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

[shivunin]

WIP Wednesday

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

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

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

What was this?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ready?” she asked Fenris. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What would it feel like to—

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

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

No. 

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

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

[jinuaei]

Alastor x Fallen Angel! Reader

Accidentally getting 'married' to Alastor

Part 2

You fucked up.

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

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

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

"I'm in hell..."

"Yes you are, my good fellow!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

...

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

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

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

[madaboutmathers]

Hello! I see the request is open

Can I have Marshall x reader that she is Hailie's mother she and Marshall have broken up. but he wants to reconcile with reader because he still loves her all the time. (of course, reader still loves him) but her family doesn't like him. (reader's family is quite religious. and reader is quite to be in the family rules)

Hailie is about 2-3 years old.

English is not sorry. my main language.🥹🙏🏻

thank you✨

AN: Hi, I hope you like it <3

“Are you ready to see Daddy, sweet girl?” You cooed into her hair; holding her so tightly against your chest. Hailie could only giggle as you gently bounced her on your hip. The cold Detroit weather brushing over you both and it was times like these that you missed Marshall’s familiar scented clothes to wear and keep warm in. You fought against those memories whilst pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. The soft crunching of the snow echoed in your ear as you began to step forward; his car moved around the corner and came into view. “Daddy!” Hailie squealed in your hold as she tried to wiggle free. The soft chuckle of your ex echoed in your ear as you fought off the smile. Gently, you placed your sweet girl down and she was already running ahead before she was even on the ground. The sight only warmed your heart and you mourned for the past.

Still, you had to be strong, even as the sight of his face was enough for your heart to skip a beat. “Marshall,” gently, you called his name as you began to step forward. The smile easily falls onto your face and a matching one soon comes upon his own. The softness between you both continued to exist even now. Hailie kept a hold of her father’s hand before looking up at you. “WIll you be good, hmm?” Your fingers brushed through her hair for a moment as Marshall stepped closer. “Always, mama.” Your Princess giggled as you leaned close and she pressed a kiss to your cheek. “How are you?” His deep voice had your head snapping to the side as those bright blues of his stared into your soul; it felt like anyway. “Good..good,” you tried to fight off the stutter as his hand softly landed on your hip; just as it always had done before.

You found yourself staring at his hand placement; gently nibbling on your plump, bottom lip. Marshall’s amusement was clear to see as you locked eyes once more. God, you had missed those blues of his. The door opening behind you broke the connection as you turned to look over your shoulder. Your father was now in complete view of the door frame; instead of hiding behind the curtains where he watched from. As your mind began to clear; you slowly stepped away from Marshall whilst looking down at your feet. In that moment, you missed the smile dropping from his face as he carefully placed Hailie on his hip. Your lips parted but he had stepped away before you could even speak. The snow crunching sounded out in your ear as you watched the both of them leave. You fought the urge to look over your shoulder once you finally turned towards the house.

The sound of your daughter’s laughter filling your ear as you gracefully stepped inside the house. It gave you the strength to ignore the looks coming your way from your father.

~

A Month Later

The gold cross necklace that Marshall had gifted you on the first Valentine’s day rested against your chest. Your delicate, pastel pink painted fingers moved over the jewel as you lost yourself in the memories of what seemed like another life, if you were honest with yourself. Thankfully, the joyful cries of your daughter brought you back to the present. “Mama, look…” Hailie rushed over; knocking into your knee as you finally turned around; a smile easily tugging on your lips. “What did you get?” Gracefully, you moved to kneel down as your daughter placed the prettiest, pearl bracelet in your palm. “From Daddy…put it on?” “What do you say?” Marshall’s voice came from behind you as the birthday party only continued. 

“Please mommy.” A giggle escaped you as you silently clasped the bracelet around her small wrist. “It’s beautiful.” If only you were not so distracted with your daughter; you would have noticed the stare coming from Marshall. The softness in his eyes was only reserved for the two before him. “There you go,” you whispered and pressed a kiss to her hand before gracefully moving to stand. A shiver ran down your spine at the familiar hold on your side; Marshall having rested his hand. The flash of a camera brought you from your daze. It was unfair that he could use those bright blues to his advantage. “Say cheese.” Hailie giggled out so carefree it tugged at your heart. Your fingers brushed through her hair if only for a moment as Marshall only inched closer against you. Another flash of the camera continued as Hailie only cuddled into the both of you. Everything felt right in that space. As you began to look up; you realised he was already staring at the both of you. His attention is always on his girls.

[littlecorpselady]

Chick habit

A house of wax fanfic

-Bo sinclair x reader

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

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

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

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

"Never got around to askin' your name."

