#thank you all for your support it means so much <33333< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[infinite-hearts-333]

After so many sleepless nights and so much anxiety, Thorn turns to having a midnight drink. A certain dragon finds them.

“A little late to be out drinking, don’t you think?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah I guess. Couldn’t sleep.”

“I can tell. May I?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’m Ouřa Thorn, by the way.”

“North Heat. Leader of the Rangers. And you?”

“I’m the janitor. And the electrician right now.”

“Really? You look like you’d make a good space rider.”

“Ha-! Yeah- well, with my history, and my powers- I’m more of a ticking time bomb than a ‘good space rider’ but, thanks I guess.”

“History..? Problems with powers hmm? We have a few programs for that if you’d like me to help you get into one-?”

“No, no.. to risky. *sighs* What do you do when you know a part of you is a big danger?”

“I’m not scared of you,”

“Well you SHOULD be. You wouldn’t know, no one but a few do, and most of them are cultist that scream every time they see me…”

“Try me.”

“What?”

“Try me- I can take your power, I’m sure of it.”

“No, no you couldn’t, don’t be stupid.”

“I’m sure I can- try me Oura Thorn, I’m not scared of you.”

“YOU, HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DAMAGE IT CAN CAUSE- YOU-”

*aggressive huffing, tears welling up*

“Take a breath Thorn, it’s okay. You look like shit, man.”

“Haha… It comes with the territory of lack of sleep..”

“Well let’s start there, then. Come on, wheres your house.”

*mumbling* “The storage room….”

“….. Seriously??? Nope, alright, we’re going to my crews place then. Merrit made a some lavender tea last week, so you’re gonna crash on our couch for tonight.”

“Are you sure..? I don’t want to interfere..”

“You don’t have a choice here, if I’m honest.”

The next morning:

FINALLY ITS DONE

*disintegrates*

Wuff that took SO long, but I’m so proud of it damn. Good job me *pats back*

I just hope that it’s up to the beans expectations! Those who saw it seemed very excited and I’m berry grateful <3333333

North heat belongs to the awesome: @north-heats-stronghold

Zane in the last panel belongs to: @moonspiritleaf

And the au (space riders!) belongs to: @onyxonline

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

update!!

i have finished editing the essay!! i know for a fact i haven't included everything of relevance because the writing in this game is crazy intricate, but it's finally at a stage where i'm relatively happy with it. i started this months ago for my friend just to explain haikaveh's dynamic, and it's since snowballed out of control, so thank you to everyone who's shown interest and supported my lil passion project <3333

it's going to take a bit to upload and publish since i'll need to work a few things out!! hopefully i'll post everything sometime next week <3 i was planning on posting the excerpts below after i published the essay, but in the meantime if there's an excerpt that's of particular interest to you i'll post it on here for you to read ahead of time!

[moonstruckme]

ok i have a request/idea: gf reader on tour supporting bf rockstar!sirius but she starts to feel homesick being on the road for so long <33333 just feel like sirius would be so comforting and caring

I feel the same babe! Thank you for requesting <3

rockstar!Sirius x fem!reader ♡ 1.4k words

Even after months on tour, you don’t understand why rockstars need to smoke indoors. You’ve found a corner of refuge in the stranger’s house, siphoning fresh air from an open window, but you feel for James, grinning and bearing it while he talks to another band that performed tonight and makes nice with groupies while showing off pictures of his girlfriend back home. 

Part of you is still a bit awestruck that you get to go to these things, another part equally mystified at how routine it’s come to feel. During the first several nights of the tour, you’d been endlessly dazzled by the wealth you were suddenly surrounded with, the vibrancy of the people around you, the novelty of it all. The world had suddenly become so much larger, and everywhere you and the boys went everyone wanted to talk to them, buy you all drinks, invite you to parties and afterparties and after-afterparties. 

Sirius bears it beautifully, like this was always his destiny—in a lot of ways, you imagine it was—but sometimes when the two of you are alone he’ll confess to still feeling giddy that he and his friends have made it this big. You wonder if it’ll ever feel normal for him, the hugeness of it. You can tell by now that it never will for you. 

You’re still very impressed by the glamor of touring, you still have a good time on these nights out, but lately you’ve started to feel the distance between where you are and your real life. It’s almost as if before you could feel something invisible connecting you to home and, somewhere along on the road, it severed without you noticing. Now it just feels like a phantom limb, and when you try to recall the scent of you and Sirius’ kitchen or mime the way you have to jimmy your key to unlock the front door, you can’t manage it. 

You’re still thinking of the scent of your kitchen when it sidles up next to you. 

“You smell like garlic,” you tell Sirius, not without fondness. 

“God, it’s that potent, is it?” Your boyfriend’s tone speaks to a chagrin entirely unlike him, and he corroborates its falsity by caging you in his arms and touching his cheek to yours. You don’t mind, as he knew you wouldn’t. “I was given a choice, gorgeous, and I took a gamble.” 

“Mm. What was that?” 

“Do you want to get out of here?” 

You turn in his arms, tangling your fingers behind his back so you’re holding him as he is you. People start to give you a bit of berth, as one does for couples at parties, and selfishly you enjoy it. 

Touring is non-stop motion, a blur of people and places and sounds, and you miss the slow, quiet moments you and Sirius used to have more of. You’re with him all the time, but it doesn’t always feel like it. It hardly feels like you’re with yourself. Not his fault, not anyone’s, but not ideal. 

“It’s hardly one,” you say. 

“Which means” —he drops his lips to your eyebrow, speaking loudly to be heard over the music but just soft enough to have goosebumps skittering down your arms— “the fast food places will be closing in an hour. Fancy some grease, my love?” 

You tilt your chin up, pecking him on the lips. Truly, you don’t mind the garlic as much as you suppose you ought to. “Sure, let’s go.” 

Getting to the door is a melee, several people stopping you to try and pull Sirius back into conversation or ask if you’re going to the next party and such-and-such’s place in a couple hours, but when you do make it out the noise deadens and the air tastes clean. 

It’s a pleasant night, just cool enough to raise the hair on your arms and refresh your energy. Somewhere above you, the moon is hidden behind clouds, but still it’s bright enough that it casts a silvery glow in the areas not lit by streetlights. 

You make it a few paces down the block before Sirius is fisting his hand in the material of your shirt, spinning you around to face him. 

“Have I told you how stunning you look tonight?” 

Only thrice between the hotel and when he went on stage. “No.” 

“Liar,” he says lovingly, leaning in to give you a kiss. 

You expect from his mood for it to be hot and indelicate, and you’d hardly have complained, but he closes his lips around yours softly. His hand loosens on your front, coasting upwards to cup your cheek, sweet and savoring. 

“Garlic knots,” he says as he pulls back. 

You’re unjustifiably breathless. “Hm?” 

“That was the choice I had to make. One of Ricky’s friends heated up garlic knots, and I wagered you’d prefer kissing someone who tasted like garlic over someone who tasted like cigarettes.” 

“It’s not just someone.” You grin at him, turning and taking his hand to keep walking. “I’ll always prefer kissing you. I would’ve done it either way, you know.” 

You can hear Sirius’ smile in his voice, your favorite sound. “Yeah, but I chose right, didn’t I?” 

“You did,” you confirm, and he gives your hand a triumphant squeeze. “I have no idea where I’m going, by the way. I don’t know why I took the lead.” 

He hums. “Do you ever think you might have one of those honing instincts? Like, the way bees are to their hive, that’s how you are with fast food. My honeybee,” he says it drawn out and extra saccharine, knowing you’ll hate it, and laughs when you let go of his hand and make to walk away from him. 

Sirius grabs for your hand back, tugging you close enough to get his arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his side. You don’t put up much resistance. 

“You’re spot on, sweetheart,” he says. “I clocked a McDonald’s just a few streets down when we were driving here.” 

A buzz of excitement goes through you. “Why are you so keen on McDonald’s all of a sudden?” Sirius is as happy with fast food as the rest of you, but you know he’s been enjoying the lavish meals the boys’ new manager pays for and having room service sent up at your hotel. “We can always have that at home.” 

“You’ve been talking about milkshakes for a couple of days now,” he says, “and you’re getting quiet. I recognize that mood. I missed home last summer, too.” 

“Really?” This is the boys' first big tour—they’ve already been on a shorter, less grandiose one you hadn’t come along for—but it’s hard for you to picture Sirius ever not enjoying it. He’s not someone who sets down roots, and with the way he talks about where he grew up you’ve never thought of him as getting particularly nostalgic for any sort of place. “I figured you’d feel most at home wherever James and Remus are.” 

“Yeah, but we’d left you behind. I was torn in two, gorgeous.” Sirius’ tone is doing that weird thing where it’s teasing but not. You can hear the sincerity lining his words. He mashes a kiss into the side of your head. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?” 

“Because.” You take his hand where it’s draped over your shoulder, your fingertips dancing in between his own. “It’s not the sort of mood I’d like to give into if I can help it, and I’d rather be here with you than at home anyways, so it’s pointless. There was nothing you could do, baby.” 

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong.” Sirius gives your fingers a playful squeeze. “You should always assume there’s something I can do, haven’t we been over this? Right now, I can get my girl a milkshake and some fries, and then I was thinking we could go find a park to eat them.” 

That sounds so unbelievably nice. You turn your head to smile at him, and find he’s already looking at you with a similar expression.

“And if more things come up that would make you feel better, I can try to make those happen. How does that sound, lovely girl?” 

You steal a kiss to his cheek, but Sirius doesn’t let you get away with just that, stopping to hold you in place so he can peck you properly on the lips. The neon sign of the McDonalds is close enough now to cast you in its glow. 

“You woo me more every day, do you know that?” 

“Yes, well,” says Sirius, wrapping his arm around you again to lead you the rest of the way, “I do have to prove myself better than home somehow, don’t I?”

[silverskyeline]

hi skye! I just wanted to tell you thank you so much for hosting the logan promptober this year, I had so much fun making moodboards and loved seeing what you and everyone created for it (and can’t wait to catch up on all of them!) 💖 such an awesome idea!

hope you’re having a good week & a great weekend!!

omg friend :( <33333 this is genuinely so so kind of you to say and i am SO glad you had so much fun with my prompt list! when i created it, i genuinely didn't expect many people to engage since i was a smaller account - but to see all of these amazing creations come out of it, i can't believe it!!! it's been so fucking awesome to see peoples moodboards, fics, and everything else in between, taking the prompts and making it your own. i'm super excited to catch up on them all too!

thank you so much for taking part and for your support friend, it really means so much to me. <3

i hope you're having a great week and an even better weekend, and i hope you had so much fun on halloween!

i can't wait to see what kind of fun things winter brings for us all <33 looking forward to eating up those winter themed fics >:)

some hugh drinking pics as a celebration <3 sorry for the late response too, i took a little break from writing to recharge from promptober! but i'm working on a masterlist for the month <3

[wexhappyxfew]

Margie and Benny in the camps screams the prompt “you can rest now, you’re safe”. Love your stuff!!!

HI SWEET ANON!!! margie and benny in the camps absolutely screams 'you can rest now, you're safe'!!!!!! thank you for the love and support omggggg!!!! <33333 it means so much!!!! :D this prompt was just so. them. like insanely them. i haven't written a whole lot for these two....they've been hidden in the background (and are very much a duo that snuck up on me), but i've wanted to explore them more recently, especially when i put out this duo as a prompt option - and i can't say how excited i am to do more for them!!!! please enjoy!!!

always, always, always

(a/n): margie and benny you are so special to me, margie and benny you are so special to me. this was just ....i am so insanely soft for these two right now. just two people who are in a situation they couldn't entirely control, yet are living on, in the best way they can, despite it. the yearn, the ache, the want. sobbing. absolutely sobbing.

You can rest now, you're safe. You can rest now, you're safe. You can rest now, you're safe. You can rest now, you're safe. You can rest now, you're safe.

Hearing it more times than she could even count, she took double that to convince herself that she actually was. Her entire body ached, everything hurt, she felt like she was sick with three different types of illnesses that all made her head ache, her nose run and her stomach feel crummy, and to even shift her head made her dizzy.

Convincing herself she was safe on top of that took every ounce of energy left in what she could call her body. She was so thin, so sickly, she wondered how she had even survived to this point - how she had even made it.

After getting separated from Lieutenant Bradshaw, Lieutenant Carlisle, and Kennedy, she was sure she'd be gone for good until she'd run into that German family and they'd all but kept her locked in that room until the Germans had come for her.

The only thing keeping her grounded in her spiral of thoughts was the gentle hand that slowly ran down from her sweaty forehead, over her tangled, dirty-blonde hair, before starting over again, and repeating that same motion over and over as she lay there with tears in her eyes, staring at the ceiling of the bunk above her. She could hear things going on around her, quiet voices - staying soft as if being loud would bother her - and the clang of pots and sloshing of water.

Someone was cooking.

The smell made her queasy.

"How's she doing, Benny?" she heard Bucky's voice say somewhere above her. She could imagine him - hands on his hips, that cold and detached look on his face.

Bucky Egan cared for all of the crew - of course, in his own way, that is - and it seemed now, in this camp, that was heightened and when one of the crew was down, he'd make sure someone paid for it.

Somehow.

"Okay as can be for now, still burning up," Benny whispered quietly from somewhere right next to her, his gentle touch that had previously been moving across her head, gone - please keep touching me, keep me grounded, keep me alive, please, "that soup ready yet?"

"Hambone's almost done." Bucky said firmly, his voice a bit louder than Benny's making her grimace the slightest bit. Bucky hesitated it seemed before his next statement. "She say anything yet?" The room grew a bit quieter at that notion, and she heard a small, grieving sigh escape Benny.

"No." Benny whispered, "Not yet."

What was Margie supposed to make of all this?

What she had seen, what had been done to her, what she had experienced, what she had been forced to be told?

Forced to say?

Her slow, shallow breaths were the only consistent part about her entire feeling right now. And it even hurt to breathe. She heard Bucky walk away, and the hand brushing across her head returned, slow, smooth and ethereally gentle.

With what the past week had been, she couldn't remember a touch as gentle as this. There was something in her where she couldn't get the words right in her mind. She couldn't get her brain to string a coherent sentence together that would make sense in this moment. And trying to say something in this moment could be pointless.

"You can rest now, Margie, you're safe, we gotcha." Benny whispered quietly as he continued to brush his fingertips over her sweaty forehead and over her hair. We gotcha, she repeated in her head, a few times over to convince herself it was true. We gotcha.

Somewhere between 5 seconds and 15 minutes had passed, with Benny's hand still slowly smoothing back her sweaty hair, when she began to smell something reminiscent of food, and her senses seemed to come to her.

"Mind grabbing her a bowl?" she heard Benny asked someone; there was a following mumbling and shuffling of footsteps. Lying there made her feel almost worse than if she was actually sitting up and acting normal - and that was the thing right? She would try to act normal, like nothing was bothering her, that whatever she had just experienced had never happened and she'd try and play it off. Because that's what she usually did and she was usually pretty good at it. But lying here now, she couldn't muster that inside herself.

"You should eat, Margie." she heard Benny whisper from somewhere above her head again. The thought made her want to vomit, but she knew she did need food - just from the way her body and mind ached, and her stomach seemed to scream out for some sort of food.

