#they meet pebbles and are just like “yeah we know all of this already”

[marshmalo]

slugsign for ascension

EDIT I JUST REALIZED A BETTER ALTERNATIVE WOULD DEFINITELY BE [KILL] [CYCLE] SO IGNORE THE [KILL] [PEACE] PART

[marlynnofmany]

Confidential Human Questions

I was walking past the door to the cockpit quietly because I heard Captain Sunlight on a video call with a client, but then I heard, “Was that a human? Call them back; I have a question.”

This ought to be good, I thought as I spun on my heel.

Captain Sunlight was just calling my name as I reached the doorway. “Ah yes, thank you. Would you mind answering a human-related question?” She stood in the middle of the room, yellow scales bright in the good lighting. She managed to look up to my height without making it seem awkward.

“Sure,” I said. “What’s the question?” I stayed in the doorway. The room was a little crowded, with Wio in one pilot’s chair, tentacles manipulating many controls at once, and Kavlae doing something to fix her own chair with a hand tool. Judging by the way her head frills were flaring with frustration, she wasn’t done yet.

The client on the big screen curled his own tentacles. “I’m concerned about my ship’s human,” he said, turning his pointy squid head to make sure he wasn’t overheard. He lowered his voice and spoke closely to the screen. “We only have the one, you see, and I don’t want to ask any awkward questions directly.”

“I understand,” I said with a nod. Captain Sunlight ushered me into the room, then stepped out to talk to Zhee about something. I heard the distinctive click of his bug feet.

The client was still talking, with agitated twists of his pebbly gray tentacles. “We don’t have a medic onboard, just an automated medical suite. The human will be going home soon — limited time work contract, you know — but I’m honestly worried about infection spreading there, since I think this human caught it by meeting up with another. I gather that this other is on good terms with ours, and may be going to the same place either way, but I don’t want to contribute any contagion from my ship.”

“What kind of symptoms are we talking about?” I asked, mentally going over the short list of diseases that I knew of which could jump between species. This might be worth consulting our own medic. “No one else onboard is affected?”

“No, just the human,” he said, making vague loops with his tentacles. “There’s a malignant-looking growth, along with fatigue and gastrointestinal distress. The human has been acting a little… unpredictable.” He looked behind himself again. “I very much don’t want to cause an incident by prying, especially if this is something she knows to be terminal.”

I opened my mouth then closed it, choosing my questions with care. “Is the growth about here?” I pantomimed a roundness at my own stomach. “How long since she met with the other human?”

“Yes, exactly there! It’s been approximately half a standard orbit. What is it? Do you know?”

He was so sincere and worried that I had to smile. “Good news! In my opinion as a professional human, that’s not a disease at all. Your human is going to be a parent.”

Instead of relaxing, he looked confused. “Humans gestate eggs for that long? Shouldn’t she have laid them by now? She looks awfully uncomfortable. Oh no, are they stuck?” Now he was getting alarmed. “I had a relative who got eggbound once, and it was dire!”

I raised my hands in a calming gesture that I hoped he understood. “No, no eggs. Humans give live birth.”

“Live what?”

“Just — we lay the babies, already hatched.” I looked to my various crewmates for support, and found four different sets of eyes watching in curiosity. “All of you lay eggs, don’t you?”

Several nods answered me, along with, “Well not personally,” from Zhee. “But yes.”

I sighed and turned back to the screen. “It’s extremely normal on my planet. Just think of it as carrying the nest around internally. There are pros and cons to the whole thing, but yeah. At any rate, it sounds like she’s planning to join up with her mate at home, and raise their offspring together.”

The client looked fascinated. “Is there anything I should do? Or not do? I can make sure my crew is informed.”

“I understand it’s an uncomfortable process. Just be gentle, and encourage rest,” I said. “Oh, and have other crewmembers handle anything that involves bending over or moving heavy things.”

By the swift tentacle motions offscreen, he was typing notes.

Another thought occurred to me. “I don’t know how long until you reach her home, but if things take too long, you’d better hope your medical suite is up to overseeing a childbirth. They’re very painful, sometimes dangerous. And messy.”

He stopped typing, eyes wide. “I need to check with someone about changing our schedule. Thank you, goodbye!” The screen went blank.

I looked to the captain. “Were you done talking with him, I hope?”

She nodded. “Yes, business is concluded. Which is good, since I don’t fancy having to track him down because he forgot to pay us.”

“Yeah, me neither,” I said with a glance back at the screen. “I didn’t even get to tell him how loud human newborns are, or how often they cry. I doubt there’s a crib onboard.”

Zhee made a disparaging hiss and wandered off in a cloud of opinions about species without the good sense to hatch at a properly capable stage of development.

Wio snorted. “Judging by the speed they just took off at, I don’t think they’re going to need one.” She pointed a blue-ringed tentacle at a display that showed the other ship departing in an all-fired hurry.

I shook my head. “Best of luck to all involved!”

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

[flawdchaos]

Pinky Promises

Robert Rosenthal x Reader

Word Count - 1840

- this is a part 2/continuation of Spilled Drinks that was requested by anon.

Ever since the night Y/N had literally ran into Rosie at the bar she couldn’t seem to rid herself of a small smile, no matter what she did. When the girls made it back to their barracks that night, the ambushing of questions went on for well over an hour and even into the next morning.

“You have to talk to him again, Y/N. We both saw the way he looked at you when you were dancing.” Violet declared as she pinned her hair back under the white cap the Red Cross was gracious enough to bless them with. “You know Violet is right, Y/N. He’s already dreaming of a house back in the states and curly headed babies running around.”

“Hazel!” Y/N stopped midway through her dress buttons to lightly smack her friend on the arm, cheeks burning bright red. “I just met the man and for all we know, he doesn’t care and will never speak to me again.” Reaching down to grab her work satchel packed full of supplies.

“Well Y/N if that was the case I don’t believe Mr. Rosenthal would be waiting outside for you, would he?” Violet taunted, Y/N’s head snapping up to meet her friend's gaze. Violet stood peering out the window, fingers holding the blinds open enough to see outside. Hurriedly, Y/N rushed over the window trying her best to not trip over her own feet.

Sure enough there stood Robert Rosenthal - hands shoved in his pockets gaze searching the area around him.

“Go get him, tiger!” Hazel bent forward, laughing.

There truly was not much left in this world that could phase Y/N. She had seen it all in the cruel reality that was war. Men she had grown close to over the span of their visits to the nurses stations would come back battered and broken, some beyond repair - and despite all of what she saw, she was always able to ground herself. She had to. But now, she felt like a young school girl again. Her body was littered with anxiety - sweaty palms, shaking hands, and a racing heart. Why?

All because Robert Rosenthal was standing outside of the nursing barracks.

The squeaking of the barrack front door brought her back down to reality for a moment before the brightness of the sun had her quickly shielding her eyes.

“Rosie, is that you?” she more than obviously knew the answer but she still could not convince herself that it really was him.

“Uh, yeah”, he let out an awkward chuckle “I wanted to stop by this morning and see how things were going. Maybe walk you to the nurses station since I’m heading in that direction.” he was rambling. She stood, head cocked up to him, eyes squinting still from the sun. “I mean, unless, that makes you uh - uncomfortable.”

“I’d love the company. The commute can get a bit lonely.” that same small smile making its way back onto her face. Rosie extended his hand for Y/N to lead the way and with one quick glance back inside she saw her friends staring out at her, smiles plastered on each of their faces.

“What is on your itinerary, today?” Robert finally spoke up.

“The usual. Work until roughly 1900, probably later since there is a mission today and hope to make it back to the barracks in time to do some reading before I get up and do it all again tomorrow.” Y/N paused, kicking a few pebbles along the path before she continued. “How is the day looking for you?”

“Nothing too crazy but I am going up today.” he said nonchalantly, stopping Y/N in her place.

“You’re flying today?” she almost felt like throwing up. Maybe it was selfishness or chosen ignorance but Y/N had grown to hope the war wouldn’t need Robert anymore. She hoped she could protect him from it but all she could do was treat the wounds he would inevitably bring back to her.

“Yeah, debriefing starts at 0730. I’m heading over there once we get you where you need to be.” Her anxiety ridden mind could not help but imagine this was Rosie’s goodbye to her.

Y/N stepped forward to Rosie, grabbing his hands in hers as she looked up to maintain eye contact.

“I know I am just a nurse and you can’t tell me what you're doing up there or where you’re going but you have to pinky promise me you’ll be safe.” Dropping his left hand, she stuck her pinky out expectantly.

“Cross my heart.” he said, as their pinkies connected tightly.

As they continued along their walk, conversation came easily. The pair were still strangers by most accounts and each of them hated it. Y/N wanted to know everything there was to know about Robert Rosenthal and she had made it her plan to figure it out. Stopping outside the nurses station, Rosie removed his hat and began anxiously squeezing it in his hands.

“Be safe up there, fly boy.” Y/N teased, attempting to keep the mood as lightened as she could.

“As long as you do the same down here.” Y/N nodded.

“This mission will be my 20th. I’ve got a two day pass calling my name once my feet hit the ground. Let me treat you to a real introduction and dinner.” Rosie spoke quickly, nerves taking over the brunette.

“I would love that, Mr. Rosenthal.” rising on her tiptoes to plant a quick kiss against his cheek. “You know where I'll be when you get back.” With that, Y/N took a step back and hurried inside to her awaiting duties.

There wasn’t any other time that Y/N had remembered the clock dragging by so slowly. The seconds ticking by was beginning to drive her up the wall and she had to busy herself with random duties. It was while she was restocking the gauze that she heard the all too familiar rumble of the engines overhead. She couldn’t make it to the window to count the returning planes but she hoped, with all her being, every single one of them returned. Hazel’s blonde curls popped around the closet corner, an all too familiar sign that the once quiet med bay was about to pure, unadulterated chaos.

“We’ve got boys already headed our way.” Hazel spoke softly, as if she tried to lessen the blow.

“How bad?” Y/N asked but was only met with a small head shake from the blonde - it was never a good sign.

When Y/N finally saw Robert Rosenthal, he appeared in the med bay doors adorning some cuts and scrapes across his face.

“I told you I would make it back, pretty lady. My leave starts at 0700 sharp. Let’s go to London.”

It was pure luck that her days off coincided with Rosie’s rendezvous and that Helen and Violet were great at covering for their friend. The train ride was where Y/N finally got to the bottom of who Robert Rosenthal truly was. Shortly after taking their seats, Y/N couldn’t help but start to prod.

“Alright, tell me everything Mr. Rosenthal. Give me all the dirty details.”, her cheeks flushed bright red ,”uh- not like that i mean tell me - uh - tell me something no one else knows about you or something.” She could have thrown herself off of the moving train at that point but Rosie just flashed her a smile and started speaking.

“Robert Rosenthal, from Brooklyn, New York. I was working in law before all this mess. I loved it. Graduated top of my class actually. But after Pearl Harbor, I couldn’t keep sitting on my ass while my country needed me so - I enlisted.”

“No secret wife or kids back at home?” Y/N poked.

“No ma’am. It’s just me. And - uh - as far as something no one on this side of the world knows about me - I was the captain for my college’s baseball team. I was trying to be the next DiMaggio.” a small chuckle escaping him as he finished his sentence. “Now what about you?” he asked, softly bumping his shoulder up against the girls.

“Nothing too crazy for me. I always loved helping folks, I was told my whole life I was meant to be a nurse. Once we started fighting this fight I knew I had to volunteer - sorta like you I guess. I’m not dropping bombs or toting a gun but knowing I patch you all up before you get back in the saddle is enough for me.” she sighed, turning up to glance at Rosie.

“And no secret husband out at war or kids back at home?” Rosie mimicked her early question. Y/N snorted, shaking her head. “God no, Robert. Where I’m from I don’t turn heads.” He took a moment to look at her, maintaining eye contact before he took his large hand and grasped over hers before pulling them on to his lap.

“Well Y/N Y/L/N you turned mine - and maybe after we get all this nonsense settled with the bad guys, I can give you a tour of Brooklyn. I know just the place that I’d love to take you dancing.”

“I’m most certainly holding you to it but for now, let’s explore London.” raising her free hand to the platform approaching quickly.

“Yes ma’am. How would you feel about a picnic?”

“That sounds absolutely lovely.”

Rosie stood up as soon as the train hissed to a stop, busying himself with gathering the overnight bags each of them had packed. He stubbornly insisted on carrying both to the hotel around the corner. Y/N knew they would have to enter as colleagues and nothing more, separating as they went to their respective rooms to drop off their bags before meeting again in the hallway.

“Let’s go find sandwiches.” he spoke quietly and Y/N nodded, falling in line behind him as they walked past the lobby and out to the streets. For the first time Y/N really took in the size of the city around her and she couldn’t even help that her jaw was almost to the floor. The Germans had done their share of damage but it didn’t lessen the experience for her at all.

“What is it, Y/N?” Rosie questioned, taking a step towards her.

“I’ve never seen a city like this before. This is just - wow.” Rosie broke out into an ear-to-ear grin. “It is awesome but wait until I take you to Brooklyn. We’ll catch the train to New York City and I’ll make sure you take the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.”

“You promise?” Y/N broke from her trance to look up as Rosie smiled and turned to her fully, sticking out her left hand.

“I pinky promise.” he said, watching as Y/N connected their hands tightly. “You better believe it. I haven’t broken a promise yet.”

AUTHORS NOTE - hi friends, i hope everyone enjoyed this little part two to spilled drinks. there may be a part 3 to this little series if it’s wanted. please feel free to give me feedback or more requests as my inbox as open. i’m still new to this so i appreciate anything :)

[puma-riki]

No One Noticed...

Synopsis: You've never seemed to make friends well. Sure, you had people you knew and were well acquainted with, but no one ever seemed to get closer to you or want to. You think that no one notices you and you'll continue the rest of your college years alone like all the years before. Except Ni-ki notices just about everything you do.

Pairing: Nishimura Riki x Fem! Reader

Genre: Fluff, Humor (or attempts at), slight angst, smau + written parts, idiots to lovers, university au

Warnings: consistent cursing, kms/kys jokes [Subject to change every chapter]

Characters: Enhypen (all), Eunchae (lesserafim),Keeho, Soul, (P1Harmony)

Status: Ongoing (Start: 092124)

Taglist: bee-the-loser iaintseggsy channieismylove yangjungwonnie luluvhs nikiswifiee kingofthekards skepvids sammie217 sh0dor1 sirens-dreams starfallia polarisjisung minhosimthings @mochiwonz @jiiyen @strawberrieswithchocolateo3o @stvrriki | Comment on any chapter from No One Noticed... saying you want to be added to the taglist!! or send me an ask !! | bold could not be tagged :c

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Masterlist | Previous | Next

04. HAPPY WEDNESDAY GUYS‼️‼️ + written

Campus Library 1:54pm

Ni-ki checked his phone for what had to be the 100th time since he took his spot leaning against the wall next to the library stairs. He hadn’t misread your texts, had he? Were you late? Or worse—were you already inside waiting while he was stuck out here, making him look like the kind of guy who didn’t care enough about his grades to show up for a tutoring session he asked for? That thought didn’t sit well, even if it wasn’t possible. Ni-ki had shown up 30 minutes early, too anxious to risk being late.

He opened his phone again, kicking at the small pebbles scattered across the pavement, He was about to send an SOS text to his friends' group chat when he heard a voice

"Are you out here waiting for me?" oh god it was you, he almost broke his neck, turning towards you.

You shifted the worn bag hanging on your shoulder, arms crossed against the breeze carrying the first hints of autumn. Ni-ki locked his phone and shoved his hands into the pockets of his green bomber jacket.

"Uh, yeah." He stood up from against the wall and shuffled his feet awkwardly, "I wasn't sure which study room we were using so, I just thought I'd wait for you to show up" His voice was quiet, and he felt it. This was the first real conversation you two had ever had—and the first time you’d ever looked directly at him.

"Oh, really?" You pouted slightly, your brow furrowing in confusion. Cute, he thought. "I thought I texted you the number. My bad." You walked past him, gesturing toward the stairs. "I’ll make sure I tell you next time, okay?" You smiled softly, tilting your head toward the stairs, signaling for him to follow.

You had only shown up ten seconds ago, and already, Ni-ki's heart was pounding.

He cleared his throat. "Kay," he mumbled, falling into step behind you as you made your way inside the library.

His nerves stayed with him as he climbed the stairs, especially knowing he would soon have to admit he was completely lost in biology—something you excelled at. He didn’t want you to think he was stupid.

After venturing into the library and ascending another flight of stairs, you pulled a keycard from the back pocket of your jeans and tapped it against the door to one of the study rooms.

“This room is reserved for the tutoring program specifically,” you explained, holding the door open for him with a smile. "So, we'll meet here for future sessions too."

Ni-ki felt like he was stepping into a padded cell. He was going to be alone with you in this room for 2 hours, how was he supposed to keep his cool and actually pay attention to the material instead of admiring you. He felt his hands start to sweat in his pockets as he took a seat at the long table sitting horizontally in front of the door after mumbling a shy thanks to you for holding the door for him. He sat his backpack down on the chair next to him as you did the same in the seat across from him.