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

"Y/n, and you?"

"Names Bo."

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

"Got a couple minutes?"

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

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

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

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

"You were watchin'?"

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

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

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

[imamotherfuckingstar-lord]

imagine zoro saving you from drowning

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

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

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

But you, you felt new.

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

Shit, she must have fallen off the damn ship!

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

“Help her out.”

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

Concern.

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

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

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

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

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

and everything else that wants to harm you…

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

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

Forever…

...

tagging those who were interested in zoro fics.

@posessedbytheinternet @smolracoon25 @notthemainblog

@xentaipriest @xitara666 @rouzuchan @southside-otaku

@dimplewonie @stuckinthewrongworld @yourmomsgirl

@zoroshispanicwife @reneeprika

[cherriiiepiee]

“Why won’t you choose me?”

john marston x f!reader

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

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

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

—

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

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

Why would you even think he would choose you?

teehee🙈🙈

[sleepy-fiction]

Quickie | JOKERMIKE

syn: After a grand performance, Mike takes Joker outside for a quickie to blow some steam.

tags: exhibitionism, nsfw, NOT PROOFREAD

1.5k estimate

"Shh, Joker," Mike hushes. His voice is filled with a midnight husk, drowning in sadistic glory. It's easy for him to say such a thing, because the shoe isn't on the other foot.

The hullabaloo circus had yet another amazing performing night. People from all over attended to park, and ended their night by watching Mike Morton, the amazing acrobat, fly across the stage. It was truly captivating. All the pressure, all the love and adoration had builded up in Mike's body, as he rode off the high of praised.

He needed to exert it all out, ride that dopamine chase one last time.

So here he was, bending Weeping Clown over the side of the roller coaster, buried balls deep in his pale, slanky body.

The clap of his thrusts were intense, fervent. Deadly as if he had a mission to complete.

"Ff-- Fuck Miike," Weeping groans and grunts out. Unfortunately Joker's view isn't as nice as Mike. Mike sees a lovely tall, slim body bending into him, with two round, soft cheeks spread around his thick cock. Mike sees gorgeous moles and beauty marks sprinkled about a deliciously arched back, all that meets to a head of fiery red hair. Joker has his hands up against the railing on the stairs leading up to the coaster, his face almost completely buried against the wall, support from the barriage.

Joker shivers, his walls hot and expanded, rounded into with a zealous passion, his eyes clenched tightly. Out of his cleft lips came out wanton moans and quiet grunts, his cock hard and flexing against his shorts. He was dribbling out like a fine wine, mind hazing beneath the dim lights around the circus.

Joker, as he bucked out, trying to be quiet, would never admit how lovely it was to be fucked like this. Under the crystal, vibrant lights of Hullabaloo, with a cool night breeze that's gentle against his bare skin. Holding onto the railings leading up to a coaster, he's rode so many times before, over and over.

Joker's toes clench lethally in his shoes, arching back into every thrust. Even as Mike slows down to catch his breath, Joker rocks back for more pleasure.

"You seen me, J-Joker," Mike mumbles out, forcing out a groan between his words.

Joker nods, messy sweaty hair completely out of place. Mike slowly begins to speed up as Joker speaks again, "Y-You were-- aah- beautiful, Mike!"

"Shh!" Mike grunts.

"Aah-haa... wonderful... wonderful per--" his voice is stolen out by a high pitched gasp, Mike began to speed up again --"foormance!" He hisses out the rest of the word, eyes rolling up behind droopy eyelids.

Mike has his right hand stretched over to grip Joker's left hip, as if he were an over confident driver steering a hot rod. "Mmyea," Mike asks, bowing back and thrusting forward while guiding Joker down to meet him in the middle. This spiked hard, precise thrusts against Joker's prostate, ones that spilled out louder, unrestrained, raspy groans from the clown.

"Aah! Haa-- Gaah," Joker mewls. His hands grip the rails knuckle white, body shuddering so intensely it was painful. Within seconds, Joker arches forward, spewing his hot load all onto his shorts that were bunched on the ground.

But Mike doesn't stop. He steers him back down for more. Joker's jaw falls fully slack. Having his ass handled while he spirted out his orgasm only made his body even more sensitive, each thrust was an intense death wave. A wave that forces him to bow himself all the way down, his hair dusting the wall as if it were its job.

"Mm-more! More Mii--"

"Ssh-shh! Be quiet, Joker," Mike hushes, the rush of those erotic moans drilled down his spine. Mike's face burns a deep red, a deep red as he admires Joker's view as if he were a teenager, sneaking around where he shouldn't belong.

