#they're at the doorstep of slowly getting together

[tryingtimi]

“ come to me, okay? whenever you need someone. “

@bloodlessheirbyjacques ✨

Painful Endings, Reluctant Beginnings

@bloodlessheirbyjacques and I had this lovely sprint session back in the last decade (kidding obv, I'm just slow with writing and could only finish it now) and we used Brave Enough to Love You by Lindsely Stirling and Christina Perri's beautiful song as a prompt. Listening on repeat, we've both created a scene for it, and so a little angsty, little hurt-comfort Cronlyn had been born from it on my side and an amazing, angsty Elistrea on Jaq's. I also mixed the vibe with this prompt to clear my drafts out as well hehe. Context: The team find out that the driadlin society's religion was a lie that the villain's side planted out back in the days, so they could lure the clueless driadlin into their traps without anyone finding out the truth. Avelyn was one of the loyal Pristess apprentices of their religion.

CRONYL AND AVELYN | ANGST | HURT/COMFORT | SLIGHT SELF-LOATHING | WC: 1,736

Veilnieve’s Priestesses could never take off their veils. The truth was so hidden in the world, they needed the purest sight to find even the tiniest pieces of it. It helped them. Their oats chained the veils to them.

Was the whole thing just a lie?

Avelyn felt the tiny bruise she made as her nails scratched across the soft skin of her thumb. A little blood appeared there as she glanced at it. She couldn’t bring herself to care about it, though. Not now, when she didn’t even know what to believe anymore.

“Here.”

A cloth was pushed into her vision, followed by his usual, even voice. Avelyn didn’t need to look at him to know, he didn't even turn to her while handing her the piece. He knew what she did without sparing her a glance, probably. Oh, Veilne…

Avelyn reached for the cloth so hurriedly, she ended up snapping the thing out of Cronyl’s hand. Great. She wasn’t even capable of controlling herself now.

Was this a punishment? Her punishment? She found and studied forbidden knowledge, after all. She may even have been responsible for dooming their world, wasn’t she? How could she care about a little blood on her fingers after all that?

She squeezed her eyes together for a moment, leaving the cloth to rest in her lap without using it. She breathed in deeply and allowed the air to slowly find its way out of her lungs. Her concentration sharpened with this, so she could focus on her surroundings for a short time.

The small room they were in, the wooden chair she was sitting on, the table beside her… Cronyl, leaning against it. His presence was ruling the place as always. He couldn’t hide there, even if he tried to. Even when she didn’t see him.

Strictness, seriousness, loneliness… tenderness, care, trust. She felt it all, as he soundlessly half-stood beside her. Her mind was full of grave thoughts and with every new one that found its place there, her heart only sank deeper.

And yet, she didn’t feel lonely.

She was lost; more than she had ever been in her entire life. But with a quiet companion, she didn’t feel lonely.

Avelyn opened her eyes, her thick, pearl-white veil blocking her view to be completely clear. She saw the world through the net of lies.

And how tiring it felt to do that now.

She wanted to reach for the string of her veil, but her hand wasn’t taking orders from her, not now, not anymore. It was something too deeply nested in her core to just get rid of it this easily.

So instead, she looked at Cronyl.

The man, who didn’t let her alone, when everyone else shared the thought of leaving her be. She didn’t want that, and Cronyl somehow knew this. How, she couldn’t tell.

He was watching the other side of the room, maybe inspecting something or he was as lost in his thoughts as Avelyn. He leaned at the table, so he didn’t need to support his whole body with his legs, hands beside him. He wasn’t staring at her. Avelyn saw all this, but only through a muted layer, so she couldn’t be sure about anything.

Only that, Cronyl still wore his half-broken glass on his forehead, one, still unharmed side pulled down at his red eye to keep it at bay.

Avelyn could have dragged her gaze off him, but she didn’t want to. Instead, she recalled their first meeting and all the things that happened since then. How much things have changed. How the hero to monster slowly grew in her eyes and turned into something beyond a hero. She realized Cronyl wasn’t a monster even if he bore one inside himself. He was closer to being a legend by not letting all that power rule him.

Admiration and something else stirred inside Avelyn’s chest. It was a feeling that made her blush, but she was also moderately aware of what it was exactly. She wasn’t enough for it, though.

She couldn't even deal with the weight of the recent events. She wasn’t brave enough to face her shadows, let alone love someone like Cronyl.

Her hands finally let her lift them and reach toward her ears. It wasn’t something she could rush, but something she forced herself to do anyway. When her fingers softly brushed her ears, she almost shivered. She knew if she took her veils off then, she wouldn't take them back. Ever.

