#the only other living being swimming around in her tank at the start of the season was Drac's tater tyke

[ratstuckinamarble]

Shout out to the creature ever

"The school policy clearly states that I can consume anything I find in my tank" tell 'em Lagoona.

Plus Neptuna??? Pretty sure this is the first time we've seen her in the show. She's cute!

[oepionie]

JAZZ NIGHT. draconia & ashengrotto

Sypnosis: Monstro Lounge was hosting a new event! "Jazz Night" where the ramshackle prefect herself was rumoured to perform. Boys flocked to the lounge in droves, eager to hear her sing. Though, it seems that her performance has touched a special someone.

Character/s: Azul Ashengrotto, Malleus Draconia x Fem! Lounge Singer! Reader

Tags: Fluff! Established relationship, Lilia plays the guitar, Azul is so in love with you he nearly faints, The tweels bully tease shy Azul, Malleus holds so much love for you awee, Bitter Sebek, A bit of possessive Mal?

Word Count: 1.5k+ | 💌Masterlist

Tonight, Monstro Lounge was jam-packed with customers. They were all scurrying around the place like lost guppies while looking for open tables.

Warm, vibrant lights illuminated the aquariums, filled with all types of unique vibrant fish. The massive tanks encircled a sizable stage which was outfitted with magnificent decorations and a live band.

A unique promotional night was being hosted. "Jazz Night," a special occasion that the prefect of Ramshackle introduced.

Though the strange 'earth' event wasn't what really drew the massive crowds in. Their curiosity was focused on something else. It was the fact that the prefect herself was going to be performing.

Once that news got out, people practically stormed the lounge, nearly shattering the glass doors and windows down. It was a whole tsunami of students willing to spend their entire life savings just to hear the girl sing. Azul was swimming in money, the happiest he'd ever been in his life.

It took an hour but with everyone finally settled down, the lights dimmed and the live band started playing. All that was left was for the star of the show to come out.

A.A| AZUL ASHENGROTTO:

The velvet folds of red drape curtains parted and you cautiously stepped out, clutching the long skirt of your dress securely in your hands. You were dressed to the nines in a dazzling purple evening gown paired with matching shell earrings; the costly ensemble entirely paid for by Azul.

The crowd cheered as you took your seat up front the stage, blinding spotlight illuminating your form. Amidst the crowd of teenage boys, you scoured the area for a certain trio of mer-men.

Azul was seated in the far back with both Jade and Floyd beside him. He was tense and frozen stiff; much like the stash of popsicles Floyd kept hidden deep in Octavinelle's fridge.

You noticed how his face was dusted in a pink flush as both Floyd and Jade whispered in his ear, identical devilish grins plastered onto their faces. Azul burned a deeper red with each passing comment, eventually taking solace in burying his face into his hands.

'They're toying with him again…' You sighed at their antics, a wistful smile on your face.

So caught up with watching the trio, you nearly missed the drummer's cue for you to begin. You took a deep breath and adjusted the microphone to your liking. The crowd appeared to blend together, packed with the eager faces of boys looking directly at you.

Fluttering your lashes, you cast a glance at Azul, smiling, as you slid your fingers up the microphone stand. "You had plenty money in nineteen-forty-one. You lost it all, and then where'd you run? Why don't you do right like some other men do?"

The octo-mer knew he got embarrassingly soft around you. Even now, the only reaction he can muster in response to your singing is awe.

"You sittin' down wondering what it's all about. If you ain't got no money, they will put you out." The aquarium lights cast a delicate lilac glow on your skin, accentuating your delicate features. Lovely honeyed singing overflowing from your glossy red lips.

Azul's voice was caught in his throat, almost as if you had a tight grip on his neck, wringing it firmly to constrain his breathing and leave him gasping for air like a fish out of water. His head swirls as he shakily exhales, feeling so lightheaded, he was on the verge of passing out.

"If you had prepared 20 years ago, you wouldn't be wandering now from door to door. Why don't you do right? Like some other men do~?" There was a sickeningly sweet smile on your face as you sneaked glances towards him, fixing him with the affectionate gaze he always felt undeserving of.

"Heh heh, her choice of song seems to be intentional." Jade noted, a smirk on his face as he examined Azul's dazed state.

"Eugh, Jade- He's so down bad." Floyd squinted his eyes, slowly digging his finger into the flesh of Azul's cheek. The octo-mer had no reaction.

He continued to poke his boss' cheek, but there was still no response. Azul stayed still, a sappy, cheesy look on his face that made Floyd gag.

"Why don't you do right? Like some other men…do~?" You sang, drawing out the final words as the song came to an end.

Your face was flushed with delight as the audience applauded, a mix of shouts and whistles ringing out through the entire lounge.

Azul, who is only dimly aware of the scorching hot blush on his skin, knows that these feelings will linger with him throughout the day and into the night. Still, he went on, slack-jawedly looking at you in a lovesick stupor.

M.D | MALLEUS DRACONIA:

One of the guitarists on stage was none other than the old bat from Diasomnia. Earning his spot after he twisted Azul's arm into letting him join the performance. There was no way Lilia was going to pass up an opportunity like this.

He peered around the room for a certain dragon, scouring the crowds of people squeezed into the cafe. As soon as he spotted Malleus, he grinned wryly. "Oh, Malleus dear, you're going to love this."

Lilia could never forget the look of astonishment on Malleus' face when Azul handed him the invitation, he looked like a golden retriever being presented with a bone; it was adorable.

The fae was ecstatic to be invited to an important occasion, given how uncommon it was for anybody to contact him. The added notion that he would be able to witness you perform made him practically tremble in excitement.

"There are a lot more people here than I thought." Malleus muttered, examining the invitation in his palm.

"It seems that they're curious to hear the human's voice, young master!" Sebek exclaimed, arms crossed across his chest as he smirked. "I doubt their singing could reach your standards!"

"Don't be mean Sebek…" Silver drawled, slumping against the plush sofa, fervently fighting to stay awake. His eyes flitted over to the stage, seeing the lights dim as a spotlight appeared. "Oh? Is it starting?"

Malleus jerked his head up to see you emerge from the velvet curtains, dressed in a body-hugging black evening gown. He glowed with pride when he saw the necklace he gifted you proudly sitting atop your neck, its green gem glimmering beneath the lounge's lavender lights.

Once you neared the front of the stage, you eagerly waved at him, and he chuckled before returning the gesture. After eyeing your interactions, Lilia struck a few notes on his guitar, the rest of the band following suit.

"Stars shining bright above you. Night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'~" Malleus beams as you turn to him and smile, seeing the way his eyes crinkle in mirth while missing the way Sebek rolls his eyes at the loving gesture.

"Birds singin' in the sycamore trees. Dream a little dream of me. Say 'Night-ie night' and kiss me. Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me." You sang, eyes fluttering close before you opened them to peek at Malleus.

"While I'm alone and blue as can be, dream a little dream of me~" Honey-saccharine, sweet yearning, driven by his affections for you, pours from Malleus' eyes.

In truth, his gaze was overwhelming, the amount of love he was able to convey in a single glance astounded you. It's the kind of love that you wished to cherish for all eternity—one that is as exquisitely as sweet and lovely as the fresh roses in a garden.

"Stars fading but I linger on, dear. Still craving your kiss." Malleus finds himself longing for your undivided affection and your entrancing voice. He's fed up with the crowds surrounding you and wishes to be alone in your company, to experience the pleasure of being the only one who can hear your voice.

Still, he allows you to continue your little performance, loving the way you looked so carefree as you swayed to the beat of the music, losing yourself in the song.

"But in your dreams, whatever they be…dream a little dream of me~"

"I'm going to bash someone's head in." Floyd snarled, plopping down onto a bar stool. He's been shoving people down chairs for the past 5 hours but they still kept on coming.

"Azul~! Why is the entire school here?! No way I'm gonna serve all these people!" He whined, smashing his face down the bar table and banging his fists.

"I already told you. It's because of our new event." Azul said, bringing out his laptop and displaying a document outlining the night's financial numbers.

"Incredible—! I increased the price by 20 times what we normally charge, and people keep coming! I didn't expect the prefect to bring in this much profit!" Azul exclaimed as he typed furiously on his laptop, a giddy smile on his face. Floyd lifted his head off the counter and gawked at the octopus.

"There are more coming?!"

A/N: This was a request! Likes and Reblogs are greatly appreciated and really motivating on my end!

[dashofmonsters]

Dreamers & Delusions- Pt. 9

merman x female reader

Tao:

"Who is it? Who did you chose?"

Those words ring in my head over and over again. I had no intention of bringing this up so soon. Hadn't wanted to talk about this just yet with her. But that tired desperate look in her eyes...

I feel my chest tightening as her fingers shake and her lips quiver.

Jes had stopped by the beach before I came home yesterday and had a long talk with me. She reconfirmed that my dear little shoal mate does have feelings for me but she's afraid. Afraid of getting hurt because I may reject her and chose a fated mate that may or may not exist. And then her grandmother came by and made it worse.

I omitted much when I told her what she said since I still had a hard time digesting it myself.

"You two are so different, how do expect to live a life together? She might want to go off and travel one day? What then? What would you do? You can't go with her, not unless it's close to a body of saltwater. You're ruining her, giving her hope when there's none."

A part of me didn't want to believe her, didn't want to there to be any truth to it, but deep down I knew it hurt because there is some truth to it.

"Who...?" She repeats, her voice lower than before.

"I-I can't," I stutter.

"Please Tao, who is it?" She asks again, feigning being composed.

I bite my tongue, bitter blood coating my mouth as it mixes with a taste of a lie I've yet to speak. I swallow both down though, tired of lying, tired of hiding. I don't know if telling her will free her or further trap her in a hell of emotions that I've unintentionally dragged her into, but I need to say it. Just not here, not now.

I exhale and cup her cheeks in my hands, "I'll tell you, just not here, not now. You're tired and still healing and I'm... I'm honestly not doing very well myself."

Her lips purse and she lowers her gaze as I open up with what I've been dealing with. I hadn't wanted to burden her with it but it's not fair to either of us if she's the only one willing to talk.

For the first time since I met her I just talk, taking every filter off. Every complaint I held in, every frustration, annoyance, or sorrow. Everything that has brought me joy or has humored me in some way.

I start pacing in my tank, the end of my tail brushing against the walls as circle maddeningly as I vent. I stop when I catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye holding onto one of the larger rocks for dear life.

I've accidentally and very much idiotically have created a vortex. I wait out the the push and pull I've cause and swim to her once it's died down.

"Are you alright? I-I didn't me to-"

"Fine, I'm fine Tao. Well not really, but I guess we both aren't huh?" she cracks a half smile that fades quickly.

"No, we are not," I agree.

"So what now?" she shrugs her shoulders and flattens her lips.

"We both need to rest. I have the next few days off so during this time we'll get you moved in. But for today, I think it's best if we give each other a little space and try not think about anything but our health. If you can do that for me, for yourself, then and only then will I answer your question. Ok?" I tell her.

She nods and I can see her eyes tearing up as she swims up to me and wraps her arms around my neck. She mutters a string of apologies but suddenly stops and I hear her choke.

My spell has worn off.

I take hold of her and swim her up to the surface and toss open the hatch. She coughing and her breathing is ragged as she crawls up and flops on the floor. For a few brief moments I think she might start crying again but to my surprise she bursts out laughing.

She talks about the last several days and how things have just stacked up and she really hasn't given herself time to actually heal or feel comfortable. I grit my teeth knowing I've contributed to it, knowing how she feels and expressing my feelings for her without being clear.

Jes chastised me, saying I shouldn't play with someone's feelings but I was either too stubborn or too stupid to understand what she meant. The kindness, affection and care I've displayed in hopes of her being more comfortable with the idea of staying here, staying with me... It's only caused her stress, confusion and pain.

"Can we just get me moved in today Tao? I don't think I can wait anymore. I just... I'm done. I'm done being at everyone's mercy, I'm done humoring people who don't deserve it and I'm done with being stressed and tired all the damn time," She groans and turn over to look at me.

She pouts her lip and I see a mix of pleading and playfulness in her eyes. I want to laugh because all she had to do was ask.

I roll my eyes and pull myself up till I'm sitting at the edge of the hatch, "On one condition, get five more hours of sleep and in the nest room. I don't want to ever see you sleeping on my couch again."

"Or what, you'll get rid of it?" she jokes.

"No, it's a perfectly good couch. I'd sell it," I smile.

She laughs thinking that I'm playing along with her joke, but it's not. I'll fucking sell that couch if I ever see her sleep on it again. Then buy an actual bed to replace it. If she needs space, I can only do my best to grant it to her. I just hope she'll confine in me more instead of bottling everything up.

"I guess I should try and sleep then. What about you?" she asks.

"I had a good four hours, if I sleep anymore I might be useless," I admit.

She gapes and then I see her brows furrow, "But that time at my grandma's house?"

"I sleep longer with others," I nod. "By myself, three hours is more than enough. I usually just jostle awake from the instinctually feeling of drowning. But with others, there's a natural feeling of support. So when we shared a bed, my body felt relaxed enough to sleep longer."

"That actually makes a lot of sense. So what will you be doing?" She asks again.

"I'll call and get a moving van scheduled and buy some boxes and tape. We'll figure out where to put your things once they're here. I also need to send word to my sponsor that I'll have a roommate for the foreseeable future," I tell her.

A hand flies up to her mouth and her eyes widen, "You didn't say anything to them yet? Tao!"