Being with Joker was like a reward. Mike felt so uncontrollable. It was a direct contrast to being inside the ring, holding the bars before a jump. There was the adrenaline, the fear of a fall, but Mike was secure in himself. Secure in his skills, secure in very lethal jump, he landed the other size without fail. It took precision, it took grace, strength. It took a clear, unwavering mind. Strategic talent.

Fucking Joker?

It turned Mike into a sloppy animal.

Mike no longer fucked him with grace. The blonde grabs Joker's hips with both hands, palms gripping the boney feature vice. Joker moans excitedly, already knowing what's to come. Mike, revvs Joker's body into him, fucking forward to meet him speedily, no longer slow and hard. He's fast, wild, unable to scold Joker for his moans anymore, dropping his head back and taking him mind away in the winds.

His hat slips to the ground, balls quivering for ever puckering thrust.

"Yes-yes yes! Mike," Joker's voice is only egging him on more.

More and more as the waves of pleasure build over one another, before Mike's wits-end. "Shit! Joker," Mike grunts, spilling his load all into Joker's hot, warm body.

"Oooh, Mikee," Joker groans, being pushed around by Mike, who leans forward, smothering his body against Joker, forcing him more upright, chin bumping the railing he gripped onto.

Mike, buried balls deep, uses his time, riding off his bliss, to feel up Joker, loving the way his body rolls against his hands. Enamored by every boney, pale feature.

Mike drops his tired, panting head into Joker's shoulder, kissing the clothes there, wishing the clown was naked instead. "Mm, I love... I love this Joker," he groans out, over come by himself.

Joker shudders intensely, gaining his own strength to slowly stand, heaving Mike's weight along with him. Joker leaves on hand on the railing for support. "Miike," Joker hushes gently.

Mike already knows what he's going to say next.

"Let's go back," Joker continues peering down at the shorter while cum dribbles down his legs.

Mike doesn't say a word, instead he shifts, still buried in Joker's ass, and grabs the clown's cock. Joker gasps, "I'm serious! I'm the one f-freezing out here!"

"Daammit," Mike whines.

[drunkewok]

Tiger Inside Chapter Twenty-Eight

Stray Kids Mafia (ongoing)

Masterlist

Likes, reblogs and feedback always greatly appreciated

WC: 3.8k

Pairing: Lee Know x reader

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

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

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

Please do not copy or repost my work

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I… I'm not sure to be honest.”

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

“But what about you?”

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

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

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

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

“You never took it off?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“But can you hear me in it?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Your secret is safe with me.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Did he leave? What happened?”

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

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

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

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

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

“They're here” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The person sat beside me was Wooyoung.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The wild card has arrived.

Next Chapter

Taglist:

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

[rainmustfallts4]

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

Prompt: 1 – Harvest Moon by @notsosimstober

Word Count: 5,040 (both parts)

Image Count: 37 (15 this part)

Warnings: Speaks about death/passed on family.

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

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

“This as far as I can go, miss.”

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

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

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

“Thank you.”

“Give Miss Maybelle my best!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“If you don’t mind.”

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

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

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

“How was your trip?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⊶⊰Read part 2 here⊱⊷

[acertainmoshke]

Snippet: Dream Part 3

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

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

“I came to save you,” I tell her.

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

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

I look harder at the cars.

This is the future.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At last, I smile.

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

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

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

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

General tag list: @ashirisu

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

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Devil May Care: Final Part

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.6k

Warnings: canon angst and violence

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

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

x

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

"An angel?!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Smart."

"You are troubled, still."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yeah," Dean whispers.

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

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

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

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

"You killed three demons? Alone?"

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

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

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

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

"Yeah, you?"

"More or less."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Martin Hayward and Brandon Favors," Crowley sighs.

"They did this to you?"

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

"Wow, you break easily," Dean scoffs.

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

"So, these are freebies?" Sam asks.

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

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

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

"Where do you think you're going?"

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

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

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

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

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

"We need you, Kevin," you say.

"Because I'm useful, right?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Ready for what?"

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

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

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

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

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

x

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[mally0]

The Ravenous C h i m e r a .

When it first happened, it nearly killed me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What do you think of her, then?”

“What?” I asked the dark.

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

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

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

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

“What, like forever?”

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

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

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

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

          

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah, hey hun?”

“Whats up?”

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

She cut me off with a kiss.

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

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

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

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

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

“So,” It mewled, “How is she?”

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

“Hey! Up and active this morning?”

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

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

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

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

“Thanks babe. I appreciate that.”

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

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

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

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

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

“Back again, eh?”

