dipper, and he was back in the mindscape.

And the Axolotl turned his attention to Bill.

####

(Congratulations to the three people who saw it coming. Hope y'all enjoyed, would LOVE to hear what you think, and next week Things Get Worse, Again!!)

[fallingdownhell]

Heyaaa!

I saw your request is open soo...

Can i request gn reader with Ayato, Kazuha, Diluc, and Kaeya where the reader is pranking them by shouting their full name (since we know their full name) what is going to be their reaction?

Feel free to ignore or decline this request^^

I love this! So much! Thank you for your request<3 Characters Included: Kazuha; Diluc; Ayato; Kaeya Content: gender neutral reader; established relationship; pranking the boys by calling their full names; not proofread yet Word count: 2,6k words Have fun with this one<3

Kazuha

This morning was peaceful, Kazuha thought as he layed in bed, the morning rays of the sun shining in through the open window. He let them warm his body as he slowly woke up more and more from his slumber.

When he extended a hand to feel for your sleeping body next to him, he found the space empty. Cold at that, indicating that you've been gone for a while.

A groan left him, Kazuha hated it when he woke up without you next to him. He'd much rather spend his morning cuddling you in bed than doing anything else.

But then the next moment, the smell of something cooking hit him, and he knew that you were already out and about making breakfast for the both of you.

So, with a sigh, Kazuha decided to get up and get himself ready before heading down to join you in the kitchen.

He got up from bed and stretched his body out first, then headed into the adjacent bathroom. Taking a shower first thing in the morning always felt refreshing to him and it most often than not was the last push he needed to fully wake up.

Once that was done and he headed out of the shower again, Kazuha got dressed and combed through some tight knots of his hair. He was still in the middle of doing so, when suddenly, the silence of the house was interrupted by a shout of his name.

"Kaedehara Kazuha! Get down here!", your voice shoutet and instantly, Kazuha's body froze up. There were a million thoughts in his head, and yet also, not a single one except for: he had somehow fucked up.

The tone in which you had shouted his name sounded mad and if that wasn't a clear indication about your mood, the use of his full name certainly was.

To not make your mood any worse, he hurried to put the comb away and throw the last piece of clothing on while he already hurried out of the bathroom and towards you into the kitchen. He was preparing himself internally for whatever it was that he did that pissed you off so much and already had a million apologies on his tongue.

But, to his surprise, when he got to the kitchen, he found you there, utterly calm as you put the food on two plates for each of you. You didn't even notice him coming in.

"(Name), my love..", he carefully spoke, just in case, but in reality, he was so confused.

"Oh, good. Food's ready!", you look up and smile at Kazuha, which then throws him completely out of loop. He just stands there and stares at you.

"Is something the matter, dear?", you ask him, that smile still on your lips as you sit down at the table. That's when the puzzle pieces fall for Kazuha and he visibly relaxes, letting out a drawn out breath.

"Please, don't do that again, love. I was scared for my life."

You laugh at that, apologizing for scaring him that much. He doesn't really care as long as you apologize with a cuddle session afterwards.

Diluc

Since you moved in with Diluc at Dawn Winery, the time you spend together has improved significantly compared to before, but it still wasn't nearly enough as to what both of you would want it to be.

He still had lots of work to do, managing the Winery, the Angel's Share, and all the business he likes to take over as the Dark Night Hero. Even so, the fact that the two of you are now living under the same roof has changed things for the better.

You know get to see him every morning, since Diluc has made it a point to stay in bed until both of you have to get up for work. You always eat dinner together and he makes an effort to spend every other evening with you. He really tries his best for you.

He even moved his office next to your shared bedroom, so that there aren't too many rooms between you and when you want to see the other, you only have to go into the adjacent room and not wander the entire mansion.

Tonight was a night Diluc had dedicated to his work, which he made you aware of and you were okay with, since you told him that you could use the time to continue the book you were currently reading.

Diluc was hunged over stacks of papers, trying to sort them from most to least important before he went into looking over them. He had worked through a good portion of it already, thinking that he was making great progress. When he looked at the clock on the wall, it told him that it was already almost midnight.

But not to worry. In about an hour or so, he would be done and could join you in bed. Or so he thought. But when he wanted to continue his work after a short break, he suddenly heard you yelling from next door.

"Diluc Ragnvindr!", your voice shoutet his name and he immediately picked up on the tone of your voice. You sounded upset..

Instantly, he began thinking back, trying to figure out what could have made you angry at him. You were fine when he last saw you at dinner, smiling and laughing with him. Then he went to his office afterwards. He couldn't possibly have done or said anything to upset you... right?

His body, that had faced towards the door that lead to your shared bedroom, began to act on his own and he got up and walked over there. Diluc gently knocked on the door, opening it a bit and sticking his head through the gap.

You were laying on the bed, comfortably tucked in and reading your book.

"Everything okay, my love?", Diluc softly spoke up, not sure what to do but he definitely didn't want to make you further upset.

At the sound of his voice, you perk up and face him, a smile spreading on your lips. You place the book down on the nightstand before extending an arm towards him.

"I'm cold. Come cuddle with me." you say in a small pout, which confused Diluc even more. You sounded so mad just now when you yelled his name. Not just his name, but his full name! So why.. were you acting like nothing was wrong?

Still, he complied to your request, his work and papers forgotten for now as he joined you in bed. You made yourself comfortable in his arms, your head and part of your upper body resting on his chest as he began to play with some stands of your hair. Everything was peaceful, but Diluc's mind was still running, trying to make sense of everything. In the end, he decided to just ask you about it.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No? Why would I be?", you asked him, but your voice sounded sleepy already

"Because you were yelling earlier. And you used my full name. Not just my name or a petname. So I thought..", he got interrupted by a chuckle coming from you.

"I'm sorry, baby. I was just messing with you a bit. Just wanted you here to cuddle with you."

A joke... that's what it was. He couldn't help the relief that washed over him hearing that, and the tension finally left his body. He's not mad at you, but please, don't do that again if you don't want him to have a heart attack next time..

Ayato

Being the spouse of the head of the Kamisatio Clan was the best thing that could have ever happened to you. Although Ayato was a busy man with much work, he always made sure to make time for you to spend with him, just the two of you.

Every day, he made that effort, even though this sometimes meant even more stress for him with certain work if he put if off too long. But to him, it was worth it when he did it for you. He's a loyal man in that regard.

One of the downsides to this however, is the fact that this man often times overworks himself without even realising it. Before you came around, it was Ayaka's and Thoma's job - but mostly Thoma's - to take care of Ayato and remind him to take frequent breaks in between.

Now, you like to take over that part for Thoma, taking every chance you get to see your boyfriend, even if it's only a few seconds to remind him of a break or to bring him something to drink with some snacks.

Ayato really appreaciates you doing this for him, smiling every time and stealing a quick kiss before you're gone again. He thanks Celestia each and every day for you being so understanding with his work.

But that doesn't mean that there aren't still days where breaks just aren't possible and he has to power through or else it would never get done.

Today was such a day. Ayato leaned back and let out a heavy sigh as he finally finished with work for today. He has been sitting in this room - his office - the entire day, cramped up and not able to take even a single break. Come to think of it, he was so focused on his work that he didn't even know if you've come in here at all today to check on him. He's sure you did, as you did it every day, but he didn't even notice..

Not to worry. He would simply rest here for a few minutes, trying to come down before he would set out to search for you. Being in your presence was exactly what he needed to recharge some of his engery again.

Closing his eyes and listening to the silence around him, Ayato took a deep breath, calming down more and more the longer he continued to do so. Just a bit longer and he'll-!

"Kamisato Ayato!", a voice suddenly called out his name. And not just any voice, but yours.

His eyes immediately snapped open at the use of his full government name. No cute nickname, nor petname, not anything.

At first, he was too stunned to react, trying to figure out if what he heard was actually real or just something his brain made up. For a few seconds, he sat there and listened to the silence that followed. Just as he was about to relax again, he heard your voice calling him again.

"Kamisato Ayato! Get over here, now!", you shouted for him again, this time your voice sounded a bit more aggressive than before. Now he was certain that this was not his brain playing tricks on him...

Not knowing what had happened but also not wanting to upset you even more, Ayato quickly got up and exited the room. He didn't know where you were, but you sounded rather close, so there weren't too many options available. After looking through some rooms, he found you in the dining room, placing down plates full of steaming food on the table.

"Darling? Are you okay?", Ayato asked as he entered the room, wandering over to you and catching you in his arms, holding your face in his hands.

You smile up at him, circling your arms around his neck and pulling him down for a quick kiss. "Everythings fine. But you've been in there the whole day and dinner is ready so I figured I had to get you out of there somehow."

It then clicks in his head, that you weren't actually mad at him and it was just a trick to lure him out.

"Oh, you little devil~", Ayato smiles down at you, gently poking your nose which made you giggle.

"Hey, it was effective, wasn't it?", you defended yourself and he had to agree with you there. After all, no matter what, you'd always be his top priority..

Kaeya

You and Kaeya had a great relationship going. Both of you had busy jobs but you still tried to spend as much time together as possible. As a rule of thumb, you've come to an arrangement that every other day, one of you would spend the night over at the others place, since you're not living together at this point.

It's worked out great for you two and sometimes, even though you're together, you can still do your own things, and just enjoy each others presence.

Like today, for example.

You two were at your place, both on the couch. Kaeya was sitting comfortable at one end of the sofa, studying over some plans and things he had to look over for Jean for the knights, while you were laying down, head placed on Kaeya's lap while reading a book.

There was a comfortable silence as each of you was doing his own thing, though every now and then, Kaeya would reach down to brush through your hair. You knew he liked to do that as it calmed him down. And you enjoyed it, so no reason for you to complain about it.

However, it was getting late already, the fire also slowly dying down, so you decided to end your book for today. You told Kaeya that you'd go to the bathroom first, so he had a bit more time to study through the plans. He smiled at you and nodded while you headed towards the bathroom.

Kaeya sits there for quite some time, but he's not really focusing on the reports all that much anymore. He's getting tired and listening to the water running from the bathroom, he can't wait to get into bed with you.

So, deciding to leave it be for today, he places the papers down on the table and lets his head fall back to relax a bit until you were done in the bathroom. He wouldn't have minded to join you in there, either...

As he sat there, relaxing and thinking, he closed his eyes for a bit. But the longer he had them closed, his eyes grew heavier and heavier..

He was about to fall asleep, when suddenly..

"Kaeya Alberich!", you voice sounded from the bathroom and Kaeya's eyes snapped open at the use of his full name.

You'd never done that before, not even when you were mad at him beyond anything. What could he have done that could possibly bring out such a reaction in you?

Quickly, he got up and headed to the bathroom where he heard you from, but things weren't adding up for him. Everything was fine until a few minutes ago. You'd never done this, so why now, so suddenly?

There hasn't been any arguments the past weeks, everything was going smoothly. Unless he said or did something genuinely horrible..

But he was pretty sure that he didn't..

But if not, then there was only one other possiblity...

Rounding the corner, Kaeya knew immediately what was up when he saw you standing there, smiling brightly at him, looking like you were quite proud with yourself.

"Yes, my dear?", he asked, smirking as he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Would you be so kind and help me with my hair?", you ask, your voice ever so sweet again, like you didn't do anything at all.

"Of course.", he leads you to the bed and makes you sit and face away from him before he goes to work on your hair, gently tangling out all the knots that had formed in them.

He won't say anything about it or hold it against you, but if you keep doing this over and over again, he might have to come up with something to teach you a lesson not to scare him like that again..

[lilacs-stars]

a night to remember

this is part 2, recommended you read part 1 first! (to avoid confusion) pairing: james hook x fem!reader (requested) (note: reader is glinda the good witch's daughter) SUMMARY: one day, you find a mysterious note in your locker from a certain pirate. who knows where it'll end up taking you—and your interesting relationship with him. GENRE: very wholesome despite the intro (I swear), fluff, some teasing and banter, reader being oblivious, mutual pining, just relationship cuteness overall CW: not much, mentions getting tipsy (not from alcohol), one little dirty joke if you squint hard enough WC: 7.5k

A/N: the title was inspired by the song of the same name by beabadoobee and laufey (I recommend listening to it while reading, as it sets the mood nicely!) james hook is literally so gentleman coded you can’t convince me otherwise. also I randomly thought of male characters using "m'lady" and now I'm obsessed...this was made to be pure, feet-kicking and giggling inducing fluff, so enjoy! thanks again to the anon who requested this, hope you like it! please leave feedback and suggestions, hearing your thoughts makes me so happy! :))

You stare down at the drink in your hand, the realization of what it is slowly dawning upon you. 

Mouth agape in pure disbelief, you glance up at the man sitting in front of you. The devilish glint in his eyes, rivaled only by the shine of his metal hook, sends chills down your spine—making it terribly clear why he brought you. 

Oh god, you think. How in the world did I get here?

You make your way through the bustling halls of Merlin Academy, trying your best to not get jostled by the ruckus of the crowd. 

Honestly, who puts people’s classes on the sixth floor and their lockers on the first? you mentally grumble, finally reaching the dreaded staircase that you climb up and down dozens of times each day.

After descending the five flights of stairs, you’re completely out of breath by the time you reach your locker. You tap the lock with your pointer finger three times, a magical device inside reading your fingerprint. It clicks open, and your locker door swings out towards you.

Reaching to place your books inside and take out some new ones for the rest of the day's classes, you’re shocked by something that slips out as soon as the door opens. A white piece of paper sways back and forth as it falls to the floor, right next to your feet.

You bend down to pick it up. Upon closer inspection, you learn that it’s not a piece of paper; it’s a small packet, stapled in the corner. At the top, in neat, printed letters, are the words “ENCHANTMENT OF MAGICAL OBJECTS: UNIT 3 WRITTEN TEST.”

Below it, a line is provided for the student's name. Scribbled down in a fancy, yet somehow still messy and barely legible font, is the name “James Hook.”

He left me his test? you question. You don’t even bother wondering how he broke into your locker; after that little incident where he stole your ring, you have resigned yourself to not being surprised at his so-called “bad boy” antics. He is a villain, after all.

This test was one that your class had been preparing for quite some time. It mainly centered the theory of enchantments, with the most difficult one being the Aiming Spell. Thankfully, you had taught Hook most of the material during your study session last week, specifically focusing on helping him improve his Aiming Spell (although maybe he got a little too good, considering how he pulled off that ring trick).

Your confusion regarding the test placed in your locker lasts only a second longer, until you notice that in the top right corner, a big, circled "87%" is written in bright red pen.

The number stays for a brief moment, before the red ink rearranges itself on the page, morphing into a “B+”.

Wait…that’s really good. For him, at least, you think. Is this really all because of your one tutoring session? You have always thought that you’re pretty good at teaching other people, but you never considered yourself a miracle worker. He must think it is because of me, I guess. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left this in here.

Even though you know you’re probably not supposed to, your curiosity gets the better of you, and you flip back the front cover to check what he got wrong.

As soon as you lift the top page, another piece of paper falls out of the test. This time, it’s smaller, a faint beige color tinting the sheet.

You reach down once again to pick it up as you notice that this one is actually an envelope. Glancing at the back, which appears to be empty, you flip it over to the front side. It bears a wax seal embossed with an emblem of two crossed pirate swords.

Carefully peeling back the top of the envelope so as to not rip the delicate paper, you pull out the note inside. There isn’t much writing on the plain paper, but it’s in the same handwriting as before. Very intrigued at this unusual occurrence of events, you read the few lines of text keenly.

“Friday, 6 pm. The Rogers Place.

Make sure to wear your fanciest dress.

Meet me there. I’ll be waiting.”

...What? You’re too stunned to even think. What is this? There’s no way he’s actually asking you out…on a date.

This has to be a joke, right? A study session was one thing, but this, this, meetup, is something entirely different. He even asked to meet you outside of school. You've heard before of the restaurant he mentioned, although you've never actually gone there yourself. Based on what you've gathered, it's a popular, rather formal place run by Eudora Rogers and her young daughter, Tiana, in memory of her beloved husband. 

So why in the name of the heavens would James Hook ask you, someone who has no dating experience whatsoever, of all people, to go with him to dinner? “Wear your fanciest dress”? What is this guy thinking?

In utter disbelief, you flip over the note, checking the back to make sure you haven’t missed something. To your surprise, there is some writing scrawled on the back, which reads: “Your payment for helping me pass my test.”

Right…so…he’s asking you out on a—no, it’s not a date, you remind yourself, yet again. He’s simply doing a nice act to return the favor. This was probably the only thing that came to his mind. Silencing the little voice in your head that whispers, “Why would the first thing that came to his mind be asking you out to dinner?”, you stuff the envelope and note in your bookbag, holding on to the test to give back to him sometime.