The strings were in her hands.

How heavy some silk-like strings could have felt. She closed her eyes. Those ones that everyone said to be treacherous, but legendary. Those ones that made her lose her faith long before she knew the truth. A tiny, bitter smile found her lips.

Has she truly believed anyway?

With a deep breath, she let her fingers pull the strings off of her ears. If they had a grand weight when they were on her, without them, she felt even heavier. Heavy and weak…

Her heart skipped a beat.

A small, delicately decorated mirror caught her sight when she opened her eyes. It was so light, she didn’t even notice when it was placed on her lap.

Avelyn’s mind let all thoughts run free, her feelings exploding as strabugs would burst out their stars on a busy night. She carefully picked up the trinket, letting the veil hanging from one of her hands only. She felt her throat dry out and turn into a desert where all the water evaporated into the air. She gulped then and with a deep breath, she lifted the mirror to look into it.

Veilnieve’s devotees were not allowed to use mirrors. She hasn't seen herself for years now. The only reason she knew her eye color was the wrong one was that her apprentice friend and Priestess Rheata told her.

A mountain grew on her shoulder as she glanced at the reflection. A reflection of someone who had no round, but a delicately narrow nose. Of someone who had no rosy, puffy cheeks, only the soft lines of the face and jaws. There were no longer, curvy, smiling lips on the bottom, but more strict and strongly outlined ones. The hair was fine, long and so cared for as it framed this face. The face that bore those eyes; those golden eyes which about bards have sung songs of tales old as time itself.

Avelyn’s breath was shaking, when she realized who she faced wasn’t the innocent child that lived in her memories.

Who she faced was a woman with possession of something that shouldn’t have existed anymore.

A woman and a face she did not recognize.

The mountain only grew and buried her heart under a terrible weight as those foreign golden eyes became glossy from tears grieving a life lived through lies. A life that wasn’t even one in the first place. If nothing is real, then how could one call that a life anyway?

Avelyn wanted to close her eyes to stop her woe from running free on her cheeks; she couldn’t take off her gaze from the mirror, however. These trinkets showed the reflection of real things, they said.

They never told her it also revealed what is real at all.

She caressed the thick, beautifully carved frame of the mirror as one teardrop started its journey across her face. No more, only one. Finding out the truth finally meant her facing something she had no chance to, what she couldn’t.

Her weakness lasting so long deserved only one drop of sadness.

Heart sinking deep enough to never be found again, she placed the mirror down on the table beside her before she decided to look at Cronyl again. At him, who still faced the door, yet, she knew he was listening and watching. Waiting. Waiting for her to calm down, to begin processing what happened. For her to speak if she feels the need. A gentle smile crept upon her lips, as she somehow just knew, if she wouldn’t say a thing, Cronyl would still stand there until she would decide to silently leave the room.

Avelyn slowly rose from her seat, cloth slipping from her lap whilst she walked before him. She kept her distance to not disturb his privacy, yet she was close enough. His piercing metal-like gaze carefully wandered at her then, that one eye he was forced to leave free. Something he couldn’t hide, no matter how much he wanted to.

Carefully, with certain hands, she reached for his spectacles on his forehead. Not directly, but steadily to give him time to see what she’s going to do.

Cronyl visibly tensed up as he leaned back slightly, the same way a stray cat would draw back from a stranger who was trying to caress them. One of his hands seemed ready to stop her even. He didn’t raise them, however. The only thing he did was look into Avelyn’s eyes as intensely as ever and as if he found what he was looking for; he closed his eyes eventually.

A tiny, soothing wave washed over Avelyn’s deeply rooted loss when she finally touched the glass. She noticed his ears sharpen ever so slightly and heard the faint scratching sound of the table as his sharpened nails dug into it. He let her take off his glass nevertheless.

Revealing the scar on his eye made her sigh soundlessly, but it didn’t stop her from replacing the glass by binding her veil to his forehead.

A surprised expression spread out on Cronyl’s face, as Avelyn stepped back when she finished. He immediately raised his hand to touch the fabric, which she folded into a bandana. It was thicker now, so it could protect his eyes.

“Come to me, okay? Whenever you need someone,” she added quietly.

After a moment of standing in their content silence frozen in time, he pulled one side down at his scarred eye, then opened them up. There was no confusion, nor question in his stare. He only nodded.

“I will.”

[zillychu]

Consider for a moment: A slow-burn identity reveal “no one knows” AU with an emphasis on ghosts being taken seriously as an actual, world-changing threat.