"It'll be fine, he's not a real stickler for the rules and beside, every time he visits he asks about my romantic life," I sneer as I think about my last meeting. He had asked about her number in my phone over and over until I relented and just said she was a friend. It was the first time calling her that to someone else and it tasted horrible. He saw the disgust on my face and grinned as he caught my lie.

"Sounds annoying," she shrugs.

"He is," I agree and reach for the nearby bench, flipping the seat up and grabbing a towel. "Now if you don't mind, I'm about to be naked and would like a little bit of privacy."

The taste of that lie makes me want to vomit.

"Naww, I'm kind of comfortable here," she jokes and smirks at me.

My tail flinches and I glare at her. She keeps smiling at me like this is a joke so I'll play along. I gather my magic and command some of the water to move out of the tank and into the palm of my hand.

Now she's glaring at me, "You do realize that I'm already wet?"

"I do," I grin as I place the tip of my nail into the watery mass. "but you're not covered in ink."

"You wouldn't," she seethes.

The ball of water turns a vibrant almost neon blue. I roll it from one hand to the other as I give her one last chance, "One."

She doesn't move.

"Two," I start to aim the water ball at her.

She scoots back just a little.

"Th-"

She dashes towards the couch and grabs a pillow and launches it at me.

I manage to dodge it but lose track of her somehow. For a moment I think she's retreated and toss the water ball back into the tank, the ink will fade on its own so I don't mind. I move to get up but stop when something soft hits my head and rolls next to me.

"Really?" I yell.

But she doesn't reply, instead another pillow is thrown at me from another angle. I pull the rest of my tail out of the tank and quickly wrap the towel around my waist as I feel my lower body split into legs. I'm about to stand up when another pillow smacks my chest.

I grab the yellow polka dot pillow and tuck it under my arm while I secure the towel around my waist with a bit of magic. Then I wait.

I tune in on the quiet steps she's taking and I swear I hear the faintest bit of laughter as she pauses. I turn as if I think I hear her at a different direction and the moment I do I she attempts to launch another pillow at me but I catch it in time and toss one at her. Which seems to have been a grave mistake.

The pillow smacks her dead in the face and she lets out a sharp cry. I feel my heart drop at the thought of hurting her and quickly run to her side. Her hands are covering her face and she's shaking. I apologize over and over but I don't think she hears me. I kneel down and take her hands in mine and pull them away and-

She surges forward and kisses me on the cheek and laughs.

For a moment I'm too stunned to say or do anything until she tries to pull away from me. I quickly retaliate and scoop her up and haul her over my shoulder. She laughs and pokes at me asking to put her down but I won't, not yet.

I take her to the bathroom and flick my finger at the faucet making the ice cold water fill the tub. I wait a moment before carefully dropping her in. She hisses and shrieks but she's still smiling.

"Tao you bastard!" She yells at me. "It's fucking freezing in here."

I smile at her as I yank a large towel off a hook and offer it to her. She quickly stomps out of the tub and starts peeling her clothes off. I quickly close my eyes when an interesting thought occurs to me... I hold the towel up and wait.

"Really dude?" She sighs.

"I'm sorry, I can't see you," I grin.

I hear her jump and groan before she pinches my side which makes me wince.

"Dude I'm.. I'm fucking freezing. Just give me the towel," She huffs. I can hear the shiver in her voice this time and I relent.

She snatches the towel right away and quickly wraps herself up.

"You can look now, everything's covered up Tao," she says.

I open my eyes and look down. Her skin is covered in small bumps and she's shaking.

"You should get to the nest room and warm up. I'm going to shower real quick and I'll make breakfast for us afterwards," I nod.

She looks down and sighs, "Sounds good but uh... I mean I kinda wanted to shower too. Salt water isn't that good for my hair."

I think about letting her go first but it will take thirty minutes for the hot water to reset. I could use my magic to make the shower water I use warm but any spells involving heat will deplete my day's magic since I'm cold blooded. And I don't like going without an ample amount of magic anywhere.

"Tao?" she asks. "You ok?"

"Just uh..."

"It's the hot water situation huh?" she makes a face and crinkles her nose.

I nod and cross my arms, "The only other option I can think of is highly inappropriate..."

She snickers, "What? Us showering together? Dude if that's the only way we can stand back to back or take turns doing a quick five minute shower each. Whatever you're comfortable with."

I groan because I hadn't thought about just taking a short shower since I usually stay in until the water runs cold. Back to back still seems too much but at the same time... I shake my head and chase out those impure thoughts of mine, now's not the time for that.

"We can try back to back only because... because I want to check your injuries. You said they felt fine but I've noticed you've been itching your back a lot lately," I sputter out.

She purses her lips and turns around, lowering the towel to her waist. I try and look away but quickly notice a large angry bruise and scrapes near her hips and a large scab in the middle of her back. But nothing could have prepared me for the scar of the back of her neck.

How have I never noticed that?

"Oh gods," I whisper.

"Is it bad?" she responds, concern lacing her voice.

It takes me a moment to come back to myself and quickly respond about to scrapes and bruises.

"I guess it would probably be a good idea if you could get my back... I mean only if you're ok with that," she says.

"Yes...-" I blurt and quickly clear my throat. "I mean it might be a little uncomfortable but I uh-" I pause feeling the sickening taste of the lie I'm about to tell. "I would rather be uncomfortable for a little bit than you acquire some sort of infection."

She nods her head and so do I and we sort of just stand there for an awkward moment until she lets her towel drop and scurries to the shower.

"I'm uh going to get the shower started," she says before turning the faucets and pulling the shower tab.

I'm too stunned to move, too stunned to say anything, too stunned at seeing her perfect body.

Goddesses of the winds and seas give me strength.

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

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

You curse yourself for making such a stupid, impulsive and asinine suggestion. You know you could have waited in the nest room, ate breakfast and then take a shower but no, you just had to open your mouth.

Now you're about to shower with a six foot something life guard merman who you just realized you're in love with.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Shaking your head you feel the water getting warmer to the touch and quickly step in and then turn to face the wall.

"Ok, Tao... Your turn," you say.

You hear him shift and what you can only assume is his towel dropping. You suck in a deep breath as you feel your cheeks getting hot.

Tao carefully steps into the shower, his arm gently brushing against yours which causes the both of you to jump and look at each other.

His eyes widen before they quickly look away and he offers a quick apology.

You turn around and nearly bump your ass against him but manage to dodge any skin to skin in the last couple of seconds. The warm water is helping the shivers and goosebumps you had earlier but it's doing nothing for the full body blush you're feeling right now.

Taking another deep breath you run your hands through your hair and ask Tao for the shampoo he had bought you recently. But instead of handing the bottle to you he asks if he can wash your hair.

"Is uh this another cultural thing?" you ask, your nerves practically on fire.

"Yes and no. It's something you can say no to but it would be very nostalgic for me," Tao admits, his voice a little calmer.

"How so?" you ask.

"In my old shoal mates would help each other with their hair, either cleaning and brushing it out or styling it with beads, jewels, and strung pearls. My step father would spend hours lovingly braiding beads and jewels into my mothers hair even though she wasn't a fan of those intricate styles. But she knew he loved spending that time with her and she eventually fell in love with him," Tao sighs and your chest tightens.

You place a hand over your heart feeling a strange pain their that's not entirely yours. Normally you'd give into his requests but after what happened earlier, after he dodged your questions so nicely, you're not sure if you can give into him or should anymore. Especially anything to do with mates.

"I-I um... can you give me the shampoo Tao?" you ask again.

There's some slight hesitation but eventually he hands you the bottle. You hear him grab for his soaps while you sudds up your hair and the pain in your chest grows till it's almost unbearable. You feel yourself slipping and quickly catch yourself on the shower bar.

"Are you ok?" Tao quickly turns to you and the ache in your chest lightens but your cheeks feel much much hotter all of a sudden.

"Yeah uh...just a little dizzy I guess," you keep your eyes respectfully on the bar but that doesn't last too long. You feel yourself being carefully lifted and places right back on your feet. One of Tao's large clawed hands snakes around your throat and tilts your head back.

"Let me rinse your hair out and wash your back, then you can get out. I don't want to risk you falling over and injuring yourself further," Tao says as he pulls the shower head down and starts rinsing out your hair.

You stay stock still as he carefully untangles your hair, his claws able to work out each knot with ease. Once he's down with your hair he places the shower head back and slowly removes his hand from your throat.

"Good girl," he whispers to you and your face feels like it's about to combust. "Stay still if you can while I get your back."

Knowing Tao, he's got to be oblivious to what he just said and how it affected you because damn. You squirm a little bit, your nerves making you twitch a bit but Tao's firm hands gently still you just a bit above your hips.

"Be good and stay still," he repeats as he kneels down behind you. You feel the lightest touch of a washcloth as he slowly and carefully scrubs your back. When he barely touches the middle where that annoying itch has been you can't help but to tighten up and shake a bit which makes it hard for you to stay still.

"Sorry I uh... Oh uh Tao, what are you doing?" you ask as his comes to rest against your stomach.

"Holding up right. If it hurts and it's making you writhe you could possibly slip and-"

"Injure myself again, gotchya," I roll my eyes at the continuous ridiculousness of this situation. Tao is obviously being a lot more mature about this than I am.

He's slow and methodical with how he's cleaning my back, taking great care at the bruised spots but somehow he keeps going back up towards my neck... Did I get cut there too or...

Oh god, he saw it... He must have saw it... There's no way he wouldn't have, especially with how close he was.

I feel my heart beating a mile a minute and everything feels light and heavy all at once. I want to turn around and tell Tao to stop, yell at him for touching my neck and giving it any sort of attention at all. But it's not his fault, it's mine and I have no one to blame but myself...

"You're shaking... are you ok?" Tao asks but you don't say anything.

For a few moments you just stand there, wet, sad and holding yourself because you know if you let go you might fall apart.

"I..." you start but it takes you a few too many breathes to continue and when you try and talk again you feel the words sticking in the back of your throat.

Tao moves quick and picks you up in his arms and takes you out of the shower before grabbing a towel and covering you up. Your mind goes blank then, everything is a blur and before you know it you're asleep.

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

When you finally wake up you find yourself wrapped up in the nest room and the sun is going down. You try and sit up but your body aches and you feel things pop and pull. So you settle for a quick stretch and sigh.

You ended up sleeping all day. You probably needed it being emotionally exhausted but this was too much. You try again to sit up when the door opens.

"Looks like sleeping beauty's finally awake. How you feeling?" Jes asks as she comes in to sit beside you.

You gawk at her for a moment and she laughs.

"I came by to check on you and drop off some pie, Blake baked too much and they weren't selling as well as the cheesecake," she shrugs.

"But you're still here," you raise a brow at her.

"Tall dark and stupid was having a panic attack when I got here so I knew right then and there that I couldn't leave you two alone. I got him to calm down after a bit of talking and a couple cups of strong coffee. He's worried about you and so am I. He told me everything by the way, left nothing out," Jes pinches her brow and shakes her head.

"I couldn't take it anymore, it's starting to really fuck with me. I can't just pretend that I don't like him anymore. It's only going to get worse if I do and I don't know... maybe it'll be easier for me to move on once he rejects me, once he fully fucking breaks my heart it'll be easier to fall out of love with him...right?" you start crying and Jes pulls you into her arms.

"Hush you, you know that big idiot wouldn't hurt you like that," she pats your back and squeezes you.

"Not intentionally but he will...," you mutter as the tears continue to flow.

Jes continues holding you and listening to your woes as you cry. Time eventually passes and you're emotionally drained again and as limp as a wet noodle. She carefully lays you back down as she leaves to go get you some hot tea and soup that Tao made while in panic mode.

You curl up in a ball then, too tired to sit up again and too sad to think. But you do anyways.

Thoughts of Tao introducing his chosen mate to you enter your brain uninvited. There's a vile disgusting taste in your mouth that has you gaging as you imagine who he's chose. You can't stop your thoughts nor your gut and slip and trip towards the bathroom in a mad dash to empty the contents of your stomach.

Since you haven't eaten anything in hours it's mostly acrid bile which makes you feel even sicker. Jes finds you shortly after you've puked your soul out and helps you clean up. She carefully escorts you back to the nest room and wraps you up in a comfy blanket and hands you some water.

"You look clammy as fuck sugar pop, I think all this stress is making you sick. You should probably get checked soon." Jes presses a warm hand against your forehead then cheek.

"I would if I could but I don't have insurance," you grimace then take a swig of water. It's cold and kind of stings your throat but overall it's a lot more pleasant than the burning acid.

"At least let Merjerk Mcgee take care of you then. I can come by and bring some medicine and shit before my shift tomorrow. Your stuff should be moved in by then too. I have Arty and my brother Kirk helping him with the moving van," She says as she picks up the tray with the soup and tea.

Your eyes widen and you stutter for a few moments too long, "Jes... please tell me that the three of them are not going to my grandmother's by themselves."

Jes looks down before her eyes widen as she realizes the mistake that's about to be made.

"We should go," she whispers. "Right now."

[f6bron]

you adored me before.

pairing : chamber x fem!reader x deadeye

note : victor is deadeye (fanon), 3 of them are around high schoolers’ age, childhood friends to lovers trope, reader comes from a lower-class background

The sun had just begun its descent, casting a golden glow over the prestigious school grounds. You stood anxiously at the entrance, feeling out of place amidst the affluent parents and well-dressed students. You couldn’t ignore the whispers and glances of disdain, the way they were judging you for your worn-out clothes.