"So," here came the embarrassment, "What exactly are you struggling with in bio." You gave him a quick glance as you dug in your bag for a notebook and pen.

Ni-ki wiped his hands on his jeans. “Well,” he started, feeling the familiar weight of self-disappointment in his chest, “pretty much everything, honestly.” His voice was quiet, the words almost painful to admit.

"That's okay! Biology is one of the harder classes, plus our professor is kind of a hard ass so it looks harder than it actually is." Your reassurance made his shoulders relax a little, and he let out a breathy laugh, your playful tone helping to ease his tension. You couldn't help but find him a bit cute.

“And it’s still early in the semester,” you continued, smoothing out your notebook page. “I’ll help you catch up.” Your encouraging smile sent a warmth through him. He nodded, wishing he could find his voice.

"Do you have any past quizzes and tests with you?"

“Yeah.” He quickly fumbled through his bag, nerves and the weight of your gaze making his hands clumsy as he pulled out a stack of papers littered with red marks. He felt a pang of embarrassment as he handed them over, watching you flip through his messy work. Red ink stained nearly every page, a reminder of how lost he’d been. He watched as you flipped through them, analyzing where he went wrong and where he had managed to get something right.

“Okay,” you said, setting the papers aside. “We’ll start from chapter one and work through it together. I’ll explain things differently from the professor and see if that helps.” You were already jotting down diagrams and definitions without needing to reference anything, working from memory.

"Okay, cool" he mumbled, trying to not make it obvious that he was taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

You smiled at his shyness, finding it endearing, "Okay so," You finished writing and turned your notebook towards him. As you began explaining biology’s chemical basis, Ni-ki found himself slowly relaxing, nodding along as the confusion in his mind started to unravel. Maybe tutoring wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

Until you asked him a question.

Ni-kis mind went completely blank when his eyes met yours for the first time in the past hour. He felt heat creep up his neck and to his ears, luckily his hair had been long enough to cover it. he defeatedly admitted that he had no clue how to answer. his eyes downcast at the notebook and your hands instead of your face.

"That's okay! That's why I'm here to help you, you'll get better at it." The warmth in your voice surprised him. He was used to strict teachers, but you were different—gentler. he had partially expected you to be as uptight as some of his professors who would've grown impatient with his hesitation and wouldn't have responded so kindly.

You asked a few more questions throughout the session, and though he got most of the first ones wrong, you explained patiently each time, your soft smiles easing his nerves. When he did manage to get a few answers right, you brightened, praising him and diving deeper into the material. He felt his heart soar and warmth spread through his chest when you did so. With each moment, he felt himself relax, though he stayed shy, mumbling his responses and avoiding eye contact. You didn’t seem to mind, even though it was kind of hard to hear him, but you kept it professional and didn't say anything, not wanting him to feel more embarrassed.

"Okay, its 4:03. We can stop here." You say checking your watch. "Do you have any questions about anything from this chapter?" Your eyes meet his for a split second before he's averting his gaze from you and to a random corner in the room.

Ni-ki shook his head, "Not that I can think of,"

"Alright, then. Don't hate me for what I'm about to do" You tease, taking the notebook you both worked in for 2 hours and scribbling something down on a clean page.

Ni-ki raised an eyebrow, chuckling softly. "What are you doing?" He tilted his head to try and get a glimpse of what you were writing. after a minute you slide the notebook back towards him.

"Before Friday, try answering these questions so we can see if things are making more sense." You say, clicking your pen closed and putting it back into your bag. "You can keep the notebook, by the way."

"You're giving me homework?" He jokes, a pout forming on his lips, as he picks up the notebook and scans the questions you wrote down, there were only 5.

"I said don’t hate me!" you laughed. “Text me if you have any questions, okay?" you laughed lightly as you stood up and slung your satchel-like bag over your shoulder. You watched him nod, beginning to put the notebook in his bag with the rest of his stuff.

"Okay, I will, Thank you [name]" he gave you a friendly smile as you began pushing in your chair and made your way to the door.

"Of course, see you Friday Ni-ki!" you gave him a small wave and opened the door.

"See you Friday" he echoed after you. The door clicked shut and then you were gone, leaving him to sit with the fluttering in his chest.

[sunnycanvas]

and what about Baldwin and his wife having married (because of their parents and politics) as children, but not sharing a (first) kiss until he returned from his Great Victory at 16?

We were both young when I first saw you

I close my eyes and the flashback starts

Queen (Y/N) fondly looks at painting .She is old and gray now. She strokes the painting with tears running down her eyes. She smiles and closes her eyes when she remembers that fateful day

I'm standin' there

On a balcony in summer air

The little girl was bored out her mind. She was on the balcony of palace as she put her hand on her cheek. Just then the little girl heard giggles and looked down and saw bunch of boys mocking her. A boy bright blue eyes and blonde hair stood out the most,"Oo! Look at her face". The boys squished their face opposing her mocking her posture. The little girl hurt cried out "Wait, when I get down there" "I will show you how strong I am!" The boys loving her reaction say "Oo! The little girly wants to fight The little girl with tears in her eyes ran away crying

"What a shame, she left"

"Yeah, it was fun mocking her but unfortunately she left"

"Man, I am bored now" "What should be playing next"

"Oh, I know" said the boy with bright blue eyes and blonde hair. "How about we play a game where we pinch each other to find out who is the strongest". The boys scoffed and rolled their eyes annoyed "How boring"

"Yeah! Suggest something else". The boy with bright blue eyes and blonde hair smirks and says don't forget who is the prince. His friends grumbled and finally agreed. While they were playing the little girl came to them and said "See I came down just like I said I challenge you to play with me as well" . The boys let out mischievous smile and agreed to her request "Atleast we all can overpower her" "Yeah, she looks weak" while the boy with bright blue eyes and blonde hair smiled and muttured "Silly girl" Just as they expected the girl wasn't able to bear the pain. The prince feeling sorry for the girl decided to step in. "I shall protect her, anyone who wants to hurt her has to go through me first" his friends taking their opportunity pinched the prince but nothing happened. Unknown to them a man working under William of tyre observed everything and decided to inform him. The prince finally turned to look behind to see the girl but unfortunately she had already left.

"Baldwin, your teacher is calling you"

See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns

See you make your way through the crowd

And say, "Hello"

Little did I know

It was the prince's birthday. Her father and king greet each other. King Almaric I addressed his son and said "Baldwin, meet your betrothed"

"Me and her father decided that you will marry her".

The little girl shyly poked out her head behind her father. Her father chuckled and said "Please forgive my daughter for she is shy" "Introduce yourself dear" The girl shyly looked at the prince and said "My name is (Y/N)". The prince said "My name is Baldwin". Baldwin shyly came forward and said "Here are some flowers as an apology for yesterday" "Please forgive me, my teacher scolded me and said a true knight protects and honours the lady and doesn't hurt her". (Y/N) astonished by beautiful flowers said "That's alright, besides you protected me afterwards".

"Really, what happened" inquired (Y/N)'s father. (Y/N) smiled and said "We were pinching game with the prince protecting me afterwards, while fighting the other boys he felt no pain" . Baldwin IV beamed in reply not noticing how pale (Y/N)'s father became.

That you were Romeo, you were throwin' pebbles

And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"

"I can see why the king was desperate to get you betrothed". "I can't back away now since I already accepted it and it could be dangerous but stay away from him" "He is a leper and he will die soon and might get you infected as well". (Y/N) and her father heard sound of pebbles hitting the window. They both went out and saw the Prince Baldwin with few knights. Noticing her father one of the knight commanded "The prince has requested that his betrothed come down and play with him." (Y/N)'s father reluctantly let her go not before warning her about the prince's disease.

And I was cryin' on the staircase

Beggin' you, "Please don't go,

Baldwin IV approached his betrothed with no expression on his face. "I have been just informed about my diesease" "My father says this disease is god's vengeance against the saracens, if it's true I call it unfair" Baldwin IV chuckled as he said the last statement. He soon went into deep thought and you suddenly noticed how beautiful his bright blue eyes are, you unconsciously leaned forward but Baldwin IV closed your mouth with his hand. "I am aware now your father is upset about the engagement, I understand his sentiment and think it's best we annul it"

and I said

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story, baby,l just say, "Yes"

(Y/N) cried when she heard those words and Baldwin IV immediately regretted saying those words. (Y/N) cried and said"Please don't say that, I really want to marry you and don't worry about annulment" "Father says he can't do anything about it since it's already agreed upon" "We will soon marry each other" "You are the prince and I'll be the princess" "Please don't leave me" "Let's meet again secretly so that I can convince you" (Y/N) hiccuped since she cried so much. Baldwin IV wanted to wipe of her tears but retorted in last moment. He asked rather confused "You would purposely marry a leper and be known as leper's wife". (Y/N) in tears nodded her head signalling her acknowledgement. Baldwin IV smiled and said "Silly girl"

So I sneak out to the garden to see you

We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew

So close your eyes

Escape this town for a little while, oh oh

Late at night (Y/N) wears a hood as dark as night and sneakily goes out of her manor with the help of king's gaurd. "Baldwin" smiled the girl and went in for a hug but the prince signalled her to stop so with heartbroken expression she stopped. "My father is worried that your family with their influence of their power will break our engagement and get you to marry someone else" "Hence, they have asked me to assist you to come out of your manor and called a priest here to get you to marry me now". (Y/N) looked at her left and suddenly saw a priest looking at the prince with disapproved reaction. "My lord" said the priest. "You must know how important this marriage is for the betterment of the kingdom". However Baldwin IV paid no heed to priest's word and said "It's your choice, according to the law of church nobody can force you to marry against your will" "Not even the priest". (Y/N) with determined expression said "I will marry, for us and the kingdom" . The priest smiled and said "That's a smart girl". "I can see she will befitting queen our Kingdom needs". (Y/N) looked at prince Baldwin IV and asked "When will I get to touch you". Baldwin IV smiled at responce saying "When miracles will happen, then only I can trust god's plan for me and let me touch"

Romeo, save me, they're tryna tell me how to feel

This love is difficult, but it's real

Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

Oh, oh

Years growing up it had been difficult for (Y/N) and Baldwin IV. She came to be known as leper's wife. Baldwin IV although was kind and respectful to (Y/N) didn't allow her to get too close. Worried that she will get infected like him. As for her family and relatives, (Y/N) had been labelled as disgrace. Although they appeared kind to her in public especially when she became queen. She knew about their deep rooted hatred for her and how she had become subject to pity as well as mockery among people. (Y/N) didn't care as long as she had Baldwin IV as her husband. He had been kind and devoted to her that is until oneday......

I got tired of waiting

Wonderin' if you were ever comin' around

My faith in you was fading

When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

"Must you leave" (Y/N) said tears in her eyes. Baldwin IV looked at his wife sorrowfully and said "Honey, I don't want to leave you". "I don't want to leave you behind but this day was bound to come sooner or later". "You knew the day you married a leper". (Y/N) in tears aggressively held Baldwin IV shoulder and said "I never knew you would go to battlefield". Baldwin IV sighed and said "I have duty to my crown, God has entrusted me to protect my people as king" "I can't do that". (Y/N) hurriedly said "Let me come with you".

"No" retorated Baldwin IV. "You are currently a queen regent and you will protect the kingdom in my absence".

"Besides it's too dangerous for you"

(Y/N) sighed tiredly and said "Atleast promise me to come back alive".

"I promise" said Baldwin IV

Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone

I keep waiting for you, but you never come

Is this in my head? I don't know what to think

Queen (Y/N) waited day and night for her lord husband and took care of the kingdom as if they were her children. No news of her husband came and (Y/N) gradually got worried. Especially knowing that Baldwin IV army was much smaller compared to Salahuddin. (Y/N) prayed that her husband would come back alive and safe to stay by her side again. As days passed by, so did (Y/N) mental health. While she excelled in her work. No court gossip could hide the fact that the queen was in constant state of melancholy for the arrival of her husband.

And I said

You'll never have to be alone

I love you and that's all I really know

"Baldwin" exclaimed (Y/N) happily. There stood her husband bloodied but alive with no serious injury in front of her. (Y/N) rushed forward for a hug but stopped last moment "S-sorry you wouldn't like that" instead she was shocked with what happened next. Baldwin IV kissed her properly on her lips. Baldwin IV tongue completely dominated (Y/N) tongue. Baldwin IV still unsatisfied angled his head to kiss his beloved deeper. (Y/N) soon had difficultly in breathing and gasped her shoulder tightly."Silly girl, going for a hug". "God has finally shown me favour" "We won battle of Montingsard" . "Now" Baldwin IV voice lowered dangerously and her checked out his wife and said looking at her for top to bottom. "I can do everything I want". "Come my love let me worship you on bed".

'Cause we were both young when I first saw you

(Y/N) smiled as she remembered that day and touched the painting which depicted romanticised picture of king and queen meeting after Battle of Montingsard. (Y/N) yawned and went to sleep clutching the painting.

"My love". The king old and tired said, He foundly looked at his wife and said "You are so beautiful". Suddenly he realised that his wife had been clutching the painting". "Silly girl, missing me again". The king kissed (Y/N) forehead and went to sleep beside her.

Romeo and Juliet by Taylor Swift

[rw-ascension-au]

Information.

next

Greetings, Invenot. I come bearing important information.

Have you found the Artificer or something?

You have guessed correctly. I do have a question, though. What happened to her to cause this karma affliction?

It'd be better to ask her yourself.

Another question, if you don't mind - could the 'rot' Hunter speaks of return at any point?

Sorry, Saint. I don't know. Missions are usually too short for it to come back, so even if it will affect her again, I have no idea.

I take it this is the longest mission you've given them, and by extension, me included?

Yeah. They wanted to go on a big adventure or something. I enjoy seeing them happy.

Very well then. Take care.

Bye!

----

(continued under the cut, this is rather long)

Hunter, are you comfortable with answering a few questions about the rot?

Uh, yeah, go ahead.

How long did it take for the rot to develop?

Well, I don't have a clear starting point, but not very long. Why?

I am simply... collecting information. How long do missions usually last?

... Saint. Are you implying something?

Until I have enough information, no.

I've already ascended. I won't rot again.

You seemed upset upon being asked by that weird overseer.

If I start rotting, you can just ascend me.

Invenot said that they removed the ability for whatever reason. My only hypothesis is that they want us to increase the Artificer's karma ourselves.

...

---

Go bug someone else with your questions.

Before I can do that, we most likely should find shelter. Where are the others?

Hunting.

We can meet them in the den. They will understand what to do.

You can go. You're, uh... annoying me.

If that is your wish.

---

Rivulet? Gourmand? What brings you here, before the others?

Riv thought it'd be a good idea to try and do that spinny-spear thing Spearmaster does.

I almost succeeded! Plus, I have a cool bandage thing now! I look tough, right?

It is not up to me to define it. Though I would say that you have been through your own hardships and still retain a high level of optimism that only colony slugpups would carry. That is an impressive feat.

...oh. Cool. Is that yes or no?

It depends on your personal definition. Anyway, if you're both here, I would like to ask something.

Go on.

Do any of you have experience interacting with rot?

Oh! I do! I had to get a rarefaction cell from a rotting iterator! Five Pebbles!

Do you believe hunter could re-gain the rot during our mission?

...

...

I was the medic for my colony. I wasn't trained in dealing with rot, though. That's a specialised kind of medic, whereas I was more trained for helping with general stuff.

Would Hunter be able to endure a journey to a colony, whilst rotting?

I don't know. Plus, rot is never cured, really. Mostly just... delayed.

That might be able to buy us enough time to get to the Void Sea.

The rot might not even happen.

That is our hope, yes.

---

[survivor] We're back!

Where is Hunter?

[survivor] She said she wanted some time to reflect on something.

[monk] Artificer, can I get down now?

Ah, yes, Artificer. May I ask what happened to your karma?

I don't know. Probably something to do with the explosion thing. Or the scavengers. I don't really care.

You need to care in order to ascend.

Why would I want to do so?

You have achieved all you have wanted to, correct?

...mostly.

What is your final goal?

Either to kill every last scavenger or to see those two again.

Which 'two' do you speak of?

My... my pups.

That explains a lot regarding the way you seem to have adopted Monk.

[survivor] and me, kind of.

We should start eating.

And what about Hunter?

I was gonna save some for her.

Do you have fruit of some kind?

I do! I carry some blue fruit in my bag.

I accept the fruit with gratitude, Gourmand.

---

It can't come back.

Right?

[polyphonical]

Let’s! Kirakira Adventure☆ Translation

I might make a lyric video to go along with it!

Niki, Nazuna, Yuuta, Subaru, Mitsuru

Waaah!

Sparkling!

Exciting!

Heart racing!

Searching for

A great adventure

(Uh, Yaaay!)

“From day til night we’re” (Buzz Buzz) 

“On the Japanese Islands,” (Zoom Zoom)

“From the top to the bottom we’re” (Hop Hop)

“Looking for something sparkly!” (Let’s GO!!)

