#the rush of the fall before the the ground came into view so to speak

[shivunin]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by @greypetrel--thank you for thinking of me, friend! I've got a few things banked that I don't think I've shared yet c: (Tagging, in turn, @vakarians-babe @cullenvhenan @ndostairlyrium @dungeons-and-dragon-age @brother-genitivi @heniareth @zenstrike @palipunk @daggerbean @jtownnn, if any of you would like to share something!) Here is a sweet snippet from that Act 2 piece I've been talking about. This particular chapter lines up with parts of Palimpsest, if you've read it, and makes sense enough on its own if you haven't:

Fenris’s eyes found hers unerringly the moment he stepped through the doorway. There was something on his face—something intense, vital, having nothing to do with anger or regret. The sight of it jolted her, and though she’d been playing the tipsy fool for nearly half an hour now she almost gave up the act at once to ask him what he meant by it. 

He swung a leg over the bench and sat beside her, just as he had for years now, but something new hummed in the empty space between them. She could hear it under the conversation and laughter of her friends, feel it in the moments when her sleeve brushed against his shoulder, see it when she glanced his way and the corner of his mouth rose in a faint but noticeable smile. 

What was this?

Maria didn’t know. It made her giddy, brought a flush to her cheeks. She was grateful for the latter, for it made her performance of drunkenness even more convincing, but it also felt…it was too much. She’d felt only echoes before, the flutter in her chest when he gestured in that elegant way he had, the heat in her ears that she batted aside whenever she watched him execute an especially graceful or brutal maneuver during a fight. She knew how she felt about him; she could list a dozen reasons that she shouldn’t feel them (foremost amongst them that he couldn’t be comfortable with that sort of attention) and a hundred reasons why she couldn’t help herself regardless. She hadn’t spent the last three years debating herself for and against it for nothing, for the Maker’s sake, but this—

When they all stepped out into the night air, she was relieved. It cooled some of the flush on her cheeks, though not soon enough to hide it from the others. 

“D’you feel a fever coming on, Hawke?” Merrill asked from Isabela’s back, her eyes glassy with too much drink. Even so, she lifted cool hands and patted Maria’s face carefully, feeling her forehead and cheeks in turn. “I’ve a draught for it in my room if you’re getting sick.”

“I’m fine,” Hawke assured her, reaching up to hug her one-armed, “just a bit too much to drink.” 

Merrill hummed in acknowledgement and snuggled her head back into Isabela’s shoulder. Isabela eyed Hawke for a moment before lifting an arm for Maria to tuck herself under. 

“Watch yourself, sweet thing,” Isabela murmured into her ear, “that one bites.”

“Nothing to watch,” Hawke murmured back, and pulled away. “Make sure she has water. She always forgets.”

“No, I don’t,” Merrill murmured, but Isabela smiled broadly. 

“Sure there isn’t,” she said, “we’ll see about that, Hawke. C’mon, kitten. Let’s get you home.”

Hawke smiled after them, shaking her head, and when she turned she found Fenris waiting, eyes fixed on her. 

The way he watched her sometimes…it had been wary at first, she was certain. Over the years, it had been replaced with mild exasperation, sometimes laughter, occasionally tentative affection. Now, there was something else in his eyes, some unnameable focus that set her heart to racing again the moment it’d finally calmed.

“Ready?” she asked Fenris. 

The moon loved the sight of him, she’d often thought. Its light was like silver-gilt on the planes of his face when he angled his head to the side and it tangled in the strands of his hair with the gentlest of brushstrokes. 

Who do I think I am, Varric? she wondered, looking toward the stairs home. Maybe I drank too much, after all. 

She knew better, of course, but it was a convenient enough excuse to seize upon.

“I am,” Fenris said, and together they started up the stairs home. 

Later, she wouldn’t remember much about the conversation that followed. He’d told her not to apologize to him—that much she held onto—but everything else was washed away by the way he’d reached out and taken her hand in his. His fingers were calloused and warm, bounded on every side by cool metal that occasionally snagged on her robes. While they finished climbing the steps to Hightown, Hawke wished fervently that she lived a little further away—somewhere outside of town, perhaps, so this walk could go on forever and she’d never have to let go. But of course the stairs home were as they’d always been, the walk as long or short as ever, and when they paused before her doorway they said goodbye in their usual manner. 

For the first time, as she pressed her cheek to his breastplate and wrapped her arms around him, Hawke wished that she could hear the thud of his heart through his armor. Was his racing as much as hers? Had the touch been a whim or did it mean something more? Her mind buzzed with it, hummed with the way he tentatively wrapped his arms around her in return, the whisper of his breath against the loose curls along the edge of her braid. This was—something new. She was almost certain of it. 

And yet, even then, the tiniest sliver of doubt held her from asking him what he wanted. It was not an unkind little voice. It was sympathetic—sorrowful, even, and its words were only logical. 

You’re not ready, it whispered when she would have held on to him more tightly. After a moment, it added: He’s not ready. 

So, flushed and weak-kneed, Hawke bade him goodnight as if nothing had changed at all. She was fortunate, she supposed, that she’d been keeping her feelings tucked neatly away this long. It had been necessary practice for this—whatever this was. 

When she climbed into her bed some time later, it felt almost unbearably cold, too large for her by far, and she huddled on the edge of the mattress trying to will herself to sleep. 

What would it feel like to—

No. He was her friend. It was enough; more than enough, after everything they’d seen.

But when he’d held her hand, he’d been gentle and firm. If he touched her somewhere else, what would it—

No. 

She had no idea what she was doing. She had very little experience with any of this, and having a crush on one’s friend was a different creature entirely than deciding to pursue these feelings. No. Until she could…figure this out, she’d leave it to Fenris. 

Hawke rolled over until her face was buried in the pillow. She groaned long and loud, and when she was finally done she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

[jinuaei]

Alastor x Fallen Angel! Reader

Accidentally getting 'married' to Alastor

Part 2

You fucked up.

You don't know what you did but you know you fucked up somewhere. One moment you were in heaven doing something, the next you see a red sky in front of you. The feeling of air rush behind you as you finally realize that you were falling, the smell of something burning and rotten eggs surrounding you as you fall deeper and deeper to your demise. Or what you thought was your demise, what you instead fell onto was a roof that momentarily broke your fall, before face planting to the ground. That wasn't graceful of you.

Groaning in pain you try to sit up before a sharp burning sensation spreads through your back, at where your wings was supposed to be. The sound of dripping enters your ears and your vision is blurry when you try to open your eyes, you can only see blobs of colours and the most prominent one was red as well as... Gold. Pupils dilating, your eyes finally take in the view in front of you. White feathers fall around you as golden blood seeps into your white clothes, the pain, you realise came from your wings, getting ripped apart and burning off when you fell. You try to decipher where you're currently at, from what you see, you seem to be in an alleyway, behind you is a dumpster covered in your blood and feathers, following the trail of blood you see the roof you hit when you were falling.

You hypothesize where you're supposed to be, with how adamant Heaven is in teaching angels not to do any sins nor question the higher ups, its kind of impossible not to know what will happen to those who defy heaven as well as where they will go. A pentagram encompassing the whole red sky, the scent of sulfur, blood, and brimstone flooding your senses, with this in mind you now know where you are.

"I'm in hell..."

"Yes you are, my good fellow!"

Startled, you scream and cover your head in hopes of protecting it.

"Well that's quite rude! You're not supposed to scream bloody murder when someones trying to be friendly you know?," his voice was odd, staticy, akin to an old radio.

You sheepishly drop your hands down to your lap and look up at the man in front of you. He's quite the tall demon, dressed in red... well actually everything about him is red, save for the black accents in his outfit and ends of his hair. Speaking of hair you keep glancing up at the tufts of hair attached to his head, and if you look closely, the antlers hidden behind his fluffy bangs. Is he supposed to be a deer? That's actually really cute.

"Erm... Sorry, just I was just surprised someone popping out from nowhere," you reply, hands fidgeting with one of your broken feathers.

Eyeing the golden blood and the broken wings behind you, the demon grins, showing off his sharp yellowed teeth. Nevermind that's TERRIFYING.

"Now what's an angel doing in hell? Not to mention a bleeding one! How tempting," he licks his teeth, already thinking about how delicious your angel meat would be.

Something tells me that this demon is NOT here to help. Now think! Make something up so you wont get killed by this red deer thing!

"I'm your spouse assigned by heaven!," you blurt out, not even thinking properly due to the fear of death.

Both of you froze as you stare at each other, one with horror, and one with disgust.

"And why do you think I would believe that?," sneering, he starts to creep closer and closer.

"Because... That's the reason why I fell! How can I meet my husband if I'm in heaven and you're in hell? I was so eager to meet you that I turned myself into a fallen angel just to be with you!," you smile widely, desperately trying to convince him.

He raises an eyebrow at that, mulling over whether you're telling the truth or not. Even if you are lying it'll be good to have a fallen angel on his side, and it'll be quite hilarious seeing the expressions of the hotel staff reacting to you being his spouse.

"If I am your fated one, what's my name? Surely heaven must have given you my name at least?"

Oh Gabriel's trumpet he got you there. "Alastor...?," unsure, you gave out a random name. If you're wrong, hopefully he kills you quickly.

...

"Hm. Perhaps you truly are who you say you are. Forgive me for being quite rude earlier, it's unbecoming from your husband to be." Holy cow you are lucky. You breathe out, the nerves simmering.

"Come on then let's get you cleaned up! What kind of husband will I be if I don't provide for you my dear?," he grabs your hand and leads you somewhere. His shadow cleaning up all the blood and feathers in the alley.

Now that's out of the way... What the fuck did I do to become a fallen angel???

[reneesghostinthelivingroom]

Take Them All On

|| Sevika x fem!reader

|| Warnings; reader being followed, brief swearing, group of men flirting with reader, panic/fear, Sevika kicks ass, kinda injured reader? not really, hurt/comfort

|| Summary; when reader goes to meet up with Sevika for a date, she notices she's being followed.

Requests closed!