As you walk down the hallway, rushing to get to your next class, you don’t see the figure lurking behind the corner at the other end of the corridor.

He smirks, knowing he has you right where he wants you.

This one? No, it’s too casual.

How about this one? No, it’s not fancy enough.

This? Too sparkly.

That? Not sparkly enough.

You sigh, flopping onto your bed amidst a pile of dresses. It’s a few hours after school let out, on the day you’ve been anticipating all week long. And, not surprisingly, you can’t decide what in the world to wear. After all, it’s not like you’ve been out on lots of not-dates to know what a typical outfit would be like.

You stare up at the ceiling, sighing again for what must be the hundredth time this night. At times like this, you seriously wish you had a roommate. You've always had your dorm all to yourself, and sure, it is really nice most of the time. You can relax and unwind in solitude, with no one distracting you or pestering you with trivial matters while you study. However, there are the rare few occasions where you long to have someone close, to help you out or give you advice.

After holding up quite a few more dresses in the mirror, you finally decide on the one with the fewest number of cons, from the mental list you made for each dress. Slipping it on—albeit with much difficulty, since who designed dresses to be so frilly to the point where you can't even find where to put your head?—you stare at your reflection, completely enamored by the person you see staring back at you. You’re not really used to wearing fancy things like this, which is probably the reason why you barely recognize yourself.

Twirling around, head over your shoulder as you keep your gaze locked on the mirror, you realize why people have always told you that you have a striking resemblance to your mother. Your outfit consists of a ballgown-style dress, which really is the only type you have in your closet. Even though it’s a bit uncomfortable, the fitted bodice making it rather hard to take a full breath and the off-the-shoulder neckline compelling you to constantly tug it up to prevent it from slipping, it still is absolutely gorgeous. The short sleeves complement the torso, and the full skirt, all puffed up with layers of tulle, swishes elegantly as you move around. The bodice is densely embellished with small rhinestones, mostly at the top, with the gems growing sparser farther down the dress. A few crystals are set into the skirt just below the waistline, creating a scattered, shimmering effect reminiscent of the stars in a night sky.

Even though you aren’t a fan of fancy dresses, you must admit, you absolutely adore this one.

Finishing off the look with some jewelry and accessories, you take one last look at yourself in the mirror. You've never been one to be arrogant, but it's still hard not to think that even though this is certainly not a date, maybe, just maybe, Hook might be a little more interested in you after tonight.

“Um…hi?” you say, timid voice rising into a question from your uncertainty.

After getting dressed, you made your way to the restaurant. Fighting the deep-rooted urge to get there early as possible, you took the long route, not wanting to be the first to arrive. I’ll make him wait for me this time, you decided with an evil little smirk, thinking back to the day of your study session and the long minutes you had agonizingly spent wondering if he was going to show up.

Now, you stand in front of the reception desk, peering up at a waiter ordering papers. Fiddling with the lace gloves covering your hands, you add, “I don’t know if my name is ion the reservation or anything…”

Honestly, you’re not quite sure what to do at this point. All Hook had instructed you was to show up at the restaurant at this time. Part of you had expected him to be waiting by the door, but now that you see he isn't, your nervousness rises.

“Are you Y/N?” the server questions, glancing down at something on the small podium-like stand.

“Uh, yes, I am,” you reply.

“A young man has made a reservation for the two of you. He’s already waiting for you out on the patio. If you’ll follow me,” the waiter informs you, grabbing a menu from his stack and leading you through the bustling restaurant.

You follow him, feeling incredibly bashful as you swerve around tables and people alike. You finally reach a large set of doors in one of the seating areas, which the waiter opens for you.

Stepping through the threshold, you sense the cool rush of the evening air welcome you out. The sky has already begun to dim, a few faint stars gleaming against the dark backdrop. Spread out in front of you is an array of tables, most of them small enough for only two people. The low lighting, coming solely from flickering candles and glowing lanterns strung throughout the area, paired with the singular rose set in a vase at the center each table and a faint, slow jazz song playing somewhere in the background, makes for the most romantic of settings you could have possibly imagined.

Your breath is completely taken away as the server leads you through the arrangements of seats. It’s sparsely crowded, with only a few couples seated here and there, each enjoying an amorous dinner.

The server stops at a circular, two-seated table close to the edge, overlooking a magnificent view of the city down below. A few feet in front ahead and sitting with his back towards you, the only object of your thoughts for these past few hours turns his head in your direction, probably upon hearing the clacking of your high-heeled shoes.

Although you’ve tried your best to convince yourself that this, in fact, is not a date, you simply can’t deny the way his entire expression light up at the mere sight of you. Hook stands up, unabashedly eyeing you up and down slowly, taking all of you in.

A small smile tugs at his lips as he takes your hand in his, once again bowing down to place a kiss on your ring—it appears that this has become a routine, which you can't exactly say you mind.

You don't miss how he pauses for just a moment, noticing the way your ring is still on your ring finger, unchanged from the place he left it. Holding your breath, your heart beats faster as you worry about what he thinks of it. To your relief, he doesn’t say anything, instead kissing the gemstone and straightening back up again, but not before ever so softly—yet still with obvious intentionality—brushing his lips against your finger, deliberately tracing your skin with an agonizingly slow pace as his warm breath sets your every nerve on fire.

“M’lady,” he breathes, standing to meet your gaze. His casual nonchalance is a stark difference from the way you struggle to regain your composure, hating how even the smallest of actions from him can elicit such a reaction from you.

As you study him, you notice that he had a significant wardrobe change too; instead of his usual pirate attire, he dons a dark maroon frock coat, embroidered with intricate swirls and designs. He definitely made an attempt at looking a bit more classy, with his hair neater than usual and the collar of his shirt tidily done. You could even swear that his hook looked more polished than usual, and that he carried the faint, odd trace of expensive cologne.

The server leaves the menu on your table and walks away with a polite nod of his head. Hook steps over to the chair opposite the one he had been sitting in, pulling it out for you in a manner that is far too gentlemanly for what you're used to seeing from him, gesturing at you to sit down with a wave of his shiny metal hook. 

Overwhelmingly flattered, you walk over, smoothing your skirt beneath you as you take your seat. Hook pushes your chair in, before going back to the other side of the table to take his own seat.

Not sure what else to do, you pick up your menu and glance over it. “Decide what you’re going to order yet?” Hook asks you.

“No, you?”

“They already took my order, but I told them to wait on preparing my food until you had ordered as well.”

They already took his order? How long has he been here? you wonder. You glance at your wristwatch, seeing that it’s only a few minutes past six o’clock. Deciding to shrug it off, you go back to looking at your menu, despite not being able to fight the voice in your head that whispers about how you should've gotten here earlier, that he had probably been waiting for you, all alone, for quite some time.

“It’s so hard to decide,” you say with a halfhearted laugh, trying to fill up the heavy silence. You peruse the menu more carefully this time, marveling at how many different dishes are listed. Finally, after reading through the entire thing a few more times, you settle on the one that sounds the best.

After only a few moments, the server comes back around and takes your order. “A fine choice, ma’am,” he comments as you tell him your choice of entrée. You notice that all of the waiters here wear fancy black suits and come with a pristine white cloth draped over their arm. Huh, how fancy, you think to yourself. I never knew this place was so formal.

“So, Hook,” you begin, “Why did you bring me here?”

“Didn’t you read my note? It’s a thank-you for helping me pass my test. The teacher was very impressed with my score, you know,” he responds indifferently.

You give him a small sigh, paired with a gentle smile—your attempt at hiding the twinge of disappointment dancing in your eyes. “I did, but you didn’t have to treat me to dinner. A simple note would have sufficed.”

Hook looks at you, dark brown eyes wide and holding your gaze with an intensity you’ve never known. “Sufficed? I don’t want to just suffice. I want to give you a memorable night. An unforgettable experience.” “I don’t think I could ever forget a charming pirate with a hook for a hand,” you laugh, teasing him lightly. Instead of laughing along with you, Hook stares at you for another moment, studying you with slightly scrunched brows and an indecipherable expression on his face. You grow uneasy at his burning look, shifting in your seat as you wonder why he’s watching you so intently.

However, the tense awkwardness in the air lasts for only a minute, before Hook breaks into one of his famous smirks as he replies, “Oh, charming, am I? I know you can’t stop thinking about me, love.”

“Th-that’s not what I meant!” you cry, leaning across the table to give him a small push. He breaks into a laugh, his lips curling up into yet another genuine smile as he leans back just out of your reach. His mirthful expression makes you realize that he had been simply joking, causing your face to burn up as your mind replays your rather dramatic reaction. Honestly, you can never really tell whether he’s being serious or just messing with you.

“Settle down, love. Wouldn’t want you ruining that pretty dress of yours,” he responds, twisting to the side again to prevent getting smacked by you.

You two continue making small talk, still partaking in your teasing, only slightly annoying banter. Before you know it, a waiter is walking towards your table with two platters, one in each hand.

The server sets down the plates on your table, the dishes both looking absolutely delectable. Along with the food, he places two matching beverages in front of you two.

You thank him, and he bows again before leaving. Turning back to Hook, you watch with a slight arch of your eyebrows as he raises his drink in the air.

“A toast,” he says. “To continuing our little dates.”

You roll your eyes, not bothering to correct him this time. Lifting your own glass, you add, “And to you continuing to get good grades.” He smiles at this, before lifting the drink to his lips. Perceptive as always, you notice how his eyes follow your hand as you bring the glass to your mouth.

A sudden, fleeting doubt crosses your mind at his suspicious behavior. Glancing down at the drink skeptically, you notice its unique bright red color. You lower +it slightly and sniff it, then bring it down from your face, fixing a glare at Hook. “You think I don’t know what this is?”

“Oh, I know you do. That’s what I was counting on, at least.”

You persist with your glare. You've spent many hours reading up on different potions and elixirs, so you're no stranger to the drink in your hand. It's a popular one known as the Lovers' Lascivious Lure, a beverage with a fruit punch-like taste, plus a little kick. The real reason for its fame, however, is the touch of love potion that gets mixed in. Not enough to truly make someone fall in love with you or intoxicate them, but rather something that is favored by couples looking to get a little tipsy in love on their night out.

You set the glass down on the table, not breaking your gaze away for a second as you continue to glower at the person sitting across you.

“It’s rude to not drink after a toast, darling,” Hook says, raising his eyebrows at you.

“I don’t care, I’m not drinking that,” you reply irritatedly. 

“Fine. Your loss, love.”

You watch in complete shock, eyes blown wide and mouth agape as Hook brings his drink up to his lips again, tipping back his head as he gulps the entire thing down in one go.

“I’d drink yours as well, darling, but I’d hate for you to be forced to walk me home, instead of the other way around,” Hook spouts with a bit too much added expression, slightly swaying as the effects of the potion kick in. 

You continue to stare at him, concern etched into your features, knowing full well that this drink is designed to be sipped slowly throughout a leisurely dinner, one with much idle conversation and flirtatious looks. Not to be downed all at once. You honestly don’t know what the side effects are to consuming a large amount very quickly, but you pray that the potion is weak enough so as to not cause actual harm—or any other effects—to him.

“So, love,” Hook drawls in a low tone, leaning in. “Anything you feel like telling me?”

“You’re the one who drank the liquid courage, not me,” you point out, fixing him with another look. “Honestly, I’m not sure how much longer you’re going to last like this.”

At your words, Hook’s dazed expression suddenly disappears, instead replaced by a very serious, stern face. “Oh, I assure you, love, I can last very long.”

You blink, a tad confused at why he said that with such a strong conviction. Brushing it off, you look down at your food again, your mouth already watering. “Come on, our food’s going to get cold, and it looks far too delicious to waste.”

Hook agrees, unrolling his utensils instead of shooting back a one-liner, much to your surprise. You’re even more taken aback at the way he drapes the white cloth, which previously held his cutlery, over his legs as he begins to eat, keeping up with his very proper etiquette. He does everything with utterly perfect decorum, from holding his fork and knife in the correct positions to cutting all his food into little pieces. You honestly don't know why this comes as such a shock to you; he has been employing rather polite manners all evening, after all. It appears, you realize, that you’ve always subconsciously believed the stereotypes that pirates are unruly creatures, which therefore must mean they eat messily.

Apparently, this pirate doesn’t.

You both make small talk as you enjoy your food, which is every bit as delicious and succulent as it looked. All the different components are cooked to a perfect degree; not raw or difficult to chew, but not burnt, either. Rich, deep, aromatic spices have always been the staple of this restaurant, and for good reason. You have no clue what flavorings they used, but whatever they are, they taste unlike anything you've ever eaten in your entire life, like an otherworldly meal sent from the heavens. To top it all off, the food also comes with piquant side dishes, followed by desserts that are absolutely decadent and make you melt with every bite you take.

After you both have had your share, Hook motions to the waiter for the check. You had slipped some extra cash into your handbag before coming, not sure what the expectation would be for who paid. As the waiter returns with the small black book in his hand, you turn to Hook.

“I can pay, if you want,” you offer. 

Hook quirks his brow as he gives you a look, before reaching into his coat pocket. “Come now, don’t be ridiculous, love. What kind of a man would I be if I didn’t pay for you? Especially considering that I was the one who asked you out.”

You blink hard, barely aware of your small nod towards him, your mind racing as the waiter gives Hook the check. You blankly watch him scribble a signature before handing it back, trying to process what he just said. “...asked you out…” Does that mean he actually considers this as a date? Especially since he offered to pay for you…Heavens, what is going on?

Your eyes trail the waiter as he leaves, just as Hook turns back to you. “All finished?”

“Yeah,” you confirm. “So…what now?” You aren't quite sure whether or not he's planning on walking you home like he mentioned earlier, but you do know that you're not ready to part quite so soon. Averting his gaze, you instead choose to look down at the candle flickering in the middle of your table. It is now very dark outside, to the point where the flame’s meager light shines with a bright luminosity. Entranced by the fire, you stare intently at its dancing movements, attention fully consumed by how the flame appears to be practically alive.

“Now,” Hook says with a glint in his eyes, causing your head to snap back up, “I have something to show you.”

“Something to show me?” you repeat. “Show me what?”

“I guess you’ll have to wait and see once we get there, love.”

“Once we get there? Hook, where are we going?”

He gives a smug, knowing grin. “You’ll see. Just be patient, darling.” He notices the skeptical look you still have, so he adds, “Trusting me last time turned out good, right? So trust me one more time. I promise you’ll like your surprise.”

You consider his words, hating how he had a point. “Fine,” you huff. “Lead the way, I guess.”

You start to push your chair back to get up, but Hook chides, “Ah ah ah, no you don’t,” standing up himself before walking behind you. He grips the back of your chair and pulls it out for you, before offering his good hand to help you stand too.

Once again, you’re rather shocked at his well-mannered behaviors and courteous gestures. As you accept his outstretched arm, you wonder how in the world this is the same person who was, only a few days ago, leaning back in his chair with his feet up, flinging magical disks across the room.

Getting up, you hesitate for a moment, freezing in place now that you’re level with his eyes. You haven’t been this close to him since that pivotal day during your study session, and your breath gets taken away once again by the proximity.

His angular features and sharp jawline catch your attention, causing your legs to stagger as your gaze wanders down to his soft, plush lips, which definitely stand out amidst the rest of his chiseled face. You had never noticed how his eyeliner also traces his bottom lash line, making his eyes pop whenever he widens them, or how part of his hair swoops to the side and slightly covers his forehead. It dawns on you that you’ve always overlooked the two small silver earrings that dangle from his ears, or the chain around his neck with a cross on it, usually hidden by the collar of his shirt.

Not aware of how you’re just standing there paralyzed, you commit to memory the small details about him you’ve never really seen before. Even though the inside of your head is alive and bustling with a plethora of thoughts, outside, you two stand in terribly awkward silence.

Hook clears his throat, snapping you back to reality. “Come along, darling. We wouldn’t want to be interrupted by curfew again.”

Tightening his grip on your hand, which still holds yours, he leads you through the entrance you had used not so long ago while bidding farewell to the waiter. You continue up the hill to the woods behind the restaurant, Hook refusing to give even a single hint as to what big surprise awaits you.

The trail through the trees starts off easy enough, although still rather difficult for you to traverse in your tight dress and voluminous skirt. If I had known I’d be taking a hike, I’d have worn something more suitable, and much more comfortable, you think, but ultimately decide to keep your mouth shut. After all, Hook had been spoiling you all evening. The least you could do was not nag him about every last thing.

The farther you go, the thicker the branches that block your path and scratch at your arms with their sharp claws get, and the denser the underbrush that tries to trap your feet and swallow you whole grows. After a quarter hour of consistent walking, the trail all but disappears, until only a small path carved by the footsteps of a few brave souls remains. You have to hold up the edge of your full-length skirt the whole way to ensure it doesn’t get all dirty and muddy; by the time you’re nearly done, your arms ache just as much, if not more, than your legs.