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

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

“Tom! What is that thing?!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

[lee-noma]

Rivers & Vines

Excerpt:

Elios' feet scraped and pulled as he handled the horse to ensure it stayed on its feet. Both were stubborn until Elio turned to the animal, and if I could guess right, he was speaking to it. Eye to eye they stare each other down in between the words before Elio pulls the reign once more and the horse begins to bend its head, harsh steps to the ground ending and its body calming enough for him to brush its coat.

Part II

I had not considered the finer details of my return home. First is the reality of waking up in a house that echoes the slam of doors from open windows through halls. The loneliness was as present as I was, but I could not let that dim my mood. Throwing the blanket to the other side of the bed before my head can fall back to the pillow, I start at my windows. With the heavy drapes in hand, I fling them open, the little dust that had collected nothing to be alarmed by but a nice knowing that there would be things to do. Even if it was dusting.

It had been far too long since I had seen this house yawn in the dawn instead of closed off in grief or prestige. It would also be good to see the house's condition. To see if the little crakes and bruises I remember it for still resided like little monuments the memories its walls hold. That is how I spend my morning, letting the light in just a little. I know it would be a task closing them all when the time came, but I was in no rush to hide from the moon.

I had let some light in where I felt it appropriate. The kitchen, lounge and sitting room, and large windows gave a picturesque view of the subtle hills of the land towards the vineyards and stables. The same direction of a cabin that housed a gentleman. I would be lying if I said I had not given another thought to the man once the door had closed. He was one to think deeply about, and I didn't know if it was his hostility in seriousness or coy nature when mannered.

Elio, he said his name was. I can't help but hold a weight of guilt to the idea that he, some stranger, stood as the body of care and heart in my father's last moments. I want to wish I had been the one, but I would never have survived it. Acting out heartache like it weighs me down heavier than guilt.

The counter bites into my hand, bringing me from the storm I spin myself. Pushing against it, I heard around and begin opening cupboards and kitchen cabinets only to find little food. That is an understatement. It was empty aside from plates and cups, the few present that had not been reorganized with thin layers of tissue paper and clothes to keep from the dust.

They had already packed it all up. Closing it, I look around the dining table and realise how empty it looked. Apart from the furniture that was once covered in white covers, there were only the pictures on the wall. Mother had painted a number of them. The details in the blooms and shades of green are a map of the apple trees a distance to the west and wildflowers closer to the stables and Hyde River. The calm river was known to flood in times of rain, a cruel flood that wasn't always kind to the riverbed. Somehow, she made the waves look like the dreams of Lillie pads.

What the hell did I think was going to happen? I would be able to just point at moments in time and decide which one I would put in a box and which I would sell. My disarrayed thoughts are disrupted by the groaning of my stomach. Food, I had to find food before I could lament the weight of my future. Deciding to get washed up, I dress in a loose pair of linen pants with a brown blouse and some sandals. It was not too hot, but the sun was no stranger today, so I took a hat with me.

I take hold of the landline in the kitchen, the phone ringing and when the operator speaks, I am glad the towers reach the house now, "Good day, I wanted to ask for a cab from Dela Rey Manor to the Kent Square?" There is a moment of scrambling in the background as she asks me for a minute and no longer than that does she return, "Apologizes, but the only service in that direction does not work on Sundays." With fallen shoulders, I can only be polite and thank her before hanging up the phone.

My eyes clench in frustration as I place the phone back. I just needed to get to the square. While walking, there was an option that was not one I would like to take. I could always take a horse...

The hesitation in my thoughts is as flushing as the fact that it happened. Why was I hesitant to walk myself to the west hills of the land? Its Irish green land permeated by steeds and mares, the dampness of its land, or the cabin that lives on it. I could almost scold myself for how dramatic I was being. I was just going to inform him that I would be taking a horse into town, but he shouldn't have to worry about it having been stolen. That's all.

That is all, I say a single time and a thousand times over as I walk out of the door and onto the familiar patch of earth. The clear air and slow pace I took calmed me a little, having taken my baring and I allowed the lengthy walk to help me focus a bit. The house's walls suddenly feel smaller in my mind. As Elio said, it was a bit of a walk, but I appreciate it, and once I see the barn, I am a bit flushed, but I'm glad to have reached it.

The smell of horse and a fresh coat of wood polish stick to the stable. I follow through an opened gate, heading to the face of the structure. It's been rebuilt and well, its high walls and strong wood home for the horses that had helped the grounds more than I had most days. When heading closer to the entrance, I am deterred by the sound of heavy galloping and a sharp voice stating an order.