“It’s like an instinct” (Buzz Buzz)

“To be as honest as can be” (Zoom Zoom)

“Our excitement’s through the roof” (Hop Hop)

“We have to go, right?” (Let’s GO!!)

I can barely keep my eyes open, looking bleary

Huh? Wait, it’s Sunday, isn’t it?

Then that means… we can go back to sleep…

Hey, come on…

Thanks to the clear skies, today could be an adventure day right?

To look for our sparkles.

“What’s up?”

“We’re waking up?”

“Yeah!”

“What adventure are we looking for?”

“I want a delicious looking breakfast!”

“Something spicy and tingly for me”

“Sparking!”

“I wanna dash around and find bread to eat!”

“So some kind of special buffet then?”

(Yaay! Let’s do it!)

“Smile smile”

“Smile smile!”

It’s a sign for the most perfect smiles

(Right!)

“Thanks for the meal! Let’s head out”

We’re departing now

“Let’s goo!”

That fresh morning air

The kind that makes you feel full as soon as you breathe in

“It’s the best ☆”

Hmm, you all have sparkling energy already

Activating mine too

Subaru & Mitsuru: Let’s hum

Yuuta & Niki & Nazuna: Some energetic music

Today’s theme song has us feeling like this

“Ah ah”

“Mic test”

“Yo, check it out”

Subaru & Yuuta: “Everyone, let’s go!”

Yaay! This whole world’s a stage for your heart to dance!

Come join us and play together (Uh, yaay!)

Subaru & Nazuna: The sun’s bright and colorful

Yuuta & Niki & Mitsuru: The sun is

Subaru & Nazuna: Like a spotlight

Yuuta & Niki & Mitsuru: A spotlight

Subaru & Nazuna: Like a dazzling smile

Yuuta & Niki & Mitsuru: Right!

I wanna show more to you

Cheers! Everyone’s sparkles are matching up, yay!

That expression is 100x better, peace!

(Peace!)

You all are one of us now, so 

C’mon, c’mon

Everyone, let’s adventure!

“Take a turn, take a turn”（1・2・3）

What might be a pebble to some could be

“A diamond!”

“Lucky!”

Show me, show me, something that’s like “you”

You’re keeping it a secret? It’s not something to be ashamed of

Because you are

“Sparkling ☆”

“Exactly!”

(A lotta)

“Adventures”

“Adventures”

“Adventures are a part of a life”

(Full of)

“Fulfillment”

“Charging your sparkles is fulfilling"

(Yaaay! Then!)

“Smile smile~”

“Smile smile~”

Subaru & Niki: “Go ahead and”

“Give us one more smile~”

“Hold it steady for the most perfect photoshoot chance”

And, cheese!

“Choriisu!”

There’s a gentle breeze in the afternoon

Around 3 PM is snack time

“Thanks for waiting ♪”

We’re laying down in the grass side by side

Just chatting idly 

Yuuta & Niki: If we were in a song

Subaru & Nazuna & Mitsuru: This would be that part in the pre-chorus

Where the insistent chatter pops in

“Ah ah”

“Is that feedback?”

“No, we're harmonizing!”

Niki & Mitsuru: Let's harmonize with everyone else too, let’s go!

Yaaay! My heart’s on a great adventure on this world of a stage!

Let’s all have the most fun together and play (Uh, yaaay!)

Yuuta & Niki: There’s still more to do

Subaru & Nazuna & Mitsuru: Like napping

Yuuta & Niki: And looking for treasure

Subaru & Nazuna & Mitsuru: Treasure

Yuuta & Niki: We have to meet to do so

Subaru & Nazuna & Mitsuru: So

Let’s meet up

Cheers! Your personality is filled with smiles and cheers!

Let’s refine our peace (Peace!)

If you’re having fun, then I’m glad

Let’s continue (Continue)

‘Cuz life’s an adventure

“I feel like I’m doing a lotta ad libbing today”

Our synergy is always off the charts

“How’re you like usually?”

“The cautious type?”

“I don’t think so, but maaaybe?”

There’s a lot of things you might not know about yourself

“I get it”

“Yeah, I get it too”

“There’s still new things to discover”

I like these kinds of colors too, don’t you?

“It seems like there’s still some things to discover about myself”

What do you think?

Walking back home feels lonely

I’m looking forward to having fun again tomorrow

Let’s make today fun so we think like that later

‘Cuz this adventure song will never stop

“Ah ah”

“Check check”

“I can hear you”

“I can too”

“Let’s go again!”

“Again?”

“Okaaay”

“Everyone ready?”

Niki & Nazuna: “Yeah let’s go!”

Yaaay! This whole world’s a stage for your heart to dance!

Come join us and play together (Uh, yaay!)

Subaru & Mitsuru: The sun’s like a smile

Yuuta & Niki & Nazuna: The sun is

Subaru & Mitsuru: Like a spotlight

Yuuta & Niki & Nazuna: From now on

Subaru & Mitsuru: While your wearing a shining expression

Yuuta & Niki & Nazuna: Right!

I wanna show even more to you

Cheers! Everyone loves to sparkle yaaay!

With a really nice face, peace (Peace!)

Having fun with you is the best

Let’s continue (Let’s continue)

On this adventure of life! (Uh, yaaay!)

“From day til night we’re” (Buzz Buzz) 

“On the Japanese Islands,”(Zoom Zoom)

“From the top to the bottom we’re” (Hop Hop)

“Looking for something sparkly!” (Let’s GO!!)

“It’s like an instinct” (Buzz Buzz)

“To be as honest as can be”(Zoom Zoom)

“Our excitement’s through the roof” (Hop Hop)

“We have to go, right?” (Let’s GO!!)

Sparkling adventure ☆

(Yaaay!)

[oxymorayuri]

𝐶𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝟷𝟶

𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 »

𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑔𝑎𝑟 𝐷. 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

𝐿𝑎𝑤 ✘ ♀ 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

Story: The princess of Tanata

(Long Fic)

➽ Click on this link to see all chapters.

Spoiler: none

Warnings: none

slowburn with plot

Wordcount: 2214

Text in italics emphasizes the reader’s thoughts

Bold and italic text emphasizes Law's thoughts *~*

Tagging: @slytherinambitious - @sassyyassi - @norasincubi - @cottoncandyloverrrr

You suddenly wake up in the middle of the night.

Tired, you gently rub your eyes and look over to your window. Someone is throwing little pebbles at your window and that could only be one… You suddenly realize.

Oh no, Thalia!

You quickly get up and rush to the window. The moon lights up the yard and you see her waving to you. She waves you over, she wants you to come out. Fortunately, she doesn't look angry. Because of all the things that happened today, you forgot that you wanted to meet her. You grab a cloak and step out onto your balcony.

"Hey y/n!" She whispers, but a little louder. It's quiet in the garden, the night doesn't seem young anymore. The whole palace should be deep asleep but night time animals are bustling around. And Thalia seems to be one too.

You climb over the balustrade and jump down to her. Just before you fully reach the ground, you leap into her arms.

"I reaaaaally wanted to meet you today, Thalia... but Grandpa gave me an important assignment… and then I somehow forgot…" You give her a gentle hug. Thalia pats you gently on the back, her voice very soft.

"I know dummy, Ambrosios told me everything." She leans back and grins mischievously into your face.

"That's exactly why I'm here! Come on, tell me EVERYTHING!" She urges you as you stroll through the palace gardens.

" Gosh Thalia, what time is it anyway? Couldn't it have waited until tomorrow? We could have had breakfast." You sulk in a tired voice.

"NO!"

"You're killing me, girl." You sigh in frustration and then smile at her. You're already out anyway. So whatever…

She just shrugs her shoulders as you stroll through the night. You tell her everything and she eagerly hangs on your lips.

"…And they're all really nice. You should have seen how much Captain Luffy can stuff into himself. THAT was crazy!" You put your hands to your head, emphasizing your last sentence even more.

"The fact that they're pirates is kind of hard to understand." You say a little confused and look at a field of flowers. Thalia doesn't miss the sudden change in your voice.

"But that arrogant blackhaired introduced himself as a pirate, didn't he?" She crosses her arms, a little offended. You can't suppress a laugh and burst out laughing.

Law? The arrogant blackhaired? She doesn't seem to be a fan of Law. You wipe a small tear from the corner of your eye.

"Yeah, that's true, but these people aren't like those people from back then." Your voice becomes more meaningful again. The blonde looks over at you with a worried expression. She can't forget the pictures from back then either.

The brutality. The screaming of the people. The hopelessness.

The first time you felt fear. Fear of losing your life. Everyone has lost a lot.

You are aware that you should be more careful, but this time it's different and you believe that not everyone is bad.

Back then, they were evil to the core and you could feel it right away. Unconsciously, you clench your fists and Thalia grabs your hand, which makes you relax again.

Hand in hand, you walk around.

Sunrays flicker across your eyes and you wake up a little grouchily. You turn over lazily and look at your friend as she lies comfortably snuggled up, next to you in bed.

You had decided to continue gossiping in your room and at some point you fell asleep… Actually, Thalia was the first to fall asleep, she always falls asleep quickly. You didn't had the heart to wake her up and just let her sleep.

Well, now we can have breakfast together after all.

You carefully get out of bed to avoid waking her up and get changed. You're still in your clothes from yesterday and haven't even managed to put on pyjamas.

Before you disappear into the bathroom, you arrange a pile of clothes for Thalia. It's a bit strange, but when you were kids you used to dress up and play princess at your place. That was obvious… and over time you actually enjoyed dressing up Thalia.

She's like a fine doll. She's definitely one of the most beautiful women on Tanata, but she's very modest in physique. Fine curves and a small chest.

You stop briefly in front of your mirror and look at yourself. Pants clearly highlight your curves and you actually love the sight of them, too bad you're about to change into a dress but you're a princess … and that's what you do… as eeeeveryone says. Ugh.

Steaming, you step out of the bathroom, where a now awake Thalia awaits you.

"Good morning sleepyhead." You grin at her as you rub your hair dry. Yawning, she lets herself fall back into your bed and stretches out.

"Come on blondie, off to the shower and then we'll have breakfast!" you command as you throw your towel over her face.

"Breakfast with who?" She asks you excitedly.

"Hmmmm, you know what? You may choose!" You grin smugly.

"Hehe okay, well you know my answer!" She hops out of bed, grabs the clothes and disappears into the bathroom.

With Thailia by your side, you walk quietly out of your room. You sneak carefully through the long corridors as you see a maid cleaning the dust in front of you.

"Heyyy Agaaata…" You say charmingly as you step closer to her. She shrinks back a little and raises an eyebrow.

"What do you need princess?" She knows that look from you and crosses her arms.

"I'd like to have breakfast with Thalia in my room… but you don't have to bring breakfast to my room… okaaay?" - "Ah hell no, please ask someone else princess but keep me out of this." - "Awww come on!"

"I can already guess that you want to have breakfast with the pirates, but you know how important shared meals are for the king!" - "I'll do it anyway." you say, as if making a silent threat, while looking at your nails.

The servant rolls her eyes.

"Ugh. Fine, but you should at least think of something better! When the king hears that Thalia is here, he'll insist that you have breakfast together anyway…"

She's probably right, luckily only Agata has seen Thalia so far and no one else.

She sighs at you and goes back to dusting the furniture.

"I'll tell the king that you're exhausted and want to sleep… That you didn't come up with the idea yourselves… Jeez, princess. Always with your head in the clouds…" She shakes her head.

You hug the moody woman and thank her a thousand times.

"I owe you one!" - "Then bake me something really delicious!" Her cheeks turn a soft pink. Yep, you bake and you do it better than any pastry chef on Tanata!

A delicious scent spreads through Hera's palace and you follow it to its origin. It is Sanji as he elegantly runs the kitchen and creates one delicious dish after another.

"Ahh Sanji, that smells delicious! Aren't our cooks preparing your food?" With his cigarette in his mouth, he glances sideways at you.

"Good morning princess. I'm cooking for the pack from today. You've already done so much for us and besides, I'm the Strawhats cook.“ He casually swings the ingredients in the pan.

" Can we join you for breakfast?" Thalia pushes you aside.

"I would never refuse a woman's request, especially if it's food!" He says in a flirty tone. Thailia giggles at him with flushed cheeks.

Ohoo Thalia…..!

Together with the pirates, you had a very entertaining breakfast. You sat with Thalia together with Nami and Robin and talked about women's stuff.

Nami really wanted to know a few boutiques and go shopping. Thalia was definitely the right address for her because she was a real fashion icon.

You listen to them with interest as it gets a little louder on the other side of the table. With your chin in your hand, your gaze travels over. A couple of Law's crew members are chatting lively and laughing.

You smile to yourself and lean back to eat the delicious pancakes Sanji made you. They are so fluffy that they give you butterflies in your stomach and Sanji definitely seems to be a gentleman. Before your cup is empty he pours you another cup of tea.

Pleased, you bring the cup to your mouth, taking in the aroma of the slightly floral and refreshing black tea.

You enjoy the almost chaotic atmosphere around you. As you look up from your cup, Law catches your eye. He is talking to Bepo and a woman. I heard a few others say her name, it's Ikkaku.

Ikkaku notices your gaze on her and blushes slightly. You didn't mean to stare at her like that and her blushing causes you to blush as well. You hastily put your cup down and dab your mouth.

Agata suddenly appears in the dining room. Completely out of breath, she puts a hand on her hip.

"Princess. You must go to the palace, right now!" Silence fills the room.

"Delia has given birth!" And you quickly rise from your seat.

"No way!!!" You smile.

"Thalia, I have to go now! I'll leave you here for a moment, is that okay?" - " "No problem y/n, I'll be fine here." She laughs as Sanji serves her a dessert.

That looks delicious!

A little sad, that you don't have time for dessert, you turn to Agata and go with her to the royal palace.

"It's a girl." Delia smiles weakly at you.

You walk over to her and gently pat her shoulder as she holds the little miracle in her arms.

Your uncle sits next to her and cries like crazy. It's pouring out of his eyes like waterfalls, but he pulls himself together to keep his voice down.

Delia hands Zelos their baby and quite enchanted, the father looks into his daughter's face for the first time.

"Oh my little Megara, you are already just perfect." You can no longer hold back your tears and hastily wipe them from the corner of your eyes.

The door opens and Grandfather enters the room. He quietly closes the door behind him and steps to your side.

"Hey, how are you doing?" His voice all caring.

"It's a girl." Says Delia.

"A girl? Hah, I knew it. Zelos you were just so obsessed with it being a boy, that it became a girl!" He hums a soft laugh.

Zelos doesn't really listen to him. He is floating on cloud seven.

"She's going to be queen. Just like your sister." Grandfather says with a broad smile.

Zelos looks up at him, his face briefly tormented by a bittersweet expression.

"And how she will be." He answers proudly.

"All right. I think we should celebrate. I'll have a magnificent feast prepared for the birth of our beloved Megara." The king announces.

"Let's have the whole city celebrate!"

You leave the room together and give the new parents some time to themselves.

You're already looking forward to the party and a question arises.

"Grandfather? Would it be okay if we let my guests join the party? They've been through quite a lot and it would be a great distraction, wouldn't it?" You look up at him innocently. He pats your head with his huge hand.

"You're too kind y/n. You don't know them, don't be so naive." - "Hmph I'm not naive, that's my seventh sense I'm trusting here!" - "Hahahahaha." the king's laughter roars through the halls.

"Tell me my child. If your intuition is deceiving you, what are you doing?" he looks at you seriously. You search for a suitable answer in the distance.

"No, it won't." You smile at him. Your grandfather bursts out laughing again.

"Sometimes I wonder if you've awakened the ability to see into the future without telling me, but then I think you're just as foolish as your mother." He pretends to be sulking and pats your shoulder.

"Invite them. Maybe I'm just too grumpy and need to get to know them better." You jump up and down happily and thank your grandfather.

With a big grin, you enter the fireplace room where a few crew members have gathered. Thalia is chatting lively with a bunch of different people. She's such a social butterfly, as always.

"Hey, listen up!" All eyes are on you.

"We're going to have a big celebration to welcome my first cousin. The whole town is invited and you can join us if you want!"

"Will there be alcohol?" asks Zoro.

"A LOT! And pleeeeeenty of food!" A joyful muttering spreads through the room.

This is going to be fun!

See you next time, kiss kiss ♡

➽ Next chapter

[taylortots-world]

On The Clock (PT 2)

warnings: smut (18+), MDNI, handjobs, oral (m receiving), sexy times in baby, sam x f!reader

A/N: After a long wait, PT 2 is FINALLY OUT! I’m super excited for yall to read this. I apologize for not having posted anything new for a while. I have so many ideas and zero motivation. Anyways, enjoy! Feel free to check out part one.

It was a rather gloomy day is Sioux Falls. Y/N and Sam had just finished up a brief visit with Donna. The pair was getting some more info on a series of cough ‘animal attacks’. Throats ripped out and all. At first, it seemed like a simple vampire issue. But after some further research, Sam had come to the conclusion it wasn’t that simple. Nothing was ever that simple for hunters, especially the Winchesters.