Ghosts are treated as an exceedingly dangerous, but unavoidable force of nature. They can come and go without warning, through naturally occurring spontaneous portals. They're territorial, driven only by obsession and hunger for the living. Particularly powerful ghosts are on par with natural disasters.

Life goes on because there's simply no other option. All major buildings have varying levels of ghost shields, some stronger than others. Just about everyone has some form of personal shield, weapon, or general deterrent. For the most part, humanity takes this apocalypse in stride, barely keeping it all together because there's just enough safety to keep them all sane.

Which is why the rumors of Phantom being able to fully mimic a human body incites panic in Amity.

Phantom was already a nightmare as it was–one of the most powerful and intelligent ghosts on record. His territorial fights with other ghosts for haunting (hunting) grounds in Amity have made global news several times already. Powerful ghosts could appear more human–but to think he was transforming down to a cellular level? Hiding among them? Bypassing ghost shields and alarms? Picking them off one by one?

The focus is mostly with Lancer's class, and how the school deals with this new threat on top of everything else. Everyone is a suspect, no one is safe, and Danny Fenton in particular gets slowly more and more exhausted, apathetic, and… unnerving.

The stress, the lack of sleep, the fighting, no one to turn to, not even his best friends or family–it takes a toll on him. Starving himself doesn't help, but he refuses to do more than take small bites from the ambient life energy and emotion of the living around him. Nothing that won't actually do lasting harm. He begins to slip up more and more, which Sam and Tucker begin to notice but haven't quite connected the dots yet.

But, well. What else can Danny do when Pariah Dark comes knocking on Amity’s doorstep, and his whole class is in the line of fire?

[tired-biscuit]

hmmm thinking about bratty, shit disturbing omega reader telling alpha kiba 'ooo you wanna breed me so bad' during a petty argument when they're not even together and it resulting in him putting you in a non-con mating press.....

18+ MDNI, fem!omega!reader // cw: noncon, omegaverse, breeding, reader is in heat and kiba is MEAN about it.

wait, this is actually perfect; there’s just something about omegaverse and kiba that makes such a good combo every single time!

i’m thinking about him being your neighbour. he’s nice on the eyes but he’s also grouchy, not much of a talker, and always seems super tense whenever you bump into each other in the hallway or at the entrance leading into your apartment complex.

and when i say tense, i mean tense. your mailbox resides next to his, so if you by any chance come down to get mail at the same time as him, he’s clutching his bills with a white-knuckled grip and is storming right back upstairs and slamming his door shut with an unnecessarily loud thud before you’ve even finished sticking your key into the tiny lock.

while living so close to each other, you’ve tried being polite towards him on several occasions. have greeted him with a smile and a quick “morning!” or “hi!” even though all he did in response was grumble something under his breath and brush you right off. you even went as far as to ask him how his run went when he came back into the building drenched in sweat and with his cheeks flushed a pretty red one time, but to no avail. the face he pulled made him look like he was seconds away from telling you to fuck off.

all signs point to general dislike no matter what you do, so winning him over just for the sake of having a good relationship seems to be outright impossible. which is also a huge bummer because he lives right next door, and it’d be nice to have him on your side since it significantly lessens the chance of him nagging you when the music is a smidge too loud or whenever you have friends staying the night.

by the time several weeks had passed — hell, you’ve endured almost two months of this crap — and he was no closer to warming up to you, you’d given up. not only that, you also made sure to give him a taste of his own medicine: you got rid of the sweet girl attitude and instead started treating him the same way he treated you.

rudely.

so it’s no wonder that he appears to be absolutely fucking pissed when he shows up at your doorstep one day when you’re in the middle of suffering through one of your worst heats yet, banging on your door with an impatient fist and sporting the pushiest demeanor you’ve ever seen.

when you finally force yourself to get off the couch and open the door, the first thing you realise is that he’s so big that he fills the entire entrance. all muscle and raw, brutal power. you’ve never gotten the chance to see him this upclose.

the glare in his dark brown eyes is harsh as he immediately makes eye contact with you, and his lips press into a firm line. there’s a constant flutter of a muscle in his right cheek that he can’t seem to get rid of.

he doesn’t look happy.

and there’s an odd sinking feeling appearing in the pit of your stomach because of it.

“what do you want?” you ask, trying your best to breathe as little as possible through your nose. he smells like pure alpha, heavy and intense because of that wretched musk — a scent you definitely shouldn’t be in close vicinity of at this particular time.