"I'll help you sit up." Benny said, and she felt his hands move to her elbows. And almost as if on instinct, she flinched, turning to look up at him with wide eyes, her heart racing as she tried to control it by holding her breath, but was miserably failing.

Something behind his gaze flickered in a saddening way that made her want to go back and act like she was fine, just so she didn't have to see that shift in his eyes. But lying there, looking up at him, she knew she couldn't go back, she couldn't change a damn thing. Benny had shifted back a bit, his hands hovering just over her arms this time, his gaze steady on her own, his body evidently tense.

It was so painfully different than the last time they'd seen each other, since being back in Thorpe Abbotts. She'd been so….different. In more ways than one. And noticing that change in herself hurt more than anything.

Staring at Benny, who was staring back at her made her think that he was definitely seeing a different person from the Margie Harlowe back at Thorpe Abbotts. That made her want to be sick.

"You okay?" he asked her quietly, his voice barely above much more than a trembling whisper. Margie stared at him there on the cot, frozen in place. Her entire body seemed to go into a panic just at his questioning, at his worry. She slowly nodded. She wasn't convinced of it herself, but she nodded despite it - for Benny and for the food. He continued to watch her as she saw someone else come into her line of sight.

It was Lieutenant Bradshaw.

A part of Margie wanted to breakdown at the sheer sight of Lieutenant Bradshaw right then and there - her glorious face, covered in grime and scars, her hair pulled away from her normally bright face, her eyes still holding light despite their dulled nature in a place like this. Annie Bradshaw seemed to have that effect on people - you saw her and wanted to breakdown with sheer relief that she was right there alongside you.

"Here, Benny," Annie said, handing the bowl of soup to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder in that comforting and confiding way she always seemed to do when she could read a situation as easily as she normally did. Margie watched Annie look towards her, a far-off look in her gaze that made Margie's insides twists.

"Hey, Margie," Annie said, stepping forward and crouching beside the cot, "you doing okay?" Margie stared at Annie and tried to nod; it was admittedly a fair attempt at being confident in herself and her emotions, but staring at her command pilot made tears well in her eyes.

"C'mere Margie," Annie said, leaning forward and slowly helping her sit upright, gently touching at her shoulders and arms to help her sit up, "there you go." Annie smiled, weakly. "Sometimes you just need a good sit-up and a warm meal." Margie watched as Annie looked to Benny and nodded.

"And no doubt, you have the perfect person to be here and make sure you get your fill," Annie said softly, looking back to Margie with another one of her gentle smiles, reaching forward to squeeze Margie's hand, "you're safe, Margie." Annie's smile saddened - she had the most beautiful smile and seeing it fade hurt Margie's heart.

"Please know that."

Margie blinked away her onslaught of tears and managed a weak nod. Annie squeezed her hand extra tight before glancing at Benny and giving him a knowing look. Margie watched as Annie slowly stood to her feet, and smiled at her again.

That smile could win the war in Margie's eyes.

Slowly, Lieutenant Bradshaw faded back again to the group, getting her own fill of soup and settling in to her spot at the table. Margie looked towards Benny in the chair pulled up beside the bunk she was in and immediately noticed the grip he had on the bowl of soup and the quiet look on his face.

"It's not bad." Benny said with a small smile growing onto his lips before disappearing, "The soup. That is. It's….there could be worse."

He attempted another smile and Margie could feel a sense of comfort overwhelm her being - the realization that she was surrounded by people that wouldn't let her get hurt nor even hurt her. She wasn't back in that room, she wasn't there, she was with the people from the 100th who were like family. She was with people that cared. She was sitting right there with Benny. She was safe.

Watching Benny made her feel a jolt of guilt suddenly - he was sticking his neck out for her, trying to get her to feel better and more comforted in anyway and all she could do was sit here and stare, motionless.

Looking to Benny again, she watched a small smile grow encouragingly onto his lips and she couldn't help herself - she managed a small smile back. Sure, her face was a little more hollow, her eyes sunken in, cheeks gaunt, but she could see a fondness grow in Benny's eyes - just knowing she had smiled a bit.

Margie looked down at the bowl of soup, wringing her hands together in her lap, and slowly nodded. He was right - there was so much more that was worse than a bowl of soup.

For a moment, sitting there with Benny across from her, the matter of a week changing her into this new enigma of a person, it was almost like she was meeting Benny again for the first time - with that charming look in his eyes, that warm smile, his easy-going comfort that was like wrapping a warm blanket around yourself on a stormy day.

But he was still Benny DeMarco.

And he was still sitting there in front of her.

Still looking at her like she didn't feel like a completely different human being.

"Here," Benny said, stirring the soup with the spoon, before pulling some of it up into a spoonful and holding it out towards her, "let's just get some of this in you." Margie watched him and slowly nodded again, parting her lips the slightest bit and allowing him to drop the soup in her mouth. Whatever it was, it really wasn't horrible. That or she was just more hungry than she had originally thought.

Benny sat there with her, in that quiet and content silence, listening to the general chatter and clanging of dishes and people behind them in the bunk room, spoon-feeding her the soup until it was virtually gone.

Margie took down the last spoonful and then looked to him, her body feeling the slightest twinge more alive than she had been just a few minutes ago. She watched him turn back to the table behind him to place down the empty bowl, before he turned back to look towards her again and smiled.

Ever since she had tumbled in here, clinging to Major Cleven's jacket, tripping over her feet, in hysterics, reaching blindly for comfort, Benny had been there. Immediately by her side, now gingerly smiling, watching her like she was a precious being, like she didn't look like she had just been six feet under. Eyes welling with tears, Margie wrapped her arms around herself and bit back her lip.

"Margie…." Benny whispered softly. She could tell he wanted to reach out and touch her, hold her, let her know he was there, but the last time that'd happened, she'd flinched and he had retreated, looking defeated and deflated all at once. Looking up at him, Margie nervously tucked her lose hair behind her ears and met his gaze through her red-rimmed eyes.

"Thank you, Benny." she whispered quietly, her voice sounding dead to the ears - he still smiled.

God, Benny DeMarco would always look at her like that wouldn't he?

It seemed at the sound of her voice - she was actually speaking, she could actually get her thoughts coherent for once - that the realization made his entire body freeze. Margie did want to reach out towards him - she yearned for a touch that she knew wouldn't hurt her - but her thoughts would trail back to her past week of life and she'd retreat into herself, wishing she could cocoon her body into a ball.

And it seemed he wanted to do the same, watching her with such a desperate and pleading look - but he seemed to be thinking the same - she'd flinched the last time. He would hesitate. Margie stared at the space between and then looked at him again.

"Truly." she whispered, her voice sore, "Thank you." Benny's hands twitched, like he was about to reach out just to try to find a way to hold her. But he held himself, he watched her and slowly nodded, jaw slightly slack.

"Always." he said quietly.

Always, always, always.

And when someone said always - Margie believed them. Despite this war, this death, this terror, the grief, the horrors of it all, the blank promises of safety or normalcy or life - she would believe them.

She would believe him. In him.

Always, always, always.

[sacredjake]

Carpe Noctem

pairing: Jake Kiszka x Siren!Reader

warnings: MDNI 18+!!! blood, death, killing, angst, cursing, supernatural elements, brief mention of weapons and minor assault, guilt, talk of dying, smut, fluff, soulmate au

word count: 13.8k

This fic will display themes of death and killing, and i will do my best to tag every warning, but if i miss one please, please, please bring it to my attention.

As Nympha Legatus of your pod you must do what it takes to complete the duty bestowed upon you and your sisters. Even if it means killing the man you love. Will fate continue to haunt you or will you give in to what you truly desire?

a/n: this fic has been almost a month in the making and even longer in the brainstorming stage and i am so excited to share it with everyone! thank you @malany-gvf for always helping me talk out the ideas i have. huge, massive thank you to @gold-mines-melting for giving endless feedback, support and suggestions and taking time to read this and edit it. i appreciate and love you both so much, thank you from the bottom of my heart <33333

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

Light from the full moon overhead illuminated your already glistening skin every so often as clouds passed by. The silver rays that shone upon you reflected a scene like the ocean you had emerged from, like moonlight glittering off the waves. The night was misty, rain falling lightly as your pod walked through the streets towards the closest club or bar. Forgoing the need for a coat, raindrops dotted the exposed areas and rolled off seamlessly disguising the naturally dewy texture of your skin. 

The rain was purposeful, a product of your magic to blend in better with the humans. If not for that you would look even more out of place with the way your skin looked wet even when dry. It was also a way to ensure everyone was hydrated and avoided drying out. While a quarter of you would not return tonight, at least it would not be from lack of water. 

Scuffing from shoes on gravel and rocks being kicked were the only sounds echoing through the dark streets. Some of your sisters were still getting their bearings, it being their first night on legs and all, stumbles were to be expected. Wearing shoes was a major adjustment, but to fit in, shoes were a necessity. 

Oh how you missed the days when the humans walked around barefoot. Things were so much simpler then. Before him. 

You shook the memory out of your head before it snowballed any further. Now was not the time for that. Focus. 

Red light caught your eye as it reflected off puddles and the shiny black gravel. Your eyes followed the trail, landing on multiple different neon signs lighting up the club your pod approached. Like you had expected there to be, a long line formed outside the bar of humans waiting to get inside. At the front stood a tall, large man wearing a tight black shirt and jeans with his arms crossed looking over the line. 

Sarenya stopped beside you, and your sisters who followed closely behind mirrored both your actions. She turned to face the pod as you eyed the bouncer a bit longer, sizing him up. When she began to speak you turned around and met the faintly glowing eyes of your younger sisters. 

Another distinguishing trait that showed you were not human. 

Nymph’s eyes were usually different from the humans’. The color of one’s eyes determined their age and their status. While a siren’s eyes were green in the early stages of their life, red during their middle age and silver in their later years, a mermaid’s eyes were blue, purple and then gold in their respective life stages. The commonality between the two? Every nymph’s iris sparkled. No, not like that disgusting glitter humans loved so much that stuck to everything. Within each iris lay a million tiny flecks of their color in a lighter shade, reflective and bright. And definitely not human. 

And yes, mermaids and sirens were both sea nymphs. Humans always tried to make different categories for everything they knew little about, but it was not that complex. Although the technical terms back home were oceanids and naiads, you had learned long ago that people on land had left their original names behind. It didn’t matter much to you honestly, you were all children of the sea, and there wasn’t much difference between a mermaid and a siren anyways beside your eye color and abilities. 

Everyone knew sirens had beautiful voices, but this was merely an amplification of their compulsion. While sirens couldn’t compel any other sea nymph, it worked on every other living being. But that’s just the most well known ability. Sirens can also manipulate water, and alter the way something may appear to others. Illusion was the most useful ability a siren could use on a night like tonight.

A mermaid’s abilities were different of course. While sirens could manipulate water, mermaids could control the state of water turning it from liquid to gas to solid. Hence the rain, a combination of both your powers working together. Their most useful power for tonight, however, was their ability to control the emotions of others. 

“Alright, we have a few fleshlings with us tonight so we’re going to go over how this works.” Sarenya addressed the pod since she was tonight’s leader. “Use your abilities, rule number one. We are here for one purpose and we must do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Rule number two, do not leave any damning evidence behind. We do not need a repeat of 1986 where a scale was left behind for a human to find and cause a frenzy. Rule number three, the humans can be quite attractive, but do not forget that they are not one of us. They are food, not mates. Kill them and move on. Fail and you will die. We can not survive on land.” 

At the end of her rules she caught your eye, speaking the last one almost directly to you. Like a reminder. As if you needed one. It made your chest hurt, your heart being squeezed torturously by an invisible vice. 

She was right though. You only got one night on land, one night to quench the insatiable thirst and gather enough blood for the members of your pod who were not allowed to join the hunt. 

Sea nymphs didn’t rely on blood to survive, it’s not the main source of food. Proteins and sea veggies like kelp and seaweed were a big part of an everyday diet. But human blood was a delicacy, and the key to immortality for a nymph. Just a drop of their blood, and a few ingredients, and you had the key to another ten years of youth. 

“We only have nine hours until sunrise. I do not care what you do in that time as long as all of your vials are full when you return and you follow those rules. Remember, when the sun comes up this is finished. If you do not make it back to the ocean by then… Well you get it by now.” For a mermaid Sarenya was quite blunt and cold, but when so many of your sisters fail to return over the years you kind of have to be. 

“Fleshlings stick by me until I say otherwise, everyone else, you know what to do.” Her golden eyes landed on yours once more with a reassuring glint to them before she strode off towards the bouncer, fleshlings in tow.

The two of you had been overseeing your pod’s hunt since 1693 when you were both promoted to Nympha Legatus, or Nymph Lieutenant. Rising in rank isn’t an easy thing to do, and it was rarely heard of especially since they usually lived forever, but that was an unusual circumstance. The hunt had started out as it usually did with the Nympha Legatus, Nymerian and Tessaya, leading your pod on the shore before breaking off for the night. As the night progressed things went horribly wrong. It had been a year since anyone had been on land and no one was aware of the witch mania that had overtaken the town of Salem. Along with a few others, Nymerian and Tessaya were captured, accused of being witches and thrown in jail to which they never made it back to the sea. Upon returning to the Nympha Ducem, Nymph Commander, you and Sarenya were the only two old enough within the pod to assume the position which required one mermaid and one siren. Since then she has been by your side through everything. You looked out for one another and always made sure the other made it back to the sea even if they had wavering thoughts. 

“Alright everyone, you heard Sarenya, you do what you need to and get back to the beach before sunrise. This isn’t your first Hunt. You know what to expect and how to handle it and we expect you to do just that. Enjoy yourselves, but don’t return home empty handed. Good luck…” Your silver eyes flitted to each of theirs briefly before continuing on the last note before separating. 

“Carpe Noctem.” Their voices mingled with your own as they recited the phrase with you. Sharing smiles, you and the pod turned towards the bar and made your way to the big guy in front of the door. 

Convincing him to let you in was easy. There was no need to use compulsion on him, your beauty taking care of that all on its own. When he asked for an I.D. however, you knew you had to turn it on. Pretending to look for the nonexistent item you pat down your pockets before giving him a sad, doe-eyed look. 

“Oh no… It seems like I left it at home. If I tell you a secret will you let me in?” You could feel the power roll off your tongue, sweet and thick like honey coating each word. The bouncer’s eyes glazed over and he leaned forwards at your request. 

“You don’t need to see my I.D. or any of the girls behind me. You know us.” He straightened back up, his eyes still in a haze. 

“Oh I didn’t realize that was you! Go on in ladies, I don’t need an I.D. for my best girls.” 

There was muttering from the line of humans behind you. Most of them were women expressing their displeasure and jealousy and some were men who were fawning over you and your sisters. Human men were so simple, each one of them the same as the last, year after year. All but one had ever shown you any difference. 

The bouncer opened the door and stepped aside letting you walk past him into the crowded bar. Cigarette smoke lingered in the air and blurred your vision slightly as you push through people to find an empty spot to sit. In your experience the hunt always worked better when you let the humans come to you. It was nice to sit and enjoy your time on land, appreciating the music, observing the humans and their strange behaviors, and savoring the cocktails they made. There was work to be done, sure, but you had the time. 