Sam rested his fist against his temple, using his free hand to hold open a lore book. His foot occasionally tapping against the Impala’s floor. He was frustrated. He took up this case thinking it’d be a quickie. A filler case if you will. Y/N sat opposite of him in the passenger seat. A lore book laid open in her lap. She kept occasionally glancing over at Sam, practically feeling the frustration seeping out of him. A frustrated Sam Winchester was a rather rare sight. Y/N fought with herself internally as her eyes lingered on him. She debated on speaking up, to break the painful silence.

“Why don’t we take a break? We’ve been at this long enough.” Sam flipped the book in his lap shut, exhaling with a loud sigh. “Yeah, please. I just can’t seem to piece this together and it’s driving me crazy.” He ran a hand through his silken hair, glancing over to meet Y/N’s stare. This case had really taken a toll on all of them, but especially Sam. The gears witching Y/N’s pretty head began to turn. A sinister smirk ghosting her lips. She had an idea. A terrible one. Well, not terrible . It could just potentially blow up in her face and Sam would never speak to her again- but it was worth a try. Y/N slowly slid across the front bench seat of Baby. Sam gave her a strange look, his eyes searching her face. His stomach tightened as she licked her lips before speaking. The same lips that had once been on his very own. The lips he’d imagine wrapped around his cock at night.

“Look,” She started, speaking softly “I know this case has us all stumped, you especially. You’ve been sleeping less and barely eating- trying to get the ball rolling.” His expression softened. He never realized people could see right through him like that. He never realized she could. Her face slightly heated as they continued to stare at each other, saying nothing. “Let me help you relax.” She whispered, leaning forward to kiss his jawline. His stubble tickling her plush lips. His eyes fluttered shut as she began to kiss her way down his neck, gently pulling the collar of his flannel aside. Y/N smirked against his flesh, feeling a familiar warmth grow in her lower half.

The car felt as if it had become a hundred degrees warmer. Sam placed a bent finger under her chin, gently tipping her head up. He met her half way and captured her lips with his own. The first few kisses were sweet, until they weren’t. He had slightly turned, gaining better access to her lips. His hands rested on either side of her head. Without breaking the kiss, Y/N slid a hand down his torso- stopping at the buckle of his belt. Her eyes flicked open, waiting for him to give her the green light. Not saying anything, he dipped his head down to kiss her neck. A soft moan rolled off her lips as he gently kissed and sucked on the flesh of her neck. Her hands fumbled with his belt , his cock already straining against his jeans. His hand slid up her side, pausing to massage her breast. His fingers toying with her pebbled nipple over her shirt. A breath slightly hitched in her throat. Getting intimate with Sam Winchester had two possible turnouts. One, he’d make love to you all night long. Orgasm after orgasm. Or two, he could fuck you until the only thing that could leave your mouth was his name.

Y/N gently gripped his wrist, pulling away from the kiss. “As much as I enjoyed that- this is about you. I want you to relax, okay? So just sit back and let me do all the work. Please.” His cock fucking twitched. She didn’t even have to touch him and he could be a mess. He could come from just her words alone. “Alright.” He gave her a small smile before leaning back in to kiss her. Y/N busied her hands, quickly sliding his cock past the waistband of his boxers. He lifted his butt off of the leather seat, sliding his bottoms down. Dean would kill them both if there was an ass print or a mess left behind in his baby. Her mouth and pussy watered at the sight of his cock. It was rather large, with some definite girth to it. His tip was red and angry, already leaking pre come. Y/N adjusted herself. She was now lying on her stomach across the front seat, with her head perfectly positioned over Sam’s lap. Her hand came up to rest at the base of his shaft as she slowly slid his cock into her mouth. Sam cursed under his breath, gently holding her hair back. She slightly bobbed her head, using her hand to pump whatever didn’t fit in her mouth. His cock was rock hard in her mouth. Her tongue occasionally swiping over his tip, causing him to shiver. If she kept this up- he wasn’t going to last long. She pulled her mouth off of his cock with an audible ‘pop’. Her hand still pumping his cock at a moderate pace. “Perfect fucking dick..” She mumbled, tilting her head back to gaze up at him. He was practically melting into the leather seats. His hair fallen slightly in his face, his brows furrowed with pleasure. “Please,” He practically begged “ Your mouth feels fucking amazing. Don’t stop.” A smirk played on her lips momentarily before she lowered her lips to his cock once more. This time, she fully took him in her mouth. His tip occasionally tickling the back of her throat. Sam let his head fall back, a moan slipping past his lips wantonly. “Fuck yeah..” He mumbled under his breath, only fuelling her desire even more. Her head began to move faster. “I’m gonna come.” He announced, snapping his head back forward to watch her take his cock. His breathing grew heavy, which then turned into moans. He moaned loudly as he spurted his come down the back of her throat. She swallowed it, looking up at him with a smile on her face.

The pair had sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes as Sam tried to recover from his orgasm. “That was incredible, but-“ “Don’t tell Dean we fooled around in Baby.” Y/N interjected. “I know. After all, this isn’t our first rodeo.” She winked, causing him to shake his head. A shit eating grin was plastered across his face as they drove back to the bunker.

[jinkoh]

winning

haknyeon x fem!reader

summary: haknyeon is a good friend, so of course he wants eric to listen to his heart and be happy. that's the only reason he tells him not to get back together with you—or is it?

tags: friends (?) to ?, suggestive, hooking up, (light) manipulation, alcohol consumption, rich kid au, unrequited love, non-linear story telling

wc: 2.5k

a/n: you could consider this a gossip girl au--iykyk lol anway this is kind of a mess but i had to get it out of my system so here we are

Masterlist

Haknyeon watched you with hawk eyes as you came through the door of the hotel bar, your steps sharp and your make-up just the tiniest bit smudged. His instincts told him something must have happened with Eric—or maybe it was the fact that he remembered you were supposed to be having a very special date with him tonight, planning to take things a step further. You pulled up the stool next to him to sit down and immediately looked for the bartender, who seemed busy chatting with some girls at the other end of the counter.

“What brings you here?” Haknyeon asked, propping up his chin on the palm of his hand, “Weren’t you supposed to spend the night elsewhere?”

“Shut up, Hak,” you scoffed, still trying to get the bartender’s attention.

“Don’t be like that, sunshine,” he said with a smile, pushing his drink in your direction. “Tell me what happened, I’ll lend you an ear.” 

You didn’t hesitate to take the glass and down it in one go. “As if I still need to tell you. I’m sure Eric told you he was going to dump me, and you watched me run into this disaster of a night, probably laughing behind my back that I thought I could save this relationship if I—,” you interrupted yourself before putting the words out there, opting to wave for the bartender instead, who finally noticed you and moved to refill your—Haknyeon’s—glass. Meanwhile Haknyeon was just staring at you in disbelief.

“He dumped you?” He felt genuinely surprised. He did know that Eric had been acting a little weird these days, but he never thought he would actually consider breaking up with you, not when Eric’s family was so keen on your relationship.

“Don’t even pretend to care.”

You tried so hard to look composed, your pride keeping you from breaking down, but Haknyeon saw the way your hands trembled when you lifted the refilled glass to your lips.

“But I do,” he whispered, “I do care.”

Haknyeon’s mind was stuck elsewhere, cold and empty bed sheets mainly, so he was barely able to pay attention to what his friend was saying—at least until your name suddenly got mentioned.

“I think I’ll get back together with y/n.” Eric said it so casually, as if that weren’t the worst news Haknyeon had ever heard. He stopped in his tracks, feet rooted to the park’s pebbled path. 

“What?”

“Maybe the break up was kinda rash.”

“Was it really? You said it was for the best when you broke up with her. Why suddenly change your mind? Realized you love her after all?”

Eric bit his lower lip. “It’s not that,” he mumbled. “It's just—it's really important to my family that I stay with her. They even brought up Grandma's engagement ring.”

“The ring, huh?” Haknyeon tried to play it cool, huffing a weak laugh, “It’s that serious?”

“They need that deal with her mom and she might not invest because of the break up…” 

Haknyeon could tell from the way his shoulders slumped that Eric wasn’t happy about this. He didn’t want to get back together with you, he didn’t want to toy with your feelings like that, but he didn’t want to disappoint his family either.

“Still,” Haknyeon looked at his friend with concern, “Shouldn’t you listen to your heart on this? Think it through before you do anything. Don’t be a pushover, don’t make yourself miserable.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Eric kicked a pebble with his foot, “But I’ve already texted her to meet up tonight. Talk things through, you know?

“You—what?”

He shrugged and it looked truly pitiful. “They really put pressure on me, you know?”

Haknyeon sighed, running his hand through his hair. He’d been convinced things between the two of you were over, for good. “But you don’t love her,” he reasoned. 

 “I’m sure I could, if I just try hard enough.”

“It's not about trying, Eric. And even then, are you sure you can make her love you?"

“What do you mean?” Eric looked genuinely confused at his words, perhaps even hurt. “She loves me—she said she did?”

“You broke up with her. She moved on.”

“How do you know?” There was a frown etched onto his features.

Haknyeon pressed his lips together, a show of how painful it was to be the harbinger of bad news to his good friend. “I didn't want to tell you, but she hooked up with someone else after your break up.”

“Who is it? And who told you that?”

“Does it matter? She doesn’t want you anymore, Eric."

It was a lie. You would always want him, Haknyeon knew that very well. He just wished it was different.

Haknyeon hadn’t met with you since the night of your break up with Eric, but god, how he’d longed to see you again. You looked pretty, all dolled up, and Haknyeon hated that it wasn’t for him.

“What’s up, sunshine?” He put on a smile, sitting down next to you at the very same counter where you’d shared drinks just a week ago.

“What do you want, Hak?”

“Is that any way to greet a friend?” With a small wave of his hand the bartender poured him a drink and sat it down in front of him.

“Whatever, just don’t get too comfortable. I’m waiting for someone.”

“Eric?” He took a sip of his drink, “are you sure he’ll come?”

“He’s just running late,” you insisted, nursing your own glass, but Haknyeon could see the insecurity in your eyes.

“Wanna bet, if you’re so confident?”

“Sure, bring it on.”

A smile spread on Haknyeon’s lips. “Alright. If you win, I’ll owe you a favor.”

“Anything goes?”

“Anything.”

“And if I lose?”

“You’ll be mine.” He held out his hand, “Deal?”

You frowned. “What kind of bet is that?”

“Where did your confidence go? There is nothing to worry about, unless of course, you don’t think he’ll show up after all?” Haknyeon knew you were too prideful to back down from the challenge, and you proved him right when you took his hand.

“Fine. Deal. But now leave, he'll come any second and I don't want you to be here."

"As you wish." He took his glass and sat down in one of the corner booths instead, with a good view of the door. He knew Eric wouldn’t come, he knew, and yet there was still this underlying fear that his friend would come waltzing in here, as if today's conversation had never happened. Maybe Haknyeon hadn’t been able to convince him, maybe he'd changed his mind, maybe he'd realized in the face of losing you that he was in love with you after all—there were too many variables for Haknyeon to feel truly calm. Not that he would ever let it show, though. No, Haknyeon nursed his drink with class and confidence, indulging whoever came to start a conversation with him and pretending not to grow more nervous with every second. That was, until you appeared at the booth, not meeting his gaze when you laid your phone onto the table in front of him.

“Let’s just go,” you said, already strutting towards the elevator.

Haknyeon’s eyes dropped to your phone screen, Eric’s chat open for him to see with the newest message being mere minutes old.

i’m sorry, y/n.

He pressed his lips together. Of course, he’d known it would be like this, hoped for it too, but he still felt sorry for you. You didn’t deserve this, but neither did you deserve to stay in a relationship that was only held up out of a sense of duty. You deserved to be loved. 

Haknyeon scrambled to his feet, emptying his glass and pocketing your phone before hurrying after you. The elevator arrived with a ping the second he caught up, and he followed you into the small, mirrored space. You didn’t look up, nor did you press any buttons, so Haknyeon did it in your stead, going up to his penthouse suite.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered when the doors closed, handing you back your phone. You just let out a scoff. “Don’t bother. You must be so happy about this, you love winning.”

“Yeah,” he stepped a little closer, his hands ghosting over your upper arm, “but I love you more. I love you.” He meant it, but he knew you didn’t believe him. Or maybe you just needed it to be untrue, because it made things easier for you. He couldn’t blame you.

“Sure,” your voice was lifeless as you wrapped your arms around his neck, still not meeting his gaze as you walked him back until he bumped into the handrail on the wall of the elevator, “I love you too.”

“No, you don’t,” his hands found your lower back and his nose lightly nuzzled your neck.

“No,” you agreed before you tilted your head and brushed your lips against his, “but just for tonight I can pretend.”

He kissed you back, only pulling away when the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. You pulled him out into the small hallway to the door of his suite waiting for him to unlock it, but he hesitated.

“Are you sure?”

You raised an eyebrow, “This was your bet.”

“Yeah. But that doesn’t matter if you don’t want this.”

“Where are these qualms coming from suddenly, Hak?” You leaned into him, your lips ghosting over his, “It’s too late for reservations. Did you forget that we already crossed the line once?”

As if he could ever forget about it, as if he hadn’t spent every waking moment thinking about it since it happened. “Doesn’t mean we have to cross it again.”

You reached into his jacket, fishing out the key card from the inner pocket. “But I want to.”

“Fine,” he pulled you into a kiss before he let go, giving you the room to unlock the door, “but don’t complain later.”

“What brings you here?” Haknyeon asked, propping up his chin on the palm of his hand, “Weren’t you supposed to spend the night elsewhere?”

“Shut up, Haknyeon,” you scoffed, still trying to get the bartender’s attention.

“Don’t be like that, sunshine,” he said with a smile, pushing his drink in your direction. “Tell me what happened, I’ll lend you an ear.” 

“As if I still need to tell you. I’m sure Eric told you he was going to dump me, and you watched me run into this disaster of a night, probably laughing behind my back because I thought maybe I could save this relationship if I—”

“He dumped you?” 

“Don’t even pretend to care.”

“But I do,” he whispered into his glass, too quiet for you to hear over the noise of the bar, “I do care.”

“Just do what you do best: distract me,” you added with another sip from your drink.

A grin played on Haknyeon’s lips. If that was what you wanted, he could do that. “I know just the place,” he said, getting up from his stool and holding out his hand for you to take. 

“Lead the way,” you replied, taking the offer and letting him guide you out of the hotel bar and into the city’s nightlife. 

As the night went on, a few drinks too many on either side, you started to loosen up, forgetting about your pain and heartbreak. Haknyeon loved seeing you like that, smiling and dancing without inhibition. He hadn’t seen you laugh so wild and free in a long time, not since things with Eric had started to go downhill, and even though he hated that you’d been hurt, he loved to see this side of you.

“Thanks,” you mumbled, once you were in the back of his car, Haknyeon’s driver taking you back, “For the ride. And for the distraction.” You turned your head to look at him, red lips and flushed cheeks, and Haknyeon couldn’t help gazing at you, the alcohol clouding his brain too much to be subtle in his admiration.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, knowing it didn’t match the flow of the conversation.

You let out a chuckle. “What are you saying?” 

“It’s true.”

“Eric’s your friend,” you reasoned, but Haknyeon didn’t miss the way your eyes dropped to his lips.

“Aren’t you my friend too?” he tilted his head, looking at you through hooded eyes.

“Right,” you inched closer, until Haknyeon felt your breath fanning over his lips, “you have a point there.”

“I do,” he whispered, before he closed the gap and kissed you.

Haknyeon was aware that morally this wasn’t the soundest choice he’d ever made. You’d only just gotten dumped by your boyfriend, who also happened to be his friend. He shouldn’t have kissed you, nor should he pull you into his lap. But how could he resist, when you returned the kiss so sweetly? How could he push you away, when your hands wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer? There was no way he would pass up this chance just to meet some sort of moral standard and, frankly, while this wasn't the best he’d still made way more questionable choices before. He’d deal with the repercussions later. Tomorrow, maybe.

Except, tomorrow didn’t exactly start the way he’d imagined. Because instead of finding your sleeping figure next to him, the other half of his bed was empty, the messy sheets the only trace you’d left behind before rushing out. It seemed, while he didn’t regret the choices made and actions taken, you must have felt a little different about it. Of course you did. After all, you were still in love with Eric. Still, it felt lonely to wake up alone.

Haknyeon somewhat expected to wake up by himself again. It wasn’t that he didn’t hope for you to stay, it was just that he’d already prepared himself for disappointment the moment you’d kissed him in the elevator. But when he opened his eyes, the morning sun on his face tickling him awake, he found you were still there, sound asleep and wrapped up in his arms. You looked peaceful with your face tucked into his chest, your breathing calm and steady. He gently brushed a strand of hair out of your forehead, watching fondly as your nose scrunched up a bit at the ticklish feeling, before you snuggled closer. How someone could not be in love with you was a miracle to him, but he should probably be grateful that it was possible. Because now that he knew what it felt like to have you, not just for a night but in the morning too, there was no way he was going to hand you back to Eric again. He’d win you over, so that the next time you’d tell him you loved him, you would actually mean it.