It made you feel small, like you didn’t belong in their world.

But it’s just how the world works, on your part. You’re used to it.

Just as your discomfort peaked, Vincent and Victor entered your vision.

“Y/N!”

Vincent, the ever-energetic and cheerful twin, sprinted towards you, his face alight with excitement. Victor followed behind at a more leisurely pace, a small, reassuring smile on his lips at the sight of beautiful you.

“Sorry for making you wait for us. Victor was being too slow.” Vincent said, only to be interrupted by a warning smack at the back from Victor.

“He’s lying to you. He spilled his food on his book, and [sighs], well… someone had to help him clean it up.” Victor corrected, making you chuckle shyly.

Vincent rolled his eyes at his brother dramatically before turning his attention back to you.

“Shall we get going?”

You nodded, a soft smile spreading across your face. To your surprise, Vincent grabbed your hand, his touch warm and reassuring. Victor, not to be outdone, gently took your backpack from your shoulder.

“Oh, Victor you don’t have to–” you started, but were cut off by his soft smile, which is a rare sight coming from him.

“No worries, okay?” He said, with a soft but firm voice.

“Thanks…” you mumbled, turning away to hide the blush that crept up your cheeks.

The twins shared a knowing glance, both wearing smiles that hinted at their not-so-secret affection for you.

Arriving at the aquarium, your excitement was palpable. As soon as you stepped inside, you were captivated by the vibrant displays and the myriad of sea creatures swimming gracefully behind the glass.

A few days earlier, the three of you sat together at the neighbourhood park, your usual hangout spot. You mentioned in passing that you had never been to an aquarium.

“What do you mean you’ve never been to one ?!” Vincent exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

You shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. “The tickets are too expensive…”

Victor hummed thoughtfully, “Well, if that’s the case, we should go to one this Friday. Take it as my treat.”

Oho, finally! A reason to bring you out on a date, Victor thought. Until…

Vincent’s eyes widened in offense. “Hey, I should be the one saying that!”

“I want to bring Y/N only. You, on the other hand… You’re on your own.” Victor said, shooting his twin a deadly glare.

Vincent gasped dramatically. “Espèce de fils de pute! (You son of a bitch!)” he retorted, earning a laugh from you as the twins bickered.

You darted from tank to tank, your eyes widened in wonder. Vincent and Victor hung back, watching you with adoration in their eyes. Your enthusiasm was infectious, and they found themselves so whipped over you.

You had become an important part of their lives, and they had to protect you from all the dangers in this world. They were determined to keep you close, to make you stay with them.

Forever.

Victor pulled out his phone, snapping a candid photo of you. The way your face alight with joy as your doe eyes admired the marine life, it’s too adorable for him.

He’s going to make you his. One way or another. Victor has to.

But, too bad, he has a competition. Who might that be? If it’s none other than his younger brother.

Speak of the devil. Vincent nudged his brother, noticing your picture on his phone.

“Send me that.” he whispered. Victor scoffed lightly, “Certainement pas (No way). This one’s for my eyes only.”

Vincent pouted. “Allez (come on), now. I got some of her photos too. Do you want them? Y/N looks so pretty–”

“What are you guys talking about?” You questioned, which startled them both.

“We, uh– we were talking about those fishes,” Vincent stammered. “Yeah! It’s just, uh–”

“But I heard you said my name.” You asked, curious eyes staring into their souls.

Trying not to cause more suspicion, Victor quickly cut him off. “Oh, the showcase is about to start. Isn’t that what you’ve been waiting for, Y/N?”

Your eyes lit up with excitement. “Yeah, let’s go!”

You took off towards the showcase location, with Victor following close behind, after giving Vincent a narcissistic smirk.

You bitch.

He lingered for a moment, shaking his head in disbelief before catching up.

(A/N): a drabble for now… huhu

masterlist.

[good-griief]

'school girl' crush

so… i've been seeing so many milf!reader x ellie stories so i had to write this write a little one shot (i may have to make a part 2)

During summer, as a college student in need of extra money, Ellie ran a daycare with her friend Dina, who was only doing it so her son had friends to play with. Now, though, Dina had met a woman named Mel, who also needed friends for her new kid, and Ellie was ready to send in her informal resignation. 

“You’re leaving?” There was one reason she wanted to stay. This adorable little toddler, Celeste. She had the biggest eyes, and the cutest hair always in little braids. She was always chatting away and stuffing her face.

But why she wanted to stay had to do with Celeste’s mother. Ellie had practically fallen in love with her. She must’ve been five or so years out of college, younger to be a mother, but definitely older than Ellie and her friends. Ellie assumed she was single, the kid’s other parent never picking her up. In fact, with that body, Ellie hoped she was single. 

Sure, she was being a bit of a perv, imagining what this woman’s body would look like outside of yoga pants and a tank top, but she couldn’t help herself when the summer heat was messing with her head like this— at least that was what she told herself. 

You, on the other hand, knew she was far too young for you. She was a college kid with a crush, but that didn't mean you didn't find her cute; always taking her shirt off around the time your SUV pulled up and swimming with the kids so she could show off her tanned, toned body. 

She’d walk your girl to your car, talking with her the whole way and smiling at you when she greeted you. 

“Mama!” Celeste would cheer, running with a waddle over to you as Ellie watched with a smile. 

You would crouch to hug her, laughing as she clung to you, but you were far too tired from work most days to lift her up and convince her to sit in a carseat. She always wanted to sit in front with you, and you always refused, but it was even worse when she hadn’t seen you all day. 

Ellie would get Celeste into her carseat for you, buckling her in and giving her an extra snack to convince her before she spoke to you until Dina called her back in. 

This time, you’d started the conversation, asking whether or not it was true what you heard your daughter tell you the day before. 

“Oh, uh, yeah. Dina found another mom, so…” She shrugged. 

“Well, that’s too bad…” You sighed, leaning against your car as you pushed your sunglasses up. You pointed your thumb to the backseat, where your toddler had already passed out. “She’s really attached to you. I don’t think I can send her back if you’re not there.”

“Aw, man… Really?” You hummed, brows raising. “Well, I guess I could—“

“Do you think you would wanna babysit for me?” You asked. Ellie paused, swallowing. Something about your attitude today was different, like you were finally acknowledging her advances. “You could come over in the mornings, same time as daycare. I’ll give you, like, two-hundred— no, three-hundred bucks? That sound good?”

“Three…” She blinked, dumbfounded. “I can’t. Not that much.”

“It’s the least I can do. We live on the complete other side of Jackson.” She nodded slowly. “Really? If that’s a yes, then… I’ll be home most of the time, working, but you can knock if you need me.” She nodded again, mind drifting to being in your home, being able to knock on your bedroom door at any time… Show you how good she was with your daughter. Maybe, she thought, you’d finally realize you were interested in her, too. “Think you can start Monday—?“

“Yes!” She quickly cleared her throat, lowering her enthusiastic voice. “Yeah. I can start whenever.”

“Are you off yet?” You then asked, earning an eager nod. “Don’t get too excited. I was just going to ask if I could get you froyo, or something.”

Ellie laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. “That’d be nice. Thanks.”

“No sweat. You’ve been working in the sun all day. Hop in.” You walked around to your driver's side as Ellie got in the passengers, completely forgetting about her shirt still sitting in Dina’s living room as you began driving. 

She looked over at you, noticing you were sitting with one leg comfortably bent up on the door and your elbow leaning on it as you held your head up. She, on the other hand, sat cross legged with her arm resting on the window. 

“I promise I’m driving safely,” you reassured her with a laugh. “This is just more comfortable.”

“Oh…” She waved you off. “That’s how I drive, too.” You chuckled at that as she looked at the hand you didn’t have on the wheel, checking for a ring. “Hey, can I ask you something?” She spoke after a moment, gaining a hum of a response from you. “Are you married?”

You laughed. “Ellie, we’ve talked about your little crush on me before.” She groaned, face heating in embarrassment. It was true, you’d told her not to be so obvious about it, but she didn’t take that as an outright rejection. “I’m way too old for you.”

“How old are you?” She asked, earning a brow raise. “Just makin’ conversation…”

“Nearing 30.”

“Well, I’m nearing 25.”

“You just turned 20.”

“21 in October. Come on!” She quickly defended herself. “You’re, what? 26? 28?”

“Oh, Ellie,” you laughed, shaking your head at her. “When this little crush you have goes away, you’ll be happy I didn’t indulge you.” You then switched the conversation. “Aren’t you excited to get back to school? What do you study again?”

You talked the rest of the way to the frozen yogurt shop, eventually getting there and parking. It was right along the beach, and you told Ellie this was usually what you did with your little girl every Friday when she got out of daycare, so she was welcome to join you. 

You were giving her mixed signals, at least in her mind, but you told her the truth as you got Celeste into her stroller. 

“You know, I really should tell you, Cella asked if you could come with us today,” you said as you nodded to the girl, who woke up with a giant grin on her face after seeing Ellie. Ellie was only paying attention to the nickname you had for your daughter, finding it adorable and fawning over it in her head. “I know what you’re thinking, so if you want me to drive you home after—“

“No!” Your toddler immediately protested. “Ellie, come home with us. Show you my new house. It’s pink!”

“Oh,” you laughed. “You’re awake enough to argue, huh?” You crouched down to look at her, pinching her little cheek. “Does that mean you’re awake enough to walk by yourself?” She immediately shook her head, grabbing her small sippy cup attached to the side of the stroller and making sure she had no way to answer your questions by sucking on the little straw. You shook your head, standing as you laughed at her. 

For being three, and halfway to four as she always reminded you, she was pretty advanced for her age. Ellie simply saw that as you being a great mother, which only encouraged her crushing on you. 

“Kiddo, I don’t think your mommy will even invite me over if you argue with her,” Ellie told the girl, who reached her little hand up for Ellie to hold as you pushed the stroller, taking note of her habitual use of mommy, and chuckling to yourself. 

“Sorry, mama,” Celeste said around the straw of her cup. 

“It’s alright, babygirl—“

“So, Ellie can come over?” Ellie laughed, covering it with a cough when you raised a brow at her encouraging your toddler to try and manipulate you. 

“Ellie?” You looked at her. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

“Stay forever!” Your girl cheered. 

“How about dinner first?” She said, looking down at Celeste. “I’d love to,” she then said to you. 

You couldn’t deny how good she was with your girl, watching as she convinced her to walk on her own. She’d told her: “mommy’s been working all day, and she loves pushing you, but she’s probably tired, don’t you think?” And despite you saying nearly the same thing earlier, she agreed with Ellie. That gave you the opportunity to take the stroller back to the car, so she didn’t decide to sit again, and grab a shirt for Ellie— who you still hadn’t corrected about calling you mommy when your toddler said mama. 

When you came back, Ellie was talking away with her, laughing at whatever nonsense joke she would tell and making you smile. 

“Here,” you handed her the shirt and she immediately went red, saying she forgot she’d even left hers at Dina’s. 

By the time you got home, it was later than anticipated, but your girl still insisted that Ellie stay and have dinner with you. 

“Maybe another night?” You suggested as you picked her up. “Mommy’s a little tired, bubba. I think bubba’s a lil’ tired too, no?”

“Nope. Wide awake!” 

“Alright,” you laughed as you brought her in, setting her in her gated play area. “Show Ellie your new house while mommy makes dinner, ‘kay?”

The amount of times Ellie had heard you call yourself mommy that day were making her head explode. Celeste didn’t even call you that, she’d realized. She called you Mama, so she was headed down a path of thinking you were doing it just to tease her. She knew she shouldn’t be thinking this way, but it was hard when all she could think about was— “Ellie! Look!” She was brought out of her thoughts when Celeste pointed to the new dollhouse she got. It was taller than she was, and lit up like a real house. 

Ellie scoffed in surprise. “Holy shit,” she muttered. 

“Shit!” The toddler repeated before cackling to herself as Ellie freaked out and told her not to say that. “Shit, shit, shit!” She laughed.

“Stop that!” Ellie was afraid you’d hear her. “Fuck,” she cursed under her breath, “stop it. Now.” She then went on to yell ‘fuck’ as many times as she wanted. 

“What on Earth is going on in here?” You asked as you stepped out of the kitchen. “Ellie?”

“I didn’t—“

“Ellie saying no no words!” 

“No!?”

You laughed. “Ellie, why don’t you come help me in the kitchen?” You looked to your girl. “And you.” You narrowed your eyes at her, making her giggle as you smiled. “Get dinner ready for your dolls. Show Ellie how you set it all up when she gets back.”

Ellie followed you into the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind her. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to—“

“You know, teaching my daughter how to swear definitely won’t get you anywhere with me.” Ellie cursed to herself internally, sulking. “But, I guess it’s a good thing she already knows those words, huh?”

“What?” 

“Her dad loves action movies. She comes home quoting them.” You shrugged. “He just lets her say whatever. I’ve resorted to having her not say it outside of the house or in front of guests.”

“Great dad,” Ellie muttered, making you chuckle as you knew she was only taking the side she assumed you were on because of her crush. 

“He actually is.” She immediately grew embarrassed, making you chuckle. You couldn’t deny how much fun you were having embarrassing her this way. She was awfully cute. Especially with the way she blushed so easily. “He’s the one that got her that dollhouse. A little present for making in through daycare since he knows how tired I’ve been. She used to hate daycare before you.” That brought a smile to Ellie’s face. “Thank you, for agreeing to babysit, by the way. I don’t know what I’d do if you didn't.”