After an hour had come and gone of observing and accepting drinks from different men you had found yourself in conversation with one. And by Zeus was he the most obnoxious human you had ever met. Ethan, or so you think you heard right, went on and on and on about how much money his family had and how nice his house was and how he just got back from Italy- blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Pfft. Italy, big freaking whoop you had been there more times than you could count, and you really could not give less of a fuck about his money either. So trivial. 

Ethan, or was it Evan, who cares honestly he was about to be dead, kept talking even though you had zoned out long ago. For the last few minutes while what’s his face rambled on you were thinking how exactly you wanted to end his life. Would you promise him sex if he walked out of the club with you only to die in the alley? Or would you use your illusion and kill him right here without anyone noticing? You could also ask him to show you his ‘sick new lambo’ and bleed him dry all over the white leather seats he was raving about. New ideas kept popping into your head, each one better than the last, but your train of thought came to a screeching halt when you caught his eyes. 

He looked the same as he did every damn time. Long, slightly wavy chestnut brown hair, a soft yet strong jawline, plush soft lips, and gentle brown eyes lined with subtle dark circles underneath. No matter how many times you saw him he always seemed to steal the air from your lungs. 

Once his eyes were set on you they didn’t move. It was like he was trying to piece together where he recognized you from although you knew he never would. Your eyes bore into his own taking you back to when you first met. 

June 1713

Dover, England

Twenty years. It had only been twenty years since you were appointed Nympha Legatus which seems like a long time, but in the life of an immortal that’s nothing. Barely scratching the surface. 

The first ten years were rough. You and Sarenya had lost every single fleshling each year, none of them returning to the sea. Some were killed in random accidents, and the others just never made it back. On the eleventh year the first fleshling from your pod survived, finally giving you both hope that maybe you could do this. Maybe everything would be okay. Each year after more and more survived until only one or two didn’t return. That in itself was a success. 

Sarenya led the speech this year warning your sisters about pirates in the area, and human officers in the streets. Men were not so kind to women, especially pirates, and on land nymphs were at their most vulnerable, the Nympha Ducem deeming it illegal to use your abilities during the hunt in fear of causing suspicion amongst the humans. Deciding to hunt in a well populated port was dangerous, but it also offered a safety that desolate towns could not. More people meant you were less likely to be looked upon for being strangers, the sea was close by and there was safety in large crowds. 

“Carpe Noctem.” Everyone spoke the phrase in unison just as they had for centuries before, beginning the hunt. 

You wandered the streets for some time before finding a small pub to begin your night. Drunk men were always easy prey. But they were also unpredictable. A man who went by Billy had approached you shortly after entering the rickety establishment and offered his rum to you. The rum should have been the first indicator of who you were dealing with. The cutlass at his hip should’ve been the second. 

Between sips of the dark liquor and hollow flirting you had ended up in a back alley with Billy trying to execute your plan for killing him. You had sorely underestimated how aware, sober and strong he was. When he caught on that you were not going to do him any sexual favors the cutlass at his hip had been drawn to your neck with his other forearm laid across your chest, pressing your back into the rough brick. You squeezed your eyes shut and waited for whatever Billy was about to do, but nothing happened. 

The pressure against your chest lifted, and the cold metal of the blade at your throat was gone. When you opened your eyes Billy stood in front of you, his hands up in defense, shock and terror written all over his face, dagger pressed to his jugular. 

“Drop the cutlass. Now.” A male voice spoke from behind him, commanding but smooth. Billy did as the disembodied voice said, the sword clattering loudly, the metal banging and scraping against gravel. 

“Apologize to the lady.” 

“I- I‘m sorry miss. Won’t ha- happen again.” Billy stuttered, his legs shaking and hands trembling in the air. 

“Leave and don’t come back. If I see your face in Dover again I can’t promise I’ll be as kind a second time.” 

The man behind your attacker lifted the blade off his throat, nicking the skin ever so slightly drawing the smallest amount of blood. Finally free, Billy bolted down the street not staying to try and fight. You swore you saw his brown trousers darken as he ran away, streams of piss flowing down his legs. Coward. 

When the man straightened up from retrieving the cutlass off the ground you were able to see his face. His brown wavy hair was illuminated by moonlight, plush lips upturned at the corners into a gentle smile, and brown eyes twinkling in the silver beams from above. He was the most gorgeous human you had ever seen. 

His smile dropped a fraction when you made no movement, continuing to stare at him with wide eyes. He took a step back thinking he must have frightened you even more and mentally cursed himself. Instead you took a step forward wanting to not be any further from him than you already were. 

“It was not my intention to frighten you, my lady.” He hung his head in disappointment and shame, unable to meet your eyes again. 

“You did not frighten me, sir. I am just in awe of your beauty.” 

You wanted nothing more than to reach out for him. To touch him, and feel his smooth skin under your fingers. You kept your hands to yourself begrudgingly. 

The man’s head snapped up so quickly it looked like it hurt. Brown eyes were back on your own, a pink tint flushed onto his cheeks. 

“My beauty?” It was incredulous to him that a woman so fair, so breathtaking, was in awe of his beauty. 

“Yes.” You took another step closer to him as you spoke. 

“The most devine creature I have ever seen is calling me beautiful.” 

Your entire body froze. Every muscle and ligament locked in place and rigid. Creature. Did he know what you were? 

“Creature?” The word rolled off your tongue with disgust. A word you had always despised. 

“Well you certainly can not be human and possess the features of a goddess.” 

Just as your body had locked up in mere seconds, it relaxed hearing that what he had called you was a compliment. This was the first time you had actually liked the word creature. It was filled with endearment not disgust. 

“What is your name?” 

“Jacob.” 

“Thank you for stepping in, Jacob. I can only imagine what could have occurred had you not. Would you allow me to buy you a pint as a show of my appreciation and gratitude?” 

“Only if you’ll stay and enjoy one with me.” He beamed brighter than the moon overhead, eyes and smile wide. 

“I shall join you then.” 

The two of you walked down the cobblestone street back towards the small ale house you had come from with Billy. He had asked your name in which you told him earning yet another compliment. 

“A name just as beautiful as the woman who bears it.” 

You couldn’t describe what he was making you feel. There was never another time during your long life that you had ever felt so giddy and nervous around a human. Jacob was something special indeed. 

Time was lost on you once the two of you entered the pub and sat to enjoy a drink. Various conversations about either of you followed naturally, careful to think about your answers. You were not like him after all and one wrong thing could raise questions. 

“That’s a pretty blade.” You pointed to the dagger Jacob had set on the table, it had been the same one held to Billy’s neck. The weapon was fairly simple, a straight cross-guard that downturned slightly at the end and thinned out, the grip looked to be wrapped in leather leading to a round pommel with an atocha coin in the middle. 

“Thank you, I actually made it. I’m a silversmith.” 

Jacob was quite talented. Every piece of weaponry aside from Billy’s he had made himself. A few of the patrons in the tavern had also been carrying around his creations, all of them beautiful. He had taught himself how to fight with a sword, and how to play the guitar. He was the most intriguing human you had ever met. 

And yet he would die that night by your hand. 

Things had finally been going right for your pod in the last nine years, and you had almost thrown all of it down a trench because of some human. Wasting the night away talking to a human because he saved your life? Because he was a wonder to look at? No, that was not important. What was important was gathering the blood you needed and getting home. You had a mission. 

At least that’s what you told yourself when you drained the blood from Jacob, unable to stop. What you had to remind yourself when you saw his body limp and lifeless at your hands. It was what played in a loop in your head any time you thought of how you would never see his beauty again, how you would never admire another human in that way again. 

But you were wrong. Fate was cruel and twisted. 

You finally tore your eyes away from his and turned back to whatever his name was. He will come just as he always did, but this time you will be prepared. Finally taking a breath from speaking, Erik allowed for a lull in the conversation giving the opportunity for you to suggest the two of you find somewhere more private. Of course he was more than happy to oblige. Naïve human. 

Once Edwin was taken care of and you had your vile of blood, you cleaned the mess in the dirty alleyway as best as you could. The door you walked out of had been propped open from the cardboard box you wedged in the doorframe and you slipped back inside easily. Women filled the tiny bathroom, drunk and stumbling as you cleaned yourself up making sure there was no evidence left behind. Satisfied, you left the bathroom and made your way back to where you had been originally sitting. 

You sat there for some time watching the humans dance, talk and laugh trying to keep your eyes off of him. A truly fruitless distraction, your eyes trained on his form unable to look away. A part of you knew that you had to cherish this before it was too late. Not knowing how much time would pass before you did see him again. 

After what seemed like hours, although you’re sure it could’ve only been thirty minutes, he pushed off the table he was leaning against and made his way over to you. Trying to seem like you had not been staring at him all night, your eyes wandered elsewhere looking for anything remotely interesting. It wasn’t until he was basically right in front of you that you allowed your eyes to shift onto him. He stared down at you, the corners of his lips pulled into the smallest smile. 

“Alright if I join you?” His hand was outstretched, palm facing upwards and motioning to the empty seat next to you. 

“Not at all.” You smiled back at him and scooted over slightly on the small cushioned bench to make more room. 

“I wasn’t going to come over here since you were with someone earlier, but it appears that he left.” 

“Yeah,” You chuckled, “Honestly I’m glad I was able to ditch him. He was a bore. Had I known you’d come over sooner I would’ve gotten rid of him a long time ago.” 

“Is that so?” His eyebrows raised, the smile on his face only growing in size. You hummed a short “Mmm,” your eyes meeting his for the first time since he sat down.  

“I’m Jake by the way.” 

Jake extended his hand out to you and you took it, shaking his hand with a firm, but still soft grip. Neither of you could keep your eyes off the other. 

“Y/n.” 

“Fitting. A name just as beautiful as the woman bearing it.” You could feel your heart skip before it sank. You knew he would say it, but that didn’t make the pain any easier. He dropped your hand and lifted his glass up to his lips taking a sip. 

“Not much of a dancer I presume?” 

April 1865

Boston, Massachusetts  

People were everywhere. In the streets, in the bars, cheering, drinking, celebrating. The perfect time to begin the hunt. 

After separating from the pod you found yourself observing the humans while they celebrated victory. The civil war had just ended and their side won. It was fascinating to watch them dance and sing and drink to their hearts desire without any care in the world. 

So caught up in watching the humans, you hadn’t even noticed him in the crowd. But he had noticed you, of course he had. Not only were you the only person in all of Boston to not be celebrating in some way, but you were also stunning. 

“Not much of a dancer I presume?” 

The accent was much different, but the voice was the same. Your head snapped to where he was standing just left of you, shock wracking your entire body. How was it possible? He was dead. You had killed him over a hundred years ago. 

“Um… Uh- n-no. Not really.” You stumbled through the shock that had taken hold of you, mind racing. 

“I see… C’mon,” He held his hand out to you as an offering. When you didn’t take it he whispered, “If you don’t celebrate in some way they might think you’re a sympathizer. Take my hand.” 

You did as he asked and slid your hand into his. He pulled you up from the stoop you were occupying and led you into the street with all the other humans. Musicians were playing loudly out in the open, the songs always fast and upbeat keeping everyone moving. He dropped your hand once comfortable with where you were standing and began a dance you had never seen before. When you didn’t move an inch he stopped. 

“Do you not know how it goes?” 

“No.” Your teeth sunk into your bottom lip as you shook your head. 

“I’ll teach you. Follow my lead.” 

“Okay…” 

“Jacob. You can call me Jacob.” 

Song after song, dance after dance, Jacob leads you into each one. He taught you all the steps, keeping patience the entire time which would not have been an easy thing to do. While you were no fleshling, you definitely looked like it was your first time on legs with how uncoordinated you were. 

You talked as you danced the night away. Jacob was just as intriguing the second time you met him as he was the first. He was the same man you had met in 1713, but more modernized. Everything about him drew you in. 

Eventually the music died, the streets cleared and it was just you and Jacob left out in the night. The two of you were sitting on the steps of his porch talking under the stars and enjoying each other's company. At some point you were no longer looking at the empty street or the starry night sky, but looking at one another instead. Jacob’s eyes traversed every part of your face like he was trying to memorize even the smallest details. After a few moments of this he sighed dreamily. 

“May I kiss you?” 

“You want to kiss me?” 

“More than anything.” 

“Then yes, Jacob, you may.” 

You had kissed plenty of humans in your lifetime, none of them ever meaning anything significant. But when Jacob’s lips touched yours for the first time you had finally realized why humans liked to do this. Your entire body felt… alive. The feeling was the strangest, yet most blissful experience that you wished would never end. When he pulled away from you sadness ran through every fiber of your being, instantly missing the warmth of his soft lips.  

You would never forget the way Jacob looked at you after the kiss. His eyes were soft, a gentle smile gracing his pretty face, every bit of him glowing with something other than the light from the moon. You would’ve done anything to see him like this for the rest of your life. To feel like he had just made you feel for eternity. 

When the blissful haze cleared however, the longing vanished and panic quickly set in. What was he doing to you? This wasn’t right. You have a purpose and it is not to fall in love with a human. Get it together. Do your duty. 

Every other thought bounced back and forth, your heart and brain fighting for dominance. Your heart told you to let him live, you didn’t need to kill him, but your brain knew better. You needed to do it or you would come back year after year just to see him. Risk the safety of you and the pod for a human you could never be with. 

You had to kill him. 

“Thank you for tonight Jacob.” 

“The pleasure was all mine.” 

He had insisted on walking you home to which you didn’t fight. If he walked you home you could lead him to a quiet place to take his life. Maybe even somewhere beautiful. Jacob deserved more than to just be drained and dumped in some filthy alley. 

When he took you through the public garden you knew that was the place. So you led him down close to the pond underneath a willow tree, rays of light breaking through the wispy leaves that lay in drooping branches.

“Jacob?” You turned to him and gently grabbed both his hands. 

“Hmm?” 

“Kiss me again… Please?” There was the possibility that he would not come back like he had this time. A possibility that you would never feel his lips on yours again and you needed to experience it one last time. 

“Okay.” It was soft and breathy, and had the night been any more lively you weren’t sure you would’ve heard it. 

Jacob did as you asked, his lips pressed to yours like they had the first time. Tingles rolled through your body from head to toe crashing over you like waves. When you thought he would pull away and end the kiss he did something that surprised you. His tongue swept across your lower lip sending new vibrations along your spine, your body shivering slightly. Your own mouth acted without volition and opened against his lips. 

The feeling of his tongue gliding along yours like velvet was euphoric. Noises bubbled from your throat in sighs of pleasure to be swallowed by Jacob. His hands gripped your waist, fingertips pressing into the meat with desperate longing. You liked the way his hands felt on you, almost as intoxicating as his mouth. 

The kiss calmed and turned into short, slow kisses until your foreheads were resting against one another. You watched both of your chests rise and fall rapidly as you tried to regain your breath and slow your racing hearts. Neither of you said a word, just simply enjoying the moment. 

Do it now. Get it over with, the longer you delay the worse it’ll be. Do it. 

“May the flames of our souls dance together endlessly, Jacob.” You didn’t dare look at his face when you spoke your last words to him knowing you wouldn’t have it in you to do what needed to be done. 

As your teeth sank into the delicate skin of his neck you prayed for it to be over quickly. Each desperate gasp of breath was a stab to your already fragile heart, and you were thankful you couldn’t see his face. 

When he finally fell unconscious you filled the vile with his blood quickly before returning to finish what you started. Each pull of your mouth was a physical battle within yourself knowing that if you left now, before it was too late, he’d live. You could save him if you stopped. But that wasn’t an option anymore. You had to see it through. 