You and Hook travel mostly in silence, the sounds of your heavy panting and the crunches of leaves and branches underfoot filling up the empty air. You trail behind him, sometimes struggling to keep up, although he does happen to notice this and slows down his pace after the first few minutes.

Occasionally, Hook gives a short, crisp, “Watch out for the rock there, love,” or “The branches here are really low, I’ll hold them up for you.” You always respond with a clipped “Yeah,” or “Okay, thanks,” trying to mask just how out of breath you've gotten from the difficult climb. Early on in the beginning of the hike, you had to let go of his hand, favoring holding up your skirt instead. Still, in areas where the ground is rough or rocky, or the footing becomes difficult or rather steep, Hook always turns around and offers his hand to you and helps pull you up, or reaches out his hook from overhead for you to grab on to.

The noises of the night accompany you the entire time: the soft chirps of crickets, a few croaks from a frog somewhere out of sight, a creature or other scampering through the bushes, a rare call from an owl, and the whispering of the leaves above as a cool breeze passes through them. After a few more minutes of walking through a maze of nature with trees so thick—their only rival being the velvety blackness of the night—the pace of the trek finally slows down. You've long tired of always having to hold one arm ahead to ensure that you don’t get smacked in the face by an unsuspecting branch, so you're overwhelmingly relieved when Hook finally says, “We’re almost there.” “Finally,” you mumble between breaths. “I think my limbs are just about to fall off.” You can’t really tell in the pitch-black darkness, but you could have sworn that Hook gave a small smile at your words.

Once you reach a thick tangle of branches and vines that completely block your path, you both come to a stop. You watch as he pulls them back and to the side, even slicing through some with his hook. He beckons you forward with a courteous, “Ladies first,” a grin dancing on his features.

You walk through the clearing and onto a wide ledge overlooking the entire city. The view knocks the breath out of your lungs, despite your body already screaming at you for more oxygen. All thoughts of your strenuous hike vanish from your head, except for one that reminds you the arduous journey was absolutely and totally worth it.

From all the way up here, you can see the entire land. The shimmering lights of the large cityscape below you steal your heart, while the small village houses and mountains beyond them, creating the faintest of outlines against the horizon, capture your soul. This vantage point allows you to see everything; every bustling street filled with people rushing to get home after a long week, or frolicking around on a night out. Every house, every drawn-back curtain, but a mere speck in the constellation of human activity, a testament to the splendor of life. Twinkling lights sprawled below you paint a shimmering mosaic, reflecting the celestial canvas of stars hanging above you.

You stare in pure awe, almost forgetting about Hook as he approaches you from behind. “Enjoying the view, love?” he whispers softly, his voice closer to you than you expected.

You startle, turning backwards with a sharp inhale. “Oh…yeah, it’s just…breathtaking.” Unable to think of the right words to describe it, you decide to settle for an almost shameful understatement of the view's beauty.

You’re not quite sure if you imagined it, too caught up in your head, but you hear something that almost sounds like a soft, “Just like you.”

“Huh?” you ask, turning back around to face him. 

“I said, I told you you’d like it,” Hook repeats, although you still hold your suspicions. “All you had to do was trust me.”

“And how can I be sure you aren’t planning to push me off the edge?” you question, teasing him.

“Well, you can’t,” he replies, walking over to the ledge. “But if I do, I’ll let you drag me down with you. If we go down, then we go down together.”

You giggle, choosing to take his words at face value only and not read into them too much. After all, your heart can only take so much in one night.

Hook crouches down, using his good hand to support him as he sits down in front of you, keeping one foot hugged to his chest as he dangles the other off the side of the cliff.

He glances over his shoulder at you, patting the space besides him. Cautiously, you walk over to the ledge, joining him on the ground. 

You both sit there for a moment in silence, looking over the magnificent scene. You can tell that Hook finds comfort in the lack of conversation, but it feels too heavy for you, and so you decide to finally break it with the question that’s been on your mind this whole night.

“Hook?” you ask gently.

“Hmm?”

“Why did you bring me here?”

He turns his head slightly to glance at you. “I thought you’d like the view,” he replies, looking at you with a confused expression.

You take a quick breath, preparing yourself for the difficult words you’re planning to speak next. “No, I mean, why did you really bring me here tonight?” He opens his mouth to respond, but you cut him off, adding, “And don’t lie to me.”

His mouth closes shut again and he hesitates for a moment, contemplating his next sentence carefully, before responding, “I’ve already told you.”

“What, that you wanted to thank me for helping you get a B-plus on your test? Yeah, that excuse won’t work on me anymore.”

“No, not that.” He turns his head back and runs his good hand through his hair, making his neatly combed style look a bit more windswept than before. “I wanted to ask you out on a date.”

“…What?”

“I already told you that it was a date, love. You just chose not to believe me.”

It’s your turn to whip your head to the side this time, now facing directly towards Hook, who’s still looking straight ahead at the scenery.

“I-I didn’t…truly…I thought you were just joking when you said that.”

He glances at you again, a roguish grin forming on his lips. “Oh, darling, I don’t joke about much. Especially not with you.”

Again, you choose not to read too deeply into his words, trying to break your awful habit of overthinking. Instead, you press on, wanting to gain as much information as you can from him. If nothing else, at least a few answers might help put your mind at a little more ease. “Why’d you want to ask me out? I’m not exactly…”

Your voice fades away as your brain catches up with your far-too-fast mouth, realizing that saying “I’m not exactly the most desirable person to date” may not do you any favors.

Hook turns to look at you with an expectant gaze, and you know that you can’t sweep your little slip-up under the carpet that easily. Gods, he’s observant. “…the most popular person at our school,” you finish.

“Hmm, true,” Hook concurs, tilting his head with a tone as if he’s never considered that point before. You were half-expecting him to disagree, more out of courtesy than honesty, so you’re a bit taken aback when he agrees with you.

“But I don’t care about popularity.” Ah, so there’s that socially obligatory politeness. You don't really believe his words at first, yet the way he says it so sincerely, so genuinely, makes you wonder if he truly is being honest.

“So why’d you want to take me out on a date?”

“Because, love, you’re different from what I’m used to,” he replies. “You’re kind, soft, pure. You intrigued me.”

You recoil at his words, a deep, writhing anger rising out of you. “What, you only went out with me because I’m so pure and innocent? So you could corrupt me?” you spit, having heard this little skit far too many times before.

“No, not like that. Not at all.” Hook twists his body to face you more, and although you’re still mad at him, you can’t deny the hurt and pain that swirls in his voice and eyes at your accusations. “You’re…you’re always trying to help others. You always speak softly, always smile. You’re untainted by the evils I've witnessed. You’re like an angel sent down from the heavens. You’re not like me, love."

Hook continues, “And I don’t want to change that. I don’t want to corrupt or hurt you. I want to preserve that. Every time I’m with you, you make me want to keep you safe from the troubles of the world, the cruel things I’ve seen.

"You make me want to be around you. I can't explain how, or why, but your presence alone compels me to change my ways. To be kinder, gentler, softer. For you. It's as if you're contagious, and well, I think you've infected me, love. Whenever I see you, or even think of you, everything feels just a little bit better. The weight on my shoulders feels a bit lighter, and nothing seems as bad as it used to, as it was when I was on my own.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is...you've made me feel things that I haven't felt in a long, long time. Things that I thought my blackened heart couldn't even experience anymore. You make me feel like there's still goodness in the world...like there's still hope. Like I still have hope." You blink slowly, your mind and heart spinning alike as everything around you, as time itself, seems to slow down. You're unable to process all his words, unable to even begin to consider the implications of what this all means. “So, what you’re saying is…you only like me because I’m good?” you ask, touched by his sentiment, yet a little sad at the underlying meaning. Does this mean that if you want to stay with Hook, to maybe even be something in the future, you can't have any darkness to your soul? That you'll have to continue to be as righteous and morally correct as ever?

He gives a small chuckle. “Of course not, darling. I love when I make you snap, when you get angry at me. I love when the fierce part of you comes out. Just like it did now.” He reaches out his good hand to tuck a loose strand of your hair behind your ear, brushing against your cheek as he keeps it there, not pulling back quite yet.

You can see the hesitance swirling in his eyes, the uncertainty in the way his hand lingers by your face. By some sudden stroke of courage, the origins of which are a complete mystery to you—maybe he had the love potion added to your food too?—you shift your whole body towards Hook, keeping your legs tucked together and off to one side. 

“Kiss me,” you breathe.

“I'm sorry, love, wh-what?”

It feels strange to take command for once, but it sure is nice. “You heard me. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

His lingering hand cups your cheek as you both lean in, meeting each other in the middle. Hook’s lips are as soft and plump as you imagined, almost like brushing your mouth against the petals of a rose. Placing one of your hands on the ground beside you, you put your weight on it as you move even closer.

You’ve read of intense kisses, filled with passion and fueled by lust. But this isn't like that. It is slow, sweet, intoxicating you with only the purest of adorations. Your lips hover over his as you tilt your head to the side to prolong the embrace, getting swept up in the moment whilst being completely and blissfully unaware of anything and everything besides how his lips feel against yours, how his hook traces your body as he devours you like a starved man given his last meal. How he breathes you in like you're the very air that fills his lungs, like your sheer essence is the only oxygen he needs. You bring your hand up to his shoulder, leaning further into him as he moves his good hand back and tangles it in your hair.

It ends rather quickly, the entire kiss lasting but a moment, yet still filling you with the sweetest pleasure. In that moment, you realize why people spend their whole lives searching for love; it’s one of the most endearing, profound forms of joy that one can feel, and you're certain that you just felt it.

You pull away, noticing how his gaze lingers on your lips, before looking back up at you. He gives you a captivating, yet genuine smile, one that makes your heart to ache at how perfect he is, yet simultaneously yearning for his touch, his lips, him being wrapped up in another embrace with you and never breaking away. The newfound euphoria coursing through your veins and making your mind fuzzy causes you to return his smile with a wide, love-drunk grin of your own, a deep, wholehearted devotion emanating through your gaze as you study his features.

“Can I tell you a secret?” you whisper, staring into his eyes—eyes that reflect your own.

“Always, love.”

“You were my first kiss,” you confess.

Hook brings his hand back up to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing along your cheekbone. His grin grows, an endless affection swirling in his dark eyes as he replies, “I guess this really is a night to remember.”

You give a small laugh, lowering your forehead to lean it against his shoulder, seeking comfort in his hold. “You did want to give me an unforgettable night, after all.”

“Can I tell you a secret, too?”

You raise your head again to peer up at him with wide eyes, curious as to what he has to admit.

“That day, in class,” he confides, “I was enchanting those disks and sending them across the room so you’d come and talk to me. I saw how you went over to help that other kid who was struggling. So, I figured that if I struggled too, you'd come over and I could get a conversation with you.”

You raise your eyebrows. “So you could cast the spell right?”

“Oh, no, not even close, love. That was all your work. Although I might have put in a bit more effort just to impress you,” he adds with a small smirk.

You move one of your hands closer to him, placing it on top of his and intertwining your fingers together. “Well, I suppose it worked.”

You lean back into him, kissing him blissfully yet again under the watchful smile of the moon glowing high in the sky, the stars glimmering and winking down at your young love. As you embrace, the city below bustles with the joys and despairs of human life unbeknownst to you, each person a thread in the tapestry of the world. Every soul but a speck of stardust in a cosmic dance.

And perhaps that is the greatest folly of human life. All the weight of one’s burdens, all the battles fought, all the hearts and souls that love and cry, together composing of but a fleeting second amidst the vastness of forever. And yet, each person gets lost in the preeminence of their own narrative, joyfully unaware of every grain of sand that disappears into the abyss as we shuffle closer to the edge of this mortal coil. But oftentimes, one’s deepest flaw is their greatest feat, as no imperfection comes without its own merit.

So maybe that very feature is, instead, the greatest feat of humanity. To love like you’ll live forever, and to weep like there’s no tomorrow. Maybe our ignorance gives us strength, the strength to keep going every day, pretending as if we somehow have an authority and power over the galactic strings of thread that weave together the fate of our universe.

The city below you, the world outside of the little bubble the two of you have created, moves on, unknown and unknowing of you both. But in this moment, nothing else matters. Nothing besides the love and affection you and him have grown to share.

end x

<- back to part 1

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a/n: I just had to end this with some philosophical musings haha (hey google, how do you write beginnings and endings?) anyways hope you liked this, I love making fluff like this :D I love seeing everyone's comments and reactions, all feedback is highly appreciated! until next time :))

do not plagiarize, translate, remake, or copy my works, including my writing and images, in any way.

[being-addie]

Sunday Resets

Setting aside time for yourself is so important. I don't think people understand how vital it is to pay attention to your body and just take a day to let your body r-e-l-a-x. We're all so busy fighting to reach the top, that while climbing the corporate ladder, we lose ourselves somewhere along the way. Burnout, depression, and monotony come into play when we don't listen to our bodies telling us they need a break.

Once every two weeks or so, on a Sunday, I turn off all my notifications and have a day dedicated to me. Giving my body some TLC, resting and preparing for the next week. If I have plans on a Sunday, such as brunch or a meeting, I shift that day to Saturday, or at the very least, a day where I have at least 4-5 hours to spend leisurely.

Things I like to do on my Sunday resets:

Wake up early/sleep in: Depending on my mood, and how much sleep I've had during the week, I'll either be up at the crack of dawn or still in bed till it's nearly noon. There's no shame in staying in bed till 11:30 if you're particularly exhausted, but I recommend waking up at least before 11 AM because then you'll feel tired and groggy (of course, this doesn't apply to everyone)

Clean my room: I always make my bed without fail, and if my room is messy, then I'll clean it. Clean the vanity table, my desk, closet, art cupboard and bookshelf, and then the bathroom. If my mom needs help around the house, I do that too.

Food: I make myself a good breakfast, taking time to move around the kitchen and just breathe. I'm getting to eat good food, the sun is shining and I'm alive. It's great. Sometimes my dad cooks for the whole family and we just sit and eat together.

The Everything Shower: I take my Everything Shower on Sundays, where I wash my hair, deep condition, use a hair and face mask, exfoliate and do a face massage. I don't shave because I get my waxing done in a salon. I then slather myself in cocoa butter lotion and apply lip balm. Then do my hair routine (curly hair). It takes a few hours, but it's worth it.

The Next Week: I prep for the next week by cooking something I can take to my classes, like granola bars or homemade pita chips. I also sit down and plan my schedule (any dinners, meetings, parties, etc) and make a rough plan of my goals for the week, like assignments and deadlines.

Errands: I usually make a list of things I need to do during the week, like any specific separate groceries that I use, art supplies I'm low on, or needing to top up the air in my tyres. Then I go complete all of those in the afternoon.

Walks: In the evening, I take a walk around the block with a friend. I usually am too busy to do this during the week, so getting some fresh air is always a treat.

Relax: The rest of the evening is spent relaxing. I watch Netflix with my family, chat with my younger sister, read a novel/play the piano/write poetry. We have dinner together and then either watch a movie or just spend the time talking about our week, or the news. It's fun.

Double-check: Before I go to sleep, I make sure to double-check that my work is done, my bag is packed, clothes are folded and all my devices are charged. I'm in bed by 10:30 PM.

Remember that not all Sundays will be like this. Sometimes I'm extremely drained, so I'll sleep in, order food and just lay in bed recuperating. It's okay to take a rest day. This guide is if you want to be more productive, and it helps the week go smoother. Be the person who has their life in charge. You've got this.

<3

[newobsessionweekly]

something new

Main masterlist | The Rookie masterlist

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

Tim Bradford x bestfriend!reader

Series: Something old, new, borrowed, blue

Fandom: The Rookie

Summary: After you engage into an undercover operation and Tim hears nothing from you for a whole week, he finally made peace with his feelings. Tim's confession changed everything and made room for something new between you.

Angst | Fluff

A/N: Here it is, part 2! I'm so glad you like the series as much as I do and your support is heart warming, I swear. Your kind words and appreciation are one of the reasons why I keep doing this. Thank you, thank you, thank you, a million times. @fluentmoviequoter here is the second part, sweetheart.

Warnings: mentions of pain, getting shot, blood

Requested: no

Words: soon

The morning light filters through the curtains you picked some years ago, casting a soft glow over the bedroom you knew way too well for your liking, as you slowly begin to stir from your fitful sleep. Your head pounds with the remnants of last night's alcohol-fueled escapade, a relentless reminder of the reckless choices you made in the throes of the night.