Started; December 23rd

Finished; December 23rd

HurtCember2024; Day 20, Panic

Author Note; I may open my fic requests up in the next couple days for Christmas, but I'll wait and see how caught up I get on all the stuff I'm writing now

~~~

Zaun. The streets were dangerous, luckily most people didn't dare bother you. They knew your connections to Sevika and her connections to Silco. Neither were to be messed with down here. But occasionally, there was that odd bunch of people that just- didn't know or completely ignored it.

You'd been on your way to meet with your girlfriend, walking quickly with your head down. Wanting to just disappear into the shadows. Something in your gut felt off. Like... there was an extra set of eyes on you. You couldn't shake the feeling. All the hairs on your body were standing tall and it was creating a sense of panic in you. An urge to get to Sevika faster.

Picking up the pace, you turned around a corner. Now moving at somewhere between a jog and a run. You were almost there. The Last Drop lights in view.

"Woah- fu-!" Next thing you knew, your face was in the ground. Having tripped over yourself in your rush. Carefully, you propped your arms up. There was some scrapes you could feel burning but it didn't seem to be anything major.

The sound of men laughing filled your ears," aw, sweetheart. We got you falling for us already?" You turned to the voices. You didn't recognize them, but the gleam in their eyes sent shivers down your spine. Not the good kind. Were they why you had felt eyes on you before? It seemed likely. Panic raised into your throat. You felt frozen, unable to move off the ground. There were more of them than you, you couldn't take them all on. One maybe, this many? No.

"You boys want something?" A familiar voice caught your attention and you instantly relaxed. Sevika. Your head turned to look at her, a grateful smile across your lips.

"Sev..." Her eyes weren't on you, though. There was a fixed glare as she walked past you and right to the group of men that had followed you. Standing between you and them, her back to you. She'd noticed them from the bar window and came out the moment you tripped. Sevika knew what the people in Zaun could be like and was not about to take any chances. Not when those chances came to you.

"We were just admiring the view you got there, Sevika. She's real fine. Ever thought of sharing her?" Another man said with a laugh.

You felt sick just listening to them.

Sevika, however, radiated intimidating energy. The whole room felt tense. Suffocating just with her presence alone, even for someone like you. Who wasn't on the receiving end of what she was about to dish out. You could only imagine what the group of men must feel.

Sevika ripped her cloak off, the fabric falling to the ground beside you and revealing her prosthetic. In the blink of an eye, that same prosthetic had gone from being at her side to slamming against the face of the man that dared speak about you. The force was enough to knock him to the ground. He didn't move so, you could only assume he was unconscious. If not dead. With Sevika it was kind of a 50/50.

The others looked startled for a brief second before regaining their composure. A five vs one fight broke out; Sevika really didn't look like she needed any help- you helped her out anyway. Taking on one of the guys. He was a lot bigger than you and both of you hardly even got a punch in when Sevika grabbed his face with her claw.

"Not a chance," She muttered. His face was met with the wall. You looked around and noticed everyone now looked about the same as the first guy. Just sprawled in different positions, with various injuries. Sevika took a moment to catch her breath then turned to look at you," you okay there, Princess?"

"Yeah... just a little scraped from my fall," you replied. Glancing down at your hands. Sure enough, there was a scrape or two. Sevika took your hands in her larger ones. Relieved that that's all you seemed to have gotten.

"I don't like you walking alone on these streets," Sevika sighed. She shouldn't have let you walk alone. She should have just gone and got you. She made a mental note that next time, she would come get you herself.

"I'm fine, you saved me, right? So, I'm fine," you smiled at her. Trying to reassure your girlfriend. Sevika just nodded, pulling you along towards The Last Drop where she'll take care of your scrapes in the bathroom.

She hated whenever you got hurt; it was supposed to be her job to protect you. Sevika's hardly going to leave your side now and probably make you do some fighting classes with her. Just for her own comfort.

[imamotherfuckingstar-lord]

imagine zoro saving you from drowning

Roronoa Zoro was a man of many things, but a longing man was not one of them…usually. He stared from the upper deck, elbows on the railing overlooking the grassy area. Eyes lingered for a moment to where Robin and Chopper were reading, sprawled out on a blanket. His gaze moved past the two to where Luffy sat, back against him on the railing. Feet dangling as he held onto a fishing pole. Usopp was next to him but on Luffy’s right is where you sat. Feet dangling as well but you faced inward – giving Zoro a perfect view of your facial expressions. His heart raced and confusion riddled his bones as the sound of your laugh filled the air; it was so obnoxiously loud, and he could recall the times it used to annoy him.

Now it ruined him in ways he didn’t think were possible.

He had never felt this way and if he had, that time had passed long ago.

But you, you felt new.

He watched with repudiation, shoving feelings down until suddenly you were gone from his sight. Standing straight he noticed Luffy panicking, heard Usopp shouting that you were going to drown. He was confused for a moment, then he remembered – you were a devil fruit user.

Shit, she must have fallen off the damn ship!

Without thinking, Zoro allowed his swords to fall to the ground and he jumped over the upper deck railing. He landed on the grass next to Chopper, leaving no room to explain as he rushed to Luffy, shouting for him to move aside. He leveraged his weight onto his right foot as it moved up onto the ship’s railing, launching himself headfirst into the ocean. It happened in seconds, and it was freezing but he opened his eye under water and saw you drifting downwards. He used all his strength to propel himself forward, it took two huge moves before he had you in his arms. He swam to the surface, breathing out harshly and moving you onto his back as he yelled for Usopp to bring down the rope ladder. You gurgled out water; body weak against his as he held both of your hands against the base of his neck. He swam to the ladder and with his one free hand, climbed the rope.

“Help her out.”

Ussop and Luffy immediately pulled you off Zoro’s back so he could climb back onto the Sunny. The duo laid you on the floor and you started to cough; Chopper was immediately at your side. Your eyes fluttered open; throat ached – your whole body felt the weakest it ever had. Your head was dizzy, but as your vision came to, the first thing you saw was Zoro. Not just Zoro, but the expression on his handsome face.

Concern.

This brought on the biggest smile and Chopper worried you were experiencing dry drowning from all the water inhalations. He commanded someone to take you to the med bay and Zoro was the first to volunteer, gently lifting you off the ground into his arms. He held you close to his chest, head resting on his shoulder as your eyes fluttered open and shut. Zoro walked carefully but as fast as he could, Chopper ran ahead to make sure the bed was ready for you.

“What were you thinking being so close to the damn ocean? You could have died.”

Your throat still aching, you cleared it before speaking but your voice still came out hoarse. “But I didn’t thanks to you.”

Zoro stilled, steps stopping as he looked down at you; sopping wet but eyes warm as you stared up at him. He could feel his cheeks burning red but all the feelings he had pushed down were begging to erupt like a volcano. He didn’t want to take you to the med bay, he wanted to take you to his bed. Lay you down and pull you into his arms until you feel better. Where he knew you’d always be safe, by his side. It was a terrible feeling to feel…love but he supposed nothing could be done.

“I will always keep you safe from the sea.”

and everything else that wants to harm you…

The latter didn’t need to be said out loud because his lips were on yours before he could get another word in. If he didn’t kiss you now, his entire body would turn to fire but when you kissed him back – he felt relaxed, relief. He felt like he was a new man, worthier than ever to be the greatest swordsman, to help Luffy become King of the Pirates…to be a man who could love and be loved. His lips moved from yours and he smiled softly just as Chopper shouted from the med bay.

“Coming,” he called out, looking down at you with a renewed softness in his eyes when you asked if he’d stay with you while Chopper observed you. He grinned, moving towards the office. “Don’t ask stupid questions, of course I’ll stay with you.”

Forever…

...

tagging those who were interested in zoro fics.

@posessedbytheinternet @smolracoon25 @notthemainblog

@xentaipriest @xitara666 @rouzuchan @southside-otaku

@dimplewonie @stuckinthewrongworld @yourmomsgirl

@zoroshispanicwife @reneeprika

[littlecorpselady]

Chick habit

A house of wax fanfic

-Bo sinclair x reader

-Summary, Reader works at a old roadside bar eventually sharing a conversation with a regular by his truck

A familiar feeling of dread fills your gut to the brim, the jealousy overflowing once more. Her golden locks flowed gracefully even in the wind, her green eyes were enough to send even the most bitter old man into a haze. Her skin was angelic as well as her smile. Nothing crooked, not a single imperfection beneath her nails. You watched momentarily from a safe distance, flashing the man besides her a smile as sweet as honey. Nails digging into your palm, it panged a sour feeling in the pit of your heart. You don't know why you were watching but over the course of regular visits you found yourself noticing him. Every other day he would appear on that stool, calling you over for a good few beers. Besides the usual truckers and odd group of tourists, barely anyone stopped for a drink at the aged bar by the road side. Aging did it no favour, the bathrooms stained with graffiti and walls of the verge of falling apart.

A hour passes and by then they were gone by time you were finished serving another customer. Both the man and the honey sweet woman flirting over a few drinks. You were never gifted with the ability to strike up a conversation, let alone flirt. You could only dream. Nothing but a spectator in somebody else's world.

Finishing up your shift and throwing your back pack on, it was fairly dark outside. The night around you prickling your skin with a cold breeze, and the front scattered with a few motorbikes and trucks. Upon approaching, there was a truck parked next to your car and leaned against said truck was a dark figure. Upon getting a few steps closer, what came into view that that Sam's man, a cigarette in his mouth as he lit on the end. His drag of the cigarette was slow as he lifted his head up, staring off into the distance. He looked thoughtful, his blue eyes fixated on the distance before you came over to your car. Fishing for the car keys somewhere in your cluttered pocket, his voice suddenly fills the silence, his tone casual and volume quiet.

"Never got around to askin' your name."

It was somewhat clear he was speaking to you but a turning around, you just had to check. His expression is expectant, waiting for a answer rather than just a stare.

"Y/n, and you?"

"Names Bo."

Nodding and fully turning to come face to face with who you now know as Bo, he extends a hand to you from his pocket. His hand damn near engulfs yours in one shake, his skin rough from presumably hard work. It's then you catch a glimpse at the scarred skin wrapped around his wrist, but only a glimpse as he retracts his hand.

"Got a couple minutes?"

You nod and soon he's slipping you a cigarette, holding the ligter up to light the cigarette from between your lips. Each in and exhale is taken slowly enough so you can stick around longer with him. He asks you a few questions about yourself, they're fairly casual much like the answers you provide. In return you show interest in his life, asking your own questions. Though he doesn't go into much detail besides being a mechanic in a small town, a quiet life as he calls it. Eventually you get comfortable enough to ask him.

"What happend to that girl you were with anyway?"

Bo simply raises a brow from beneath his cap. It's a small gesture but it's enough for you to stumble over yourself.

"The one back in the bar. You left with her didn't you?"

"You were watchin'?"

Immediately you become defensive, trying to shake off the accusation. You pause at the sound of a rumbling chuckle, it practically goes through you as he waves a dismissive hand.

"I'm just kiddin', no worries."

Bo flicks the cigarette to the ground, crushing it with the twist of his heel as the chuckle fizzles into just a small grin. He straightens up his posture and shakes his head finally after a moments silence. The goodbye which follows feels too quick, almost rushed despite knowing otherwise. The end of the conversation past due. Yet before he disappears driving off into the night, he leaves you with his phone number. It was scribbled onto a old receipt previously forgotten in the depths of your pocket. The crumpled paper being the evidence you weren't just daydreaming for once.

[inside-lees-mind]

May I please request headcanons for Jin, Hiei, and Kurama reacting to their female S/O who's normally calm and collected going on a major rampage when her sister gets badly hurt by someone?

Jin, Hiei, and Kurama reacting to S/O’s Rage

Your sister gets hurt so you lose your calm and collected demeanor.

Canon typical violence

Jin the Windmaster

He likes how calm the wind around you is all the time. Not to mention, you also smell nice.

You’re pleasant to be around.

Out of left field, you, him, and your sister were attacked.

Unfortunately, the attacker went for the weak spot in the group, your helpless, non-fighter sister.

She’s thrown to the ground, bleeding badly.

You rush to help her, and once you confirm she’s okay, you turn to the attacker.

“Who are you?” You don’t give him time to speak before a sword is at his throat, he, nor Jin ever even saw you move.

“Speak!” You shout.

The attacker stutters, and you slide the sword just enough against his skin to not kill, but shoot the fear of death through him.

Jin watches stunned as you show no mercy when the attacker dares to lie. He lost an eye to you immediately.

“TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!” You shout, pressing the sword further. “Speak or I’ll cut your fucking tongue out.”

He tells you, and though it was the truth, you slice his head off anyways.

Jin is shocked, but he comforts your frantic self as you rush to your sister’s aid.

You both bring her back to Botan, who works to help heal her.

Overall, he’s not too fazed. But he’s shocked.

Hiei Jaganshi

The attacker stabs your sister.

And though both you and Hiei see red, he lets you handle it. It’s your sister, not his. He won’t act just because he thought of his.

So he watches as you cut down a group of men before pinning down the last one and demanding information.

“Who are you? And what do you want?” You ask, driving the point of the sword against his chest, over his heart.

The man tells you, and you know why they came after you do. More pissed than before, you drive the sword just below the skin.

“Death is too easy.” You mutter, pulling the sword out and cutting off both legs. “If you die, you die. If you can, crawl home.”

He’s never seen that from you, but he’s proud.

Kurama

He’s gonna be the only one who might be even a little upset. They deserved it, but that’s blood on your hands you’ll regret later. He knows you.

So when you lose it when your sister falls suddenly, clearly wounded from a sudden attack, he’s shocked.

You’re so calm and collected. And unlike himself, he never had any reason to believe you were hiding anything darker.

That view of you changed when you beat a man black and blue without asking any questions.

Finally, you took out a dagger and stabbed it into the guy’s chest right after he threatened to hurt you all for this.

Kurama was shocked, but he quickly helped you up, offering you a soft kiss.

You both brought your sister back to a local hospital.

[cherriiiepiee]

“Why won’t you choose me?”

john marston x f!reader

summary !!!! — you’re johns side chick but you’re getting pretty tired of it so you tell john u or abi.. unfortunately he won’t leave his wife for you.

warnings !: smut at the first part (not rlly smut srryyyy) mostly just angst, johns gets drunk for a lil lol and a stinky cheater lol……. I think thatst it !!! ^_^ enjoyyy 😴😴

i feel so bad for abi in this :c i love her smm ill make her smth soon !!

this is kinda short so i do apologize !! i don’t have time to make it longer :((

—

"Thank you, sweetheart. I needed this." John pressed his forehead against yours, the glimmer of sweat and the lingering scent of cigarette smoke filling your nostrils. Cupping your hips with his calloused hands, sliding his length out of your throbbing hole. You let out a whiny moan at the loss feeling of him inside of you.

"I know — I know, I’ll see you later?" John responded, you sighed softly. John was attempting to urge you to leave his tent quickly due to the rising tension within him. Johns heart was racing at the thought of his wife, Abigail, approaching his tent and finding you half naked in Johns tent as his cum rested on your chest. He personally never cared for aftercare, not with you. You were just something to get his stress out. John quickly grabbed a rag and began rubbing off the mess off of you, burying the rag deep in his pocket, making a mental note to throw it away later.

"John.. I, er — can we talk about this? I don’t —" Your sentence was cut short by John's abrupt intervention, as he hastily shoved you out of the tent. Without giving you a chance to speak, John rushed around, frantically tidying up the cot, completely ignoring your presence.

—

Another heated argument erupted between John and Abigail, yet this one was worse for the both of you. Abigail was growing more suspicious with each passing moment, she began questioning the mysterious marks resting on John's neck. The outlaw was at a loss for words, utterly incapable of formulating a believable lie.

“It’s nothin’ Abigail.. just — quit it,” John attempted to pacify Abigail with a gentle rub of her shoulders, his free hand attempting to conceal most of the marks on his neck from her view by making his jacket cover most. She was unwilling to listen to those lies, growing tired of his bullshit and storming off. Johns hands slapped on his face, sighing frustratedly.

John could feel your gaze drilling into his skull, even after he strolled away into his tent. His temper had reached its limit, the pressure of his situation piling up on him as he responded in his usual brash manner. "What? I ain’t in the mood to deal with you either," he scoffed, spinning on his heel and storming off. A shiny bottle was held tightly in his hand, the contents inside indicating his desire for a brief escape from reality.

You never understood Johns relationship with Abigail. Nobody did. Not even John himself.

—

"I'm getting real sick of that attitude," you huffed, hovering above John as he lay flat on his back on the ground. He laughed drunkenly, his words barely intelligible as the alcohol took over his mind. "Why does it matter to you?" John laughed out a response, his words slurred and his speech already incoherent.

"Abigail or me." You firmly demanded, clearly frustrated by John's attitude. The outlaw's drunken wheezing laughter suddenly came to a halt, his sudden shift in expression making it clear he was getting angry. He propped himself up, his voice still slurred. "Are you serious..?" he uttered, his voice growing increasingly furious as he stared you down, his gaze burning into you.

John responded immediately, the words falling from his tongue without a second thought. "I'm not leaving my wife." He spoke through clenched teeth, taking a swig out of his beer before tossing the remainder onto the ground. The bottle broke into numerous shards on the ground, the sharp noise reverberating all throughout the encampment. You listened to him with a sinking heart, but a deep part of you knew his words to be true. You had dared to dream, wanting to believe that he would choose you, oh, how wrong you were.

"You don't love me?" You asked, your voice full of a deep sense of heartbreak and longing. John kept silent, refusing to answer your question, which gave you a clear hint at how he felt. He eventually muttered out a half-hearted "Sorry." before stumbling away, turning his back to you as you remained speechless, your eyes already filled with tears.

—

Everything has become different, John's behavior in contrast to his previous behavior indicating that something had fundamentally shifted in his attitude. He refused to even glance at you, never acknowledging your existence as he put all of his attention towards his wife. The attention he gave her was all the affection and care you'd desired, the sweet love and affection you yearned for. You could no longer help but feel the sting of jealously in your heart, envious of Abigail's privileged position and wishing you could be in her shoes.

You went to sit beside him, offering a small smile in a futile attempt at garnering his attention. However, he simply stood up and walked away, heading towards his shared tent with Abigail and leaving you in the chilly air alone once again. His indifference towards you only served to deepen your sadness, the tears filling up once more as the painful realization set in.

Why would you even think he would choose you?

teehee🙈🙈

[rainmustfallts4]

Spooky & Cozy #1: Harvest Moon, part 1 (notsosimstober & simblreen ’24)