You laid him down gently beneath the willow, teardrops dotting his skin, and cried harder at the sight of them. Had you been crying the whole time, you weren’t sure, but deep down you knew you had been. Brushing his hair from his face you looked at him one last time and pressed a shaky kiss to his forehead. 

You had never run faster or sobbed harder in your life than you had that night.

“Something like that. I’m not one for this type of dancing or music if I’m honest.” You shrugged looking out at the people jumping and grinding to the music the DJ played. 

“I’m not either, but my younger brothers wanted to check it out so I appeased them,” His eyes were trained on the crowd as he spoke, “I was starting to regret coming, and was just telling my brother I was going to leave.” 

You peeled your eyes away from the people dancing on the floor and looked at Jake. He did the same, turning his focus back to you. 

“Oh really? What made you change your mind?” 

“Well I saw the most gorgeous woman looking like she’d rather be anywhere but here.” A cheeky smile formed on his lips. You’d forgotten how smooth he always was, your own lips breaking into a small smile. 

“Would you wanna get out of here?” 

“And go where?” 

“I know a place.” Jake stood from his spot on the bench and set his drink on the table. When he turned to you he had his arm extended for you to take. His face gave a look of ‘what do you say?’ 

“Better be a good place.” You smiled and took his hand letting him lead you out of the noisy club. When the two of you stepped outside onto the street his hand dropped yours, the warmth he brought quickly dissipating. The action made you sad, wanting nothing more than to touch him again. 

You weren’t sure where he was taking you, but you trusted him and let him lead you down the wet streets. The two of you talked, and just as you had expected he was the same as each time before just with slight differences. He was a musician now, self made of course, and in a band with his brothers. It was almost relieving to hear that there was finally a version of him in which he played music. You knew he was destined for this profession, his love and devotion for the art always remaining throughout the decades. 

Eventually you came to the entrance of a park shrouded with hundreds of trees and flowers. He continued to walk down the pathway, a destination clear in mind. You couldn’t help but look in awe at the breathtaking scenery around you, all the trees and flowers, the moonlight bouncing off the large pond that sat in the middle of the park. You wondered what it might look like in the daytime. 

Since you had left the club there had not been a moment of silence. Comfortable, casual conversation flowed easily between you, talking about anything and everything you could think of. Jake was well read in human history and literature, things you knew much about having lived through most of them. While you only came upon the shore for one night each year you liked to keep tabs on what was happening with the humans as it usually impacted the lives of the nymphs greatly. Especially as technology advanced. 

The two of you came to a bench surrounded by large drooping trees that overlooked the pond, and your chest tightened. The scene before you looked strikingly similar to the public garden in Boston where you had taken Jake’s life almost two hundred years ago. Images of his lifeless state came flooding back to you, tears pricking your eyes. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, willing the tears back down. When you opened your eyes again and looked at the trees more closely you breathed a small sigh of relief. They were not willows, but instead oak trees covered in spanish moss that were still living. And they were hauntingly beautiful.

“I like to come here at night when I’m stuck on a melody or riff I can’t quite work out. There’s something about this place that’s so peaceful and reminiscent. Which sounds ridiculous since I don't even know what I could possibly reminisce about in a place like this.” He sat on the bench and looked out over the water as he spoke, like he truly was thinking back to something. You tried to deny that maybe in some way he remembered that night in Boston as you sat beside him. It was easier to lie to yourself than accept that old pieces of his lives that involved you lingered.

The night had grown somewhat cold and a chill ran through your body as wind swept through the trees. Jake noticed the way your arms wrapped tightly around your body and wordlessly took off his light jacket, placing it around your shoulders. 

“Thank you, but you didn’t-“ 

“I wanted to.” 

The skin of your cheeks burned, heat creeping along your face and down your neck. You were thankful for the thickly coated trees overhead as they blocked out most of the moonlight and hid your growing blush. With the wind dying, you could smell his natural musk that wafted from the jacket, woodsy and clean like driftwood that sat on the beach. The smell flooded your senses, reminding you of the last time you had seen him. 

September 1923

Charleston, South Carolina 

Prohibition made hunting harder. Without the effect of alcohol humans tended not to hang around in large groups and were more difficult to subdue, but thankfully speakeasies existed. Sure finding a human who knew where one was could be a challenge, but once you did find one who could point you in the right direction they would do so of their own free will. 

Bourbon and Branch was where you had found yourself this night for the hunt. The darkly lit underground club was congested with smoke from cigarettes and cigars, the sound of jazz filled the space. There couldn't have been a better place to prey on humans and you certainly took advantage of it, your body count for the evening rising higher and higher. Were you out of control? No, not yet, but hey it was the roaring twenties, everyone was on the verge of losing what little grip they had on self control. It didn’t help that you had been nursing your self loathing and pain since 1865.

Every waking moment that fateful night played on a loop in your mind. Over and over. You would do anything to get through the day without thinking about him, and human blood helped take your mind off of everything. The more you drank, the better you felt, the less you thought of him, but the more you drank, the more you pushed yourself further to the edge. You were quickly becoming a liability to the pod with each hunt that took place. It’s not that you didn’t care that you were endangering the pod, you just couldn’t see past your own misery to realize that what you were doing was dangerous.

You had lost track of just how many bodies you had left in the alley behind the speakeasy that night. It was nearing double digits, but you didn’t care and instead headed back inside the small club to find your next meal. When you slipped back inside though the image of the next human you had intended on targeting vanished instantly. 

Sitting in a booth with a drink in hand looking at home was the man who haunted you. His eyes seemed to be scanning the room, like he was looking for something in particular when they landed on you. You didn’t dare take your eyes off of him, fearing that maybe the blood had gotten to your head. You watched as he said something to one of the men who sat by his side, identical to him in some ways, before sliding out of the booth and walking towards you. Not once did his eyes leave yours. 

It felt like catching up with an old friend in some weird way. You know the person down to their core, but aspects of their life have changed, and small parts of them have too. Most of the night was spent in the Bourbon and Branch just talking with Jacob and getting to know what he was like in this life. There were plenty of smiles, laughs and flirting, and you were floating on air. And when he kissed you that night it was as if no time had passed, like you were back in 1865 sitting on his porch steps under the stars. 

When the bar had finally closed for the night, neither of you could bring yourselves to say goodbye. Jacob invited you back to his house with his brothers and their partners as a proper way to wind down after a night out. More secret booze and music. The lot of you danced and drank for what seemed like hours before everyone either left or went to bed leaving you and Jacob out to enjoy the night alone. The two of you talked and talked until talking led to gentle touches, those touches turned to kissing, and the kissing led to something you had never done.  

While painful at first, the feeling that came after was truly unlike anything you had ever experienced. Nothing would compare to the overwhelming euphoria you and Jacob had shared that night. Images of him above you, bare and glistening with sweat while his light brown eyes bore into your own were seared in your brain. The scent of driftwood and sea salt was all around you, enveloping you wholly. His whispers of praise, encouragement, and adoration echoed forever in your head. How beautiful you were and how good you felt. How utterly perfect you were. If you thought you liked the way his hands felt on you once long ago, you loved how they felt on you tonight. You loved the pleasure he could bring you with just a drag of his finger, and how gentle he was. So gentle like he was afraid he would break you. When you reached your peak you felt nothing but pure pleasure, every thought and memory erased from your mind that wasn’t him. He invaded every part of your being.

Afterwards the two of you laid in his bed, bare and pressed against one another. No words were spoken, but none needed to be. You were both content to exist in the moment listening to each breath the other took while his fingers traced mindless shapes and paths across your skin. The only noise that could be heard was Jacob humming softly, a tune that had no real body like it was something he made up as it came to him. 

When he finally fell asleep you slipped out from underneath his arm carefully to not wake him and redressed. You had decided you would not repeat history this time. You wouldn’t be the cause of his death, you couldn’t do it again. You knew had you taken his life a third time you would come apart at the seams completely. While you were unsure if he would ever come back to you since you had let him live, it was a chance you were willing to take. For one last time you admired him in the faint glow of the candles by his bed, and this time as you looked upon him you didn’t have to tell yourself he was sleeping. 

“May the flames of our souls dance together endlessly, my love.” Your hand caressed his cheek and you bent down to place a gentle kiss to his forehead before you made your exit. You had barely made it to the ocean when the sun rose that morning, your first true close call. To you though it was well worth it.

“So you’re in a band? Do you enjoy it?” You pulled his jacket tighter around your frame hoping to trap in more heat and cocoon yourself in his smell. 

“I love it. It’s been my dream for so long to be a musician and I don’t think I would trade anything in the world for it.” When he spoke you could feel the excitement pour off of him. He truly loved what he was doing and that made you happy- knowing that he was happy. 

“I’m sure it's not easy though being in a band with your brothers.”

“Everyone thinks that, but it’s not always difficult. Sure tempers fly, and things get smashed or broken, but nothing will ever come between us that we can’t overcome. We’re family, we’ll always have each other’s backs.” 

You could understand where he was coming from. Your pod was your family, each member was a sister to you biological or not, and the hunt was your job. Things get dicey every now and then, but for the most part you just tried to do what was best for your family and looked out for one another.

Another hour had passed just sitting under the trees talking about everything and nothing at all. It had taken all the strength you had to not shiver uncontrollably from head to toe till now, Jake’s jacket not doing much anymore. You were positively freezing. The cold finally won, and violent shakes wracked your body. 

“I have this beautiful hand-made dagger from the 1700s, absolutely exquis-“ His sentence stopped abruptly on the count of way your body jolted continuously and he began to rub his hands up and down the length of your biceps, “C’mon let’s get you somewhere warm, you’re shaking like a leaf.” 

Jake stood from the bench, his hands falling away from your arms for a moment to help you stand. When the two of you began to walk he was next to you, his arm wrapped around the back of your body so both of his hands were back on your upper arms. The friction from his hands did heat your body slightly, but not enough to subdue the intense shivering. 

“My place isn’t far from here, is that alright?” When you turned to answer him you came practically nose to nose with him. He was so close that the only thing you could see in front of you were his honey brown irises. 

“Um, yeah that’s fine. How far away are we?”  

“About seven minutes, think you’ll make it that far?” The smallest hint of a smile drew the corner of his mouth upwards, his top lip curling the tiniest bit. 

While you didn’t spend most of your time around humans you knew when one was making a joke. Or in this case, poking fun at you. Instead of finding it offensive the jest was rather endearing. Nonetheless you rolled your eyes playfully.

“Yes I can make it that far.” You finally willed yourself to look away from his mesmerizing face and stare out ahead of you. A part of you feared that if you didn’t look away now, you never would. 

Shortly after leaving the park you had stopped shivering and Jake’s hands stopped their vigorous movements on your arms to rest at his sides. It seemed silly, but you mourned his touch as soon as it left your body and you decided to ask him about the dagger from earlier to distract yourself. 

“You were telling me earlier about a dagger that you have?” 

“Oh yeah, I forgot I was nerding out a little.” A breathy laugh escaped from between his lips. It was more of a huff of air than an actual laugh. His focus was on his boots as he walked beside you on the concrete sidewalk. 

“Tell me about it? I would love to know more.” 

“Yeah, uh,” He looked up to you with an expression that looked something similar to disbelief mixed with excitement. “It’s a beautiful handcrafted dagger from the early 18th century I believe. It’s a family heirloom, been passed down to the Kiszka men when they turn twenty-five. That’s how old my ancestor was when he made it.” 

His hands waved about and fidgeted as he spoke like it was something he did out of nervous habit, but you think he just liked to keep his hands busy. You knew exactly which blade he had been referring to, there was no doubt in your mind. The weapon had to be the same blade used to strike fear into the heart of Billy back in Dover, England. The same blade which you complimented later on in the night. 

“This is me.” Jake stopped in front of a large house, very modern and elegant looking, but simple, and dug his keys out from the depths of his pockets. While he fidgeted with the keys you took the opportunity to slide the vial of blood you had collected from earlied out of your pocket and drop it gently in one of his bushes by door to grab in the morning.

He opened the door and walked inside, holding the door open for you to follow behind him. As soon as you stepped through the threshold of his home, warmth flooded over your entire body.

Jake’s home on the inside reflected the outside, modern and sleek, but it still had a cozy and comfortable element to it. In a way it somewhat reminded you of his home in the 1920’s. 

You followed him deeper into the house through a hallway that led into a living room and kitchen. The areas were separated by a black granite bar top that had bar stools lined along the wall facing into the kitchen. Jake walked around the bar into the kitchen and you decided to stay on the other side, standing next to a stool. He looked at you from the other side, his hands on top of the black surface and his upper body leaning towards you.

“Would you like anything to drink? Water, tea, booze?” 

“Hmm, tea sounds quite nice. Would you by any chance happen to have any peppermint tea?” 

“As a matter of fact, I do.” He smiled at you fondly before turning around and walking to a cabinet on the wall behind him. He opened the cabinet and pulled two mugs off the shelf before closing it and opening another one to rummage through it. When he found the proper tea he filled the kettle up with water and set it on the stove to bring to a boil. 

“You can sit, you know, make yourself comfortable.” He was facing you now, back pressed against the island in the center of the kitchen, his hands resting on the countertop behind him and his legs cross at the ankle. You knew with the tone of his voice and the soft smile on his face that he was just trying to make you feel more welcome.

“Thank you, although I’m content standing for now.” You smiled back at him gently with your upper body leaned into the cool black stone. Jake only offered an amused hum in response, continuing to stare at you with fond eyes. 

“What?”

“Nothing… You’re just so beautiful,” His focus shifted to the ground and he shook his head, a giddy smile still splayed across his lips. “When I saw you at the club tonight I almost couldn’t muster up the courage to speak to you, and now you’re in my house and I’m making tea for you, and…” He looked up from the ground and met your eyes again. “You’re just so beautiful.” 

You pushed off of the counter and made your way into the kitchen where he was standing. Neither of you looked away from the other the closer you got. 

“I think,” You stopped in front of him and lightly draped your arms around his shoulders. His hands lifted from the countertop behind him and rested on your hips. “That you are quite beautiful.” 

He was quiet for a moment, your compliment stunning him. He continued to stare at you in wonder and your eyes stayed locked on his.

“Me? Beautiful?” 

“Breathtaking.”

His hand left your waist, his palm coming to rest on your jaw with his thumb splayed across your cheek, and his fingers laid against your neck just under your ear. 

“C’mere.”

Jake pulled you closer to him, his fingers curling gently around the back of your neck, his lips pressing to yours. Just like each time before your skin felt tingly, spreading from your head all the way down your toes. You could feel his lips still curled upwards into the smile he was wearing as he kissed you. After a beat or two he pulled away from you. 

The second his lips lifted from your own you felt the immediate longing of wanting to feel their warmth and softness again. It felt like sand slipping through your fingers. 

However, his mouth was back on yours continuously pressing quick, tender kisses upon your lips over and over. With each time he pulled away, the amount of time between the kisses grew shorter like he couldn’t bring himself to pull away from you entirely. Not only did they become shorter, but they quickly became more heated and needy. Jake’s tongue ran the length of your bottom lip and you welcomed it happily, parting your lips with a low hum. You didn’t fight him for dominance and instead let his tongue explore your mouth as he pleased. The tip of his tongue teased the roof of your mouth slowly from the back to the front before he met your lips again and his tongue brushed against your own. 

