#there is no way anyone is managing to get vincent's shirt off

[mrcatlion]

I was thinking about Zack wearing Angeal's shirts, and then had to draw Cloud stealing Barret's shirts

[small-sinclair]

In My Arms

Vincent Sinclair x Reader

Contains: passionate kiss, cuddles

Enjoy

At the end of the day, the skies fade to a deep purple and a burning orange light. Vincent normally doesn't see sunsets, but he managed to snag the sight as you dragged him outside to the gentle green and yellow field of wildflowers. You carried a blanket and a picnic basket that you found from a tourist and packed it full with two sub sandwiches, a small container of brownies, and sodas.

"I know you've been working so hard lately," you said as you unfolded the blanket and placed it down. He took off his shoes as you had him sit next to you. "So, I decided to make you some dinner! I know it's not much but..." your voice trailed and paused as Vincent placed a hand over yours. You could fell his smile under his mask.

'It's okay. This is nice, too.' His hands signed. He knows you're still learning how to speak with him, and it'll take time before you and understand him fully. 'It's a nice spot you picked. Why here?'

You take out the paper plates and some napkins, setting them up for you and him. "There's a meteor shower tonight," you said with a smile. "I asked Bo it he could have the lights off in town, so we could get a perfect view." The last remaining sunlight lit a halo in your hair. "Also, it's getting a bit stuffy downstairs. You need some fresh air." You gave him his sub and placed yours in front of you, offering a smile. "And I thought you would need some inspiration from the shower! A little bit of space themes here and there would so some good, I think."

You looked forward and started eating your sub. Next to you, you saw the wax face sitting between you and him. It has been months before Vincent took his mask off around you. When you first saw his face, you thought he was the most prettiest human alive, perfect in every way. When he did have his mask off while you two shared a bed, you'd kiss his scars gently, making sure he knew how much he meant to you. the love for this man was beyond anyone's understanding. Bo would give you shit about it, but he knew that this was one of the best things that's happened to his twin. The kindness you give and the tender lover you two bloomed was just want the artist needed.

His raven hair hung on the other side of his face, and he was facing his "better" side. His bright blue eye sparkled in the dying sunset as his shoulders relaxed to the food. He loves it whenever you cook for him, either if it's just a sub sandwich or soup. He closed his eye and smiled to himself. It's been a while since he's eaten something, but he'll never tell you. Goodness, he's lucky to have him by his side. You'll never know how many drawings of you he has all over his workshop. The photo of you smiling tucked in a locket around his neck hidden under his shirt and a drawing of you sleeping in bed hidden under scraps of papers... he'll keep it hidden from you as long as he can.

"You okay, Vincent?" Your words interrupted his thoughts. "You've been chewing the same bite for a while now."

He swallows hard, blushing in embarrassment.

You put the last two bites of your sub down and slid next to him, putting the mask on the other side of you with care. "What's going on in that mind of yours, darling? Something wrong?"

He shakes his head as he put his sub down. 'Just thinking about things. That's all. I promise.'

You lifted a brow as you playfully nudged his side. "Was I one of those things?"

He lifts his shoulders, laughing silently to himself. You rested your head on his shoulder as you looked at the purple and blue sky. The hum of bullfrogs and crickets started their song, singing for Louisiana herself. You hand intertwines in Vincent's, his other hand holding the sub. The comfortable silence between you two was filled with the sounds of the marsh and bright firefly lights. They circled you two, lighting Vincent's eye in flames and gentle glows. It almost felt as if a part of heaven has dropped on you two.

He finished his sandwich, wiped his hands, and, shifting slightly, he lifted you up to place you on his lap. You let out a giggle as he buried his head into your neck, leaving small kisses down your skin. He held you close as he looks up to the sky. His scars burned without any light as the other half looked up as the stars started to show. He looks breathless in the firefly light.

You blushed as you raised a hand, resting on his smooth skin. He jolts at your touch slightly, but he leans into your hand as a large hand held it there. He turned his head and placed a kiss on your palm. He looks back at you and grins as you blushed.

"Oh, Vincent," you whispered as you felt him pulling you closer and tighter. "You're so beautiful."

He rested his head against yours, his chest rising and falling ever so gently. When he looked into your eyes, he smiled. Fuck the stars in the sky and curse every planet and galaxy. You were his everything, and he could get lost in your gaze forever.

He leaned down and places a hesitant kiss against your lips before placing another, deepening it as he pulled you in. He wanted more of you, more, more, more, and deeper and deeper did the pit in is stomach grow. Vincent thought if he could have you close to him, he would be whole. he thought you completed him from every light and darkness, every daydream and nightmare. You calmed his heart and his mind when thoughts of blood and death plagued him, and he wanted to hold you close and never let go. His arms brought you closer, an arm holding your back to keep you upright and supported, his hans getting tangled in your hair. Your hands clung to his shirt, pulling gently as the grip tightened around the fabric.

When you pulled away, both of you were breathless. You rested against his head as you felt his warm breath down your skin. He lifted your head by the chin. He pushed your hair back and smiled warmly down at you. In his arms, you were here, you were real, you were his.

His lips parted as a raspy voice struggled out, "I love-love you, y/n."

Your eyes grew wide; you never heard him before. But your eyes returned to love as he stole a kiss. You smiled against his lips, your hands pushing his raven hair behind his ears.

"I love you more, Vincent," you said with your smile still showing. "I love you so much."

'All the stars in the world could never compare to you, my muse,' his signed against your skin. He met every word, and he'll repeat it over and over until your heart believes. He takes a deep breath and whispers, "I love you, y/n."

You rested your head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Your eyes looked up to watch the meteor shower, but his eye never left you. Never once did they looked up. He had everything right here in his arms.

[potential-fool]

yo idk if u take requests but i saw your “you in their clothes” post and loved it sm AHHHH can i ask for that but w/ harbor, chamber, and fade perhaps? u can add anyone else (ur free to ignore this btw!!)

Valorant x Reader: You in their clothes (part 2)

A/N: Ofc ofc!! You get the honor of being my first request dear anon <3 Apologies for Harbor tho idk how good I'll be at writing him, I'll do my best tho!

Pairing: Harbor, Chamber, Fade x reader

Tags: Fluff, Established Relationship, Sharing clothes, Teasing

Harbor

Immediately doting over you

sweet smiles and loving adoration

playful and loving teasing

Showing you off to everyone

You were spending some time on the couch with your boyfriend- Harbor, watching a movie in the living area of the Valorant HQ. You had a habit of not really asking for things, instead just taking them, so when you decided mid movie that you wanted to put on his zip up hoodie this was no exception.

Climbing up out of his warm grasp you sat on the top of the couch behind Harbor and tugged on his hoodie, a small chuckle left the man as you managed to tug his jacket off him.

"You know you could've just asked?" He said, a sweet smile tracing his face as you settled back into his arms, his jacket now on your back. "What's the fun in that?" You ask, a teasing grin on your face.

Neglecting to respond he instead decided the best course of action to be pulling you all the way up into his lap, pressing kisses all over your neck and face. "stahhAAAAaapppp-" you giggled, not really wanting it to stop.

"But where's the fun in that?" He asked you playfully.

Chamber (kinda nsfw)

Reacts either one of two ways: "What's the practical point of this?" or horny

probably takes it as a challenge

relentless teasing

tbh he probably thinks that you got your clothes dirty or sum

You wanted to get back at your boyfriend for teasing you so much lately, it was like an ongoing war between the two of you and though neither of you would admit it--even to yourselves--you enjoyed it. Last night Vincent had left you well.. frustrated. So tonight was your night to get back at him.

In his favorite pair of your lingerie, one of his dress shirts and ties you waited in your shared bed. You didn't have to wait long either as you heard the door open and Vincent walk in.

To say you took his breath away would be the understatement of the century, "Mon amor...~" He purred, making his way over to you, climbing on the bed and pulling on the tie around your neck to bring you closer.

You could tell he was struggling to keep his composure, and you reveled in his frustration, "What is it Vince~? Use your words~" You purred back at him pushing him back onto the bed and stradling his lap.

You two had a pretty great night ;)

Fade

Thinks you're small and absolutely adorable

either that or "OH NO THEY'RE HOT"

this is one of those things you do that make her think "what did I do to deserve you?"

cuddles :)

You were rummaging around the locker room right outside the range and decided that you'd have better luck in your girlfriend's clothes. Opening Fade's locker you pulled out her jacket and entered the range with your ghost.

Fade was heading over to the range when she opened her locker and found that her jacket was missing, before should do anything about it she spotted you in the range out of the corner of her eye. You were completely focused on what you were doing and the her jacket on your back just made Fade feel all sorts of warm feelings inside.

God you looked almost ethereal like that, the way your hair swept across your face and you effortlessly handled the bots before you. Blush tinted her cheeks and she only realized she was staring when you caught her eye when your practice was over.

[sketchy-rosewitch]

Hello there!

I’m feeling chaotic neutral rn bc I just watched a lame gory movie, so could I possibly get some gory slut w Vincent Sinclair?

feel free to ignore this and/or just delete this if ya don’t feel like it, I’m just wondering what kind of messed up things u can think of based off of my messed up ideas.

oh, and w a Fem or GN reader too please!

Don’t feel rushed bc trust me I take a long time to do requests too, so take your time and don’t feel pressured!

have a good day!

Red is the color of Love (and Blood): Vincent x gn!afab!reader

A/N: you have a great night too, thanks for requesting! I loved writing this, I’m not used to writing blood and gore so this was new for me! Hope you like it!

Warnings: Blood, Dead Body, reader also kills, PinV, fingering, sex in blood, knives, screwdrivers, heavy descriptions of killing people, blood being used in a sexual way.

Vincent told you you weren’t allowed to help. But you wanted to. You told him you’d be okay, you even tried to get Bo and Lester to back you up on it. Bo stayed out of it which meant that Lester did too. Which meant you couldn’t help.

Except, who the hell were you to listen?

You sit on the ticket counter in the House of Wax waiting patiently for one or more people from the small group Lester spotted to come in. Vincent would be up not long after which is why you don’t mind there being a few people in the group.

Chatter is heard outside about 20 minutes into you just sitting in the A/C filled museum. Three girls and a man come in all talking loudly.

“They’re so gross. I mean seriously you can’t spend one minute without each other?” One of the women huffs. She has short blonde hair and brown eyes.

“Oh you’re just jealous Jake won’t look at you.”

She gasps and hits the man. “I’m not, I just know I could treat him better than that stupid whore Jess ever could!”

The room goes quiet as the second woman jabs both of them and points at you. You smile.

“Sorry, we didn’t think anyone worked here. How much to look around?” She asks, moving her black hair behind her ear.

“Oh the museum is a nonprofit. You can go ahead and look around. I’m just here to volunteer, ya know make sure no one touches anything they aren’t supposed to.” You explain, she nods and the trio start to look around. The blonde continues to bitch and moan about Jake and Jess. You hop off the counter and go behind it looking for the screw driver you stuck back there, humming to ‘Dancing Queen’ softly.

Vincent’s foot steps are heard coming from the basement stairs. You smirk and pocket the screw driver, watching from behind the counter as he heads towards the group of friends.

Shockingly your boyfriend didn’t see you, you shrug and lean against the wall waiting.

There’s talking. Then silence. Then multiple screams.

The bitchy blonde woman runs out of the kitchen and comes up to you scared. “Please, help! Help me. Fuck they just stabbed my friend. This man he just- fuck you have to help come on!” Tears spill from her eyes. Your adrenaline hikes up, pretending to care you nod your head quickly and she takes your hand.

You pull the screw driver out and yank her back causing her to fall to the floor. Standing over top of her you stomp into her skull causing blood to flow from her face. Some of it splashed onto your boot. You kick her nose up causing the bridge to go into her skull.

You smirk and notice the other girl in your peripheral trying to sneak away from you. Stepping over the other girl’s now dead body you run up to the black haired girl and grab the collar of her shirt. You take your screwdriver and stab it into her throat, wiggling it around. She gurgles and spits out blood onto your face. You wipe it away, causing it to smear.

You take the screw driver out and she attempts to push you off of her. You manage to push her fully into the waxy floor and stab her over and over again with the screwdriver.

You stop when she stops gurgling. Her body fully going limp. You pull the tool from her neck and get up.

Vincent watches you from the kitchen archway. You smile proudly. “I told you I could do it!”

Your adrenaline runs high and Vincent makes his way over to you. You realize how scary he looks in his mask when he’s coming towards you like that. You flinch as he grabs your face looking at it for any scratches.

“Baby I’m fine. Please.” You laugh, he glares and you quiet down frowning slightly. Vincent takes one hand and pulls his mask off. You look at his face and he leans in kissing you aggressively, his lips slowly starting to taste like iron because of the blood on your face. You groan into the kiss as he feels down your body. His lips kiss down your jaw and to your neck biting and sucking on it.

“Fuck baby. You like it huh? You like that I wanna kill people too?” You moan, he nods and starts to push you two towards the now blood covered floor.

Vincent pulls up your tank top and grabs your chest. He sucks on one of your nipples and smears the other in blood.

You roll your hips into him and pant. Taking some blood, you smear it on his face then pull him up from your breast to kiss him.

Vincent’s hands grab your pants and underwear. Yanking them down, the material stretches and makes tearing noises. Neither of you care.

You grab his bulge making his breath hitch, he almost loses stability and falls on top of you. A small grunt leaves your boyfriends lips and you unzip his jeans, pulling his cock out.

Vincent’s bloody hand jerks himself a few times and you watch as blood starts to cover his length. “Fuck.. please fuck me with all the blood on it. Shit baby, just- Ah!”

Your eyes roll to the back of your head as he thrusts into you without warning. His dick stretches your hole out so much it hurts. Something about you really likes it though.

He grabs your hips and starts to rut into you, letting out small puffs of air every time his cock stretches you out.

You let out loud squeals enjoying being covered in blood and the feeling of Vincent holding onto you so tightly. The two of you kiss, opening your mouths and your tongues intertwining. Your hair begins to soak in blood and your fingers run it through Vincent. His pace now slowing down for even a second. You feel as the knot in your stomach tightens, it keeps tightening and doesn’t stop.

One of his hands comes down and starts to circle your clit, making even more lewd wet noises. You roll your hips into him desperate for more. He gives it to you.

“Fuck Vince. Please oh I love you. I love you baby. Please.” You whine, your kiss causing drool to come from both your mouth and his. His hips slap into you making your back arch. “I’m gonna cum. Oh god. Fuck.”

His hips move faster and your hangs open unable to form words. Your eyes roll back and your orgasm ripples through your body. Your vision goes blurry as your legs shake you let out squeals, Vincent doesn’t let up. He fucks you through your orgasm, he finishes not long after you, bucking his hips over and over again. He falls onto you and a small ‘oof’ escapes your lips.

He takes a non bloody part of his sleeve and wipes your face before kissing you gently. You hum and play with his sticky hair.

“Can we go shower?” Your voice is hoarse, he looks up at you nodding quickly. His strong arms pick you up and carry you back to the house.

The bodies can wait until later.

[blametheeditor]

Voretober Day 25 | Fruit

Voretober Prompt List

First | Previous | Next

If given the opportunity, would you take the chance to go to space and travel the stars? What if the person offering to take you was someone you trusted more than anyone else?

What if that person is no longer entirely human?

MENTIONS OF SOFT VORE

Content Warnings: Soft, non-sexual vore (only mentions for now). Mentions of body horror. Mentions of experimenting on people. Mentions of death and murder, violence. Being trapped against one's will. Dehumanization. Abductions. Cursing. Darker themes/tone

___________________________________

Apparently it meant holding. Lots of holding, in different ways during different situations. Like snagging someone off the table by the back of their shirt, or plucking them off the ground, dangling them upside down by their leg. It got to a point where Scott thought they were just having fun rather than getting any sort of training done. 