“i want you to get the fuck out of this building already,” he snarls with zero hesitation, gripping the side of the doorframe so that he can shove himself even further into your space. “you’re stinking up the entire place with your omega bullshit and it’s making it hard to think.”

“ex-…” you blink slowly, taken aback by the jumble of insults he’s just thrown at you. “excuse me?”

“you heard me the first time,” he snips, baring his front teeth for a split second as he visibly cringes at you. his canines are sharp; it’s your first time noticing this since he sure as hell never smiled in your presence. “i’ve got work in the morning and i can’t relax when your scent is taking over the entire goddamn floor. either find someone to take care of your heat for ya and give that vibrator that you’ve been riding since last night a rest already, or move the fuck out.”

you stare at him, dumfounded and wide eyed just like the first time. he stares right back, with his jaw tightly clenched and his shoulders stiff.

and there’s just something about the way he looks at you now, about the way he looks now — so rugged and blatantly male and rough around the edges, that causes your panties to turn even slicker than they already are.

“you’ve gotta be kidding me… christ, are all of you omegas so freaking pathetic?” he mutters quietly as he watches you squeeze your thighs together.

you’re dressed in nothing but a pair of tiny panties and an oversized t-shirt since you planned to do nothing else but sit at home today and try to make yourself feel better. the thin piece of fabric is doing absolutely nothing when it comes to keeping the scent of your urges at bay.

kiba’s throat feels like it’s on fire. it makes it hard to speak when he says, “whatever, just- are you gonna do somethin’ about it or not?”

“no, i’m not.” in your disoriented, the-heat-has-outright-cooked-my-brain-and-turned-it-into-useless-mush state, you can’t help but say the first thing that pops into your mind, “i’ve got just as much of a right to be here as everyone else does, you know, and it’s not my fault that you can’t focus because your shitty alpha brain is telling you to breed me… so if that’s all, i’ll be kindly asking you to get off my doorstep. i have a toy i want to get back to.”

you go to slam the door shut right in front of his nose, only to be caught off guard when BAM! — he uses his hand to shove it right back open again.

oh, he’s definitely not used to omegas disrespecting him or acting bratty around him. because of it, he’s all up in your face in a matter of seconds, blood boiling underneath tan skin.

with every step he takes forward, you try to take one back, but it doesn’t take long for him to corner you. before you know it, he’s got you with your back against the wall. his cock is thick and heavy in his sweatpants, pressing against your thigh and exposing the fact that your heat is affecting him too, and you spring into action because of it, desperately fighting to create more distance between your body and his.

however, the problem is that he’s ended up standing so close to you that the proximity is practically non-existent. trying to shove him away is futile since he’s so much bigger than you that he looms over your smaller frame and keeps you caged between the wall and himself with no issue.

you don’t stand a chance against him.

“look at me.”

forced to act submissive by nature, you give in easily to his demand despite the fact that it takes all the effort in the world for you to even attempt to refuse it. so you lift your gaze like the good little omega that you are, and you come to learn that there are tiny summer freckles dusting the bridge of his nose. you’ve never gotten the chance to see him this upclose either.

mentioned bridge slightly scrunches with displeasure now as his hand moves to wrap around your throat. he leans in, his voice hoarse, “is anyone else in here with ya?”

“y-yes,” you stammer, upper lip wobbling because of the fastly upcoming tears that are threatening to fall any second now. you’re well aware that alphas can get aggressive whenever they slip into rut, so you and your big mouth have put yourselves in quite the predicament. and if anything, this particular situation is definitely good enough of a reason to cry about.

“don’t you dare fucking lie to me. that shit pisses me off.” he gives your neck a firm squeeze, enough to make you kick your feet against the floor in sheer, utter panic. a scared little voice in your head tells you that he could lift you right off the ground if he wanted to. or worse.

“no, n-no there isn’t anyone else here!” you squeak out. “it’s just me and my cat! m’sorry!”

his eyebrows draw together.

“what?” you ask warily, trying to calm him down by distracting him even though you’re well aware that he can smell how wet your pussy has become by now and that it’s making him lose more and more of his sense of morality. there’s just something about his touch… it’s so warm that it makes you want to arch your back, as unbelievable as that sounds. “is something the matter?”

“no,” he mutters, still looking unimpressed. god, do his features ever soften? “it’s just that i hate cats, is all… dogs are better.”

you make a mental note to remember this piece of information for whatever reason. what the fuck.

“anyway,” he continues before you can say anything. “let’s take care of your heat now. i have a game to watch later, so i wanna be done by six… unless you feel like warming my dick at my place, that is.”