Prompt: 1 – Harvest Moon by @notsosimstober

Word Count: 5,040 (both parts)

Image Count: 37 (15 this part)

Warnings: Speaks about death/passed on family.

Note: I had to break this up into two parts because there’s too many images lmao Here is the first entry into the Simstober 2024 series and a gift for Simblreen! I hope you enjoy c:

⊶⊰Main Post & Index⊱⊷ ⊶⊰Simblreen Tag⊱⊷ ⊶⊰Simstober Tag⊱⊷ ⊶⊰Simstober Info⊱⊷ ⊶⊰Simblreen Info⊱⊷

“This as far as I can go, miss.”

I lifted my eyes from the book I was reading to glance out the window. The dirt road we were on had come to an end in front of a house, though it’s not the one I was looking for. Even so, I shoved my book into my bag and approached the front of the bus.

“Can you tell me how to get to this house?” I showed him the slip of paper with the address written on it and he smiled.

“Oh, the Rainston cottage? Take a right past this house here,” he pointed to the house in front of us. “And continue on toward the hill by the waterfall. If you keep going straight, it’s impossible to miss! Once you reach the waterfall, just follow the path up the hill on your right.”

“Thank you.”

“Give Miss Maybelle my best!”

“Sure.” I offered him a nod before stepping off the bus. It seems like she is quite popular around here. I watched the bus drive back down the road until it disappeared from sight.

Although I enjoy mother nature, I won’t lie and pretend that I’m good at surviving her. Not only that, but I’m terrible with directions and I could get lost inside a paper bag. I took a deep breath to calm myself down, the cool autumn air feeling good against my skin.

Well, I certainly can’t make my way back down the road, especially with those dark clouds rolling in. All I can do is move forward and hope I find my way. Autumn had only just begun, so there weren’t many leaves on the ground. I could picture it in my head, though, the ground littered with leaves of vibrant red and orange.

Autumn is my favorite time of year but, living in the city, I don’t get to really experience it. That’s one thing to look forward to on this trip, I suppose.

When I came to a fork in the road, I realized there were three paths to take – a bridge across the river to my left, a dirt road to my right, and continuing on the path forward. Thankfully, there was a signpost nearby, telling me which way the cottage was.

The farther I got, the more at peace I felt. This place was absolutely gorgeous, the air crisp and clean. It was nothing like the city I grew up in. Instead of listening to honking horns, people arguing and loud music, I heard only the sounds of birds singing, the wind sliding through the leaves, and the water rushing down from the falls.

By the time I made it to the top of the hill, I had to stop and take a break because my legs were beginning to hurt. Exercise had never really been my thing as I preferred to sit around and read.

Being so close to the waterfall was so amazing that I couldn’t quite put it into words. The closest I’ve been to something like this is the fountains in the city which, are quite impressive, but are nothing compared to mother nature herself.

After resting for longer than I needed to because I enjoyed the view, I continued up the winding path, coming upon a cute little cabin that looked as if it had been taken from a fairy tale.

I wasn’t entirely sure how I was feeling. Nervous, sure, but there was another emotion fluttering around inside me that I couldn’t quite identify. Hope, maybe? Or maybe it’s just fear and uncertainty.

It made sense, I suppose. See, I’m meeting my grandparents for the first time. I grew up with just my mom in my life and, when she died a few years ago, I was left alone in a dark world, weighed down by debt. I never knew my father and, as far as I know, I was a one night stand baby.

When I signed up on the Simology website, I didn’t have a lot of hope that it would find any of my family members or ancestors. To my surprise, there was a DNA hit just one week after I signed up. A woman named Maybelle Rainston reached out to me after the site contacted her and, with a 95% match, she believes I’m her deceased son’s daughter.

We sent off for an official test to confirm we’re related, but it hasn’t come back yet. Despite this, she insisted that I leave the city behind and come live with her and her husband. As scary as this change is, I really had no choice. I was three months behind on rent and my landlord was sick of me not paying on time. I have no doubt in my mind that he was going to kick me out soon.

A deep bark snapped me out of my thoughts and I glanced over to see a bloodhound lazily walking from beside the house. He tilted his head to the side, looking at me curiously.

“It’s okay,” I called out softly. “I promise I’m not an intruder.”

He growled softly, but it didn’t seem aggressive so I approached slowly, holding out my hand for him to sniff. He did so without hesitation before wagging his tail.

“Wish me luck, boy,” I said softly as I patted his head. He barked in reply, following me toward the door. After taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I reached up and knocked on the door.

The door swung open, revealing a small older woman with kind eyes. She smiled at me, pulling me into a tight hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!”

I hugged her back awkwardly, not used to human contact. “Nice to meet you, too, Miss Maybelle.”

“Oh, please, no need to be so formal, dear! Come in out of the cold.” She stepped aside to give me room. Upon entering the home, I was hit by the pleasing smell of pumpkin spice and vanilla.

“Harold! She’s here!” She called out before motioning toward the kitchen. “Would you like some tea?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not, you’re family, after all.” She sent me a warm smile before turning her back to me.

This statement made me feel both happy and upset. I’m happy to not be alone anymore but I’m so afraid the test will come back saying we’re not related. What then? Will she kick me to the curb and never speak to me? I didn’t know this woman well so the thought shouldn’t hurt me as bad as it does.

The kitchen was silent as she brewed the tea, the smell of chamomile filling the small space. It helped me relax.

“How was your trip?”

“Oh, um… it was fine.” I rubbed the back of my head. “It was long so I slept for most of it.”

She sent me a frown. “I’m sorry we couldn’t come get you. These old bones just aren’t fit for long travel anymore.”

“No, it’s okay! You paid for the ticket, that’s enough. Thank you.”

Her frown turned into a warm smile. “Silly girl, you don’t have to thank family. I was happy to help.” She set a cup of steaming tea in front of me before settling down across from me.

I heard shuffling from the doorway behind me before an elder male appeared.

“There you are, Harold! Jace is here.”

The man sat between us, offering me a smile. “Hello, Jace. I hope my wife hasn’t been talking your ear off.”

“Oh, stop it!” Maybelle swatted at his arm, pretending to be offended. Her playful smile gave it away, though.

Harold chuckled, his eyes shining with love. “Sorry, dearest.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the two of them. I could only hope to find a love so strong that we stay together until our end of days.

“You must be tired, dear, I’m sorry!” Maybelle stood up, setting our cups in the sink. “Follow me and I’ll show you to your room.”

“It was nice meeting you, sir.” I told him as I stood up to follow.

“Nonsense.” He stood up, as well, pulling me into a hug. It was much tighter than hers had been. “You have Ryan’s eyes, you know.”

I assumed that was his son, the man they believe to be my father. I could hear the sorrow in his voice when he said this. It was a pain I could sympathize with, still missing my mother dearly.

He patted my back before pulling away. “Once you get some rest, I’ll tell you all about him.”

“Only if you want to know,” added Maybelle gently as she stood patiently in the doorway.

“Right,” he nodded in agreement, settling back down at the table. “Now, go rest.”

I nodded back, following Maybelle into the living room. In the back left corner was a door, behind which was a staircase descending into a basement.

“I hope this is okay. It was the only place we had available.” She brought her hand over her heart. “If you choose to stay with us, we can work on turning the space into your own.”

“Don’t worry! As long as I have a bed and a bookcase, I’m happy.”

“Well, you certainly have a bed,” she chuckled. “Harold will head into town tomorrow and pick a bookcase up for you.”

“I can go instead. It’s probably easier for me…” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. “Sorry, that sounded rude.”

“Not rude at all, dear. We certainly are not spring chickens anymore!” She chuckled. “Now get some rest. I’ll come get you once dinner is ready.”

I caught myself before thanking her again, offering a smile instead. My room was the only one in the basement so I stepped inside. It was fairly simple, offering just a bed, a dresser and a potted plant which, thankfully, was fake. I had never been able to keep potted plants alive to save my life.

I set my bag on the dresser before settling down on the side of the bed. For a few moments, I just sat there, thinking over everything that had happened.

Before long, I felt my eyes growing heavy and I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

⊶⊰Read part 2 here⊱⊷

[drunkewok]

Tiger Inside Chapter Twenty-Eight

Stray Kids Mafia (ongoing)

Masterlist

Likes, reblogs and feedback always greatly appreciated

WC: 3.8k

Pairing: Lee Know x reader

Genre: Series, Enemies to lovers, non-idol AU, Mafia AU

Warnings: 18+, Minors DNI, drinking, swearing, violence, weapons

Disclaimer: Any portrayal of Stray Kids or any other idols in this story is purely fiction and do not at all reflect their own personalities or how I view them as a person, it is purely for the sake of the story.

Please do not copy or repost my work

The fall of night came upon us quickly, the clock ticking closer to the beginning of my fake shift at Blossom. With the pull of a zipper, I flattened the fabric of my skirt down, studying my outfit in the mirror. 

It had definitely been a while since I adorned the stylistic choices of a cocktail waitress, a skirt a bit too short and tight for my liking and leaving little to the imagination, legs only covered by a pair of tights. Although the need to make some alterations to my normal top choice presented itself fairly quickly. While my choice commonly had been a snug tank top, I had made the decision to go for a well fitted v-neck t-shirt instead. The thought had crossed my mind that it might not be taken lightly by our regulars that I had vanished into thin air, only to return unexpectedly with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

I ran my fingers through the curls in my hair, ensuring everything was laying flat and proper, and did a final check of my makeup. I was back to my masked character, and double checked in the mirror that I still possessed the ability to adorn a fake customer service smile. 

Grabbing a pair of heels, preferably one with a thicker heel to assist me in the snow, I pulled my purse from my bed and started my way out my bedroom door. 

Faint voices carried from downstairs, everyone having clearly started to congregate together before heading out. I pulled myself around the end of the bannister, starting down the hallway towards Seongho leaning in the archway into the living room. He slowly turned at the sound of my footsteps, his gaze traveling down my body before returning to my eyes.

“Well look at that, you can still clean up nice.” 

“Oh shove it.” I pushed past him as he snickered, making my way into the room and taking a seat at a stool before fastening my heels.

The majority of the group was already there stretching from the kitchen to the living room, only lacking the presence of Felix and Jeongin. 

I settled my feet back on the ground before placing my hands on my knees, staring at Chan.

“So what car am I supposed to be taking?” Before Chan had a moment to answer, a set of keys was tossed in my direction as I quickly caught them in my hands. My eyes followed where they came from, giving Jisung a quizzical stare.

“Figured since you’re already familiar with mine you should take it.” My head tilted as I tried to understand what he was implying, my mouth dropping before I had a chance to speak. “Your joyride?” My lips quickly snapped shut, ears burning as I felt blood rush to them.

“Jisung, I’m sorry, I didn’t know whose car I was taking I just-” He quickly waved me off, shushing me in the process.

“Nah, no need to apologize. Just take care of her.” I gripped his keys with a smile and nod, agreeing to his terms. 

“Well with that, we should probably get going.” I beckoned Seongho towards the door, the two of us heading out separately from the group. I stopped to give the boys a small wave of goodbye, only just now realizing Minho’s eyes drilling into the back of my head before I quickly pulled myself from his line of sight. 

I linked my arm in Seongho’s as we made our way down the front steps towards the car I recognized all too well, the lights flickering as I hit the unlock.

“Heading to work together, just like old times.” He chuckled, sliding into the passenger seat.

“Tell me about it, this feels really weird.” I made haste in turning on the engine, praying for a quick warm up to distract myself from my far too exposed skin in the winter weather. 

The radio was barely a quiet hum, the melody faint as I drove. I was losing myself in my thoughts with each passing streetlight, a tight knot in my throat making residence as I tried to ignore exactly what tonight would entail.

“I've been meaning to ask you-” Seongho’s voice broke the silence, only turning to me after I pulled my eyes from the road to glance over to him. “-how have the nightmares been lately?”

“Surprisingly, not too bad.” I focused back to the street in front of me, pulling the car around a corner. “They've been a lot less frequent.”

“That's good to hear.” He fell back into silence for a moment, hesitating on his next words. “When this is all over… Do you think you'll stay with them?”

My hands gripped the steering wheel as I realized the thought hadn't truly crossed my mind, having been too focused on the current situation to really think ahead.

“I… I'm not sure to be honest.”

“I think you should.” I glanced over to him, Seongho instead choosing to stare forward and avoid eye contact. “They're good people. I can see how much they all care for you, and you seem to be thriving with them. Much more than you did at home.”

“But what about you?”

“What about me? I'll be fine. Especially now that I'll know you'll be taken care of. Someone’s gotta be looking after your stubborn ass.”

I glanced at him with a soft smile and a chuckle, reaching over and taking his hand in mine with a squeeze. In that moment, the past and future didn’t matter. I had those who cared about me close, defending each other’s backs no matter what. 

With the car securely parked, we made our way to the front door together just as we had for so many years. Seongho jiggled the lock, trying to pull the door closer to him to work with the janky lock. The door finally swung open, I entered before him, switching on the lights and bringing the room to life.

Stepping into the break room, my eyes fell on the line of lockers on the far end, the one so familiar to me still with the name Siu written across the top of it. I turned to Seongho, my bottom lip jutting out in a subtle pout.

“You never took it off?”

“Of course not…” He stared forward to the locker, an emotional mask trying to hide the hurt behind his eyes. “I kept hoping you’d come back. Plus, I didn’t want any of the newbies to take it.”

I stepped forward and put in the code I remembered, swinging the door open to see it exactly as I had left it, except for a handwritten note sitting on the bottom as if it had been pushed through the vents at the top of the door.

“I slipped that in there…” Seongho spoke over my shoulder as I bent down to pick up the piece of folded paper. “Just in case you came by to clear out your locker when I wasn’t here.” 

“I’m so sorry Seongho.” With a pained groan I turned and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face into his chest. “I’m so sorry for how I left, you didn’t deserve that.” His hand settled on my back, rubbing gentle circles.

“There’s no need to be sorry, I understand.” His chin settled on the top of my head as I tried to fight off the tears of my heart shattering into a million pieces. “At least now I know what was going on, and I’ve got you back no matter what, that’s all that matters to me.”

“Stop, you're going to make me cry and this is fresh makeup.” I pulled back, playfully pushing him away by his chest and staring to the ceiling, trying to blink away the moisture building on my lash line as I fanned my face with my hands.

With a huff I reached into my purse, pulling out two small skin-toned earbuds before tucking the bag into the locker. I grabbed Seongho’s wrist, pulling his hand out and placing one into it.

“Felix gave me our earpieces, go ahead and put this in.”

“Ohhh how official.” He fumbled with it for a second, trying to get it to sit snugly in his ear before pulling his hair to the side to allow me to check it.  

“But can you hear me in it?” 

Seongho blinked for a second as my voice echoed from in front of him, to inside his ear, before giving me a nod and a thumbs up. 

“Fantastic. So let’s head out there and pretend it’s any old normal day.” As we headed out to the main room my body quickly turned on auto pilot, the strange feeling of recounting old steps quickly coming back to me. 

The mahogany gave its familiar response to my heels against the wood, the noise clear amongst the sea of empty tables. I checked each surface for the proper stocking to start the night, before pushing open the door to the VIP suite.  

I flipped the switch, bathing the room in light as I ensured all chairs were in place and ready for the two groups' arrival. I leaned against one of the chairs, surveying the room with a sigh. In such a short amount of time, negotiations would be taking place around this table. 

I left the light on behind me as I crossed back into the main room, watching Seongho assemble two shots on the bar in front of him before it was time to unlock the door.

“Don't tell Chan I'm taking a shot before this.” I said with a chuckle, grabbing the glass and clinking it against Seongho's.

“Your secret is safe with me.” 

With the doors finally open, the atmosphere within the lounge was warm, so many joyous smiles and cheers from regulars as they stepped in the door to notice me standing before them. 

I continued my routine as normal, the circling of the room, a balancing act with a tray of drinks, and conversations with our regulars as they updated me on how life had been treating them.

My muscle memory movements were halted as the door chimed, signaling an entry as I looked up. Chan was the first to come in, closely followed by Minho and Changbin. 

The three of them look crisp, and I couldn’t help freezing for just a moment. Their faces were stoic, standing tall and walking with confidence. I quickly swallowed the lump in my throat as they neared closer, trying to flash a smile as Chan came to a halt before me.

“What may I help you gentlemen out with today?” 

“We have a reservation for your VIP room” Chan let the smallest of smiles cross his cheeks before continuing “just waiting on the rest of our party.” 

“Yes, I’ll be glad to show you three back.” I promptly turned on my heels, leading them through the crowded room to the back hall before ushering them into the VIP room. 

Chan crossed to the opposite side of the table, taking his seat in the middle and letting the serious mask finally drop.

“I didn’t know you had the ability to be so polite.” Minho snickered as he crossed behind me, letting the door close behind us. 

“Oh please, not something you should be getting used to.” I gave him a side eye as I glanced over my shoulder before my gaze took on a mind of its own, scanning over his figure and only just now becoming aware of his appearance.

His clothes were a bit too perfectly tailored to his body. Dressed in strictly all black, the sleeves of his button up rolled to the elbow emphasizing the contrast of his skin as his arms crossed in front of him, his long black tie tucking behind them.

“You get a nice look? Or should I do a little turn for you?” My eyes darted to his, snapping me out of my daze as I found the smirk plastered across his face with head tilted. 

My mouth opened and closed for a moment as I tried to formulate a sentence, heat quickly growing in my ears as I felt the room closing in on me with his gaze. With a clear of the throat, I broke our eye contact as I quickly looked at Chan, choosing to ignore Minho entirely. 

“Are there any drinks or anything you’d like me to bring you guys?” Chan and Changbin both snickered as they tried to suppress their grins, eyes darting between Minho and I as they attempted to stay level.

“No, I think we’ll be alright, but thank you.” Chan smiled as he sat back in his chair, interlacing his fingers in his lap.

“Don’t think that just because I’m pretending to be on the clock means I’m not able to kick all of your asses.”

“Not with that shoulder you’re not!” Minho called out with a snicker as I quickly flipped him off before shutting the door behind me. 

Re-centering myself, I settled my skirt down and stepped back into the main room. My eyes fell on Seungmin, now tucked away in a booth in the back corner. He gave a subtle nod of acknowledgement before my feet took me on my rounds of the floor once more. 

I tried to keep my eyes from the door, a surprising level of nerves starting to settle in my stomach at the realization that Big Bang would be stepping into the building at any moment. 

Slipping over to the bar, I leaned against the counter and watched Seongho as he prepared a drink for the patron standing beside me. I turned and let my eyes scan the crowd while I waited, doing another visual check-in with Seungmin, before the guest beside me walked away with drink in hand.