But that wasn’t all, just a majority of it. There was also learning what not to do when someone’s sitting on a shoulder, how to walk around without making the ground tremble, learning what kind of simple actions can effect someone no taller than a finger. 

At that point, he started to see how this could be beneficial for a new giant to learn. Up until Mike started chasing Vincent across the floor as the purple man dodged every stomp and swipe as they both hurled insults at each other. 

Needless to say, it’s one of the many activities Scott declined to join, opting to simply watch from the table.

Good news, they’re both clearly enjoying themselves. Bad news, his heart is beating a mile a minute with it being quite obvious neither aren’t exactly being careful. Not with Vincent taking unnecessary risks by waiting until the last moment before avoiding the stomp of a shoe the size of a bus, and Mike not holding back in the slightest as it becomes clear his life’s mission to crush the minuscule figure. 

Honestly, it’s Scott’s fault for seeing this coming from a mile away. 

“Oh, too slow,” Vincent taunts as he narrowly manages to avoid a palm smashing against the ground. Proceeds to stand in place as the hand lifts up to try and snatch him up, casually stepping aside so the fingers graze him. “This is just getting sad, Mikey.” 

“What’s sad is that you’re still talking,” the teenager fires back as he makes a desperate grab with his other hand. It ends with the purple man jumping onto it before using the momentum as a springboard to sprint toward the table. 

“Better luck next time!” Vincent jeers. 

He doesn’t see what Scott does, not even bothering to look behind him. Meaning he misses Mike slowly sitting back on his haunches while keeping his stomach low to the floor. Looks just like a cat waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce. 

It’s only when Scott starts to ponder about being genuinely worried this game of chase will end with someone getting eaten, Mike lunges forward with a triumphant expression, a resounding clap echoing around the room as his hands slam together around Vincent. 

“Gotchya!” 

As Mike sits up, careful to keep his hands tightly clasped, Scott has a brief moment of fear that the giant accidentally hurt Vincent. But once the teenager is standing, he makes out a quiet, prideful yet annoyed voice that’s barely audible. 

It’s only when the fingers part does he catch the end of the tirade. “-decided to let you win.” 

“Oh, sure,” Mike grins as he slides the purple man onto the table. “You let me win after effortlessly dodging all my other attempts.” 

“Exactly,” Vincent smirks, his head tilted up with an air of superiority. “Can’t have you too disappointed you’ll never want to chase me again.” 

Scott snorts. “Uh huh.” 

Amber eyes narrow at him before they brighten at a sudden thought, a Cheshire grin slowly spreading across Vincent’s face. “Mind helping us with this next exercise, Scotty?” 

“I am not getting chased,” he snaps, because he knows that look. The one that says he wants to get back at Scott for not siding with him. As if Vincent hasn’t done the same thing more often than not, especially when trying to save face. 

“No more chasing,” his best, soon to be ex friend depending on how far this goes, friend promises. “I was thinking we could kill two birds with one stone.” 

Scott’s own eyes narrow. “How?” 

He knows better than to ask such a vague question. Knows to always specify to be told what the plan is, not give the opportunity for it to be interpreted that he can be shown. And yet the moment he tries to take it back, it’s too late and entirely his fault. 

Vincent grows before Scott can try and run, eliciting a yelp as he’s swept up, footsteps shaking him to the core as he attempts to figure out where exactly he’s being taken. And then only seconds later, he’s unceremoniously rolled onto a cold and only semi-familiar surface. 

When he looks up to properly glare at his best friend, he pales at the sight of a knife twice his size sitting a few feet away. Realizes he’s currently sitting on the kitchen counter. 

“Interacting with someone who’s shrunk and a fellow giant while knowing where everyone is as you perform tasks such as cooking,” Vincent smiles. “Are you up for it, Scotty?” 

Despite the challenging tone, Scott knows his answer will be respected, including a no. That if he really isn’t comfortable with watching to giants prepare food he can be added into because both can safely eat him, then they’ll find another task to do. He can even ask they take a break from giant training entirely, and they’ll be happy to agree. 

Including Mike, the kid looking more attentive than excited. 

“...I won’t be added to the sauce?” Scott asks, unable to hide his nerves. 

Because as much as he knows they would never hurt him, knows they won’t store him without his permission, won’t even tease him about looking like he’s something delicious to eat, the idea of being around food he can become a garnish for gives him an overwhelming feeling of dread. One he just can’t shake even after being stored a few times and seeing Mike asking to be eaten fairly frequently. 

“You won’t,” Vincent reassures him. “Though don’t be surprised if Mike is at some point.”

"That's the best part of having a giant cook," Mike grins.

Scott takes a deep breath before nodding his head. “You, uh, have giant ingredients?” 

The purple man flashes a smile. “Did you forget about all our preparations for when Mikey finally grew?” 

“In his defense, we don’t have any fresh ingredients,” Mike says as he walks out of sight, the sound of a door sliding open the only indication the teenager’s looking through the pantry. “How does fry bread sound?” 

“Did I grab posh nuts at some point?” Vincent asks as he begins to go through the cabinets, setting spices down a respectful distance away from the person who stands shorter than the thin rectangular containers. 

“You did!” 

By the time Mike appears again with his arms laden with items, Scott backed himself into a corner where it will be nearly impossible for him to get in the way, though the giant makes sure to check on where he is before carefully setting everything down. 

“Mind cutting the nuts for me?” Vincent asks as he passes a knife over to the kid. Once the offered handle is taken, he grabs what can only be described as a large egg that’s then set in a pot. 

It turns out to anything but an egg as Scott watches what little he can see slowly shrink once the heat is turned high enough. Any want to ask what exactly is the substance currently being used vanishes the moment Mike starts to use the knife. 

The teenager knows how to properly wield one, both in self defense and cooking. As he cuts thin slices of something that looks less like a nut and more like a small root, the blade barely touches the counter. But those minute motions still send vibrations, ones that are usually imperceivable. 

Scott can feel each one, though. Can’t help but watch the impossibly large utensil. 

It’s surreal sitting on a counter made for giants as they cook. He’s safe from accidentally being mistaken for a spice, or having a misplaced item threaten to crush him, but they don’t need to be careful with their movements. Aren’t making deliberately slow turns as to not disorient someone sitting in their hand or standing on their shoulder. 

He feels like an insect. An important and treasured insect, but one none the less. Who’s presence is wanted, though not useful. He just exists until someone wants to talk about something. 

What is there to talk about, though? Except how they’re currently on the way to the person who experimented on Vincent, who sent a bounty hunter after them, all so they can demand answers and information so Mike can perform an operation they can’t trust his father to do less he betray them. 

“Mind stripping the leaves, Scotty?” 

Scott breaks away from his thoughts, all but sputtering as one of said leaves brushes against him. Looks up to see Vincent holding out a long stem, clearly wanting him to take it. 

“Okay,” he murmurs as he grabs the end practically sitting in his lap already. The purple man smiles before turning back to the pot that Mike’s slowly putting in slices of the nuts he’s cut. 

Looking down at the shimmering black leaves, Scott carefully attempts to rip one the size of his forearm off the stem. Surprisingly, it comes off rather easily, as well as turn a dark blue color once it’s been removed. After glancing up to see if this what was wanted, he carefully strips the entire stem, left with a decent pile of leaves he assumes to be the alien equivalent of mint or oregano. 

The moment he’s finished, a hand is set palm up in front of him. “Would you like to toss them in?” 

Scott instinctively freezes at the thought of going near the boiling pot where he can easily fall in. But Vincent’s expression is earnest, like when he usually asks for help with cooking. 

He isn’t sly, Scott knows what his best friend is doing. Yet he stands up before scooping up the pile of leaves into his arms before walking onto the offered hand. Barely wobbles as it lifts into the air, tensing when he sees the steam rising from the pot as he gets closer to it. He isn’t held directly over what looks to be bubbling bread, held a safe distance away where he can throw in the leaves, but it’s impossible for him to fall into the cooking food. 

Scott tosses the ingredient in. Responds to Vincent’s grin with a smile of his own. Yelps when the hand turns against him as it turns over and he falls against fingers in an all too familiar move. One that usually ends with him inside a pocket. 

“Can you hold this for me, Mikey?” 

“Vince!” Scott shouts once he realizes what’s happening, yelling when the fingers part to drop him into cupped hands that wouldn’t dare try such a stunt with him. 

Vincent ignores him as he turns the stove off and searches the cabinets. Mike however winces. “Sorry, Scott.” 

“You don’t need to be sorry,” the significantly smaller growls. “A certain other giant does.” 

“You love me,” Vincent smirks as he scoops the food into a bowl so deep Scott wouldn’t be able to reach the edge no matter how high he tried to jump. Sets it down on the table before holding up a miniature one balancing on his finger tip. “Want to eat out here, or in the smaller common area?” 

Out here, where a giant will be eating as well.

The same one who's watching him closely, ready to carry him to the door the moment he ask. “I’ll eat here.” 

Mike beams as he carefully carries Scott to the table. Sets his hands down so the older can walk off himself. Waits until Vincent sits down and silently beckons the only person too small to use the table as intended closer to take the bowl meant for him. 

The moment he does, Vincent’s arms form a barrier between him and Mike eating spoonful's that he could easily sit inside, the purple man grabbing one of the tablets they grabbed from the bounty hunter’s ship. 

“Up for a little research while you eat?” the purple man asks. 

Scott’s shoulders slump in relief once he realizes he’s not only being distracted from the giant currently eating, but he’s being protected from any accidents. The promise he’s not ending up as dinner. Something he knew wouldn’t happen, and yet it was weighing on him more than he realized.

Not anymore, even as Mike leans in to join the research.

“I’d never say no to research,” Scott says as he sits cross legged, taking a bite of what seems like it’s trying to imitate pasta, but it’s closer to a twist of a bread bowl with soup. Tastes as amazing as ever. Though he’s unsure why they’re called nuts when it tastes almost fruity. “Read away.” 

Vincent hesitates. Looks straight down to give Scott a thoughtful look. “You know, I’d be happy to get you a translator if you asked for one.” 

“When would I ever need one? You and Mike can translate for me.” 

“No shame in admitting you just like us reading to you, Scotty.” 

Scott snorts. “As if. Now get to it, we won’t find the answers if you don’t start looking for them.” 

[holly-louisexox]

Ribcage X Andy Biersack- Part 16

Masterlist

"There's one thing you should know about me Delia Vincent, I don't date. Got no heart to break and emptiness is safe, keep it that way."

He was adamant in his choices...

...But then things changed.

As much as Delia would say that she had no interest in a relationship, she must admit that it is always nice to wake up in the arms of someone. The warmth she felt made her feel safe, made her feel needed, made her feel as if she belonged somewhere... wait what?

Turning over slightly she then realised the arms belonged to none other than Andy Biersack. As much as she wanted to hate him, she had to confess that he was extremely attractive. He looked so vulnerable and lovable when he was asleep, his mouth slightly open as he breathed, the tattoos that spread across his body beautifully decorating him, making him look like a work of art. Surely she was allowed to admire and take in this moment for a little bit, even if it meant nothing to either of them. Sadly, it did mean something to Delia, but she could not allow herself to confess that. The universe would also not allow that moment to happen as there was soon a knock at her door, which instantly woke Andy up and caused a swear of "shit" to fall from Delia's mouth as Andy's arms quickly pulled away from Delia's frame.

"One second." She shouts scrambling to find her clothes, this also results in Andy desperately trying to cover himself up as a reflex.

"Hey Delia, have you by any chance seen... Wait, is that one of Andy's shirts?" Lonny starts before the realisation hits him. He had come knocking to ask if Delia by any chance knew where Andy was as he was not in his room. Surely Andy and Delia hadn't, had they? They hated each other, or so he thought.

 "Erm..." Delia was frozen, what was she supposed to say? She then felt the presence of Andy standing behind her, a great way to make it more obvious. Bastard.

"Lonny, if you tell anyone about this, I swear to God." Andy spits slightly; he never meant to be mean to his friends and bandmates but he could never help it.

"Dude, chill, I won't." Lonny rushes putting his hands up in surrender. "So are you two secretly a thing or?" 

"Don't push it." Andy speaks in his harsh tone "It's simply a stupid mistake we made and it won't happen again." To say that statement did not hurt Delia would have been a lie, but she knew they couldn't keep doing this.

"Anyway, Lon, what is it you wanted?" Delia tries to break the awkward vibe that was filling the space; although this would never not be awkward. Lonny stood there now knowing the secret, she was wearing Andy's shirt and Andy was standing close behind her shirtless, his bottom half now fully dressed.

"Erm, well it's something that concerns both of you. You still haven't seen the message in the group chat?" Lonny asks timidly.

"What message?" Delia asks in return.

"Just an update about the show in Seattle that's happening in just under 3 weeks. That's all I've been told so far. We have a Zoom meeting with management in an hour. We're all getting together in Jake's room to use his computer" Lonny explains; he was still feeling awkward about this whole thing himself. How was he supposed to keep the secret of Delia and Andy?

"right, okay, we'll be there." Andy nods. "Remember Lonny, tell no one. Please."

"Of course, I won't." Lonny smiles slightly before walking back to his room allowing Delia to shut her hotel door.

"Well, that was awkward." Delia smiles feeling herself hold her breath slightly.

"Yeah." Andy sighs before looking at Delia "I should um, I should go." 

"Yeah, yeah. Um, do you want your shirt back?" Delia goes to peel off the shirt not caring that it would leave the top half of her body completely exposed, at this point Andy had already seen Delia's naked body twice, this was nothing to her.

"No, erm, keep it. It actually looks pretty good on you." Andy smirks slightly; so much for him wanting to end things between them and not have feelings for this girl.

"Oh, okay. Thanks." Delia could feel herself blushing, how embarrassing. Thankfully Andy had turned away at that point to grab his jacket to hide his bare chest. "Right well, see you in an hour I guess."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Andy nods not looking at her as he moves past her and out of her hotel door.

Yikes

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

"Thank you all for coming at such short notice." management smiles through the camera. "As you all are probably aware, there have been a few disappearances happening in Seattle recently, as a result of this we have been in talks about the show to ensure everyone's safety; yours and that of the fans."

"I'm guessing you're cancelling the show in Seattle?" Andy asks- he was always nice and completely civil with management, he had to be, it was these people who gave him his job.

"No, we've decided not to. However, the Seattle show will have much tighter security. The police have identified that the killer is only targeting females. Therefore Shevy and Delia you two especially must stay with the band and security at all times." Management proceeds to tell the plan in more detail until being cut up slightly.

"Wait, how do they know it's a killer?" Lonny asks; did management know something that the band did not?

"Earlier on the police announced that they were now treating this as a murder investigation after finding a body belonging to one of the victims washed up at the Seattle ferry landing pier." Upon hearing this news, the whole group froze in shock. "But remember the safety of you and the fans remains our top priority so if the situation escalates we will cancel the show, but for now we believe it remains safe with added security.

"Right, thanks, boss." Jake speaks up, although still just as in shock as the rest of the band.

"Are there any questions or concerns that you wish to share with us before we end this meeting?" management asks; although no one had any, no one even had it in them to form any words. "If anything comes to mind or if you need any support with this news please do not hesitate to drop us an email and we will get back to you as soon as possible." 

With that, the call came to an end leaving everyone shellshocked and not sure what to say. Instead, they looked at one another to try and get a mental check-in of everyone.