He walked forward a few steps and used the hand placed on your hip to turn the two of you in an one-eighty, and then walked you backwards. Your back pressed into the edge of the island countertop, Jake’s chest and hips pressed flush against your own, his hand moving to tangle into the soft tresses of your hair. Everything he did was gentle, careful not to push too far. Even with his body pressed into yours there was no overwhelming force. 

Your hands wound into his hair, pulling him impossibly closer to you and earning a groan from Jake in return. He grabbed both your hips in his hands and grinded his growing erection into your core. You couldn’t help the way your head lulled back, breaking the kiss. Taking advantage of your exposed neck, he trailed kisses down the column of the soft skin. His mouth worked slowly, dragging out each open mouthed, hot kiss with his tongue licking over the area before moving to place the next one.

“Jake.” His name rolled off your tongue in a whisper, broken and whiny. You hadn’t meant to say his name out loud, but the reaction you pulled from him was worth it. The tips of his fingers dug into your hips harder and vibrations rumbled from his mouth through your neck with the low moan he released. 

“Sounds so pretty when you say it like that, darling.” His teeth scraped across your skin with the next kiss just barely applying any pressure. 

“Fuck, Jake.” 

His teeth grazed the delicate skin once again, adding in another roll of his hips into yours. He was much harder now and the friction he supplied was making your head dizzy. You wanted more of him, so much more of him. In the background you could hear the kettle whistle loudly on the stove signifying it was ready. 

“Water’s ready for tea.” Jake’s voice was low and husky while still moving his mouth down your throat. 

“Forget the tea. I need you, please.” Your hand traveled between your bodies to palm his clothed length. His lips finally ceased their assault, his forehead resting on your clavicle with a sharp breath pulled into his lungs.

“Oh darling,” He lifted his head from your chest to look into your eyes. There was a fire in his eyes this time that you had never seen before, dark and swirling beneath the surface. “Have me you shall.” 

He stepped away from you and grabbed your hand, pulling you behind him. He walked over to the stove quickly turning off the burner and setting the kettle aside. Once the fire hazard was taken care of he pulled you into him again and reconnected your lips. You were walking backwards, unsure of where exactly he was directing the two of you, but you couldn’t care less. Your fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt popping them open one by one. In return, Jake was working to unbutton your pants. When the last button was undone on his shirt you pushed the light material away from his shoulders and let your hands roam his warm skin. He was solid under your hands, yet still delicate. You loved the way his chest and stomach felt, obsessed with how sturdy and soft he was at the same time. 

He moved on to your shirt once the button on your pants was undone and the zipper had been pulled down. You could feel the material slipping lower on your hips ever so slightly with each step you took. Jake pulled your shirt up over your head by the hem and dropped it to the floor, and you took one more step backwards before your back hit what you assumed was a door. His hand flew out and twisted the knob opening the door. He continued to walk you backwards into his room until the back of your knees came into contact with his bed. 

You let out a shocked gasp, your knees buckling underneath you and falling rather ungracefully onto the bed while pulling Jake with you. He was able to stop himself from crushing you fully, his arms on either side of your head. When the initial surprise subsided the two of you broke into a fit of giggles unable to contain them. 

“Sorry, I should’ve stopped.” He pushed himself up from the bed to stand still chuckling slightly.

“It’s okay.” One last giggle escaped from your lips as he made to stand. He was wedged between your legs while he looked down at you. 

The look in his eyes from before had returned, quickly stirring the heat in your core again. While you were still wearing your bottoms, the top you had been wearing was long gone revealing your bare chest to him for the first time. He leaned forward and placed his hands on both sides of your hips. His fingers gripped the tops of the waistbands on your pants and underwear. 

“Can I?” There was a gruff tone to his voice now when he spoke. 

“Please.” 

Jake didn’t waste anymore time and tugged the clothing from your body. There was no rush, taking his time undressing your lower half, and you propped yourself up on your elbows to have a better view of him. He dropped your bottoms to the ground and stood up straight to have a better view of your naked body. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more stunning.” His eyes trailed along your body, drinking in every inch. You sat up fully, your face level with his toned abdomen and your hands toying with the waistband of his trousers. 

“I have.” 

The sight of you below him made his dick twitch. You were looking up at him almost innocently with your hands and mouth mere inches away from his aching cock. The very thought of having your mouth so close to him made him almost cum right there. 

You started to undo the button and fly on his pants while placing sweet kisses to his stomach just above his navel, never breaking eye contact. Once the button was taken care of and you moved onto the zipper you trailed the light kisses lower and lower until your bottom lip brushed the top of his underwear. You drew your lips from the heated skin of his torso and hooked your fingers into his pants like he had just done to you. 

“May I?” You were still so close to him that your breath fanned over his skin and sent shivers through his body. 

“Oh god, yes.” The words were filled with air and flew out in a hushed whisper. 

You pulled the fabric down his legs taking the boxers down with his pants. His hardened length sprang free, the tip slapping his lower belly gently. You were mesmerized with how gorgeous every part of him was, and while it had been over a hundred years since you had seen him bare, he was the same as before. When you got the top of his pants past his sturdy thighs they dropped freely the rest of the way down his legs. 

Jake stepped out of the trousers carefully before bending down to cup your cheek and bring his lips back to yours. He laid you back slowly as he kissed you, kneeling on the bed with one knee between your legs. His other hand rested on your hip and pressed into you guiding you to move further up the bed. 

Satisfied with where you were, Jake laid into you more fully. His forearm was braced into the mattress next to your head, his chest brushing yours with each heaving breath, and his heavy cock nestled in the crevice where your thigh met your groin. 

His fingers skirted from your hip down the outside of your thigh just barely touching the heated skin. With the same pressure his hand crossed over the top of your thigh and slowly inched its way up to your core. Every touch his fingers made on your skin left behind a trail of raised skin in their wake. A breathy moan was pulled from your lips as he ran his middle and index fingers up your slit slowly. 

“Fuck, you’re so wet.” Jake groaned against your lips. 

Your hips bucked into his hand involuntarily as his fingers swept over your clit for the first time. You writhed under his touch earning a smile from his lips that you could feel against your own before he began kissing his way down your neck towards your chest. Even as he moved down your body you could still feel the smile he wore. His fingers swirled your clit in tight, slow, figure eights while his tongue gave an experimental flick to your perked nipple. Your back arched from the bed, pushing your chest into him silently begging for more. He loved how responsive you were, and you could tell. Each time you reacted to his touches, you felt his hard length twitch and pulse against your hip. 

His lips wrapped around your nipple fully, sucking and licking the bud, earning the sweetest sounds from your open mouth. Not once did his fingers stop moving against your clit and you were quickly being brought to the edge of ecstasy. He pulled his mouth from your breast with a soft pop and kissed lower down your belly. A soft giggle bubbled in your throat as his lips passed over a sensitive area of your stomach, his lips tickling you. He huffed a laugh at the way your muscles contracted and you squirmed under his touch only making the tickling sensation worse. 

“Sorry.” He laughed with you, his eyes catching yours. 

“S’okay.” 

You reach a hand down into his hair encouraging him to continue where he left off. Jake did as you implied and kissed further down your abdomen to your core, looping his arms around your hips and thighs. He kept eye contact as he placed one last kiss to your center right on your clit. When his tongue licked a stripe through your folds his eyes fluttered shut. He hummed against your soaked heat, the vibrations flowing through your entire body. Your fingers wound tighter into his hair and your hips begged for him to be closer. 

He slid his tongue back up your slit, collecting your arousal and wrapped his lips around your clit once at the top. He sucked the sensitive bundle into his mouth, flicking his tongue against it rapidly. Your entire body felt like it was on fire and your head was becoming more fuzzy with each roll of the wet, velvet muscle. Whines and moans of pleasure rolled out from your throat, his name mixed in along with them sweetly. Just when you were about to be sent over the edge you pulled his mouth from your core and back up to your own. His chest and torso were pressed to yours, now propped up on his knees between your spread legs. 

You could taste yourself on his lips and tongue. Sweet with a hint of saltiness. Like watermelon lightly sprinkled with salt on a summer’s day. You wanted more.

“Jake, please,” You whispered against his lips between feverish kisses trying desperately to get the words out. “I need you. I need all of you. Please, please.” 

“Say it again.” His hand pressed down between your sticky bodies, gripping his length.

“I need all of you.” 

“Say my name again.” He ran his swollen head through your wet lips, and coated himself in your slick. 

“Please Jake.” He pressed into you slowly, the tip just inside as you spoke his name causing it to hitch in your throat. Your walls fluttered around him trying desperately to adjust to his size while he continued to push the rest of the way inside you. Your arms wrapped around the underside of his arms holding him close to you with your hands resting on the tops of his shoulders. The sound of his heavy breaths cascaded into your ear, his head dropped with his chin resting on your shoulder between your cheek and his hand. 

“Oh fuck, you’re so tight.” He took a few ragged breaths. “Are you alright if I move?”

“Yeah, I-I’m okay.” Your voice cracked in a whisper already sounding fucked out.  

Jake withdrew his hips from yours slowly, his thick length gliding out easily until just the tip of his head remained inside at your entrance. He pushed back in faster than before, but still at a steady pace. His other hand that was placed next to your head shifted so that he was cradling your head in his hand and gently pushing your opposite cheek into his. 

With each push and pull of his hips to yours, both of your breathing became heavier, filled with moans and whispers of praise. He brushed your cervix upon every re-entry and grazed a spot that made your entire body explode in pleasure. 

There was no doubt how good he was making you feel, and while you knew you were making him feel the same pleasures, you wanted to physically be responsible. 

“Jake.” You tapped his shoulder lightly to get his attention. He quickly stopped all movement and lifted his face, looking at you with worry etched onto his features. 

“Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” 

Your heart practically melted at his sincerity, and you couldn’t help but smile up at him. Worry changed to confusion at the sight of you smiling.

“Yes, I’m okay. I just, um,” You weren’t sure how to tell him exactly what you wanted. Mainly because you didn’t know what exactly it was that you wanted. “I want to… You’re just making me feel so good, and I… I want to make you feel good.” 

“Baby,” A breathy chuckle left his lips, and his head fell, shaking lightly, “You’re already making me feel good. So unbelievably good.” He looked back up at you, the corner of his mouth pulled upwards showing off the smallest portion of his top teeth. 

“I just want to… actively make you feel good.” You tried to reiterate to him what you meant. 

“Are you trying to tell me that you want to be on top?” 

You nodded your head slowly and watched the adoring smile on his face grow. Without much warning, his arm hooked around the back of your knee securing it closer to his body as he started to roll onto his back. He was seated fully inside you as he changed your positions, making you feel much more full once you were sat on him completely. 

You wiggled your arms out from under his shoulders and sat up using his chest to stabilize yourself. He looked even more gorgeous below you than above with his skin shiny from sweat and his hair falling in waves around where his head rested. You stared at him for a moment longer taking in the way he looked and feeling how firm his chest and tummy felt. 

You also weren’t sure what you were supposed to do, so you were sort of stalling. 

“I, um, I’ve never really done this before…” Your gaze fell to watch your fingers dance along his tanned, smooth skin. 

Jake didn’t respond. Instead his hands found your waist and gave you a reassuring squeeze making you look back to his face. 

“I’ll show you.” 

His hands lifted your hips ever so slightly before angling them forward gently. He continued to guide you upwards at this angle until you reached the end of his length. Just before he slipped out completely, you rolled your hips backwards again with the guidance of his hands and took him down to his base. He repeated the motion a few times to help you get a feel for it, each time speeding up just a little. 

“If something feels good, follow it. Don’t think too much about what you want to do. Just let your body be the guide.” Not once did his hands stop guiding you while he spoke.

You started to take more control by lifting your hips on your own and changing the angle to take him down deeper. His hands stayed on your hips with his fingers extending to your ass. The more comfortable you got, the more you rolled your hips and sped up causing Jake’s fingertips to dig into the meat of your backside. 

“That’s it. Doing so good.” 

You did what he told you and just let your body do what it wanted to naturally. Carefully, you leaned back placing your hands on the outsides of his shins and kept moving your hips forward. With the new angle you could feel a searing hot tightness form in your lower belly with each thrust. You could see his cock, glistening in your juices, disappear in and out of you which only spurred you on more. You looked up to Jake to see him watching you slide along his length, his lips parted and his chest heaving. He caught your eyes and his hands traveled up your back. 

“C’mere.” 

He pulled you back to him, his lips crashing into yours and his hips bucking up into you. A loud moan ripped from your throat and was sent straight into his mouth. You could do nothing for a moment, but lay on top of him and let his hips do all the work, his thrusts disabling your mind and body. When you did finally push back onto him, his breath hitched before a deep groan tore from his chest and his hands gripped you harder. It took you a few tries to find the right rhythm, but after a few moments his hips were thrusting up to meet your own on their descent. Curses and praises tumbled freely from him, air filled and raspy. The movements were perfectly timed and you could feel yourself on the edge of the cliff once again. His kisses became sloppy, filled mostly with grunts and breathy moans against your lips. 

“I’m close. A-are you, shit, are you almost there?” He sighed, his breath fanning over your face.

“Yeah, I’m- I’m about to- Oh fuck, Jake.” Your orgasm hit you before you could even finish your sentence. Intense pleasure ignited every inch of your body as your muscles contracted, squeezing his cock like a vice. His name slipped off your tongue over and over as he helped you ride out the high while chasing his own. 

It was his name falling from your lips continuously like a mantra while you came that had him reaching his own climax. Soft whimpers, moans and gasps spilling from his lips and swirled around your head. He pulled you into his chest further, hugging you tight to his chest and kissed you harder until his hips slowed to a stop inside you. 

Neither of you made to move for a few minutes, both of you entirely spent. Your entire body weight was being supported by him as you laid on top of his chest and stomach trying to come down. Jake was the first to move. He helped you up and gently guided you to lay on your back before making his way off the bed with a promise to return. When he came back he was holding a wet cloth and a glass of water. He cleaned your mixed release up from between your legs tenderly, and then disposed of the cloth in his dirty laundry basket. You gulped down the water while you waited for him to return again. A few moments later he came back and crawled back into his bed laying next to you. As soon as Jake laid down you started to get out of his bed to leave for the night needing to return back to the sea. 

“Hey, you don’t have to go. You can stay- If you want to, I mean-” He fumbled over his words trying to get across what he wanted to say properly. You couldn’t get over how cute he looked, his cheeks getting pink from being flustered. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I would like for you to stay.” 

“I can stay for a little bit longer.” 

You smiled at him softly and eased back into the bed beside him. He pulled you closer to him and wrapped his arm around your shoulder. You rested your head on his chest, his skin warming your cheek, and laid your arm across his stomach. The two of you stayed wrapped up in each other’s arms until you drifted off to sleep, the slow rise and fall of his chest soothing you. Just before sleep took you under you heard him mutter something in his sleepy haze. 

“I’ve waited for you.” You could barely register what he said, already half asleep and in a dreamy haze yourself. 