“It’s nothing,” she said quickly, gaining a smile from you. “So… I take it that means you’re not married?” She asked after a moment as she washed her hands, ready to help with whatever you were making. 

“Mm, no. He’s my best friend. We had drunk sex at a stupid party and I got pregnant,” you laughed.

“Were you dating before, or…?”

“God no,” you laughed again. “I’d just broken up with the girlfriend I had since, like, freshman year of college, so he was trying to help me get drunk and find someone else… one idiotic thing led to another, and suddenly I’m six months pregnant, and I didn’t even know until I went to the doctor for a strep test.” Ellie snorted, the whole thing sounding like something out of a television show. “I know, I know. He’s gay too. That makes it even better.” Ellie laughed loudly at that, making a smile come to your face. 

The rest of the night was spent making dinner, and putting your little girl to bed as she’d fallen asleep before dinner just as you expected. You offered for Ellie to stay anyway, and she gladly did. 

“Okay,” she finally spoke, interrupting your conversation that’d gone through dinner and dessert; it being surprisingly easy to talk to her. “I have to ask— I know I’m probably being ridiculous, but, uh, I may just need you to shut me down.” You raised your brows, humming. She realized that may be a habit for you, but it was an excruciatingly attractive habit to have. “She, uh, she calls you ‘mama’—“

Almost immediately, you lowered your head, laughing. “I don’t have an answer for that, Ellie.” Her face reddened. “All honesty, I just found it a little funny.”

“You were teasing me!” She accused with a red face. You shrugged, looking up at her with a smile and flushed cheeks. She thought back on the day, all the times she’d called you ‘mommy’, all the times she’d done so while wearing your shirt, and felt a flutter in her stomach that made her cross her legs. “You’re awful.”

“You started it—! And besides, I thought I’d have a little fun… I mean, since my little girl wanted you to spend the day with us, I needed a way to enjoy myself too, no?” Your tone was mocking, making her adjust her seating at your near insulting words. “The bathroom’s just down there.” You pointed down the hall, past the stairs. 

“Stop it,” she said pointedly, making you chuckle as you stood and grabbed both your plates. 

“I’ll give you a ride home, alright? Or, is your car at Dina’s?” You asked as you came back to the dining room. 

“What about—?”

“Her dad’s a few blocks down. I’ll tell him.” You quickly texted him, getting a message back almost immediately. 

When he got there, you went to your car with Ellie, driving with the windows down and old rock music blasting through the car at her request. You both sang along, laughing the whole way there. 

You paused the music when you got there, stopping in front of the driveway and looking at Ellie. “I’ll see you Monday?”

She nodded. “I’ll, uh…” She played with the hem of your shirt on her. “I’ll give this back to you then.”

“No need.” You gave her a smile that made her cheeks heat as you leaned your arm on the console to look at her. “Night, Ellie.”

“Night…” She muttered in a daze, quickly snapping out of it and getting out of your car to go to hers. 

As she drove home, all she could think about was your teasing, all she could smell was your perfume on the shirt, and all she could feel was her stomach fluttering. 

When she got home, she went straight to her room. She left your shirt on, slipping her bra off from underneath and taking off her pants. She got into bed, holding your shirt up to her face and inhaling deeply. She quickly stopped herself. “Oh my fucking God, Ellie.” She dropped the shirt and brought her hands to her face in embarrassment, but now all she could feel was the fabric brushing against her nipples as her mind clouded with your voice; calling yourself mommy as you looked her in the eyes. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she shook her head at herself, attempting to shake away her thoughts of you and your awfully mean teasing. She grabbed her pillow, shoving her face into it as she went red. “Get a hold of yourself.”

[shadesslut]

serene

Pairing: (Ethan Landry x Fem!Reader)

Content Includes: (Fluff)

Summary: Ethan and Y/N go on a lil cute aquarium trip together.

(a/n: this is really short and I miss the ocean)

Masterlist

✮

✮

✮

She pressed her palm flat against the glass as she wore a wide grin. Ethan looked at her with his eyes full of love. They were on their senior trip, in Florida, and Ethan had asked her to go to the aquarium with her on their last day. The whole trip, he had been pining for her, wishing she would catch on the subtle hints he gave her.

“Aren’t they beautiful?” She asked, still looking through the glass as various fish swam by. Ethan nodded, continuing to look at her. 

She turned to face him, and she kept her smile, which made Ethan’s cheeks flush pink. She glanced behind him, and she gasped before pulling Ethan to the next exhibit. He giggled excitedly as she pulled him through the crowd of people, and they stopped in a darker room, full of tanks with jellyfish. Ethan looked around, a flustered smile still on his face, and Y/N walked up to one of the tanks, pressing her face up against it. She looked like a little kid, a thrilling gaze lingered from her eyes. Her eyes followed a jellyfish, and she bent down as it swam lower.

Ethan bent down next to her, balancing on his knees. They stared at the jellyfish for a few minutes in a blissful silence. 

“I wish I could live in the ocean.” She whispered. “They look so at peace, you know? Nothing to worry about,”

“Just floatin’,” Ethan joked, laughing slightly. Ethan’s phone vibrated in his back pocket, and he reached back to pull it out, receiving a text from Chad.

Chad

Did you tell her yet ?

2:36 pm

Ethan looked over at Y/N, who was still staring happily into the tank. 

Ethan

Not yet

2:36 pm

He silenced his phone, putting it back in his pocket. He cleared his throat, gaining her attention. “Can I talk to you about something?” She nodded, smiling. Just as he was about to confess, a wave of anxiety suddenly rushed over him. His cheeks turned red, and his throat started to feel tight. “S-So, what’s your favorite animal?” He redirected. She bit the inside of her cheek, looking up as she pondered. Ethan mentally slapped himself for being too afraid.

“Whale sharks.” She answered, proudly. 

A little bit of his nerves washed away at her answer. “‘Whale sharks’? I’ve never had anyone answer that.” he chuckled, sitting all the way down against the wall as he situated himself. She laughed breathily, sitting next to him. It was just the two of them in the room now, sitting alone a little bit too close to each other, with the jellyfish happily swimming around. 

“Oh, so I’m the first girl to answer that? You ask every girl you take to the aquarium that question?” She teased, and his ears became red. His eyes widened, and he rapidly shook his head at her. 

“N-No! You’re the only girl I’ve taken!” 

She let out a cackle at his panic. She rested her hand on his shoulder as she doubled over laughing, but Ethan didn’t laugh. He only stared at the contact of her hand. He felt like a teenage boy, growing giddy over a girl barely touching him. 

“Why whale sharks?” Ethan asked, breaking her laughing fit. 

“Because, they’re just so…beautiful. They look like they’re space, and they’re white dots are like little stars. Also, they’re really passive with people, so people dive with them all the time. You can’t touch them though, something about a protective layer they have that’s really sensitive. But, just looking at them, it’s enough. Sorry, I’m rambling,” She stopped herself, looking at Ethan. He was in pure awe, he had never heard her talk about something she loved so much before. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you’re beautiful.” He whispered. She quietly gasped, widened eyes. He moved closer towards her, and she gulped nervously. His pinkie finger grazed hers, and with every drop of confidence Ethan had, he wrapped her pinkie with his. “I really wanna kiss you right now,” 

“In front of the jellyfish?” She whispered, half-joking. He softly chuckled at her words and reached up to hold her chin gently. He swiped his thumb over the bottom of her lip.

“I don’t think they’ll mind.” Ethan whispered back. He leaned forward while she reciprocated, and he lovingly placed his lips on her plump ones. He inhaled deeply as he felt her, all of her. He slowly moved his lips against hers and slid his hand around her, resting it on the back of her head. He pulled away, their noses still touching, and smiled at her. “I’ve wanted that, for so long.” 

“Me too,” she whispered against his lips. “You should do it again,”

He smiled sweetly, before answering, “If that’s what my pretty girl wants,” He leaned forward kissing her one more time. The soft lights from the tanks illuminated both of their features and glimmered against their skin. Ethan never really thought that much of the ocean, but now, he understood how she felt. The ocean was at a level of serene, and he felt it as he kissed her. He felt as if he was drowning in the water, suffocating. She felt like the ocean, pulling him down in a useless attempt to enchant him, but he was already enchanted. She felt like the warm water against his skin, and her hair flowed as the animals did in the sea. Everything above the water was muffled and blurred, she distracted him from everything else, and he never wanted to go back. He didn’t want to go back to the world, he wanted to stay under the water, with her, and the whale sharks. He loved the ocean, he loved her.

[wexhappyxfew]

the waiting game

(a/n): HELLO FRIENDS!!!!! how is everyone?!?!?! it has been a minute since i've been able to put writing out but! i finished my summer internship and took a vacay too and i'm back to do some more writing! :) i have one more prompt to put out that is taking me some time to rewrite/edit, but i wanted to start with putting out a piece for annie x brady for AGES AGO!!!! i wrote it maybe back in march/april and it never got posted so, i cleaned it up and wanted to put it out!! PLUS it features annie x brady being adorable beans and some cameos from other Silver Bullets members just being their normal, chaotic selves haha. so please enjoy that!!!! :D

Algeria was hot as fuck.

The belly of Silver Bullets could only provide so much shade as they waited for the 12th to show up.

Too hot inside the fort, too hot outside the fort, the strip of shade providing what it could, especially with the sun moving from east to west and the atmosphere simply being one thing - hot.

Annie lounged beneath the shaded nose of the plane, leg bent up with her other leg crossed over top, aviators over her eyes as she stared at the smoke from her cigarette, curling upwards towards the bright blue sky, half covered by the nose of the B-17. Her shorts were filled with sand, her tank top a size too big and equally covered in sand and parts of her skin were either dried out or burnt and peeling. A lot of the others were in a much similar or slightly worse state - sun burnt, sweating and coarse sand all over; anywhere you could think and it was there. Something kicked at her foot.

"Hey, you alive?" Annie looked up and found Francis there, aviators and that stupid hat Major Egan was also walking around wearing on his head.

"I am in fact living and breathing," Annie said, and then placed the cigarette on her lip, "you look ridiculous." Francis smirked and then came and settled down on the ground beside Annie and sighed.

"This was all his idea, if I must say," Francis said as Annie passed her the cigarette and she took a puff, "you know as they say, if you wanna look stupid, look stupid together." Annie snorted and glanced over towards Francis.

"So, any update?"

"None. Absolutely nothing. Oh, someone from Brady's crew is trying to train a goat to stand on its hind-legs. Otherwise, no, no news."

"Great." Annie said and glanced back towards the nose of Silver Bullets, her mind drifting briefly to that glance her and Brady had shared a few nights ago after landing, his eyes soft, his face worn with exhaustion, the slight smile on the corners of his cheeks, "Who the hell is training the goat?" Francis let out a snort and sighed, picking up a handful of sand and dropping it to the ground again.

"I don't know, I think one of their waist gunners," Francis said nonchalantly, "Brady's encouraging him. Either way, it was funny as hell trying to see those two trying to tame a goat. It was a treat, that's all I gotta say." Annie chuckled and took back the cigarette and blew out a puff. Her mind wandered - everyone was hot, a little moody, waiting for some fresh water, or a meal that wasn't hot as anything. The waiting game was only fun so many times before you were waiting to lead a horse to water where it wouldn't drink.

"We get water?"

"Yeah, some," Francis said, "I think Mari and Judy are helping Benny to pass some out. Want me to grab you some?"

"Nah, I can get it." Annie said and then slowly sat up, her head swimming a bit from the mixture of sweat and equally, heat exhaustion.

"No you're not," Francis said, "honey, you're burnt up like a fried pepper. Stay here." Annie pulled a face.

"It's just a little bit of sun-burn, I've had worse." Annie said and Francis shot her a look, even from behind the aviators, that told her to stay still.

"Don't start moving around, alright, I'll be back." Annie watched Francis leave, before lying back down on her back and staring up again at the nose of good ole Silver Bullets, before shutting her eyes. A few minutes of shut-eye might be worthwhile.

"Annie." Her eyes shot open and she found Brady standing there above her. Eyes widening rather dramatically, she flushed a bit and shifted.

"John, hey." she said, suddenly realizing her fetal-position-like posture there on the ground and blinked a few times before, slowly sitting up, head swimming and then getting to her feet, to which Brady placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her, which made her hiss, the sun-burn burning a bit from his warm hand.

"Oh, shit," Brady said, immediately removing his hand, "I just wanted to steady you-"

"No, no, thank you, it's okay. You're okay, thank you." Annie said as she glanced towards her shoulder, at the skin beginning to peel up, grimacing a bit as she looked towards him, "Sunburn that's all." Brady looked at her through his own aviators and she suddenly took him in there in front of her - shirtless - not exactly something she was complaining about or should even be thinking too deeply into.

It was hot. The sun was brutal, you basically wanted as little layers on as possible, and they all smelled generally, not too great. But Brady being shirtless was yeah….definitely a sight worth glancing at considering the circumstances where everything was simply draining.

She flushed deeper, and hoped it would pass off as heat exhaustion if anything as she watched Brady cross his arms, the evidently toned muscles of his arms extending far greater into her line of sight than she would've thought.

"You need me to get a bandage for it or something?" Brady asked her, "Some water to pour on it?" Annie stared at him and then wised-up and shook her head.