"Woah, D, are you okay? You've gone really pale." Jinxx asks realising the sudden unwellness that was spread across Delia's face.

"I- I don't, I can't-" Delia stutters as she feels her head spin, it was all too similar to what happened a few years ago and now she was set to be going to Seattle. 

"Shit Delia." Andy curses as he suddenly finds himself jolting to catch Delia as she falls; he would say it was almost like slow motion. One minute Delia was standing next to him, the next he could see her eyes rolling back and her body falling to the ground. "Delia, can you hear me?"

"Quick, you need to lay her on her back and raise her legs slightly to help her come to." Shevy panics as she helps Andy cradle her tour best friend and get her carefully on the floor. "D, we're here honey, you're okay."

"Should I call 911? How long until we should worry?" Lonny panics pulling his phone out in preparation; the whole group had become very attached to their newcomer. It's true what they say, a tour can bring you extremely close to someone, even in such a short amount of time.

"Why am I on the floor?" Delia asks groggily as she starts to take in her surroundings.

"Oh Delia, you're okay honey." Shevy smiles slightly stroking the girl's hair "How are you feeling?" 

"So it wasn't a bad dream? They found a body in Seattle again?" Delia continues to ask questions, none of which the group wanted to answer right now as their main concern was making sure Delia was okay.

"D, have you eaten this morning?" Jake questions; surely that was the only logical reason for her fainting.

"No, I didn't get a chance to." Delia replies whilst sneaking a look up to Andy, his eyes staring directly at her in concern. 

"Delia, I think we need to get some food into you. I haven't eaten yet either so come on, my treat. You think you can get up?" Andy asks reaching his hands out for her to take.

"Delia, you sure you're okay?" Lonny asks whilst giving the two a knowing look; he wasn't just asking her if she was okay to stand, he was also trying to ask if she was okay going for food with Adny. He could not work out exactly what was going on between the two of them, but after finding out they had slept together he was both curious and worried about his lead singer and sound tech girl.

"I'll be fine Lon." Delia smiles slightly before accepting Andy's hands and allowing him to pull her up off the floor.

"Come on, I'm sure you'll feel better after some food. Maybe some caffeine too." Andy states.

With that, she and Andy both left the room leaving the rest of the group watching them. Two of the group now knew that something was going on, and three were left completely in the dark to speculate would could have been happening.

[peckforlovingheck]

Creatures [Flicker AU]

Vinny leaned on the edge of the boat. The wind blows in his face as it nears the coast. He and his family were traveling to this island. It was big enough to have tourism but small enough so he didn’t know much about it.

The boat stops at the port. He steps onto the dock. “Vincent,” his mother calls. “Come help carry our things to the hotel.” He nods and brings his suitcase.

it was a beautiful place. The warm sun was beating down on him. Vinny walked into the hotel room, one booked just for him, and slammed onto the bed. It was so cold. He sighs happily.

Vinny noticed the balcony. He runs over and stares out at the beached area and the forest. It was glorious. Vinny spaced out for a minute when he suddenly saw eyes peek out from the brush. He flinched and it was gone.

Curiosity pricked him. He threw his shoes back on, his bear hat onto his head, and ran off. He passed his parents in the hall. Vinny murmured an excuse of heading to the boardwalk.

His parents gave him a charmed smile, the sign they didn’t care and wanted to pretend to be encouraging. Vinny hurried out to the forest.

On a rusty sign, it read ‘Gloria Forest’. Vinny shoved along, walking through the trails. He saw another blur rush by. Vinny that time managed to catch up.

“Who are you?” He yelled. The blue did not stop. He yelled and ran after, when he suddenly tripped on his shoelace and fell in a deep pit. His face landed in dirt and his body scraped on stone.

He must’ve been out for a few hours, since the sun was now almost to set. Vinny picked himself up. He realized he was in a different location than where he was originally. It was wooded still, but it was also a small cave. He laid next to a small fire.

Vinny looked down at himself. He didn’t have his shirt and there was a slight scar against his chest. It sad some sort of goo on it.

“..what is this??” He asked. “Aloe Vera.” A voice said. He turned to see someone sitting by him. The figure was slightly taller than him. Brown hair and a caramel skin tone. A shy expression. He made a noise that sounded like an eep and suddenly transformed into a flower.

“…what the fu-“ Vinny stared at it. He took a second to process it. The flower turned back into the person. “…The Aloe Vera is for your sunburn by the way. You got one since I let the healing ointments for the scratch dry.” He says.

“What are you?” Vinny asks, his hand stretching out to touch him to see if he’s real. He swats Vinny’s hand away. “..A nymph of sorts. Kind of rude of you to not ask my name first. I’m Mateo.” He says. “..oh. Sorry. And nice to meet you. I’m Vinny.” Vinny greets.

“…” Mateo’s eyes examined him. Vinny squirmed uncomfortably, then thought that maybe this was how Mateo felt at first. “..so.. are you the only nymph on this island?” Vinny asked.

“There’s a few.. and some fae.. and satyrs down the road.. and maybe a few merfolk and selfies—“ Mateo said then stopped. “But they disguise very well among the humans.”

“Oh..?” Vinny tilted his head. “Yeah. Come meet my friend.” Mateo said, grabbing his hand.

“..Jeez, your hands are soft.” Vinny said as the two stopped at the coast. It was by the side of a cliff. Rocks and sand were strewn. “…GET OVER HERE.” Mateo shouted. Two objects in the water dash by. Suddenly, someone peaks their head out of the water. “..I was looking for Annie. Why are you here..?” Mateo asked, distasteful expression and all.

“What a rude introduction.” The figure, a humanoid creature… until you look and see they have a tail. “..Annie’s helping Albert clean up the lake. I thought I’d tell you that. Anyway.. who’s your pretty friend?” They asked.

“..That’s Vinny. He’s a human.” Mateo said. The merfolk looking person said, “WHY THE HELL DID YOU CALL ME THEN-“ and dove back under.

“Miguel… come back..” Mateo said to the water. Miguel peaked from the surface. “He’s not going to tell anyone about our existence.” Mateo reassured. “I just wanted to introduce him to some of the other species. You’re not really the best representative for the merfolks.” He Said.

“..Oh.” Miguel frowned. Someone quickly jumped up from the water. “Ugh. Sabrina.. what did we say about surface breaking..?” Mateo complained, his clothes now mildly soaked.

Sabrina looked merfolkish. Less fishlike though. “…she’s like a mermaid but it’s not part fish, it’s part shark. I can’t remember what they’re called. Nobody can. She’s the only one here.” Mateo explained.

Sabrina also had a scar across her face. She smiled at them like a golden retriever. “…aww, first time in a while that we’ve met a human while being ourselves.” She said. “Remember the last one?-“

“We don’t talk about him.” Miguel said. “…I promise it won’t be like last time.” Mateo said, an expression of guilt falling on his face.

Vinny decided not to press. “Woah, what’s going on..?” Two humans walk over. At least, they seemed human. A bit strange that they had some animal fur looking jackets around their waist and-

“Annie!!” Mateo walked over to her. “I brought a human and he doesn’t wanna kill us!-“ Vinny looked confused.

“…Ah. That’s good. The name’s Annabel. Preferably Annie. That’s my friend Albert.” The red head girl said. “Vincent. I prefer Vinny.” Vinny responds.

Miguel kind of glared at the two. Albert flicked water in his face. Miguel took his jacket. “OH YOU FUCKING FISH BREATH-“ He shouts.

“MIGUEL, GIVE IT BACK. YOU KNOW SELKIES CANT TURN BACK WITHOUT THE PELT-“ Sabrina yelled, swimming after him.

Annie held her face with her hand, looking equally embarrassed as annoyed. Mateo frowned. “..This is.. actually really cool.” Vinny said. “..I’m glad you think so.” Annie says, smiling.

“VINCENT. TIME FOR DINNER.” Vinny heard his dad yell. “I’ll be back tomorrow.” He says. “We’ll be here.” Mateo said. Annie waved

[blutomindpretzel]

William Solaire having a ‘consort’ who’s an absolute menace of a human. Imagine this centuries old vampire falling in love with a human who has the worst self-care habits known to man but he’s head-over-heels regardless.

They work the blood-drives for the clan, which is oddly professional of them considering their cocky personality. They organize the donations, and schedule the deliveries- all that important shit. Since the Solaire Clan is their biggest client, they’re spending quite a lot of time over there working out the details with William.

….Just hear me out for a second

They dress super professionally every time they visit Wonderworld, using knock off scents from dollar stores, and thrifted loose-fitting button downs with tight dress pants. -Bonus points if they’ve got either a black or deep red corset over a button down. Clacking dress shoes shuffling down a narrow hallway to a break room for some water + Will watching them leave.

Their whole vibe is: dumbass who’s only a dumbass on the inside but is super professional and intimidating on the outside x an old ass vampire who’s the leader of the most important clan in Dahlia- but is also just as much of a dumbass.

I’m trying to think of a name for them: like how the listeners have specific and fitting petnames- I’m thinking of Chief/Dear (Dearie/dearest)

Chief is more sarcastic or followed by a salute of some sort from William, but Dear is more sincere and romantic.

Dear works for an important branch of the department, and used to partner with Ansel and Sweetheart before strengthening the blood-drive aspect of the donations that were lacking in organization at the time. The worked their way past Jett, branching off as manager for the company. They outwardly hate how Jett runs things, they absolutely aren’t afraid to speak out about that. They literally could care less about anyone else’s feelings on the matter, all they care about it getting their job done.

Dear will admit that working with William definitely takes the edge off of working in a position such as theirs. And seeing how calmly he handles his position as king begins their admiration of the old blood.

Then Dear got involved with Quinn-

THEYRE DARLINS UNEMPOWERED FRIEND WHO GOT ATTACKED BY QUINN‼️

That’s how Dears magic manifested (much like Lovely)- they’re a gravitational energetic. (Unless you wanna change shit around that’s totally chill I’m just having fun with this)

William is more than aware of their situation, but often avoids talking about it to keep professional despite his every inkling to do the opposite. He’s blunt, but respectful.

—————————————————————————————————

William and Dear going over paperwork for scheduling the next delivery when their fingers brush as they pass the pen back and forth

Mmmmmm Dear having a bunch of scars from Quinn’s attack and William brushing his thumb over the ones on their hands.

Sam thinks they’re the best thing to happen to the clan and isn’t afraid to give Dear credit where credit is due.

William and Dear staying after-hours together just drinking and joking about work. Dear sipping whiskey and talking shit about Jett, William drinking blood from a glass and gloating about Vincent. GETTING DRUNK AND MAKING OUT.

Dear apologizing through kisses and talking about how wrong this is but never stops. His hands on their waist, guiding them closer as he presses gentle, hungry kisses to their neck. (which leave lil red lip-prints because of the blood he just had) LIKE THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING ONE ANOTHER

Running into shit, knocking stuff over, unbuttoning shirts to feel each other’s skin. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” “I know” *kissing* “we’re business partners- Will.” “I know” *kissing harder*

HE LOSES HIS MIND EVERY TIME THEY CALL HIM WILL IT JUST HITS DIFFERENT WHEN ITS THEM

Ugh and avoiding each other afterwards, THE CHASE UGHHH THE TENSION MUAH THE FORBIDDENNESS CHEFS KISS MUAH MUAH- THE MUTUAL PINING

- Oh yeah the clan has seen how they act around one another and yes everyone knows and yes everyone is impatient. They have “just fuck already” energy and Fred isn’t afraid to say so.

- Lovely thinks it’s incredibly charming how gentle William is with Dear, and how intimidating the two look side-by-side. AND THEY LOOK LIKE ABSOLUTE FUCKING TYRANTS WHEN THEY DO.

Dear suffers from resting bitch face, William is intimidating and knows it so he sports a quiet lil smile while in public or around the clan.

William hosting a clan ball and inviting Dear and the entirety of their branch. WILLIAM AND DEAR DANCING TOGETHER- they waltz and it is truly the most captivating dance the clans ever seen like the whole fucking floor clears:

The intensity in their stare as they glide across the ballroom floor, how they never once look away from each other. William is smirking a little but Dear is just stone-faced. They’re so lost in Williams piercing silver gaze, and the feelings for the vampire king that they never wanted. In their head it feels so wrong, their body is begging them to get off the floor- but their heart is simply aflame as he holds them gently and stares into their eyes.

Dear is absolutely hypnotized by this man, that they just let him guide them wherever he wanted. The song could play for eternity, and their heart wouldn’t miss a single beat.

[meanya]

If you missed any or all of the Unus Annus livestream, here's a summary of every hour:

~11 hours out: The channel name could've been Annus Singulos (they decided on Unus Annus at a Buffalo Wildwing)

They always planned on it ending on Friday the 13th NOT the 15th (@ MatPat)

The dude who interrupted the sex toys video was not a mailman, he was just some guy. He did not comment on the sex toy stuff.

~10 hours out: They look at memes. Mark "hook car batteries up to my nipples and I'll say yes every time" Fischbach is NOT a masochist, he just wants to know what it feels like to be hit by a car

Frank!!! Frank!!!!!!!

Ethan is going to marry the microphone clip on his shirt

Dollar Shave Club never got back to them about a sponsorship

The workers including the actress in the escape room actually enjoyed having Mark and Ethan doing their shtick there

~9 hours out: Vincent the editor made a best of his edits throughout the videos, it was beautiful, it was mostly just clips of dying

He also wrote them a WHOLE DAMN ORIGINAL SONG!!! IN A WEEK!! About stopping the clock!!! He rapped!

Marcus the editor did a funny edits-roll as well, it was brilliant

~8 hours out: Rachel shows her edits roll! Some of the funniest clips in the whole series!

A comment they read: Mark can do any of his edgy project ideas now and that's terrifying.

Mark: Just wait til you see my next project.

Their merch manager had to buy a 4th warehouse to produce all the merch that had been ordered

If anyone sees Unus Annus pictures or any reminiscence of it in the future and are asked where it's from we are supposed to respond with "You wouldn't get it 🙄"

~7 hours out: they complain more about enema water gun

They re-watch the Pepper spray video. Mark talked about how he thinks about the pain whenever he sees videos of riotors/protestors getting sprayed. Everyone in chat chanted “BLM” and “ACAB” for a few minutes.

Lixian the editor had his edit reel played (”They make em (the people) pretty in Portugal”)

Mark was salty at Youtube because they claimed they didn’t make billboards for YouTube shows and hence, wouldn’t make a billboard for A Heist With Markiplier, but then later made one for James Charles’ show

Mark presented Amy with a BRAND NEW BUG WATCH 😭

Amy: No nothing on their (Youtube’s) Twitter, they’re not talking about it (Unus Annus)

Mark: Guess it’s not important enough...

Amy: They’re too busy tweeting about “World Kindness Day”

Mark: Oh yeah Friday the 13th 2020 wOrLd KiNdNeSs DaY

~6 hours out: Ethan compares the channel dying to putting down a dog. Things get serious for a beat, people in chat start crying.

They look at fanart for a while, Mark criticizes it like an asshole

They watch Pink Trombone again.

Mark and Ethan guarantee that after the channel is gone they will not forget about it. Mark also permits people to make creations / art after Unus Annus is deleted.

~5 hours out: They re-watch Pee Sauna, dying inside all the way.

DJ Burt Blackarach surprises them with a cake and champagne.

Chat is flooded with “❤🧡💛💚💙💜” messages for a while

Looking at memes again, Mark confirms that the noises that the radio made in SCP Amy were 100% just the radios, not them, making the sounds. They still don’t know why they made those sounds.