“So help me god if people don’t stop ordering the most off the wall cocktails tonight..” Seongho mumbled as he tidied up his work space, leaning his hands onto the bar as he looked at me with an irritated stare.

“Oh god forbid people ask you to do your job, bartender.” I mocked with an exaggerated emphasis on his title.

“I’m about to put up a sign that says no obscure cocktails plastered directly above my head, you can’t stop me.” He flung his towel over his shoulder, attention quickly pulled to a new patron stepping up to the end of the bar.

“Excuse me, I was told to speak to a Siu in terms of a reservation.” A smile quickly spread across my cheeks as the voice came from behind me, my chest swelling before turning to see Jiyong standing behind me.

His cheeky grin in return warmed my heart, a familiar face bringing such joy after being separated by a painful stretch of time. My body moved before I had a chance to stop myself, quickly wrapping my arms around him with a squeal, all plans of acting professional promptly thrown from a window.

“Would you look at that, a dead girl walking.” Taeyang spoke from beside him, a chuckle leaving his lips as I pulled from Jiyong and gave Taeyang a swift punch to the arm.

“It's not my fault none of you thought to actually confirm if I was alive or not.” My eyes studied the men before me, my brows creasing in confusion as I counted them. “Wait… where's Seung-”

“We've got some things to catch you up to date on, Seungri being one of them. But this is not the place for that.” Jiyong's face quickly grew serious, the other three quickly avoiding my gaze. 

“Did he leave? What happened?”

“Like I said, this isn't the place to explain. We had a mission go south.”

My heart dropped into my stomach, the unexpected news feeling as though it was hitting me with the force of a fully loaded freight train. 

“We'll get you updated after tonight, okay?” His face softened as his hand rested on my arm. I swallowed the painful lump that was firmly lodged in my throat, before giving him a solemn nod in response. 

“Right, okay.” I attempted to shake off the painful feeling, squeezing my eyes shut before resuming my customer service smile. “Let me show you back to our VIP room.” 

The four followed closely behind me as I led them down the hall, giving two brief knocks to the door before poking my head in.

“They're here” 

“Ah, yes yes.” Chan ushered me in. I stepped to the side, holding the door open and beckoning the others inside. 

“Let me introduce you all” the door clicked shut behind us, my hand gesturing to each of the men standing before us. “G-Dragon, Taeyang, TOP and Daesung.” 

Chan rose from his seat, followed closely by Minho and Changbin, as he reached a hand out and shook each of their hands respectfully. 

“It's an honor to meet you all, the names Bang Chan, and these are my men Minho and Changbin.” 

“Please, now that we'll be working together I don’t see the need for our discreet names.” Jiyong was quick to brush him off, each of them properly introducing themselves with their birth names.

“It’s good to hear that you guys are already confident in the choice to work with us.” Chan smiled as he gestured to the seats in front of them, offering the others to sit.

“Well if y/n here hasn't driven you all to madness yet, clearly you’re a strong bunch.” Jiyong smiled back at me, chuckling as I returned a roll of the eyes. He turned back to Chan, a fake grimace crossing his face. “I hope she hasn’t given you all too difficult of a time.”

“She has her moments, but we’re glad to have her.”

“You guys do realize I’m still here, right?” The two leaders let out a laugh in unison, my lips pressing into a line at their immediate teaming up against me. “Right. Okay. That’s my cue to get back out to the floor. Let me know if there’s anything I can provide for you all.” 

With a subtle bow I excused myself from the room, trying to ignore the smile taking over my face, the effortless camaraderie between the two teams bringing a warmth to my heart.

Out on the main floor, things seemed to still be progressing as normal, nothing out of place and nothing out of the ordinary. Pacing the room, I continued making stops by each table, checking with each patron for any needs. I scanned around the lounge, making a mental note if I had checked in with everyone as my eyes landed on the bar.

Seongho was hunched forward, speaking to someone sitting across from him of much smaller stature. Seongho had a smile plastered across his face, the occasional laughter leaving him before looking up and making immediate eye contact with me. He motioned with his head for me to come closer, a grin as he nodded towards the gentleman in front of him. I scurried over, Seongho calling out just before I reached him and leaned onto the bar beside Hyunmin.

“Siu! Let me introduce you!” Seongho held his hand towards him. “Siu, this is Hyunmin, Hyunmin this is Siu.” Hyunmin held his hand out as he turned his head towards me, my stomach immediately dropping into my ass the moment our eyes made contact.

“Siu! What a pleasure to meet you, I’ve heard so much.” His smile stretched across his face, smug and cocky as my eyes scanned his. I should have expected this, Hyunmin didn’t exist. 

The person sat beside me was Wooyoung.

I forced a smile as I took his hand, worried that I had already let my face drop in an instant moment of panic. I had only seen his face in grainy photos, but there was no mistaking him. His tongue ran across the inside of his cheek as his smile faded into a subtle glare, the grin flashing back once turned to Seongho. 

“Took you a while to finally introduce me!” Wooyoung’s playful demeanor was quickly back,  head cocking to the side with a pouty lip. “Was starting to think you were trying to keep me a secret.” Seongho quickly shook his head, hand settling on top of Wooyoung’s.

“Not at all, Siu’s just had it a bit hectic lately and hasn’t had much time.”

“Oh I’m so sorry to hear that.” Wooyoung turned back to me with a vomit inducing excuse of fake empathy, my blood quickly starting to burn hot as I forced a smile.

“Well it was my pleasure to finally meet you Hyunmin, but I surely should be checking in with our guests. Please don’t let me intrude on you two.” I gave each of the boys a nod before stepping away from the bar, eyeing Seungmin in the back corner.

“Seongho. You’re going to listen to me very carefully.” Once toward the back hall and positive I was out of earshot, I turned on my heels and gazed back to the bar. Seongho tried to look like he was scanning the crowd, instead being a bit too obvious that he was focused on me. “Don’t look at me. As far as Hyunmin knows, I’m not speaking in your ear right now.”

Seongho smoothly broke his gaze toward me, instead giving Hyunmin a smile before collecting the glasses around him and attempting to appear busy.

“Hyunmin isn’t who he says he is.” Seongho continued a conversation with the man seated before him, his flirty smile returning in an instant as he tried to deflect. 

“Y/n. Is everything okay in there?” Minho’s voice cut through the radio quietly, right alongside the pounding of my heart in my ears.

“He’s a member of Ateez, Seongho. His name is actually Wooyoung.” I turned back to Seungmin, who’s sharp eyes cut through the crowd toward the bar in an instant. 

“Do we have eyes on anyone else?” Minho’s voice was slightly louder, clearly not trying to discreetly whisper in front of Big Bang anymore. 

“Dear patrons of Blossom!” A loud voice boomed from the doorway. My head snapped away from Seungmin, eyes quickly falling on the entrance where a dark figure in a long trench coat stood tall. Gun held firmly at his side, his head rose slowly to scan the room. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like we’ve got to close a little early today.” 

Song Mingi slowly stepped to the center of the room, brows raised in offense as he scanned through the patrons, all frozen to their seats in silence but all eyes fixed on him. In a split instant, a gunshot rang out with his gun pointed directly in the air, piercing a hole through the ceiling. “I SAID OUT!” 

The room delved into a moment of chaos as people quickly rose from their seats and ran for the exit, a sea of panic as they tried to funnel out the door to safety.

The wild card has arrived.

Next Chapter

Taglist:

@venusmoonxnight @leagreenly @moonlight-the-writer @jamlessstars @ishz @minbinboo

[acertainmoshke]

Snippet: Dream Part 3

in which I set up a plot point for book 3 because I am Like That (also this is the last part of this dream)

Content warnings: general death and a little blood I guess, but not as intense as the first two

“I came to save you,” I tell her.

She smiles sadly. Sweetly. Perfectly. “Nothing can save me. But I was harsh before. Perhaps you don’t deserve this. You’re going to get it either way.”

And the world crystallizes into somewhere else. Somewhere new. I don’t recognize the icy street, the piles of snow taller than Kris that line either side, the buildings around us containing far more glass than stone. The cars are odd too, larger and rounder than any I’ve ever seen. Cassandra still stands beside me. Her skirt whips in the winter wind, but she doesn’t seem to feel cold. The snow crunches sharply under my feet, but neither of us leave footprints behind as we walk down the street.

I look harder at the cars.

This is the future.

I wonder when this is and if I’m dead yet, but it doesn’t seem likely. I’m not so lucky.

As soon as I realize that even the wind is silent, the sound returns in a painful roar that makes me flinch before settling into the mostly-expected: howling wind, the distant thrum of traffic, voices yelling and laughing. But there is an unexpected noise, too. It reminds me at first of the clatter of pots pushed off the shelf when you’re too small to grab them properly. But no, I know this sound. It sounds like…fighting. Weapons clashing and angry yells, but on a larger scale than any battle I’ve been in.

Cassandra is walking calmly towards the sound, so I follow her.

We started off several blocks away, and as we approach the clatter becomes a roar. I recognize the red and gray uniforms from the Veil Guard posters. Their enemies, to my shock, are clearly actual Fae in actual armor with crystal weapons. There are many more humans, but even so they seem impressively evenly matched.

The human closest to us is a beautiful man with bright red hair, uneven teeth, and freckles scattered like stars over his skin. He’s laughing in the same kind of ferocious delight I hate myself for when a sword sprouts through his chest. A shining metal sword. His blood arcs in bright droplets onto the snow and when I look for the human traitor behind him, I see no one there. The man gurgles and falls, kept half on his knees by the hilt sticking out of his back.

None of the other soldiers seem to notice right away, and I’ve just taken a step forward when the scene melts again.

For a long stretch, we are Nowhere. There is no color and nothing to see or hear. It’s not dark or light. The usual weight and soft rush of silence are gone. I am surrounded by true Nothing. Cassandra is still next to me, but we are no longer standing because there is no ground beneath us.

Before I can open my mouth to complain about any of this, Cassandra speaks in her soft, sad voice. “That was, perhaps, unfair. Let me make it up to you.”

I’m not sure I understand what was unfair. What did she just show me? A battle I wasn’t part of? A stranger dying? Fae overtaking a city I’ve never been to? I feel like every time I was stuck in a conversation that made no sense to me as a child, with everyone else nodding along.

But the world is already resolving itself into something new. I’ve never seen this particular small apartment before with its faded blue curtains, cracked dining chairs, and dusty lamps. But I recognize it in a general sense. I know the stone making up the view across the street and the chill radiating from the closed window. The radio on the hearth looks like the one Jim owns. We’re back in the city.

It takes a moment, in that dreamlike way, for me to realize the room isn’t empty, and that I know the woman sitting in the rocking chair. Her dark hair is limp and uncurled, her wrinkles deeper, and her eyes dull, but standing across the room from Mom still sends a jolt down my spine.

I turn to scream at Cassandra—and maybe to see if she’s real enough to be stabbed—when Mom opens her mouth to cough. And cough and cough. She doesn’t stop for a long time. No one comes to check on her.

“This is today,” says Cassandra, her tone unchanged. “She will be dead by next week.”

I let that sink in. Mom, finally gone. Mom, alone and uncoiffed, dying in this sad little apartment.

At last, I smile.

And then I remember something. “But you can’t want this.”

Cassandra only shrugs. “Like I said, I’m not here.”

I look at her, harder this time. Her face is more expressive than mine, but I’ve only seen her express a graceful sadness that would get old fast if she didn’t smile and nod when told to. Her hands are still but her shoulders hunch a little, like she’s trying to disappear into herself. I wonder if they wouldn’t be as happy with her as I thought.

“Thank you,” I manage, before the scene melts again.

General tag list: @ashirisu

Cold Iron tag list: @amielbjacobs @stesierra @ettawritesnstudies @the-inkwell-variable

[kelin-is-writing]

How would Dabi react to you feeling stressed/having a panic attack?

tw: panic attack.

dabi x fem!reader

it was since you woke up that you felt something heavy loom inside your chest and it was hard to breath, the amount of workload of those weeks was starting to get at you. dabi knows you well and has seen that there was something off in you that day even though you kept tell him it was nothing, smiling with your face but not eyes and that unsettled him.

as the day goes you, and you went to work, that overwhelming feeling inside your chest made you more and more uncomfortable than in the morning, it wasn’t helping you that things at your workplace were getting rough and your chief was in a bad mood making it hard on all the workers.

to make your emotional situation worse, after lunch break you were the one who got called out by your section’s chief for a little mistake you made in the file of an important document, a mistake you made in a moment you were unfocused, on the edge, to the point you even started to have cold sweat and shivers all over your body from how overwhelmed you were feeling.

as you kept listening to your chief screaming at you about that mistake, tears were starting to prickling at your eyes, lips trembling and slowly you were getting dizzy too, praying inside for all this to end as quickly as possible and when you were finally dismissed to your place, the want and need to get home only kept getting stronger.

finally arriving at home, you stopped at the entrance taking off your shoes and when you saw dabi’s boots there too a sob naturally left your mouth as tears started swelling up blurring your view; without even minding your shoes anymore you let your bag fall to the ground and rushed inside, reached the living room you looked around in tears and breath getting heavier by the second.

hearing all that commotion, dabi came out of your bedroom confused “so it’s you? i thought–”, he stopped the moment he saw the condition you were in.

when you saw him come out of your room, that was when you broke down crying profusely falling to the floor sobbing and starting to gasp for air; alarmed he rushed at your side right away resting his hands on your trembling shoulders right away, scanning you all over to see if there was something wrong before bending down to lock eyes with you, panic inside his eyes “baby what’s wrong?”, holding onto his forearms your breathing starts to get so erratic that a cough fit explodes, making it difficult for you to speak as your brain was starting to get foggy too “i can’t... breath...”, you managed weakly feeling your heartbeats thump fast inside your ribcage, body starting to tremble even more from all the overwhelming feelings you were holding back pouring out at once.

pressing his lips into a thin line “i’ll move you to the couch?”, dabi slid an arm around your back and the other under your knees lifting you up frantically, hurrying his way to the couch he delicately sat you on it before sitting at your side cupping your face with his palms slowly turning you to him to make your eyes lock “princess, try to focus on my voice...”, he spoke with calm voice and warm tone, despite feeling it far as you couldn’t still steady your breathing feeling it was about to crush you and tears unable to stop as you clung onto his shoulders for dear life, you nodded a few times. dabi felt a pang in his chest while seeing you like that “good. now look at me: breath in... breath out... slowly...”, he then started showing you how to do it, so you could mimic what he was doing and so you did, slowly, just like how dabi instructed “yeah... just like that... slowly in... and then out...”, and when he saw you keep doing as he said, his arms went to surround your shoulders gently pulling you to his chest, then with one hand he started to caress your head reassuringly “everything will be fine, i’m here with you, always.”, he kept reassuring you with both caresses and words as your breathing slowed down, heartbeats starting to get steady.

after you’ve calmed down, he moved face to face with you and moved strands of hair from your face before resting his palms on the sides of your neck, thumbs stroking tenderly your tear stained cheeks while staring lovingly into your eyes “you’re not alone baby, i’ll always be by your side.”, you nodded sniffing leaning in to hug his torso, muttering an hoarse “thank you...” as he hummed in response while hugging you back “now, what happened to break you like that?”, he asked with a deep and calm voice, way too calm actually.

the next day, when you arrived to work, you saw everyone split in groups whispering while looking at your section chief at his desk with hands in the hair looking desperate and disheveled, muttering under his breath on the brink of tears.

when you asked your co-workers what happened to him, they told you that that morning the section chief’s car suddenly blew up in front him out of nowhere.

[demosuo]

The Snow Melted (Giyuu Tomioka x Reader)

pt: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Word count: 5.6k

You could see the house in the distance and were very close to passing out. The journey back was a lot more tiring than you thought it would’ve been.

How much sleep did you end up getting during the trial? You haven’t had much to eat or drink either.

Your injuries and aching legs did not help either. You held on to your walking stick, which you grabbed from the ground at some point, trying to push through the snow-covered floor. The sun had set, it was dark and cold, the only source of light being the full moon.

“Fuyuhito… I’m here.” You were way too far for him to even have a chance of hearing you, but by some miracle, you listened to the familiar muffled sound of the door opening. He looked around, moving his lantern to get a better view outside.

His eyes landed on you and the state you were in. He placed the lantern on the ground before sprinting forward. Your vision was starting to get blurry, your body doesn’t seem like it could walk a straight line. You were going to pass out.

“(Y/N)!” His voice reached your ears, a smile seeping onto your lips before your eyes closed. You felt yourself fall but not onto the ground, more in the arms of your master. “You look horrible.”

He scanned your body, looking at all the blood-soaked bandages and gauze. He carefully picked you up, quickly rushing you back into the house, where he could tend to your wounds and warm you up. Sometimes he wished he wasn’t always in the snow.

As the few days flew by, he would make sure to clean your wounds and re-wrap them in a cleaner bandage. He would let you get the much-needed sleep your body craved, only waking you up to feed you and have small banter before watching you go back to sleep.

Another day came back and the former snow hashira was on his way to your room. He carried a tray of food to your room, careful not to spill any of the liquids. He set the tray down, knocking on your door, letting you know that he was here before entering. He furrowed his brows at your disorientated state.

You were sat up, slouched over staring into space. The few lanterns scattered around the room light up your face; you’ve been crying. Your breathing was uneven, hiccuping every so often. Your hair looked messy and tangled as if you’d been running your hands through it and pulling at it. The look in your eyes looked absent, almost as if you were staring through the floor.

“You okay?” He hurried over to your side, placing the tray of food to the side.

“I’m going to rub your back, are you comfortable with that?”

You gave him a nod, relaxing your body as you felt the gentle up-and-down motion pressing against you. He waited for you to calm down, he could hear your breathing slowly becoming rhythmic.

Did you have a bad dream? Did something happen during the final selection exam? Were you having flashes of your parents? Maybe you were missing someone? Were you falling into a depressive state? How could he help you?

He tapped your back to get your attention, wanting you to look at him. He didn’t want to speak up to avoid you getting startled and having another wave of emotions hit you.

“Do you want to talk about it? I’ll always listen to what you have to say.” His voice was hushed, and worry pooled in his eyes as he saw your blank stare. He felt like you saw through him like he wasn’t there. There was no glint, no sparkle, no life whatsoever in your eyes.

“I… I made a friend? I’m not sure, but I met these two guys before the exam started.” He knew where this was going, he knows the feeling all too well.

“I encountered them near the end and we were fighting this really big demon and we… They…” Fresh burning tears started to run down your face, a choked sob escaped from your lips.