As you blink away the haze of sleep, your eyes widen in shock when they land on Tim's bedroom, and you tried to search for any clues of how you ended up in his bed and especially what you did last night. But your mind doesn't have any plans to cooperate, leaving you clouded with a thousand questions stirring up your mind.

You shift slightly in bed, surprise and regret washing over you at the sight of Tim lying beside you, with his arm draped protectively over your waist and his features softened in the gentle light of dawn.

His tousled hair falling across his forehead in disarray, giving him an air of vulnerability that tugs at your heartstrings. You can't help but admire the lines of his face, the rugged contours softened by the peacefulness of sleep. There's a quiet strength in his aspect, a determination that shines through even in his most vulnerable moments. It's a strength that you've always admired, a quality that drew you to him in the first place.

You know he belongs to another, that your feelings for him can never be more than a fleeting fantasy. And yet, as you gaze upon him now, your heart aches with the knowledge that you must leave him behind, alone and unaware of the danger that lurks.

His strong, muscular frame fills the bed beside you, his broad shoulders stretching the fabric of his t-shirt as he sleeps. You can't help but admire the way the clothing clings to his chest, accentuating the contours of his body in all the right places. And as your gaze trails lower, you can't help but notice the way his sweatpants hug his thighs, the muscles flexing beneath the material in a way that sends a shiver down your spine.

As the shrill ring of your flip phone pierces the quiet morning air, you're snapped out of your reverie, the urgency of the call cutting through the haze of sleep like a knife. With a sense of fear, you reach for the device, your hands trembling slightly as you answer the call that could change everything.

"He needs you," comes the voice on the other end, cold and lacking emotion, a stark contrast to the warmth of the bed you've just vacated.

"Where?" you respond, your voice steady despite the confusion raging inside you.

"Don't worry, Foxy. We'll find you," the voice replies, a hint of danger hiding beneath the surface.

The urgency of the situation throws you into action, your movements quick as you gather your belongings, your mind racing with a million thoughts and fears. But beneath the surface, a sense of guilt gnaws at you, knowing that you're leaving Tim behind.

Tim's eyes flutter open, his mind still heavy with the remains of sleep. But as his gaze lands on the empty space beside him, a sense of confusion washes over him, quickly replaced by concern as he realises that you're nowhere to be seen.

As you prepare to leave, the sight of Tim emerging from the bedroom fills you with a tumult of conflicting emotions. His sleepy gaze meets yours, his concern evident in the furrow of his brow and the gentle curve of his lips.

"Morning," he greets you, his voice soft with sleep and confusion.

"Hey," you reply, your voice tinged with regret as you avoid his gaze, unable to bear the weight of his scrutiny.

"What happened?" Tim asks, his concern for you evident in every line of his face.

"I have to go," you say simply, your voice heavy with the weight of your secrets.

"Stay for breakfast, please," Tim pleads, his desperation palpable in the air between you.

"I wish, but really I can't stay, I'm sorry," you reply, the words catching in your throat as you turn away, unable to face the hurt in his eyes.

"Why?" Tim asks, confusion lacing his voice with uncertainty.

"I can't tell you," you respond, your voice barely above a whisper as you make your escape, the weight of your decisions heavy upon your shoulders.

As you step out into the morning light, a sense of emptiness washes over you, the absence of Tim's presence leaving a void in your heart that you're not sure how to fill. But amidst the chaos and uncertainty, one thing remains clear: duty calls, and you cannot afford to let sentimentality cloud your judgment.

When you arrive at the station, you waste no time in searching for your superior. Every word spoken by the mysterious voice echoes in your mind, a tempting glimpse of the lead you've been desperately searching for.

"Sergeant, I received a call this morning," you say, your voice filled with urgency. "The Gunrunner needs me."

"Did they give you any details?" Caradine asks, furrowing his brow with concern as a serious expression is painted across his face

"No, sir," you reply, shaking your head. "He said they'll find me when the time is right."

Sergeant Caradine nods, his mind already racing with possibilities. "I'll get your room at the motel," he says, his voice firm. "This might be our chance to catch them. Report to me twice a day, morning and midnight."

You nod, a sense of determination settling over you as you prepare to embark on this undercover mission. "Yes, sir."

"Try to get as close as you can to the operation," Detective Sergeant Caradine advises, his tone serious. "And be safe out there."

As Tim watches from the bullpen, his gaze focused on you as you speak to Sergeant Caradine, a knot forms in his stomach, a sense of unease settling over him like a heavy shroud. He can't shake the feeling that something is off, that there's more to this than meets the eye.

His chest tightens with worry, his heart pounding in his ears like a drumbeat as he struggles to maintain his composure.

He clenches his fists at his sides, a sense of helplessness washing over him like a tidal wave. Turning his attention to Angela, he raises an eyebrow in silent question, a sense of concern etched into the lines of his face.

"What's all that about?" he asks, his voice low and tense.

Angela's lips quirk up in a cryptic smile as she leans in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "Foxy is back"

The mention of your undercover name sends a shiver down Tim's spine, a wave of worry crashing over him. He knows what it means, knows the danger you're about to face, and he can't help but feel a sense of helplessness wash over him as he watches from afar.

"How did you handle Y/N last night?" Angela asks, her tone playful yet probing.

Tim tries to play it cool, to mask the storm raging inside him with a nonchalant facade. "Oh, you know," he says, his voice casual despite the heaviness of his feelings pressing down on him. "She insisted on sharing the bed, I made sure she didn't puke over my clean sheets. Nothing much."

But deep down, beneath the layers of sarcasm, Tim knows the truth. He enjoyed last night more than he cares to admit, cherished the fleeting moments of intimacy shared between you, even if they were born out of drunkenness and confusion.

Angela's teasing words cut through the tension like a knife, her insight piercing through Tim's defenses with unnerving accuracy. "Sure, Bradford," she says, her voice filled with sarcasm. "But you can't hide behind your finger forever. It's clear as day that she needs you, and you need her, you idiot."

He knows she's right, knows he can't keep denying the truth forever. But the thought of facing his feelings head-on terrifies him more than he cares to admit.

"Keep me posted," Tim says, his tone firm as he meets Angela's eyes. "All the time." It's a silent plea, a desperate request for reassurance, a silent vow to always be there for you, no matter what.

Five days, six hours and some minutes you forgot to count. That's how much you've spent between the four walls as you breathed the stale and musty air filled with disinfectant and despair and as you paced the length of the room, trying to keep Tim out of your mind.

It was useless to even think about the memories taking a break from hunting you as there was nothing else to do. It felt like a prison, reporting to Detective Caradine twice a day like clockwork, but each passing moment only serves to deepen the sense of isolation and frustration that weighs heavily on your shoulders.

But no matter how hard you try to push him from your mind, Tim is always there, his presence looming large in your thoughts and dreams. You find yourself replaying the events of that night over and over again, each memory blurring as you tried to remember.

Meanwhile, Tim has been driving himself crazy with worry. He's grumpier than usual, snapping at his colleagues and pacing the bullpen like a caged animal. Every passing hour feels like an eternity, each moment stretching out into infinity as he waits for news.

He tries to distract himself with paperwork and patrols, but his mind keeps drifting back to you, to the way you looked when you rushed out of his house that morning, to the cryptic phone call that set everything in motion. He knows he should trust you, trust in your abilities as a detective, but the fear of the unknown gnaws at him like a hungry beast, refusing to be silenced.

The creak of the motel room door snaps you awake, the sound slicing through the thick fog of sleep that clouds your mind. As your tired eyes struggle to adjust to the harsh overhead light, three figures barged in, their presence casting a threatening shadow over the room.

Your heart is pounding like a drum, the adrenaline coursing through your veins like liquid fire. This is it, the moment you've been waiting for, the chance to finally get close to The Gunrunner and bring him to justice once and for all. And even as fear and doubt threaten to overwhelm you, you steel yourself, knowing that failure is not an option.

As you're ushered into the waiting car, your old flip phone is cruelly destroyed, but you refuse to let fear dictate your actions. With determination burning bright, you steel yourself for the road ahead, ready to face whatever challenges come your way. The Gunrunner may have taken your phone, your only chance of being found in the when needed, but he can't take away your determination to see this through to the end.

Tim sat at his desk, his fingers tapping restlessly on the surface as he grappled with his deafening emotions. For so long, he had buried his feelings, convincing himself that his heart belonged to Lucy. But as he watched the chaos unfold around him, his thoughts kept drifting back to you.

He finally allowed himself to admit the truth he had been avoiding. His feelings for you ran deeper than he had ever realized, a realization that both terrified and exhilarated him. It was a revelation that shook him to his core.

As Nolan's voice broke through the quiet, Tim's mind raced with a newfound clarity. "Sergeant Bradford," Nolan's voice crackled over the radio, snapping Tim out of his trance.

Tim swiftly grabbed the radio, his voice firm as he responded, "Nolan, switch to channel 9."

"We've got movement. Target's heading eastbound on 5th Street," Nolan reported.

Tim's heart skipped a beat as he processed the information. "Copy that. Maintain visual and keep a safe distance. I'm en route to coordinate backup," Tim commanded, his voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

As he prepared to lead the charge to rescue you and arrest the suspects, Tim made peace with his past and embraced the future that lay before him, one where he finally allowed himself to love and be loved in return.

You were caught in the middle of a chaos, bullets whizzing through the air like angry hornets, each shot a deadly reminder of the dangerous dance you signed up for. The Gunrunner's men clashed with his arms supplier, their once-profitable alliance now shattered in a storm of betrayal and bloodshed.

A stray bullet grazed your side, igniting a searing pain that threatened to engulf your senses. But even as agony rippled through your body, you pushed forward, driven by a singular purpose: to bring these criminals to justice.

As the cacophony of gunfire echoed through the air, the wail of sirens pierced the night, heralding the arrival of law enforcement. Tim's voice cut through the chaos like a beacon of hope, his commands ringing out with authority as he led the charge.

"LAPD! Drop your weapons! Hands where I can see them. On the ground, face down, spread your arms and legs," Tim's voice boomed, commanding obedience from both friend and foe alike.

You followed Tim's instructions, your movements fluid despite the pain that gnawed at your every step. As you knelt on the cold pavement, your eyes met Tim's, a silent exchange passing between you like a secret shared in the dead of night.

As Tim approached, the clink of metal echoed through the air as he secured the handcuffs around your wrists, his touch gentle yet firm. "You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court," he recited, his voice low and urgent.

But even as the cuffs clicked into place, there was a silent understanding that passed between you and Tim, a shared acknowledgment of the sacrifices that had brought you to this moment.

"You okay?" Tim's voice was soft, a quiet murmur that cut through the chaos like a beacon in the night.

For a moment, the world seemed to still around you, every sound and sensation muted by the gravity of the moment. And as you met Tim's gaze, a silent understanding passed between you, a shared recognition of the dangers that lurked in the shadows.

"I'm fine," you whispered, the words a hollow echo of the truth that lay beneath the surface.

But even as the lie slipped from your lips, there was a flicker of gratitude in Tim's eyes, a silent acknowledgment of the sacrifices you had made in service of the greater good.

"Bull. You're bleeding," he whispered, his jaw clenching in frustration and disappointment at your lies.

With a grimace, you glanced down at the wound, the pain radiating through your body like a wildfire. But even as you felt the tendrils of darkness creeping in at the edges of your vision, there was a steely resolve in your gaze, a silent vow to see the mission through to its end, no matter the cost.

"I'll be fine," you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper as you struggled to maintain your composure.

As you stand in your dimly lit kitchen, exhaustion weighing heavily on your shoulders, the thought of a proper meal and a hot shower feels like a distant dream. The events of the past week have left you drained both physically and emotionally, and the prospect of mustering up the energy to cook dinner seems daunting.

Just as you begin to resign yourself to another night of solitude, a knock at the door startles you from your reverie. With a weary sigh, you shuffle over to answer it, already bracing yourself for the inevitable conversation that awaits.

Opening the door, you're met with the sight of Tim standing on your doorstep, a concerned look etched upon his features. His presence is both unexpected and oddly comforting, a reminder that you're not as alone in this world as you sometimes feel.

"Hey, uh," he begins, his voice slightly hesitant as he searches for the right words. "I was in the neighbourhood and thought maybe check on you." there's a hint of concern in his voice, a silent plea hidden behind the casual facade he wears like armor. "I was thinking maybe we can go grab some dinner. You look like you could use a proper meal."

"I appreciate the offer, Tim, but I'm really tired," you protest weakly, your resolve crumbling in the face of his insistence. "I was just planning to make something quick and calling it a night."

But Tim isn't one to be deterred so easily. With a gentle yet firm resolve, he brushes off your protests and offers to take care of dinner himself. His concern for your well-being is palpable, his desire to help you through this rough patch written plainly across his face.

"Nonsense," he insists, his voice unwavering. "You've had a rough week. Let me take care of dinner tonight."

Your protests falter in the face of his unwavering determination, and with a resigned sigh, you finally relent. "I… I don't know, Tim."

"Yes, you know," he replies, his tone gentle yet firm. "Go take a bath, relax, and let me help you."

With a mixture of reluctance and gratitude, you nod, silently accepting his offer of kindness. "Ugh, fine," you concede, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. "But don't expect anything fancy from my kitchen."

As you emerge from the bathroom, refreshed and revitalized by the soothing warmth of the bath, you find Tim bustling about the kitchen, the savory aroma of your favorite meal fills the air, tempting your taste buds and stirring a hunger you hadn't realized was there.

Tim turns to greet you with a smile, his eyes bright with warmth and mischief. "How was the bath? Did it work its magic?" he quips, his tone light and teasing as he gestures towards the steaming pots on the stove.

You nod eagerly, the anticipation of a delicious meal and Tim's company lifting your spirits in a way you hadn't thought possible. "Absolutely," you reply, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips as you take a seat at the table. "I must admit, I'm curious to see if your cooking skills live up to the hype."

Tim feigns offense, placing a hand over his heart in mock indignation. "Ouch, that hurts," he says with a dramatic sigh, before breaking into a grin.

As he serves up generous portions of the meal he's prepared, the two of you settle into an easy rhythm of conversation and laughter.

You take a bite of the savory dish and you can't help but let out a satisfied sigh. "Wow, Tim, this is amazing," you exclaim, your taste buds dancing with delight. "I stand corrected – your cooking skills definitely live up to the hype."

Tim beams with pride, his eyes twinkling with satisfaction. "Told you," he says with a playful wink.

You chuckle, shaking your head in amusement. "Well, consider me impressed," you reply, lifting another forkful of food to your mouth. "You might have to start coming over more often if this is what I have to look forward to."

"I'd love that."

With each passing moment, the barriers between you seem to fade away, leaving behind a sense of warmth and intimacy that fills the room. The laughter comes easy, the smiles genuine, as you bask in the simple pleasure of each other's company.

"About the other night…"Tim begins, his voice soft but determined as the conversation turns more serious, a weighty silence settles between you.

You fidget nervously with your fork, unable to meet his gaze. "I don't really remember much," you admit, your words coming out in a rush. "But I do remember waking up in your bed."

Tim's expression softens, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Yeah, about that," he says, reaching across the table to gently take your hand in his. "You were… um, pretty vocal about your feelings."

A pang of guilt twists in your chest, the weight of your drunken words hanging heavy in the air. "I'm sorry," you murmur, your voice barely above a whisper. "I was drunk and didn't know what I was talking about."

But Tim shakes his head, his gaze unwavering as he meets your eyes. "Yeah, well, I don't buy that," he says, his voice firm yet gentle. "I know you, Y/N. You can't lie to me."

Your breath catches in your throat, the raw honesty in his words leaving you feeling exposed and vulnerable. "If I could, I’d lose feelings for you," you admit, tears welling up in your eyes. "But it’s not that easy. It’s not that easy to just let go of someone you’ve seen as your whole world for so many years."

Tim's eyes soften, a tenderness washing over his features as he reaches out to gently wipe away your tears. "I’m going to need you to stop for one second," he says softly, his voice laced with warmth and affection. "Because I just find it so incredibly rude that you think I’m not head over heels in love with you, you idiot."

Your breath catches in your throat, disbelief washing over you as his words sink in. "You are?" you whisper, your voice trembling with uncertainty.

Tim nods, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah, Y/N," he says, his voice filled with conviction. "I know I love you and I know I need you."

His words were unexpected, filling you with confusion and some sort of warmth from head to toe as you searched for his eyes, intrigued, "But.. what about Lucy?"

A sense of disappointment washed over him, alongside a little sight of pain as he spoke, "She said no." he paused for a second to weight his words, "And that help me realise I didn't even love her that way. I somehow projected the love for you into that relationship. That's what the therapist said."