Masterlist

[wooahaes]

in cold blood

pairing: non-idol!seungkwan x gn!reader

genre: fluff. non-serious enemies to friends (with potential for lovers in future).

word count: 0.8k~

warnings: seungkwan being partially responsible for a snowmans death at age 6 (because vernon knocked into him). reader flips off mingyu (lovingly).

daisy's notes: btw know seok and gyu were fully planning on having this reunite reader and seungkwan

At age six, Boo Seungkwan became your sworn enemy. The two of you had been building snowmen together when he “tripped” (you refused to believe him, no matter what he or his friend Vernon said) into yours and murdered it in cold blood. The whole affair ended in a lot of sobbing as your parents pulled the two of you apart from one another, and it’d somehow become the end of your friendship at the time. 

And now there the two of you were now: sitting outside during a snow day and making snowmen because your mutual friends pulled you into it. You’d told Seokmin that you felt like you were too old for making snowmen when classes were canceled… and he’d dragged you out of the library anyway.

And, of course, it was Mingyu’s idea to pair up and compete for the best snowman among you all. He’d get a few friends to stop by and judge them: all you guys had to do was make them using whatever you had available (including the stereotypical supplies that Mingyu brought around: buttons and pebbles and carrots). 

Seungkwan had been vocal, reaching to wrap an arm around Vernon, “I want—”

Vernon ducked away immediately, “Yo, Chan!” 

Before Seungkwan could try to grab anyone else, the rest of them were paired up. Minghao had already grabbed Jun (who you were a bit thankful for: you didn’t know him as well as you knew the rest of the group), and Seokmin had already dragged Mingyu away… leaving you and Seungkwan standing next to one another. 

He didn’t meet your gaze. “We have to destroy them.”

“Just don’t destroy our snowman this time,” you huffed, walking over to start gathering snow. “Murderer.” 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes as he followed you, crouching down to help you. “I didn’t kill your snowman. It’s a snowman. It wasn’t alive—”

“You destroyed my hard work,” you rolled your eyes. “And you never really apologized. And then you started being an asshole to me.”

“I was six!”

“You started outdoing me in every class you could!” You glared at him. “You jerk.” 

Seungkwan clenched his jaw, working alongside you. “You’re the jerk,” he said. “You didn’t give me a chance to apologize or make it up to you. And I remember that it was Vernon’s fault—”

Said guy looked up from where he and Chan was sitting in the snow. “What?”

“You knocked me into their snowman when we were kids,” Seungkwan huffed, “and they never forgave me for it.” 

Vernon blinked. “Oh. Yeah, my bad.”

“Your bad?!” Seungkwan lobbed a snowball at him, watching it splatter against his shoulder. “Your bad?! You’re the one who should have apologized to them when we were kids! They were one of my best friends until I accidentally destroyed their snowman!”

“You mean murdered—”

Seungkwan rounded back to face you, fists balled, “I pushed it over!”

“That’s a murder in my books!”  

Vernon looked between the two of you. “To be fair—”

“I bit him.” You shrugged. “Like… I literally bit him when he tried. The teacher called our parents.” 

Vernon shrugged. “They didn’t even bite me that hard—I said it was fine.” 

Seungkwan looked over to where Minghao was hiding the urge to laugh, and where Seokmin and Mingyu were clearly amused by the whole situation. Jun seemed entertained enough, but you could tell that he wasn’t fully sure of what was going on. He let out a sigh, turning back to you. “It’s too cold to be out here,” he said. “I’ll buy a drink if you go with me.”

Suddenly, it was as if all those years of (admittedly dumb) bad blood just… disappeared. Something about the way Seungkwan looked at you just reminded you of when you two were kids. When he’d be nagging Vernon about something, and he’d look at you to back him up, and you always did. You glanced at the others before nodding, making your way over to him. 

“As long as you’re buying.”

Mingyu spoke up, “This means you’re forfeiting!” 

You didn’t think twice before you flipped him off, the sound of Seungkwan’s proud laughter making you smile. His hand yanked yours down, holding it securely in his as he guided you off campus, chastising you through his giggles.

“It’s good to have you back,” he said, voice softer than it was before. “Was that really all it took…?”

You shrugged. “I guess I missed you a lot, too,” you said, not meeting his gaze. Something about it made your heart race a little faster, face too warm as his hands held onto yours. “I’m a simple person… You can buy my affection with a hot chocolate.” 

Seungkwan chuckled, his shoulder bumping into you. “I should have tried it sooner, then,” he said. “Then maybe we’d…”

He didn’t say anything else. And you held onto his hand this time, pulling him a little closer.

“We’d…?”

“Nevermind,” he said. “I missed you.”

You just squeezed his hand a little tighter. I missed you, too. 

taglist: @twancingyunhao @wonuziex @synthetickitsune @staranghae @porridgesblog @weird-bookworm @bangchansbae @laylasbunbunny

[parkitaco]

The sun is warm on Mike's face, and Will is warm against his side.

As far as dates go, Mike has to admit he did a pretty solid job with this one, even if he can already tell that his skin is going to be sunburnt tomorrow and Will won't stop whining about the little pebbles digging into their backs, and yeah, maybe bringing a picnic blanket might have been helpful, but- whatever. He's pretty proud of himself, both for finding this abandoned field on the outskirts of Hawkins and correctly pegging it as a good evening hangout spot, and for managing to get Will out here with him in the first place - it's been a bit of a chaotic summer so far, with the Party preparing to go into their senior year and Hopper and Joyce planning their wedding and Nancy and Jonathan and all their dumb friends visiting from college.

Anyway. The point is that evenings like this are far and few between, and have been for a while, because if the summer has been chaotic, the months leading up to it were nothing short of hectic. The SATs and AP exams and final projects had been brutal, and, like, yeah, the Party is together constantly, and Mike and Will have been joined at the hip since far before they started dating, but it's- nice. That's all.

Will shifts where he's pressed against Mike's side, head tucked against his shoulder and fingers tracing a gentle pattern over his chest. "Ow," he mumbles into Mike's neck, wincing as, presumably, one of the ever offending pebbles digs into his back.

Mike smiles, wrapping a gentle arm around his boyfriend's shoulders as Will wriggles around, trying to get comfortable. "Too many rocks?"

"Yeah," Will huffs, squinting up at Mike accusingly, "Are you sure we can't sit in the car?"

"We're experiencing nature, Will," Mike says for the third time, exasperated. "Plus, I told you, my A/C is broken. We'd overheat and die."

Will rolls his eyes. "You're so dramatic," he grumbles, rolling over onto his back and gazing up at the sky. Mike smiles, letting his head fall to the side so he can watch Will's profile, lit up by the golden glow of the sunset.

He's so beautiful, looking happy and flushed despite all his griping, the sun casting dramatic shadows over his cheekbones. It's stupid, but Mike's missed him these last few weeks, where they've had less time to see each other, lost in the shuffle of visiting family members and summer jobs and everything else. He misses Will a lot, which is stupid and ridiculous, because they've been dating for a couple months now and had been dancing around it for a few months before that, but it's true. He'd missed out on time with Will, that year that he was in California and the months leading up to it, and it had been his fault and he knows it doesn't matter anymore, but it's just- it's something he thinks about, sometimes. How easy it would have been to have lost Will completely, and how lucky he is that he didn't.

Plus, Will is just- nice to have around. Objectively speaking.

Whatever.

"You're staring," Will says softly, and he doesn't look at him directly but his mouth tilts into a small, wry smile. Mike flushes, and is entirely uncompelled to look away.

"What are you gonna do about it?" he teases, nudging Will gently. He scoots closer, lifting his hand from where it rests in the grass to brush lightly through Will's hair, and Will hums appreciatively.

He reaches up and catches Mike's hand, pressing his lips to Mike's fingertips, soft and feather-light. Mike's heart flutters, and he rolls over, leaning over Will and staring him down with a goofy grin on his face.

Will meets his gaze, one eyebrow quirked. "You're pretty," he sing-songs, grinning all teeth, and Mike laughs even as he feels heat rush to his face.

"You're a dork," he returns, and dips down to press his lips to Will's before Will can argue. He can feel Will's smile against his lips, sweet and summery, and it makes something click into place in his chest. I missed this, he thinks hazily, which is still stupid and ridiculous because he sees Will every day, gets to kiss him like this basically whenever he wants, but it's true. This need inside of him runs deep and terrifyingly intense, and he'd always sort of thought it would mellow a little once he was actually dating Will, but apparently not. He just wants- needs Will here with him like this, all the time, forever.

Jesus Christ. Mike can never say any of that out loud. He'd die of mortification on the spot.

But if the way Will is kissing him back is any indication, the feeling is at least halfway reciprocated. His hands are pressed firmly into Mike's back, pressing him lower as he kisses him carefully, slowly, like he's relishing the feeling of Mike against him like this. For someone who, at least as far as he's told Mike, had had little to no experience with kissing before they got together, he's learned far, far too quickly. It's a little unfair, in all honesty, that Will can be so effortless like this, matching every ounce of Mike's crazed intensity with his own.

They even each other out. They work, like this.

After a long moment, Mike pulls back, nuzzling his nose into Will's cheek before settling back down into the grassy slope of the field. Will smiles, slinging an arm over Mike's stomach and returning to his original position - face pressed into Mike's neck, curled around him with their limbs hooked around each other.

He's so warm, rivaling the sun itself, and the air smells like freshly mowed grass and flowers and the faint traces of Will's shampoo from where his hair brushes against Mike's cheek.

And there's that other thing, the thing that occurs to Mike in moments like these, the reason for this deep-seated neediness and want in him, the thing he's known for years now, since before he could even properly put a name to it. He's been thinking about that thing a lot lately, because he's known it all this time, sure, but there's a big difference between keeping something like that tucked away in the back of his brain with the vague idea of getting around to dealing with it some day, versus knowing it with such constancy, with such regular reminders, now that he actually gets to be with Will in this way.

Will shifts against Mike again, pressing a light kiss to his collarbone, and Mike- might as well admit it, at this point.

"Hey, Will?" he asks softly, dragging his fingers through his boyfriend's hair again and turning his head, nosing against the side of his face and kissing his jawline lightly.

There must be something in his tone, something that gives him away, and he kind of figures Will knows what the- that the thing is anyway, but it still manages to settle his nerves when Will tilts his head up to look at him, smiling sweetly.

"Mike," he replies, lightly teasing and honey-sweet, "I know."

Thank God, Mike thinks, and his face splits into a smile. "Can I," he says, swallowing back the unwarranted nerves that are still humming through his veins, "Can I say it anyway?"

Will's eyes widen just slightly, and he flushes, looking embarrassed and a little shy. "Y-yeah," he says, his easily confident demeanor slipping a little, and he looks endearingly nervous, biting his lip and nodding once.

It's this, combined with the sun on their cheeks and the warmth between them, that makes the words slip out. "I love you," Mike whispers, heart beating fast in his chest and a giddy feeling overtaking him. He dips down, presses two quick kisses to Will's cheek, and a slightly hysterical giggle escapes him. "I love you so much," he whispers, face tucked in beside Will's and lips brushing his jaw.

Will's eyes flutter shut, and a smile steadily spreads across his face as Mike continues dropping little kisses to the side of his face and neck. "I love you too," he hums, as Mike ducks his head lower and kisses his neck, "I really- Mike, that tickles!"

"Don't care," Mike murmurs, kissing the junction between Will's neck and shoulder. "I love you, I love you, I love-"

"Okay," Will cuts in, laughing, "I get it, Mike."

Mike reluctantly detaches himself from Will's neck, nuzzling his face against Will's one more time before rolling over onto his back and bringing Will with him, an arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer. Will laughs again, quiet and warm, and his head settles heavily onto Mike's chest. "I love you too," he says again, and Mike's entire body floods with warmth. "I really do, Mike."

This, too, Mike had known - almost in the same way he'd been aware of his own feelings, a quiet sort of knowledge that he'd been putting off confronting. "I know," he hums, just to be annoying, and Will reaches up with a lazy hand to flick the side of his face. "I'm- stop it, I'm just saying."

He can't see Will's face, but he'd bet good money that Will is rolling his eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah," he grumbles, and then, voice softening as his fingers find their way to Mike's waist and he begins tracing gentle circles into the exposed strip of skin there, "I missed you, you know."

He missed me too, Mike thinks, wildly, and it shouldn't please him so much, the knowledge that his boyfriend is just as deranged and insane and nonsensical about this relationship as he is, but it's oddly gratifying. He hugs Will closer, enjoys the steady weight of him against him as he asks, voice warm, "When did you miss me?"

Will shrugs, the grass shifting beneath them as he scoots closer and continues tracing his fingertips into Mike's skin. "I don't know, just- recently. It's stupid, I know."

"No," Mike says quickly, pressing a kiss to the top of Will's head, "No, I know what you mean. I- I miss you too, sometimes. Whenever you're not around."

Will lifts his head, peeking up at Mike with a shy smile. "Yeah?"

Mike laughs, a little incredulous and a little giddy and a lot in love. "Will, I just told you I loved you, like, ten times-"

"Three and a half, actually," Will points out, and Mike giddily thinks he's counting, "And- I mean, that's good. Not that you miss me, or whatever, but. Just, sometimes I think I'm going crazy about this, about you, and it's just nice that you-"

"Crazy together," Mike interrupts, reaching for Will's hand where it's still pressed against his side and lacing their fingers together. "Right?"

Will laughs, settling back into him and squeezing his hand. "Yeah," he agrees softly, the sound reverberating through Mike's ribcage where Will's face is pressed into his t-shirt. "Yeah, crazy together."

Mike smiles, running his free hand over Will's back and letting his eyes fall shut contentedly. It'll be dark soon - the sky is turning a fiery red color as the sun dips lower still in the sky, and Mike had sworn up and down to Hopper that he'd have Will home by ten, which is a ridiculous curfew but tolerable for the simple fact that it's Will, and Mike will take whatever snatches of time with him that he can.

"This was nice, by the way," Will murmurs into his shirt, as Mike's hand brushes through his hair again.

"What, the date?" Mike asks, and he feels it rather than sees it when Will nods, cheek brushing against him.

"Mhm," he hums, sounding just as contented as Mike feels. "Thanks for- yeah. Thanks."

"Anytime," Mike says warmly, as Will's breathing evens out and both of their eyes flutter shut again.

The air is warm and alive with the sounds of birds and crickets chirping. Summer is just beginning, and Mike, for the first time in a while, feels like he has time - time with this beautiful boy, and his friends and everything important to him. Here, in this empty field at dusk, everything has come to a standstill, and the neediness and desperation that's constantly clawing at him has subsided, overpowered by the feeling of Will wrapped around him.

Mike breathes a soft sigh of relief, and the sunlight washes over them.

[wordbunch]

hopeless (Pippin x f!reader) pt. 2

PART ONE HERE

a/n: MY PRECIOUS FLOWERS the fix-it fic is here!!! i'm sorry i made you sad with the first part, but i'm grateful for ALL the love it got, seriously! i hope you enjoy this fluffy piece and that it heals the heartbreak i've caused... please be so kind to reblog, and definitely let me know your thoughts abt it!!!

fsr these lyrics were on my mind as i wrote: yeah i showed up at your party / will you have me? will you love me? / will you kiss me on the porch in front of all your stupid friends? / if you kiss me will it be just like i dreamed it? / will it patch your broken wings? / i’m only 17, i don’t know anything / but i know i miss you

The world was blurry, but felt a touch more kind when [y/n] gradually started coming to her senses, happy to feel a pillow under her head instead of dirt and pebbles. However, she was only slightly scared to fully open her eyes, not knowing what she would be met with after everything that happened… how many days ago? Hours? She could not tell. Her surroundings were quiet, but not eerily quiet, grayish sunlight seeping through a singular window and- someone’s hand enclosed around her own.

Despite the pain and tiredness, her curiosity got the best of her and she finally dared to open her eyes and learn where she was - and apparently who she was with. A small makeshift bed under a window was where she found herself, and Pippin was slumped half on it, half on the floor, one hand folded under his head and another one holding her own. He was facing the direction opposite of her, so he didn’t see when she opened her eyes, but as soon as her free hand went to her side to check for bandages, his head shot up, and he looked simultaneously very awake and very tired.

For a few moments they just stood blinking at each other in confusion, but as soon as he moved slightly in order to inch closer to her, she anxiously gripped his hand.

“Please don’t leave me,” she pleaded with a desperate crack in her voice. Regardless, it was his favorite voice that he had ever heard. He squeezed her hand in return, settling closer so that they were eye to eye with each other.

“Am I dreaming?” Pippin wondered aloud, as he looked her up and down, and then to their joined hands. [y/n] felt her heart swelling. 

“I think not,” she replied, touching the tip of his nose with her finger, “or we both are dreaming. what concoction did you heal me with?” she joked, and he still looked as if he was in a daze. Was she actually awake and talking to him and not removing her hand from his?

After a few seconds of stunned silence, he answered her. “Aragorn was the one who healed you,” he fiddled with her fingers, “I was just- just there. But I can leave you be, now, if you want.”