“w-what?” you freeze, cold sweat rushing over you. one tear falls, sliding down your much too feverish cheek and you sniffle. “no, wait-”

“yeah, yeah, you don’t want it, blah blah blah,” he brushes you off so carelessly that it makes your pulse begin to hammer inside your ears. “and yet you’re still soaking wet between your legs and feeling like you’ll die if i don’t shove my cock inside ya this very instant. spare me with the poor, helpless omega crap, sweetheart... you ain’t foolin’ anybody.”

he’s looking directly into your eyes again, completely shameless and with zero remorse, and you’re so turned on by it that your clit is throbbing. it’s making you slightly nauseous.

“i…” you swallow thickly, trying not to think about the amount of saliva that’s gathering in your mouth. “i don’t-”

without a single warning, he presses himself against you in a way that instantly makes you buck your hips towards him in search for more friction. when he begins to draw back, you act before thinking; grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt and frantically tugging him closer.

“see, i told ya,” he purrs, cruel satisfaction evident on his face as he watches you struggle. “you need me.”

he’s right. god-fucking-damn it, he’s right. the urgency to have an alpha like him inside you has gotten so bad by now that you can barely stand. if it weren’t for his hand that he’s still got wrapped around your throat, you’re pretty sure you’d already be laying on the floor by now.

and that is exactly where you end up.

on the floor, naked, manhandled into a mating press and forcefully stuffed full with his cock. moaning like a slut, sweating like crazy and crying at him to stop, to fucking stop stop STOP, even though you’re the one who’s reaching out, desperately trying to cling onto him and keep him inside.

the sounds your pussy is making whenever he sinks in to the hilt is fucking embarrassing. you’re so wet, practically delirious with want, twitching and whining when he hits that sweetspot deep inside you. you don’t even know his first name, so you’re just babbling nonsense, clawing at his strong arms in meek attempt to punish him.

“open your legs wider f’me.”

the desire to spread your legs further for him even if he’s literally the meanest piece of shit of a man is making you feel disgusting, but you just can’t stop yourself from obeying. your body wants him, it yearns for him, and it’s making your hormones go batshit crazy.

“that’s it, sweetheart.” he pants above you as he praises you, back arching and bicep flexing when he places one hand on your belly. “trying to be such a good girl for your alpha, huh? gonna do just about anythin’ to get me to knock ya up.”

your sobbing intensifies when he presses into the bulge his cock makes underneath your skin.

it’s the first time you see him smile.

[alastorss]

AAAA ITS GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK!

I love your characterization of Alastor sm ❤️❤️❤️

Could I request reader dropping dead things (people/body parts, deer, etc.) at his door/radio tower? No note, just corpses. He’s gotta figure out who tf if dropping these for him.

a/n: thank you, it's so good to be back!! i really appreciate you and everyone for being so welcoming :')) <3

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

"You've been doing what?!"

"I didn't think it was so bad... You're the one who wanted me to make friends!"

Charlie only gawks at you, tugging at the ends of her hair in stress. The Princess of Hell paces back and forth across the room, slowly piecing together why Alastor has been in such a foul mood lately.

"So you thought the best way to make friends with the Radio Demon was to leave dead bodies at his doorstep?"

"He loves dead bodies."

"Yeah, to eat them! Oh god, what kind of message have you been sending to him?" She babbles on, exasperated and flinging her hands around in a panic. "He must think you're threatening him or something!"

"Well..." you make some sort of constipated expression and Charlie stops dead in her tracks. "He might not know they've been from me."

"You've been leaving them anonymously?" The Princess squeaks, unsure of whether that makes it infinitely better or infinitely worse. "What was even the point then?"

"I get nervous!" You argue, flopping back on the couch and laying an arm over your eyes. "I was going to tell him eventually."

Alastor was a different breed of terrifying. He could silence a room just by breathing in it. The wailing souls in his broadcast were enough to command that sort of attention.

When Charlie had given you the task of making friends as a part of her "redemption project" you had assumed he was exempt from the list. He was, after all, fairly secluded despite his cheery demeanour. Very few had ever managed to become his companions.

However, your hopes of avoiding him had been flushed down the drain when you accidentally bumped into each other on the way out on your very first day.

He gave you a look over, scrutinizing you from head to toe until your cheeks burned. Then, demanded something very simple of you:

"Welcome! Please, do entertain me."

His first and, as of today, last words he ever spoke to you. Sure, your methods were a little unorthodox, but you had asked Husk for advice and Alastor's cannibalistic tendencies were as much as the bartender was willing to spill.