“Shh… You’re okay.” He made himself comfortable next to you, keeping his hand rubbing your back. “What happened next?”

“One of them got hurt bad and the other…” You buried your head in your hands, feeling yourself starting to hyperventilate, “We both watched his head get crushed. That… That demon just tossed his dead body away like he was rubbish!” He moved his hand to your shoulder and pulled you into a side hug. You pulled your knees up, resting your head on them as you moved your hand up to grab at your hair.

Images and voices kept flashing in your mind; how injured Giyuu looked when you arrived at the scene, the taunting words of the hand demon, the giant hand wrapped around Sabito’s head, and the sound of his skull crushing.

He grabbed your hand, whispering out a quiet “don’t” as he eased your hand away from your scalp, doing the same with your other hand. He moved your hand to your side, watching you cross your arms around your legs.

“What were their names?” He asked, trying to move away from the topic of the unfortunate event.

“Giyuu Tomioka and Sabito, they’re really strong water breathers,” Your grip around your legs tightens, “Sabito was the one that died…”

The two of you stayed like that for a while, him rubbing the side of your arm while you cried to your heart's content. The man would grab your hands any time they would move up to do anything to harm you. The room felt darker, even when all the lanterns were still brightly lit.

“Do you want to see Tomioka again?” He whispered, his hand still rubbing your back.

“What do you mean?” You peered over at him confused. He saw how bloodshot red your eyes were, the way parts of your hair stuck to your face because of your tears. His heart wrenched at the sight; the last time he saw your tearful face was when he was training you with your father.

“I know the person who’s training him, we’re good friends. I can organise something with him to meet up. Although it will be a training session, I can’t let you get rusty now, can I?” He tried to humour you, hoping to brighten the room a bit. You rolled your eyes at him, turning your full body to face him.

“Please, I want to see Tomioka again. I need to make sure he’s okay.” There was that life in your eye again. He was going to do everything he can to keep that light in your eyes. You deserve only the best.

“Alright, I’ll write him a letter to organise something. But my dear snowflake, please do not neglect your own well-being. You’re equally as important as him.” He ruffled your hair before turning to your tray of food that has long gone cold. “I’m going to heat your food again, do you want to come with me or stay here?”

“Can I come with you?”

“Of course, you can.”

✧༺♡༻✧༺♡༻✧

Urokodaki was having similar issues, his student refused to leave his room. He would eat, drink water, train and then go back to lying in his bed. His heart wrenched for the boy, as much as he wanted to help, he had to wait for Giyuu to open up to him first. His home has never felt so quiet.

The older man went outside, hearing the familiar caw flying in his direction. He held his forearm out to the crow, waiting for it to perch on him. He grabbed the letter attached around its leg before heading back inside, bringing the crow with him to a table. He began to read the contents of the letter, furrowing his brows in confliction.

Dear Sakonji, I hope this letter finds you well.

It has come to my attention that our students have met during the exam and have potentially befriended one another. I would like to offer a training session for them to meet once again. They fought alongside each other during the final selection, and my student is quite worried about him. Please respond to my letter when you get the chance.

I hope you stay healthy,

Fuyuhito Touwa

Urokodaki sat there, re-reading the message over and over again. He couldn’t think of anything going wrong other than it being awkward for Giyuu. He began to write a letter back, agreeing to the offer. He can only hope that Fuyuhito’s student was able to cheer Giyuu up, one way or another.

He can only hope. He missed the noise in his home.

✧༺♡༻✧༺♡༻✧

The former snow Hashira grinned as he read the letter, quickly rushing towards your room to tell you the good news. He knocked on your door, waiting for your answer before going in.

“We’re going to make a trip to Mount Sagiri tomorrow morning, you better get some rest before then!” Sometimes you wondered if the man was really in his early 40s. You looked up from your bed, staring at him as if he was a wild animal. “Now, what’s with that face, I thought you would be excited?”

“How do you have so much energy? It’s so late.”

“Maybe you’re just getting old.”

“... And that’s coming from you?”

“I- Hey!”

✧༺♡༻✧༺♡༻✧

The next morning came, and you and the former snow Hashira began your journey to Mount Sagiri when the sun started rising above the horizon.

He led the way with a quick pace, wanting to make it before the sunset, even if you did have the entire day to walk to the next mountain. He expects you to keep up with him, with no complaints.

The two of you would start banter, sometimes bickering over nothing before going back to having playful banter.

Fuyuhito would tell you stories of his Hashira days, some about the weird or interesting demons he had to kill, and some about the dumb stuff he and the other former hashira’s got up to.

“Sakonji and I tried to pull this prank on Shinjuro-”

“You guys did not.”

“We did, I had to beg Sakonji to go along with it.”

The duo made a straight journey to the mountain, only to take a break for lunch. Food is important! God knows how long the two have been walking for but by the time the two of you arrived at the destination, the sun was quickly disappearing along the horizon.

“Sakonji!” The former Hashira called out, knocking loudly on his door. The door opened to reveal a slightly shorter man wearing a cloud-patterned kimono and a red tengu mask.

“It’s nice to see you again, Fuyuhito. You must be (Y/N), he’s told me quite a bit about you. Please address me as Urokodaki.” He gave you a low bow out of respect, you doing the same for the older man. The former water Hashira made his way out of the house, sliding the door closed behind him. “Let’s talk first.”

He led the way to a shaded place near a waterfall. The two older men caught up with one another, Fuyuhito doing most of the talking while trying to include both of you in the conversation. You tried to make yourself seem professional, nervous to make a wrong move around the stranger.

The trio sat down, you were finally able to give your feet a rest after, quite literally, walking for the entire day. The sound of the waterfall puts you at ease, just hearing the water rushing and the cool mist that would wash over you every now and then. You took the chance to catch your breath, taking in multiple deep breaths, inhaling the scent of the surroundings and letting it back out.  

“Can I ask you something, (Y/N)?” You snapped your head towards the voice. You straightened yourself up and nodded at the tengu-masked man.

“Would you be able to tell me what happened during the final selection? I heard you were there with Giyuu.” His voice was stable yet you could hear the worry in his words. You pressed your lips together, you were expecting the question to pop up, but you weren’t prepared to answer it. Should you?

“I’m sorry, Master Urokodaki, but I feel it’s better if you heard it from Tomioka himself rather than from me. I only bumped into him and Sabito during the last night of the exam.” You gave him an apologetic look, he understood nonetheless. It was worth a shot, if anything, he respected you for how you answered.

“I apologise for asking such a personal question, I’m quite worried about him. The last time I saw him like this was when I found him passed out in the mountains when he was younger.” The older man stopped at that, giving enough yet not enough context. You couldn’t even imagine how bad things were for him before Urokodaki took him in. Fuyuhito seemed to have understood what he was hinting at though.

“I’ll try and have a chat with him when I can but I can’t make any promises.”

“Please don’t stress about it too much. He’ll open up when he’s ready to,” Even with the red mask covering his face, you could feel how his expression softens. He did care for him as if he was his family, “I’ll go grab him now, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”  He got up and left, leaving you with Fuyuhito.

“Are you nervous to see Tomioka again?”

“A little, but I feel like things will be okay.” You were very nervous and to Fuyuhito, it was very obvious. You fiddled with the end of your sleeves, tugging and twisting at the fabric. Just as the older man was about to say a few words of comfort, a pair of footsteps were heard approaching them.

“Giyuu, your footsteps are quite loud.”

“Sorry.”

You snapped your head in the direction of the voices, keeping your eyes set on the water breather. His hair was messy and he was wearing two haori’s on top of one another. Emotions started to overwhelm you, it’s only been close to a week since you’ve last seen Giyuu.

He plagued your mind with worry. Was he eating? Sleeping well? Was he training himself to the brink of passing out? Was he looking after himself? God, maybe you’ve been worrying about him more than you should’ve.

Giyuu’s footsteps faltered upon seeing you sitting near the waterfall. You were really here? He froze, what if you’re here to berate him for not acting quickly enough? But you stuck by his side until the end of the night and held him, you wouldn’t do that. But what if you’re here just to tell him how angry or upset you were with him? Master Urokodaki would never let that happen. But… What if, what if, but what if…

“You’re thinking too loudly,” A hushed voice cut through his thoughts. He stared at his master, trying his best to keep a calm composure. “They’re here to see you, nothing more or less. (Y/N) has been worried.”

“Tomioka…” Your whisper reached his ears. He felt a sense of warmth bubble inside him. His hands started to feel clammy, his breath became uneven. He watched as the older man next to you placed his hand on your back, seemingly giving you a light push while saying something to you.

And with that, you bolted towards him. Something came over him. As you got closer, he held his arms out, slowly lifting them up. You practically leapt at him, your arms wrapped tightly around his neck as your body collided. He stumbled backwards, almost falling over from the impact. His arms immediately wrapped around your waist, his hold was equally as tight, his hand gripping the back of your haori.

This felt right.

Your breathing was heavy from the sudden burst of energy that ran through you. With another tight squeeze, you lifted your head up to look at him. Your hands cupped his cheek, bringing his face close to yours. His breath hitched, and his eyes widened from the close proximity.

“What-”

“How have you been holding up?” You began. You titled his head to the side, trying to look at his face to find any signs of illness. His face started to feel warm in your hands. “Are you down with something? You said you would look after yourself.”

He moved his head away from your hands, burying his head into the crook of your neck. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest, he was nervous. Just nervous. That was it, he was… Nervous?

Everything was happening so quickly, he couldn’t keep up. Emotions were hitting him one after another yet he felt so warm. Your arms went back around his neck, holding him until you felt him letting go.

The two older men stood to the side, one was simply happy seeing the scene play out in front of him while the other was about to rip you away from the other student like an overprotective father. Nonetheless, he was happy.

✧༺♡༻✧༺♡༻✧

You tossed and turned in your futon. No matter how hard you tried, you could not get yourself to sleep for the life of you. You felt so tired before, what happened? With one last attempt, you closed your eyes to try and get some decent sleep. You felt restless, you felt worried, and your thoughts started to pour in one by one, eventually filling your mind to the brim.

As Fuyuhito mentioned, you and Giyuu got into a spar to test each other’s abilities. Giyuu was holding back during the spar, there was clearly something on his mind. Even during dinner, he was distracted. He needed small reminders that there was nothing in his bowl as he was zoned out.

A sigh escaped your lips as you propped yourself up by your arms, trying to mentally tell your body to stand. With two feet finally planted on the ground, you slipped out of your room, making your way to Giyuu’s, hoping that he was also awake at this time of night.

“Tomioka? Are you awake?” Your voice was hushed, as you knocked on his door. You waited around for a minute, hoping that he would answer or at least slide open his door.

Alas, the door quietly opened, showing a sleep-deprived man.

“You look terrible, have you not been sleeping?” You gently moved your hands up to cup his face once again, tilting his head at different angles to get a better look at the bags under his eyes. You had noticed them before but you never realised how dark they really were.

“I… I can’t sleep…” He murmured. As much as he wanted to remain in your hands, he moved his head away from your hands before stepping to the side of his door, letting you enter his room. He slid his door closed before moving to grab one of the lanterns littered around his room. The only source of light was the white moon shining through the window before a dim, warm orange coloured the room. “Is there something you need?”

“I couldn’t sleep either. We haven’t had a chance to talk one-on-one yet. You’ve been on my mind ever since the exam, Tomioka. I’ve… Been worried about you.” You made yourself comfortable on his bed, watching him join you. You noticed the red haori was on his bed, along with the green and yellow haori that Sabito once wore besides his pillow. He grabbed them both and kept them close to his sides as if they would be taken away if they weren’t within arm's reach of him. Oh, this poor, poor guy.

“You’re… Worried about me?” Something inside him felt warm after hearing your concerns for him. Master Urokodaki did say that you were worried but hearing you say it from your own mouth, made him feel different. He didn’t understand it but he didn’t want to acknowledge it either. But it felt so foreign to him, were you really worried? Or were you trying to get something out of him by being nice?

“Of course I am, Master Urokodaki has been really worried about you too,” You leaned your body over, trying to get a glimpse of his face. His long black hair covered his face, and the light of the lantern created shadows on him. “I want to help you, but only when you’re ready.”

You watched as his face contorted through different emotions. A look of hesitance, a look of conflict and then a look of resistance. His mouth opened, wanting to respond but nothing came out. You waited patiently for him to speak, not wanting to push him too much.

“I… I can’t stop thinking about what happened to Sabito…” He began, he gripped onto both of the haori’s, wrapping his arms around them as he kept them close to his chest. “If I hadn't gotten injured, I could’ve been faster and helped him. I could’ve saved him. I don’t deserve to be a demon slayer, I’m useless.” His voice was low and quiet, it sounded so void of any emotion yet you could catch a glimpse of pain.

“That’s not true, Tomioka,” You cooed at him. “I’m going to rub your back, is that okay with you?” He nodded.

For some reason he was bracing himself for a harsh impact, only to be met with a gentle hand stroking his back with delicacy and care.

“You can keep talking if you want, I’m not going anywhere. You’re also more than welcome to kick me out of your room, I won’t take any offence to it, promise.” There was that warm feeling again.

All the thoughts that plagued his mind, the endless nightmares, the loud voices in his head, the scene of his best friend dying repeatedly playing whenever he closed his eyes. He told you everything. Why? He couldn’t give you a straight answer if you were to ask him, but there was something to you. He felt… Safe.

He would stop talking every so often to see your reaction. What if he was just being dramatic? Or overreacting? Maybe it was all just in his head. But the second you spoke your reassurance, all those ‘what if’s’ would slither back to the corner of his mind.

You would give him small words of encouragement to keep talking, you didn't push him, reminding him that he didn’t have to tell you everything if he wasn’t ready. The cycle would continue; he would spill everything he was feeling, frequently stopping as he would start overthinking only for you to give him the reassurance he needed. Tears started falling the more he kept venting; everything he had bottled up finally shattered in pieces.

“I’m here, I’m listening, I promise.”

“Are you holding up okay? Do you want to talk about something else or take a break?”

“You’re doing really well, I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me this.”

He bunched up the coats in his arm, trying to form a bundle that felt better to hold. You glanced down at the haori’s often before an idea popped into your head. The two of you have been sitting in comfortable silence for a little bit now, who knows how long the two of you have been talking? His breath was still heavy but it became rhythmic, indicating that he was calming down. You tapped his back, making him look over at you.

“You’re allowed to say no to this idea, but do you want to sew those two haori’s together?” He looked down at the bundle of cloth, seeming hesitant about the idea. “We’d be able to make two of them when we cut them in half so you’re not wearing the same one every single day. You won't be apart from them for long either if you had two.” You moved your hand up to his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. “Again, you can say no to this idea.”

Wearing both haori’s at the same time made it hard to move in, but he didn’t feel comfortable wearing one and not the other. He tore his eyes away from the coats, locking eyes with you.

“Could we do that?”

“Of course! Do you have a sewing kit somewhere? Or even just a needle and some thread?” Taking both coats with him, he walked over to the table in his room. Grabbing a small wooden back, he shuffled his way back to you.

You sat in the middle of the bed, patting the space in front of you for him to sit and put all the items down. He stood by the side of the bed, staring intently at the spot next to you. The two just stared at each other until it clicked for you. You moved to the side of the bed, patting the spot next to you this time. He placed everything in front of you before making himself comfortable by your side. Opening up the wooden box, you saw a couple of small, thin needles and rolls of thread along with some scissors. Perfect.

You handed him the fabric scissors before grabbing the green and yellow haori, laying it completely flat on the soft surface. You were hoping that the line from the squares would make things easier to cut a straight line. He looked at you confused, not sure of what to do.

“I want you to cut down the middle, I’ll hold it down so it’ll hopefully be easier,” You gripped the top and the bottom of the coat, showing him where to cut. He held the scissors open, hovering them near the fabric. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Snip snip snip

He made careful cuts up the fabric, following the lines provided by the squares to make a straight cut. When he made the final snip, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. You separated the fabric, flipping one over onto the other to see how equal they were.

“You actually did a really good job.” You said with shock. You had faith in the man but you weren’t expecting him to do this well! You placed one of the halves to the side before grabbing the red haori. You lined up the half haori on top of the red one, trying to make sure it was sitting just right. “Now you can use this to cut the red one.” The process repeated once more. He carefully made small but precise cuts into the fabric as you held it down tightly. When he was done, he looked at the four bits of fabric that lay across his bed.

“Do you know how to sew?” You asked, watching him shake his head. “I’ll start one off for you to show you how it’s done and then I’ll work on the other one. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes.” He hadn’t spoken much, his actions expressed enough for you to know the answer. Still, the sound of his voice made your heart beat just that little bit faster than before. You started off the stitch, explaining how to continue and how to finish off the stitch at the end. You handed him the needle and the pair of fabric, watching him attempt his first stitch. “Like this?”

“Yeah! Make sure you pull it tight but not too tight or else the thread will snap.” You kept observing him, watching him make a couple more stitches before feeling confident enough to look away and start on the other pair. It was silent between the two of you but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Both were too concentrated to bother with starting small talk.

“Thank you…” A small mumble broke the silence. You looked at him, noticing how he had turned his head away from you so you wouldn’t see his face. The urge to hold him was very strong but you must resist.

“What for?” He looked down at the haori in his head, trying to focus back on the needle and thread. You got the hint; letting out a quiet chuckle before doing the same. Were his cheeks always a little red?

✧༺♡༻✧༺♡༻✧

God knows what the time is currently and how long the two of you have been sitting around sewing, but you were finally done. You tighten the knot at the end, being confident that it won’t fall apart after one wash. You stuck the needle back in the spool, hoping that it won’t come out and be lost in the sheets. Holding the fabric up, you tried to look for any inconsistent patterns or gaps within the stitch.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah! Are you done too?” You turned to look at his progress, noticing how he was almost done. After one final close-up look at the haori in your hand, you scooched closer to the man. You placed one hand behind him for leverage as you leaned over his shoulder. “Woah, you’re doing so good!”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