A faint yellow glow woke you from your dreamless sleep. Sunlight beamed into your eyes when you finally got up the courage to pry them open, and your heart sank to your stomach. It was daytime and you hadn’t made it back to the ocean. You frantically threw the covers off of your still naked body, jolting Jake awake in the process. You began searching all around the room for your clothes having no luck in locating a single item of clothing. Jake’s hand around your wrist finally stopped you. You hadn’t realized that he had been talking to you the entire time.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” His eyes searched your face, his soft voice trying to calm you down while his thumb rubbed circles on your wrist.

“I can’t find any of my clothes, and I have to leave. I can’t believe I missed sunrise, I-” You stopped talking immediately, the words dying in your throat. You had missed sunrise, by hours, and yet you were still alive. How the hell were you still alive? 

You felt disoriented and nauseous, the edges of your vision blurring and your hearing starting to muffle. The pounding of your heartbeat thundered in your ears completely blocked out whatever Jake had said to you. Your mind raced trying to make sense of what was happening. There was only one possibility that could explain it. 

“It was all a lie…” You muttered to yourself still in shock, forgetting that Jake was still there. 

“What was a lie?”

“Um,” You shook your head, trying desperately to clear the fog from your mind. When you shifted your focus back onto his face, you instantly felt at ease. The nausea subsided, and your hearing came back in full. The black edges around your vision faded away allowing you to focus on his face, seeing clearly the lines of worry between his furrowed brows. 

“Nothing. I- I think I was having a bad dream… I’m okay now.” 

“Are you sure? You had me stressed out there for a second.” His thumb was still rubbing against your skin in soothing motions. 

“Yeah, I’m good now.” You gave him a reassuring smile and tried your best to make him believe it.

It was the truth though. You felt better and it was because of him. With just a look of his face you knew this was your destiny all along. For centuries you pondered over why the universe had always brought him back to you, and now you knew. You were always meant to be with Jake. 

“Okay, good… So you don’t have any plans for today?” 

“No, I have nothing planned.” He smiled at you then, and you had never felt better in your entire life. 

“Would you wanna grab some breakfast then? I’d like to spend more time with you.” 

“I would absolutely love that.” 

———————————————————————

Your bare feet sunk into the warm, white sand with each step you took along the beach. Carrying your shoes in one hand and the other intertwined with Jake’s you looked out to the open water of the sea. The sun was setting over the water creating beautiful orange glitters across the top of the small waves. While the blinding light burned your eyes you couldn’t turn away. Sunset was your favorite time of day and the scenic view of your old home had you somewhat reminiscent. 

Roughly eight months had passed since the night of the hunt. In that time you’ve been adjusting to living life as a human which was quite different than living as a nymph. The biggest adjustment was probably the loss of your powers. Or getting a job, that was pretty difficult. Throughout the whole process Jake was there though. The two of you had started dating and eventually you had to come clean about your true nature, especially when you didn’t understand the simple things that came with human life. Cell phones, bills, cars, rent, social media. It was all very foreign to you and Jake never understood. 

When you did finally tell him about being a nymph and coming from the sea he truly didn’t believe you. He thought you had made the whole thing up which you understood. After a while and some very confusing conversations about the aforementioned topics, he finally believed that you were not originally human. The most convincing aspect for him were your eyes. You were able to hide them for a few months before your powers faded completely, but when your abilities were gone he finally was able to see your glittery silver irises. Now though, your eyes too have since faded and changed color allowing you to look fully human. 

He asked a lot of questions, all of which you welcomed and answered freely. You decided to omit the whole truth from him when it came to your previous meetings in his previous lives. How were you supposed to admit to the man you love that you had killed him not once, but twice centuries ago? He knew your paths had crossed before and in a few instances the two of you had become close in a sense, but you mostly told him how and where you met unless he asked for specific details. When he learned that the two of you had had sex before in the 1920s his only response was, ‘I was better this time.’ Mostly he would ask which version of him you liked better.

As you continued to look out at the sea you thought of Sarenya and your sisters. You wondered who would’ve taken your place as Nympha Legatus and where they would be this time around. Ciree would make a great siren leader if she could focus on- 

“You’re doing it again.” Your thoughts faded away as Jake spoke beside you, squeezing your hand gently. Instantly you knew what he was referring to, you gazed down at your feet that we’re almost touching the water now. Every time the two of you walked along the beach you would absentmindedly walk towards the water until the salty liquid lapped at your toes or Jake made you aware. Usually he would say nothing and just watch in amusement while you led him closer.  

“Sorry.” You laughed under your breath and turned to face him. He was smiling warmly at you, his honey brown eyes sparkling in the orange hue of the sun. 

“Nothing to be sorry about…” You both started walking down the shore again still hand in hand letting comfortable silence take over. Your thoughts continued to wander, thinking about what life would be like for your pod now. 

“Do you miss it? Your old life and your sisters?” 

This was the first time he had asked you if you missed any part of what you used to be. You were sure he never asked because he didn’t want to make you upset. While it didn’t make you upset, you did think about it for a moment before responding. 

“Sometimes... I miss Sarenya mostly. I mean she was my best friend and sister and she probably thinks I’m dead, so it makes me sad to think she’s grieving me and that I probably won’t see her again.” He nodded in response, showing that he could understand what you meant, your arms swaying between your bodies while you walked.

“But I’m happy here. I think this was always supposed to be my destiny… to be human and be with you. Live our lives with one another and grow old together. Even if I could go back somehow I wouldn’t because this feels right. This is right, and I don’t ever want to not be with you. I’d rather have this lifetime and the afterlife with you and remain human than have only fleeting moments together and be a nymph.” 

He was beaming at you now with a smile that could only be described as soft, warm and giddy. The amount of love in his eyes as he looked at you was unmistakable and you were happily drowning in it, letting it lay like a heavy blanket over your entire body. Jake used the hold he had on your hand to swing you forward in front of him and maneuver your body to where he twirled you around a few times before bringing you into his chest tightly and pressed his lips to yours sweetly. He shifted his weight from foot to foot creating a small swaying motion as he held and kissed you.

“May the flames of our souls dance endlessly together, my love.” He repeated the phrase you had spoken to him years and years ago against your lips, smiling the whole way through it against your own smiling lips.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------add yourself to my taglist! taglist: @gold-mines-melting @indigofallingsky @sunandthemoontwinflames @ageofhearingloss @lipstickitty @hellowgoodbye @wildbluesorbit @jjwasneverhere @stardustjake @sanguinebats @sinarainbows @jordie-gvf-admin @malany-gvf @dannyandthekiszkas @popejosh4ever @gretasimp @sacredthefran @writingcold @thecoldwind @reesetrippingthelight @starcatcher-jake @musicspeaks @joshskittytickler @for-ur-love @carbondancingthroughtime @violet-hayes @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @way-to-go-lad @worldsgayestbonenerd @jakesgrapejuice @alwaysonthemend @livkiszka @klarxtr

[jaegersmoon]

i was gripping my tshirt, curled up in a ball sobbing at the cemetary scene. it felt so raw and real, my heart couldn't take it. aim, you continue to capture and word emotion in a way where i feel like you've cracked me open and read me like a book.

you have no idea how safe and understood you make me feel. you have a talent that is beyond this world and it is truly so special. you have emboddied my emotions and thoughts in your writing to the point where it feels like we have lived the same life.

i thought i was undeserving of anything good these past years, undeserving of pure and sweet love, but reading ob has truly changed my view of it all. love is real, and love is pure. what bambi and j have isn't impossible and someday i will have it too because we are all deserving of love. especially you aim, not just the love of your devoted readers and followers, but love that will take care of you and help you through your darkest moments.

thank you for being our light and our golden girl, we love you to M63 and back aim. 💛💫

🥹oh i'm about to start sobbing, im so fucking serious rn. thank you so much for your abundance of love and praise, i wish i could properly explain how much it means to me but i know that i will fall short. its so healing for me to know that you feel seen and safe within my writing, that concept has honesty changed me for the better and so has your support.

the cemetery scene is one of my favorites and i'm glad to know that it resonated with you in such a beautiful way.

you are so so deserving of a gentle love and all of the good things that this world has to offer. you calling me a light and your golden girl just about killed me. thank you again, from the bottom of my heart. love you all the way to m63 !!!<33333 🌻🪐

[bbygirlky18]

Can I pretty pls have “You’ve been through a lot.  Too much.” with Dominik Mysterio x Fem reader (no name needed)

You've been through a lot. Too much! Dominik Mysterio

Dominik Mysterio x y/n

Warnings: Cuteness!!

Word Count: 322

A/N: Hi everyone!! I melted when I wrote this so I hope you too. This is also the first Dominik Mysterio fanfic. This was sent in by @micheleamidalajedi so let's get into it.

Y/n is your name.

@micheleamidalajedi hope you like this.

When Dominic Mysterio laid his eyes on Y/n, he knew he was in trouble. Her captivating beauty reminded him of all the moments of his life they shared together. He was in awe of her and everything she had been through in her life.

As he stared at her, he was filled with immense admiration for her strength, resilience, and patience. He could still remember the good and the bad times they had shared together.

Dominic: “I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this must have been for you. You’ve been through so much, too much.” He cupped her face and softly brushed his lips against hers.

Y/n: “You’re right, I have. But I made it through and I’m still standing here, alive and strong.”

Dominic: “That’s right. You’re always so strong, my love. I’m so proud of you.” He pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her forehead tenderly.

Y/n: “Thank you. I don’t think I could’ve made it through without your unconditional support and love.”

Dominic: “I’ll always be here to support and love you no matter what.” He held her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes.

Dominic: “You’ve been through a lot, too much. But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved and to find joy in your life.”

Y/n: “Yes, I do. And I’ve found it all with you.”

Dominic leaned in and kissed her passionately as tears of joy streamed down her face. He knew that no matter what her life had thrown at her, with him by her side, she could make it through it.

Dominic: “Just remember, you’ve been through a lot, too much. But you’re still standing here and that’s an achievement that should be celebrated.”

Y/n smiled through her tears, and together they held each other through the night and celebrated her strength and resilience.

-I hope you guys enjoyed this! I had fun writing it. I love you guys so much. <33333

[ssahotchnerr]

Aaron x writer!reader and creative!reader + HCs

All photo credits at the end.

Hi sweetheart!

This is re-the anon who said you were a bad writer. First off, anon, you can always just leave and not comment - think about that. I just know if Aaron was dating a writer (of any kind) he would want to read every little word you wrote. He'd blurt out an idea and then be like, "hmmm. that's not very good," but it's brilliant and sweet. He is just your BIGGEST supporter! He'd get you coffee and watch you write in bed. He'd leave you alone and work as a copy editor. He'd just be so happy to be with you and love you.

Now, back to anon. I know you're probably not reading this. But let me just say that writing isn't easy. It takes time and effort both physically and emotionally. It's something you have to work at. Not everyone's writing is for everyone, but that doesn't mean you have to leave mean comments on my friend's work. My friend who is a fantastic and prolific writer by the way.

Katie, I'm sorry that person said that to you. They wanted a reaction and you didn't give it. I love the way you write and I'm thankful to be inspired by you so often! Thank you so much for being you! Love Levi - 🤍

Text Break Banner by @cafekitsune

Photo Credits

Top: Left (@wondrousnovels) Center (@lachouettevole) Right (google)

Middle: Left (@joytri) Center (@ropoto) Right (@kaleb-is-definitely-sane)

Bottom: Left (@academia-lucife) Center (@heather--moors) Right (@joytri)

levi <33333 i don't even know what to say AW that collage and hcs are both so beautiful 😭😭 you're so right, aaron would be the BIGGEST supporter catch me sobbinggggggg 💞💓💞💓😭😭😭😭

and thank you my sweet!!! you're absolutely wonderful and you completely lifted my spirits - it's people like you who keep me motivated when it comes to writing/and especially when i get those hateful comments 🥺😭 thank you for always being there for me 🥹💓 i love you tons <3333

[fanaticsnail]

If you get this, answer w/ three random facts about yourself and send it to the last seven blogs in your notifs. anon or not, doesn't matter, let's get to know the person behind the blog! <33333 (only if you want to, no pressure!!)

Hi Nina-Ya! I see we're mutuals now, I've been following you for a little while and I love your stuff! I am currently quite unwell, and talking a little about my life has had me very reflective on my past. Here's a little about me 🖤

I have studied and worked in a variety of different occupations. My favourite things to do is jazz people up with support and encouragement, talk and get to know people with a happy face, and drink wine. There are a few fields that allowed me to do this, and I have loved them all: working a cellar door in tourism and trade for a variety of Australia's major wine brands, working in disability support for over 18s, working in the education sector while studying a teaching degree, and doing landscaping and gardening for the elderly.

I am a married mother of two children under 4. This means I don't work a regular job currently, and I am very much missing adult conversation and interaction. The jobs I do take from time to time is: landscaping, gardening and arborist work when my husband is home with the children. I also get to do some work as a violinist and entertainer every now and again. A more recent event for this was my brother's wedding, and before that was a Bridgerton Ball. I have a country jazz event coming up in August that I'm readily preparing for while I'm sick.

I got into fic writing because I wanted something to do while I was up at all hours with my youngest child. I don't really go out or do anything other than work or care for my children, and this was an outlet for creativity that was bursting at the seams. I am very happy I did get into this, because my heart fills so full it's incredible. Everyone here has been gorgeous and so, so kind.

Thank you so much for your ask, honey. I'd love to get to know you more too! 🖤

[blingblong55]

I. LOVE. YOUR. BLOG. that's all I can say lol

Can I make a request for a lesbian reader coming out to 414 + Los Vaqeros, she had trauma from her homophobic family and now she is coming out to the boys she see as brothers, she needs a family comfort.

This one is kinda personal for me :,)

Thank you so much..it means a lot when ppl say this!<33333

New Family- 141+ Los Vaqueros

Please listen to Matilda by Harry styles. It works if you want a crying session!

F!Reader! Platonic! Relationship!

*Trigger warning!*

It was another day at base. Soap and Gaz knocking so things down. Ghost training the rookies. You and Price at his office. He had found you crying the day after you arrived back from your family. "What happened this time?" His voice soft, as if he spoke any louder, he'd hurt you. "I can't talk about it this time sir" your voice was low, you struggled to keep yourself calm.

The guys walked into his office, they soon heard your soft sniffles. "It's hard price" your voice shaky.

----

141:

This was all hitting too fast. Just 3 weeks ago you decided to visit your parents. All happy and excited, feeling alive and free. "Mum, dad, I don't date boys because...well.. I like women. I love women." Your then smile faded. "This is disgusting r/n, women belong to men." But dad, I-" "leave" and as you packed all your stuff, they harassed you until you drove off.

The entire day you cried. Your heart ached. All the good memories stayed but the future memories were never to be made.

----

"c'mon lass what's wrong?" Soap kneeled in front of you. His eyes looking for you, not this sad soul, your parents created. "I can't, I'm afraid of-" you stopped and broke down in tears. "We love you, you know that dont ya'?" You nodded. Your hands now covering your face.

"what ever it is, we are here kid." ghost rubbed your shoulder.

"Yeah, we already think you're cool, and also the most prettiest clown at base. Soap is the last best looking." Gaz said, attempting to make you laugh. "Hey" soap responded. You giggled.

"You promise?" your sad voice broke their hearts. "Yes" they all answered.

And after much hesitation you just blurted it out. "I like women. I'm a lesbian...gay what ever you want to call it. That's why I am, thats who I love." You never looked up at them. Price sighed. "You think that just because you like women we'd dislike you?"