"It's alright, really, no worries," she said, and then cleared her throat, "how's it going? What's up?" Brady smiled and then shook his head.

"That's what I came to ask you, but now you have me considering scrounging bandages." he said, placing his hands on his hips, "Don't mind stepping up to the plate."

"Don't be telling that to Kennedy, she'll start a ball game in this heat and next thing you know we'll all be burnt." Annie said with a smirk and Brady chuckled at her words. She tilted her head to the side and considered his help - he was already standing in her presence, he didn't need to do much else.

"I'm fine really though, save the bandages. For a serious issue." she told him with a small smile and he shook his head.

"It could get worse." he told her, face falling to a pinch of worry that you had to see if you squinted, crossing his arms again - really nice arms, "C'mon, let me find something. Hey…..Stagliano!"

Paulina Stagliano, ever-the-presently-always-pissed person she was, sat under one of the wings of Silver Bullets sat up and lifted her aviators, her curly hair that was out of its usual braids, looking like it'd been just dumped in a bucket of water, sticking to her cheeks, glanced at him.

"What the hell do you possibly want me from me, sir!" she hollered, voice bouncing off the nearby metal of the plane.

"Bandages!" Brady called back, "For your pilot!"

"That was a little unneeded, John," Annie said, giving his shoulder a shove and he turned to her with that wide grin and shook his head, "really, the girls know I'm fine, that's what matters."

"You're their pilot. And also one of the 100ths, I'll look out for ya, alright?" Well, there was no use arguing anymore at this point. Paulina came hauling over with a few packs of bandages she kept at the radio station in the fort and smacked it into Brady's hands with a grumble.

"Why you always gotta say it like that? Because you know I'll come running, sir?" Paulina murmured crossing her arms.

"Because I know you like to carry extra things with ya - bobby pins, bottle caps, postcards and figured you also had bandages."

"Right." Paulina said and then deadpanned, "Sir, why the hell you need bandages."

"Not me," Brady said, "Bradshaw." Paulina looked to Annie and then smirked.

"Right, Mr. Chivalrous." Paulina said, "Lieutenant Brady, when did you become such a softy-schmuck." Brady gave her a look.

"Ask me again during business hours."

"News-flash, Lieutenant, we are on business hours." Brady glanced her way and Paulina raised a brow, "Just make sure you wrap the bandages real nicely, okay? No need getting infections in this hell hole. This is my pilot we're talking about." Paulina sighed and shook her head, squinting into the sun, "For Christ-sake." And with that, Paulina was wading back over to her spot on the ground. Brady turned to look back at Annie and found her looking after Paulina.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Annie said quickly, "just….worried about some of the women. Like usual." Brady chuckled and then flicked through some of the bandages in his grasp.

"Well, you don't have to worry anymore at the minute. Let someone else worry about you for now." he said and she glanced at him, "You need help putting these on?" Annie stared, and then shook her head.

"Nah, I got it." she said and took the bandages, "Really, you didn't have to get these, I'll be fine-"

"Annie, if you say you'll be fine, one more damn time, I'm actually going to lose it." Francis said coming over with two canteens filled with water, "Lieutenant Brady, pleasure to see you here." Francis said glancing at him before looking back at Annie, "You gotta take care of yourself better. I can't be playing co-pilot and single-mother out here."

"I'm fine, Francis, really, I'll throw some bandages and water on to cool the burns down and we'll move on from this. It'll heal." Annie admonished and watched as Francis side-eyed, glancing at Brady before looking back at Annie.

"I will hand-apply those bandages on Annie I swear to-"

"I'll take care of it." Brady said calmly, cutting in and taking the bandages out of Annie's hands and one of the tins of water from Francis' grasp, "Go sit down for a bit, I'll help her out." Francis looked from Annie to Brady and then nodded.

"Alright, then." Francis said and then glanced at Brady and pointed a finger at him, "Wrap it tight, Brady, I don't wanna see exposed bits of sun-burn, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." Brady said, snickering as Francis wandered away and lied down beside Bessie on the ground.

Brady turned to Annie and then poured water on his hands before opening up the bandages. Annie suddenly took in the fact it was the two of them; it always ended up being the two of them somehow - like back at base, when the night got long, and it was the last of the group at the bar; it was the two of them. The one night the group had gone out to look at the stars, sharing cigarettes, stories and drinks, the last of the group had simply been the two of them, a few glances that had Annie second-guessing a bit too much for her liking. It was always the two of them.

Annie caught a glance at his bare chest in the golden, honey sun again and looked away, her cheeks, if they weren't already burning from heat exhaustion or sunburn, flaming red.

"So, liking Algeria?" Annie asked him as he began to work. Brady chuckled and glanced up at her, overtop the Aviators and smirked.

"It's hot as anything, so….not my favorite, but…I'm not dying so, can't complain." Annie laughed.

"Got that right." Annie said quietly and she watched him smile as he gently placed the bandages on the sunburn and then continued to do the same until the majority of the sunburn was mostly covered, and then pressed down the edges before looking at her. He was standing so close to her, and she was sure she must've smelled like sweat, metal and blood and almost wished she was still lying on the ground, in fetal-position with Francis bugging her about the water.

"Handy-work, huh?" he said softly, "You need some water?"

"Thanks." she said as she took the canteen from him and took down some water, before pulling down the canteen and then looking at Brady, who was staring her down from her angle.

"I appreciate the concern over my sunburn," she said with a small smile as she screwed the canteen lid on, and Brady offered a quick smile, "but, your boys okay?"

"Yeah," Brady said, "Jacobs was trying to train a goat." Annie laughed.

"I heard."

"Francis?"

"Yeah." Annie said with a laugh, "So, how's that going?"

"Eh, could be going better," Brady said with a laugh, "funny though to watch a grown man chase around a goat with a piece of bread, trying to get the goat to stand on its hind legs." Annie laughed, before looking at him with a smile. That look, it made it her stomach twist.

"You managed to get any rest?" she asked him quietly; no one could really sleep it seemed just because of the circumstances, so when someone did, it was a small victory for the 100th it seemed altogether.

"A bit." Brady said, "Keep ending up with sand all up my nose when I get up though, you?"

"Here and there," Annie said, "it's why I was so surprised to see you, to be honest. I was half-asleep."

"Sorry 'bout that." Brady said quickly, with a grin and Annie laughed.

"It's fine, really, it's….it's nice to see you." she said and they fell quiet for a brief moment, Brady smiling at her with one of those closed-lipped grins he usually wore. Something seemed to shift between them. Brady took a small step closer and dropped his voice to the point only she could hear.

"Saw your plane take some hits flying out here….everyone okay?" Are you okay? His eyes begged the question.

"For the most part." Annie said managed quietly back, "I just think we're all glad to have made it. Thought at first we'd be going down somewhere over Italy - one of the engines….it's that stubborn third engine is always crapping out but…." Brady watched her, as the two fell quiet, the tension in the air between them overwhelming and suffocating. She couldn't help but take in a few shaky breaths, watching as he stared at her, their aviators suddenly the only thing between them it felt.

"Listen, Annie, I've been meaning to ask you-"

"Hey! Guys, it's the 12th!" Annie and Brady looked around the front of Silver Bullets, and there they were - the 12th. Coming in, like rolling thunder, dust kicking up all over the place in the far distance.

"Well, looks like we'll be heading home." Annie said, glancing over towards Brady with a small smile. The look on his face was hidden with something else she couldn't quite decipher, but instead he smiled and crossed his arms.

"Heading home." he echoed.

Heading home - wherever that seemed to be these days.

[that-one-random-writer]

That's My Kind Of Night Chapter: 1 |Complete|

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x (Southern!F)Reader word count: 1,932

Summary: Jake takes leave and goes back to Texas. His friend is now married with a woman. This woman's friend gets under his skin and he loves it.

Warnings: cussin', flirtin', heavy banter, angst, mentions of a lot of southern recreations in this series, Sexual tension. Mature

Southern Chronicles Masterlist

Jake throws a bag in the back of his truck. He hopped in the driver's side. It roars to life, sending vibrations all through the cab. He pulls out of the driveway and sends a text to let the boys know he's heading out.

Hangman is on leave for a month. There is a party with some of his life-long friends and their new women. Jake had stopped to grab a couple of cases of beer. It was going to be a night like his younger years.

The group is meeting at the lake. Four wheelers will be muddy, Beers will be passed around, swimming in the lake, the ladies might even start mud wrestling in the pit, and of course, ending the night with a bonfire.

Jake parked the truck next to a few of his buddies out in the pasture. He hopped out and grabbed his things. "Jake!" Blake yelled out. They grabbed hands and pulled each other in, then out for a quick hug. The two friends hadn't seen each other in quite some time.

"Man, it has been a minute. How have you been?" Jake happily greeted Blake. He had joined the Army, while Jake had opted for the Navy. They looked polar opposite. Blake's black hair contrasting to the lighter shade of Jakes. The brown eyes are much different to Jake's seafoam green.

"I've been great, man. Missions have been a little out there, but nothing I can't handle." Blake had an ego, but not near as mighty as Jake's.

"I know the feeling, man. I've saved a couple of lives myself." He chuckled deeply and puffed up ever so slightly. "I'm one of the few that have had confirmed air to air kills. I was the only one, but a few of my coworkers had a stroke of luck." His face beaming with pride.

"Good on you, man!" Blake exclaimed. Clapping his shoulder. "Hey, come on. Come meet my old lady. She is hell on wheels. Her friend ain't much better. They are firecrackers."

Jake nodded. "Show me the way home, Blake." Blake's chuckle bellowed. The roots showed in the women in Fightertown.

They just weren't quite like the southern belles of Texas. It was quite noticeable when the pair came into view of the tracks. Two women stood tossing handfuls of mud at one another. He could tell they were playfully bickering.

They were both covered in dirt, wet, and dried. Their pants were tight on top and boot cut loose to fit their boots on the bottom. Their tank tops matched with one wearing pink and the other wearing purple. He could barely tell a difference with all the mud. The pair of women were definitely about to start wrestling. They both laughed as one tackled the other. "You'd better not." The girl that pounced said. The one on the ground that had been tackled looked up and noticed the men at the other side of the track about 30 feet.

" Ooo Honeybee, look at what we have here." She was shouting to you, the pouncer, with the nickname you had been graced with years ago. "You must be Jake. I'm Vanny, The new Mrs." She held out her hand.

Jake took it softly in his and winked at her. "Very nice to meet you, Vanny." Vanny blushed. "Blake, honey, you are right about him being a charmer." She smiled back at her husband.

Vanny then introduced you by name, "but everybody calls me Honeybee." You cut her off before she could add anything too embarrassing and smiled politely at the handsome stranger. You held out your hand as well and had a tight grip while you shook his hand.

Jake kept his poker face but was surprised at the firm grip. Expecting the delicacy Vanny had shown.

"She stings a little." Vanny made reference to your nickname. "You'll get adjusted to it Jake. From what I hear, you're a bit of a biter too." Vanny spoke up again. She giggled as Jake looked up at Blake with an eyebrow arched. Blake had told her he had a bit of a mouth on him, even Jake himself couldn't disagree. "Ooo Blake baby, look at the time, drive me up to the dock. We've a party to get ready for. Honey bee, why don't you let Jake drive you up to the house to grab the stuff."

You giggled brightly. "That's funny, Van." You had started making your way back to the four-wheeler following the pair.

"Im driving!" He calmy made his way to the four-wheeler. He started strapping his bag and beers down. You looked that man up and down. Appreciating how this man looked. His body was sculpted. His biceps are far too big for that tiny shirt. It was enough to make you crumble. "No, you're not." You called back to him, wrapping your legs around the seat. He raised an eyebrow. Looking up from the straps. "I'll tell you what doll face. You get to ride in the front." He hopped on behind you. You could feel his body press against yours, your ass pressed so close to him. His minty breath was so cool against your ear that it sent a shiver down your spine.

"You just better hold on, Darlin."" He whispered softly. This man was gonna get you in trouble.

He had grown up around Blake's family lake house. He knew the trails like the back of his hand. He drifted down the side of the path, cutting off Blake.

You held up a bird passing Vanny. Your irritation materialized. She's giving this man ideas. Vanny wiggled her fingers to wave you off. She knew what she was doing. The couple already decided that they wanted to play Cupid in your life. You had been mad at first. You're starting to rethink your emotions, seeing him up close and feeling him so close to you. You're hard-headed, so you'll still give her hell about it later. "So you know where you're going?" You yelled over the engine.

"I've been here as long as I can remember." He yelled back over the loud vibrations.

"Good, can you take me down by the campsite. I left some things down there." He took a turn down a trail, and you knew he heard you.

The four-wheeler stopped once the tents were in front of you. "You had a whole lake house, and yall camped last night?" He leaned back to make room for you to hop off.

"Yeah, a bed isn't the same as a hammock. Im out here any chance I get." You walked to your hammock and grabbed your gun, slipping it in the holster on your belt. You put your ball cap back on your head. It was distressed and had the words Mama tried on the front in bold letters.

"Don't worry, I took a shower this morning." You called back with a laugh, grabbing a couple of other blankets, lighter fluid, and matches.

"It sure don't look like it." He chuckled, looking at your mud covered curves. He had to admit, those jeans definitely complimented you well. Especially when you bent down. The mud was accentuating all the rounded edges.