Mark and Ethan beg for 1mil like in order to see what’s actually in the Unus Annus casket. They might even lay down in it.

~4 hours out: We find out that in the Children’s Games in Total Darkness video, the weird shot of them both in a trance staring into the phone screen was actually just them trying to adjust their eyes back to normal light and it wound up looking super cool.

Vincent’s highlight reel is played again while everyone takes a break, supposedly there is a “surprise” to be revealed soon.

A tattoo artist named Danielle comes on the set, Ethan says he’s going to get an Unus Annus tattoo live.

~3 hours out: More fanart. Mark admits that after this ends, he’s probably never going to wear his suit ever again, he might bury it. (There’s not much room left in his backyard)

Mark talks Danielle the tattoo artist’s ear off about how wholesome and educational and not cursed the channel was.

Mark and Ethan then do a full 180 and confess to Danielle all their sins; cooking with sex toys, pee sauna, pee life straws, the pee soda idea, drilldo, etc.

Amy: (while Eef’s getting tattooed) “Mark, he’s choosing to spend his last day in pain. And you’re not!”

Mark: (looking at a picture of a tattoo) How long do you think that tattoo would take?

Danielle: Probably 3 hours.

Mark: 3 HOURS?!?! That’s more time than we have to live!!

Alex, Mark’s trainer, made them a euology video. It was like a LORE-filled poem made of secret callbacks to the titles of past videos.

Ethan’s tattoo is done, it is a “ 00:00:00 “ on his left arm.

Stevie who runs the merch shop makes a guest appearance. He self descirbes as “tired and sad and a little tipsy.” He seems both grateful and dead inside. He says he’s going to do a matching tattoo with Ethan.

Mark admits he was planning on not doing merch originally, but he’s glad he changed his mind.

~2 hours out: They talk about behind the scenes of Hee hoo. The reason Mark’s still wearing high socks during this video is because of all the burs so he doesn’t scrape up his legs. Amy wrote the whole end credits story about Ethan meeting Michelle Obama and dying a tyrant.

Mark never got to watch Ethan kidnaps Mark, so they watch it.

They watch The Truth about Unus Annus, Amy surprises Mark with a white tophat. #Mark’sNewHat (it’s an extra large)

Mark and Eef make their last tweets as Unus and Annus

Mark got cool Unus Annus custom pocket watches for Ethan and Amy

~1 hour out: Things get serious. Mark and Ethan private the Unus Annus Instagram (so that no one else can take the Unus Annus handle) and delete all the posts.

Mark proposes that Amy be the one to hit the delete button at the end of the channel. They agree to do it together.

They hit 1 million likes. They open the coffin. There’s nothing in the coffin, but the inside is very pretty, split-colors silk. They take turns laying in it for the first time with the door shut. It’s comfy. Even Amy tries laying in it.

Mark says a short eulogy for Eef as Eef does for Mark. They both say a eulogy for Amy. They all get choked up. The coffin is now called the Cry Box.

They delete the Unus Annus Twitter. They set the Subreddit to private. Apparently there were no mods on that subreddit except Mark.

Mark finally confessed to Amy that he punched a hole in the wall. Amy was there when it was being patched up, but she forgives him anyway.

They play The Barrel and sing along. They thank their team. They thank the audience.

Amy comes down. They all put their hands on the computer. “Unus Annus."

Mark: "See you on the other side."

Ethan: "See you on the other side."

they click delete. The channel is gone forever. Memento mori.

[theyreonlynoodlesmike]

Melting Wax, Crawling Vines: Part 2 (Vincent Sinclair x Fem!Reader)

<- Previous Chapter Next Chapter ->

Warnings: panic attacks, fainting spells, implied past domestic abuse, implied intent to kidnap

Word Count: 2372

Vincent will make an appearance soon I swear

You figured you were slowing Lester down more than actually helping him, but he was a surprisingly patient and willing teacher. When the hubs were changed and you hopped back in the car, you were able to make it over the water with little to no problem. He drove you into the town, and stopped in front of an auto body shop. You watched as he got out, and quickly went to your side to let you out of the truck. You thanked him, before looking around the town of Ambrose. It was small, like you figured your new town would be. The only tourist trap it seemed to have was the House of Wax, but you didn't have time to look at it before Lester said,

"C'mon, Bo's probably inside." And nodded towards the auto body shop. You followed him, being able to hear music from outside the shop and passing some old fashioned gas pumps. Lester walked right in, yelling,

"Bo! You got a customer!" And you heard the sound of tools being set down before a tall man in his mid thirties stepped into the lobby of the shop. He had short dark hair, a blue cap, and a plain button down shirt and pants. He was wiping his hands clean of any grease, and he tossed you a smile right after he turned down the radio. Lester was quick to introduce you for you. He gave Bo your name, and the tall brunette held out one of his hands.

"I'm Bo. I'm the owner." He said, and you tried not to flush from the way he looked you over. You replied a small,

"Pleased to meet you." And you retracted your hand. You bit your lip, and Lester was quick to talk for you. You were grateful, as, for some reason, you felt slightly intimidated by the man in front of you. He seemed nice, charming, but a little sharp around the edges. But, hell, you brushed it off as plain paranoia.

"This young lady right here was having some car trouble up on the back road. I told her you'd be able to give her a tow." He said, and Bo nodded. 

"Yeah, we can manage that just fine." He said, and it seemed as thought this day was finally turning around for you. You'd have your car fixed and you'd be in your new town before nightfall. Well, you hoped. You added,

"Yeah, um, I couldn't figure it out myself, so Lester here was a real lifesaver to bring me to a, uh, professional." You said, and you watched the way the tallest of the two men smiled at you. He headed behind the counter, talking as the pair of you followed him. 

"Well, imagine that. Lester picked something up prettier than what he usually scrapes off the interstate. Should head by the back roads more often." He said, talking directly to the man besides you and cracking a small quip. You looked away and smiled to yourself. The man was handsome, and a flirt. If it wasn't for the situation, you were sure you would've walked away from someone so brazen. "Now, you headed anywhere important? Any time constraints?" He asked, throwing the rag over his shoulder. You were biting your thumb, and you pulled it out from between your teeth to say,

"I'm headed to a town about an hour out. Moving. Great day to get stuck." You said sarcastically, and both of them smiled at the joke. Bo shuffled some papers, looking down as he said,

"Yeah, it always happens like that, huh." He said, and you supposed he would know. You guessed that this was the part where you talked prices, but, after taking a quick glance at the clock, you realized just how much time had passed. Your stuff would be arriving, if it hadn't already, and you were still over an hour away. So, you said,

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be impolite, but could I use your phone? I have a moving truck that I'm supposed to meet." You were sure that if you didn't call, you'd worry the hell out of the people driving. You wanted them to know that you were safe, and maybe they could unload some of your stuff for you. You doubted they'd be so inclined, as you knew the men driving it. Bo gave you an easy smile, before agreeing with a,

"Sure." He handed you a cordless phone, and you quickly thanked him as you slung your backpack down to find the phone number to your new apartment complex. You pulled out a little planner you carried, found the number, and dialed it in. You stepped away from the two men as you waited for the person at the desk to pick up.

"This is Shandor Apartments. How can I help you?" An unfamiliar voice rang through, and you quickly said,

"Hi, this is," You gave them your full name and apartment number. "I was supposed to move in today, but I ran into some car trouble. I'll be up as soon as it's fixed, maybe in about," You paused to look over at Bo, and he held up three fingers. It was only a slight sight, but, for a moment, you saw what looked like scars on his wrist. You didn't stare, and instead took a step as you continued, "Three hours. I was wondering if you could tell me if the moving van has come yet." You said, and you waited for her reply.

"Yeah, it got here about fifteen minutes ago. You want me to tell those boys to wait with it?" And you grimaced at the thought of asking them to wait for three hours. You reluctantly said,

"No, no. Tell them they can head on back, and to just leave the keys to the unit with you please." Your 'moving van' was really just a small trailer attached to the back of a truck. You hadn't had much to take, and most of what you did had been left behind because of the memories surrounding them. Still, that didn't mean you were thrilled with the idea of moving everything by yourself. 

"Will that be all?" She asked, and you tried not to be offended by the indifference in her tone. You told her a quick,

"Yeah, that's it." And she continued with,

"Well, alright, miss. I'll tell 'em." And you half expected her to hang up. She surprised you by continuing with, "By the way, your boyfriend called and left a message." And you felt a shock go down the back of your spine. You tongue suddenly felt heavy and numb inside your mouth, and you stopped the small amount of pacing you'd been doing. You stared out the window of the auto body shop, blinking.

"What?" You asked. You hadn't meant to be so curt, but the woman didn't seem to mind. She kept going with,

"Your boyfriend, dear. He left a message and said," You listened to her pause, almost hearing the shuffle of papers. You didn't know if the room was spinning or if that was just you as she said, "He asked if you'd got in alright, and said he'll see you soon. He was such a sweet boy too. Very polite." And you almost couldn't make your mouth move. Horror had filled your veins, nearly suffocating you and tightly squeezing around your heart. Lester and Bo had been chatting behind you, whispering for what you assumed was the sake of your phone conversation, but they stopped when you leaned against the glass with a thud. Immediately your brain raced, trying to find any excuse to explain. It couldn't be. You'd been quick, sneaky. You'd even traveled separately from your friends, left at different times. You tried to force your mouth to work, but no sound came out. She continued with, "Oh, this part was a little strange. He said something about a bat? You left it at your sister's house and-" She hadn't stopped talking, but you'd stopped listening. In that moment, any stream of doubt left your head. You couldn't believe it, but, now, you had to. It was him. He had found you. He knew where you were going, and he would be there soon. He even knew what apartment complex you'd be in, and you didn't doubt the desk lady would tell him whatever he asked. He was always charming like that, able to talk into getting whatever he wanted. You'd seen him do it a thousand times, and you knew it wouldn't be any use to tell her anything. To tell your friends anything. It was too late. When you finally managed to force out a noise, your voice was thick and wet, like the tears you were trying to suppress.

"Thank you, ma'am. Have a nice day." And you clicked the end call button before the phone slipped out of your hand. You realized you weren't breathing, but it was like your lungs were frozen. You couldn't bring yourself to take in a breath. The night, that horrible night, was too busy replaying in your head. You heard the phantom crash of a window breaking, felt your heartbeat in your ears as you hid, saw the image of a crumpled body at the bottom of the stairs. You could practically feel his grip on your arms. Your knees had been just as weak then as they were right now, except there was no one to hold you up. No one to say those horrible words in your face, the ones that had given you nightmares ever since it'd happened. You think you can leave me? You think what she got was bad? When I'm done with you, you'll wish it was you at the bottom of the stairs. Those last five words replayed over and over in your head like a mantra. The bottom of the stairs, the bottom of the stairs, the bottom of the stairs. Your mind said. You couldn't hear Bo's question. Him asking if you were alright. Instead, your mind was asking you it's very own question. Who's the girl at the bottom of the stairs?

You fell to the ground, just like the phone besides you, and the world went black.

***

"What the hell." Bo said, standing over your body with hands on his hips. He picked up the phone, checking it for any damage before he looked to Lester. "What did you do? You give her something?" He asked, and Lester was quick to say,

"Me? No!" He'd placed his hands on his chest, as if he'd been offended. As far as Lester was concerned, Bo and Vincent were the weird ones of the family. He didn't judge, but he definitely didn't partake. Sure, he pointed people in the right, technically wrong, direction and dumped any bodies that Vincent didn't use, but anyone that wandered in with him was usually let go. As long as they didn't poke their noses where they shouldn't or see anything they shouldn't. "I was just tellin' you that I thought we should keep her! Y'know, so she can teach Vincent. I wouldn't give her nothing. She just," He paused, giving your foot a light nudge with his boot. "Fell." You stirred, but you didn't wake, and Bo was quick to push at his chest.

"Don't do that." He snapped, before he was fixing his hat with a sigh. At least they knew you hadn't just randomly kicked it. But, they couldn't just leave you in the shop and go tell Vincent about their plan. "Shit." He said, before he pushed the phone into Lesters hands. He leaned down. He picked you up, gathering you up and throwing you over his shoulder. "Let's get her back to the house." He said with a grunt, and Lester pushed open the door so he could walk through.

***

When you woke up, you blinked to try to clear your vision. You didn't know where you were, and you nearly launched yourself up before a hand caught your shoulder. It pushed you back down almost a little too easily, and you looked up to see Bo taking a seat on the corner of what you realized was a couch. You looked up at him, and then at the source of a low whistle.

"You took quite a tumble there, miss." The man said, and it took a moment for you to connect that it was Lester. You looked around, quickly taking in the sights of what looked like a living room. You guessed it must've been one of theirs, and you were leaning towards Bo at the sight of a pool-table. He seemed the type , you thought. You reached up to touch your head, which swam when you tried to lift it again. Finally, you fell back against the armrest in a defeated heap.

"Where- Where am I?" You asked, and Bo chuckled before he said,

"My house. You fainted back at the shop." He explained, and you tried to think back. Before your thoughts could head anywhere, you asked,

"What happened?" And Bo chuckled. You looked up, watching as he leaned forward and said,

"Well, we were hoping you could explain that one, darlin'." He said, his voice smooth and sweet like honey. You were too dazed to really notice how he was laying the charm on extra thick, and the moment you did think about it everything came rushing back. The fear, the horror, the confusion. You must've made a face because Lester added,

"And don't say heatstroke. I've seen heatstroke, and I ain't never seen someone look like how you did." And you bit your lip. You thought for a moment, wondering if you should lie. If you could lie. You weren't sure you wanted to get into it, but how else else could you explain your fainting spell? More importantly, how would you explain the worst night of your life? A night that only happened only a few short weeks before? Especially to two strangers. You looked between their imploring eyes, and let out a long sigh.

"Can I have a glass of water first, please?"

[chidoroki]

TPN - “Dreams Come True”

What better way to cheer up the TPN fandom after the second season’s final episode than with the special exhibition chapter finally being fully translated. I caught glimpses of a few pages here and there over the past couple months but seeing all the children live happily together in the human world in their own little village that they made close to Emma and Alex warms my heart. Of course I would’ve loved if we got to see more of the GP Resistance (because the anime denied us of them) but following the GF kids around the world as they experience their dreams is fair enough. We started the series alongside them so might as well finish strong with them too. I really loved seeing everyone grow up but no matter how old they get or how much time passes, I’ll probably never get used to seeing Emma without her iconic “63194.” It’s a bittersweet feeling for me, but her smiles bring me so much joy and I’m beyond happy that she accepted everyone into her life as they accepted her without her memories.

I haven’t a clue on how much time passed since everyone found Emma in ch181 to now, but seeing her call out everyone’s names is a little detail that I love so much considering she had no idea who anyone was at first. Trying to remember 60+ names doesn’t seem like an easy task to me. No doubt I was just as shocked as our girl upon learning these mere children bought a goddamn plane! We learn in a couple pages that it’s because of Norman’s company that they can afford it, but still, he’s like 15 or 16 now? He’s still a child! And I’m impressed! Not only at him, but that Oliver and Violet became pilots as well! It’s especially cute when you remember that Lucas gave Oliver a little toy plane during their time at Goldy Pond.

Speaking of GP, is it just me or does Emma’s current outfit resemble her GP one just a little bit? Sure we have no idea what color scheme this one has but come on, the short jacket, the dark shirt and jeans.. just imagine it! Jemima, Yvette, Alicia and Mark remade Gillian’s original GP outfit sometime before the Grace Field Raid arc (ch137 extra page) so I don’t doubt they could’ve done the same for Emma. Of course that’s just me being completely hopeful and missing the Goldy Pond arc to death but yeah! I’m also so happy to see Chris up and moving again! Seeing him wake up briefly in ch181 was nice but this is so much better. I imagine he and Emma have a lot to catch up on in terms of stories, with him being unconscious since ch105 and Emma not remembering anything.