As Tim's words sink in, a surge of emotion courses through you, a whirlwind of disbelief and overwhelming joy. Before you can even process the full extent of what he's saying, he's already closing the distance between you, his arms wrapping around you in a tight embrace.

The warmth of his touch seeps into your skin, sending shivers down your spine as you lean into his embrace, the weight of his arms around you offering a sense of safety and security you hadn't realized you'd been craving. It feels like coming home, like finally finding the missing piece of yourself you never knew was missing.

For a moment, you simply revel in the closeness, in the comforting embrace of the man you've come to love more than words can express. It's in moments like these, with Tim's arms around you and his heart beating against yours, that you realize just how deeply you've fallen for him, how much he means to you.

As Tim pulls away from the embrace, his eyes soften with tenderness as he reaches up to gently swipe away your tears. "Please don't cry," he murmurs, his voice laced with concern and affection. Cupping your cheeks in his hands, he caresses them with his thumbs, his touch soothing and comforting.

Leaning in, he presses a gentle kiss to your forehead, his lips warm against your skin. "I have something for you," he says softly, reaching for a bag hidden nearby. Your curiosity piqued, you watch as he handed you the bag with a small smile.

"What's this?" you ask, your voice filled with curiosity.

"It's something new," Tim replies, his own excitement evident in his tone. "Like this… new thing between us."

You reached into the bag and pulled out a neatly folded sweater. Tears well up in your eyes once again as you recognizes it – the exact replica of the one that had earned itself a wide whole and blood stains during the undercover operation.

"You remembered," you whispered, your voice choked with emotion.

"Of course, I did," he replies, his eyes softening with affection. "I could never forget how much you love that sweater."

Overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness, you throw your arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you, Tim." you buried your head more into his chest. "It… it means a lot. I don't know what I'd do without you," you admit, your voice barely a whisper.

Tim's arms tighten around you, as if he's afraid to let you go. "You'll never have to find out," he promises, his words filled with unwavering determination. "I'll always be here for you, Y/N. Always."

[w3bgrl]

chan and his 1st child/yt.com

creator. [subtitles/translations.]

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 intro: hello my fellow smoothbrained friends. welcome or welcome back! today we will be taking a look at some bangju moments over the past (almost) 6 years with stray kids that never fail to warm my heart <3 if you like these kinds of posts consider interacting or sharing your favorite moment! thank you! now to what we’re really here for :)

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 stray kids survival show

splayed under the blue light from his computer screen, chan’s dexterity over the mouse begins to slow followed by heavy eyes fighting against the cozy weight of gravity lulling him to sleep, his loss against this force signified by his slowed, deep breaths.

[using the track as a lullaby, he goes straight to dreamland]

speeding up the footage reveals a better understanding as to how long he really sat asleep in his chair until a cut transitions to his new position leaned against the back, somewhat sitting up still with the room light shining bright as ever above his head.

[but, it sounds like someone’s at the door!]

soft shuffling footsteps reveal a squinting juyeon with major bed-head. [it’s the members’ mother hen!] carefully she reaches across the sleeping boy to his mouse, sliding it around on his track pad a bit clicking here and there, and then the screen goes black. [taking care of the leader making sure his work was saved. but…] she then turns and waddles out of view again. [what is she doing?]

the audible flip of a light switch shrouds the room in darkness, and from within this darkness, juyeon’s whispered coos could be heard.

[JY: oppa. come on,]

[BC: hm?]

[JY: to bed. everything is saved, just get under the covers.]

[~hardworking leader chan gets tucked in bed by angel juyeon, who looks after the member responsible for the rest. as long as he’s got her by his side, chan’s well taken care of.~]

[JY: sleep well, channie~]

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 finding skz running man

stopping near the carousel in the center of the mall chan sighs heavily with his hands on his hips, catching his breath as he scanned over the layout once more. “ah — i really don’t know. i haven’t seen her at all.”

after pausing to listen for any movement within the building - and only hearing the commotion from the other boys - chan turns with a mischievous smile toward the camera man “do you know where she is? have you seen her?”

[meanwhile…]

cut to juyeon narrowly avoiding seungmin as he came down the hall, crouching to duck behind one of the arcade machines just in time for him to pass by without noticing the older girl. the second she decided he was far enough was when she took off in the opposite direction with the cameramen racing to keep up with her.

juyeon comes to a stop once she reaches the main room, the lights from the carousel twinkling in her wide eyes once she spots the blonde boy across the room.

[like a deer in the headlights, billie appears!]

chan is already looking in her direction as he throws his hands up mousily. “wait,” he says, masking the ulterior motives apparent to everyone but juyeon “will you help me?”

“help you?” she repeats, still as a statue whilst chan ambles over to bridge the gap between them. [will she fall for the leader's trick?]

“have you seen felix?”

a suspicious smile grows on juyeon's lips as he draws closer and her own palms raise defensively, taking half a step back from the boy whose mask of innocence had begun to slip the closer he got. "oppa." she says like an accusation. a bright smile dawns on chan's face.

"i'm not after you."

juyeon is now fully backpedaling. [she doesn't believe him] "oppa, have mercy."

there is a brief pause as chan seemingly weighs his options with his eyes still locked on hers, his jolly grin becoming more and more pixy with each passing millisecond before he abruptly lunges forward for her with outstretched hands to grab her nametag. juyeon nearly threw herself into one of the pillars behind her to protect the name on her back.

"please! you're my favorite member!"

chan now stops just before her with eyebrows knitting together before he laughs at her interesting tactic. "i'm your favorite?"

"totally," juyeon giggles "especially when you give me a five second head start."

"more than changbin?" he adds, prodding at her will to bargain. she simply tilts her head.

"who?"

[and with that, the deal is sealed]

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 2 kids room

“honestly,” chan starts, removing the lollipop stuffed in his cheek as he sat criss-cross on the blue corduroy couch “i love this hair color on you.”

“really?” asked juyeon with a surprised smile, whose fiery red hair had become a hot topic recently. he hummed.

“i think red suits you well. of course you’re always pretty but the red really catches peoples eye.”

now giggling bashfully, juyeon subconsciously tucked an aforementioned red strand behind her ear to reveal her peachy cheeks, eyes sparkling with appreciation despite her response. "you've been suspiciously supportive recently — i feel like i need to look out for blackmail or something.”

“what is that supposed to mean?!” the leader shrilled, almost pouting, arms flying to fold across his chest teasingly at her insinuation. however, this feigned offense was quickly replaced by the smile accompanying his laughter at her mirroring of his demeanor.

“you know i can’t accept compliments!!”

“well! —” he began with the same chaotic energy before abruptly halting himself to instead dial it back with a nonchalant shrug “that’s okay, at least you know.”

juyeon, peeling open her eyes squeezed shut to hide from the embarrassment, now dropped the arms crossed tight against her chest and subsequently her guard. she spoke in a soft hum to mutter, “it is nice to know, though. i do appreciate it…”

“good. you should know how precious you are.”

“ew!”

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 chan’s room phone call

“hmm…was it a different name?” chan mumbles, more to himself than the stay watching his livestream as he searched for that particular day6 song he wanted to talk about, eyes quickly scanning over the titles in hopes of finding ‘the one.’

“oh! here it is.”

he begins playing ‘i loved you’ before sitting back in his chair to intently listen along with stay. it begins with the buzzing of crickets before jumping right into the members’ gorgeous and clear voices, and after only half a minute or so of nodding his head along with their labelmates past masterpiece, the discernible buzz of his phone against the table quickly catches his attention.

“oh!” he pauses the music to pick up his phone “it’s bibiya! let’s see what chu’s up to.”

chan answers her call below stay’s view, indicating that she’d actually facetimed him, made glaringly apparent by the bloop! as it connected. if that wasn’t evidence enough then surely juyeon’s squeaky voice coming through the speaker did, the leaders face lighting up prior to his laugh.

“sorry!! i just remembered about your live!”

chan quickly turned the volume down as he chuckled “it’s okay! the more the merrier. do you want to say hi?”

“yeah! can stay hear me?”

he nodded, eyes flicking up to filter through the live comments now buzzing with her name.

“helloooo stayyy! is channie entertaining you well? don’t forget about his weekly sunday live like i did. uh…make sure to eat well and get lots of rest!!”

chan would giggle before pulling his eyes from the comments and back to the screen out of view. “do you want me to call you back?” he asked quietly, wary of the audience listening in on the reason why she called “i’ll be done in 30.”

“oh — that’s okay — i just wanted to know if you still wanted to watch that movie with me tonight.”

the leaders eyebrows raised high, eyes panning up to the live almost like a scene from the office before looking back down at the girl on his screen.

“did you forget?”

“no! i remember!” he blatantly lied with a giggle “we’ll sit down to watch it as soon i get home, okay?”

there was an exasperated sigh before her response. “okayyyy. have fun with the rest of your live. bye bye stay!”

chan would mutter his own goodbyes to his bandmate before she hung up, and then his focus would immediately shift back up to the audience before him, a bashful blush dusting his cheeks as he laughed once more.

“i definitely forgot about the movie tonight. don’t tell joong.”

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 dinner w/ billie live

“okay, next!” juyeon turns from the pot of noodles boiling on the stovetop to then grab the jar of alfredo sauce on the counter “this is my favorite pasta of all time — after jjajangmyeon — so we’re gonna use a lot of it.”

the pajama-clad girl then attempts to open the lid using both hands, her face screwing together with pursed lips as she visibly uses all her might to twist the top off. “oh, man,” she wheezes, resting to glance up at the comments before trying again “it’s really on there!”

juyeon now readjusts her grip to get as much of her hand on the lid as possible, her other holding the jar tight as to not drop it before taking another shot at opening the precious sauce, nearly folding into herself at the waist as she once again fails to unscrew the lid.

“jeez! did they glue it on there or something?” she huffs “why is it so difficult? that’s so rude.”

for a moment she stands there in front of the camera, dumbfounded and red-faced as she looks over the jar like there was another method hidden underneath, before holding her index up to the audience now laughing at her struggles.

“hold on,” she says while backing toward one of the bedroom doors she’d banished the boys to while she was on live “don’t go anywhere! i’ll be back!”

thankfully, due to the positioning of the camera she’d set up in the kitchen, stay were still able to see juyeon as she waddled over to knock on one of the wooden doors with mumbles of ‘the stupid jar.’ this door would then open to reveal a comfy-looking and barefaced chan with a smile already on his face as he exited the darkness and entered the living room to take the jar from her.

it would only take him the few seconds of a walk back into the kitchen to then successfully pop open the blasphemous lid that had publicly defeated juyeon. he’d outwardly laugh as she stole the now-opened jar from his hands, a vexed frown on her lips.

“i loosened it for you.”

“oh i’m sure.”

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 stray kids survival show

[the members are hard at work, practicing their performance relentlessly to polish even the smallest of details before presenting themselves before jyp and yg in the morning]

the group looks wholly exhausted as the song then comes to a close, their heaving breaths and faces glistening with sweat acting as a visual indicator to how eager they were to give a good performance in front of not only their own boss but also yg and his trainees, hands flying to rest on their hips as they tromped over to their water bottles.

the boys’ quick disperse from the formation in the middle subsequently revealed a haggard-looking juyeon with her fingers interlocked behind her head. a quick zoom-in on the panting girl would expose her trembling bottom lip as she blinked rapidly before cranking her neck to look up at the lights on the ceiling.

[juyeon looks troubled]

chan, sitting in the right hand corner of the screen as he messed with the speaker, could be seen with his attentive leader gaze on the red-faced girl. to the untrained eye — namely the viewers watching who still didn’t know the members very well — his furrowed brow and pursed lips could easily be read as irritation towards the black sheep of the group. however, the speed with which he stood in order to be by her side after she turned her back indicated otherwise.

[leader chan is quick to check in on his members when they’re struggling]

“hey,” he hummed, placing a hand between her shoulders to seclude them from the other boys “you okay?”

chan’s soothing presence would be the catalyst that revealed juyeon’s true state even as her back was turned to the camera, face hidden from view as her frail, shaky voice exposed the tears she’d fought to conceal.

“yeah — sorry — ts’stupid”

“hey,” he’d say again, now moving to stand in front of her to catch her gaze “what’s up?”

juyeon shook her head, dropping her interlocked fingers to instead wipe the tears on her cheeks. “i don’t know — nothing — i’m good”

“talk to me, joong. you don’t have to find the right words, just tell me how you’re feeling.”

[although juyeon tried to hide her troubles, chan won’t let her suffer alone]

“m’just…scared. what they’ll think — what they’ll say…”

chan’s response was immediate; certain and encouraging as he brushed her hair from her face. “that’s okay, ju. it’s okay to be scared. it’s okay to worry about what people will think, we all do, but you can’t let it eat at you. they’ll say what they’re gonna say, but at the end of the day, you’re still the talented juyeon we know you are — you know you are. don’t let the fear stop you from doing what you love.”

with this, juyeon sighs. she stands there for a moment to take in his encouraging words, marinating his verbal and nonverbal support in her mind before nodding shortly once more.

“we’ll all be there to back you up, ju. always.”

[juyeon may be anxious about tomorrow, but she has her boys to stand behind her, and they’ll defend her to the ends of the earth]

[sleepybbie]

Hi Lily :) anon who requested the Blade thirst Drabble AND LET ME SAY WHEW THAT WAS HOT 🥵 I also loved your Dan Feng thirst drabble (two cocks omg) and I was wondering… could I send you a request for Dan Feng x reader x Yingxing thirst drabble please? Extra spicy 😏 thank you!!

𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 | dan feng & yingxing drabble

a/n: oh my! ૮꒰⸝⸝> ̫ <⸝⸝꒱ა i’ve been getting sooo much threesum requests lately, makes me realized if u guys want to be split open that badly (can’t blame u all either :3) tysm for requesting, darling<3

dan feng x fem!reader x yingxing

warning: threesum :,> anal and vaginal sex (they’re both just so excited! >:3) yingxing’s teases :( dan feng more on smooth talk <3 reader is yingxing’s lover ^^

the xianzhou has always known to be quite the tranquil place during evenings, when the dawn finally closes its eyes for the night sky to arrive and let its stars and bright moon shine, it wouldn’t be a surprise of why you found yourself fucking yourself mindless on YINGXING’S aching cock as he lays down, watching you as he guides your hips on such a soothing and peaceful night.

however it was strange, these weren’t like the usual loving nights you and yingxing would often do…there was like an itch over your shoulder. like a new presence hiding in the rooms.

truthfully, you had no idea of why your lover was smirking up on you as you rode his dick, pushing yourself back and forth like a vulnerable individual before he toys with your breasts, pushing himself deeper into the serene comfort of the pillows as the scented candles fragrances the room. you knew how cocky he could be at some times, but you couldn’t shake this feeling looping over your head that he may as well be planning something.

he pumps himself further into your creamy walls, leaks of his release overflowing out from your drooling cunt while you still kept going, whining the blacksmith’s name like it was the only word you knew in your mind while you jumped up and down on his chest. the pleasure aches in your stomach, tears flying out from your eyelids..voice filling in the night air of your bedroom. you couldn’t stop your hips from thrusting down on him. it was good, too good, your mind filled with incoherence…

you should’ve had trusted your instincts when you felt like an uninviting presence lurking in your room…because before you could chase on your second release, a hand pushes you down on yingxing’s chest out of nowhere.

your heartbeat palpitates hard on your chest, pants going faint as a familiar voice from the back echoes in the room.

“stay down, just like that..”

was that…?

you tried to turn your head to see if it was really the voice of the high elder, however his palm immediately pushed you down, yingxing’s hand gripping on your sweaty thighs.

“look who decided to come. make haste now, my dearest here wishes her pleasure to be fulfilled” yingxing says, cupping your cheek lovingly. DAN FENG scoffs, his hands bring your hips up until he faces with your ass cheeks, cunt filled with the brim with his bosom friend’s cum. slowly did he spreads them apart, and your eyes went wide in realization. oh aeons…

you felt a tip slap at your other hole, and just by touch alone did you know he was big.

“w-wait—

“you can take both of us, yes? come on, i’m sure you can..” yingxing cooed, his thumb brushing a small tear from your flushed eyelids. “besides, it’s not only two you’ll be taking…”

wait what?

before you could utter another word, the stretch on your pussy lengthens more, your eyes rolling back to the back of your head when you felt two tips enter both of your holes, a high pitched moan choking out from your throat as dan feng manages to push himself inside of you. he stays still for a moment while you squirm, one cock plunged in your asshole while your core was plunged with two. they haven’t even started to move, yet you were already so loud. yingxing chuckles, his hand now on your hip as he moves his head to look at dan feng.