The sounds of both creatures are unkind, an argument if you would, and as I walk closer to it, I break into a large horse pen. Its reinforced walls and bars doors keep the horse's erratic movements in check. These erratic movements were the cause of concern but not focus on them as I watched Elios' feet scrape and pull as he handled the horse to ensure it stayed on its feet.

Both were stubborn until Elio turned to the animal and if I could guess right, he was speaking to it. Eye to eye they stare each other down in between the words before Elio pulls the reign once more and the horse begins to bend its head, harsh steps to the ground ending and its body calming enough for him to brush its coat. Suddenly it feels intrusive, having watched him caress the upset animal but before I can revoke my intention the attention that had once been on the dirty white, spotted animal beside him he looks up at me with wide eyes.

"Miss Dela Rey?"

[lovingcheesecakephantom]

New Beginnings

(This is something I wrote while watching The Host by Stephanie Meyer)

Things hadn’t been working out between Wanda and Ian, everyone saw it, everyone knew. Wanda, instead of spending most of her time with Ian, now spends her time with Mel, Jaime and Jared. 

“So how many planets have you been to exactly?” Jared asks, as the four of them sit outside of the caves, enjoying the view. 

“Eight,” Wanda replies, looking over at him as he cuddles with Mel.

Footsteps invade the quiet little bubble the four of them found themselves enveloped in. The four of them look up to see Ian walking towards them. Melanie sits up, from where she was cuddling with Jared, and Jared rises to his feet, going to meet Ian. 

“Wanda, can I talk to you?” Ian asks, ignoring Jared. 

“She doesn’t want to talk to you right now, she will come find you later.” Jared replies, blocking the other man from getting to Wanda. 

Ian looks at Jared and tilts his head to the side, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t think I was talking to you.”

Ian moves to step around Jared, but Jared blocks him and shoves him back. “Not right now.”

Ian turns and walks away, Jared stands there for a few more seconds before moving to sit next to the three others, sitting between Mel and Wanda. The four of them fall into a comfortable silence, watching the sun fall below the horizon before deciding to head back inside. 

Jared goes down to the cafeteria area and gets the four of them some food, they opted to eat in Melanie and Jared’s room rather than the cafeteria to avoid seeing Ian. Melanie, Jamie and Wanda all get settled on the bed, sitting and chatting while waiting for Jared to return. What they didn’t realize was Ian walked up and was waiting outside of the room. Jared returns with the food, and stops just in front of Ian. The two men stared at each other for  a few seconds before Ian threw a punch at Jared. Jared stumbles back, caught off guard, and drops the food, before regaining his wits and throwing a punch at Ian. 

Wanda, Jamie and Melanie heard the commotion and went to check it out. Both men were fighting each other. 

“Jared, Ian, stop!” Wanda yells, trying to break them apart with her words. 

“Jared!” Melanie yells. 

The two men don’t stop fighting and while Wanda and Melanie were shouting words to try and break up the fight, Jamie went back into Jared’s room, grabbing Jared’s gun. Just like Jeb did when Mel/Wanda first got there, he lifted the gun up to the ceiling and fired a single shot. Ian and Jared sprang apart from each other; just as Jeb, Kyle, and some of the others came rushing down. 

“What’s goin’ on here?” Jeb asks, looking between Jared and Ian before his eyes wander over to Wanda and Melanie. “You two okay?”

Both of the girls nod, looking at Ian and Jared. 

“He was here when I got back from the cafeteria with food,” Jared speaks, gesturing towards the food that now lays on the ground. “And he just punched me in the face. Probably because I wouldn’t let him speak to Wanda when Jamie, Wanda, Mel and I were all sitting outside.”

“Is that true, Ian?” Jeb asks, moving closer to the two men. 

Ian doesn’t say anything, and he keeps his head down for a few seconds before glancing back at Wanda. Wanda moves behind Melanie, shielding herself from Ian’s gaze, and Mel reaches behind her and grabs Wanda’s hand, squeezing it gently in comfort. 

“You know the rules.” Jeb looks between the two men. “Jared, you didn’t start the fight so I’m going to let you get back to your family. Ian, you started the fight so I’ll have to figure out what to do with you.”
 Jared nods, and walks over to where Jamie, Melanie and Wanda stand. He grabs Melanie’s other hand, squeezing it, before doing the same with Wanda’s. The three of them head back inside the room and sit on the bed. Jamie waits for a few seconds before heading off somewhere. 

“Why did he punch you?” Wanda asks, looking at Jared who sits between herself and Melanie. “I mean, I don’t get it, he could have walked in here to talk to me if that’s what he really wanted.”