But here we go, the original 15 escapees plus Norman, Phil, Sherry, I believe I saw Carol somewhere and a couple other random kiddos ready to see the entire world. They get to accomplish so much.. and in a single day too I believe? At least that’s what Phil and Alicia say a bit later about everyone’s wishes, but aahh what a lucky bunch. Hell, I’ll say we’re lucky readers too to be able to see such a great story. Can’t thank Shirai and Demizu enough y’all. I wish we got to see more of Alex though. He’s such a kind soul but I’m sure he’ll be just fine staying behind with everyone else.

This entire page where we learn about Norman as a CEO is gold. I still can’t believe this child successfully built up an entire multipurpose company not only to help their search for Emma but also because he didn’t want to live off the Ratri clan. I wish I knew about this last week when writing out Norman’s birthday post because hell yeah this deserves some praise! AND he managed to graduate school as well during all that! Well, by skipping grades which totally makes sense. I mean, if he managed to pass all the Grace Field and Lambda tests effortlessly I’m sure normal human world school was a piece of cake for him. Holy shit dude, keep on impressing me why don’t ya. Not only him but Nigel and Sonya too! I’m not surprised that Vincent helped out but I’m glad those two got a tiny moment to shine as well! Ray is another obvious choice when it comes to helping Norman, as they’re best friends and he’s always been good with machines.. but boy, I can’t take you seriously when you’re just sitting there unamused and eating chips! Hahah I love him so much! And the fact he replies to Norman’s idea with just a simple “kay” is an eternal mood.

Okay boys aside, can we talk about our fabulous girls now? Because oh my god, they’re so darn beautiful! They’re more fashionable than I’ll ever be and it’s so cute how they drag Emma along to take advantage of the 3-for-1 deal. But our girl pulls off that sporty look so well! (r.i.p. goldy pond outfit ver2.0). I’m not at all surprised that Nat wanted to go see the opera. That's perfect for him and I’d like to think the anime did something similar with that one shot we see of him in the human world. We don’t see him in a theater like this but to me it looks like he’s on the streets of Broadway? At least that’s the vibe I get from it. I’m sure there was something music related on one of those signs.

I can’t get over how adorable all the children look and how happy they are fulfilling their wishes, even if some of them aren’t as extravagant as others. Like eating a fluffy pancake and a ton of ice cream? We can do that whenever we want. But for these kids, it means everything and they absolutely deserve to experience such simple joys like that after all the harsh nonsense they’ve been through. I also love how Ray continues to be such a great older brother by still looking out for them too. The fact he remains completely unfazed by the haunted house is perfect. This boy has been haunted by his own nightmares and demons his entire life, there’s no way a couple of lousy jump scares are gonna spook him. Though I do find it funny that Alicia and Rossi still manage to get scared while Yvette is having the time of her life. I can’t help but laugh at Thoma’s “Shirai face” as well.

I find it interesting that out of all the different kinds of exhibits they could’ve shown us while Rossi visits a museum, they give us dinosaurs.. like that seems so silly to me. Y’all have seen several demons in your young lives already and yet dinosaurs manage to amaze you too? God these kids are precious. And then our boy Phil finally gets to see and ride a train! Just look how happy he is! The poor kid can’t even sit still he’s so darn excited and I can’t help but smile with him! Thankfully the anime showed us this too.

We eventually get to Ray’s wish and guys.. oh my fucking god. Tell me that this is not the absolute best and prettiest smile we get to see from him!! It honestly leaves me speechless okay? Ray never imagined he would ever get to see the outside world, let alone live past the age of 12, and yet here he is, seeing such a beautiful sight such as this, right in front of him instead of from inside a book. You can’t believe how happy and proud of him I am right now. Did you see how ecstatic I was when the anime kept Isabella alive? Multiply that feeling by ten and there ya go. That’s my level of happiness upon seeing my favorite boy smile like THAT! AAHHH!! That panel is gonna live rent free in my head until the end of time. I can’t get over how damn perfect it is. His smile is so pure and how he looks like he’s in complete awe is beautiful. He’s about to burst into tears and I swear I might do the same because I’m making myself emotional over this fantastic boy. Someone hold me.

No seriously, hold me because we’re about to get into some angst as we move onto to Emma’s wish. We all know that ever since 2039 her one dream was to ride a giraffe once they got outside, so here we are, about ten years later and the animals in question are within reach. Our girl should be totally excited, right? Ha, not quite.

That wish was something the old Emma wanted, but since demon god had to be such a bastard, this Emma doesn’t know what to think, let alone what to even feel. She hasn’t experienced the same hardships as her family. She hasn’t gone through hell and back while holding onto that one wish that would make all the suffering worth it. The amount of joy everyone else felt upon living out their dreams, she wonders if she would be able to feel it too.

They brought her here to make her happy, but is this truly want she wants as well? This is old Emma’s wish after all. What about her and what she wants? Could this wish make her just as happy as her old self? She knows her family is only trying to help, but seeing her doubt herself does a number on my heart. Even without her memories, she’s still the same Emma deep down, as she doesn’t want to disappoint her family. She spends so much time worrying about living up to her family’s expectations, to try and be that Emma they all love so dearly.

Little does she know that she acts the exact same as usual, almost as if nothing has changed when she finally expresses how much she wants to ride a giraffe. And that’s great considering when they first arrived at the giraffes, no on had even mentioned riding them. She came across that feeling all on her own and everyone else can’t help but laugh and feel relieved. Her mind may have forgotten but her heart remembers everything. There is no “old Emma” and “new Emma” to her family, just “Emma” and words can’t express how wholesome that is because they love her regardless. All that matters to them is Emma’s happiness because if anyone deserves to feel and experience that, it’s her.

I just made myself tear up, damn it. I started this series with season one okay? I heard about this precious girl’s dream within the first minute of the first episode and here I am, a little bit over two years later, finally reading about it coming true and seeing that bright as hell smile on her face. Do you know how amazing it is to come full circle like that? My heart feels so full right now. I’m beyond proud of her and love her to death. Say what you want but I believe this to be the true manga ending in my eyes.

(damn this series for always getting me emotional)

[thiswasinevitableid]

for the meet uglies, sternclay 60 sfw? OwO

Here you go!

60 Sterncly SFW. we’re both on a reality show (like the queer bachelor) where we’re told to be friends but the first time we met, you were incredibly rude and judgmental and I don’t know if I can do this for the damn cameras

“So, Barclay, now that we’re a few days in, what’s your impression of the other contestants?”

“They, uh, they all seem like great guys. We come from a lot of different backgrounds, so that’s kind of interesting to be around but, uh, I live in a place that’s like a big, chosen family, so being in a house with a bunch of types of personalities is kinda, uh, homey.”

“There’s no one you think you’ll struggle with?”

“Uh. Well. I, uh, I don’t like Joseph too much. He came in and he’s so, like, phony from all the years in the FBI. It’s like he’s trying to be polite and charming but really he thinks we’re all idiots for being here. Which, like, buddy, last I checked you signed up for this the same as the rest of us.”

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

“Joseph, any worries about the other contestants?”

“No. I mean, we’re competitors on a dating show, not enemies. I think we’re all trying to show Vincent the best versions of ourselves.”

“There’s no one you’ve had conflicts with?”

“........I, um, Barclay and I got into a small argument earlier about the house rules. But I’m sure if we both stick around long enough we’ll come to an understanding.”

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

“Gentlemen, this cannot continue.” Ned, the producer, sits on the couch across from them. Barclay glares at Joseph, but the other man keeps a cool demeanor. Great, he’s making Barclay look like the big, angry mountain even off camera.

“I thought reality shows needed conflict to thrive.” Joseph cocks an eyebrow.

“They do, but about big things, like love and rivalry. Not how to properly load a dishwasher.”

“I’m just trying to be efficient.”

“My way is perfectly fine.” Barclay snaps, “jesus, I worked in kitchens for years, I know how to get clean plates.”

“That doesn’t make it optimal.”

“Do you have to be right about everything?”

“Gentlemen, you recall we have a housekeeping staff, right?”

“It doesn’t matter” Barclay doesn’t take his eyes off Ned, “we’re supposed to all get along, not all try and prove we’re the smartest guy in the room.”

“See, this is your problem, you need everyone to like you, to see you like a big brother, but you’re missing the fact that at least three of them have decided your gentle giant persona is a threat and they’re trying to oust you.”

“It’s not a persona, it’s just how I am. We aren’t all government shams disguised as men.”

Joseph’s facade cracks for a moment, blue eyes trying to light Barclay on fire.

“Enough.” Ned shakes his head, “you may despise each other as much as you please behind the scenes. In front of the cameras, please try to act as if you’re not ten seconds away from coming to blows. Agreed?”

They trade a final, furious look.

“Agreed.”

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

They’re a little over three weeks in; Vincent is still doing lots and lots of short, individual dates between the group outings, so the contestants have ample time to hang around the house and get on each others nerves.

Case in point: Joseph was right when he warned Barclay that others saw him as a threat. Chad, Alex, Nico, and Rich have all decided to go after him. Just this morning he’s been told he’s not man enough for Vincent (he shooed a wolf spider out of the kitchen with a broom instead of squishing it), too girly (he offered to make cupcakes if people wanted), and too big (who'd want to fuck a six foot tall puppy).

His mood is not helped by Joseph chatting away on the couch about his former job with the FBI. Barclay swears it’s all the asshole knows how to talk about. Maybe it’s time for Barclay to play a game of his own.

“Hey, Joseph.”

The other man turns, black hair perfectly slicked back like he thinks he’s some kind of movie star.

“I bet you ten bucks you can’t make it until eight tonight without talking about your job.”

The other contestants in the room snicker, several even giving Barclay a thumbs up.

Joseph adjusts his shirt sleeves, “You’re on.”

Ten hours later, Barclay is forced to get his wallet. The other man never mentioned the FBI once. In fact, he did Barclay an even bigger favor; he didn’t talk at all.

He finds the agent sitting on the back steps leading into the garden. Stays standing as he holds out the cash, “you win fair and square.”

Joseph looks at the money, then looks away, “I did it to show I could, not for the bet.”

“I mean, you didn’t have to go, uh, quite so hard on the silence thing.”

“I didn’t mean to. But, um, every time I was going to open my mouth, I realized it was somehow related to work. So I kept quiet.” He sighs, stretches out his legs. He’s in slacks, because of course he is, “I must have been so tedious to listen to, no wonder I was driving you up the wall.”

“Joseph-”

“I really am married to my career. I guess it’s not surprising my last chance for love is on a T.V show.”

“Hey, I get it.” Barclay sits down next to him, “when I was first working in commercial kitchens my hours were crazy; I barely saw my apartment, my friends, my boyfriend who pretty quickly became my ex. But it was what I needed to do to build the career I wanted for myself. To do what I loved.”

Only the crickets and the distant waves reply. Then, “You said you were a private chef now, right? Along with writing cookbooks?”

“Yeah. Kinda surprised you remembered.”

“Listening is a major skill in my profession. Besides, it’s polite to pay attention to what people tell you.”

“What’s your job now? You only ever talk about the FBI stuff?”

“Paranormal investigation. I never bring it up because people assume I’m out chasing Bigfoot with a shaky-cam or trying to communicate with haunted dolls.”

“So...what is it instead?”

“Helping people figure out they’re homes aren’t haunted or the monster on their property is just some owls. I like the challenge of solving the mystery, and I like helping people feel safe in they’re homes.”

Loud voices form inside; the caterers must have refilled the bar. He doesn’t really want to go in. It’s too nice out here.

“You wanna hear about the restaurant my coworkers swore was haunted?”

Joseph perks up, turning to face him, “Yes, please.”

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

He’d been really looking forward to beach day. Six guys are already gone, and Vincent has taken his fleet of suitors to the sunny San Diego shores. Barclay is dismayed to find all but three of the other guys have waxed their chests. Joseph hasn’t, but his happy trail is nothing compared to fucking black forest on Barclays torso. Nico’s gotten half the guys to call Barclay “bigfoot.”It makes him feel like he’s back in high school P.E freshman year, and his body image is rapidly sliding into that of a shy fourteen year old.

“Barclay!” Joseph comes jogging out of the surf towards the towels they lay down side by side when they arrived, “you should come in, it’s really the perfect weather for swimming.” He drops onto his towel, black hair a bit mussed. The swim-shorts that he thought were blue with green spots turn out to have not dots, but tiny UFOs on them.

“I, uh, I’m good. I, uh, I burn easily and I don’t think anyone wants to rub sunscreen on my hairy back.”

“Hey, Bigfoot, what’s wrong? Scared of what’ll happen if the cameras get a load of your gut?”

Barclay growls, stares at his toes. Joseph tracks Nico as he finishes jogging by. Then he calmly picks up a frisbee, aims a throw, and knocks his snapback off his head. He’s sitting down before the other man can work out who threw it. Barclay chuckles, but doesn’t get up.

“Bigfoot’s my favorite cryptid.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“And who gives a shit if you have a stomach.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re cut.”

Joseph grabs his sunglasses, “because I like that for my body. I happen to like yours just as much. Um I, I mean, it seems like Vincent likes it.” He tips his head towards the Bachelor, who gives them both a long once-over.

“...Will you do my back?”

“Of course, big guy.” The nickname sounds so right on his tongue it makes Barclay want to set his head in his lap and ask him to pet it.

It’s late afternoon when Ned herds them all onto a boat which promptly steers towards some cliffs. Joseph stays close to Barclay, pleasant expression noticeably tightening the closer they get to the rocks.

“I’ve been dreading this. Cliff diving is not something I’d pick to do on my own.”

“Heights?”

He shakes his head, “Deep water. I know it’s not rational, and I even checked to be sure there hadn’t been large shark sightings in the area, but I can never shake the feeling there’s something waiting just out of sight, ready to surge up and eat me.”

They all climb up together, Vincent staying on the boat to watch them jump (this is technically a friendly competition to show off how brave they are). As they’re turns get closer, Barclay sees Joseph doing deep breathing exercises.

They hit the edge. The agent freezes.

“Shit. I don’t think I can do this.”

“C’mon, where’s my daring special agent?”

Joseph still doesn’t move.

“You, uh, you wanna jump together? Maybe the megaladon or whatever will eat me instead.”

“Megalodons are extinct; we’d know if they weren’t, same as we know Whale Sharks aren’t.”

“They you are.” Barclay murmurs, smiling.

Joseph manages a smile back, “On three?”

“Yep. One, two” he grabs Joseph’s hand “three”

The water rises to swallow them with terrifying speed, but nothing is waiting for them except one very startled fish. They surface together, Joseph laughing triumphantly, hair plaster to his head and sun shining in his ocean eyes.

If Vincent doesn’t pick him, he’s out of his mind.

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

“Ohmylord, we have to play this.” Joseph cannot believe his luck; he figured the barcade group date would mean a lot of solo time, but here’s his favorite game in the whole wide world.

“Monster Hunt?” Barclay laughs as he lets himself be lovingly shoved down into the seat of a cut-out Jeep, “very on brand.”

“They had this at the bowling alley near my house. I’d play when my parents had league night but couldn't get a sitter. I never could beat the Mothman level without a player two.”