When you don't receive any response, you peel your arm away to peer at your friend. She makes another two laps around the coffee table before her face lights up.

"I've got it!"

"I don't like that look on your face—"

"Come on," she laughs, pulling you by the wrists. "You just have to be honest. And make sure he knows you're not trying to kill him!"

"How am I supposed to do that?" You ask nervously. "You just told me he's been in a worse mood than usual."

A sinister smile that could only belong to the daughter of the devil creeps its way across her lips.

Dread. All you feel is terrible dread.

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As much as Alastor enjoys a good meal, this is becoming excessive.

It must be the seventh or eighth body this week. And, as usual, there is no note. No indication of why there's a corpse or a deer head or a rabbit's foot at his door. He can't even sniff out any traces of a soul being here.

He hates charity.

Not even because he does not need it, but because the anonymity is making him think they're gifts of pity. That, or it's a threat on his life. Either way, he loathes the idea that someone is looking down on him.

The demon needs to get to the bottom of this soon. Paranoia is not common for him, but the anxious bubbling in his chest is unmistakable. Whoever keeps leaving the bodies at his door is meticulously clean when they kill. He would hate to be on the receiving end of the blade.

Just as he's about to dump the body in his swamp for later, there's a knock on his bedroom door. He hesitates.

No, he isn't afraid of whoever is on the other side of the door. However, if there were a fight, he would need to get his suit tailored again and he simply doesn't have the time for that today.

He takes slightly too long to decide whether or not the person on the other side of the wall is a threat, because soon enough his ears pick up the sound of retreating footsteps.

Alastor swings the doors open so fast that you yelp.

At first he's confused why you refuse to turn around to look at him. Lacking common manners—he'll have to bring that up to you later. Then, he's confused on why you've shown up to his door at all.

"May I help you, dear?"

A chill creeps down your spine. Charlie and her ideas... they would be the death of you. Preferably today. Right now.

"I didn't mean to disturb you!" You stammer, still not looking at him.

Alastor raises a brow before popping up behind you from the shadows. You squeak, clutching somehing to your chest and shielding it from his gaze. He does a loop around your body and you spin around to keep the item hidden. The Radio Demon narrows his eyes.

"Are you hiding something?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

You do another spin as he tries to get a peek of what's in your hands.

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?" He feigns offense. Again, another spin.

"Of course not!"

"You see, I very much don't enjoy being lied to. Last time I caught a scoundrel in my midst, I cracked them open like a—"

"Okay, okay!" You suddenly burst out. You turn so slow that Alastor feels himself holding his breath.

When he finally sees what you've been so insistent on hiding, he snickers. Impolitely, mind you.

"Don't laugh," you whine, squeezing the bouquet closer to your chest. Amongst the flowers are little pieces of death—fingers, eyes, ears.

Charlie had decided that one step back in your redemption by collecting body parts like this would result in three steps forward. She allowed it, just this once.

"Are these for me?" He purrs, leaning down until his face is in yours. You'd been warned before that Alastor had no concept of personal space, but you can't help the way it robs the air in your lungs.

"Please don't get the wrong idea," you strain in embarrassment. "I just wanted to say... I'm sorry. For leaving all those bodies here. I didn't mean for it to come across as insulting."

The demon blinks at you in stunned silence for a few moments before he cackles, standing back to let you breathe again. "Why, of course! No hard feelings, darling."

"Really?" You lighten up with a sigh of relief.

"Your little gifts have kept me on my toes," he assures. "Perhaps not my idea of entertainment, but the effort was there."

"I'm glad to hear that," you smile. "Charlie was worried you wouldn't accept my apology or want to be friends."

You seem to catch yourself, eyes going wide as you shake your head.

"N-Not that I'm assuming this means we can be friends!"

Alastor only laughs again, gentler this time. "No need to be so jumpy. I don't bite," he muses. "And tell the Princess she has nothing to worry about."

He takes the bouquet from you, hands lingering over yours for a fraction longer than he meant for them to.

"I would love to be your friend."

~

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[cougheemedicine]

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Jing Yuan x GN!Reader

Word count: 2463

Warnings: Nudity, suggestive but nothing explicit (they bathe together), drinking (drink responsively kids), no beta we just die, the impending wrath of Fu Xuan, ooc? I've never written him before, I think that's it?