"imagine how much help we'll all get. we need help with dating and boom you're here. You need ideas and w're hear lass." soap slowly placing his hands on your knees.

"we'll have a one spy on the inside" Ghost added.

Man were you relived. You got up and soon they all embraced you. "bear hug!" soap said as his arms fell upon yours.

"thank you boys"

"y're welcomed love" gaz imitated soap.

"Stoop t'at" soap's accent got worse. "I love you all."

"we love y'back kiddo" price spoke up, making you all laugh. Perhaps it was the nervous that had you laughing or the sense of a new home. Whatever it was, it felt good.

"And you'll teach us stuff, like techniques right?" Soap asked which only received a smack on the head from ghost.

"Just ask'n"

Los vaqueros:

You were assigned to work with Los Vaqueros, being that they didn't have any women on their team and they needed to connect with female victims. They became your second family. Always laughing with them that you'd forget your troubles.

----

When you were on leave, things back home weren't exactly how you pictured it to the team. Your mother had slapped you across the face. Yelling homophobic things. Sayings slurs and she damned you over and over. Your family was religious, big followers. Your father called you a disgrace to your family. Your siblings said things you'd never imagined they'd say.

----

Alejandro knew something was wrong the minute you set foot on base. You always came back from home with a little less of you and more of the you your family had morphed you to. Rudy was the only one you let in on the secret. He was always so supportive. Asking if you felt comfortable with certain things. Ale was different. He acted tough when around his men, and you couldn't blame him.

Rudy was always pushing you to tell Ale. But you were scared. When he got mad he reminded you of your own father. His words were always harsh, he'd say things to his men the same way your mum did.

The vaqueros would do anythings to please ale, especially on his bad days. So you knew that if he wasn't okay with you, then neither were the rest of the team.

For that same reason you are distant on him. Always with Rudy and never him. Until today.

"Que pasa?" he asks (what's wrong?)

"Nothing, just leave me alone."

"hablame a mi, mi amor" (talk to me my love) he softly says, eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't think you're ready for this." your chest aching.

"Whatever it is, im here" he gently places his hands on your shoulder.

You just wanted it out. "I like women. I'm gay." you mention without any hesitation.

"And here I thought you betrayed me"

"what? you're nor upset or mad?"

"Why would I? I always knew...I'm glad you can be open about this...does Rudy?"

"yes, he's been my support for months now."

it was true, Rudy was always there. When a man would say things to you because you acted 'manly' or vocalized how you felt about men, he was your guard. Your voice when yours was too weak to speak. He became your guardian angel.

Always guiding you and also judging you. "you can do better." he'd say anytime you would talk about a girl. "I see we have the same taste." he'd laugh anytime you described who you liked, and how you'd like for them to be.

Safe to say, Ale and Rudy became your big brothers. Always watching over you on dates. Gossiping about what had happened.

---- First off, ur fam can fuck off, you already got a supportive new family here on this crazy but cool app&lt;3. Second of all, I hope I can fulfill this request. I understand how shity family can be and thats why I didn't add much of a back story, I struggle with one my own family so I understand how how hard real acceptance and love can be...stay safe love.

Also to all my readers who are in the LGBTQ+ community or those who never felt love, appreciated, cared for, repsected, I'll always be here. I'll be a safe place for you all! Take care my dear!

Tags: @ghostofuchiha

REQUEST ARE OPEN!!

[tonberry-yoda]

HI HELLO I WANNA MAKE A REQUEST!

i’m not dead (for the most part) and i still wanna support my mutualste despite not being active anymore so without further ado…you don’t think you could supply me with la squadra headcanons could you? preferably formi, mel and ris x a cat lover s/o? you choose one if you wanna, but i appreciate you taking the time to read this request! tysmmm💕💕 (i will totally be returning to ask you for final fantasy hcs but for right now take this! also don’t feel pressured to do it either i love your writing so much ksksjsksk)

Formaggio, Melone, and Risotto with an s/o who loves cats!

notes - HELLO MY DEAR! I am more than happy to do a request for you!!! I'm really glad that you're still here to support it means the world! You are so kind <3333 Like omg this request had me smiling so hard because you are just so nice like AHHHHH <33333 But fr tho I am super happy to do this for such a kind person! Thanks for taking the time to send me a request! I hope you have an amazing day/night and stay super hydrated!

Formaggio

he's a cuddly guy deep down and we all know it

I think he would love that you love cats

but if it get out of control, he will straight up tell you LMFAOOOO

honestly, whenever he goes to your place, your cats give him an excuse to rest lol

they are very cuddly with him and he loves it

like he loves cuddles and having a cat with all that makes him so so happy <3

LIKE OMFG IF THE TWO OF YOU ARE CUDDLING AND A KITTY JUST SQUEEZES RIGHT IN WOULD BE SO CUTE AHHHHH

Melone

he loves cats

they are his chaos creatures

but he will definitely complain if you are giving a cat more attention than him

it pisses him off LMFAOOOOOO

but other than that, he loves cats

and loves that you love cats

he'll spoil your cat lol

expect a lot of trips to the petstore and stuff to get your cat silly things

Risotto

he is a huge cat lover

LIKE HUGE ON CATS

he loves them so much omg

like would do anything for a little kitty

so much so that he will steal your cats from you and give your cats more attention than he gives you

he loves cuddling you and your cats as well

his favorite thing to do I think is brush your cats

like makin them all pretty and stuff

he really makes sure that you're feeding them well too

he loves cats just as much as you <33333

~~~~~

jjba masterlist (2) (3) | pinned post

2023 @tonberry-yoda – do not repost or claim ANY of my work as your own! likes, reblogs, and comments are not only welcome, but appreciated <3

taglist: @kawaistrawberry21

~~~~~

[oneforthemunny]

hi, evie! since many people are being so nice to you rn, i wanna hop on the train too. instead of being a nasty anon lemme be a nice one 🫶

just wanna let you know that all of your eddie AUs have given me so much comfort ever since i became an avid reader and reblogger on this platform. i’ve been a follower of yours since your funsonmunson era and i’m so thankful i found you in this fandom. you’re not just a talented writer, you also seem like such a genuinely kind person with the way you motivate your fellow creatives and the way you entertain all asks about your AUs. thank you for making this space so fun to be a part of. you’re so creative, funny, and you don’t tolerate any form bullshit and for all that you’re truly a 💅✨bad bitch✨💅

love you mean it! ❤️

you guys are being so nice to me and it's making me emo omg. love that so many of you stuck around from the funsonmunson era, it was a time to be alive lol.

this is so kind!! and i want to thank all of you for always supporting me, sparking my creativity, and lifting me up <3 you guys are the best and it means so much to me!!! love you all!!!!!! <33333

[justablah56]

Since you seem to be having a bad day, I threw together a little ficlet for you. Read/respond at your leisure (whether that's in 3 minutes or not until next year)

It had been a long fucking day.

It was a full day of teaching for Terry Jr, with a bad cold wiping out the entire drama department of San Dimas High (which had only been two teachers and a tech in the first place). There was screaming, and snotty noses, and one or two kids bursting into tears, and by the time the school bell rang, he was just about ready to collapse. And, of course, that was clearly asking too much, because it was drama club that day. 2 whole hours of dealing with kids who are meant to be off book two weeks ago, and still hadn't learnt half their lines. It was a fucking nightmare.

Now, dear reader, don't misunderstand. Terry absolutely adored his job and the kids he worked with. But today was one of those days where you just want to roll over and hide back under the covers.

The train had been cramped and noisy, even if the journey had been mercifully free from the kids usual loud arguments. (Why they insisted on riding back with Terry Jr, he had no idea. It was baffling though that Scary waited for him, and they were going to the same house. Although, somehow, her friends always seemed to stay over longer than expected.) Honestly, it was a relief to lock the door behind them all, the kids rushing off to the garden for soccer practice - mostly moral support to be honest.

Terry wearily pulled off his shoes, before turning to Scary.

"Hey, kiddo, I'm gonna go have a lie down. Let your mom know, okay?"

Scary, for once, didn't seem to protest either the request or the nickname. She just nodded, frowning.

"Yeah, sure. Go have a nap or whatever." He ruffled her hair a little (this did elcit an irritated groan. He may not be her dad, but she was still his kid and it was his duty to embarrass her in front of her friends after all) and headed upstairs.

Terry didn't bother to turn on the lights as he collapsed down into the bed, just letting himself he enveloped by the darkness and the comfy sheets. He felt bad about breaking his normal routine of kissing Veronica when they both got home, but honestly he just couldn't handle doing anything other than laying down right now.

He lay there with his head burried in the pillow for maybe a minute, maybe an hour, when he felt the bed dip.

"Hey, Tear-Bear. Bad day?"

There was his amazing wife, the light of his life. Her hair was flying loose from her bun, and even in the dark Terry could see that her office clothes were slightly rumpled.

She was stunning.

"You know, you gotta stop picking up Nicky's pet names. He has far too many." Terry mumbled as he grabbed her hand, tiredly bringing it up to his lips.

"Ah, but that would mean I don't get to hang out with your wife as much. Darling." A familiar weight draped itself over him, tail curling round his leg. "Dropping round unexpectedly and hanging out with V without you is half the fun."

Nicky's voice was a soothing rumble against his chest. Somehow, just having his two partners here made it easier to relax. Even if Nicky had definitely not announced that he'd be coming over. Veronica kicked her feet up and slung an arm over Terry's shoulder, pulling him closer.

"Come on, time for you to rest, TJ."

okokok I've hoarded this fic long enough , ive probably reread this AT LEAST 5 times now xnsnmsms anyways it means *so very much* to me that you decided to write an adorable little ficlet for me bcs i was not feeling good <3333 this lil fic is literally *so* cute i don't know how to properly convey to you how much i love this but icy i love this so much . thank you <33333

[awkwardtickleetoo]

Lee!George Week Day 7 - Free Day!

AHHHHH DAY 7 IS FINALLY HERE <33333

firstly I just wanna say thank you to everyone for being patient with me and letting me take my sweet ass time with the second half of these prompts <3 I am so grateful that you're all still interested even when I take a month to do a week's worth of fics lmao

secondly I wanna give a huge huge HUGE shoutout to @mushiewrites for putting together this fantastic event!! and just for being so awesome and cool and supportive in this community as a whole. thank you for letting me post these 3 weeks late babes <333

this is the last part of lee!george week!! you can find the prompts here, and if you want to participate make sure to use the tag "mushie's lee!george week" when you post <3

this is based on this concept post that I made (with help from mush) a little bit ago, if you would like some further background on this fic and see what it's all about lmao

lee!george, ler!karl, 3.8k words

enjoy!

--

"What is that?" George asked, furrowing his eyebrows and tilting his head to the side as he pointed to a huge, oddly-shaped chair in the corner of the living room next to the couch. Karl walked into the room behind him, their shoulders brushing as George looked over at him, waiting for his explanation.

"Oh! It's a massage chair," Karl explained, leaning back and forth so their shoulders would continue brushing repeatedly.

"A massage chair…" George repeated, not even thinking about it.

"Mhm! I was having trouble with my back for a while so I saw a chiropractor, and she gave me a couple different options of things to do, and one of them was looking into getting a massage chair if I had the means to do so. And now I have one!" Karl explained enthusiastically.

"Huh… that's pretty epic," George responded simply, making Karl laugh again.

"Do you wanna try it?"

"Uh…" George scrunched up his nose and paused apprehensively. "I'm not sure, I don't really like massages that much."

"Yeah, but it's a little different. It's not someone digging their knuckles into your spine, it's like… it vibrates and shit."

"I'm not a big fan of when stuff 'vibrates and shit' either," George said, putting air quotes around the words he took from Karl. He giggled as Karl rolled his eyes at him, looking at him judgingly.

"Just sit in the stupid chair, you meathead," Karl teased, and George giggled again and walked over to the chair, turning around in front of it and leaning slightly to sit before pausing.

"Hm…" He hummed in confusion, not entirely sure where or how to sit the most effectively.

"Here, sit on the edge here and scoot into the middle, you'll, like, slide down it." George did exactly that, tensing his arms to his sides and sitting down on the edge slowly, clearly a bit hesitant but still curious to see how it worked. He stayed leaning forward, until Karl put a hand on his shoulder and gently guided him to lean back against the chair. "Yeah, good, then you put your calves in between these things," Karl explained, leaning down and tapping the leg dividers with his fingers. "And then you stick your feet in those things."

"You want me to stick my feet in the holes on this contraption?" George asked, in slight disbelief of what was being asked of him. "It's gonna, like, chop my feet off or something!"

"It's not gonna chop anything, you nutjob, you'll be fine. It's just part of the massage," Karl explained, slipping the remote out of the pouch on the side of the armrest. George groaned and rolled his eyes, resting his feet on top of the foot rest next to the holes and curling his toes nervously.

"This feels weird, Karl," He mumbled. Karl didn't look up at him, too busy fussing with different buttons on the remote.

"You'll be fine, you're just being a baby. Just put them in and relax." George groaned again, more dramatically this time, and stuck his feet in the holes like he was told. "Okay, good, now chill out. Do you wanna recline?"

"Of course, idiot. You gotta go horizontal," George said, making a horizontal line in the air with his hands as he nestled into the surprisingly comfortable chair behind him. Karl giggled and nodded, pressing some buttons and starting George's recline. He ended up decently far back, laying at about a 45 degree angle, and he let his head rest back against the pillow when he noticed the new position strained his neck when he tried to keep looking forward. "That's perfect."

"Awesome. What setting do you want? There's the one that just vibrates and one that also, like… there's moving parts in the back of the chair that physically massage into your back, but that kinda hurts the first time you use it so we can save that for after, if you end up wanting it."

"Gotcha." George rolled his shoulders as Karl continued.

"Do you want the low vibration or the high setting?"

"High setting, obviously. If we're going in, let's go all in."

"Good answer!" Karl giggled. "Alright, I'm starting it."

"Okay…" George straightened his back against the chair and waited a few seconds for it to kick on.

He was very, very unpleasantly surprised when it did.

"Ah!" He yelped, feeling the heavy vibrations immediately send a shock up his spine, making him arch away from the back of the chair and push forward again. "God, that scared me."

"Yeah, it's very sudden. C'mon, lean back," Karl coached, motioning for him to return to his laying position. He did so, leaning back and pressing against the chair again, flinching again when his back felt the vibrations, but somehow being able to stay against it this time. He tried to even out his breathing, but for some reason that he couldn't quite place yet, it felt heavy and labored, like his chest was tight. After a few seconds passed, he started to realize what was actually happening.

The vibrations were heavy, rattling his body continuously and mercilessly, settling against every area of his body– the back of his neck, his shoulder blades, down his spine, the backs of his ribs and sides, even down to the dimples on his lower back. The seat was vibrating against his thighs where he sat firmly against it, and there were other cushions on either side of him, sitting directly against his waist and vibrating over his sides, the lower section of his ribs, and right above his hip bones. Even the leg rests moved as well, catching his knees and calves in the process. And to make matters even more unbearable, his feet were stuck inside what felt like two tiny sealed boxes, the sides pressing in against his ankles to keep him still and several rollers spinning and vibrating against his defenseless soles. The hard vibrations were covering his entire body, every spot he could possibly focus on to distract himself being affected worse than the last.

And it tickled.

It really, really, really fucking tickled.