He doesn’t have that problem tonight, even with Barclay distractingly delighted and handsome in the seat beside him. After that, they make it their mission to find every two-player game in the thrum of flashing colors and tinny music. He finds they both like the Bowser Bourbon Smash, and somewhere around their fourth, heated game of air hockey they each polish of one too many of them to stay upright without the support of a game, a helpful show staff member, or each other.

When they get back to the house (their fellow contestants all in a similar state to themselves) they manage to make it to Joseph’s room before collapsing into a giggling heap on the bed.

“That, hic, that was fun. Games are, hic, fun.” Barclay blinks at him, “what’re you laughing, hic, at.”

“You, you got the hiccups. S’funny because you’re so big, like, like watching a, a pitbull with a, um, a” he makes a squeezing motion that his sober self would recognize as “squeaky toy.”

“M’not big” Barclay pouts, “I, hic, maybe everyone else is, hic, just small. Ever think of th--hic--at.”

“S’not a bad thing.” Joseph shifts so they’re facing each other, “like how big you are. Makes you sexy.”

Barclay blushes, “you’re, hic, one to, to talk. You’re hot, so, hic, so fucking out. Got, got those eyes. That, hic, that face” He touches Joseph’s cheek, “love your face.”

“Love yours too.” Joseph says, stroking his beard. Then they’re moving in inelegant tandem, grabbing at each others shoulders and faces as their mouths find each other. Barclay is so warm, whimpering when Joseph rolls him on top, nipping his lips and pawing at him like a puppy hoping for a treat. Joseph is going to hold him close and let him have it.

A clatter from below, one of the other men knocking something over in the kitchen, breaks the spell.

“Wait, wait” Joseph reluctantly slides his hands of Barclays ass, “we, drunk, we’re drunk, too drunk.”

Barclay blinks down at him, pouting a little even as he groans “fuck, you’re, you’re right. Wanna, gotta remember this. Don’t wanna” he yawns, “regret it.” The instant he flops onto his back Joseph climbs into his arms and falls asleep to the slow rhythm of his breathing.

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

After that night, they agree to be more careful; they’re here for Vincent, to see if one of them is his true love. That’s what the contract they signed says.

“More careful” turns out to mean watching their alcohol intake around each other and only touching platonically (including falling asleep on the couch together. They wake up to cameras recording their nap. Barclay isn’t sure what Joseph threatens Ned with, but the footage never sees the light of day).

But unless they’re on a solo date with Vincent, they’re by each others side. Barclay teaches Joseph dominoes and how to make biscuits. Joseph introduces him to terrible old horror movies that they watch on his laptop and compliments his cooking every chance he gets.

They must be doing something right, because they move to the next round week after week, Vincent clearly enamored with both of them. Barclay certainly understands the feeling. Just not for the person who he’s supposed to.

“Joseph? If, uh, if neither of us win, what are you gonna do after this.”

“Go back to work. Maybe pitch my book about U.S cryptids.” Joseph’s smile goes shy for a moment before recovering, “but I wouldn’t worry, big guy; I think you’re the front runner for sure.”

Barclay knows for a fact that Joseph is a fan favorite and the suitor most people think will win. Which is why, when Vincent selects his final four, he’s not surprised Joseph gets the first rose. Then everyone but Barclay is holding one and Vincent is touching his shoulder.

“Barclay, please don’t take this as a sign I’m not deeply fond of you. This wasn’t an easy choice but I, well, I feel like your heart may not be in this anymore.”

He takes Vincent’s hand and squeezes it, “It’s okay. It was wonderful just to get to know you. All of you.” He looks at the final four, at Joseph’s calm, polite expression. He meets blue eyes as he says, “I hope you find someone who makes you happy.”

With that he turns, all too aware of the cameras tracking his exit, his face, how he’ll have to do a final interview and not reveal that he’ll hate Vincent forever but not blame him in the slightest if he marries Joseph.

“Wait!”

Every eye, lensed or no, turns back to the gazebo. Joseph is at the edge of the steps, poised to run. When he sees Barclay stop, he turns to Vincent.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t accept this.” He hands the bachelor the rose, “I hope you understand.”

There’s no soundtrack on set, but strings swell in his ears all the same as Joseph descends the stairs and leaps into his arms, kissing him so hard he still has stars in his eyes when he opens them.

“It’s not a marriage proposal” Joseph whispers, kissing his cheek, “but I do have a question for you.” He pulls back, all cameras on them but his attention for Barclay alone, “would you like to be my boyfriend, big guy?”

Barclay rests their foreheads together, “Yeah, babe, I really, really would.”

[misskittysmagicportal]

can i request something to do with the thing about vincent having tics while giving oral or just vincent giving oral general i love the way you write things

I Think We're Alone Now

(Vincent Rhodes x Fem!Reader)

Warnings: language, talk of mental health, fem!receiving oral

A/N: With the pandemic keeping you and Vincent apart, he was glad that being alone didn't mean being lonely.

Vincent Rhodes didn't tic as bad or as much in his thirties. He wasn't cured. He didn't take medicine that made them magically go away. He took meds for his anxiety, and the “cure” was still going to therapy with Dr Rose. He didn't go daily or weekly or even monthly anymore. He managed every other month. Sometimes, perhaps, every three to four months. Yet it took twenty-five to finally accept a cliche: Tourette's wasn't Vincent, Vincent simply HAD Tourette's.

Don't worry though, cunt is still his favorite word.

Vincent also did all the things he told Marie he wanted to do. He finished school and went to college online. He found himself rather good at computers and a job that required the bare minimum of human interaction. His Tourette's was under control, but his social anxiety never seemed to be. We digress!

He had a job, and a place to call home that wasn't a treatment facility or a hoarder’s house bogged down by sadness and alcoholism. Vincent didn't find it shameful that his father bought him a condo. He and his roommate had an agreement to pay utilities and work on the re-election campaign.

Vincent finally had a dog. A dog he had to fight for because his roommate had.. Rituals. Rituals that also weren't as bad as they used to be thanks to the same therapy and right medication. Just like you can't get rid of Tourette's, Vincent couldn't get rid of Alex either. That was his first, and really only, friend. As tumultuous as they started out, if you survive a road trip with two neurodivergents, you're pretty much bonded for life. Alex was sometimes more work than their dog.

Vincent and Alex did things in their late twenties and early thirties they never thought they'd do. They went out. They dated around. They had awkward sex and one night stands that the two of them could finally laugh about. Vincent could hide, or save his tics from popping up during his dates. He could even manage to hold them off when he had sex. He was relaxed and focused on the woman beneath or above him.

But then he would spasm, or twist and pop his mouth. He would unintentionally squeal or swear, call her names or flip her off. Instead of understanding Vincent, or talking to him, whoever the girl of the moment was would leave and never come back. Fuck her, Vincent would think. I can't help that I have Tourette’s; she can help being an asshole.

-----

There could not have been a worse time in anyone’s life for you to meet quite possibly the single hottest guy in your neighborhood. At least, you thought he was in your neighborhood. You kept running into each other at various stores to the point you found yourself quoting an old movie from college.

“Are you stalking me?” You boldly questioned him one afternoon as he pondered Mcintosh versus Fiji apples. “Because that would be super.”

The man jumped. Then to your shock, he spasmed almost violently. His neck twisted to the left as his hand held on to his chin and yelled out, “Brown haired cunt! Grass licking big tits.”

You laughed. It wasn't malicious or in jest. You were nervous and stunned. Still you replied, “Normally a guy has to date me for a while before he calls me a cunt. Now as for grass licking? That was only once, but I was high and we were playing truth or dare.”

He stared at you, mouth agape. A violent spasm rocked his body again like an aftershock. It caused him to excessively blow a dark curl back from his forehead several times before his body relaxed and he appeared to sink in on himself. Embarrassed. A pink hue spread along his cheeks and angled jaw as he gazed at the apples again with large green eyes.

“You ok? I wouldn't say I've got big tits. They're more like medium sized. Unless you were talking about the melons.” You held up two cantaloupe in front of your chest. “I’m y/n”

Again with the mouth open staring. Then he came to, “Vincent. I've never had someone react to Arthur that way.”

“I'm from New York. That was a Saturday night in the village. Who’s Arthur?” You looked around. “Are you being held hostage? Scream cunt for yes. Vagina for no.”

Vincent laughed. It was almost a giggle that you weren't sure was a laugh or his thing. “Arthur is my Tourette's. He's the clown who shits in between my thoughts. My tics. You scared the piss out of him.”

“You named your Tourette's? You can't do that, they never go away once you name them.”

Vincent rolled his eyes, “ DAMMIT! I'll take away his bowl of food and dog bed too. Maybe I'll finally be cured!”

You didn't want him to think you felt something was wrong with him. “Mostly with all of this, I meant I keep seeing you around. Thought I'd say hi.”

“How about we exchange phone numbers, and you can say hello more often?” Vincent cocked an eyebrow.

“Bold of you to assume calling me a cunt is flirting! But you got it out of the way now instead of down the line. Give me your phone.”

He obliged and you put your number in. As you handed it back you joked, “Should've told me you had a much sexier friend.” You indicated Alex on the phone’s wallpaper.

“He's gay.”

“Damn! Lucky for men. Anyways, I work most days. Don't know how long with everything happening out there. Call me sometime?”

Vincent twitched and wolf whistled. He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, but promised he would nonetheless. But then pandemic happened, so all you had for the next six months was your phone

-----

You met Alex and learned his rituals and empathized with his panic to follow or abide by heath guidance. His OCD aggravated by everything going on. Vincent couldn't even go for a run without his friend completely freaking out, so he just didn't. Their balcony was it for fresh air.

You took tours of each other's apartments. Had dinners and breakfasts together. Shared what books you were reading and watched movies together. Vincent teased you about your fat, lazy cat and you did likewise over his ten pound shih tzu. Although, you admitted, it was because she got to share a bed with him.

Somehow in month 5 you were roped into a three way phone call with his dad. Senator Rhodes and Vincent seemed to have an easy relationship, but you were filled in later that it was anything but for a very long time. So you turned the tables one night, and introduced him to your entire family.

Forgetting about his Tourette's, because you had really grown used to it all. To the tics, the whistles and excessive use of the word cunt (Pandemic drinking game, Vincent’s idea) that his biggest episode since you met stunned not only you but your clan. Vincent had buried his face, you were terrified of your mistake. But you got it from somewhere.

“Sure you ain't from Brooklyn, kid?!” Thank Christ for meathead brothers.

“This is dating right?” Vincent asked after their dinner. “Pandemic, COVID, for now dating. Even though,” he paused to twist his neck, “One of my coworkers has uh, dick appointments all the time?” He snapped a finger several times and shouted something about a whore and syphilis.

“Hey! Tell Arthur to fuck off. Sexual liberation. She's not a whore, she's in her twenties!” Vincent laughed. “Are you nervous about something? Usually the bedtime part of our phone calls are the least tic-ish.”

“Wanna have sex?” He was straightforward.

“Right now? Facetime sex?” You scrunch your nose but more to be cute than creeped out.

“Here. Alex is asleep. Come over? We've been isolated for months.”

“God, I love you.”

“What?” Vincent laughed. “Are you sure about that?”

“I'll be there in twenty minutes.”

-----

Vincent opened the door and implored you to take your shoes off at the door. You expected nothing less as you complied and followed him in the stillness of the apartment to his bedroom.

The moment the door was shut, Vincent was on you before you could even adjust to the dark. Only street lamps from the neighborhood below showed through as his mouth consumed yours.

Your tongues at war with each other as the two of you scrambled to undress. Your lips broke apart long enough to throw shirts over heads and step out of flannel pants or yoga pants. Then they crashed together again as Vincent let his hands splay out the length of your back and shoulders.

Your one hand ensnared by his messy hair. The other under the waistband of his boxers and over his ass. You drew his body to yours to melt into. His erection strained and throbbed against your hip as you hungrily pushed your tongue as far inside him as you could.

The both of you eager like teenagers shot with adrenaline. Anxious and hoping Alex caught you as Vincent twitched and his shoulders shrugged up to his ears. His fingers fumbled with your bra made worse by his tics. Tics that frustrated only him; you reached and undid it for him. Your breasts were free for him to look at.

Vincent attempted to choke back his words but failed. “Tit fucker,” a sour look on his face as his eye involuntarily clamped shut, “huge nipples.” He swallowed his lips, mortified.

“Hey!! They make up for yours being the tiniest nipples I have EVER seen on a dude.” You took Vincent’s hand. “We can slow down if you want. I don't know what's up, do you tic like this every time you have sex?”

The two of you laid side by side on his bed, hands traced over inches of bare skin. Vincent was silent for a while as he let his fingers trail over you, his lips not far behind.

“I don't. I'm usually too focused. The last time I loved someone, it fell apart immediately. It's making me anxious.”

You held his head to your body with a tenderness. “I loved you first, didn't I?”

His mouth made its way amongst your breasts as he gently laid you on your back. His lips warm on your stomach and hips that he exposed by tugging your panties down over your knees and off. Vincent laid down between them and almost nuzzled his nose in your soft pubic hair before his tongue dove inside of you.

Your hips rocketed up into his mouth as you grabbed the back of Vincent's head. He licked and sucked on your sex. Small tics caused him to push his tongue and lips in further than before. They closed in on your clit. His tongue attacked it with a lapping motion that you could only bend to, helpless.

Vincent was insatiable, his mouth in a frenzy. Your fingers caught up in the sheets as the sensation of his mouth on your clit spread along your body. Now your words were a shock as they came screaming out into the quiet of the bedroom.

“Tongue fuck me! Faster!”

Instead Vincent looked up at you with a grin, “I see Arthur came to visit.”

Tag: @robertsheehanownsmyass @slutforrobbiebro @super-unpredictable98 @magic-multicolored-miracle @sean-falco @elliethesuperfruitlover @bisexualnathanyoung @bwritesstuff @firstpersonnarrator @rob-private

[earlysunsetsoverambrose]

Carefree Highway (1/2)

Lester Sinclair x f!Reader 

Warnings: Cursing, Mild Violence, Blood, Mean Bo

Description: You accidently let a victim escape and Bo has it out for you. You’re sure that no one can rescue you from his rage. 

You sat trembling on the bottom steps on the front porch of the Sinclair home. The sun set hours ago and all the brothers were still out chasing after a stray tourist. All her friends had been taken care of, but she managed to elude all of you. It was quite possible she made it out of town and it was your fault.

You were washing dishes in the kitchen, hoping to avoid the unpleasant scenes outside. You heard the door crash open and wild footsteps skid to a halt at the entrance to the kitchen. Startled, you turned to find an unfamiliar woman, chest heaving and panic lighting her eyes. Your eyes never left her as your hands fumbled for a small knife to defend yourself. You clutched the blade with both hands in a shaking grip,

“S-stay back!” your voice cracking, conviction breaking as it did.

The woman put her hands up in defense, but she could see right through you. You both knew you weren’t going to use that knife on her. You didn’t have the guts. Whatever killer instinct the others had, you lacked; or she’d already be dead. She took a step toward you and then another. You didn’t move. She looked you right in the eyes neither scared nor angry. You were almost sure what you saw in her eyes was pity. With every step she took, you thought surely you could do this. You had to do it. With just one quick lunge this would be over. It would be quick and easy. But the closer she came, the more you could see the freckles on her cheeks and the brown in her green eyes. You couldn’t do it.

As she was almost past you, another set of booming footsteps approached. Bo crashed into the kitchen to see you holding a laughably small knife to his prey. He paused to see what you would do. He’d told you it was time to start pulling your weight. This was your chance to prove your worth.