“I have no clue, Wanda.” Jared replies. 

The three of them sit and talk for a while longer before Wanda excuses herself, deciding to go see what Jamie is up to. 

“Mel. . .” Jared starts, but Melanie silences him by placing her hand on his leg.

“It’s okay Jared. I’m not mad at you for feeling this way, and she feels the same way. I mean, I don’t know if she feels the same way or not but I do know she feels something. Like an echo, or an ache.”

“But how do you. . .” Jared trails off.

“When her and I shared a body, she felt my memories and my love for you. When her and Ian started dating, I felt her feelings for him and it made me feel things for him. I don’t feel anything now, obviously, but sometimes it’s like an echo. I really don’t know how to explain it.”

“Would you be mad if I asked her and tried to see?”

Melanie stays silent for a few seconds and then shakes her head. “No, because I want her happy and I want you happy and if you dating both of us makes you happy then I’ll have to learn to live with it. I want her happy as well, I’ve. . . She’s my sister in everything but blood. She brought me back to you and Jamie, I can’t thank her enough for that.”

“Are you sure though?”

“It will take some time to get used to but I know that neither of you would do anything to hurt me, so I think I can learn to be okay with it.”

“I’ll let you talk to her about it in the morning, better it comes from you first.”
 Melanie nods and the pair gets ready for bed.

[issysh3ll]

Fumble ☆ Chris Sturniolo

Part 3

This is part of a series. Find all previous parts -> here Summary: Chris has fumbled his chances before, will he now? Warnings: this series contains smut, angst & other mature themes Wordcount: 1k

Chris hadn’t moved from the couch since you left. He had spent most of the night lying awake, staring at the ceiling and running over the events of that night in his head. A strange dizziness rings through his head as his mind spins into the early hours of the morning. His thoughts had been alternating back and forth from cursing himself for his previous two fumbles, to planning how to avoid it next time, to just absolute panic at the thought of never having another chance like that first night at 3am.

The gentle morning light seeping in through cracks in the blinds feels impossibly bright to Chris’s sleep deprived eyes. Soft beams of light dance over the couch, casting the room in a soft sunrise hue. Groaning at the sharp sting of the new light, Chris rolls onto his side and buries his face into the hoodie you had returned to him. The remnants of your soft perfume on the fabric floods his senses causing his body to melt into the familiar scent. He curls up around the soft ball of material, hugging it tightly to his face in an attempt to hide from the thoughts still spiralling in his mind.

Soft footsteps patter against the kitchen tile, breaking the silence in the room. Chris’s fingers pull the hoodie away from his eyes as he peers over the fabric to see who has intruded on his peaceful little den of self-condemnation. 

You.

You’re crouched in the corner of the kitchen, quietly fiddling with something Chris can’t quite see. His eyes strain for a clearer view of you through the hazy morning light. As his eyes begin to adjust his heart rate picks up, his gaze finally falling on your outfit. You’re wearing that same tank top that had thrown him off last night, he can see the fabric pulling tight over your back as you shift your position slightly and his mind wanders back to how the top had looked from the front last night. Just the memory of you causes a nervous bubble to rise in his chest, clouding his thoughts in a haze.

Slowly you stand up and Chris notices what you had been fiddling with - your shoes. Why is she putting shoes on? Is she leaving? He sits up in a hurry and watches as you sling your bag over your shoulder, trying to force down the awkward lump in his throat before he speaks.“H-hey,” he squeaks out. 

Shit. 

Chris quickly clears his throat and starts again, “hey… are you leaving?”

As you turn to look for him, the soft light of the room bounces over your skin drawing Chris’s eyes to that entrancing patch of exposed skin on your chest. Your eyes scan over the room; you hadn’t noticed Chris on the couch when you came downstairs. When your eyes finally land on him at the end of the couch you gesture towards the front door and respond “oh, yeah I have work later so I have to go home”.

“Oh…” Chris mumbles, looking down at the ground sadly. The sound of your footsteps receding echoes through the hallway and up to the living room where Chris is slumped over, feeling disappointed once again. His head rests heavily in his hands as his fingers rub into his temples, bidding himself to stop blocking his own efforts with his pathetic fumbling. 

The door handle clicks as you twist it open and the sound jolts Chris to his feet, suddenly possessed by a new wave of determination. He quickly rushes down the hallway and stops a few feet behind you just as you’re pulling the door open. 

“Wait!” he reaches his hand out to stop your arm, “wait I– um, don’t go?...” As the words leave his mouth, that surge of confidence seems to fade. His mind becomes distracted once again by the way the light shining in through the open door creates a halo around you, accentuating every part of your figure. Your eyes bore into him as you wait for a reason to stay.