“i told you…”

“hmph, so she can take three…” you hear dan feng reply to him, however your mind was in a haze, trying to adjust to both of their sizes, your breath shaking from the aftershocks.

once they began to move, you were left with a babbling nonsense escaping your lips, feeling them hit the right spots everywhere in you. your tits bouncing while yingxing plays with your nipples, dan feng leaving bitemarks at the back of your neck as he fucks both your cunt and your asshole to the oblivion. your cries went louder, a tear falling down as the nasty wet sounds of skin to skin became more faster and harsher, sandwiched between the two members of the high cloud quintet.

“you’re doing amazing, sweetheart…never knew you could take three…”

“praising your lover in bed…hm…so that’s common?”

“oh no need to be so formal, dan feng..”

you couldn’t believe they were chatting so casually while the fucked your brain to pieces. their cocks weren’t in synch however unlike in their battles together, one was in while the other was out, bringing you a type of euphoric pleasure that was not like other in the luofu. yingxing’s thrusts were fast, gentle, but they never fail to hit the deepest parts within you. same goes for the high elder with his merciless moves of his hips, who seemed to enjoy the same as his dear friend did, holding on your arms while your head pushes back, staring at the ceiling from ecstasy. you were fucked stupid, to the point you couldn’t think straight, brain mushed with nothing but a begging wreck of lust.

“o-oh fuck, oh fuck…you feel so good…” yingxing groans, tongue slithering the valley between your breasts before he sucks deep in your neck, leaving yet another mark on you.

“hah…so this is how human reproduction feels like..”

“too bad for a vidyadhara,” yingxing teases him, and dan feng groans.

a tight knot folds in your stomach as they moved faster, fucking you with full force like it was the way to bring an end to the denizens of abundance. your poor cervix was being kissed all over and over again by their huge tips, non stop repeats. your mewls went higher, feeling your high approach at the edge of your stomach. yingxing and dan feng weren’t going to last much either…

“c-crap i think i’m gonna…”

“o-oh dear long..”

yingxing holds on your hips, picking up the pace as dan feng follows by. this was fast, far too fast…they were going to fucking break you at this point. in each increase of their speed, your climax spills out of your abused womb, a moaning mess filling your bedroom. no matter what you could never follow up with their quick paces. dan feng held you tight in place, his hands would leave bruises on your skin.

yingxing releases first, pumping you full with his cum until you were a crying mess, his load spilling out of you and on dan feng’s second cock, until it stains the sheets and onto the floor. fat plumps of his cum spilling all over. the vidyadhara’s grip was strong on your arms, leaving fingermarks on them until he too came a lot, releasing on both of your holes with his huge load, stuffing you full straight to your entrance. their releases mixed altogether along with yours, filling your holes to the brim.

your tongue lolled out from your mouth before you passed out and fell on yingxing’s chest. yingxing lets out a breathy laugh, pushing your sweaty strands of hair behind your ear before he kisses your forehead. dan feng finally pulls himself out of you, the mixture of his and yingxing’s cum leaking out of your hole. he pushes his hair back, watching as the trail from the shaft of his dick fall down to the floor.

“that…that wasn’t too bad…is she going to be alright though?” yingxing smiles at him, brushing your head as you slumbered on his chest.

“see? we should do this often more…what do you say?”

[bumblepony]

Tess Lives Fic Rec (Outbreak Version)

Hi all, I've been working on this for a little while, and I'm really excited to finally share it. Here are my Tess Lives fic recs in no particular order! These are all fics where the outbreak still happens, I have a separate list coming of non-outbreak fics.

the sun’s probably shining in wyoming by @march-flowerr - Tess lives. She and Joel build a life in Jackson. A day in each season over the course of a year. - Mature

but it’s golden, like daylight by @becomethesun - During their first days back in Jackson, Tess, Joel, and Ellie grapple with the weight of their shared and individual pasts, and begin to find a sense of peace, belonging, and family.

Drifters, a book of Tess and Joel by @hypnotisedfireflies - This series comprises of: 1. A mostly canon-compliant origin story of Tess, following the first 20 years between Outbreak Day and the events of TLOU and 2. A very non-canon-compliant fix-it fic that you can either take or leave, depending on whether you like happy endings or not and 3. A collection of stories based on reader prompts that further the tale. - Mature

Future Proof by Capricordinary on AO3 - Joel is somehow transported into the past, well before any of the events of the Last of Us Season One take place. Armed with the knowledge of everything that happened the first time around, he makes it his mission to find four year old Ellie, reunite his family and find a safe place for them in the Wyoming wilderness. Once he establishes himself as Jackson's leader, he gets to work giving Ellie the childhood and the family she deserves.

and in the end i'd do it all again (i think you're my best friend) by @seethesunny and @bradfordchens - More simply put: Tess and Joel each end up in their own time loop.

in flagrante delicto by @penandinkprincess - 5 times ellie interrupted joel and tess having some alone time, and 1 time they got all the way to the finish line - Mature

babyverse by @penandinkprincess - A series of fics where Joel and Tess find Ellie in the QZ when she's 4 and decide to keep her, the story evolves from there.

'Tess Lives' AU by @adhdprincess - Remember that crazy AU where Tess died? Glad that didn't really happen.

part of something good by @two-birds-alone-together - Tess lives. Some things change. Some things stay the same.

patching up by melforbes on AO3 - In Jackson, Tess stitches up one of Joel's injuries. - Mature

Bone Of My Bone by @emilylawsons - It takes him two years after they arrive in Jackson to convince her to marry him.

A New Dawn by @ameerawrites - One morning in Jackson, Tess reflects on grief and healing.

Taste your beating heart by @finnelfin - Tess's traveling companions are keeping secrets. (Werewolf AU) - Mature

A woman is a changeling by @treadlightlymydarlinggirl - Tess Lives and she makes the journey with Joel and Elle across the country. - Mature

where the heart is by queenkiller on AO3 - Tess makes it to Jackson.

dance by firelight by @raffinit - He’s filled with a rush of something he can’t quite place; a giddy sort of youthfulness he hasn’t felt in decades. A faded memory of prom nights and slow dances underneath disco balls lingers in the back of his mind. The overwhelming urge to touch her, feel her fingers slipping between his; to feel the weight of her body pressed against him as they danced — He moves before he can help himself. Guided, as he always is; blindly, devotedly, to her side. - Mature

At the end here, I am adding a few authors who have written so many good Tess Lives stories it's best to just go pursue their AO3 pages.

tessaservopoulos - @bradfordchens on Tumblr - Mature

Glitter_Gecko - @seethesunny on Tumblr - Mature

sillylily07 - Mature

Last, I am going to add my Tess Lives fics under the cut because I really am not trying to toot my own horn, but I want to have them on the list so I can have them all in one place.

When The Time is Wrong, We Make It Right - IE: Time Travel-Timey Whimey - What would happen if Tess, Joel, Tommy & Maria went back in time to 1992? What would change, and what would stay the same? - Mature

To Wash Internal Blackness White - IE: Five times Tess hugs Tommy, and one time he hugs her. A Tess Lives Storyline. - Mature

I'll Keep Us Together Whatever It Takes - IE: Tess makes it out of the museum, and she and Joel need a minute to process. - Mature

Above Thy Deep And Dreamless Sleep - IE: Joel and Tess are looking for a place to stay on Christmas Eve.

We're Only Going So Far - IE: Dying in your sleep isn't how anyone expects to go, not in this world, least of all Joel... and yet.

If Only We Were Pirates - Tess gets kidnapped, and Joel goes and rescues her.

Two Blue Lines Like a Crossroads - IE: Tess finds out that she might not be too old to be a mother after all. - Mature

[lizzieisright]

JUST READ YOUR OMEGA!ABBY FANFIC AND OMFG?? THATS SO GOOD!!! LITERALLY AMAZING WRITING<3

If your requests are open, how about Omega!Abby and Alpha!reader where they mark and scent eachother? :D

Thank youu

thank you so much! I call this one "All The Times When Ellie Williams Questioned If She Still Wanted To Be Friends With Abby" ft. Abby's alpha.

female alpha!reader x omega!abby

Palestine: what can you do

Tags: dead dove: do not eat. a/b/o universe (female alphas have dicks), modern AU, there's some smut. 1.3k words.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Ellie Williams is the biggest victim of your relationship. She thinks she has a right for moral compensation for what she has to put up with, because you two are disgusting. 

(She is jealous)

It starts innocently enough: Abby texts her about how cute you’re and how you scented her totally by accident. Ellie rolls her eyes, but smiles and sends Abby a meme.

The first time when you scent Abby it happens unconsciously. You're hugging goodbye after one of your dates, and as you put your head on Abby's shoulder, you nuzzle into her neck. Abby freezes, while you get confused. And then it dawns on you.

“Oh god.” You say, horrified. Abby is blushing, shocked, but she doesn't smell bad. “Oh god, I'm sorry.”

“It's- it's okay.” Abby says as she touches her neck. She can smell how your scents mixed and it makes her feel giddy. “I like it.”

You grin widely and toy with Abby's fingers, like a lovesick idiot. Abby doesn't reciprocate, and yeah, maybe it hurts your feelings a bit, you don't say anything. Abby is not obligated to scent you back. 

Then it goes to: "I scented her back today and she looked so happy!!" Which is great to know, but Ellie's lonely ass doesn't want to read it right after she embarrassed herself in front of Dina.

When Abby still doesn't reciprocate after the third time you scented her, you start worrying. So you talk to her. 

“Do you want me to stop scenting you? You don't smell uncomfortable, but-” Abby looks at you with wide eyes, probably panicking. “Fuck, I should've asked before I did it, I'm such an idiot.” 

Abby panics more and grips your hands tightly. 

“I like it. Don't stop, please. And you don't need to ask.” Abby smiles gently and you turn into a puddle. Then Abby frowns. “I guess I feel embarrassed, you know- Because my scent is so weak. That's why I don't scent you back.”

You blink. And blink again. It's true, Abby doesn't have the most suffocating scent, not sharp vanilla or god forbid, lilies, but once you know how Abby smells, you can always catch it. And to you it doesn't matter - you smell her on yourself, and this is all you need. Just have a piece of her on you, comforting you.

“I love your scent.” You say and Abby's pheromones burst. “I want your scent on me.” 

Abby smiles, happy to hear it, happy to be enough for you. Then she shyly moves closer and nuzzles into your neck too, making your knees wobble. Your scents mix perfectly. 

It becomes quite a common ritual for you: you nuzzle each other when you cuddle, when Abby sits on your lap, when you sit on her lap, you always bury your noses in each other's scent glands. It's safe and soothing, and makes you both feel like you belong to each other, comforting and protective. And Ellie understands that - it’s cute. You two are cute, and she is very happy for Abby, especially since you look like you genuinely believe the sun shines out of Abby’s ass. So she keeps her teasing to herself and lets you two enjoy each other.

Then one day Dina tells Ellie how scary you are when you get territorial and Ellie thinks she will kill you, but then Dina asks if it’s true that Ellie broke Owen’s wrist for cheating on Abby and Ellie’s bloodthirst subsides.

You can't help it, you hate when other alphas look at Abby and fucking sniff her. She is yours. Abby finds it endearing, because she is so not scared of you, you're safe, but she starts to notice how other alphas turn away when your scent gets stronger. She doesn't piece it together until Dina points it out, when your alpha presence affects her alpha presence.

“You make her so fucking scary, Abby.” Dina laughs while you stare down yet another alpha, radiating aggression. “One day she is going to rip someone to shreds for you.”

Again, Abby would laugh, but she knows alphas are more than capable of doing it. Abby tells Dina about what happened to Owen when he cheated on her and Dina smirks, while her scent changes to attraction. Abby grins, knowing that she just made Ellie look more appealing in Dina's eyes. 

Ellie can live with that. She understands, she also gets jealous easily, and it is hilarious watching you get all over Abby without even realising it.

You get possessive unconsciously: you see an alpha staring at Abby and you wrap your arms around her, rubbing your cheek over her neck, making sure your scents are mixed, and Abby giggles. 

“What are you doing?” She asks and you freeze like a deer, your arms locked around her. 

“I-um.” What are you supposed to say? Sorry, this guy was looking at you so I claimed you? 

“Yeah?” Abby keeps teasing you and you bite her shoulder lightly. 

“This guy was looking at you so I claimed you.” You admit and Abby laughs. 

“Oh, I needed that.” Abby says, taking a breath after laughing at you. “Silly, silly alpha.” 

You huff, but when Abby kisses you, you melt. 

But then you stare her down and honestly, Ellie feels like challenging you out of pure fucking spite. She obviously doesn’t - first of all, because she understands, second of all, because unlike weakass Owen, you will kick her ass. Abby is fucking glowing and Ellie swallows her pride for the sake of her friend’s happiness. 

When Ellie gets “you know I just realised that she is MY alpha. like. she is *mine*. it do be crazy out there” Ellie doesn’t expect to see you next day with two hickeys on your neck and a lovesick grin. Abby looks embarrassed and Ellie makes fun of her for it, but then you growl at her and Ellie starts making fun of you for being so whipped. (she never mentions that you’re wearing marks and not Abby, she is not an asshole).

Abby doesn't use scenting as a form of claiming you, because she thinks her scent is not strong enough. She much prefers to scent you in order to soothe you, especially when you're stressed, because it calms you down, but when Abby gets territorial, she leaves marks. 

It happens for the first time before you two have sex, but you're already getting handsy with each other. You're making out on your couch and Abby smells your arousal, feels your hard-on against her thigh, and you whine so prettily into her mouth when she grinds against you. 

Abby suddenly feels so possessive - she wants to claim you, she wants everyone to know you're hers, and her kisses become rough. You whine when she starts kissing your jaw and then moves to your neck, licking your scent glands with her hot tongue. 

“Fuck, I'm gonna-” Abby sucks a bruise on your neck, just under your scent glands, and you cum, wetting your pants. “Fuck, holy shit- Abby-” You keep whining and Abby growls, sucking another hickey. “Holy shit, baby-” 

She leaves your neck alone and bites your collarbone. Your eyes become red and Abby whines herself when your thick alpha presence starts filling her nose. She pants into your neck, too turned on, and you grip her waist tighter. 

“Please.” Abby begs and you push your hands down her pants, rubbing her clit. “Yes, fuck, right there- fuck!” 

She is so pretty when she cums. 

And okay, it’s all cool. Ellie is cool with everything. But she fucking hates your ruts. Not only it reminds her of her own loneliness, but it also turns you into a fucking idiot. It’s unbecoming.  You’re smart and funny and Ellie, despite her complaints, is actually fond of you. You’ve become one of her closest friends, since when she was really stressed out about Dina and being in love with another alpha, you’ve never judged her and helped her through it. But your ruts come and Ellie wishes she could strangle you.

You're close to your rut, Abby is supposed to study with Ellie in the evening, and your monkey brain needs to make it clear that Abby is yours, even though you know Ellie is not a threat. You actually like her, she is cool and keeps your baby safe when you're not around, but alpha instincts can't be really defied. So in the morning you fuck Abby in the shower and suck a hickey near Abby's scent glands when she cums. She doesn't pay attention: you always play with her neck, so it's nothing new.

So when Abby shows up to their usual study session in the library Ellie is appalled. Abby, oblivious as ever, doesn't even notice it, but Ellie can't stop staring at a hickey on Abby's collarbone: she knows why you put it there, you rut-induced jealous moron.

“She marked you?” 

Abby blushes. 

“What?”

“You have a hickey.” Ellie nods at her collarbone and suddenly the room smells like arousal. “No, you're not getting horny in the library, Anderson. Have some respect.”

Abby blushes harder. 

“I swear to God Abby.” Ellie hisses and Abby laughs, but the smell of arousal goes down. “Keep your alpha in check.”

“Come on, you know I'm worse with the marking than she is.” Abby smiles. “Last time I made a fucking necklace around her neck because Nora hugged her.” 

“Please, I don't want to know.” Ellie whines and Abby laughs, a manic grin forms on her lips.

“Oh, you know what she does when she is in a rut? She rubs her c-”

“Fuck off Abby! I don't need to know!” Ellie groans, tired of her shitty best friend and her shitty alpha and their shitty sex life. 

“Maybe Dina will do it too, you know.”

Ellie blushes and doesn't say anything, too embarrassed to admit that Dina already did. 

“Why am I friends with you? Why am I friends with your girlfriend?” Ellie shakes her head and Abby laughs. 

Ellie thinks you’re the worst when you’re in rut with how possessive you are, but she has to find out the truth the hard way. Abby comes to lunch all grumpy and pouty, and Ellie smells the sour spice of jealousy in her scent. She doesn’t smell hurt, which is great, but it bothers Ellie.

“She got paired for a project with that bitch who always stares at her!” Abby bursts and Ellie nods. She knows the bitch - a cute omega from your class who always stands too close to you during student guide’s meetings and looks at you like you hang the stars. You keep your distance, but it doesn’t stop the omega. So Abby is furious.