“The hell are you waiting for? Gut her!” Bo hissed. Your eyes darted between him and the woman in front of you as air got caught in your throat. Your chest tightened as the blood rushing in your ears drowned out all other sounds and thoughts. Overwhelmed, you suddenly backed yourself against the counter, gasping for breath as the knife fell to the floor. Your hands moved to cover your ears in an effort to silence the chaos in your head. The woman wasted not a single second before bolting past you to the door toward her escape. Bo’s eyes snapped to her as he gave chase.

Bo sprinted after her, but as soon as he was out the door, she was nowhere in sight. He stormed back into the house. He grabbed your arms in a bruising grip.

“Why the hell didn’t you kill her? She was standing right in front of you! You had one job! What good are you if you can’t even do one fuckin’ thing right?” Bo seethed, shaking you back and forth, nails digging deeper into your flesh with every word, “Now we gotta turn the place upside down and hope that bitch doesn’t make it outside the city ‘fore we find her. You better pray Lester’s actually drivin’ ‘round the edge of town like he’s supposed to because if she gets away, it’s gonna be you that’s takin’ her place. You got that?”

Bo finally released his hold and let you sink to the floor in a pile of tears. He scoffed as he rolled his eyes at your pathetic state. He stalked out of the home to begin his search for the woman you let escape.

Now, all you could do was wait to suffer Bo’s wrath. You didn’t mean to let her go and make things difficult. You really tried to help. You sincerely wanted to contribute to the town, but you just couldn’t do it the same way Bo and Vincent did. You weren’t a killer and you knew now that you could never be one. You were sure that Bo knew this. You began to fear that even if they found the woman, he would still kill you. If you ran, he’d catch you. There was no escaping Bo’s rage, not when you were the cause of all his problems. No one could protect you from the hell he was about to rain down on you. Your hands still cradled your head and you rocked back and forth, trying to quell the dread in your stomach.

You were so ashamed as your thoughts moved to Lester, patrolling the edge of town. You didn’t mean to bring him into this. He had become your closest, dearest friend within just days of meeting him. He’d been nothing but kind and considerate to you and you put him in danger. What if he got hurt? What if Bo took his anger out on him too? Your heart sank thinking about how you knew Lester didn’t like partaking in his brothers’ schemes much more than you, even if he didn’t say it. Now, your inaction had likely forced him to take part whether he wanted to or not.

Off in the distance, you could see headlights making their way up toward the house. You held your breath as Bo’s truck came to a violent halt. He threw his door open and slammed it shut behind him. He was alone. She escaped and now you were dead.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself!” Bo hissed as he ripped you up from the stairs and threw you back onto the gravel, “You happy with this fuckin’ mess you made? All of this coulda been avoided if you just did what I said! But you couldn’t even do that, could you? What the hell are we doin’ keepin’ you ‘round if you’re not gonna help ‘round here? Fuckin’ useless waste!” Bo grabbed you by your collar and forced you to look him in his cold, soulless eyes.  

“P-please, Bo! I didn’t mean to do this! I’m sorry!” you pleaded as burning tears rapidly cascaded down your cheeks. “I never meant for this to happen!”

“Don’t fuckin’ lie to me! You did this on purpose, didn’t you? Couldn’t stand it here, so you let that slut go so she could send someone to rescue you! You wanted this to happen! You want me and my brothers locked up in a cell or dead! Say it!” Bo shouted, suddenly reeling back to hit you. You screwed your eye shut, bracing yourself, but the pain never came. You opened your eyes to see Vincent tugging on Bo’s shoulder, “What? No luck, I take it?”

“No.” Vincent murmured, releasing Bo’s shoulder. Bo lowered his hand, but still kept your shirt in an iron tight grip.

“That’s alright, I got another pretty little thing to take her place. Don’t I?” Bo said menacingly as he stroked your cheek, the poison in his words sending chills down your spine. You sent a pleading look at Vincent, silently begging him not to let Bo do this, but he cast his gaze to the side. There was no standing up to Bo, not now. “Let that bitch tell the pigs if she wants. We ain’t goin’ nowhere. Ain’t no one gonna save you.”

The sound of another truck pulling up the hill stopped Bo from saying anymore. All three of you turned to see Lester’s truck rolling up. Beyond his headlights, you could see the shadow of his head popping out from his window,

“Sorry I took so long!” he called. His cheery drawl cut through the violent atmosphere, allowing you to breathe a small sigh of relief. Lester was here. You always felt safer when he was nearby. “It took a while to get her in the truck and she kicked up fuss when she realized I was bringin’ her back.”

“The hell are ya on about?” Bo snapped, releasing your collar, letting you fall back onto the gravel. He moved towards Lester’s truck. The youngest Sinclair hopped out and opened up the passenger door to reveal the woman who you let escape, unconscious.

“The girl you was lookin’ for! I found her tryin’ to hitch a ride. Told her I was gonna take her to a hospital.” Lester said, “She clocked me pretty good, though. I laid on the brakes a little too hard and she hit her head on the dash.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. Shit-pit boy did somethin’ right, for once.” Bo smirked. Lester’s smile faltered as his shoulders slumped at Bo’s backhanded compliment. Bo began to haul the woman out of the truck, “Vincent come take care of her.” Vincent moved to take the woman from Bo and effortlessly threw her over his shoulder. He made his way back to the basement without another word.

Lester immediately moved to where you were still on the ground and offered you a helping hand. He gently helped you to your feet, your eyes still glued to the ground. Truthfully, he had been worried about you. When Bo told him about what happened, he made it his mission to find the missing woman. He couldn’t let Bo punish you for this. You didn’t deserve it. He drove in endless circles until he finally found her. Even if he hated doing his brother’s bidding, he would do all of it without question if it meant protecting you from Bo’s rage. He dusted you off and rested a hand on your shoulder, concern cutting through his usually carefree exterior,

“Ya alright, Y/N?” Lester asked softly. You nodded ever so slightly as you wiped at your eyes, unable to trust your voice, “Everythin’s okay. Don’t gotta cry anymore.”

“Oh, I’ll give her plenty to cry ‘bout. This is her fault after all.” Bo hollered as he turned to where you were standing, “Christ, look at your fuckin’ face.”

“C’mon, Bo.” Lester said, barely audible. You moved your hands from your eyes to look at Lester for the first time. You gasped at his bloody nose. Before Lester could say anything, Bo snapped his eyes toward you,

“Ya see what that little bitch did! Ya let her get away and she attacks my brother!”

“Bo, don’t…” Lester pleaded, unheard once again.  

“I’m sorry! I just can’t do it, Bo! I’m not like you, I can’t kill anyone! Please don’t make me! I’ll do anything else!” you begged. Bo stalked toward you. With every step he took, you retreated, terrified to take your eyes off of him.

“I don’t wanna hear any fuckin’ excuses. You put my family on the line. ‘Sorry’ ain’t gonna cut it. You’re gonna regret lettin’ that slut go. You got my brother decked across the face so I’m gonna smack you a hell of a lot harder than that.” Bo seethed. He prepared to lunge at you, fists tightening, nostrils flaring like the predator he truly was, “You’re gonna pay, you little-”

“STOP IT, BO!” Lester shouted, forcing himself in front of you, stopping Bo in his tracks. You’d never heard Lester raise his voice before; and from the look on Bo’s face, neither had he. A dangerous silence fell over the scene. Bo could hardly fathom anyone challenging him, much less Lester.

“The hell did you say to me?” Bo hissed. Lester nearly gulped at his brother’s tone, but he took a shaky breath instead. No way was he going to win this fight, but he spoke anyway.

“I said stop.” He nervously reaffirmed, “It ain’t her fault. Let it go. Please.”

“Since when you tell me what to do?” Bo glowered with a snarl.

“I ain’t tryin’ to tell anyone anythin’. Just don’t want no one else gettin’ hurt, is all. ‘Sides, she said she was sorry, Bo. It was an accident. You don’t gotta do this.” Lester said with only the slightest tremor in his voice. You cowered behind him, astounded at his bravery but fearing for his life.

Bo shifted his eyes between you and Lester, trying to decide his next move. He fixed his gaze on Lester as he slowly moved to circle around to get to you. It seemed like more of an attempt to test his brother than to harm you. Lester felt crushed under the weight of Bo’s prolonged glare, but still he matched each of his steps, blocking his brother’s path to you. Bo stopped and smirked, chilling you to your core.

“You’re really gonna protect her after all the trouble she’s caused?” Bo asked, almost amused at Lester’s display. Lester rolled back his shoulders and straightened his spine. He wasn’t going to back down this time, no matter how much Bo scared him. His brow was furrowed for the first time you’d known him. He was serious and he wasn’t going anywhere.

“She ain’t caused any more trouble than any of us cause each other half the time. Ya used to hit me upside the head and give me bloody noses every other week when we was kids. Don’t make like this is anythin’ to get heated over.” Lester argued, “No one escaped, we’re all in one piece, and the cops ain’t any wiser. So, leave her alone.” Lester demanded. He met Bo’s icy glare, shaking like a leaf tossed in front of a locomotive, but standing his ground nonetheless. If Bo wasn’t livid, he might’ve been impressed. He scoffed as he looked over Lester’s shoulder, right at you.

“You better consider yourself real fuckin’ lucky that my brother decided to grow a pair.” Bo warned, “But he won’t always be here to protect you from me. You fuck up again and no one will be able to. Got that?” you silently nodded, frozen in place behind Lester.

Bo shoved his way past Lester and back into the house. Not taking any chances, Lester followed along, herding Bo away from you. Bo glared at the two of you over his shoulder before slamming the door to punctuate his exit.

With that, Lester exhaled the breath he’d been holding the entire time as his shoulders slumped forward in relief. If Bo had started swinging, he had no idea what he was going to do. His smile returned as he sighed once again,

“Whew, that sure was somethin’, wasn’t it?” he said, turning to face you. You didn’t respond. With the tension broken, you broke too. You buried your face in your hands, sobs ripping through your lungs, ugly and raw. Lester fumbled for a way to help you, “C’mon now, shh, it’s alright. Bo ain’t gonna hurt ya, I swear. His bark’s worse than his bite. Mostly.”

“I’m s-sorry…” you managed to force out between desperate gasps for air. Lester looked at you sympathetically. He put a clumsy arm over your shoulders and moved you to sit on the stairs next to him.

“It’s okay, don’t be sorry! I know it was just an accident!” Lester soothed as he rubbed your shoulder. He felt helpless, he just wanted to make you feel better but he didn’t know what to say, “Everyone messes up! Take it from me! Once when me, Bo, and Vincent, was out catchin’ fish for dinner, I tripped and knocked the whole bucket back into the lake! Bo nearly skinned me alive for that! I had to spend the rest of night catchin’ fish by myself in the cold!”  

His anecdote, though appreciated, was left without a response. He knew there was no cheering you up right now. You just had to let it out. He let out a sad sigh as he drew you closer to him, wrapping his arms around your frame in a warm hug, the way he wished someone held him when he cried growing up. As you continued to sob into your hands, Lester comforted you as best as he could, offering little reassurances here and there. He let you cry to your heart’s content, keeping you company through the storm. Eventually, your cries died down into small hiccups, but you still kept your face obstructed by your hands. Lester squeezed your shoulder,

“Ya alright, Y/N?” he asked gently.

“No. I’m so sorry, Lester. I’m a mess and I don’t know what to do.” you whimpered. You’d never been more afraid. If Lester hadn’t stepped in, you weren’t sure you would still be breathing right now. “You’re hurt and Bo’s so angry…”

“Hey, don’t worry ‘bout me none. It looks a lot worse than it feels. And look – the bleedin’ already stopped! Look!” Lester gently coaxed you to look up at him. You dropped your hands from your eyes to see Lester with his classic goofy smile, beaming through the dried blood. You winced at the damage, but couldn’t contain a small smile at Lester’s unrestrained optimism, “I think she did me a favor. Got me a nose job and didn’t even have to pay nothin’.”

“Lester!” you tried to scold him, but you couldn’t stop from laughing. Only Lester could make you laugh when you had been crying your heart out. The icy daggers left by Bo’s unforgiving glower were swiftly melted away by Lester’s sweet brown eyes, radiating warmth like whiskey.

“There’s that smile. Now, don’t that feel better? Suits ya better.” Lester said grinning ear to ear. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a mostly clean bandana. He carefully wiped at your eyes to dry the stray tears still running down your cheeks. Your heart jumped in your chest as he did this. Your eyes closed involuntarily, cherishing his gentleness after being treated so roughly. Even after the signs of your sadness had been scrubbed away, he continued rubbing all over your face to continue teasing some laughter out of you, “Hang on, think I missed a spot!”

“Okay, okay! I’m not sad anymore! I surrender, Lester!” you said through your laughter. Lester smiled as he handed the bandana over to you,

“That’s more like it.” He said “Sorry about the bandana, I’d give ya a tissue, but this is all I got. Ya can hold on to it though, case ya need it again.”

“Thanks, Lester. For everything. You don’t know how much it means.” You said, clutching the piece of fabric in your hands. You glanced up at him, taking in his bloody face you decided to return the favor. You gingerly moved to wipe the dried blood from under his nose, careful not to hurt him. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His eyes fixated on your face as you tended to him, awestruck. His pupils were blown looking at you and his heart skipped about fifty beats at your touch. He wanted to say you didn’t have to do this, but he stopped himself. Just once he wanted to be selfish with the care you were offering. When you succeeded in removing most of the blood, you tucked the bandana in your pocket, “I’ll clean this up and get it back to you.”

“Thanks, Y/N.” Lester said dreamily. You both sat in contented silence for a moment before Lester spoke up, “C’mon. Let’s get out of here.”

“Where are we going?” you asked curiously. Lester stood and offered his hand once again.

“You’ll love it, trust me!” He said. You didn’t need any more than that.

[flysafepapi]

Christmas

More of the Arthur and Vincent series.

This is not my gif, but it is who I’ve decided Vincent is.

tagging: @the-makingsofgreatness ​​ , @mia-grace21912 ​​​ , @ogohh , @darkwaterrose

masterlist

"You know they'll be bursting in here at any moment," Vincent says, still half asleep. It's hard to not be woken up when someone drags you back into them, he thinks, but doesn't protest. If the being dragged didn't wake him, the wandering hand sneaking up under his shirt would have. "Do you really want to risk it?" He doesn't shiver when Arthur kisses the back of his neck, but it's a near thing. "It's Christmas, Vin, stop worrying so much. This agrees with me." It won't work, he knows that, but all thoughts rush out of his mind when Arthur slips his hand under the waistband of the pajama pants Ada had bought him years ago and wraps his fingers around him.

Three things happen in fairly rapid succession: he gasps into the pillow and reaches down to wrap his own fingers around Arthur's, taking over the pace. It's been a while since they had the time for anything, these days.

The door crashes open, flinging into the wall with a bang, and three excited children land on the end of the bed, yelling that they need to get out of bed, it's Christmas. Billy lands on Vincent's foot, pinning it awkwardly to the bed and he winces.

Michael looks at the way they're laying, one arm each underneath the blankets, and smirks at them knowingly before he herds the children out and down into the kitchen for breakfast.

"I told you."

"Well, they're busy now, aren't they? Michael's got them, they'll be fine without us for a while."

**

When they finally make it downstairs, John and Esme have already arrived with all the kids, and the kitchen sounds like a war zone. John looks up at them when they walk in and starts laughing. “Michael told us you were a bit busy up there.” Arthur goes a bit red and adjusts his collar, fidgeting awkwardly, and Vincent rolls his eyes. “Like we all haven’t seen worse from you two. My eyes are still offended.” He takes John’s cup of tea and ignores the betrayed look on his face, smiles at Esme and asks how she’s been. It takes less than two minutes before Rosie remembers what today is, and asks what time they’re going to her uncle’s house. “Well, we can’t go if you three aren’t dressed, can we?”