You stayed like that, watching him finish off the haori with a final couple of stitches. You turned to stare at him. You noticed how uneven his bangs were, yet how perfectly they framed his face. The way his face had a few blemishes and tiny scars, unnoticeable unless you took a closer look at them. He copied your actions from before, taking a close look to find any flaws within his stitches. He also held it close to you just so you could help him look.

You didn’t say anything, were you not happy with how he did? He thought he did a good job? You’re judging him. You must be if you’re not saying anything.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you, did you say something?” You brushed his hair to the side, tucking it behind his ear. The grip he had on the fabric tightened. He wasn’t uncomfortable, the touch was foreign but he didn’t hate it. Not a single bit.

“How… How does it look?” You reluctantly moved your eyes away from him to inspect his needlework.

“Woah, are you sure you haven’t sewn before? Not even fixing up a tear in your clothes?”

“Master Urokodaki would always do it for me and I would watch.” He whispered. You grabbed the haori you worked on and handed it to him, a small smile crawling onto your lips.

“Go ahead and try it on.” He put down the one he held in his lap before grabbing yours. You gave him some space so you could put his arms through the sleeves. He pulled the fabric tightly, wrapping it around his body. A sense of comfort washed over him as he stared at the mismatched fabric. “It suits you.” You chuckled, watching him admire the fabric.

The two sat in comfortable silence once more, with rustles of fabric swaying around. He held the second pair close to his chest, now he won’t be away from either one. 

Fatigue finally caught up to the black-haired man. It was like a blanket covered him as he felt himself starting to doze off. The restless nights where he stayed up burying himself with the voices in his head finally caught up to him.

You felt a small weight hit your shoulder. Glancing over at him, you found him sound asleep. Carefully grabbing the haori, you folded it neatly, gently placing them at the foot of the bed.

Turning your body towards the man, you wrapped your arm around his shoulder, the other holding onto the back of his head to lay him down. Removing your hand, you moved it to brush the bit of hair covering his face. You have been so focused on his face for whatever reason, you couldn’t keep your eyes away from him.

So pretty…

A finger moved to caress the side of his face, there was something to him that made your heart bloom. He leaned in towards your touch, letting out an incoherent murmur.

Should you stay? Would he be okay if he woke up to you sleeping next to him? What if he woke up from a nightmare and you weren’t there to help calm him down? Do you leave? Maybe he’ll be okay after opening up to you about everything. You can always check up on him in the morning.

Letting out a sigh, you decided to stay but you were to sleep on the other side of the bed. You wiggled your other arm out from underneath him but before you could move to the edge of the bed, a hand curled around the ends of your sleeve.

“Stay..?” A voice just barely above a whisper spoke out. You held onto his hand, not feeling the tender smile that crept onto your lips.

“Of course, I’m not going anywhere.” Your tone of voice mimics his. You made yourself comfortable as you laid down close to him, as opposed to the edge of the bed. 

By the time your head hit the pillow, you were overcome with melatonin. You didn’t realise how badly your body wanted to rest and hopefully have a sleep-in. Your hand remained on Giyuu’s, your grip loosening as you drifted off into the darkness.

Hopefully, tonight would be the night when the nightmares would stay away. Even if it’s just for tonight.

---------

Idk if y'all could tell, but I am very obsessed with his face. He's so pretty orz

Reblogs and comments are appreciated! I would love to hear what people want to say about this ♡

[devnmon]

A Familiar Notion.

Chapter Two: Written in My Stars

Summary: Just another day in the apocalypse with the Dixon brothers. Daryl and Merle continue to try and find a better place for them to stay, instead of being on the run for days on end.

Daryl Dixon x Reader

Series Masterlist | Playlist

Chapter warnings: typical twd violence, walkers, scary situations

wc: 2.6k

After he'd returned to camp, Daryl shacked in with his brother for the night, hoping to stay alive to another day.

The next morning, Daryl continued his travels with Merle, finding some wild veggies to cook up with the usual squirrel they had each night. He gathered all the ripe tomatoes, cucumbers and red bell peppers he could find.

Paired with the squirrel Daryl had caught again, it made for a hearty meal to sustain the two for the long journey the brothers were making today. With their campsite packed up once again, Daryl and Merle set out for their travels.

The thicker they went into the forest, the more geeks came across their path. Each one that trampled towards the brothers was at a different stage of decomposition, snarling and covered in blood from what could have only been from others, since dead people don't bleed.

“Oh damn, that’s what those things look like? They’re uglier than hell.” Merle's walker experience is little to none, and Daryl views the visual disgust in his brother as they keep sauntering forward.

This being his first time seeing a walker makes him stand still for a second, Daryl behind him, watching it get closer.

“The hell you doin’?”

His eyes followed the walker treading close to his brother, ready at any moment's notice to fire an arrow into its brain, something holding him back.

Merle acts before he’s given the chance, taking off running towards the walking corpse and pushing it into the ground. He's laying several blows onto its torso, before Daryl realizes that Merle doesn’t know how to actually kill walkers.

He’s never had to before.. huh. Explains a lot.

Before he knows it, Daryl’s taken a few steps forward to where his brother is and calls out to him.

“Merle! Get up!”

The moment the brothers eyes meet each other, Daryl can read the uncertainty on Merle’s face like a book. It’s an expression he doesn’t see in his brother of all people, even on rare occasions. Merle pushes the walker away again before getting up and leaving Daryl to deal with it. The arrow loaded in his bow flies through the air, piercing through its decaying skull, falling to the ground. He saunters over to it, hand wrapping around the thin wood to retrieve his arrow.

A moment passes and Daryl looks up, seeing Merle staring down at him.

With a grunt, he treads past him. Each time he’d lift his feet, they felt heavy, like weights around his ankles.

“You could at least say thanks..” He mutters under his breath, knowing even if Merle heard him, he wouldn’t be on the receiving end of gratitude. Daryl is a few feet away from his brother when he finally catches up to him, voice somewhat irritated in the fact that he’d just saved his brother’s life.

“Ho-how’d you know how to put those things down?”

“Saw one the other night. ya gotta get the brain. That’s how they go down, not the body. Ain’t like those tweekers you used to fight. Ain’t nowhere close to that.” Daryl thinks he hears his brother snicker under his breath at what he’s said, but isn’t reassured fully until he speaks.

“Oh yeah, little brother. You got that right. For once.” He laughs again, chuckling for a few more seconds before more geeks are trailing onto their path. Again, Merle rushes forward, but glances back to Daryl before plunging his knife into the side of one’s head. Daryl’s arrows take down about six or seven more before a while passes, realizing the herd hasn't minimized at all.

"What is this, some kinda parade? Huh? They let all the geeks out of one place, or what? Why's there so damn many comin' outta nowhere?!" Merle grunted, yanking his knife from the skull out of one of them.

"Maybe they're bein' drawn from someplace or somethin'... Ah hell man, I got no clue! There's too damn many for us to keep goin' like this!" Daryl started pushing the dead ones into each other, toppling over onto the ground in a pile, making a run through the opening he'd made and darted around what was left of them. Merle followed hastily, almost toppling over a couple of them on the ground.

Soon, the stench of all the walking corpses on their tail was the only thing Daryl had in his mind, that and the fact that he had to keep running if he wanted to stay alive. Leaves crunched under the burning soles of his feet now, his bow and pack bounced against the muscles of his back.

Soon enough, the trees thinned and came to a clearing on the side of an abandoned road. Daryl glanced behind him, to see if his brother still followed, before going further.

To avoid being seen by anyone possibly on the road, he crouched down, knees hitting the dirt before spotting his older brother not too far behind him, signaling to the road they'd come upon.

"We lose that herd?" Daryl spoke with a whisper to his brother.

"Yeah, but not for long.. I cut 'em off at the pass. Just a matter of time before they find us again. We gotta get outta here. Maybe one of these cars has enough gas for us to high tail it to someone's camp." Merle chuckled to himself, still amused at the fact that Daryl agreed to his plan in the first place.

He'd glanced behind him again, calculating how much time they would have, crouched on the side of this road, until the small herd caught up with them.

Knowin' Merle, he's gotta have blocked that herd with somethin' big, maybe led 'em into a building or threw shit on top of 'em. Either way, we don't got a lot of time..

Broken down cars cluttered the road, a gas station visible behind them, perched on the other side of the road, now that they'd made it closer. Before advancing again, the sound of a motor down the road rang out, startling the two, lowering themselves even further onto the ground to avoid being seen. He sent a signal to Merle that told him he'd get closer for a better look.

As Daryl crawled low to the ground, his eyes spotted the vehicle, as it rolled closer to the wreckage of cars on the road.

Then his hunter's vision made out the symbols on the car.

It was a police vehicle.

What's a damn sheriff' doin' out here? Thought they ditched out on law enforcement...

Daryl's thoughts berated him, silently watching the car come to a stop. What he saw next astounded him in a new way. The man stepped out of the vehicle with a gas can in his left hand, his right falling to his side. He wore a light tan sheriff's shirt and a brown cowboy hat.

Man's even got his full uniform on... doesn't know how to let go of the old world.

That thought made Daryl's gaze on the man falter, glancing down to the ground for a minute, pondering about the many things he missed about regular life.

Late nights at bars with Merle, riding bikes with him and the guys he rolled with, buying a fresh pack of smokes from the convenience store, freshly made food that didn't have a chance to poison him from being expired.

Daryl's life before the turn was only eventful if Merle had said it was going to be. After high school, he tagged along on merle's every day, mostly illegal, activities. On the off chance they weren't doing something along those lines, the police somehow always got involved. All Daryl mostly remembers from those times is being pulled away from a random person Merle happened to start an argument with.

It always ended the same way, with Daryl explaining what occurred, and covering for his older brother's irresponsible ass straight to the officer's faces.

With perfect timing, Merle's hand on his shoulder pulled him away from the daydream.

"The hell ya doin, day dreamin'?" Merle whispered, glancing over the cars and then back to Daryl. He cleared his throat before pointing his gaze back to the road.

It was then Daryl realized that he had lost his visual on the sheriff.

Shit.

"You seen that guy? In a sheriff's uniform?" Daryl whispered back, scanning the immediate area for the man. His muscles tensed, pulling the bow from his back. Merle nodded, pulling out his gun.

"Yeah.. Man don't know what he's gettin' into here."

Daryl gave his brother a look, one he did when he was serious about something.

"Don't shoot him. Maybe he'll jus move on. Know for a fact he's lookin' for gas."

"Whatever. Better safe than sorry I always say." Merle shrugged, moving in between one of the cars.

Daryl scoffed at his brother, wanting to always shoot first ask questions later, or never, if the guy was dead before he could do so.

The sound of another pair feet shuffling came quickly, peeping through the car windows to see if it had been the man from before. Instead of seeing the cowboy hat through broken glass, he saw a head of long blonde hair.

The f-

The small steps were staggered, slowly walking through the maze of broken down vehicles. Noticing how small the person's figure was, Daryl guessed it was a young girl, picking up that the clothes she had on were pink pajamas, down to the slippers she wore. Low snarls fell from her figure, catching Daryl off guard as he jumped back for a moment in realization. He waited a moment to see if there was a possibility of getting a better look at her face, the girl turning her head.

A piece of her face was missing, eyes bloodshot and dead inside.

She had turned.

Poor kid. someone shoulda protected ya. Now you're one of those things..

Daryl was about to pull his bow and take the walker out, suddenly remembering he wasn't alone here. Putting the only walker in the area out with one of his arrows would only alert the other man of their presence, and so far, they were staying undetected by him.

The clicking of cowboy boots on hot pavement followed moments after, startling Daryl as he ducked down.

"Little girl?" He heard a southern voice call out.

That sheriff. Shit.

"I'm a police man.. Little girl?"

Daryl listened as her staggering footsteps stopped.

He knew this would end one of two ways, either the cop wouldn't have the guts to put down the kid and she'd get him, or the sound of his gunshot would attract the herd they'd been trying to lose.

"Don't be afraid, okay?" The sound of his boots were closer now, hearing the clinking of his heels closer to where he hid.

Silence rang out heavy in the air, praying to himself that merle wouldn't get too giddy with his ego and shoot the guy. Peeking around the corner of the car he was behind, he'd caught a glimpse of the sheriff, one clearer than before.

Though his back was turned, Daryl could see he was worried about the person he'd come upon.

He don't know she's a walker..

Daryl only watched in fear as he stepped closer.

Don't do it, man...

"Little girl..."

She turned around then, facing the man as low snarls fell from her. Blood dripped from her mouth, her footsteps picking up to head straight towards him.

The man's face dropped, realization washing over his face and painting it pale, like he'd just seen a ghost. Quickly drawing his pistol from the holder, a moment passed before one single gunshot rang out.

Daryl flinched at the sound, realization washing over him in realizing which choice the sheriff had made.

As Daryl calmed himself, he listened carefully to the sounds around him. The sound of the girl's body falling to the ground, followed by the booted feet backing up and roaming around the street.

Daryl moved back to the area he was in before, eyes on the man as he staggered back to his car, clearly disheveled after having to shoot the girl. It wasn't long after that before he started his vehicle up again and drove away.

The two waited until the sheriff's vehicle was out of sight, before standing up fully and walking into the road. Guards still up, they searched around the cars to make sure there were no other walkers lurking.

"Ugh, my back's killin' me. Don't yours hurt from all that layin' low?"

Merle, finding something else to complain about, what else is new.

Daryl glanced over to his brother in slight annoyance, then made his way around the car he'd been peeking through the windows of.

"Nah. gotta do that shit for huntin', why's now any different?"

"I'm just saying, we coulda taken that guy, easy." Merle shrugged, putting his pistol away in the back of his pants.

"Nah. he wasn't a threat, don' care if you could'a taken him or not."

Daryl left it at that with him and started scavenging anything he could make out would be useful. He picked through any cars that were vacant of bodies, still not used to the smell of human carcasses.

Dead animals he could handle, but dead people were still new to him.

"How long's it gonna be 'fore I sleep in a damn bed again..." Daryl mumbled to himself, hating the way sleeping on a cot had been for his back muscles. Though he didn't sleep more than a couple hours a night, he admitted to himself that he missed the softness of a mattress. He swore by his childhood bed, one that gave him the best sleep ever.

Daryl figured out that by the time Merle's plan fell through, they'd be out on the road for the rest of their lives. However long that was for them in this world.. he didn't know. But he was going to fight like hell every day to continue doing so.

"A'right, got what few supplies I could find... that gunshot is gonna bring those walkers right back onto our necks, if they're not on their way already. We gotta move now." Daryl spoke, walking over to Merle again.

"Or... we clear out a trunk or two of these cars and we stay the night here. Herd'll probably pass through... but if we stay hidden, they'll never know we're here.." Merle shrugged, that stupid look on his face again.

Was Daryl really about to go along with another one of his brother's plans? One that could possibly get him and his brother killed?

The thing was, his whole life, Daryl had a hard time saying no, especially to Merle. Call it his brotherly bond, or whatever fear Merle had installed in him by the time he was old enough to boss his younger sibling around.

"Well we gotta eat, can't go huntin' if there's a herd 'round.." Merle raised his hand, obnoxiously stopping his brother from going any further.

"Relax, baby brother. i found some food that'll last us the night. Now, we can split that and find some clean trunks to lay in. It'll be enough to keep us alive for the night."

Daryl had done a lot of things to survive, but never saw himself sleeping in a random broken down trunk of a car just to be able to get through another night. He didn't know how many more days of this he could take of this hardship.

Hesitantly, Daryl agreed, hearing enough of his brother's clever ideas for one day. They quickly rummaged through what was left of the camp on the side of the road, found which cars had clean enough trunks, and set up their rest spots for sleep.

It was just after dusk before the murmur of growls grew louder from the direction they had come. Daryl had set the trunk up with water, and his portion of the food Merle had found; using trash bags to block his flashlight from shining to the outside.

As he shut himself inside, the groans became even louder until the bodies bumped along the maze of cars on the road. Sweat ran down Daryl's face as he held his breath for as long as he could. Then he quietly steadied his breathing as the rest of the walkers passed through.

The trunk was crowded enough with Daryl and his belongings, his bow laying down near his feet in order to avoid being stabbed with an arrow, pack under his head as a pillow.

Not quite relaxed yet, Daryl lifted his head and pulled his pack onto his lap. Unbuckling it, he dug his hand in for his journal and pen. Once they were in his grasp, he clicked the flashlight on and held it in his mouth.

He figured if he were to get a decent night's sleep crammed in the trunk of a car, he should get his thoughts out so they didn't berate his mind all night long.

Daryl started a new entry under the first one written the other day, grasped the pen in his hand and put it to paper.

Day two

Tryin' to kill every geek we find has made me so tired, but we're just trying to somehow make it safer for us. Movin' through Georgia, feels different. Mean, I’m usually out here, the woods, but doesn't feel like the world’s ended. Feels like i can head back to Atlanta n it'll be like normal. But it ain't. Wont ever be the same. Gotta survive now.

With a sigh, he closed the journal and put it away. Before he drifted off to sleep, Daryl checked the interior ties around the lock of the trunk, making sure it was going to stay closed.

Daryl and Merle had even put walker guts on their trunks to mask whatever human smell lingered outside of the cars.

The Dixon brothers were very thorough.

Though he always doubted his safety in conditions like this, Daryl attempted to get a few hours of sleep amongst everything that had occurred. His eyelids heavy as they finally closed, breath steadying, eventually dozing off to sleep.

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[queen-of-deans-booty]

Devil May Care: Final Part

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.6k

Warnings: canon angst and violence

Summary: Castiel is missing after you told him to go to the Bunker after the angels fell. However, that is put on hold when Abaddon calls with two hostages that you now need to save.

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated.

x

You're about to do some serious damage when the diner in front of you lights up in white light. The angel inside Sam must have come out to play. Abaddon looks over at the diner in shock, loosening her grip on you.

"An angel?!"

"What, did you really think we'd come here without some backup?"