“I most certainly don’t,” [y/n]  replied, figuring it was finally the time to gather her courage and her feelings and make something out of them, and not wait for another brush with death. “I never want you to go, and I never did, I-I just didn’t know how to say it without risking ruining one of the most precious friendships in my life,” she confessed. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to say anything more beautiful than all those things you told me the other day.” she looked up sheepishly at a very wide-eyed Pippin, whose cheeks were starting to heat up rapidly.

“Y-you remember what I said?” he inquired hesitantly, not sure what kind of answer to prepare for. Sure, he was always an optimist, but did he really think [y/n] would be in love with him? Partially he braced himself for a kind rejection, but the stubborn part of him already went ahead with planning how to perfectly kiss a perfect person. Either way, he couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze.

“I remember everything you say,” she smiled, resting a hand on his cheek and snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts. “Well, most of it anyway, you can talk a lot,” she chuckled, and he responded with a short, nervous laughter. It was strange to see him, of all people, being tense. “But yes, I remember,” she paused, looking down for a split second before meeting his eyes, “I love you… and you still need to show me the Shire,” she grinned at him, very amused by the absolute shock that was evident on his features. 

“B-but you can go to Rivendell afterwards, or-” Pippin stuttered, as he mentally cursed himself for not being more prepared for that conversation - he’d had quite some time while [y/n] was in a deep sleep - but he always got carried away with his daydreams of living happily ever after by her side. He didn’t consider that any of that might be a real possibility, and for goodness' sake, why was his brain now actively trying to make him reject her first, so that he didn’t have to get heartbroken? 

“I have been to Gondor, I have been to Rivendell, Lórien, all those magical places,” she spoke with a dreamy, faraway look on her face, and he began to think that was the moment in which she would turn him down once and for all. Surely she didn’t romantically love him and she was just being cordial, as per usual. “And they are truly beautiful. But I was never happy in any of them as much as I am with you. Even here, on this terribly uncomfortable bed, even back there after the battle, when I thought I’d never get the chance to tell you that I am in love with you. I have been ever since that one night when we stayed up talking until sunrise and Gandalf looked as though he would end us both.”

At an absolute loss for words, with his face on fire and a racing heartbeat, there was only one thing left for Pippin to do - lean in close enough to press his lips to [y/n]’s, who responded instantly, one hand winding up in his hair. He had no idea what to say to all the heartfelt words she had just spilled, and even less how to properly kiss, which didn’t mean he wasn’t going to give it his all. He thought his heart was going to give out when he felt [y/n] smiling into the kiss, and he pulled away just enough to lean his forehead against hers. 

“I must be the first person ever to leave you speechless,” she joked quietly, brushing her nose against his. “Quite an achievement.”

“I think you said more beautiful things than I did,” he confessed sheepishly.

“Oh, shut up,” she playfully smacked him on the shoulder, making him laugh, finally relaxed. The way she was looking up at him made him weak in the knees.

“Do you want me to speak or do you want me to shut up, then?” he teased back, fighting an urge to crush her in the tightest of hugs but too scared of hurting her already injured side. 

“First, I want you to kiss me again,” she replied, pulling him closer once again, “and then I want you to tell me about all those things you promised to show me when I go to the Shire with you.”

taglist my beloved

@starlady66 @queenmeriadoc @entishramblings @sweetpea-thoughts @thesolarangel @silversword7000 @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @averys-place @valkyriepirate @emmaarenstarr @noldorinpainter @asianbutnotjapanese @adamgetawaydriver @fenharel-enaste @ironmandeficiency @starryeyedrogue @dinofromspac3 @wisheduponastar @lady-of-imladris @frodo-cinnamonroll @unethicallypleistocene @deadlymistletoe @suncran @high-sea-husbands @asianbutnoteastasian @aidansloth

[laurel-finch]

'I Don't Bite' S1.Ch10: Winds of Change

Summary: Returning to the Winchesters does not meet expectations... Referenced Episodes: S1 E16 "Shadow" CW: Alcohol. Arguing. Normal Supernatural things. Another ridiculously long chapter, my b. Word Count: 8209 Recommended Song: Winds of Change -- Scorpions Previous Chapter -- Masterlist -- Next Chapter

I gnawed on my lower lip as I jammed another number into my phone, praying that this time one of the brother’s would pick up. I had a handful of Dean’s phone numbers and only two of Sam’s, but I knew they had more that they hadn’t felt the need to share with me. It all came down to which phone they were actively using for the case they were on. There was no consistency with them.

I glared down at the number I knew to be linked to Dean’s ATF persona. There was a chance he would answer, but it was slim. I really needed a better way to get ahold of the brothers. I sighed and hoped I would have better luck with Sam as I dialed one of his numbers next.

After six long rings, the call dropped. No answer. I pinched the bridge of my nose and kicked at a pebble in the middle of the deserted motel parking lot. Apparently, I'd need to call all of their numbers.

Three numbers in I finally heard a receiving click on the other end and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hello?" came Sam's gruff voice on the other end. I was surprised to hear his voice instead of his older brother's.

"Sam? Hey, it’s me," I heard a lot of shuffling from the other end, like he had bolted upright from shock. “Where, um… where are you guys?”

Sam was silent for a beat before speaking again. "Is everything alright?" I flinched at the wariness in his tone.

"I'm fine, Sam. Better than fine actually," I answered quietly. I placed my other hand over the speaker of the phone and turned my back to the motel parking lot conspiratorially. My voice dropped to a soft tone. "Look, I… I know it’s been a while and you probably don’t want to see me, but-"

"I do," he interjected quickly and I clamped my mouth shut. "Believe me, I do- we do. But what about your pack? And, well… I mean, Dean’s pretty pissed. He’s been pissed. He’s been throwing himself into this hunt for dad."

I frowned at the worn pavement beneath my feet. I figured he would be mad at me, but facing the reality of the situation hurt regardless. Maybe I could just… ignore it all. Go back to my pack, forget it ever happened. Like I never met them. Would that be easier?

No. No, that would hurt more. I mentally cursed myself for getting so attached. "Did you tell him why?”

"Yeah, yeah I tried to explain it to him. But… well, look at it from his perspective. Dean’s spent his whole life killing, and the one time he decides not to…" he sounded distraught and I heard more shuffling from the other end.

He didn’t need to finish his thought for me to know what he meant. Dean had done me a favor by not killing me when we first met. At the time it hadn’t felt like much of a favor – maybe death would have been safer. But now, with how much our lives had changed… it was understandable that he was frustrated. The one different choice he made led to a human being killed and me running off without a word.

I fell silent, pondering what to say next. How was I supposed to explain to them why I left? I think Sam understood better than he was letting on. It wasn’t too dissimilar to why he left for college, although his reasoning wasn’t nearly as bloody. But Dean… it made sense that he would be hurt…

"I want to see you, Sam – both of you. I want to apologize to Dean, but I can't do that unless I see him."

Sam sighed from the other end. "OK. I'll… keep you updated on where we are.”

After a flood of profuse thank-yous and Sam's chuckles, the line finally went dead. He had given me a location amongst my gratitude and I was already slinging my backpack over my shoulder.

—

After half a day of travel, the sun was setting and I was thoroughly exhausted. Upon seeing the welcome sign that coaxed me into the small city I stretched my arms high above my head and allowed myself to slow to a steady walking pace.

Oddly enough, my heart felt heavy, like something severe was weighing on me. It was... an odd sensation that I hadn't felt in a very long time - not since my parents were still with me. Oddly enough, it was less of a weighing feeling and more of a tug. The tug itself was heavy, and it felt like it was pulling on a part of me that I didn't want to be released.

Something didn’t feel right.

I hummed and frowned slightly, my eyebrows creasing with worry. Maybe it was a mistake to come looking for the Winchesters before the pack? I had half a mind to turn back, but... I still didn't feel ready. If Sam and Dean were afraid of what I had done, how would my pack feel? They depended on the stability and different lifestyle my home provided. I kicked the occasional large stone out of my way as I traipsed down the road, headed toward whatever lay at the end of it. Hopefully a warm bed.

After another thirty minutes of walking, something I grumbled about to myself, I finally spotted dim lights behind a row of thick pine trees. My ears pricked at the sound of the engines roaring to life in the early night, something that oddly warmed my heart and made me want to prance. It wasn't long after that the stench of alcohol hit my nose.

The bar was a brick building on the edge of town, a neon sign glowing above the door and the building itself set into the corner of the block. The occasional car or motorcycle was parked out front. I smiled and brushed my hand affectionately over the front of an older motorcycle – I had always wanted to learn how to ride them. I wondered what it felt like to be on something so small, barrelling down a highway faster than I could run.

My eyes rose, scanning the line of cars until they settled on a sleek older model across the street. My eyes widened and a grin tore across my face. It was the Impala.

I whirled toward the door so fast that I nearly fell over, tripping over my own feet like a stumbling drunk. My senses dulled as the stench of alcohol hit my nose once again. The harsh smell practically threw me off my feet and made my eyes water. I couldn't place any other scent amongst the heavy, bourbon-filled air and that alone sunk anxious claws into my lungs, oxygen being stolen from them.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, grounding myself. The overwhelming scents and smells were driving my wolfish senses crazy, as they still hadn't calmed from my last escapade with the brothers. It had been weeks since I was in a room with this many people. I felt small and large at the same time. Small with worry and nerves. Large with fearsome hunger.

I rolled my shoulders and took a few more deep breaths, sifting through the heavily masked scents. My eyes flew open as a familiar scent hit my nose and I struggled to keep the rising gold color down.

Cherries.

I pushed my way through the crowd of drunkards and bikers. It was exactly the kind of scene Dean liked. Loud enough to quiet his own raging thoughts. Dark enough to dull the headache behind his eyes. Music he could get lost in, and a drink that burned just right.

"Hey," I spoke cautiously as I sat beside him and rested my forearms on the bar counter. Dean spared me a glance from the corner of his green eye and suddenly jumped. He did a double take out of shock and turned to me with wide eyes and parted lips. As suddenly as his surprise had come, it was gone and darkened with spite.

"What do you want?" he growled and took a long sip from his whiskey glass, failing to hide his frown.

I frowned, my brows knitted with frustration. I could already tell this wasn't going to be a good conversation. "I came to apologize."

Dean scoffed and tightened his grip on his glass. "Apologize for what? Abandoning us without a word?" he exhaled and glared at me. "That's not something I'll accept an apology for, sweetheart." I bristled. Although most of his nicknames were endearing, this one was spat out like it burned him.

"I had my reasons, Dean. You know I wouldn't leave without a good one-"

"Do I know that?" he snarled, spinning his stool to face me. "Cause it seems like you don't give a damn about Sam or me, or how we felt." I winced and opened my mouth to speak. He shushed me with a raised finger. "So what's your excuse? You got tired of us holding you back from going apeshit?"

Ow. I glowered at him. "You know I would never do that."

"Yeah? You seemed pretty content when you had your teeth sunk into Jared Bender's heart." I winced again, my glare cracking. "You didn't even know his name, did you?"

"He was trying to kill Sam," I growled, trying to justify my actions. "You would have done the same."

"Damn right I would have killed him. I would have shot his ass dead, would’ve been dead before he hit the dirt. But I certainly wouldn't have torn him apart and strung his organs around the room!" he growled between his teeth. He tried to keep his voice low, despite the uninterested roar of the bar occupants.

I balled my fists in my lap and glared at him as he twisted to face me. His jaw was set sternly, lips pressed into a thin line. It was the same look he gave Sam when the two argued. “You’re a hypocrite.” My tone caused my words to lose their bite.

"I'm a hypocrite? You fucking killed and nearly ate a man, and now you're trying to justify it to me!" he snapped, one corner of his mouth drawn up in a sneer. "You left Sam and me without a word! And now you're crawling back here to apologize and call me a hypocrite?"

My blood was boiling and once more my senses were raging. I couldn't quite grasp it, but it almost felt like a separation inside me, one side longing to beg for forgiveness and the other itching to sink its fangs into Dean's neck. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes, struggling to ground myself again.

Maybe a few months as friends wasn’t enough to convince him I wasn’t worth the trouble. Maybe he should’ve aimed for the head when we first met.

Without missing a beat I snapped back at him. "Quit acting like a girl whose prom date stood her up. I had my reasons and if you'll shut up for a few minutes, I'll tell you what was going through my head," I exhaled shakily and glared, steeling myself for his own reproachful response. "I left to protect you, to protect Sam, and to protect everyone around you. I wasn't stable – you know that, you saw it. So stop talking like a self-righteous prick."

Despite the quick tongue-lashing, I still didn't feel better. I hadn't said half of what I wanted to. If I could have given Dean a glimpse inside my thoughts, I would have in a heartbeat.

His frown remained stalwart on his features, furrowed brows unyielding. His viridescent eyes surveyed my own with contempt and barely contained anger, an emotion I mirrored. Eventually, his gaze reluctantly dropped back to the beer I had passed him, which he took a swig of. I felt a small victory until he spoke up.

"Get out," he grumbled.

"What?" I demanded with equal, if not more, frustration.

"Get out," he ordered more firmly this time with rage coating his words. I blinked in confusion – not just at his harsh words, but at the gripping pain in my chest and the harsh scratching, I felt in the back of my mind, like something fighting to escape. It struck me that Dean was really, truly angry with me for leaving, despite my reasoning – and from what I knew of him, he wasn't just going to forgive and forget.

He swore under his breath and whipped his head toward me, eyes raging with rage and, to my amazement, pain. "Are you deaf?" he snarled lowly, "I don't want to hear your excuses. Fuck off." He gripped his beer tightly and guzzled it then slammed it onto the counter.

Wrath hit me like a semi-truck, and that familiar clawing sensation I kept hidden in the back of my thoughts lunged forward. Those nagging thoughts took the form of my wolf, black fur ruffled and fangs bared in anger.

Whatever wolfish instincts I had let escape were now clawing to take control. For the first time in a long time, I felt like two beings at once. As I had surmised earlier, I had the very human side that wanted nothing more than to avoid conflict, that just wanted to apologize to Dean and work things out. But my monster side...

I gulped and glared viciously at Dean.

I felt a rumble low in my chest, a familiar rumble that I had last felt with my father. My wolf wanted me to tear into Dean, a human that we had somehow bound to our pack. Now this pup was blatantly challenging me, as she put it. She snarled at him and I resisted the urge to follow suit.

She was pacing in my mind, stalking back and forth, her molten eyes fixated on Dean. My own eyes faded to match the warm gold of hers, whiskey-colored in the faded glow of the bar lights.

I hadn't even realized just how much I was shaking. My wolf wanted out, wanted to shred him for his disloyalty. It was an odd feeling to be separated from a piece of myself, although the more I focused on her, the more I realized that we had been separated for a long time. For years, I lacked the fluid mobility between myself and my instinct, not the mobility that I once had. I hadn't had it since I was fifteen. It felt like I was holding back a tidal wave of torrential emotions, a painful instinct that wanted me to embrace the monster I was and chow on some hearts. Not Dean though. She wanted him back in his place as my... pack member? Was that what she- I viewed him as?

Dean swore again, finally breaking eye contact. He reached for his beer with a shaky hand and took another final swig before wiping his mouth and standing. "Fuck this," he grumbled, "I'm out."

He hadn't even made it three steps before something in me snapped and I snarled. "Sit your ass down before I sink my teeth into you and drag you back."

Dean whirled on me, chest heaving with fury. I turned my blazing golden eyes on him, slowly, with my mouth set into a firm line and eyebrows slightly drawn together. It struck me that this was the same look my mother had given my father when she was pissed as all hell, a look that clearly said he needed to shut up if he wanted to keep his testicles intact.

Like my father, Dean responded with a slack jaw, opening and closing his mouth in surprise and confusion. His resolve, although still strong, was withering.

 I nodded toward his vacated stool. He sat and shot me an angry glance, trying (and failing) to mask his nerves.

I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my nerves. I stretched my fingers, feeling my joints pop after being balled into tight fists for god know how long. With a sigh, I locked eyes with Dean once more, his narrowed and wary.

"You know full well I had to leave, Dean." I snapped. "If I hadn't left, I guarantee you would have eventually sent me home, thinking my pack could help. Don't act pissy with me for doing what I felt was right."

Dean glowered and his nostrils flared. "Having a reason doesn't change that fact that you left without a word-"

"- If I had told you I was leaving, would you have asked me to stay?"

"Of course, I would have!" he hissed and leaned forward. "Whether you like it or not, you're part of this family now. I'm not going to just let my family walk out on me like that."

"That's the problem, Dean!" I argued. "I know that, if you had asked, I would have stayed! Sam wouldn't have asked, he would accept my decision and move past it, because he’s made that decision before for himself! You though, you would have gotten so caught up in your familial ideas that I wouldn't have been able to leave!"

"What's so wrong about staying with us!? About staying with me!?" he shouted back, a snarl set on his features. My eyes widened and he followed suit, realizing just what he had said.

"Dean, I had to leave," I uttered quietly. "For the second time in my life, I royally fucked up. I needed- need to get back on the same page. You know that feeling better than most."

"Why are you risking it?" he grumbled. I smiled weakly.