Chris’s grip on your arm tightens slightly and he sucks in a shaky breath, searching for that surge of confidence again as he speaks softly, “I just– don’t go… please?”

Your eyebrows raise at his request and you swallow back a grin. “Why should I stay, Chris?”

Chris’s chest pulls as your attention turns to him. His cheeks burn under your curious stare and he averts his gaze, shyly glancing down to the floor. Words escape him as his mouth flaps open and closed, unsure how to explain his reasons for you to stay. 

“Just give me a reason, Chris” your voice pulls his gaze away from the ground. As you speak you step closer to him, closing the small gap left between your bodies. Chris’s eyes dart over your face, taking in the way your own gaze stares back at him, unwavering. 

The feeling of your body so close to his again, mirroring that first missed opportunity, makes his mind spin. But as he hears his name leaving your lips again in a small whisper his thoughts seem to quiet down, his next move becoming clear in his mind, and he does it. He leans his face forward, hovering over yours for just a few seconds as he searches your face for any sense of doubt. Watching your eyes flutter closed, he presses his lips to yours, finally soothing the anticipation that had built up over the past few weeks. 

His lips are gentle, at first, moving slowly until he hears that sweet hum vibrate off your lips. His chest runs with excitement and nervous butterflies at the sound and his hands shift to your back, gently pulling you closer into a deeper kiss. The feeling is better than he ever could have anticipated, all those times he had imagined this die away in his mind as the real thing replaces the memories. 

Eventually he pulls back, panting heavily and pressing his forehead to yours. You watch his mouth curl into a shy grin as he mumbles breathily,

“Fuck.”

Masterlist

[phantomyre]

It was no use, now. Vincent knew Lucrecia was at the mercy of Jenova and Sephiroth, and he would be forced to watch… just as he had done in the past. Once again, he didn’t have a choice. And once again, it was per Lucrecia’s request… to stand by and watch Lucrecia suffer. What he would have given to be in her place. But this was what she had wanted. She wanted to understand Sephiroth, and refused to let Vincent put himself in further turmoil for her sake. It was all just a vicious cycle of protecting the other, yet still suffering in the end.

At Sephiroth’s initiation, Vincent could feel Lucrecia shudder. But he could also sense her will. Vincent could only speculate on what Sephiroth would do, or what he would show her. But all he did know was that it was his duty to uphold the promise. This was her decision. He had to allow her to be a mother as far as possible. And if it meant suffering at the hands of her son… A promise was a promise... The Lucrecia kneeling before him wasn’t the true Lucrecia. It was merely her conscience. The real Lucrecia had crumbled away long ago. And sooner or later, so would her memories. He couldn't afford to lose that, also. So long as Sephiroth existed, he would serve as a reminder for Vincent's failures. But he would also be the one memory of Lucrecia that had the ability to last for eternity. Thus, Vincent battled with his thoughts while Lucrecia’s own mental war was about to begin. The frail woman in white trembled as she felt her thoughts invaded; hearing her son’s voice in her head gave her a mixed sense of composure as well as horror. For as much as she had delve into the science of Jenova, she had yet to truly grasp the power that came from this alien being. And now she would experience it through her son… A series of horrific scenes began to take place, starting with the view of a helpless child… alone, cold, and sorely abused. The initial scene was already enough to send a dagger through Lucrecia’s chest, and she had to choke back the tears from what she saw. She stood up slowly, unable to take her eyes off of the innocent child with hair of silver, fresh warm tears streaming gently down her cheeks. Her voice cracked, finding it challenging to speak anything but his name. “Se… Sephiroth?” Her motherly tone slipped through. At that moment, she knew what was about to happen. She began to shake and made a step towards Sephiroth, but was immediately stopped when the scientists came in. As the lead Sephiroth away, Lucrecia followed, wanting badly to tear the scientists’ arms away from her son, but it was everything she could do to remind herself this was all just an illusion. A part of her wanted to not believe it. But she didn’t have to search deep to know this was all the truth. She recognized the people, the instruments of science, the room, and even the garments Sephiroth had to wear. “No… this can’t….” She couldn’t even finish her words, knowing this was all true. Just then, that dreaded familiar face came into view...Hojo. Lucrecia's fears were immediately replaced with hatred. She had been struggling to console herself all the while the scenes were playing, but there was no one there to guide or comfort her. Vincent was no where to be seen. Latex fingers reached for the instruments of torture, and Sephiroth’s tiny arms were strapped. It was too much for Lucrecia to bear any longer and she rushed forward in a fury of anger and horror for her son’s safety, hardly noticing the figment of Sephiroth’s shadow in that moment. “Let him go! Get away from my son!” Lucrecia screamed and attempted to attack one of the scientists strapping Sephiroth down, but ended up falling to the ground as the illusion vanished and moved to yet another angle, reminding Lucrecia that this was all just a vision. But this didn’t make Lucrecia stop. In her passion of anger and pain, she then lunged for Hojo, but something held her back. She started clawing and struggling. “I’ll kill you… I’ll kill you!” She collapsed to the ground once again on her knees, and that was when she heard Sephiroth’s voice. She briefly looked up, following his voice and finally taking note of his silhouette. Everything in her body wanted it all too stop. But if this truly was what Sephiroth… her son… had endured… she couldn’t turn away. “Sephiroth…” It was all she could say in response to his words, knowing full well this was merely the beginning of the most painful nightmares Sephiroth had endured. Growing silent, she accepted her fate, and awaited the unfolding of even more horrific scenes.