You look behind her and see a store window with some old mannequins. There are some clothes on metal hangers, and your hands light up blue just as your magic circles around the hanger. It wiggles itself free from the clothes before smashing through the glass window. The pointy side flies through the air at a great speed, and it impales Abaddon in the back.

You move your head back when the hanger comes out the other side, just inches from your neck. She gasps and staggers, and you take this opportunity to escape. You blast her back into the same store where the hanger came from. She lands in the store in a cloud of dust, and you rotate your shoulders to get the blood flowing again.

You get up and run over to the store only to see Abaddon gone and a bloody hanger in her place. Forgetting about her, you rush into the diner to see Dean and Sam standing around the demons' dead bodies along with Irv's. Sam has blue eyes, so you know it's the angel possessing him that's out right now.

"What the hell happened here?" you ask as Ezekiel pulls out the demon knife from one of the demons' chests.

"They were going to kill him, Y/N. I was protecting his brother. I thought that was what you two wanted."

"Yeah," you sigh. This is getting too heavy for you. Sam should know who is inside his body, but Dean has different views. "Is Sam okay?"

"He was knocked unconscious. In a way he still is. Sam will not remember any of this."

"So, what the hell are we supposed to tell him when he comes to?" Dean asks.

"That's why I used the knife," Ezekiel says, handing the demon knife over to Dean. "You might come up with a better excuse."

"Smart."

"You are troubled, still."

"Yeah, it's just that this is on me. I was the one who talked Sam out of boarding up Hell. Okay? So, every demon deal and every kill that they make, you're looking at the person who let it happen."

You roll your eyes and turn your back to Dean so he doesn't see how sick and tired you are of him using that excuse.

"You were protecting your brother. I am in Sam's head. Everything he knows, I know. I know that what you did, you did out of love."

"Look, Zeke--I'm gonna call you Zeke--if any of this goes sideways, that's on me too."

"Shut up with the 'it's my fault' shit. It's not your fault. Stop fucking acting like it. God damn," you snap. "Sam is his own person. He chose to listen to you. He could have gone through with it, but he didn't, so it's on all of us, not just you."

Dean is stunned into silence as your words weigh heavily on his shoulders.

"This is nuts," he finally says. "You're Sam but you're not Sam. If I can't talk to Y/N about it, then I'm usually talking to him. I'm trusting you, Zeke. I just gotta hope that you're one of the good guys."

"I am, but I suppose that is what a bad guy would say." He pauses before speaking again. "Dean Winchester, you are doing the right thing."

Ezekiel falls back into Sam's mind, and when your brother-in-law comes out, he falls on the ground since he is knocked out. Now that the dust has settled, you turn to Dean hoping he has moved on from what you said.

"Where is Tracy? I sent her your way."

"After I heard you were with Abaddon, I sent her to get the car. I would have gone with her, but we were swamped in here."

"Right, we should get our things. We're not needed here anymore. Abaddon says she wants Crowley, by the way. If we don't give him to her, she could pull another stunt like this."

"Yeah," Dean whispers.

Sam is out for another three minutes before he wakes up on his own. He freaks out from the loss of time, but when he sees you and Dean just fine, he calms down.

"What the hell happened?" Sam groans in pain.

"You took a shot to the head, and I came in and saved your ass, like usual," Dean lies smoothly. "Y/N was with Abaddon."

You look away in sadness because you hate lying to Sam like this. There has to be a better way for Sam to heal AND have him know what's going on.

"You killed three demons? Alone?"

"I took them by surprise. It got a little messy, and I got a little lucky." Dean helps Sam to his feet. "Oh, and I'm awesome, so there's that."

"Jeez. You are pretty damn awesome," Sam chuckles.

The sound of the Impala pulls outside the diner, and you're glad to get the hell out of this place. Dean finishes zipping his bag up, and the three of you walk outside to see Tracy leave the front seat.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Sam asks when he sees her.

"Yeah, you?"

"More or less."

"I got everything you asked for, but I guess I'm late for the party," she tosses the keys to Dean and gets into the backseat.

"Lucky you. Let's blow this toxic waste dump. Burgers and Silkwood showers on me," Dean declares before shoving his bags into the trunk.

All you need is to see your kids, and everything will be right in the world. Much like you anticipated, they were waiting for you as soon as you walked into the door.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Joanna says and runs over to you.

"My princess!" Dean grins and scoops Mary into his arms.

"I'm your princess," Joanna pouts when you pick her up.

"You're both my princesses," Dean kisses Mary's head. Kevin is nowhere to be found, and you grow a little worried for him. "Kevin?"

With no answer, Dean sets Mary down and both he and Sam rush downstairs to the dungeon where Crowley is. Everyone knows how Kevin feels about the demon, so it wouldn't surprise you if he killed him. Sam and Dean are relieved to see Crowley still locked up, but he is covered in bruises and cuts, no doubt from Kevin.

"Who worked you over?" Dean asks and leans against the doorframe.

"Martin Hayward and Brandon Favors," Crowley sighs.

"They did this to you?"

"No. They're demons. You asked for names, I'm giving you names. They're underperformers. You'll do me a favor by killing them."

"Wow, you break easily," Dean scoffs.

"Please. Your little plan to have me stew in my own delicious juices is pathetic. You want intel. I want things, too. Maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement. Quid pro quo, gentlemen."

"So, these are freebies?" Sam asks.

"Not at all. You can consider them fair trade for the enjoyment that Kevin gave me. He's my new favorite toy," Crowley smirks.

"You check the names, I'll go find the kid," Dean says to his brother.

Both he and Sam lock Crowley back up in the dark, and they go their separate ways. Dean makes it to the war room where he finds you and Kevin. Kevin has a backpack on like he's leaving, and you're without the kids, trying to convince him to stay.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"You can't keep me locked in here. I'm leaving."

"Kevin, please don't leave," you beg.

"Like hell you are! Man, we told you not to talk to Crowley, okay? He messes with your head."

"He said my mom's alive. Crowley said if I let him go, he'd give her back to me."

"He's lying, and if he somehow isn't, then she's dead. In every way that matters, she is dead. I know you're dying to bolt, man. I get it but out that door are demons and angels who would all love to get their hands on a prophet. So, even with Crowley here, this is still the safest place for you."

"We need you, Kevin," you say.

"Because I'm useful, right?"

"Because you're family," you say without hesitation. "After everything we've been through, and everything you've done for us... you're our family."

"She's right," Dean backs you up. "If you don't think that we would die for you... I don't know what to tell you." Kevin starts crying, but you know it's because he's overwhelmed by the love you're giving him. "You, me, Y/N, Sam, and Cas are all we've got. Hey, if none of that matters to you, then I won't stop you."

Kevin decides to stay, but he's so exhausted that he goes straight to bed. Your kids are sleeping, so all that there is left to do is find out who those demons are. Sam is in the library by the time you're done with Kevin, so you two head over to him. He doesn't look too good, and you take a seat next to him and place your hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"I don't know. It's just what Tracy said about me. She wasn't wrong."

"Sam, listen to me," Dean sighs and sits across from him. "You have helped a hell of a lot more people than you have hurt. So, all of that was then. Okay?"

"Okay. So, are you two ready for this?"

"Ready for what?"

"The fallen angels? Abaddon? Cas losing his halo? Crowley in our basement?"

"As ready as we can be. What about you? How are you doing?"

"Honestly, I feel better than I have in a long time. I mean, I realize it's crazy out there and we have trouble coming for us, but I look around and I see friends and family. I am happy with my life for the first time in forever." You smile at his words, and he continues. "I am, I really am. Things are finally good."

Your smile fades when you remember you're lying to Sam about who is really inside his body. If he knew, he would hate you and Dean forever. Sam turns back to his research, and you and Dean lock eyes.

You're both thinking the same thing: you're fucked.

x

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[mally0]

The Ravenous C h i m e r a .

When it first happened, it nearly killed me.

There’s a cave in the woods, near the house I moved into during my freshman year of college. The park around it was aptly named ‘The Cliffs’. It was a beautiful sight. Nice little falls after a rainstorm would trickle down into the rushing stream below. There was a very leafy smell all around our place because of it. There was usually a nice mist in the mornings. As I’d wait for the shuttle to campus, the early morning sun would break through the heavy treeline around our suburb, streaks of gold beaming all up and the properties.

I initially moved there with my highschool sweetheart, Honey. I doubt she ever got a chance to see that kind of sunrise. She was a night owl, night classes. While she was out, I came to like hiking around the cliffs in the evenings. That’s when I found the cave.

It was tucked away behind some bushes. It was its own little foyer in the forest. Very picturesque. I asked Honey if she wanted to go camping there when I found it. We were in love, but we were out on our own for the first time. Of course we had some of my friends as roommates, but it was a very trying time for us. I thought a little romantic camp might bring some life back into the relationship.

The cave was a pleasant distance from the cliffs. The stream made for a natural white noise. There were only some intermittent, meager stalactites dotting the ceiling. The ground inside was lightly colored, sandy. Once we got the campfire and sleeping bags rolled out, we knew the tent wouldn’t be necessary. It was quite a find.

“So, do we explore the rest of it? I don’t wanna wake in a bear’s den, babe.”

She was always a worrier, I had to laugh, “Sure, hon. Let’s check it out.”

I was just cajoling her, it was a pretty small little dent in the cliffside, not much to see. One entrypoint led into a decent atrium. There was a tunnel, like a gullet in the back. The ground was damper there.

“Maybe there’s an underground stream?” I wondered aloud

“We’re not gonna sink as we sleep or anything, right?”

“Honey, relax. See there?” I pointed out some empty PBR cans and a trash bag of something unspeakable. “I’m sure it’s safe if there’s been other people here.”

“I don’t think I want other people walking up on us tonight, babe.”

I tried to figure out if she meant it in a hot way or in a worrisome way. We didn’t get too feely that night, sleeping in a cave for the first time and all. I suppose I’m still wondering.

That night, I had a nightmare. That’s the best thing I can describe it as. It started with me closing my eyes in the cave, Honey’s sleeping face slowly squeezed out of view by the sandman. My point of view left my skull and floated up, hovering slightly above our sleeping shapes.

 There, in the back of the cave. There were six gleaming eyes in the darkness. Some rose, some fell. They could have been mistaken for a constellation, but I could feel the presence of a predator behind those incandescent points in the dark.

“What do you think of her, then?”

“What?” I asked the dark.

“Your partner there. What do you think of her?”

I was shocked to say the least. The voice was airy, hollow, damp. It wasn’t a threatening voice, though I felt threatened by it. It was as if your boss were speaking to you. It had a condescending tone, but a knowing one.

“That’s none of your business, that’s what I think,” I said defensively. It noticed.

“I see. I suppose you think it's just going to ‘work itself out,’ then. Would you leave her in the cave?”

“What, like forever?”

The eyes gleamed before they spoke again, “Hypothetically. It’s a thought experiment.”

I looked back down to our sleeping selves. Even in the night air’s chill, we didn’t touch each other. Not even in the same sleeping bag. Things had been on the rocks for a while, and I couldn’t fool myself into wondering if there were better options. There were.

The eyes seemed aware. They closed gently. The voice in the cave said to me, “When you awaken, leave the cave. Go freshen yourself up with a little walk. The problems you and your partner are having will vanish. You’ll have a fresh start.”

I stared into the gullet of the cave for a long while before I woke up. The eyes never opened up again. The airy voice didn’t wheeze any more words.

          

  When I woke up I took that walk. When I returned, I couldn’t find the cave’s mouth. There was a slight seam in  the cliff face. Red ichor oozed from it, some kind of fungus. I guess Honey must have ran off somewhere, found someone else to spend her life with. It hurt that she was gone, but I hoped for her. It’s a bittersweet thing to want someone you love to find someone better than you to make them happy, but back then I needed to wander. After some time, I came to realize that. I think I may have seen her once or twice in passing since that night. I never stopped to be sure, but it brought me some comfort.

I moved on pretty quickly. There was this hot thing who’d come around to the park to do yoga, and I got up the nerve to ask her out. Soon enough, she was teaching me yoga too. I ended up transferring to a different university, but she was happy to make the hour long drive to stay with me as often as she could. Her name was Charlette. 

It was really sweet. It was nice seeing her there when I’d get home. After a while, she started to get prepped for van life. I can’t deny I’m still a little jealous. She ended up driving around, seeing the whole country in the prime of her life. I can only hope to do that when I’m old and retired. Smart move, she was really something. I asked her if she wanted to go camping before she set off on her adventure. We went back to the cave. I guess I thought that making a good memory in it would cancel out the bad.

We got there in the rain, but Char kept the mood up, laughing and kicking the puddles all the way. She threw a tarp down and cracked open a couple of tall boys.

“Race you to the bottom?” She had the sweetest smile, and she always smiled sweetest when she was having fun. The situation was sad, but we were both in love. We shotgunned out beers, she beat me in the race. After a while we got to cuddling by the fire, watching the water pour over the cave mouth. As we lay there in each other's darkness, I noticed the stalactites on the ceiling had grown a little larger over time.

“It kind of reminds me of the incredibles,” she said.

“Yeah, hey hun?”

“Whats up?”

I shifted slightly. I was worried to ask. I mean, I knew the answer already. It kind of felt like a defeated formality, but  asked all the same. “What’s after this for us? Do we just end it here and be friends then or-”

She cut me off with a kiss.

Breathlessly, she said “Hey, the feelings I have for you are unconditional. This isn't gonna be the last you see of me, I’m sure of it. Don’t keep your heart on ice for me, just keep it open enough for me? Can you do that?”

I smiled at her, and nodded. We eventually kissed each other goodnight, and I fell back asleep. My vision floated above our sleeping shapes again. This time, I approached the back of the cave. I wanted to get a look for myself. Instead, I only found some raggedly old clothes, and some more trash. I turned, the eyes were outside of the cave this time. The fire’s dying light couldn’t reach the creature’s face, but three distinct trickles ran from its jaws. I shuddered at the thought of its teeth.

“Back so soon?” It asked. It’s voice cracked, like the pattering of raindrops on stone.

“It’s actually been quite a while, otherwise I wouldn’t have come back to this place. I was hoping you were a dream.” I puffed out my chest, put on my bravest face. The creature behind the eyes growled a deep, throaty growl.

“The world is full of obvious things. I live here. If you keep coming back, you’ll keep finding me. I’ll keep asking about them, too.” The eyes crept a bit forward, still shrouded in darkness. Two enormous paws padded past the inky threshold, and the eyes settled down on them. We were boxed in.

“So,” It mewled, “How is she?”

I went for a walk in the morning. When I came back to the cave I ran across that nasty red fungus I had last time. It had spread, and had black frills. It dripped with some kind of stinking nectar. Char eventually caught up to me.

“Hey! Up and active this morning?”

I blinked at her, struggling to find words to say.

She shrugged, all packed up herself. “The cave floor was pretty uncomfy. It was cute, but I don’t blame you.” She held out her hand, “Shall we?”

She would go off on her van trip, and a few friends decided to tag along. They found work busking, dancing, doing odd jobs. When I got involved with my next girl, I told her about my fun and talented acquaintance roaming the countryside. She wasn’t very understanding.

I can remember Char crying over the phone when I broke it off with her. I tried to find something nice to say afterwards, but she was smart. She told me through tears, “I have to get back to work.” She hung up on me. I was hurt at first, but relieved all the same. My new girl, Chloe, was in the car when I made the call. She wanted to hear it done for herself. She smiled when I pulled the phone away from my ear, and slid a hand down my arm.

“Thanks babe. I appreciate that.”

“It’s nothing,” I said, a little shakily. “Honesty is the best policy, after all.”

I met Chloe in an astronomy lab. She was short, stouter than Charlette. It was a welcome change of pace. She was much more of a homebody, that’s for sure. It was a nice domestic getaway for me, though. I hadn’t had breakfast in bed and Riverdale in a long time. Even though they were both a little terrible in their own right, I missed them.

Chloe was the kind of girl I was sure about as soon as I set eyes on her. Just something about her figure, about her attitude. I guess, in the end, she was just hot and I was just stupid. I asked her to go camping pretty early on. It seemed important to my relationships at that point, to go to the cave. She was only my third serious partner, and I doubt she’d consider me the same. Still, she agreed to spend the night in the cave with me.

At that point, the Cliffs were a four hour drive away from the town I lived in. I keep trying to decide if all the women who followed me there showed a testament to their feelings in sticking out that drive, or if they were just too polite to say no. Chloe wasn’t much of a camper. She could hardly get the sleeping bags set out right, the cave was a natural shelter for chrissake. She was less interested in the surroundings than anyone I met. She got right down to business, and pulled me into the spot where I was to spend the rest of the night. We hardly said a word to each other after camp was set up. That night, the eyes came back to check in on me.

The dream was different this time. I fell asleep, and in time my eyes fluttered back open. The eyes peered at me from a nearby corner of the cave.

“Back again, eh?”

I struggled to bring my exhausted elbows under me. “Why do you got to take such an interest in me and mine?”

The eyes retracted a bit. The speed scared me a bit more awake. “Take interest in you? In you?” The beast in the cave cackled, and Chole woke up with a shriek.

“Tom! What is that thing?!”

“I don’t know!” I said, struggling to my feet. It wasn’t as dreamlike this time. I felt I had to protect Chloe from the cave monster. As soon as I felt it, I was aware that I had brought her here.

She never stopped screaming. Not the whole time. She scrambled away from me, towards the mouth of the cave. She found nothing.

The beast howled, cackling as if a lion could laugh. “I think it’s important to remember that you walked yourselves in here. Other than that,” It stepped forward, its terrible black paws swallowing up the fleeting light. “My lips are sealed.”

It approached me, and where a face should have been I only saw a dense, concrete darkness. The six gleaming orbs stared straight into my fetid soul, and passed over me without hesitation. My face was pushed into the cave wall in their wake. I threw myself away from the enclosing wall. I was screaming for Chloe. I remember slamming my skull into one of the larger stalactites. I swear, in the bleary darkness, I could even see the cave walls closing in on us.

I woke up near that seam again. The red fungus’s nectar left rotting splat marks along the cliff’s face. More fungi growing in the stains of the past. I struggled to pick myself up. I was sore. I looked down, only to see the worst, darkest bruises I had ever had. They were all over, especially around my joints. I was so sore I gagged. It was a dry heave. Funny enough, I remembered all the food we brought along with us. I bet it was still in the car, even.

I had three lunchables to myself on the drive back. I haven’t heard from Chloe since. I try not to think about her.

[s-creations]

The Forgotten - Chapter 10 'In Which, In Someway, An Ending Is Met'

The BeanBean Kingdom has lived peacefully for centuries, due to the wild ocean and towering mountains that surround them. No one being able to get in or out. Which makes it strange when a stranger enters the kingdom, but not in an expected way.

Close to death and with little memories about his previous life, Peasley has to uncover where this 'L' came from. As well as who would want to hurt this confused human.