"And you look like you just hopped out of a Barbie doll box, Ken." You put everything on the back of the four-wheeler strapping it down. Then leaned against it. "Blake made it seem like you're more G.I. Joe, the way he talked about you." You got back on in front of him. You made a dramatic sad face. "Bless your heart, Malibu Barbie must have had her way with you..." Your voice got much softer into a whisper. "One too many makeup testers at the beauty shop." You giggled softly at the banter.

Jake smirked and looked up at you. "Honey, G.I. Joe is scared of me."

You matched his smirk. "Prove it..."

He turned his attention the trail and then pressed the gas, knocking you back into his chest. He made sure to hit the mud puddles a little harder, causing mud to splatter all over the pair. "How's that for a Ken doll?" He called over the engine.

He drifted and parked right in front of the house. You both made your way to the door. He opened the door and held it open for you. "You look better." You patted his chest and complemented the mud on his clothes, walking through the door. Your eyes lifted with your smile.

You walked into the kitchen and leaned against the kitchen counter. Cool air blasted from the A/C. Confidence seeping out of Jake's aura, he followed behind you. "Tell me about yourself, Y/N." He glanced around the house. It was just like he remembered. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed a beer in the fridge. You took it in your hand as he offered it to you. He grabbed one for himself. You popped the top.

"Well, I'm 27, and I own a hair salon in town." You started. Then, you paused to take a sip. "What about you? Tell me about the life of a handsome ken doll."

Jake smirks and leans against the door frame. His elbow is against the frame, placing his hand behind the nape of his neck. His biceps filling up the tight sleeve of his tee shirt. You didn't hide that you were checking him out as your eyes dragged to where his shirt lifted. "I'm a naval aviator. I've had two air strike kills in the past six months." His chest puffed. "We've been on some pretty crazy missions here lately. A lot of classified information. I'm thinking about taking an instructor position I've been offered. The school is up in California."

You were impressed but held the poker face. You giggled to yourself when he stopped at California.

"I knew I smelt malibu Barbie on you..." you muttered giggling, you then spoke back up continuing,"Naval aviator, That sounds like a dangerous career. My momma would smack me if I didn't thank you for your service." He nodded his head, acknowledging the appreciation. "I guess I stand corrected. G.I. Joe might just be shaking in his boot. When you're back in California, make sure to say 'hello' to your girlfriend Barbie in the dreamhouse for me."

He stiffled a laugh from exiting his plump lips. "I'm still waiting for a Barbie to complete my collection. I do have the dream house, though. I just bought it about a month ago. If you ever want to take a vacation in San Diego, let me know. You can come play Barbie with me. You have a G.I. Joe, that might be scared of me? "

You bit your lip, looking him up and down. You placed both hands on the counter, leaning forward comfortably. Your chest is displayed with a glow from the sweat and mud. "I'm not a Barbie Doll type, and G.I. joes dont quite do it for me. I need something a little more intimidating, " You whispered softly.

The teasing was very tempting. His eyes shifted down to where cotton didn't cover. The glow was so inviting. His smirk raised back to his face when he met your eyes again. He was lost for word. Your teasing had got him. You had won in his mind, and that both infuriated him and intrigued him. Especially when that just confirmed your relationship status to be single. The only words he could muster came out in a low growl. "I think I know a guy."

CHAPTER 2

Tumblr ate my post. 😒 Trying this again...

No permissions to share the story as your own. Do not repost to any site. Don't steal from aspiring authors that makes you a 'C U Next Tuesday'!

[jazzfromthevoid]

Huh been thinking about when I lived back in my old town, and about the made-up ghost stories I'd tell my school friends. My town was pretty old, and it had some local legends, even to the point where my school was built next to the cemetery where said local legend was burred, though for the most part it was just a place for teens to skip school and drink.

But me being the very creative and original story teller, my story was a little bit closer to home. My house was built on one of the tallest points in my town, and at the foot of a place called Mount mutton. Mount mutton was in my humble opinion, one of best places to walk, it had a main walking trail that went all around spat you out at the other side. There was also a trail that went up to a lookout and a huge water tank, that also had a few local legends tied to it. But I'd say it's most interesting part was deeper into its forest. You see, if you went off trail, deeper into the brush, you could find a small structure, I would struggle to even call a cabin. It was a small crudely make stone cabin that was completely overgrown. I can't remember it super vividly, I don't even think you could go inside. But that thing completely enwrapped my imagination, and me being the hell spawn of a child I loved to scare my friends with stories of that place.

One such tail was about the supposed owner of the cabin, an old man who built it himself. He was a recluse, not dangerous by any means, but someone who you would steer clear of. But the few times anyone saw him, he was always accompanied by a large greyhound. The greyhound and the man were never seen without each other, the two of them were more than dog and man, they were family, in every sense of the word. But unfortunately as time went on the man became older, he couldn't get into town for basic supplies, he begin relying on the greyhound to find the both of them food. It was on one of these days the greyhound disappeared, it wasn't uncommon for the dog to leave for a day or two, but three days had passed with no sign of her. It was winter at the time, but despite that the man went out to look for his companion. He surched restlessly for days, with no sign of her. He was weak, tired, and cold, but he still didn't give up.

Eventually he did find her. But it was too late, the greyhound had slipped off a cliff and fell into a blackberry bush, where she was unable to escape. The man was heartbroken, he couldn't bare to go on without his loyal friend. So, he lay down to rest one last time, with his friend at his side he slept, letting the cold take him. Unfortunately for the old man, he couldn't quite yet join his friend. His still broken heart kept a part of him in the forest, and in that old stone cabin he built with his own two hands.

Of course that story wasn't true, it also kinda spiralled into me pointing to random unrelated structures and telling my friends he also haunted them too. And something about the number 17?? I can't remember exactly, I'd also tell my friends that if you were mean to dogs the old man would dump you in a blackberry bush and watch you very slowly die, but I mean who's mean to dogs anyway?

And that wasn't the only story me and my friends came up with, we'd always tell stories like that whenever we had to walk anywhere for school excursions. There was also one about the abandoned swimming pool also near the school, were people would say they heard screaming from, (Wow there were alot of creepy things near my school). But the old man and the greyhound was always my story and I really loved it for that.

Anyway it's pretty fun to reminisce about stuff like this, and it's kinda sad the place I'm at now doesn't have any thing like it. Or at least that I know about now. I really wish I could go back and visit the stone cabin but I'm decently sure it was nocked down when they started to build there. But if I can find it I will definitely take a picture of it, I really just need to make sure it actually existed lol.

[doodleferp]

I like to know more about your character Ari, her back story and her relationships with other characters please?

Absolutely! Ari’s gotten reworked a LOT in the past year or so, and I'm always happy to infodump about her! However, her backstory is long, convoluted, and it would be a REALLY long read by itself. So I'm gonna split it up into illustrated increments a la one of my favorite SCPs, World of Two Artists. So we’re going to start with her personality and work from there. These bits revolve around the events of the Trigun manga, and if asked, I’ll likely go into how these changed in the 1998 and 2023 adaptations.

TLDR, Ari is a very wounded, very complicated individual who is quick to anger and even quicker to violence. She's lived through trauma after trauma at the hands of human beings and wishes to punish them for what they've done to the PLANTs and to each other. Her hatred for humanity runs deep, to the point where she openly rejects her own species and desires become a PLANT herself. But thanks to the love and support of her childhood sweetheart Vash, Ari is slowly, slowly moving through her trauma and searching for a way to heal rather than simply lash out.

First and foremost — Ari is aggressive. Irrevocably, unapologetically aggressive. She is a loaded gun, and her finger is always on the trigger. Were it not for Vash’s influence (and sometimes even his mere presence), Ari would shoot first and ask questions later. She is easily flustered and overwhelmed when confronted with a potential danger, which can lead to her judgment being clouded or cause her to act on impulse instead of thinking rationally. Her inner turmoil over her love for Vash and her desire to fight for him often leads her to betray Vash’s pacifistic principles and cause others harm. Like Knives, Ari is also severely misanthropic — the Tesla incident led her to develop an ever-growing hatred of humanity and even over a century later she dislikes being around people and is hard-pressed to not trust anybody. Not even the insurance girls, and they end up being two of the few humans she legitimately trusts.

Over her 155+ years of life, Ari's been routinely exposed to a ton of PLANT energies and fluids, everything from swimming around in PLANT tanks to swapping spit (among other things) with the twins. And that's caused her body to go through some...changes. In addition to dyeing her hair and giving her the ability to generate bioelectricity, Ari now has an abnormally-long lifespan and doesn't show any physical signs of aging. She's even able to heal faster and survive in harsh climates. At this point in her life, she doesn't even really need to eat anymore. She knows her exposure to PLANTs is mutating her, and she's completely fine with it. In fact, she welcomes it. She doesn't see herself as human anymore and wants to set herself apart from the species she was born into. Connecting with PLANTs, taking to PLANTs, being around PLANTs — it’s never enough. She wants to be a PLANT.

Though this isn't to say that Ari is completely heartless. When realizing how much she hurt someone she cares for, Ari will try as hard as she can to set things right, working hard to counteract the damage she may have inflicted. Despite wanting to appear as an impenetrable force that nobody can tear down, Ari truly respects those that care for her and is willing to protect them with her life, and ultimately allows herself to be emotionally vulnerable with them. The fact is, Ari's just let herself be hardened by all the pain she experienced. She's only ever been hurt by humans; humans she knew, humans she didn't know. Even her own mother hurt her, but that's a story for another time. And because of this, Ari wants to reject humanity with everything she has. As of the first Trigun chapter, she is slowly starting to move past her hatred of humans -- where she once refused to even enter a small rest station for water, she can now walk through towns and speak with people (though she's not always very nice to them).

Little bits of Ari trivia:

Thanks to her PLANT mutations, Ari has two sets of genitalia -- one masculine and one feminine. Unlike PLANTs, however, Ari does not have a cloaca. Rather, her masculine genitalia just hangs out. More simply put, Ari is intersex.

Ari is polyamorous and is on the ace spectrum, but appears to be exclusively attracted to PLANTs. She kissed a human once and hated it.

A while after the July Incident, Ari picked up a job as a freelance PLANT engineer. She uses her mutations and connection with PLANTs to get much better results than a typical PLANT engineer. Like a…like a PLANT doctor of sorts (botanist?). She charges next to nothing for her services, so she’s very sought after by towns who are in desperate need of PLANT maintenance but can’t afford the outrageous repair costs. In turn, she is vilified and resented by the engineering companies, who see her as a direct threat to their business.

Ari and Vash have been married a total of four times. The first wedding took place in the Floating Colony, the second took place in Kasted City while Ari was pregnant with the quadruplets, the third was officiated by Wolfwood in the back of a pickup truck, and the fourth and final was performed after their reunion at the Mesa Probe Church.

Ari's last name isn't actually "Rowhurst". Rather, she gave herself that name after travelling No Man's Land for a while. Nobody knows what her real last name is.

Ari has little if any understanding of gender norms due to living alone with two Independents PLANTs for a long time. She also refuses to learn to understand them and will sometimes be openly defiant of them just to make people uncomfortable. There’s no reason she should be the only one who hates being here.

Despite not really needing to eat, Ari really likes savory foods. Fried rice, breadsticks, empanadas, etc. She also really likes bug and worm meat for whatever reason. Zazie's not really happy about that.

Trigun c. Yasuhiro Nightow.

Ari c. doodleferp 2024. do not steal or repost.

[maxineholtzmann]

just fall in love with me (this Christmas) - complete on ao3

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Robin Buckley/Chrissy Cunningham, Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Hallmark AU, References to Sexual Content but this fic is not explicit, Misunderstandings, Healthy Communication, Platonic Soulmates Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Platonic Soulmates Chrissy Cunningham & Eddie Munson, Hawkins is a Christmas Town, Christmas Store Owner Chrissy Cunningham, Robin Buckley's Parents Are Dead, Car Crash Discussions, Parent Death Discussion, Mild Angst, Happy Ending, Christmas Parade, Background Steddie

Word Count: 7,102

Chapters: 1/1

Snippet:

Robin woke up naked–which was not completely unusual but it was unusual for it to happen in a stranger’s bed in Hawkins, Indiana. She stretched out her arms and legs, the bed empty but still warm–clearly whoever she was had only just got up. What was her name? They’d had a lot to drink the night before and Robin was a bit fuzzy on the details other than that the woman was probably the most beautiful woman Robin had ever seen and her name was something with a “K” maybe. Kristine? Keri?

Robin sat up, her head swimming. Going out last night had been a mistake. She had to meet Steve and Eddie in– oh shit. Robin looked at the clock. It read 8:30 am. She had less than an hour to meet Steve and Eddie at her parents’ house and she had no idea how far away from it she was.

She started searching the room for her clothes. They had had some very enthusiastic sex the night before which had apparently involved her bra ending up on the other side of the room from her shirt. She was unfortunately not able to find her panties, so she was going to have to just put her jeans on sans underwear– yikes –and hope for the best. Maybe that was her punishment for being a horny idiot in her hometown at Christmas.

She pulled on her socks, hopping on one foot as she opened the bedroom door to see the woman from the night before running around her apartment in sweats and a tank top, clearly panic-cleaning.

“Oh good, there you are. I’m so sorry to do this and I swear I’m not usually like this but you have to go. Like, now,” the woman said, her strawberry blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun,blue  eyes wide in panic. She had hickeys all over her neck, courtesy of Robin.