“Well shit.” Ellie sighs. 

“I’ll kill her.”

“I’m not visiting you in prison.”

It sucks, Ellie knows. She also hates seeing omegas smile at Dina, especially since she is so friendly. But Ellie can’t control other people, and Abby can’t too.

So it turns out, Abby comes up with a creative solution. 

There are moments when Abby scents you to claim you. You know she is upset about Ollie, and you keep trying to soothe her until Abby decides to take the matter in her own hands. 

She pushes you on the bed and strips under your shocked eyes, but you quickly catch up and start taking your own clothes off. You reach for Abby to give her a kiss, but instead she pushes you again until you lie down, and straddles your chest. You grin and wrap your arms around her thighs, tugging her down until Abby sits on your face, her hot cunt suffocating you. It’s heaven. It’s pure heaven. You grip her thighs and eat her out like a woman starved, licking and sucking her clit, lapping at her drooling hole and moaning when you taste her. Abby is whimpering above you, but then she finds herself and grips your hair to yank your head down, holding it one place. 

“Stick your tongue out.” Abby growls and you obey, so turned on by your girlfriend you start humping air.

Abby starts to ride your face aggressively, until your damn eyelashes are wet with her cum and you let her, moaning into her cunt as you get yourself off. Abby starts growling “you’re mine” on every tilt of her hips, her puffy clit twitching on your tongue, and you’re done. You cum and Abby keeps going until her thighs trap you and her slick drowns you while she shakes and whimpers on top of you. 

The next day Ellie, poor unsuspecting Ellie, hugs you hello when you meet her in the morning in a coffee shop, and she catches a very strong scent. Abby’s very strong scent. It’s not the one that she scents you with - it’s something richer, deeper, as if her usual scent of fresh roses was condensed and spilled on your fa-

You have the audacity to laugh when Ellie connects the dots. 

“I hate you both so fucking much. Why do I even bother.” Ellie huffs while you laugh, pleased. “Go wash your fucking face, you stink!” 

But you can only smile, absolutely love-drunk. It's fair to say, Ollie backs off immediately after this.

Of course, eventually Ellie makes peace with it.

(She gets her revenge)

[2kverrr]

MATT TAYLOR - Dating Headcanons

UNTIL DAWN || Matt Taylor x Reader

like every other year, the washington family open up their lodge to their teenagers for the winter. everybody had been waiting for this time of year, booze all week long, no rules, only friends, snowfights, blasting music in the middle of nowhere - to put it shortly, it's haven.

big movie nights on the big projector with hot chocolates and lots and lots of booze

you and matt had been plotting activities since summer, dodgeball in the main living area - come on, it's massive. what else are you meant to do in a room that big?

sledding - even if it meant falling off the edge of a cliff, its all apart of the fun.

matt loved making plans with you, you've never been too sure why, because you're not very punctual, you're an extremely dangerous driver and quite forgetful.

he's an attractive guy, sporty and in shape, really kind; it was a mystery to you why he was still single. it's not like girls actually go for brains anymore - you don't think so anyway.

secretly the group were rooting for the two of you, you oblivious of course, but matt had planned this all out, all fun and games but then you 'accidentally' trip or 'accidentally' fall and in desperate need of a knight in shining armour, then that's where he comes in, heroic and masculine, you are immediately in love with him, you get married, move to fiji and have 4 kids (the first of the bunch HAD to be called matt. jr). it's pretty specific.

it's the day of the winter break we'd all been waiting for, mike had already prepped matt for this big breakthrough. mike slaps his hand onto his face and slowly drags it drown with a grown, "bro, stop being such a pussy - worst she can say is no. no?" the two continue to stroll towards the lodge, slightly unsure where they were headed in the snowy atmosphere. “yeah, i get that,” he replied, his voice barely above a whisper, “but what if she laughs at me?” the thought made his stomach twist uneasily, and he shot mike a frantic glance. you knew matt's used to being the object of jealousy, he's much like mike in that sense, he doesn't have to do much to be adored by people. “dude, she’s not some goddess in a tower,” mike said, rolling his eyes. “she's just a girl! think about it. you’ve spent half your life being friends, spilling deepest and darkest secrets, spending the majority of your time together - hell even your distant family have nicknames for him. "god damn it man! you know her better than anyone, so you should be first to know how she'd react.” matt shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to portray an air of confidence he didn’t truly feel. “just be yourself. you’ve got this.” he whispers, spotting you exiting from the ski lift, patting matt on the shoulder and leaving him with you.

the walk up was oddly awkward, in fact the first 3 days were uncomfortable with the curly-headed boy.

of course, that did not stop you from getting black out drunk every night. day drinking faded into beer pong, then faded into shot competitions, then another cheeky drink when you woke up to prevent any hangover.

matt tried his hardest to get you to lay off the drink, but automatically josh would interrupt and tempt you even more.

it had to be past midnight at this rate, ashley fell asleep on the couch with chris, beth gently placing a blanket over the two of them. sam was attempting to defuse a row between mike and emily as hannah observed hopefully, while josh was falling asleep mid-conversation with jess - embarrassing. all while you were basically fighting matt to grab the bottle out of his hands. “give!” you reach out, but just like every other time, matts long arms push at your shoulder to keep your distance. you huff, stumbling back with half closed eyes, “cocksucker. i’ll find something else. hell - i’d eat crack if josh had any.” you remark with flailing arms. you had promised yourself a good time, a good time that didn’t involve battling your best friend for a taste of liquor. "come on, how about we go find the biggest bed for you to sleep in, i'm sure emily won't notice." his eyebrows raise, awaiting your drunken response. your mouth drops in a shocked manor and your eyebrows furrow as though your offended, "wow - matt, nice going." you try to cross your arms but you end up stumbling into the counter, the boy's hands immediately reach out to stabilise you. "it'd take a lot more than that to take me to bed, thank you very much, mr taylor." you scold, trying to inject a sense of indignation into your slurred words. the room felt like it was swaying gently; perhaps it was the alcohol or maybe just your overwhelming desire to keep your balance. you glared at matt, half-heartedly trying to regain your composure, but the corners of your mouth couldn't help but twitch into a smirk.

you couldn't remember much after that, besides the blinding light bursting through the curtains beaming into your eyes, only a single silhouette there to block it.

you're quite used to getting black out drunk, in fact you've got a casual routine, wake up, hole into your head until you stumble towards the cabinet wherever you are, managing to grab some sort of pill. lie in the bath - this is a crucial step. no water besides from when you awkwardly attempt to drink some from the tap. eventually you throw up the pills you'd taken, so you take a few more. at this point you should be okay to get up and carry on with your day.

you tell yourself this is how it’s meant to be; the routine is as much a part of your identity as the lingering pallor in your cheeks. you’ll put on a brave face, mask the chaos with a smile, and carry on with your day, ever-so-slightly hopeful that today might be different.

though you're not so used to going on a three day bender, every drink you consume having at least a drop of some form of alcohol. so your routine didn't exactly apply.

"hey," a voice whispers, slowly placing a cold cloth on your head, “you okay?” it’s light and gentle, a contrast to the erratic thrum inside your skull.

you squint against the light and the silhouette shifts, revealing matt, but this time with a softer expression, worry etched into the corners of his eyes. “you were insane last night,” he says, half-smiling, half-concerned. matt takes a deep breath, the worry still lingering in his eyes, and leans back in his chair, allowing you some space.

“seriously, what were you thinking?” he asks, his tone shifting to something more serious.

“you can’t just push yourself like that, especially when you know you haven’t slept in days.” the warmth of his concern wraps around you, thick and palpable, grounding you even as the room spins slightly.

"shit, " you roll over, while trying to sit yourself up, "i'm really sorry" your hands slowly and deeply massage your face, "can't remember a thing."

matt softly chuckles, placing his hands onto the arm rests, “well, where to begin? you were fighting me for a drink. scolded me for tying to sleep with you, which was the opposite of what i was doing. you searched the house for cigarettes and eventually gave up and tried to uber 3 bricks of coke to the lodge. erm… you threw up in the hot tub, on the counter, on emily, on me and i think a bit of miles show when you threw up on emily for the second time.”

you suppress a groan, sinking back into the chair as matt’s words cascade over you, each one accompanied by an embarrassing flashback that jolts through your mind like electric shocks.

"what?" it was all you could say. frozen and still in your own embarrassment.

“oh! and let’s not forget the part where you tried to convince jessica that she was actually a mystical mermaid forced on earth to enchant her way into human hearts."

you open your mouth to speak but the curly-haired boy continues.

“-not quite done yet, darling. you couldn’t let go of this ‘mermaid theory’, convinced you could see jess’s scales. so you flung your drink at her and then yelled ‘be free, my aquatic queen’ right in her face.”

you wince, burying your head in your hands. “for fuck's sake, please tell me you're lying,” you let out a muffled groan. matt's infectious laughter rings in your ears, despite your mortification and god awful pain you're in.

matt leans forward, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “and after your mermaid debacle, you decided to perform a dramatic interpretation of 'under the Sea' from The Little Mermaid for the whole living room."

you immediately butt in, "liar!" you rarely ever laugh in front of your friends, never mind whatever this is.

"i swear I’ve never seen sam laugh and cry at the same time.” he shakes his head, barely able to contain his amusement as he gestures broadly, “you were flapping your arms like a fish out of water, and the way you-“

you roll your eyes, “enough!” you raise your voice, a slight anger in your tone as your embarrassment begins to ebb. you immediately feel bad for the once giddy boy, "sorry, i don't usually tend to have hangovers this bad…" you say, a hand attempting to tame the pounding in you heard, you put the boy at ease with a smile, "…did i at least have a good audience?"

"an audience of friends who might never look at you the same way again,” he teases, but his smile is warm and understanding. “but hey, that’s what makes us family, right? You do something outrageous, and we love you for it. maybe not jess… or emily. but the rest of us do. i love you.” his words hang in the air, unsure of their stance, good bad? neither of you knew.

“you love me?” you manage to say, half teasing and half genuinely astonished, heart fluttering uncomfortably in your chest.

he briefly fixes his posture, shuffling in his seat, “maybe. even thought you can be a bitch and you have a slight alcohol issue, you’re still lovable.”

you take a moment to take a note of reality, the mess on the floor, presumably caused by you. your hair was unspeakable, makeup smudged, deep and heavy eye bags, one of your lashes hanging off your cheek while your other was probably exploring the outside, it’s definitely… a look.

“even after all this?” you wave down your body and across the room

he leans forward, fiddling with his thumbs, eyes locking onto yours with an intensity that makes your heart race. “that’s exactly it,” he says gently, “you’re unpredictable, messy and unapologetically you, and i think it’s fucking awesome. you’re so… so, so, so real.”

his sincerity makes the room feel smaller, as it the weight of his words could encircle you both in an element of quiet intimacy. you can throw but smile, your heart swelling. “so, what does this mean for us?” you query hopefully.

“maybe it’s the start of something new.”

you made the bold decision to lay off of the drink for your own sake (also because it took you the rest of the week to recover) - instead you’d accompany matt in whatever he was up to.

mike felt a bit disappointed that his pep talk was wasted on a sappy conversation rather than a manly knight in shining armour act.

jess eventually forgave you, insuring you tell her everything about the two of you. emily would occasionally listen in nonchalantly as she clearly hadn’t forgave you for the sick-tuation (get it? i’m so sorry)

matt takes pride in waking you up with a drink or some food, it’s a bit difficult when your only options are out of the washingtons’ sparse cabinets.

you had to make a slight change in your ‘how you got together’ story when meeting his parents, either way they loved you, and thought you were a great reason for matt to take his laser focus off of football.

speaking of football, you’re at every game wearing some old spare shirt he had laying around.

when he first met your parents, god it was something you should’ve prevented. matt sides with your mum’s every word, dishes, staying out too late, waking up too early. honestly everything and anything.

he’s easily the most caring, you’re always on his mind, your wants, your needs, what you’re doing, how you’re doing.

in return you help him study, you’re not much smarter, but with matt, you find fun in the coursework.

[indie-ttrpg-of-the-week]

I'm actually not super into vampires which is wht I outsourced this write-up, so shoutouts to my wonderful partner for doing it for me :)

Genre: Post apocalypse fantasy

What is this game?:

Bloodbeam Badlands is a unique rules-lite TTRPG that seeks to tell heroic stories about magical badass sharpshooting vampires and wild desperate adventures in an over the top strange and deadly post apocalyptic wasteland that shines a new light on mythical fantasy by combining magical creatures from folklore and pop culture with the tropes of post-apocalyptic survival.

How's the gameplay?:

The gameplay is loose, basic and imposed checks are rolled during times of drama and conflict to decide outcomes, which means mechanics are usually most relevant in fights. You roll a number of d6 equal to one of your 3 stats (Guts, Guile, and Guise) and compare the lowest die result to one of your 3 sources, which are similar to stats (Blood, Bullets, and Burn), if the result is lower, you succeed.

This simple conflict resolution method is made more engaging with a few inclusions: first of all, your sources are fluctuating, you can lower or “spend” a source to automatically succeed on a roll, the sources can also be lowered as a consequence of failure, and act as a gauge for your survival. If a source goes to 0, you’ll start to face death or mutation. Sources can also be restored by a variety of unique means, such as feeding on blood or bartering for bullets. Each character also has their own unique “Vampiric Bloodline” chosen at character creation that has their own way to spend and regain sources and a set of striking supernatural powers, such as being able to manipulate the demiplane of shadows or being a vessel for phantoms.

Players also further customise their vampires with a unique, personalised gun with a set of magic ammo, like a shotgun with homing shells or a sniper rifle that injects werewolf blood into your enemies. Additionally, while exploring the wasteland, you can pick up items with unique narrative and mechanical tags and usually some sort of magic, some are even strong enough to have their own stats and sources.

What's the setting (If any) like?:

I am so biased, I am going to be honest here, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS SETTING and am very excited to talk about it. The Forever Dawn is a vast, twisted post-apocalyptic wasteland with no end in sight, it gets its name from the blinding, burning, behemoth red sun that hangs omnipresently. The day never leaves and the night never comes. If the sun doesn’t burn you alive, the radiation will start to mutate and consume you. The players are vampires whose blood has been diluted and irradiated enough to leave the underground and search for blood on the outside.

The radiation and consequences of supernatural forces being mutated has left everything in The Forever Dawn, from the land to the people to the monsters, bizarre and twisted. Even the most common mortals of The Forever Dawn have strange mutations and unique features. The setting isn’t bound to just a burning desert, the book encourages GMs to set your campaigns in different environments warped by the apocalypse.

The setting does not have many established locations, the wasteland is too mysterious to be catalogued as such, and the lore usually comes in the form of sparse, unexplained plot hooks to give ideas to GMs or writers to build upon. Yet despite being largely vague and interpretive, the book still oozes with style and direction for the worldbuilding and goes in depth about not only what's in the world but about how the world feels.

What's the tone?:

Like I previously stated, the way the tone is communicated in this book is extremely effective, and lots of love was clearly put in. I feel like nearly every single piece of the text helps establish the tone, mechanical things like the stats being divided into snappy metrics of Guts, Guile, and Guise make you feel like you’re creating cunning and cool heroes, the examples of mechanics describe action packed scenes against mutant dinosaurs, and on the topic of mutant dinosaurs, my favourite example of the type of over the top style this game has is "Revolverface," a mutant t. rex with a flaming revolver cannon for a face. Which is just shamelessly cool and over the top enough to perfectly describe what you’re getting into.

But enough praising the writing, to actually describe the tone in my own words, Bloodbeam Badlands is wacky and over the top, balancing the fun of flashy action with the grimness of surviving in a world designed to waste you away.

Session length:

I’d say about 2 hours give or take, unless you're running full episodes in one session, then maybe 4 or so.

Number of Players:

The book lists around 2+ players and a GM, although it's worth considering there’s only 4 bloodlines in the base book

Malleability:

The rules are extremely malleable, the looseness gives opportunity to add and change mechanics as the GM sees fit, and the idea of sources can be changed or taken in a lot of different ways. It was designed with homebrew content in mind and has spawned a lot of cool third party and bonus content. Even if you stick by the source book you’re encouraged as a GM to create unique magic items and NPCs.

Resources:

As far as I’m aware I do not believe there is a sheet made for this game yet, likely a byproduct of early access.

Bloodbeam Badlands B-Side is a collection of new and third party content curated by the developer, licensing and logo information is also included.