In its terrible glory, the Meteor could be seen tearing through the skies, causing even the clouds to scatter and break from the oncoming power that was Meteor-- guided by none other than the hand of a man who had been denied kindness. He was simply giving what the world had given him. Pain.

Lucrecia understood this. As disconnected as Sephiroth was from her, Lucrecia's heart was still knit with his, feeling his pain, and seeking to understand him, even if just a little bit. As much as Vincent understood the reasoning for Sephiroth's actions, he knew it wasn't the answer. After all, he too had locked himself away, endeavoring to suffer the nightmares as penance for his sins. However, it had only lengthened the days of Sephiroth's suffering. All the while Vincent allowed his torments to endure, a helpless boy was continuing to writhe in his own agony, brought upon him by the Ex-Turk's complacency. Now, that boy had become a man, and was imparting that same pain onto others. Pain only lead to more pain... an endless cycle of suffering. The distraught mother had met the ground, her tears watering the parched earth beneath her. Sephiroth spoke like a madman, enamored with the idea that the planet needed death.... or rather, salvation. Violence and morbidity was his solution. Like father like son... Lucrecia wept bitterly as the realization finally came pouring through. How wrong she had been to even think there could be an ounce of hope to regain her son. But what else did she have to lose? She had lost everything, including the will to live. She had failed in every capacity the day she entered Shinra. But at least... Vincent survived. She could no longer be there for Sephiroth. Her very existence was perhaps a blight to him. And one day, the planet would consume her, too. However... "It would have been for her." Vincent retorted at Sephiroth's comments. How could Lucrecia possibly live a normal life with her crime hanging over her? "Enough!" Lucrecia called out, her voice trembling from the emotions. Even though every ounce of him wanted to persist, the gunslinger held his peace and turned his face from Sephiroth. Moments later, Lucrecia spoke once again, keeping her head lowered in grief. "...He has the right of it," she almost whispered. "No matter what I've gone through... no matter what he chooses to do afterwards... the pain I feel will never amount to what he's had to endure." She then slowly looked up, her eyes directly landing on Vincent's. "Even you..." A frown creased over Vincent's brow. "All the pain I've put you through, and what I've taken from you... from you both..." Her hand rested on her chest, trembling, but firm. "This pain... I can bear it. I must. So please, Vincent..." Vincent's frown deepened, weighing her words and eventually causing him to break his gaze from her. He understood her request. It would be impossible for him to keep... had he not loved her. 'Shall I show you true suffering...?'

The words sent a chill down Lucrecia's spine. Her hand gripped the cloth at her chest, her other hand curling against the dying earth. She couldn't fathom what Sephiroth could have meant. But she had worked on Jenova's body all the same. ...What had they done to her son all those years? When Vincent heard Sephiroth's morbid threat, a shot of horror tore through him, creating a phantom pain. He may not have felt the exact pain Sephiroth had endured, but he was well acquainted with every type of physical cellular pain known to science. Hojo had ensured that much, having used him to test the limit of pain endurance. Lucrecia may have understood the science behind such things. But for her to endure the same torture...? He wouldn't wish it upon Hojo himself, let alone someone he loved. If Sephiroth truly intended to torment Lucrecia, what was to stop Vincent from lashing out at Sephiroth? Perhaps that was precisely Jenova's plan... to force him to break his promise, and in return, end Lucrecia's life. ...But to see her in agony... again... he'd rather have Hojo tear through his flesh a thousand different ways than to watch Lucrecia suffer. His clawed hand slightly curled at his side.

Remember... your promise...