“That’s totally fine, I actually am late to meet someone. Have you seen my jacket?” Robin asked, casting her eyes around the living room of the small apartment.

“Yes, here,” the woman said, thrusting Robin’s jacket, bag, and shoes into her hands and subtly pushing her towards the door of the apartment. “Again, so sorry but I have friends coming over in like, an hour, and this place is a mess and I’m a mess and I had a great time last night uh…”

“Robin,” Robin supplied.

“Right, of course. Robin. So fun, so great to meet you, great sex, thanks for the orgasms, et cetera,” the woman said as she opened the front door of her apartment, depositing Robin in the hallway.

“Right, uh–” Robin said, standing in the hallway, shocked at how efficiently she had been ushered out of this woman’s apartment.

“I hope you have a Merry Christmas!” the woman said, smiling brightly as she shut the door in Robin’s face. Robin heard the lock click as she stared at the wreath on the door.

read the rest here

written for @thefreakandthehair's Spicy Six Winter Fanworks Challenge! Prompt was: "All the movies make this look so much easier."

[carnivorousyandeere]

Werecats/Cat Hybrids Intro

Lion (she/her)

Poetic, romantic, and usually calm and patient. She loves summer, citrus, gold, tarot, and sun-shaped trinkets~! She also loves keeping fancy goldfish, with a particular passion for researching different species being developed, as well as the anatomy and lineage of them. In her free time, she does like to help Clouded Leopard with more whimsical jewelry designs.

Tiger (she/her)

Outgoing, bold, energetic, life of the party. Never a dull moment. She loves shooting the shit and playing basketball with the neighborhood guys. She also helps Clouded Leopard with her business, both in day-to-day tasks of making items and packing them out to ship. Generally more of a househusband💕

Clouded Leopard (she/her)

Adventurous, teasing, with a passion for alternate fashion, even running a business making clothes and jewelry. What exactly she does all day outside the business is a mystery, but she has an uncanny sixth sense about where interesting things are happening and will show up "out of nowhere."

Snow Leopard (she/her)

Extremely organized and health-conscious, maybe a bit neurotic;;; She loves her routines and her job, as well as occasionally hanging out with her coworkers. She loves organizing things and decorating, as well as having collections of various items; namely, decorative knives. She also loves softball and baseball, both watching and playing, as well as watching sports in general.

Housecat (he/him)

Bastard man with two braincells. Doesn't quite realize what a small cat he is (literally and figuratively). Causes a lot of chaos; half the time it's intentional and half the time he's really just fucking around and finding out. He’s much more capable than he lets on, but the others enjoy coddling him too much to call him on it often.

GROUP INFO:

Lion and Tiger are wives, and often wear complementary jewelry, Lion with dainty gold, sun-themed jewelry, and Tiger with silver and pewter jewelry usually shaped like stars. Clouded Leopard and Snow Leopard were childhood friends, and are also each others' primary partners. The werecats live just outside a big city, and they started as roommates to rent out a house together (Lion and Snow Leopard met at work and hit it off). The two couples figured out early on that the others were werecats like them, and were incredibly relieved at how well they all got along from the start. From there, things evolved, and they became a rarely seen Quad polycule.

Then one day Housecat just kinda showed up. The Quad thought he was amusing and decided to let him stick around, and now he's wormed his way into their hearts too. They spoil him rotten and he contributes to the household only in cuddles and and cuteness. He causes more chaos than anything else, but they can't stay mad at that cute face of his.

All of the werecats help model for Clouded Leopard's online shop. Snow Leopard and Lion love meditating and napping together. Tiger and Lion love watching Lion's fish swim around in their tanks together.

Lion and SL both work at the same place, an interior design company, and they respect each others' work but often butt heads when collaborating on the same project (or trying to decide on how their shared house should look).

Lion prefers more colorful, whimsical, and maximalistic styles, and SL prefers neutral colors and minimalist decoration. In terms of their shared house, CL is also more maximalistic like Lion, but more gothic in specific taste. Housecat aligns most closely with CL in terms of taste, but doesn't care too much about how their place is decorated. Tiger's idea of decoration is posters and magazine cutouts of scantily-clad women on the wall with some home workout equipment scattered around on the floor, and she gets the garage as her workout room to live out that dream.

The other werecats sometimes use Tiger's workout equipment too (except CL and Housecat, who don't like working out— although Housecat will sometimes hang out in the garage to watch the others work out or look at the posters).

You probably met Lion and SL first, through their job, and that's where their infatuation with you starts.

Tiger is the tallest, broadest, and most muscular of the group. Surprisingly, human form Housecat is the next tallest, but lanky. After that, SL is the next tallest, with Lion being just an inch or so shorter. CL is the shortest and daintiest of the group, coming in at around 5’2”.

[sbzbrainrot]

Robin and Al-an talk about monkeys and gratuity

I listened to unused voice lines yesterday and there was a removed line where they discussed the sea monkey's gifting behavior once you obtain Al-an. I like to think that they just had the interaction behind the scenes rather than being totally unused, so I wrote this to show my interpretation! Who doesn't love emotional fluff between Robin and her local brain alien <3

Robin had been on 4546B for about a month at this point and she was proud to say that she was starting to learn her way around this freezing hellscape. She was even, dare she say, starting to get used to it – as used to it as she could, anyway. Sure, it was way too cold outside the water (where she unfortunately often found herself led) and she had managed to accidentally pick up a little alien parasite from a storage cube, but she was managing. It was all generally a very uncomfortable experience, but she was surviving.

Today, she swam through the Creepvine Forest, having to gather some resources that she noted seemed more plentiful in this biome compared to others. Despite her circumstances, she did enjoy how pretty everything was (It won’t kill me to at least enjoy the environment, she had reasoned), how the forest was glowing gently with the golden seed pods that sat upon the vines, only accentuated by the dusk overhead. It was like each seed pod was a night light, protecting the forest from the enveloping darkness.

Distracted by the sight, she swam into something. She was startled by the collision and kicked her flippers, propelling herself back so she could see what she’d hit. It was … a sea monkey! She protectively slipped her Seaglide to her back, putting herself between it and the creature. She’d had plenty of experiences with those things in her first few weeks of living around here and if she knew one thing about them, it was that they were really grabby and it was really hard to catch them to get her stuff back. Especially if what they took was her Seaglide.

But the sea monkey seemed to have something different on the mind today. It shook off the confusion from the impact and gave her an open-mouthed smile of excitement as it reached into its pouch and presented her a chunk of gold.

Robin stared at it in shock. At her hesitation the monkey seemed to insist, swimming a little closer and nudging the gift towards her. Robin took it and mumbled the best “thank you” she could through her occupied mouth. The monkey responded with an excited chitter and then swam away, seemingly satisfied. Robin took this, along with the sunset’s complete fade past the horizon, as a sign it was time to go back to base and sleep.

Robin pondered the experience as she swam back towards her makeshift home. She opened the hatch and climbed in, taking her mask and tank off, setting them onto the table she had placed near the entrance. She sucked in a deep breath through her nose, always satisfied when she was able to get off that oxygen tank and breathe as greedily as she wanted. She never knew what she wasn’t appreciating until she took on something that pulled it away from her. She had gone on other adventures before on other planets in her life, sure, but every one was different and took away something uniquely enjoyable while she was there. Like breathing freely. Ugh.

She took the precarious chunk of gold out of her bag and looked at it. It was nothing special, just another chunk of gold, but it was really fascinating how the monkeys had changed their tune. Was it just that one monkey? Maybe he missed the memo instructing all the monkeys to be mean and thefty towards her.

“Do you like your gift rock?” That voice in her head she’d never get used to, Al-an, spoke up. He was eager to engage in conversation now that she seemed idle. There was a tinge of amusement in his voice.

“Huh?” Robin inquired, before realizing he was talking about her chunk of gold. “Oh, uh… yeah, I guess.” She was definitely happier with this new arrangement, much better to receive gifts than be stolen from, but still wondered why things had changed. Perhaps they’d finally noticed the scraps of unusable metal she’d been leaving out for them and they had decided to ally with her?

“Your interpretation of this interaction is intriguing. You seem to find the sea monkey’s behavior strange.”

“Well, yeah. I can’t believe they brought me a gift. They always liked to steal, and now they’ve completely changed their tune. It is strange.” Robin looked at her chunk of gold with a slight expression of fondness as she sat on her bed. She placed it on her nightstand. It may just be another chunk of gold, but it was a gift.

She yawned and laid her head on her pillow as Al-an responded. “That is odd.” he said plainly.

“Right? I’m thinking they noticed the shiny scraps I left out for them. That’s my running theory.” Robin turned over in bed and sighed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders. The lights in the room dimmed and she drew her attention to her window, observing the pretty view – she had placed that window directly facing the Creepvine forest. It was the prettiest thing around, especially at night. Not the safest thing to explore in the dark, so it was much nicer to see it from the comfort of her bed.

“No, I don’t find it odd that they are giving you gifts. I find it odd that they had initially been stealing from you.” Al-an hummed thoughtfully before continuing. “They’ve always been providing to us. I would always have to designate space for their gifts when I knew I would be passing them.”

“Hmm?” Robin questioned curiously, raising an eyebrow. She really did not think those monkeys had it in them and she was surprised to learn that to Architects, it was just how the monkeys behaved. “Are you suggesting they’re only being nice because you’re in my brain?”

“…Would it be undesirable if there were benefits to traveling with me?”

“Hey! Don’t oversell yourself, it’s not like they brought me anything useful.” Robin rolled her eyes. She was sure Al-an didn’t actually know when she was doing that, but she hoped he did because she sure found herself doing it a lot when he spoke.

“How is a sea monkey to know what you need? I have read your PDA in its entirety and I don’t know what you need.” Al-an objected, seemingly indignant at his perceived maltreatment of the monkeys. Robin giggled and his annoyance seemed to melt away.

“Keep your nose out of my PDA, Al-an.” Robin teased.

“We Architects do not have noses as you do, but your point is nonetheless understood.”

A comfortable silence passed between them. Robin grew sleepier as she watched the world outside her window settle into its own slumber. She yawned and pulled her sheets closer. Al-an noticed her heartrate falling and sleep fast approaching, but he decided to elaborate on one last thing before he missed his chance.

“I accepted the gifts each time. I did not want to seem ungrateful.” He spoke quietly, gently. Then he added, “It is very useful to make allies, no matter how unlikely, or perhaps inconvenient.”

Robin considered it for a moment, slightly roused from her tiredness as she considered what Al-an had said. She spoke gently, too, as she replied. “The things we see as inconvenient are usually not always that way. I’ll use that gold the next time I have to make a computer chip, their gift saved me a trip.” She let out a tired hum before thinking of one more thing to say. “I hope I can be grateful, too. Sometimes I think I forget to show it.”

She could feel an understanding warmth radiate from Al-an’s presence, almost like a smile. More silence passed and she could feel her eyes grow heavier, breathing grow slower. He could feel it too.

Softly, in almost a murmur, he responded. “I wonder what gift would make you truly happy. Perhaps if you indicated your needs more often, they would be easier to fulfill.”

But Robin was already asleep, and he knew.

[marypsue]

It's Sneak Peek Sunday! And I totally forgot to put up a sample to celebrate finishing chapter eight (of a planned fifteen total, so now we're more than halfway through!) of former heroes who quit too late! So here's that!

...

Chrissy’d never thought she’d honestly be relieved to see Billy Hargrove. But then, she’s never had to close down the whole pool and fish out a turd that turned out not to be a turd, either. Today is just full of firsts.

There’s something about Billy that just puts her on edge. Nothing Chrissy can put her finger on, exactly. Heather thinks she’s being paranoid, that he’s a garden-variety jerk whose looks more than make up for every time he opens his mouth. And she’s probably not wrong. There’s plenty of those at Hawkins High.

It’s just – there’s something intense about him. Something Chrissy’s never really noticed in Jason, or Patrick, or, like, Steve Harrington or whoever else is riding on his looks to excuse his mouth this week. Something she thinks maybe Heather should take a little more seriously.

She has to concede one point to Heather, though. Billy Hargrove is not hard to look at. Too bad there’s no way Jason’d ever grow out his hair.

Still, the relief that sweeps over Chrissy when she looks up from the test strip she’s checking and sees Billy standing on the other side of the pool is unexpected. And it’s also short-lived. Billy doesn’t look like he’s here to pick up his abandoned shift at all. He doesn’t have his bag with him, and he’s not wearing swim trunks, or his lifeguard tank. Actually, those might be the same clothes he was wearing yesterday. Chrissy thinks that’s a twig caught in the dishevelled tangle of his hair. There are visible beads of sweat standing out on his forehead, and he’s all flushed, even though it’s not that hot out.

And he’s just – standing there. Watching her. Like a creep. Chrissy’s not really sure how long he was there, before she noticed. Or how long it’s been since the last time he blinked.

“Billy?” she asks, setting aside the water testing tools slowly, so she doesn’t spook him. Abruptly, and for no real reason, she’s reminded of the horses at the mountain lodge resort her parents took her to the summer after fifth grade. Of how the riding instructor had warned them all never to approach a horse in its blind spot. How if you startled a horse, it’d kick.

There’s something about Billy’s eyes, as he seems to shake himself awake, that makes Chrissy think of startled horses. Of their eyes, big, so wide the whites are visible almost all the way around, rolling with mad, helpless terror. It makes her wish Billy would look anywhere else.

But he doesn’t. Just says, flat and even and steady, “You need to come with me.”