"Because you're my family too, Dean. Whether you like it or not, you're part of my pack now. You're family," I answered quietly. His own eyes softened. "Are you still mad at me?" I inquired with a nervous smile.

"Hell yeah, I'm still mad," he grunted. "But yeah... I get it. Wish I didn't, it would make staying mad at you a hell of a lot easier."

My nervous smile grew to a true grin, the gold fading from my eyes. My wolf scoffed and sat back on her haunches, melting into the background of my thoughts.

My human side had won yet again.

"Don't think you're off the hook," Dean huffed and stood from his stool. "You've got a lot of work to do to make it up to me, Scooby."

"Would pie be a good first step?" I teased, standing up with him.

His expression softened slightly. The harsh lines of his scowl faded and the corners of his mouth dipped down in a frown. His brows pinched inward, hiding slight surprise. “It’s a start.”

—

Unlike his brother, Sam was happy to see me. I practically threw myself at him when I saw him in the motel room. Dean sulked and ate his pie while Sam and I caught up, discussing hunts and my own journey.

"Wait, so what do you mean you can't change shape?" Sam said, raising a forkful of pie to his mouth. "Isn't that, like, literally part of being... you?"

"Kind of," I uttered through my own forkful. "It's a mental barrier. Sometimes I can get it… close, sometimes I can't. The times that I can take multiple tries and usually it's kind of painful. Hurts my joints."

"What kind of mental barrier? Like a trauma barrier or you just don't want to?"

I huffed and reached for another bite of my slice. "I don't know. It's... it's like my mind knows I won't always be able to control what I do in that form. It's like a piece of me is trying to keep that instinctive part of me tied down."

I heard a snort from behind me and spun to face Dean, who was sitting at a little table under the window next to the door. "Why're you talking like it's two separate people? It's still you, right?"

I exhaled softly, choosing my words carefully when I spoke up. "Yeah, it's still me, but it's a side of me that I'm not very... in touch with. I haven't been in a long time."

"So your wolf is that instinctive part of you that you're keeping 'tied down'?" Sam inquired. I nodded.

"I think so. And she's been a lot rowdier since Minnesota. Over the years I've just... made a habit of keeping her chained down so that I don't have any screw-ups."

"And yet," snapped Dean, "you still didn't have a strong enough grip on her." He shoved a large bite of pie into his mouth and chewed, his jaw tensing. I practically wilted and stared down at my feet that were stretched out in front of me. His opinion on the matter had changed so drastically since before I left.

"Dean!" Sam hissed. "I know you're pissed, but you don't need to be an ass-"

"It's fine, Sam," I uttered. "He's not wrong." I huffed and brushed a hair out of my face. "I know it's not an excuse but... when my pack is involved, I just lose control. I'm going to keep working on it," I sighed. "I've never had a pack before – never wanted one – so, it's all so new to me. And now I have to worry about six skinwalkers and two humans that have somehow wormed their way into my family-" Dean winced. "- I've got to worry about my self-control and make sure I don't kill anyone, I have to figure out these damn whispers, and-"

"Hold up," said Sam, throwing up a halting hand. "What whispers?"

I paled. I hadn't meant to let that slip out. I didn't want the brothers to worry about whatever weird-ass whispers I had been hearing - I knew that they'd get fixated on figuring it out and potentially killing whatever it was. They didn't have the time or resources to help me with that -- hell, I didn't even know if it was actually a living thing talking to me. For all I knew, some celestial entity was trying to give me advice. At worst, I was going nuts.

"I- uh," I stuttered over my words. I jumped as Dean stood, tossing his paper plate in a trash can and sitting on the bed beside Sam. I refused to turn to him and continued staring at my feet and my place on the floor. "I've just been hearing these weird whispers. It's nothing too crazy-"

"Whispers are pretty frickin’ crazy,” Dean remarked firmly. I frowned. "Keep talking."

"There's not much to tell, Dean," I snapped, twisting to face him with a scowl. "I just hear this whisper. When I try to follow it, it... it shows me things."

"It shows you things?" Sam asked, wrinkling his nose in confusion.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Like, I was chasing it when I met Marcus and Caeden. I just... followed the whisper and it led me to them. And with Calliope, it was... it wasn't whispering. It was screaming, frantic. It made me frantic. It knew she was in danger and it took me to her."

Dean swore under his breath. "How long have you been hearing these things? What are they saying to you?"

I scrunched my brows in thought. "It's been about three months I think? Maybe a little more?" Dean scoffed.

"And you're only telling us about this now?"

"Well, what was I supposed to say!?" I snarled back. "'Oh hey Dean, just wanted to let you know that I might be going a bit crazy, cause this voice I know literally nothing about it talking to me'!?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "That is exactly what you tell us! And then we help you figure out whatever the hell it is and maybe kill it!"

I huffed and turned away from him, crossing my arms over my chest. "I don't think it needs to be killed."

"What?" Dean growled and leaned forward, "What if it leads you into danger huh? What if it drags you into something you can't handle!?"

I whipped around to glare at him. "Would you even care, Dean? Last I checked, you didn't want me around anyway."

"Guys," Sam silenced us with a warning tone, snapping out of his deep thoughts. "Quit going at each other's throats, it's pointless."

"She wouldn't go for the throat, Sammy," Dean growled, balling his hands into fists, "She'd go for the heart."

"If you don't shut the hell up I will beat the shit out of you," I hissed back.

"I'd like to see you try," he snapped back.

"Would you two just shut up!" Sam snapped and glared at the both of us like he was ready to maim. "We've got bigger problems than you dumbasses not getting along." Dean and I fell silent, dropping our harsh gazes from one another and onto the floor. I could practically feel Dean's blood boiling - he was seething. I was too. I hated the way he was talking to me, treating me. Sam placed his hands on his face, dragging them down languorously, and sighed out of frustration. I perked up as he said my name. "What are the whispers saying to you?"

I hummed in thought. "Things like 'come', mostly," Dean snorted and I glared at him. "Last time it said 'see' and 'go'. Pretty much as soon as I realized something was wrong it changed what it was saying."

"Is it always only one word?"

"Yeah, one word at a time. Usually, there's a long pause and then it says something else. Last time... last time it was screaming so loud that it felt like it was clawing inside my skull," I mused for a second, mulling it over. "Pretty much every other time it's been like an existential thing like I was chasing someone just ahead of me. That time it felt like it was... pushing me, almost. Like it was urging me forward instead of urging me to chase."

Sam ruminated for a few moments, looking puzzled. Finally, he turned to Dean and muttered, "What do you think? Have you seen anything like that in dad's journal?"

Dean shook his head and fiddled with the odd-looking charm hanging around his neck. "No, I haven't. Honestly, sounds like a possession of some sort," his words faded into deep thought. His eyes rose to meet mine. "Can skinwalkers even get possessed?"

"Not that I know of. To my knowledge, you have to have a soul to get possessed."

Sam's eyes widened and he leaned forward with interest. "You don't have a soul?"

I shook my head. "Don’t think so. My dad told me it's why we don't go to heaven or hell when we die."

Dean quirked a brow. "Then where do you go? And how did he know?"

I shrugged. "For all I know there's nothing after death for monsters. It's just... over..." my shoulders slumped. I had always hoped that my father was wrong, that maybe there was something, anything after death. I didn't want it to just be over.

"Well, if it's not possession," Dean grumbled and leaned back on his hands, "maybe it's a demon?"

"Dean, why would a demon be talking to her?" Sam countered. "It's not like she can sell her soul."

I frowned. "What if it's not anything bad? What if it's, like, her? Instinct? Maybe I just subconsciously know when something is wrong with the pack?"

"No," Sam stated. "It can't be that. You said it led you to Marcus and Caeden? They weren't part of your pack at the time. Unless your instinct latches on to potential pack members nearby, I don't think that's it."

“Well if it were that, it would have led me to Sasha, Booth, and Andrew long before you guys rolled into town.”

“Unless they were the catalyst that sent your… pack honing abilities into overdrive?” Dean offered. 

"Whatever the reason is for it talking to me-" I started, referring back to Sam's previous statement, "- as long as the thing stays out of my way, I don't care what it says or leads me to."

Sam chuckled. "Fair enough. We can figure out our game plan for dealing with this thing later." The younger brother yawned, covering his mouth with his hand.

"We?" I questioned teasingly. "I don't remember agreeing to that."

Dean huffed and stood from Sam's bed and marched toward his own. He flopped onto the bed, landing on his back and locking his eyes with the ceiling. "Damn right this is a 'we' operation. No way in hell are we letting you figure this out on your own."

I chuckled dryly. “Doesn’t sound like you’re mad at me anymore.”

He scoffed. "Sure, soon we'll be frolicking in a meadow full of flowers together."

Sam chuckled with me as he rummaged through his bag, hunting for a toothbrush within it and setting out a set of clothes for the following day. "Alright, you two," he said, "we've got a hunt tomorrow, so enough talking."

I quirked a brow, my grin falling away. "We've got a hunt?"

Sam nodded and hummed in response. "Murder in Chicago."

I barked out a laugh. "Yeah, like that's uncommon for Chicago." A rustling caught my attention and I turned to see Dean rummaging through his own luggage.

Sam smirked down at his bag and turned to face me, toothbrush in hand. "This is the second one in two months. Two people found dead in their apartments, no sign of forced entry."

My brows rose in surprise. "Spirit maybe?"

Dean huffed. "We were thinking a cursed object. No way a spirit could move between houses like that." I nodded in agreement. I wasn't exactly knowledgeable on all the spiritual aspects of the supernatural world – ask me anything about certain monsters, and I could answer more than most hunters. But ghosts, psychics, witches... those were all foreign. Hell, I had only heard stories about psychics before meeting Missouri Moseley.

"We'll find out what it is soon," interjected Sam, always the mother of the group. "Just get to sleep - especially you, Dean, since you'll be driving tomorrow."

Dean grumbled something under his breath and flopped back onto his bed, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes. I grinned and made my way toward a rather large armchair in the corner of the room. I dragged a cushion off the chair and motioned for Sam to toss me a pillow. To my delight, he tossed two and a heavy blanket that had been folded and lain across the end of the bed.

After putting together my relatively comfortable nest, Sam turned out the light and the sound of peaceful snores filled the room.

—

The Impala rolled to a halt on the side of the packed road and Dean expertly parked against the curb. Sam sighed and ruffled his hair, scanning the newspaper seated in his lap.

I leaned forward and gazed out the front window at the apartment building before us. The room was somewhere on the third floor. I fiddled with the hem of my costume and followed the brothers out of the car, my eyes following Dean as he moved toward the trunk and withdrew a toolbox. He had hardly said anything to me since the night I got back. The most he would do is give me the necessary information for the case or give me a clipped answer to a question.

I missed bantering with him. I didn't like this odd silent treatment I was receiving from him. It put me in a bad mood every time he gave me a brief answer or even none at all. I wanted nothing more than to scream at him to get over himself and just forgive me already.

"You know," Dean started as he paced down the sidewalk toward where Sam and I were standing, "I've gotta say, dad and me did just fine without these stupid costumes. I feel like a high school drama dork." He grinned and swung his toolbox lazily at his side. "What was that play you did?" he asked Sam, a smirk dawning on his features. He stumbled for a moment, struggling to remember the name. "What was it - ‘Our Town’? Yeah, you were good, it was cute."

Sam scoffed and a blush tinged his ears and cheeks. I chuckled, punching him teasingly in the shoulder. "You never told me you were in a play, Sam."

He chuckled nervously and turned his head to me. "It was a long time ago, and I really didn't have a big part. I was a background character."

"Main character in my heart," Dean teased. Sam rolled his eyes.

"But honestly, Dean. This getup helps us look the part. Do you want to pull this off or not?" Sam quickly changed the subject.

"I'm just saying, these outfits cost hard-earned money."

"Whose?" I countered and glared teasingly.

"Ours. You think credit card fraud is easy?"

It didn't take us long to reach the third floor and the door of the victim. The landlady grumbled and fumbled with the keys before pushing the white door open to let us in.

"Thanks for letting us look around," Sam said to her politely. Dean and I paced around the hallway, him fumbling with the alarm system while I checked for any signs of forced entry on the door.

"Well, the police said they were done with the place, so..." she trailed off and sauntered into the room with Sam close behind. I shut the door and quirked an eyebrow at the severed chain lock. I caught Dean's attention and nodded toward it, holding the two ends of the golden chain delicately. Dean frowned and turned to follow the landlady and his brother. "You said you're with the alarm company, right?" the older woman asked and spun to face the brothers.

"That's right," answered Dean, flashing his most sincere smile. It looked more like a grimace, in all honesty. He really wasn't that good at the acting part of this job.

The woman huffed wearily in response. "Well, no offense, but your alarm's about as useful as boobs on a man." I choked down laughter and covered my mouth with a hand. She leaned around the boys to cast me a sly grin.

Dean cleared his throat and flashed his own tentative grin. "Well, that's why we're here. To make sure it never happens again." The woman nodded and stepped aside to allow us to peruse the apartment.

"You found the body, right?" I asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She nodded and swallowed dryly. "Were there any signs of a forced entry?"

"Any windows open?" Sam asked. "Was the alarm still active?"

"Windows were locked, front door was bolted. We had to cut the chain to get in here," she grouched in response. Dean frowned – that chain was the only lead we had. We were back to square one.

"Did you find her right after it happened?" Dean asked, referencing the girl who had been killed. The landlady shook her head.

"No, a few days later. Her work called and said they hadn't seen her in a while. I knocked on her door. That's when I noticed... the smell," she wrinkled her nose in disgust at the memory.

"And what condition was she in?" Dean pressed. The landlady huffed and glared at him.

"Meredith was all over the place, in pieces. I tell you, the guy who did it must have been a whack job. If I didn't know any better, I would have said it was an animal attack." The brothers looked first at each other and then Sam's eyes met mine. My brows furrowed. What could possibly have shredded her like that?

Sam's eyes flitted toward the woman. "Ma'am, do you mind if we take some time and give this place a once over?"

The landlady shrugged in response. "Go right ahead, knock yourself out." My eyes followed her as she walked out of the apartment, waiting for the door to latch before giving the go-ahead to speak.

"So a killer walks in and out of the apartment, no weapons, no prints, nothing..." Dean grumbled, trailing off as he rifled through his toolbox. I hummed quietly in response.

"There's got to be a trace of something here, some sort of clue. There's no way something could have killed her and not left a trail," I said, tracing a few fingers lazily over the large spots of blood.

"I'm telling you, the minute I saw the article I knew this was our kind of gig," Sam said, inspecting the windows. He jumped when Dean's EMF meter went off.

"I think I agree with you," Dean answered as he held up the box to show off the number of lights indicating supernatural presence.

"Did you ever talk to the cops yesterday?" I asked him.

Dean nodded and stood from his crouch position on the once white carpet. "Oh, yeah," he said, smirking. "I talked to Amy, a, uh, charming, perky officer of the law." I rolled my eyes.

"What'd you find out?" Sam pressed. I flashed him a quick glare which he looked rather confused by.

"Well, she's a Sagittarius, loves tequila - I mean, wow," Dean sighed almost wistfully, "Oh! And she's got this little tattoo-"

"Jesus, Dean!" I snapped. "Not about your hook-up, about the case!"

Dean grumbled something I didn't catch. I glared at the back of his head, almost wishing I could bore holes into it. "Nothing we don't already know," he carped. "Except for one thing they're keeping out of the papers."

"Enough with the suspense, Dean," I said. At this point, I just wanted this case to be over. I already was not a fan of Chicago.

"You're no fun," he sighed. "Meredith's heart was missing."

Sam and I both jumped to attention, whirling on Dean with twin, wide-eyed stares.

"Her heart? What do you think did it to her?" Sam inquired.

"Landlady said it looked like an animal attack. Maybe a werewolf?"

I barked out a laugh. "No way it was a werewolf. Moon cycle isn't right, and even if it was, I'd smell it. They reek, like the worst combination of rotten meat and cigarettes." I scrunched my nose at the thought. "My money's on a spirit. If it was a monster, I guarantee they would have left some trace other than blood."

"Yeah..." Dean mused thoughtfully. His eyes scanned the patches of blood, drawing a pattern in his mind. "Sammy, see if you can find a roll of tape."

Sam dug through his brother's toolbox as I went to stand beside Dean. "Notice something?"

"Maybe," he offered, holding his hands up to catch the roll of tape Sam had tossed his way. "We'll see in just a minute."

Dean got to work, connecting the patches of blood in a pattern I had never seen before. Hell, I wouldn't have even thought it would make a pattern like that. I chuckled morbidly, thinking that whatever killed Meredith must have been some sort of abstract artist - first the body, now the blood.

Dean stood and surveyed his work, crossing his arms. Sam moved to stand beside him, a puzzled look on his features.

"You ever seen a symbol like that?" Sam inquired, eyes following the sharp corners of the z-like symbol.

"Never," Dean responded curtly.

"Me neither."

—

"He could at least be helping us, Sam," I grumbled, flipping through the worn pages of their father's journal. "Instead of off doing- whatever it is with that poor bartender."