The rest of the morning, sitting with John and Esme at the kitchen table, goes like this:

“Vin, have you seen my blue socks?”

“They’re in the bathroom!”

“Dad, Billy pulled my hair!”

“Did not!”

“Did too, Teddy saw it!”

“Billy, leave your sister alone, will you? Rosie, don’t think I can’t see you feeding cookies to the dog, do you want me to come out there?”

“Sorry, dad!” 

“They’re not in the bathroom!”

“Then check the closet!”

“Sounds familiar,” Esme says, looking amused. “Just wait until you get a few more.”

“I don’t know how you do it, honestly. I’m barely managing to control three of them, and Arthur.”

Eventually, after approximately an hour and several cups of tea, Vincent manages to get everyone out of the house and into the cars, counting to make sure he hasn’t forgotten anyone before he locks the door. Why did he agree to this, again? Right, because his husband is unfairly persuasive, and he can never say no to his kids for anything. The Christmas presents are already in the car, waiting, so he’s pretty sure that he’s got everything under control, for now, at least. 

“Everybody ready?”

“Got it, love. Come on, Tommy’s probably wondering if the kids have finally ran us into the ground.”

Arthur drives, so Vincent can sit in the passenger seat and keep an eye on the kids in the back, to make sure they keep their hands off the presents sitting behind them. No one needs a repeat of last year. 

“Alright, we’re going to behave today, or no one gets to stay up later tonight, understand?” Three voices shout yes at him, and he nods. “Good. I’ll be watching, so don’t do anything too stupid.” Arthur reaches for his hand when he turns back around, taking it off the wheel to reach for him, and he sighs to himself and takes it. It’s been an exhausting morning and they haven’t even gotten through the rest of the day yet. They won’t be staying up late, he knows they’ll all be too tired by the time they get back home again, but bribery works to get them to behave and he’s not above underhanded tactics. 

“I was beginning to think you all changed your minds,” Lizzie says when they all pile out of the cars, and Vincent grins at her before he kisses her cheek, gesturing at his husband and kids fussing around with the wrapped packages from the car. “Had to deal with my four children first.”

“Hey, I heard that!”

“You were supposed to, Arthur.” Lizzie winks at him and lets them all inside, leading to them into the room where everyone else is already waiting like a long, slightly awkward parade of children carrying boxes and bags. “Look who I found outside, I think I know them from somewhere.” 

“And I think I need a drink.” 

“Already got one waiting for you, I thought you might be needing it.” Tommy hands him a glass of whiskey, looking at him in amusement. 

“Got anything for Michael, because he might need to erase this morning from his mind.” John laughs, and then yelps when Esme smacks him on the back of the head, telling him to behave. Finn laughs at him, but slaps a hand over his mouth when Polly gives him a look, trying to muffle his sounds. Ada rolls her eyes at all of them, but he sees the small smile on her face. 

“Alright, enough of that, we’ve all seen more of you than we ever wanted to, John, you can’t judge.”

“It’s not my fault that none of you know how to knock!”

“Why would I need to knock on the kitchen door in my own house?!”

**

After the kids have opened their presents, they’re all sent upstairs to the playroom, and after they leave it gets considerably less noisy in the dining room. Not entirely silent, because Arthur, John and Finn have talked Johnny into a game of cards that seems to have rules that change with each hand, but quiet enough. “Thank god this only happens once a year. I think it’d kill me, otherwise.” 

“Just wait until the sugar high hits.”

“Lizzie! I thought you were my friend.” He holds his hand to his chest in mock hurt, grinning at her. Arthur snorts beside him, not looking up from his cards. “I’m not worried, that’s Arthur’s turn to deal with them all.” 

“Dad, come and play with us!” 

“I’ll be up in a minute!” Rosie nods at him and runs back to the other kids, feet pounding on the stairs. He loves her, loves all of them, but god they’re so energetic and he’s getting too old for that. “Come on, you lot, if I’ve got to do it, so do you.”

That’s how they end up outside, the women sitting in garden chairs and laughing to each other watching their husbands and brothers chase children around the gardens. No one is surprised when Arthur goes down first, slipping over in the mud, and he looks at Vincent with a look of feigned betrayal when he laughs and gives away his hiding spot. “Don’t you dare.”

“What, you don’t want a hug?” Arthur walks towards him, hands and arms covered in mud, grinning. “Come on, just one.” He can’t get away without giving away his hiding spot, though he tries to shift further back behind the hedge. It doesn’t work, and Arthur grabs him around the middle, dragging him out from behind the green bush and rubbing muddy hands all over his face. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to do that, love.” 

“I will kill you.”

“Nah. You love me too much.” 

The way Vincent grins at him is enough to make him a little nervous, and he tries to back away but the grip Vincent has on his wrists is hard to break when his hands are slippery with mud. “Sorry, love, but you brought this on yourself.”

“Brought what?”

He pushes Arthur backwards, into the puddle behind him, and catches the faintest glimpse of his shocked face before he slams into the wet grass. “Even though you’re angry, just remember how much I love you!” He runs, while Arthur is distracted, and scrambles behind Lizzie’s chair, using her as a human shield. “Save me, Liz.”

“Arthur, he’s over here!”

“Hey! This is betrayal of the worst kind!” 

Tommy and Finn laugh when a ball of mud hits him in the side of the head as he tries to run, exploding through his hair, and John cheers Arthur on with a grin. 

“Alright, this means war. Johnny, you’re on my side.”

The other man nods at him, the serious look on his face being ruined by the laughter in his eyes, and they take half of the kids with them to what they claim as their fort, behind the cars. What starts off as a structured game quickly devolves into everyone trying to hit as many people with mud as they can, teams turning on each other. Somehow, Tommy has managed to keep even a speck of dirt off him. Vincent can’t let that go on.

“Vincent, don’t you dare.”

“Sorry, Tommy, but it has to be done. It won’t hurt, I promise.”

The mud in his hands is in as close to a ball shape as he can get it, and he advances on his brother-in-law slowly, drawing the chase out. 

“This is a new suit, if you ruin it-”

“Now!”

From every angle, mud flies through the air and hits Tommy square, covering him almost completely. All the kids cheer at their aim, laughing at the shocked look on their uncle’s face and the fact that he looks like he crawled out of the river. 

“Did we win?”

Before Charlie can run, Tommy grabs him and hugs him to his chest, covering his son in mud and leaves while he giggles, trying to squirm away but unable to break the hold Tommy has on his waist. “Dad, no!”

“Alright, come on, mud monsters, time to go clean up for dinner, hey?”

Everyone trudges towards the house, breathless from all the running and laughter, and strips off under Lizzie and Polly’s watchful eyes, warning them from tracking mud and twigs through the house. 

“Good thing all of us already have clothes here.”

Arthur wraps his arms around Vincent’s waist and hooks his chin over his shoulder, watching Billy and Teddy helping Rosie take her hair out of the braid Esme had put it up in this morning. 

“I don’t know, I prefer like you in nothing, but I don’t think everyone else would enjoy it.”

“Later,” Vincent says, and kisses him, slow and easy. At least until John throws a shoe at them, telling them that there’s kids around. Everyone only snickers at him when Arthur and Vincent flip him off in synchronised motion. 

[maple-writes]

WHG 14: Day 3 (Cirrus)

whg tag list: @ratracechronicler @concealeddarkness13 , @nightskywriter , @rhikasa , @the-moving-finger-writes , @aeslin-writes (Thanks for Vincent, he was fun to write with!) @knmartinshouldbewriting , @pen-of-roses @timefirewrites 

###

Never had I missed having curtains so much as when dawn came and it was too bright to go back to sleep too early in the morning. I grumbled to myself as I’d gotten up but quieted down when some of the others gave me a disapproving look. I might have already gotten on Zenith’s bad side yesterday and it might be a good idea to stop doing that if everything as going to go well. He and I hadn’t spoken much since we got here and while he seemed to trust Asher well enough I wasn’t so sure he felt the same way about me.

The cold air on my face made it easy enough to wake up a little more, the sunlight still morning weak and blue-toned. I yawned and stretched. Something down the mountain slope caught my eye and I paused. A thin ribbon of smoke and the faint orange flicker of a campfire. I squinted, but  couldn’t make out much more. Looked like I could make it there and back in a couple hours most though. Maybe I could get there and back before anyone noticed I was gone.

Carefully navigating the drops and crevices of the side of the mountain, I slowly made my way closer to where I’d seen the fire. A sharp wind brought chill and I swore under my breath. This better turn out to be worth it.

I slowed when I reached the trees and the fire appeared a little further into the forest. As I got closer, thankfully there only seemed to be one tribute seated next to the fire. If he turned out to be hostile I could probably get away from one person, but if there had been more… Probably should have thought about that before climbing down a mountain.

After making up my mind to talk to him, I stepped out from the trees. “Hello.” He tensed, looking me over cautiously, but seemed to relax at least a little when I held out empty hands. “I’m Cirrus. You?”

“Vincent.”

Awkward silence built as neither of us seemed to know what to say, filled with the sporadic crackle of Vincent’s fire. I really hadn’t thought this through, had I? At least he didn’t seem like he were about to stab me or anything. He’d probably have stood up by now if he wanted to hurt me.

I approached, as casually as I could make myself appear, and sat down beside Vincent’s fire. Not too far, but not to close to him either. He watched me, not quiet meeting my face and not quite seeming to know whether or not I was a threat.

“What,” Vincent frowned. “What are you doing?”

That was a very good question. This was harder than I’d thought.

I shrugged. “Warming up.” I held a hand out to the campfire’s heat. “You make this yourself?” I paused as he nodded. “It’s nice.”

“Thanks.”

More silence. I switched hands, turning it over in front of the low flames. The quiet didn’t feel as awkward this time, both of us more focused on the fire than each other. At least, pretending to be, stealing curious and wary glances at each other when we thought the other wasn’t looking. I frowned. Why was this so hard? How in the hell had Asher managed to make two separate allies in training? What did they even talk about?

“Hey,” I glanced towards him again. “How long you think it’ll be before they throw something fucked up at us?” Out loud that didn’t sound as nonthreatening a conversation starter as I’d hoped.

Vincent returned my look. “What do you mean?”

“You know,” I huffed. “It’s been quiet, nothing disastrous seems to have happened yet. No mass slaughter, nothing like that.” He still looked confused, eyebrows furrowing. “Have you been living under a rock or something?” My jaw tightened. I was supposed to be friendly damn it.

He didn’t answer right away, slowly focusing back on the fire. “No, I, I’m just not from around here.”

That would explain it. “Neither am I, really.” I frowned again. Maybe I was oversharing, but at least it would fill the quiet. “Though at this point its not likely I’ll be going back home any time soon.”

Curiosity started to replace the quiet caution on Vincent’s face. “Where’s that?”

“You wouldn’t believe me.” I half-smiled. No one seemed to believe me when I told them. “But I lived above the Pacific until my mother turned me into a human and put me here.”

Vincent didn’t seem at least immediately sceptical. “I ended up in district 4 by accident. Someone made a mistake, and me and a couple others were teleported over. We might not even be in the same world.” He grinned, glancing my way. “How’s that for unbelievable?”

Slowly, we started to talk more, sharing stories about our homes under the gentle creak of snow-laden branches. Eventually, there was a lull in the conversation, and this time the silence was almost comfortable. What time was it now? I yawned and my stomach growled. Probably should have eaten before I left, but I hadn’t expected to be gone so long.

Vincent reached into the bag by his side.

“Here,” he leaned over, holding out something carefully wrapped in clean cloth.

I got up and closed the distance between us, taking it as I sat back down. Pulling back the cloth, it was some kind of food, one I didn’t recognize but looked appetizing enough. This was a good sign, inviting me so close, giving me something like this, showing this kind of care. In a place like this, it was vulnerable move.

I smiled. “Thanks.” I started to eat, chewing thoughtfully. Seemed I could trust him after all. “Hey,” I looked up, catching his attention again and dropping to a whisper, hopefully soft enough not to be overheard by any nearby mics. “I’m not sure if you heard anything in training, but there’s a bunch of us planning a way to escape, alive. You want to join us?” I nodded towards the slopes. “We’re camped out on the mountain. I can bring you there. I figured even if the others couldn’t pull of the break out it’s at least warmer at night.”

“I, there’s someone else here that I want to find too. Unless she’s there already, Cass.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know that name, but I’m sure the other’s wouldn’t mind helping you find her.”

Vincent thought for a moment, glancing between me and the mountainside. “Okay. You may have sold me on the warmth.” He stood, dusting snow and foliage off his clothes. “Finish eating and I’ll pack up.”

##

If I had been paying more attention yesterday I might have remembered the nice route that Zenith took us on instead of the rocky, uneven path Vincent and I picked our way across. It wasn’t long before I’d given up trying to avoid complaining, grumbling and swearing every time a rock shifted or I slipped on a patch of ice. Vincent laughed, joking and teasing as we made the least graceful ascent.

The slope steepened and I went first, gripping onto whatever I could to try and clamber up the hill of rock and snow and ice. My grip slipped and I swore as I fell. Pain shot through my arm as it scraped against a sharp-edged rock. I landed at the bottom of the slope and hissed, clutching at the already-bleeding wound.

“What happened?” Vincent rushed over, staring at my arm with wide eyes. “You’re hurt, are you okay? That’s bleeding, we have to, to clean it or s-something.” He stiffened, like a deer caught in the middle of the road, or Asher when he was starting to slip. “If it get, gets infected th-then, it—”

“Hey, look at me,” I spoke loud enough to bring his attention back to me. “Slow down, one thing at a time, alright?” He nodded, and I pointed at his bag. “We can wrap in in something and someone can look at it later.”

I pulled my arm out of my jacket sleeve and pushed the shirt out of the way, wincing whenever I had to move the arm. It didn’t look too deep though, enough to bleed and maybe enough to need stiches at some point, but not as bad as it could be. Vincent returned with some bandaging, probably found from sometime after the bloodbath, and I held my arm as still as I could for him.

He took my arm and his face scrunched. “What’s this?”

“Huh?” I twisted my neck to try and see what he was looking at.

A small, shiny thing sat half-embedded in the tissue. Too smooth to be a rock, and too shiny and metallic to be a bone, or anything organic.

“I, I’m going to take it out.” Vincent looked up, waiting until I gave a nod. “I’ll try to be quick.”

He dug into the smaller pouch on what looked to be a first aid kit, producing a pair of tweezers. I watched as he got a grip on the object and gently pulled it out of the wound.

A cannon fired, echoing through the arena.

That wasn’t for me, was it? When I looked back at Vincent he seemed to be wondering the same thing.

“I’m going to keep this,” He said, tucking it away in a pocket. “It looks familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

As soon as my arm was hastily bandaged, we found a better route and continued our way up the mountain. This time though, Vincent was quiet. He turned the little thing around in his hands, squinting it and holding it in different positions to get the best light. The sun was already overhead, at least noon.

Vincent gasped. “The trackers!”

I paused, turning to face him. “Trackers?”

He nodded, holding out the little object in his hand. “That’s what this is. It looks like some kind of chip, something to track location and vital signs.” He stared down at it, flat in his palm. “Maybe it lost signal when it dislodged.”

I blinked. “So it thinks I’m dead?”

“Maybe.” He pocketed the tracker again. “I can’t be sure though.”

“I mean, if my picture gets projected tonight that would be pretty damning.” I waited for him to catch up before starting to walk again. “We’ll have to tell the others, this could be something.”

After Asher and the others chew my head off for disappearing all morning anyway.