Bloodbeams is a game with a great setting and a good game wrapped around it, it's definitely something worth checking out even if the gameplay isn't your thing, because the setting is just that interesting. It's a fun time for all you vampire enjoyers

[kanatamour]

hi tora!! another blog, another request from me~ today im hoping for headcanons "how do they act when they have a crush and how would they manage to confess" with nayuta, kanata, reo & hajun!! i don't know how many characters you do at the time, so if that's too much just nayuta & kanata are nice!! thank you so much hehe <3

THIS IS MY LOVE.

Because ‘I love you’ is written in every single one of his actions, but he needs to tell you properly.

ft. Yatonokami Nayuta, Yatonokami Kanata, Maruyama Reo, Hajun Yeon x gn! reader.

cw/genre: fluff, love confessions, some angst.

Hello, Jules, dear and thank you so much for sending in another request here ! I’m sorry this took a while, but I still hope you enjoy it and that it can make you smile <3 I ended up making it in time before the year ends, so happy new year !

ଓ YATONOKAMI NAYUTA

“You came along, and my heart smiled. So, get rid of those doubts, my love, I’ve been waiting for you.”

— With Nayuta, you realize he’s in love because of his smile.

— His usually apathetic, even melancholy expression, is replaced by an upwards curve to his lips, brimming in a sweetness that is hard to place.

— To anyone who deigns to observe where his iridescent eyes keep looking, they’d find you at the end of the lane.

— It is easy to see, when you two are together. His gaze is a little brighter, that difference that makes you discern dusk from dawn; he seems more energized, the lilt to his voice a tad more upbeat, particles of sundust shining in the words he addresses to you.

— And perhaps everyone notices, and Nayuta hopes you do too.

— And maybe you already have, but alas, fear seems to follow humans in crucial moments, confusing the heart, leading it through twisting alleys that echo the unsavory sounds of ‘what if’.

— What is it’s just all in your head. What if you’re overthinking and reading the signs the wrong way.

— The sighs he lets out, alone, in the dead on night are the unheard confirmation that his feelings for you are real.

— And yet, miles separate you, each of you lying on your side in the blue light of a faded moon.

— But, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining.

— Nayuta just will have to tell you directly, then.

— Or rather, show you.

— You find yourselves on the topmost floor of his secret hideout, the sun casting in coppery hues the thousands of piled up buildings below; a beautiful contradiction, how the slums had a beauty to them at golden hour.

— But so did your moments with Nayuta.

— You found him, the one you hold most dear. It didn’t matter if it was in a place this world had forgotten.

— Because you could never forget Yatonokami Nayuta.

— Nor the kiss he gives you when you turn towards him at the call of your name.

— You can taste the remaining sweetness of the popsicle he was just eating as his hands land on either side of you, stabilizing himself when he leans in further.

— And because there is no way your mind is making up the cool softness of his lips on yours, you kiss him back, hands cradling his cheeks, strands of silken moonshine reflected on puddles after the rain tickling your fingers.

— “Is it clear now, that I like you, my cute [Y/n]?” Nayuta utters, in the sunset lit instants between his kiss and the second one you initiate as an answer.

— You don’t trust your voice right now, so you’ll speak in the language lovers do when words are superfluous.

— And you can be sure, he’ll be asking for more.

ଓ YATONOKAMI KANATA

“Your petals were bloodied amidst the storm and you still shined. When I next realized, I was the thorns, and you, the only rose.”

— Kanata doesn’t know what is it he feels for you.

— And what’s more, he doesn’t know why.

— Weren’t you another one of those rich brats to begin with? It was your fault that day you were in trouble in the rain, being robbed by some troublemakers.

— And yet, the moment you resisted to give them your pocket money and one of the attacker’s hands closed around your wrist, something in Kanata snapped.

— He doesn’t know how, or the reason behind which he found himself throwing punches until those bastards were running away.

— But he knew he didn’t like the sight of the cut they somehow managed to land on your cheek.

— “Thank you for that, but are you okay?” You asked him, checking for bruises on your nameless savior.

— You are the one bleeding and yet, you ask him that.

— “You shouldn’t be here.” Kanata spats, turning away.

— “Wait! What’s your name?” You asked, running to catch up with him.

— He ‘tsks’. Why can’t he leave you alone in the rain? Why does the sight of blood running down a stranger’s face sit so wrong with him?

— Annoyed, he drapes his jacket over your head.

— “You don’t want to know.” Are the last words he tells you, before running off.

— You stand there, dumfounded, the boy’s hoodie shielding you from the rain.

— You’ll be back here tomorrow.

— The sky dyes in shades of peach and lavender, reminding you of the sweet scent of spring. Ironic, in such a cold evening, and even more so in this district.

— You have a feeling you’ll find him again, so you wait. His jacket is neatly folded over your lap, as a stray kitten rubs itself against your leg.

— Then you spot him. Short sleeved t-shirt on, hands buried deep in the pockets of his pants.

— “Put this on, at least!” You call, throwing him his jacket. “Catch!”

— Eyes not unlike the color of the sky widen at the sight of you again.

— “Thank you for yesterday, whatever your name is.” You softly tell the young man, reaching where he stands with the small cat in your arms.

— It meows at him. Extending one of its paws.

— “See? He wants to know your name too!” You pout, holding one of the kitten’s white paws in your hand.

— “Ugh fine! It’s Kanata, okay?”

— “Nice to meet you, Kanata.” You giggle, as the cat paws at your hero’s face.

— And somehow, the way you call his name… It’s pleasant, a sweet melody shining in a world of gray.

— He wants to see you again.

— So, next time, he’s the one to seek you out.

— You always meet at the same place; the street where the white kitten lives. Sometimes it goes home with Kanata, though, and others you bring him to your apartment.

— Time is fleeting, and days become months, with December snow fading to rays of February sun, auguring an early spring.

— And then one day, Kanata isn’t there.

— You wait, with your cat friend, who meows sadly at you, climbing on your lap when the first tears begin to fall.

— That evening you leave, matching cups of ramen left to the freeze of a lonely night.

— However, someone saw this hurtful scene.

— “Care to explain yourself?” Nayuta asks his brother, slamming the door behind him.

— Kanata turns slightly around. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

— “Oh, you… You know very well. Why didn’t you go today?”

— To which Kanata shrugs.

— “Fine. I hope you know they left crying.” His younger twin points out. “Will you just face your feelings and accept you’re in love and that they love you?”

— “That’s…” Kanata’s shoulders slump. “They deserve better…”

— “Silly!” His brother intercepts, with a soft flick to his forehead. “And what? They want you. So you better get it together and go find them now!”

— And well, for some reason, Kanata doesn’t need to be told twice.

— Luckily for him, a small friend is there to help.

— Following the kitty, they both manage to locate you.

— “[Y/n]! Wait!” The boy who saved you that night calls, putting a hand on your shoulder.

— “What do you want, Yatonokami?” You ask, tone cold, without turning around.

— It hurts him. The way he’s hurt you, the way you won’t face him, the way you use his last name instead.

— “I’m sorry. I just… I’m stupid, okay? I couldn’t come to terms with- the thing is- I… I… Oh, to hell with it! I like you, okay? And I just didn’t know how to act around you or what to do and I thought you deserved better and so I just stood you up and I messed up.”

— A chuckle is definitely not the answer he was expecting.

— “You are cute when you blush, Kanata.” You murmur, wiping away a stray tear, smiling sweetly at him.

— “I’m not-“ He starts, cheeks blooming in crimson roses.

— “I said it’s cute. You are cute.”

— Droplets of thin rain begin to fall.

— “I like you too, if that wasn’t obvious.” You softly say, with a kiss to his cheeks.

— Much like the night you met, rain surrounds you. This time, it’s his cheek that burns, not because an open wound, but because of the searing sensation of a kiss he won’t forget.

ଓ MARUYAMA REO

“What is the point for a rainbow to hide? Let’s write our love in the sky.”

— Reo is a cutie and he definitely has a way with flirting.

— So that’s exactly what he does.

— He is not shy about it in the slightest, often complimenting you on your new clothes, telling how sweet you are or giving you hugs out of nowhere.

— Of course, all of the above, always that you are comfortable; Reo is very cheerful, but he knows how to read your emotions and pick up what you like and dislike.

— And at first, you didn’t think much of it. Sure, he is very affectionate with you, but he is with everyone else too, right? It’s not like you are receiving special treatment.

— Which, in turn, frustrates Reo more.

— Is he doing something wrong? He’s being pretty obvious, right?

— Or maybe… you don’t feel the same way?

— No, no, no, he can’t fall into negativity.

— He has to take you to a nice date and tell you how he feels directly.

— So, he puts together some money he’s been saving and chooses his cutest outfit. This is a special occasion and he wants to make you happy.

— When you arrive at the accorded spot, Reo is already waiting for you.

— Sure, he is a sunshine, but you didn’t expect an amusement park date, seeming how he and his gang usually preferred to hang out at the ramen place.

— “Hello, [Y/n]!” He greets you, those eyes of his mirroring the sunset clouds lining the horizon. “I got cotton candy hehe. One for you and one for me!”

— You take the sweet treat from him, eyes sparkly at the delicious sugary scent wafting around you.

— “Woaah! It looks so tasty! You’re the best Reo…” You thank him.

— And maybe, just maybe, because this is a date, you leave a cotton candy kiss on his cheek, giggling at the pink remnants left behind.

— To which the boy grins mischievously, bringing his fingers to it and tasting the sugary treat.

— “Hmm… Your kiss was sweeter…” He ponders, as your cheeks heat up. “What if we repeat it, properly this time?”

— And at that moment, beneath the lighting of dusk and attractions, your lips touch for the first time; a memory written over cottony clouds in rosey glaze.

— “I love you, pretty.” Reo utters, nose brushing against yours, when he parts.

— “I love you too, Reo.” Are your words, before you initiate a second kiss.

— Little did you two know, Iori and the rest of the gang are looking from afar, proud of his youngest member (Suiseki is a little jealous, but that’s another story).

ଓ HAJUN YEON

“I’ll erase the piercing words that were etched into your soul that day.”

— This man’s way of flirting is teasing you (change my mind).

— With his fans, he is all smiles and charming phrases, but when he really loves you, you get to see a more… naughty side of him.

— When he teases you, he doesn’t do it out of malice, no.

— He’s been hurt in the past, and even if his infatuation with you grows by the day, a part of him is still afraid he’ll be discarded again.

— The words ‘you are not needed anymore’ still resound inside his mind, no matter how much he smiles or tries to look perfect on the outside.

— So he’s wary of diving into a new relationship.

— But at the same time, you are so lovely… The way you pout when he’s teasing you, or how you call him and wave at him whenever you see him at uni…

— Hajun would really like to spend more time with you.

— “You should.” Anne tells him, when they finally get Hajun to spill the beans. “I know you’re afraid to trust but… Isn’t it lonely, to keep the one you love at a distance?”

— It is, yes.

— It’s painful if he stays away. And the variant of getting hurt hangs in the air if he tries to get closer.

— But, as they say, ships were not made to stay at harbor.

— So he’ll take this chance and hope for the best.

— And for that, you know he’ll use his charm.

— A cute cafe date here; dinner at his place that he cooked himself using organic ingredients there; and of course, the occasional expensive gift you had been eyeing, mysteriously arriving at your doorstep.

— You like all of this, and especially, you like him.

— However, a part of you can’t help but wonder: what does he want with me? What does he get out of all of this?

— With those thoughts, you lie in bed, listening to his music in the new noise canceling headphones you’re sure he’s bought for you.

— You’re so not sleeping tonight. Maybe tomorrow you’ll ask him about what ‘ulterior’ motives he has.

— The model’s vibrant eyes widen slightly behind his glasses when you utter the question.

— “Why me, Hajun? What are you planning?”

— It hurts him. How it seems he’s not the only one with trust issues here.

— So that’s how you think of it. Some kind of twisted game he’s playing to get something out of you.

— “I’m serious here, Hajun.” You insist, tone stern, when all the answer he gives you are the subtle expressions of his face.

— And for once, he decides to be honest. No mask of perfection obscuring the words he next speaks.

— “Because I’ve fallen in love with you, [Y/n]. Because I was afraid to trust, to be left behind, thrown away. But then you came around. And I wanted to spend more time with you. This is no game, not one that I plan on ending anyway.” He whispers that last part to your ear, a knowing smile on his lips as he feels the heat on your cheeks.

— “Hajun… You… You mean that?”

— “More than anything.” He vows, placing a kiss to the back of your hand, the one adorned with the set of silver rings he gifted you, never once breaking eye contact.

— Your fingers slot in between his. You suppose it’s alright to let your heart take command and test the waters.

— After all, you can’t keep denying you’ve been in love with him since the beginning, too. You just never thought he’d end up reciprocating.

[zayne-li]

your frozen blood piece was SO ANGSTY AND PERFECT. the image of wanderer dawnbreaker meeting the MC is not something I knew I wanted, but you fulfilled that prompt so well!! i fear I may have just become obsessed LMAO

do you play to do a second part to it? where dr zayne and the reader talk about it/we get some comfort after such a wildly traumatic experience or something of the like... maybe he shares some of his dreams? idk haha, consider this a formal request - no pressure of course!

regardless, thank you so much for sharing your writing :) its always such a pleasure to read through (AND THANK YOU FOR SUB ZAYNE. twirling around happily at dominating that boy <3)

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! And I agree lol, there wasn't much comfort in that piece, and I also want there to be more, so just for you, nonny, here's what happens after MC is forced to kill her beloved. (Also while writing this I realized how similar the original fic is to the anecdote in the Arctic where Zayne kills William, so....)

--

Since then, my dreams have been turbulent. I see him in my minds eye. Half broken, more than broken, lumbering towards me slower than any other wanderer I've ever seen. And with the clarity of several dawns past, I realize why: he didn't want to hurt me. He had said it himself, I can recall now, but it doesn't alleviate the horror of that moment. The moment that has me gasping awake, clawing at the sheets, while Zayne's nightmares, for now, at least, seem to have ceased.

It's good that they have, because I continue to see that half distorted face like a film over his own when I wake, and sometimes, that frightens me too.

It's okay," he murmurs, his arms wrapped around me as I stare at that Protocore on our nightstand, my eyes filled with tears. How could it ever possibly be okay? I killed him. Not my Zayne, but a Zayne who loved me just as deeply. Who died. Who loved me so selflessly that he never once acted, only protected, to the best of his ability, until his dying breath.

How can that be okay? Ever?

The blue Protocore shines. Almost taunting. A reminder. One I will never relinquish. He deserves to be remembered. Cherished.

I take a deep, shuddering breath and turn into his embrace, my heart so fragile that my voice reflects it.

"It's not okay. I hurt you."

We both know that he's fine... He didn't experience that moment I endured. His response says otherwise though, in such a way that I feel I myself must have said this to him a thousand times over. I just don't remember.

"You could never hurt me." Zayne holds me tighter, his face buried in my hair, and I cling to him tighter. It's obvious that he is worried for me, and I hate that he would be. He doesn't need the extra stress.

He just... Doesn't know how untrue that statement is. My jaw clenches. "Why?" My voice is soft.

Long fingers wind their way into my hair, like skis through snow. Zayne takes a long moment to respond, as if he's weighing his options. I know he understands what I'm asking.

"Fate is neither kind, nor cruel. It is inevitable. You cannot blame yourself for where it takes you."

I look up at him.

"But what if it takes me to a place..." I struggle to finish my sentence, and instead curl into him further, winding our legs together, burying my face in his chest, and just breathing in the warm scent of him. I hold him tightly enough that it's almost as if I want to squeeze him into my own chest, and he returns the gesture, until we're pressed so tightly together we can feel every curve of each other, from the breath against our throats, to our legs intertwined, one of mine over his own and curling back down near our feet.

"You had no choice." Zayne's answer is simple. "If what you require is forgiveness... I give it to you. I still love you. And he would too." There's a certain melancholy there, almost as if he's experienced it himself, but...

"How, Zayne?"

My voice is small, and soft.

"Because...." He squeezes me a little tighter, and I feel the warm press of his lips on my head, then his breath as he speaks again, "My first and highest priority has always been you, and it was no different with him," right, the... Other him, "he protected you because he loved you, as terrible as it was."

My chest feels tight. "But I love you too, can't you understand how awful it was?"

"I can. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there soon enough, that I couldn't shield you from it. I have more regret about that than you can imagine."

I cling tighter. "Zayne..." I laugh through my tears, "that doesn't make me feel better, you know."

He exhales against my hair, and pulls back enough for me to see the look in his eyes. "I love you." There's an indescribable sadness in his eyes as he strokes my cheek. "Does that help?" He acts as if it's entirely his fault I had to kill a version of him, his voice so small and worried, that it makes my heart ache.

My lip trembles, but I hug him tighter, curling into his warmth, like it's possible for us to cease as individuals, because really, I'm not sure we are anymore. "I love you." I'm just grateful to have him here with me, by my side.