Sam snickered. "He is helping. Meredith worked here, so the bartenders are bound to know her."

"There's a distinct difference between helping us with the case and flirting with some painted bimbo, who we all know he is never going to call," I muttered, resting my chin in the palm of my hand as my eyes lazily scanned the page.

Sam opened his mouth to retort and quickly shut it, seeing Dean make his way back over. My gaze moved quickly toward him and fell right back to the paper. Honestly, the journal was a hell of a lot more interesting than anything Dean had to say.

John was incredibly thorough – he rivaled my uncle, who had always been compulsive and meticulous about his case notes. The journal might look like a mess of pages and hastily scrawled notations, but to me, it showed his dedication.

I flipped another page slowly, tuning out the brothers' conversation. My finger dragged along each line of writing with my eye following closely behind. My eyes fell on a string of numbers and my finger stopped its movement. I exhaled shakily.

I knew those numbers.

"Hey, Sam!" Dean called out, a tight grip on his beer. "Where are you going?"

I lifted my head, staring with a glazed look after Sam as he marched away from the table. Dean turned his confused eyes on me before standing and following his brother.

I looked back at the page, my finger running haphazardly over the string of digits. Why would John have his number..? I tightened my jaw and marked the page so I could find it later and shut the little book, tucking it under my arm and following the brothers. My eyes widened as I noticed Sam talking to a blonde girl, giving her a tense hug. My ears tuned in to their conversation as I stalked up behind Dean.

"Anyway, the whole scene got old, so I'm living here for a while," the girl said, fluttering her lashes at Sam. I took a deep breath, ready to interject, and coughed, gagging on air. God, this girl was drenched in perfume, it was blocking all of my other senses.

Dean cleared his throat and patted me lightly on the back. I brushed his hand away and took shallow breaths.

"You're from Chicago?" Sam asked.

"No, Massachusetts – Andover," the girl said with a giggle. "Gosh, Sam, what are the odds we'd run into each other?"

"Yeah, I know, I thought I'd never see you again." Although his back was turned to me, I could tell he was puzzled. It must have been written all over his features.

"Well, I'm glad you were wrong..." she trailed off and gazed up at Sam from under her lashes. I rolled my eyes. Dean cleared his throat and the girl's eyes snapped to his, a disgusted glare rising on her features. "Dude, cover your mouth."

Dean looked shocked and I suppressed a laugh, for fear of inhaling more of her sharp perfume. God, the girl must have bathed in the stuff. Did the boys really not smell it?

"Yeah, um, I'm sorry, Meg. This is, uh—this is my brother, Dean," Sam said, scratching the back of his head. The girl, Meg, looked surprised.

"Oh! This is Dean?" she confirmed. Sam nodded and Dean smirked at her.

"So you've heard of me," Dean mused, attempting to be smooth. Now it was Meg's turn to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, I've heard of you," she snapped. "Real nice, how you treat your brother like luggage." Dean’s eyes widened and I stared at Meg in shock. When did Sam even have time to meet this girl without Dean knowing? "Why don't you let him do what he wants?" she continued, spite lacing her words. "Quit dragging him all over God's green earth-"

Sam held up his hands in a silent plea to make her stop. "Meg, it's fine, really, we're fine." The three of them stood there awkwardly, Meg surveying the two, glaring at Dean with contempt and at Sam with an almost overprotective gaze. Her eyes skirted over me, likely because I hadn't been introduced.

I cleared my throat. "I'm, uh- I'm going to get a drink. You want to come with me, Dean?"

"Yeah- yeah," he said, already moving toward the bar. I flashed a sheepish grin toward Sam and Meg, waving goodbye and running to catch up with the elder Winchester. "Damn, that was awkward."

I sat on one of the bar stools, placing John's journal on the counter and running a finger over the spine. "So... when did she and Sam first meet."

Dean scoffed. "Probably after our first real hunt with you, in Kansas. He and I got into a spat and he left for a few days."

I glared at him, clenching my fist and resting it on the counter. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"Well, we weren't exactly super close then. It was kind of a family matter, not something for you to stick your snout into."

"You are family, Dean," I hissed. "I have a right to know when these things happen."

He frowned and rested his hands on his lap. We sat in silence for a few minutes, long enough for Dean to get another beer from the bartender and have about a third of it.

"Listen, I-" he started. I cut him off, flipping open his father's journal to my marked page.

"Dean, I found something in the journal earlier, when you first came back to the table." He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something and shut it when I cast him a warning glare. Whatever he wanted to say, I really wasn't in the mood for it. He looked toward his lap bashfully and then his eyes rose to face mine, his jaw tightening.

"Anything relevant to the case?" he asked.

"No," I answered quickly. "But look at this," I slid the journal toward him, highlighting the phone number at the bottom of the page. His eyes flickered toward mine and he raised a brow in confusion. "I recognize this number, Dean. It's-"

"Hey!" called Sam, sauntering back toward us with his cell phone in hand. "You guys ready to head out."

Dean turned to face me, a promise being held in his green eyes. "We'll get back to this later." He stood abruptly, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair and following Sam toward the door.

I groaned and dropped my head dramatically on the open journal. "Sure we will..." I muttered to myself. I stood, slamming the journal shut a little more roughly than I intended, and followed the brothers out the door.

"No, man, I mean like our kind of strange," I heard Sam say as I rushed to catch up with the brothers. "Like, maybe even a lead."

"What makes you say that?" Dean probed, sparing me a glance as I jogged up to him.

"I met Meg weeks ago, literally on the side of the road. And now, I run into her in some random Chicago bar? I mean, the same bar where a waitress was slaughtered by something supernatural? You don't think that's a little weird?"

Oh. They were still talking about her.

"I don't know," Dean said with a dramatic sigh. "Random coincidence? It happens."

"Yeah, it happens, but not to us. Look, I could be wrong-"

"Dean," I interrupted Sam. "I think maybe Sam's right. There's something off about her. I mean, did you not smell the buckets of perfume on her? Had me gagging within ten feet of her."

"Perfume doesn't make someone a murder suspect," Dean countered.

"It does if it causes me to choke and die."

"Well, then it's a good thing you're not dead, right?"

"-I'm just saying that there's something about this girl that I can't quite put my finger on," Sam added to his unfinished sentence.

"I bet you'd like to. I mean, maybe she's not a suspect, maybe you've got a thing for her, huh?" he chuckled and nudged Sam with his shoulder. "Maybe you're thinkin' a little too much with your upstairs brain, huh?"

Sam rolled his eyes as we stopped on the side of the road, waiting for the go-ahead to walk. "Do me a favor. Check and see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts, and see if you can't dig anything up on that symbol on Meredith's floor." Sam marched away from Dean and I before his brother could protest.

"What are you going to do?" Dean asked as he ran to catch up.

"I'm going to watch Meg."

Dean laughed and clapped Sam on the back. "Yeah, you are!"

Sam grimaced and shrugged Dean's hand off his shoulder. "I just want to see what's what. Better safe than sorry."

The two bickered, Dean teasing Sam, and Sam arguing. I stopped on the sidewalk, watching the brothers make their way toward the Impala, Sam fishing the keys out of his pocket.

I glanced down at the heavy, leather-bound journal in my hands. Something about this case didn't add up. First the weird symbol, and now Meg showing up? Something was wrong, I could feel it. She was hiding something.

Dean called my name from his spot beside the passenger door and I perked up immediately. "You coming or not?"

I nodded and shoved the journal under my arm and crossed the street to where the boys were waiting.

[deadsnothere]

Drunk Stable Girl

Synopsis - A heartfelt conversation in the dining room of the party.

Masterlist

WARNINGS! - INTOXICATION

Request - nope

Word Count - 1.5k

Speak Ali! - I'm boreeeeddd send in request for either Lockwood or Cynthia and i will try my best to get them done!!

Richie, who picked up the T-birds car, was now on the way to Jane's house with four of five Pink ladies in the car.

Apparently there was an emergency campaign meeting and it was their tias birthday, and if there's something I know about hispanic parties, they don't disappoint. Once we pulled up to Jane's house the two people in the front seats, Olivia and Richie both got out and started hitting her window with pebbles while Nancy, Cynthia, and I were sitting and leaning against the car. Once she opened the window, I threw Olivia Jane's jacket and she held it up to her. “You forgot this.” Jane looked sad from the window, but at the same time I forgot my glasses at home and couldn't tell. “You don’t have to give it back” Well now she sounds disappointed. “I know I let you guys down.”

“No kidding” Cynthia said from the cover of the tire to the T Birds car. “Exactly.” I spoke next, In Between Cynthia’s dangling legs. “That's for sure,” Nancy said last, leant on the car beside us. We all got a dirty look from Olivia before she turned back to Jane to try and cheer her up. “We can fix this! emergency campaign meeting, my house. Let's go.” she nodded her head towards the car while poor richie started to get antsy. Jane looked back into her room as if Olivia were crazy. “Now?!” Olivia looked back at her as if saying “Yeah!” Jane was now leaning halfway out of the window. “You want me to sneak out?!” Poor antsy Richie finally got a word in. “It's my Tia’s birthday! We're having a party.” I yelled out after. “Yeah! And this is a party you don't wanna miss.” He looked over to me, giving me an air high five before going back to jane. “Come on, you really gonna leave me hanging out here again?” AGAIN?? I looked up to Cynthia who looked just as confused.

Jane smiled at us and waved us away, saying “go” but we all knew she was coming with us. I grabbed Cynthia's hand, picked her up and threw her into the backseat gently. Knowing I’d have to sit on her lap for all of us to fit anyways. She looked surprised but accepted her fate. I took my jacket off and put my hair into a ponytail climbing in after her and sitting down in my rightful spot.

–

When we walked into the house there was Spanish music playing on a record player and people dancing on hardwood floors. Cynthia, who held my hands and closed the door behind me, was looking around the house, interested in the different decor. Finally bringing out attention back to the dance floor which I was killing to kick my shoes off and start dancing on. Cynthia had already started pulling me and Nancy away. “We're gonna grab some grub for this- business meeting.” she dragged me into the kitchen while I dramatically reached for Richie's mother who was my normal dance partner at these parties.

Nancy hung her jacket up on the door nob, while I kept mine over my shoulder, my skirt was flowy and perfect for dancing while being tight at the top and showing my curves off perfectly. “What are we going to talk about anyways?” Cynthia said while holding a plate filled with food. “I mean, I feel for her.” I snorted laughing. “I don't-” Cynthia gave me a soft glare before kicking me in the shin and continuing to talk. “she made us look like cowards!” I looked over to her with a raised eyebrow. “She made ya’ll look like cowards.” She glared at me, a bit more aggressively this time. “And I’m no coward! You're a singer, shut up.” Nancy agreed. “Me neither.”

Nancy, Cynthia, and I had finally spotted the holy grail of every hispanic party. “Ooh, mezcal!” Nancy had the idea first. “Let's chug it.” at the time it sounded amazing. I was nodding, while Cynthia looked a bit nervous. “Yeah..Ok.” Nancy picked up the bottle and put it out towards her with a smile on her face. “You first.” Cynthia looked offended, saying back. “You first.” World's greatest come back-

Nancy and Cynthia both looked down at the bottle nervously, Nancy who was practically saying, ‘Fuck it, let’s throw the god damn balls to the wall.” Popped open the bottle, slowly tilted it up against her mouth and started chugging. She drank a good bit of it before she finally stopped. I know it burnt the back of her throat and BAD. Cynthia was looking at her as if she was crazy. Nancy was groaning either in disgust or pain, as she slammed the bottle back down on the table making a face to tell me it was definitely disgust. Nancy looked to Cynthia in a “Your turn” kinda way nodding her head at her. “Well now your mouths been on it.” Nancy looked over to me, I put my hands up in defense, in the moment I couldn't do anything. “So you are a coward.”

Nancy taunted Cynthia, I hope that doesn't set her off “No, I'm not!” Cynthia was getting defensive looking away from me and Nancy. “Then do it!” I stood back watching this go down. They moved towards the other side of the small round table across from me. “Don't be a fraidy cat!” She kept taunting Cynthia, her hands wrapped around the bottle and Cynthia's hands in her pockets. Just to add fuel to the fire she started meowing and hissed as much as I want to say I didn't laugh…I did-

“Stop it?!” Cynthia wigged out on Nancy looking over at me to, for laughing. “I'm not afraid!” She practically cried. Nancy, who as much as she was aware was joking, looked surprised. “What happened?” she looked over at me, who didn't look as shocked as her but definitely more apologetic. “I'm sorry..” While Cynthia was rubbing her eyebrow, trying to make sense of whatever was going on in her head. She sighed “I just don't like being laughed at.” From the corner I reminded them I was there by speaking. “You like when people laugh with you.” I tried my best to cheer her up, hoping to redeem myself.

Cynthia looked up at me for a millisecond before trailing her eyes down. “Those stupid thespians!” Oh god here we go again- She’d spent 15 minutes complaining about the thespians at my house when she drove me home on her motorcycle. “With their stupid black shark eyes, Just staring at you, waiting for you to look like an idiot!” She went on ranting, while Nancy and I just stood there confused. “So?” Nancy looked dead serious. “Just be an idiot with them and they can't laugh at you.” I nodded towards Nancy as if it was obvious. Cynthia was really thinking about it. “Maybe that's what being fearless is anyway.” Nancy now looked dead serious, walking closer to Cynthia, I finally made my way to their side of the table standing in between them both. “Maybe that's what being a pink lady is.” Nancy said swaying. “Maybe I'm really drunk now.”

Cynthia looked down at the bottle with almost fear. I was confused so I looked at it too. “Nancy.” Oh my god- “The worm is gone-” I think I almost threw up- Nancy lifted the bottle up to look inside it. “I can feel it inside me.” EUH- NO. NO. Cynthia grabbed the bottle from Nancy and chugged about a shot and a half worths, while plugging her nose. For some reason Nancy did this little shoulder shimmy towards the floor while Cynthia struggled. When she put the bottle down, she made a disgusted face and groaned in disgust to, coughing her lungs up. I smiled laughing at them both, grabbed the bottle from Cynthia and chugged the rest of it with ease. wiping my mouth and I stuck my tongue out to try and get the taste off. Both Nancy and Cynthia were staring at me like I was crazy, because of the reaction I gave, or lack of.

Cynthia made an audible gulp before reaching up to kiss me with one hand and covering Nancy's eyes with the other. “MMMPH-” I was surprised by the kiss at first but didn’t pull away until Nancy got free from Cynthia's grasp and ran off into the living room. “That- that was hot.” She was stuttering and her face was blushing red but it was pretty cute. I pulled her lips into mine, pushed her against the wall to the left of us and grasped onto her shirt. “You taste like drunk.” She giggled out, in between heavy breaths.

“I think you're the drunk one-” She looked up and down my body, licking her lips and lazily trailing kisses down my neck. “I may be drunk, but I'm sure you’re pretty!” I laughed pushing her head away from my neck. “Than you'll also know that you can't do that here, come on stable girl we got places to go.” She laughed at the name, attaching herself to my waist. “Yay! I get to be with my princess..” I laughed back at her, my vision only a bit blurry but I'm also more tolerant than her, my poor poor stable girl.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Hey Saber Anon here. this just occurred to me but what if Cat Reader meets Wolverine and now it's a aggressive custody battle because they like both of them.( Sabertooth and Wolverine)

Hello Saber Anon! Glad to hear from you! I enjoy any request with Sabretooth, and love them doubly if it includes Wolverine as well! I think I can write that as a little sequel to your first request, so here we go:

Sabretooth liked his kitten. A LOT. Enough to know who was near them, where they'd been, and how they felt.

So he knew his brother had met them, and was also interested in the little kit.

Look, he loved his brother (he wouldn't stalk him over multiple countries, wars, and teams if he didn't, now, would he?). But he really wanted this kid to be HIS. His brother already had several pups, why did he need this one, too?

Sadly, his brother wasn't taking no for an answer.

Wolverine had noticed there was a new mutant running around with the Acolytes, one who was smaller, younger even, than the Brotherhood teens. What bugged him was Sabretooth seemed to be near them at all times.

They guy was a walking psychopathic cat man, how was he NOT supposed to worry when he was obviously obsessed with a kid no older than twelve who acted like they were made with sunshine?

So the only method of action to take was to talk to them the few times Creed wasn't breathing down their neck or in the general area. And it was worth it. The kid was a kitten personified, ears and tail and cuddles and all. They purred whenever he told them something about nature, left small bones and pebbles for him, they even hugged him once. Yeah, he was attached to them.

So why couldn't they just go back to the Institute with him?

The two brothers didn't want the other anywhere near their kitten, ending up in cat fights and hissing fits whenever they saw each other. It came to a head when Beast stepped in, chiding them both, and deciding to take their kitten back with him, saying they needed a more stable adult, so if they calmed down, perhaps he'd let them regain custody of them...

Yeah, that solved their fighting problem.

New mission:

Team up and steal their kitten back.

They can worry about if they're brothers or not or who gets to be the dad and the uncle AFTER their kitten is back in their claws, right where they should be. Let's see Magneto or Xavier or Beast be smug now!