Once he had that realization, he couldn't seem to stop thinking about it. Every spot he could rattle off in his mind was buzzing, literally. He scrunched his toes, tensed his knees, tried to bring his thighs together or pull them away from the seat, but nothing worked. He shifted his hips, pinned his arms to his sides, bit his lip, tried to slow his breathing, but still, nothing. He was in absolute ticklish agony, and the worst part was that Karl hadn't seemed to notice yet, so he had no good excuse to remove himself from the situation without blowing his own cover.

"How's that feel?" Karl asked, smiling expectantly as he slid the remote back into the pouch. "Feels good, right? Really good if your back is tense."

"Yeah!" He agreed, his voice coming out significantly higher pitched than he intended. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Ye-yeah, it's, um, it– it's really good, Karl." His voice wavered as he spoke, but Karl seemed to chalk it up to the vibrations against his back shaking him.

"Dude, I love it. I've fully slept in this thing before. Not on high, obviously, because that would be a lot of motion to sleep through, but on the lowest and, like, softest setting with the massages going and the Bluetooth speakers that you can hook up to music or a show or something, it's just so–" Karl paused when he heard a strange noise from George, glancing over to see his thighs tensed together and one hand covering his ribs as he leaned towards the other side. As soon as he did, however, he flinched again and leaned back to the other side. Karl watched this happen a few more times before he situated himself, sitting very stiff in the middle of the side cushions, arching forward slightly. "Dude, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah–" George began, but he had to stop before he got any further to bite back a giggle, clamping his mouth shut. He tried to lean forward, or push himself out to the end of the chair, but with the angle the chair was reclined at it was nearly impossible to sit up far enough to get any leverage, especially with how he was quickly growing weaker from the constant tickling. He grabbed the sides, trying to pull himself, but his elbows gave out and he fell right back into the chair, a strained noise leaving his mouth as he arched away again, putting his hands on his own thighs and squeezing the material of his shorts. Karl smirked, and suddenly he knew exactly what was going on.

"Ohhhhh, I see why you're uncomfortable," Karl began, and George looked up at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw, trying to figure out whether he'd been caught yet.

He absolutely had been.

"Y-you doho?" He asked, letting his first giggle slip, holding his breath to keep any more from following.

"Yeah! You gotta lean all the way against it for it to work!" Karl explained, pretending he had no idea what he was doing, but the smirk on his face and the way he giggled proved otherwise. Then, just as cruel as his smirk implied, he reached forward and curled his hands around George's sides, pressing him all the way back into the vibrating chair. George gasped, shaking his head, whining and pushing Karl's wrists away. "There we goooo, see! Isn't that so much better?"

"Karl, nohoho, no, thahat– this is–'' George tried to fight back, pushing at Karl's hands, but Karl didn't budge. Instead, Karl just held his sides more firmly, and rattled him against the chair, shaking and bouncing his upper body against the already incessant vibrating sensation. George curled up immediately after Karl steadied him, leaning forward and pinching his elbows into his sides. He tried to pull his legs up, but he was stopped by his calves and feet still being held hostage in their designated parts of the chair. His giggles had already begun, and suddenly they felt impossible to keep at bay, and he started giggling openly, only getting louder and more boisterous as the maddening tickles went on. "Oh, gohohod, Kahahaharl!"

"Aww, what's-a-matter, George? Is the pretty boy too tickly to handle a little massaging?" Karl teased, his hands still resting on George's sides, vibrating his fingers in as well just to make George squeal and scrunch up more, shaking his head wildly.

"Nahahaha, Kaharl!" George pleaded. He once again tried leaning forward and arching his spine, keeping his back as far away from the tickles as he could (even though his hips and legs were still horribly trapped), and Karl decided that just wouldn't do. So, just to be more cruel, he braced himself on the arm of the chair and hopped up onto George's lap, letting his knees rest on either side of George's thighs and settling himself right on top of his legs. George nearly screamed, immediately followed by an intense blush and him curling in on himself further.

"Yeah, you've got nowhere to run off to now, do you, kitten?" Karl teased, putting one hand on George's chest and pushing him back into the chair.

"KAHARL–" George yelped, biting back more laughter as he tried desperately to push against Karl's hand, but he got nowhere. Then, even though it was entirely unnecessary, Karl placed his other hand on his chest and pushed as well, just to make him feel even more helpless, "KARL, PLEHEHEASE–"

"Please, what?" He asked sarcastically, sliding his hands down George's chest and slipping his fingers under George's arms. The elder tensed immediately, groaning and clamping his arms down to his sides, looking up at Karl with pleading eyes and a wide smile. "Please help even out the tickles by giving some of my own? George, that is just such a good idea, you read my mind!" Karl dug his fingers into George's underarms, making him curl up his shoulders and shake his head wildly. His elbows bent as well, his hands clenched into fists, and all he could think to do was twist his wrists, fidget his fingers, and shake his clenched hands around to get his nerves out. Karl giggled at this, always a fan of when George did that, finding the reaction (that he, Sapnap, and Dream refer to as his "tickle hands") absolutely adorable and endearing.

"Nohohoho, Kahaharl!" George whined, twisting and turning whichever way he could, ending up leaning to the left with his forehead against Karl's upper arm. Karl giggled, sliding out of his armpits and pushing his shoulders to sit him straight back again, making George squeeze his eyes shut and shake his head again. "Whyhyhyhy?!"

"I never told you to move, dummy! Stay where you are."

"I cahahahan't!"

"Well, sucks for you then," Karl finished, bracing his hands on George's thighs as he adjusted himself. This motion only earned him a squeak and a violent flinch, George's legs clearly trying to buck up away from the vibrations underneath them, and Karl only giggled and reached behind him to squeeze at George's knees. George screamed out in laughter, throwing his head back against the chair and squirming wildly, and Karl could feel his knees trying so, so hard to kick or push or move in any way to escape Karl's fingers, to entirely no avail.

He was trapped, and he was trapped well.

"Oh gohohohod, Kahahaharl, pleheHEASE–" He yelled, his laughter increasing in volume at the end when Karl grabbed his thighs again, squeezing them a few times about mid-way up as he actually did adjust himself. He stood up, his legs on either side of George's with his feet planted on the floor, still keeping his body firmly in place but giving himself more room to move now. George looked up, giggling even more nervously when he noticed Karl was now towering over him. "Wh-whahaha– whahahat ahare you doihihihing?"

"Getting better leverage? Duh, stupid," Karl bit with a giggle, quickly ruffling George's hair and then grabbing his sides when he reached up to fix it.

"KARL!" George yelped, grabbing Karl's wrists before falling into more frantic laughter. Karl laughed at him again, squeezing his sides once. "Ihihihit's nohot funnyhyhy!"

"It's so funny, I've said this to you so many times. You get so jumpy when you get tickled, it's the cutest thing ever," Karl said, scrunching up his nose in the middle and making George scrunch his as well, shaking his head.

"Nohohoho!" George protested, squeezing Karl's wrists before sliding his hands off, clenching them into fists and softly resting his fists on Karl's arms.

"Oh, god, and your poor thighs are against the vibrations too, and on the backs too! Wow, Georgie boy, this must be hell for you, you poor thing."

"Shuhuhut uhuhup!"

"Hm… okay! I'll use my mouth somewhere else then," Karl said, suddenly leaning down and pushing the front of George's t-shirt up so he would understand what was happening before getting to make the inappropriate joke that he knew George was thinking of. George gasped, sucking in his tummy and pressing back into the chair, just to flinch back down and keep switching between the two. Karl was right, his tummy really was jumpy– as were his legs and arms, and his heart in his chest and the butterflies in his stomach.

"NO! Kahahaharl, nohoho!" He protested, placing one hand on the back of Karl's head and holding the other one out in the air next to him, unsure what to do with it, fingers tense and twitching as he shook his hand out to try to expel some of his trapped energy. "Kahaharl, plehehease don't, plehease dohohon't, you cahahahan't!"

"I mean, I can. And I'm gonna. If I raspberry your tummy it'll make the vibrations even on both sides of you! Right, my kitten?" Karl teased, giggling when he felt George's legs twitch behind him with the urge to get free. George shook his head wildly, keeping his eyes up so he wouldn't make eye contact with Karl.

"I hahahahate thihihis," George whined, clearly lying, as he made no move to push Karl away even before he began, and made no move to truly sit back up even before he lost a majority of his strength, considering he technically did have free reign to do so. In fact, Karl could've sworn he felt George even pull his head closer when he started getting impatient and antsy.

"Yeah, yeah, you hate this, you hate me, I'm so cruel and mean and horrible to you, yada yada. We've heard it all before, handsome, we know it's not true. Now shut your mouth and laugh more," Karl teased, ignoring George's gasp and attempts to stutter out a response and pushing forward instead, pressing his lips right next to George's belly button and blowing the biggest raspberry he could manage.

"NAHA–!" George squealed, tensing his stomach and tangling his fingers in Karl's hair. He didn't pull, making no indication that he even cared if Karl would stop or not, but Karl knew he must've been exhausted due to the constant tickling sensation he was already suffering through because of the massage chair. He blew another raspberry, this time closer to the front of his ribcage, making him jerk to the side and then jerk back when he hit the vibrating cushion instead. "Plehehehease!" George pleaded, and he squeezed his hand on Karl's head a little tighter, and Karl decided to cut him some slack.

"Okay, okay, I'm done. Relax, you baby." Karl said as he pulled back, standing up straight and crossing his arms, looking down at George with a fond smile as he continued laughing hysterically, his squirming starting up again when he had more room to move.

"Kaharl, plehehehease," George pleaded, curling his arms in again and covering his face with his hands.

"I don't know what you mean," Karl replied, his tone betraying him almost immediately.

"Kahahaharl!" George whined, dropping his hands down to the chair and trying to push himself up one final time, but it was still no use. He dropped down again, grabbing his shorts and arching his back again, unsure of what else to do with himself.

"Oh my god, you're so overdramatic, it cannot be that bad."

"Thehehehen yohou tryhyhy!" George fought back, reaching over to grab the remote to turn the chair off himself, but he squeaked and yanked his arm back when he was cut off by Karl harshly poking his ribs and then grabbing the remote first so George couldn't get it. "Nohoho!"

"Too slow!"

"Kaharl, plehehease, tuhurn it ohohohoff!"

"Hmmmm…" Karl pretended to think, looking up at the ceiling and tapping his cheek, drawing his mouth to one side before clicking his tongue a few times.

"Plehehehease, I cahahahan't tahahake ihit anymohohore!" George pleaded, and Karl knew he was telling the truth. He could tell George was completely tickled out, so he giggled softly and pressed a few buttons, stopping the movement of the chair completely.

"Ugh, fine. If I have to," Karl rolled his eyes softly as the chair went still, chuckling at George's relieved whimper. "Even though I'd love to leave you stuck there forever because you're just that cute, I think you've suffered enough for one day."

"Thahank yohou," George agreed, letting his eyes slip closed as he caught his breath, his smile still plastered to his face and residual giggles still falling from his lips. He recovered relatively quickly, as the tickling wasn't intense and difficult so much as it was resilient and tiresome, and he let out another sigh about a minute later when he felt like he was fully present again. "That was so evil."

"To be fair, I had no idea it would tickle you that much, to be 100% clear," Karl defended, placing the remote back in the side pouch and climbing onto the chair to sit on the arm, putting his feet next to George's thigh and shoving his toes underneath him, making them both laugh at the strange action. "Like I genuinely didn't know it would, I know it tickles a little, because I've used it before and it does give you a little– a little somethin'-somethin', y'know? But it's never been unbearable, usually it just feels nice," Karl explained, making George him in agreement. George glanced up at Karl, before leaning over and pressing his temple against Karl's knee. Karl smiled, reaching down to play with George's hair as he sighed again, softer this time. He continued speaking. "But I guess since you weren't anticipating it, and you've never used it before, it was just worse. Maybe I've just gotten used to it?"

"Mm, maybe. That is quite possible," George agreed, his voice already sounding sleepy.

"Or maybe you're just really ticklish."

"That's– what!?" George complained, whipping his head up to look at Karl and ending up with Karl's hand on the top of his head. Karl chuckled and gently tilted his head back down, carding his hand through his hair again and letting him sulk against his shin. "That's not true."

"No, it's not. Well, it is, you are really, really, really ticklish," Karl said, chuckling and scratching George's scalp lightly when he whined and pushed against his leg more. "But I'm just teasing about that being the reason, I know it's not."

"Good. You'd better," George mumbled, pushing away from Karl's leg and tugging on one of his ankles. "Come down more."

"Like– down with you?"

"Mhm."

"Oh!" Karl smiled, pushing himself down to sit on top of George, perching himself on his lap and crossing his ankles over the arm of the chair. George leaned back against the chair, now pulling Karl's arm so he stayed against his chest. "S'this good?"

"Mhm," George confirmed with a smile, closing his eyes again. The room was silent for a few seconds, before George continued quietly. "Do you– do you think you could try the actual massage part? Without the stupid vibrating part."

"Yeah! Of course, dollface," Karl said, kissing his cheek softly when he gave him a confused look. Karl turned the back massage section on low, letting George feel it out before flicking it to the second level and leaving it there, smiling as he immediately relaxed into it.

They stayed like that for about 5 minutes, until George figured the massage had run its course and had Karl turn it off. Everything seemed peaceful, George finally seemed relaxed, and Karl got to witness George being the cutest person on the planet (in his opinion), and they figured they'd just be able to sit back and cuddle up together while watching something or talking aimlessly.

Until Sapnap came back downstairs from taking a shower, and asked what they'd gotten up to while he was gone. Karl, obviously, was thrilled to explain, having to slap a hand over George's mouth to muffle his screaming and protesting while he did so, and Sapnap was very interested in the information he'd just received.

Needless to say, the room did not stay quiet for long.

[hergrandplan]

nina! for the fic ask game: 📥 🌝💻

Thank you so much for sending these <333 (also every time I see your username I get reminded that I want to rewatch Agents of Shield)

📥 What is your fave fic to receive comments/messages on?

I mean, like any writer I love any comment BUT right now, it has to be You're the risk I want to take. That's my proudest work so far, and I was kind of scared of posting it because I knew people were excited about it, and I was afraid to let them down, but the support has been overwhelming and every time someone comments I'm just glad I didn't stay up until 1 am on a Sunday night for nothing. also bc every comment so far has been so unbelievably sweet <3333

🌝 Who is one character you haven’t yet written for that you would like to?

Lol it's the way I almost sent you this one. But that's a tough one, because honestly, when it comes to Young Royals I don't really feel the need to write for any other character than Wille and Simon. Don't get me wrong, I love fics that center around other characters; August is really interesting to read about, and I love Felice, but I don't have the urge to actually write for them? Though, out of all YR characters, the one I'd be most inclined for to write would probably be Felice, so maybe at some point?

Edit right before I posted: ACTUALLY I'd love to write something about Fitz someday. My favorite Scottish scientist with brain damage and his wife that taught me the true meaning of hurt/comfort <33333

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

Yep! I do absolutely. I love researching fics, to be honest, and even though I don't always stick to reality, it's good to know how far from reality I can deviate and still keep it realistic. I think, so far, my deepest dive has been using google streetview to walk from one place in Stockholm to the other, to see if the characters could feasibly make that walk in 10 minutes, because Google Maps said it was longer.

ask me about my fics <3