Content: Fluff, some angst right at the end but all is resolved, established relationship, Reader is a long-living species, Reader is shorter than Jing Yuan, other characters mentioned, they're whipped your honor

Summary: Due to your position in the Xianzhou Luofu's sky-faring commission, you are rarely home. Often gone for months at a time. Your dear husband never copes well with your time apart. He always makes sure to make up for lost time.

˜”*°•.•°*”˜

   The ground under your feet slipped away before you knew it. So this is how it ends, this is how you die. Not the worst death one could have, you supposed.

       “General-“ A dying wheeze escapes you, “General, I can’t breathe.”

       Met only with a huff that sounded more annoyed than agreeing, the crushing weight on your ribcage lessens. If only slightly. Not enough for your feet to touch the ground, but enough for you to wiggle your arms out from where they were pinned to your sides, wrapping them around your husband’s shoulders.

       “I’ve missed you,” Low and hoarse, the deep baritone of Jing Yuan’s voice sends a shiver down your spine. You sigh, relenting to your husband’s affections. It had been months since you’d seen each other last. As the fleet-master of the Luofu’s sky-faring commission, one of your most important duties was to craft interstellar maps for all of the Luofu to use. The only way to do that was to go on the missions yourself, which could last between six to nine months.

       For the long-living Xhianzhou natives, nine months passed in the blink of an eye. For your beloved, equally as long-living husband? Nine months was torturous. The man laid his head on your shoulder, inhaling deeply. You debated on whether you should drag him back to work to avoid the wrath of Lady Fu Xuan on your doorstep in an hour’s time, or repent and simply bask in the presence of your man. Who was real and tangible, embracing you instead of hushed words through a disembodied voice on the other side of your phone, or a pixelated figure sitting bored at a meeting you had to attend via a live hologram.

       As his hand slowly rubbed up and down your back, his other hand supporting you while you still dangled in the air. You found the decision easy to make. You craned your head, pressing your lips to his hairline, right above his ear. “I’ve missed you too, my love,”

       But, there was one thing amiss. Even as you felt Jing Yuan smile against the fabric of your shirt. You could also feel the eyes on your back. Both of your crew, and of Luofu citizens. None of the gazes malicious, just a bit invasive. You could also hear the whispers. The giggling and gossiping.

‘The general’s gone soft,’

’Aw, how sweet!’

’How adorable…’

       “People are watching, general,” You spoke up, raising a hand to run through the hair that escaped his ponytail, tightening your hold on the back of his neck to keep yourself up. Jing Yuan sighed contently, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. “Let them,”

       “General, I’d like to bathe, and get out of this armor,” You tugged lightly at his hair, pulling his head from your shoulder so you could look him in the eyes. Any normal person would’ve seen no difference in Jing Yuan’s face, but you were far from normal. After centuries of marriage, you could tell. The curve of his brow, and the pull of his frown. “Stop pouting, general,”

       He rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. That tired, easy smile of his. He set you back on the ground, arms wrapped loosely around your waist. “Stop calling me general, then I’ll let you go,”

       Despite his words, he still let you go. Stepping to your right and linking his arm with yours. You shared a smile as you walked, leaving the port. “Whatever you say, Jing Yuan.”

˜”*°•.•°*”˜

        The sound that leaves your mouth as you sink into the steaming bath water would make even the most stone-faced of war veterans blush. You were never more grateful for the sheer lavishness of the general's residence than when you just return from a mission. The bath of the general's home was better described as a pool. Set in the tile floor, and large enough to fit ten people. The large window on the far wall overlooked the Luofu, saying the whole experience was lavish would be an understatement.

        The feel of tar running in your veins instead of blood finally subsiding as the salts and oils in the water sunk into your skin. You rest your arms on the edge of the bath, letting your head lull onto the tile behind you. You don't focus much on anything, eyes scanning the traditional Xianzhou architecture of the bathroom, and letting your limbs, heavy with fatigue, float weightless in the water.

        "Enjoying yourself, dear?"  Jing Yuan's voice brings you back from your trance, eyes bleary as his feet come into view. You slowly lift your gaze, shamelessly eyeing your husband in a thin robe that was far from befitting a general. He's holding a small, porcelain cup in each hand, intricately decorated, with a bottle of wine under his arm. Oh, how you've missed this. "Very much. Even more so now,"

        "I heard from your co-pilot that you had trouble with some rogue asteroids on your way back to the Luofu," He hums as he sets down the cups and bottle a small ways away from your head, settling behind you with a washcloth.

        You groan "Ugh, I don't want to talk about it. If it weren't for my navigators we wouldn't of been able to come back unscathed,"

        Jing Yuan coaxes you to lean forward, and you let out a rather undignified yelp when the cold soap on the washcloth touches your back. Jing Yuan laughs. you flick water at him.