Chrissy swallows the inexplicable lump of nerves sitting high in her throat. “Uh oh,” she tries, with what she knows is a weak attempt at a smile. “Do I need to get the mop and bucket?”

Billy doesn’t react to her admittedly kind of pathetic joke. Or actually answer the question. He just keeps standing and staring until Chrissy stands up. Then he turns without a word and starts walking toward the storage shed.

Chrissy looks over at Heather, who’d retreated into the shade of the building after she’d burned her back so badly. But Heather doesn’t seem concerned at all. She just meets Chrissy’s eyes and nods in the direction Billy just went, waiting until Chrissy starts to walk around the pool before coming over to join her. She keeps pace beside Chrissy as they both follow Billy over to the storage shed, but she doesn’t look over at Chrissy once. Chrissy tries not to feel like she’s being escorted, like she’s got bodyguards.

Like she’s being herded.

Billy’s waiting beside the door of the shed when Chrissy reaches it, pulling off the padlock and chain that’s the only thing keeping an army of kids in Jams and water wings from poisoning themselves with chlorine. He steps aside as Chrissy comes up to the door, with a sweeping little gesture and the first hint of an expression Chrissy’s seen him wear since he looked up from the pool. It’s his usual slow, sarcastic grin, crooked and somehow mocking. But somehow it seems stiffer than usual. Takes a little longer to spread across his face. “After you.”

Chrissy looks up at Heather. Heather doesn’t react at all. There’s a shadow of a smile on her face, too, patient and curiously vacant.

“We already re-treated the pool,” Chrissy says, to Billy. She still doesn’t think he’s blinked. “And it wasn’t even a real turd. Just somebody’s nasty prank.”

Billy’s smile doesn’t shift an inch.

“Chris,” Heather says, sounding vaguely annoyed.

Chrissy takes a deep breath in. Whatever practical joke these two are planning, Heather’s her friend.

Even if she doesn’t seem to take Billy seriously enough, she wouldn’t help him do anything that would actually get Chrissy hurt.

[sad-brunnettee]

Troublemaker | Pt. 3

Masterlist | Rules

Summary: Between trying to ignore Tommy and being able to go out and enjoy your summer. There's someone else who you should steer away from.

Warnings: slight nsfw (?), cursing, drinking, smoking

Part 1 | Part 2

—

It has been weeks since the party but to make matters worse, it is now summer vacation. Any other day you would have enjoyed it by going out with friends, staying at home or being with Andrew. Yet, here you were, laying on your undone bed with nothing to do.  Your dad was out with some friends fishing, while your mom went out to do some errands before going over to Mrs. Campbell's house and enjoying a girls night. She invited you to go with her once she saw you laying on your bed but you turned down her offer.

It's not that you regret your decision but by deciding to stay home, it meant Tommy was there too. Neither one of you have talked about your small fight and you really hoped he kept you alone. Nobody at the party saw it, but once you stepped foot out the door, your tears soaked your face. No matter how many times you and Tommy fought he had never called you anything like that.

Faintly, you heard some footsteps down the hallway, you thought that maybe he would keep on walking but a slight knock on your door told you otherwise. You sighed quietly but stayed silent, Tommy's voice was slightly muffled by the door that is standing between the two of you but you're still able to know what he said. "I was just wondering if you...were, hungry." Tommy said.

The only thing he was able to hear was your bed squeaking as you moved. He felt hopeful, thinking you were going to get up and open the door. Although the sound of you moving your pillow, loudly, told him you were still mad. He sighed quietly as his eyes drifted to the floor, he knew how stubborn you could be which is why he decided to keep on walking.

As you now laid on your side and looked out your window, you could see how sunny it was. Suddenly you got an idea, you quickly got up and fixed your bed before heading over to your drawer. Looking through the small garments you had, you finally found your two piece swimsuit. You threw it on your bed and looked for some clothes to wear on top, you chose to wear baggy shorts that you stole once from Tommy and a tight tank top followed by your sandals. It has been a while since you've been swimming. As you walked over to your bedroom door, you almost forgot to grab your light pink towel as well as your sunblock. 

From the kitchen, Tommy could hear your rapid footsteps bouncing from the stairs. His heartbeat increased in fear as he thought you were in trouble. Those thoughts flew out the window and were replaced by anger as he saw your hair flowing along with the recognizable sound of his car keys. “Hey…hey what-.” He started shouting after you, attempting to get to you fast before you left but it was too late. By the time he walked around the kitchen island and towards the living room, you were already in his car. 

Muttering to himself, he walked outside yelling your name “Y/N!”. It was loud enough to grab your attention and look up at him. He had his eyebrows furrowed and he was talking long strides towards you, all you did was shoot him a sarcastic smile with a wave. Without bothering to put your seatbelt on, you closed the door and backed up from the driveway. You had to admit that maybe you were taking it too far but it made you feel good. After all the times he tormented, this seemed like you were finally getting your revenge. 

The drive to the pool went by fast but even with the AC on, you were sweating. Luckily for you, the pool's parking lot was right up ahead and there was a space for you to park. Quickly you parked the car and got out, you walked over to the gate that read “Employees Only” with big red letters. The chain that was meant to keep the gate closed came undone easily once you pulled on it. The cameras that were in that area were not working at the moment, but nobody other than the employees knew that. In your case, you only knew because your friend Heather told you about it so you can sneak in without paying the entrance. The two of you met at a party Tommy threw without either one of your parents knowing and the only way you were going to keep your mouth shut was if he let you go. At first you thought she was like Tina or Carol but after getting to know her, she surprised you by how down to earth she was. 

“I almost thought you wouldn't show up.” Heather said from behind you as she chewed on the straw from her slushie. You weren't expecting her to be around since her shift was about to start.

“You scared me.” You said with a light laugh as you walked up to hug her. 

The two of you made your way into the crowd, trying to blend in which seemed to have worked as nobody took notice of either one of you. As you looked for a chair to put your stuff on, you told her what happened with Tommy and what you have done since then. To say that she was upset about the situation was an understatement, she saw you as her little sister.  

“Next time I see him, I'll kick his ass.” She said half joking as she helped you set your things down. The two of you laughed at her comment, knowing that aside from going to his parties she didn't quite tolerate him. 

“Speaking of ass…guess who I got paired up to work with.” She said as she let out a big smile and moved her shoulders. 

“Hmmm, with who?” You asked as you started tying your hair up in a high messy bun.

“With Billy.” she said while squealing. 

You weren't exactly sure what made him so popular with the girls, you did have to admit that he was attractive but there were other attractive guys around Hawkins. None of them were as popular as Billy.

Nonetheless, you still showed some excitement. “Well aren't you lucky.” You said as you sat back on the chair. 

Just as she was about to respond, the employees changing room opened revealing Billy walking out as if he owned the place. It caused all movements to stop as everyone turned their heads to look at him. As much as you wanted to look away, you couldn't. Your eyes kept on trailing from his face to his torso, the sight in front of you made you bite your lip and squeeze your thighs together. Aside from all the attention he was given, his eyes only seemed to have noticed the wives sitting seductively on their chairs. All looking at him with lust in their eyes, you really hate to admit how fast you fell under his spell.

“Gotta go to work.” Heather's voice brought you back to reality.

“Leave some for the rest of us.” You said which made you get a small laugh from her as she put her glasses on.

You watched her walk confidently while slightly swaying her hips, making sure her shoulder slightly brushed Billy's arm. 

He looked down slightly and looked back at her while he fixed his own glasses and chewed on his gum. It wasn't until he walked by your chair that he moved his glasses down low enough for you to see his eyes. He subtly looked at you up and down before meeting your gaze and giving you a wink that made you bite your inner cheeks to stop a smile from coming out. 

He didn't give you time to do anything in return as he pushed his glasses back and walked over to his chair. 

-

Since then, you were sure that you could feel Billy's eyes on you from time to time. Yet whenever you looked up you could see that he was looking somewhere else. You were sure that it was just your imagination, you sat up and began to take off your tank top as well as your shorts. Once that was done you grabbed your sunblock and started applying it on your arms and then moved on to the rest of your body. 

From where Billy sat, his eyes diverted from Karen who was swimming to you. He felt his breath stop for a second and his shorts got tight. If he knew that was what you were hiding under all those clothes, he would've made a move a long time ago. All he wanted to do was ditch his shift and walk over to you and help you put the rest of your sunblock on your back. His hands were aching to touch you, unfortunately someone else had that idea too.

He saw a guy from his basketball team walk up to you with a charming smile and even though he couldn't hear what was said. He knew what he wanted to do, it was then that he saw you smile up at him and hand the bottle while you turned your back. He pursed his lips and glared from behind his glasses, he was filled with envy as he saw somebody else touch you. 

What made him feel better was when you turned to look at the guy and smiled before taking the bottle from his hand and setting it down. Without another word, you walked over to the pool and got in. Out of everyone that was in the pool, he kept his eyes glued to you while dirty thoughts flowed in his mind. 

From across the pool, Heather watched Billy only looking at you. She was surprised he didn't yell at some kids that were running around. As much as she was slightly upset at all the attention you were getting without trying, she could never get mad at you. Regardless of knowing about you and Andrew, she thought it would be good to let you know of what she noticed. She knew what Billy did to girls after sleeping with them and wouldn't want you to be upset about what could happen afterwards. Not just that but if Billy were to make his move on you and if Tommy ever found out, it wouldn't be pretty.

She got down from her chair and walked over to where you were, she could get in a lot of trouble but decided to do it anyway. 

“Y/n.” she spoke loud enough for only you to hear. 

“Yeah?” you said as you used your hands to block the sun from getting in your eyes. 

“Don’t look but, Billy has been checking you out nonstop and-” She began saying but was cut off with you waving your hand in front of her face.

“Don’t worry, I won't sleep with him, he's all yours.” You said with a smile and started to move away from her but she stopped you.

“No y/n, I mean it.”She said with a straight face, causing your smile to fall. Once she saw she had your attention, she continued. “Look, Billy is only interested in girls for one thing. Once he gets it, he moves on like nothing happened. Don't even get me started on how much of an asshole he is…”

As she kept on talking about him, you felt your heart break a little. You would not have thought he was that mean but if anything it also got your attention. Before Andrew, you had slept with a few other guys and you hated the attention it brought to you. It was as if you were a trophy they had just won and bragged about it. But after hearing the stories that Heather managed to rush out in under three minutes in order to not get yelled at if her boss were to see her. You knew you had to stay away from Billy, even if that would seem almost impossible.

-

🏷️: @satsuri3su @kenzi-woycehoski @mikeyswifie @yookayur @wittleespur @s1nzari @m-rae23 @foxxymunson @witxhbby

[phvntomess]

OK question time

How did okalani become your favourite?

What are your thoughts on her flipdeck?

conversely, what are your thoughts on her wendys wheels kart?

Any hcs? 1-3 will do lol

Any ships you like?

and the last question... thoughts on her aunt makalia >:3

OOOOOHHHH I BEEN WAITING FOR THIS (forewarning: i talk. a LOT.)

1. when i first joined the fandom around like,,, may?? i noticed she was kinda forgotten amongst the community. like yea ppl talked about her but whenever i looked up like tier lists or fanart i like RARELY saw her being mentioned. it shocked me cuz her design is so cute???? n e ways. that’s what initially drew me to her, the fact that she’s such an under appreciated character. at first i wasn’t too crazy ab her,,, i just liked her,,, but then i drew her for the first time,,,, and she kept poking my peanut brain,,,, and then i randomly just fell in love w her! then my love kept snowballing andddd here we are!

2. oh my word i’ve cried over her flipdeck multiple times LMFAAOOOOOOOO 😭😭😭 in my brain im like hoping that she isn’t actually living in a goddamn pool house and just rents one on top of having a regular home cuz like um???? the implications of that are so sad?????? this woman is SUFFERING. (i mean like it’s good for angst and all but like holy moly ravioli i feel so bad for her) and don’t even get me STARTED about how she works on the weekends too. AND THEY’RE HECTIC. my poor bby :(

other than that, the whole detail of her watching the sunset with her friends is so so so cute <33 overall? i love her flipdeck but i also hate it

3. OH IT’S SO CUTE AND COOL and it fits her so well !! <3 the design is beautiful, i love the inclusion of clouds and the tropical charms, and i love its lil gimmick with the water tanks… i honestly think it’s perfect for her <3 i was so pleasantly surprised when i saw she got a kart !!

4. my hcs are SO silly but YES i’ll share !!! :D

1) she has such a soft and gentle voice.. LITRALLY the voice of an angel. and i hc that she can sing very well. lullaby type beat put ur ass 2 sleep.

2) SHE LOVES FROOT! her favs are strawberry, watermelon, coconut, and lychee :3

3) idk if this counts as a hc BUT if she was in the platformer games i hc that she’d have the swim boost skill and she’d have a swinging weapon WHICH WOULD BE a pool net :]

5. 💕🪽🌸 her x me 🌞🌷💞 im only kidding. but i rlly like her x nevada !!! i also think okalani x gino is cute :3 i don’t see very many ships w her so :( but the ones i HAVE seen r so adorbs!!!!!!

6. ohghhh i KNOW i should hate her but,,, i literally can’t bring myself to dislike that woman 😭 her design is so pretty and like every day i wait for her to get a flipdeck so i can get some sort of closure or explanation as to why she (ALLEGEDLY) treats okalani so poorly

like,,, im sure there’s an explanation, yk? :’}