Fandom: Super Mario & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Relationships: Luigi & Mario (Nintendo), Luigi/Prince Peasley Warnings/Additional Tags: Luigi don't remember who he is, AU to Super Star Saga, There will be mentions of torture, PTSD, Bowser's gonna be intense in this, At least far more than in comparison to the games, Mario's a worried older brother, It's a dangerous game of cat and mouse

“Where is he.” Mario’s voice held an underlying tone of absolute fury. Blue eyes glaring at the towering creature as Bowser descended the throne. 

“He who?” Bowser replied. His smirk grew upon seeing Mario’s clenched fists.

“Where is Luigi, where is my brother!”

“Oh him! Finally worried yourself enough to come running? Honestly, it really took you long enough to get here.”

Peasley tensed as Bowser stood before them fully. Reaching for his sword. Only to pause when Kamek raised his wand in a silent warning. 

“I thought you would rush in so much faster. Seems you do so when Peach is in danger. Perhaps your own flesh and blood just doesn’t hold that much weight. I guess being a ‘great hero’ is a better title  than a ‘good brother’.”

“Where. Is. He.” Mario growled out. 

“He was so sure you were going to break down the doors when he arrived here. At any moment you’d come charging in. I’m impressed with how much spirit Greenie has. It took awhile to break that first wall,” Bowser leaned closer to the glaring face of Mario. 

“But it was worth the wait. Because it was such a joy to watch that light fade from his eyes upon realizing you weren’t right behind him. How long it had been since I had taken him. I truly do think he believes you just left him at one point.”

“And why would he not think that?” Bowser stood straight, starting to pace around the duo now. Peasley doing his best to follow the other’s movement without having to turn. “Always left behind, always forgotten, no one remembering his name-”

“It’s Luigi.” Even Peasley was surprised when his own voice was heard. Training his face straight as Bowser turned to him with a warning growl. 

“I don’t believe I was addressing you, your pea-sized highness.”

“You have a lot of nerve claiming that Luigi’s ‘forgotten’ against Mario when you won’t even say his name. Why should we even listen to a being who finds such pleasure in hurting someone, as if it’s a game. Someone as cold-hearted as you has no right to speak to Mario in such a way.”

It took everything for Peasley to not flinch away as a large fist collided into the ground right next to him. Keeping his glare strong as Bowser leaned dangerously close. The smell of smoke and brimstone suffocating as intense heat hit his face. 

“You are playing a dangerous game, pea prince. I know of your kingdom. Cowards, the lot of you. The moment the outside world becomes too hard, you hide away.”

“I won’t be doing such a thing.”

Bowser laughed, “Then you’ll be the last to hold a backbone. I’ll remove that free of charge.”

“Bowser,” Yellow eyes snapped back to Mario, “Where is Luigi.”

The Koopa King pulled away from Peasley. Without a word, he waves a hand to Kamek, who gives a silent swish with his wand. The air near the magic user seemed to waver until a cage came into view. Peasley felt his heart seeing Luigi resting inside, freely bleeding, broken, and eyes closed. There was a moment of panic thinking that the human was gone. Just barely noticing the small movements of Luigi’s chest rising and falling in staggered breathing. 

“I will admit… It was more enjoyable breaking him the second time.”

Peasley flinched back as Mario’s movement caused a large blast of air to push him to the side. Absolutely shocked by the speed the human displayed. Bowser was apparently ready for this. Able to block the incoming attack with his arm with ease. Pushing back hard enough that Mario was sent flying past Peasley once more, the wind pushing him to the other directly. 

The hero had just barely touched the ground before Bowser was on him. Mario pushed off to the side, avoiding the fist that was now slamming into the ground. Yellow eyes follow close as the human puts more distance between them. Mario’s hand was suddenly holding a large fireball, launching it at the large Koopa. It unfortunately didn’t seem to affect Bowser. But it did provide a distraction to allow Mario to land a solid hit. Able to get enough height to smash both feet onto the top of Bowser’s head. It was shocking that the Koopa appeared more aggravated than hurt after that. 

Peasley’s attention was quickly pulled to his own situation when he was suddenly lifted off the ground. A small yelp of surprise escaped as he was flung to the side. Grunting in pain when his back hit a rock pillar. 

“Keep your awareness around you, your highness,” Kamek cackled, floating above Peasley, “You’re not training anymore.”

The prince didn’t offer a verbal response. Pealey pulled out his sword as his reply, taking a stance. Kamek was less than impressed. 

“Oh, how cute. What do you plan to do with that?” He was not prepared for Peasley to gain elevation by quickly kicking off the same rock pillar. Letting out a yelp of his own, as he swerved to avoid the incoming attack.

The prince rolled to a stop as Kamek scrambled to right himself back onto his broom. Peasley took the opportunity to rush towards the cage. 

“Luigi-” Peasley received a sharp shock when he tried to open the cage. Barely touching the cage before a burn appeared on his gloves. 

“I don’t think so, little prince.” Kamek hissed.

It was the only warning Peasley received before a large, blue-colored orb of energy knocked him to the side. It was his turn to stumble as he seemed to trip over his own feet, causing him to fall back and thankfully avoid another attack. Crawling back a little further as another orb was launched at him, the ground cracking with small chunks of debris flying. Peasley barely felt the cuts appearing on his cheeks and arms.  

“You’re playing a dangerous game.” Kamek growled as a wave of smaller orbs were launched out. Pealsey getting on his feet and quickly darting behind the closest pillar. The ground shook once more from the dodged attack. “Do you really think an unaware primed flower has the ability to stand up against me?”

Taking a deep breath, Peasley darted out from behind his protection. Which unfortunately resulted in running right into another attack. The prince slammed into the ground, holding back a scream of pain as it felt like his skin was melting. When the energy finally dissipated, Peasley tried to sit himself up. 

Only for a leg to be trapped in magic. Peasley clawed at the ground as he was forcefully dragged out of the crater. There was, admittedly, a stupid attempt to hit Kamek with the sword. Which was nothing more than a frantic swiping at the air with the weapon. Kamek practically cackled at this. 

“How pathetic you look. Out of tricks already?”

“Shut up and face me!” Peasley winced as he was swung into the same pillar he’d just used as a barrier. 

“I’m honestly getting secondhand embarrassment from this,” Kamek casually commented. Leaning on the handle of his broom as he watched Peasley struggled to be back up. 

“Get…Get down here…or are you too afraid…” Peasley panted as he took a shaky stance. 

The magic-user cackled again. “Oh, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to accommodate your limited fighting style. Chalk this up to a harsh learning experience. Nothing is better than hands-on training!”

Peasley’s attention was pulled to the ground beneath his feet when it began to glow. His mind quickly shouting at him to move, jumping back. Barely avoiding the sudden wave of jagged spikes. 

“First hard lesson to learn. Magic trumps physical attacks every time!”

The next dodge was slow, Peasley unable to hold back a cry of pain as his left arm was cut. His sword clattering to the ground, the prince holding a hand over the weeping sap that flowed through his fingers. 

Peasley wasn’t fully sure what happened next. There was a sudden burning sensation coming from his hands. One not related to the pain he was just inflicted. As Kamek wound up for another attack, Peasley raised his arms in a rather feeble attempt to provide some form of protection. Unprepared for a wall of thick, heavily throned videos emerging from the rocky ground. Offering the only lively source of green among the black and red. Kamek let out what could only be described as a squeak of surprise. Barley avoiding the newly created vines. 

“What are these! What did you do!” Kamek raged. 

Peasley didn’t respond, eyes still on the swaying vines that seemed to be alive. With all the pressure, fear, and darkness surrounding him, Peasley found warmth. Not of the heat from the lava, but from a source of strength he wasn’t aware he held. A sensation that started from his chest and spread out. 

“...I did what my father taught me!” Peasley shouted back with a wide smile.

The pain forgotten, the prince caught the sword knocked his way by a vine. Swishing it with gusto before jumping onto one of the thicker vines and riding it up. Even with how unprepared Peasley was, the fight was now on an even playing field. Kamek had speed and battle knowledge. Peasley had physical strength, a wild new ability, and a determination not to lose. 

The vines provided the needed coverage when Kamek tried to launch more attacks. Becoming more frantic with each one. Only getting a few more hits in before Peasley was finally getting a leg up. He honestly couldn’t tell if he was getting better or if Kamek was just slipping. But the magic-user eventually tried to teleport away, only to land himself right into one of the newly created vines. Pealsey, more reactive than thinking about what he was doing, moved his hand to have vine wrap around the other. 

Kamek instantly began to struggle as he was drawn closer to Peasley. Only to still when the sword was pointed directly at his throat.

Kamek’s shock soon melted into a smirk. “Well little prince… What do you plan to do now?  Torture me? Kill me?”

Peasley paused, faltered as his eyes traveled over to the small cage. While he couldn’t see Luigi, he knew the human was in there, waiting for him. “No…I’m not going to be like you. I’m going to be better than you. Starting with this piece of friendly advice.”

The prince pulled Kamek closer. Getting a small bump of pride as his glare seemed to cause the magic-user fear. “Never come near Luigi, ever again.”

With a casual flick of the wrist, Kamek was sent flying. Hitting the wall hard, eventually sliding down, crumpling on the floor. Peasley waited for a few seconds to make sure Kamek wouldn’t get back up before going back to Luigi. Stumbling slightly as he jumped down from the vine and onto solid ground, rushing over to the cage. His vines make quick work of the metal bar. Uncaring of the spell that had been placed over it. 

The prince fell to his knees, pulling Luigi closer. Panic rising as the human’s head landed onto his shoulder weakly. 

“Luigi? …If you can hear me, I want you to know you’re going to be okay. I’m here, your brother’s here! …Let’s get you back to the castle-”

Peasley instinctually shielded his body around Luigi when the ground shook. Drawing his sword once more, Pealsey turned, expecting to find Kamek had gotten back up. Only for his bravado to drop as he found that Bowser was now towering over him. The spiked Koopa chuckled at Peasley’s look of fear.

“I believe you have something that belongs to me, little prince.” Bowser growled out. 

Focused on the prince, Bowser wasn’t prepared for the on coming attack. Mario delivers a double kick directly to the side of the Koopa’s face. Sending him spiraling a good distance away. Pealsey was frozen with absolute shock as Mario landed easily beside him. 

Carrying heavy signs of battle damage, Mario turned to Peasley and panted out, “Run.”

“But-”

Both flinched as an enormous roar sounded from Bowser as the Koopa started to stand. 

“I said run!” Mario shouted as he raced head long into confronting Bowser once more. 

Finding what must be his forth wind, Peasley cradled Luigi close and made for the door. Ignoring the sounds of battle and destruction. Avoiding pieces of debris, no matter how small or large. Pushing past his burning lungs and exhausted body. Claiming a small victory when he passed the double door and into the view of a red sky.

Even then, Peasley didn’t stop running.

He more or less collapsed onto his flying steed, who had already been waiting for him. Which was good, because Peasley doubted he could call out for any reason at this point. Arms shaking, still holding Luigi close, they slowly descended. Past the black clouds, over the large battle field. 

Against Peasley’s better judgment, he drew his eyes down to the fight below them. Even with the lower numbers, it appeared the BeanBean Kingdom was holding their own well. Able to push back, but not without a few casualties of their own. At the front, still leading strong, was Queen Bean. Her strength and power seemed to have no end as she knocked enemies away with such ease.

Peasley jerked back to awareness upon realizing he’d been close to falling off. His vision became blurry as the castle finally came into view. A stinging sensation alerted Peasley to his still bleeding arm. There should have been a spike of worry upon seeing the cuts outlined in deep purple. The sap’s color had become a sickly looking green instead of its golden amber. Peasley unhelpfully remembers that’s where Kamek’s spikes had hit him. 

“Huh…that’s not good…” Peasley commented weakly.

The ground was suddenly a lot closer than he remembered. Unable to keep his strength and released Luigi. Both sprawling out onto the ground at the castle entrance. With the last moments of clarity, Peasley turned back to his flying stead. Who had started fluttering around nervously.

“Go back… Go get…Mario…” The stead gave a short bounce, a nod in understanding, before darting back into the sky. Back to where the fortress was. 

Peasley was out before Dr. Pinto and the rest of the medical team came running out. Both he and Luigi were unresponsive as they were carried in. Both were unaware when Bowser’s fortress started to crack and crumble, a terrible sound echoing through the sky as parts started falling away. Both were unaware when the BeanBean Kingdom cheers were deafening as the invading army started to flee.

_____________________________

Mario couldn’t help but feel absolutely relieved when Peaslsey was able to make it out. Luigi in his arms. The drop in attention allowed Bowser to land a sucker punch. Mario scrambled to stop himself quickly.

“Do you really think this is it?” Bowser growled out, “That it’ll just end here? You’re playing all your cards right now and it’s working out perfectly for me…”

Dodging out of the way of another punch, Mario only had a few seconds to take cover behind a large chunk of debris. The hero wincing Bowser’s claws scraped against it. Taking a chance, Mario vaulted over his coverage. Landing a hard kick to the Koopa’s already bruised jaw. That didn’t stop Bowser from spewing a heavy steam of fire. 

Mario held back a yell of pain as his left arm took the full hit of the attack. Ducking behind another pillar and quickly pulled out a Super Mushroom. Taking a small bite to recover from the heavy damage. Stepping out once he felt slightly better, Mario stepped back out, holding a defense position as Bowser stared him down

“Do you know how pathetic that coward sounded?” Both parties took a pause to glare at the other. Bowser smirked seeing the rage and frustration fully open on Mario’s face. “He cried, begged, for you every night. But did you come? No, the poor fellow had to get himself out. Because you just weren’t good enough.” 

Bowser quickly raised his arms to block the fireballs. Doubling over when a kick landed on his stomach. Swiping out, stratified when his claws landed on Mario’s back. Mentally touting that the brothers would have scars to share now. 

“He remembers me,” Bowser choked out a weak laugh, “He remembers everything I did to him. I’m sure you were told… I did so much damage, he’d actually forgotten. A few blissful months of confusion as he recovered. I am the nightmares that I’m sure he never wants to remember, but he does!”

Mario held a hand over his side that the claws had reached. Glaring as Bowser’s laugh grew to a triumphant sound.

“He remembers me, but he doesn’t remember you.”

That felt like a knife of ice had been plunged into his heart. Mario’s eyes widened in disbelief, in pain, as Bowser continued to laugh.

“How does it feel? Greenie’s going to give his last breath knowing the pain and suffering he had to live through. Know my name, face, and voice. Know that he was abandoned. But he won’t remember you.”

It wasn’t rage that took over. As Mario stood to fully face the still laughing Bowser, the sour feeling in his gut was fear. Heart thudding painfully, the sound soon drowning out the taunting laughter. Fist clenched tightly, Mario’s eyes narrowed on the Koopa, who was now knelt over. Still laughing. Seeming to be uncaring as the hero stalked closer. 

Bowser uncaring as he was forcefully pulled further down. Finally acknowledging the pale faced Mario. 

“Don’t you dare come near Luigi, ever again. Or I will-”

“What, kill me?” Bowser smirk grew, “I thought Princess Peach would have trained her lap dog better. Besides…you don’t have to worry about your brother anymore.”

The punch that was delivered was the final. The Koopa flew across the room, landing hard and he didn’t get back up. Coming down from the swirling emotions, Mario was first aware that his fist was throbbing in pain. Possibly broken with how hard it was to move. But he couldn’t worry about that right now. The next thing he noticed was that he was crying. Cheeks were cooled slightly as they ran down. The final part was deciding to bring the place down.

Reaching into the bag that was still surprisingly intact, Mario pulled out a blue and white flower. Crushing it and shivering weakly at the chilling sensation that traveled through his body. Walking to the nearest crack in the foundation, Mario aimed and casted a blast of ice downwards. The fortress immediately began to sound its protest. A few pieces start to shatter and fall away from the sudden chill. Cracks spread as the pouring lava hardened. 

Mario only stopped when the power ran out. The crack he was standing over now outlined with a thick layer of ice. He didn’t allow the ice to settle for long before activating his firehand. Landing a few fireballs before the fortress started to break apart, he headed for the exit. He paid no mind to the part that seemed to explode around him. Uncaring as the ground became uneven, stumbling slightly as he was greeted with a fading red sky. The blue starting to return. 

The heavy smoke started to dissipate. Allowing Mario to see how high he truly was. The BeanBean citizens were cheering as Bowser’s army fled. No doubt seeing their king’s castle crumbling as a call of loss. Deciding to retreat as an easy end. 

The hero let out a sigh as his focus tilted back up to the sky, which had fully cleared. He really didn’t have a plan for getting down. He should. But he didn’t. Mario didn’t panic as the wind started to howl in his ears. Or when his feet lost the feeling of solid ground. He knew he should be panicking. But at that moment, Mario just felt…numb.

So he was more than a little surprised when something soft collided into his back. Causing Mario to wave his arms to panic balance at the sudden change in directions. Being pushed up into the sky once more. Gathering his bearings in understanding that he needed to sit up, the hero realized he was sitting on a familiar flying bean. Said creature now makes a direct line to the castle.

It still felt like Mario was falling.

Mario stumbled when he eventually climbed off the creature. Not really taking anything in as the BeanBean citizens rushed past him.  Mario having no drive or focus on the moment. So there he stood as the world moved around him.

He became grounded when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. A little surprised to find Queen Bean standing next to him. She was carrying her own battle scars, looked exhausted, and had her shoulders drooped down with unseen burden.

“They’re in the infirmary.” Was all she said.

But Mario knew who she was talking about. Peasley and Luigi. He merely nodded in acknowledgement, allowing Queen Bean to steer him into the castle proper. He paid no mind to the destroyed splendor or the many beings inside that lined the halls. He heard none of the conversations, the cries of loss, the panic of what was to happen next.

It was only as they entered the medical wing did Mario feel something. His dry eyes immediately landed on Luigi. Asleep, unmoving, both legs already placed in casts, covered with a few blankets.

The fear returned. 

He’s aware that he’s pushing past a number of people. A few even called out ‘Sir, we need to check you over!’, but he didn’t stop. Mario’s hand claimed Luigi’s uninjured one the moment the sleeping form was in reach. The other hand came up to gently cup the younger brother’s cheek. There was a bit of relief felt when there wasn’t the chill as Mario had been fearing.

It didn’t erase the weight of failure that rested on his back. He’d almost lost his brother, twice, because he was too slow. Luigi was suffering. Luigi didn’t remember him. Had Mario failed that severely?

“He’ll be fine.” Eyes quickly darted up to Dr. Pinto standing on the other side of the bed.

“...H-He’ll live?” Mario choked out.

Dr. Pinto smiled and nodded. “He’ll live. You got him back just in time.”

And the last barrier crumbled away.

Mario was staring the doctor down when the tears started to fall. The next second he was sobbing, wailing, releasing the pent up fear, anger, and exhaustion that had built up this entire time. Pressing Luigi’s hand to his cheek as he choked out words from a language none in the room understood.

Queen Bean allowed her own tears to fall silently as she stood over her son. Her eyes on his peaceful face that contrasted so severely to his blackened arm. 

The hall was filled with Mario’s begs for forgiveness he knew he didn’t deserve.