        "I commend your navigator's skills. They seem very talented," Jing Yuan lathers the soap as he speaks, taking the washcloth across your shoulders and down your back. He then gently takes your right hand, running the washcloth down the length of your arm.

        "Of course they are, I taught them." Jest laces your tone, even as you submerge yourself to the neck to rid yourself of the suds. As you finish, you lay your head on Jing Yuan's crossed legs. Jing Yuan smiles softly, emotion swirling in the single eye you could see. He leans down, pressing his lips to yours. When he pulls back, the washcloth long forgotten, he runs his thumb across your cheekbone, then down the bridge of your nose, and over the curve of your lips. You've long since closed your eyes, a smile pulling at your lips. "Join me?"

        Jing Yuan is silent for a beat, and you lift your head once more. "Your wish is my command."

        Jing Yuan stands, and you watch him walk to the stool you had set your own robe on. You watch him fiddle with the knot at his hip, then slowly shrug off one side of the robe, then the other. Making sure to stretch his arms above his head, allowing you the pleasure of seeing the entire expanse of his back and arms. You can sense the smile playing on his lips, and you know he can sense your staring. He's teasing you. You avert your eyes the moment his robe drops to the floor. 

       You feel him slip into the water beside you, letting out a groan very much like the one you had earlier. He smiles at you, his hand creeping up to the side of your head, guiding it down to rest on his shoulder. The two of you sit in silence a while, simply enjoying each other's presence. Months ago, silence meant sitting alone, in the cramped captain's quarters of your starskiff, charting maps and scribbling reports to send back home. Silence meant nights that seemed endless, hunched over your work, and being far, far away from home. Silence that was so loud you had wished so very hard for moments like this to happen more often. 

        Jing Yuan shifts under your head, offering you one of the cups he had brought in. Wordlessly, you take it, allowing him to pour the wine into your cup, then into his own. "Tell me," You pipe up, swirling the cup under your nose. The scent was light, you watch as he takes a sip "When was the last time we've shared a bottle like this?"

        "I can't say I recall. You're very cruel you know, keeping me waiting so long to repeat moments like this," Jing Yuan downs the rest of the contents of his cup, resuming his previous position at your side. "Fleet Master." 

        "Excuse you, we were right on schedule. Even after the whole event with the asteroids," You grin, playing with the fingers on Jing Yuan's free hand. "General-"

        Jing Yuan surges forward, before you even have half a mind to process, slotting his lips against yours. You hum, his lips taste of wine, and the scent of his shampoo roles off him in waves. One arm slung lazily around your back, the other keeping his cup above the water, he parts from your lips with a gasp, dipping his head to pepper kisses down your jaw and neck. You manage to suck in a breath right as he lifts his head again, mashing your lips together clumsily. Desperately. If you didn't know your husband better, you'd think him drunk. With how careless he was being. The sound of his porcelain cup clattering onto the tile beside you ringing sharp in your ear only proving your thoughts.

        His grip on you tightens, bringing his other hand up to push you even closer together, you throw your arms around his neck to stable yourself. You can feel every dip and contour of his body against yours, the callouses on his hand sliding up your back to between your shoulder blades as he brings you oh so much closer, his loose hair tickling your face when he hunches forward. Kissing you even harder.

        You're the one to pull away. Or perhaps it was him? You don't really have it in you to care.

        The both of you are panting like dogs. You let your arms around his neck go slack, and his hands drop from your back to your hips.

        It's silent again, only your breathing filling the room. Without really thinking, you raise a hand, cupping your husband's cheek. Immediately he leans into your touch, covering your hand with his own and pressing a flurry of kisses to your palm. His face is flushed, pink from his cheeks to his ears, and his lips bruised. Truly a sight for your sore eyes.

        You peck Jing Yuan's cheek, the one you aren't holding, laughing quietly against his skin. He joins you, a deep chuckle that always brought a pleasant warmth to your chest. It was rare for Jing Yuan to laugh to heartily, even rarer for you to even be present to hear it. You don't think you'll ever tire of the sound. He presses his lips to your temple. "I think we better leave before we become prunes,"

        "Always so wise, my dear,"

˜”*°•.•°*”˜

       “Jing Yuan, I can’t walk with you both leaning on me,” You whine. Jing Yuan groans, leaning more of his weight onto you. His grip on the front of your night shirt tightens, wrinkling the light fabric as Mimi curls around your legs, head butting your thigh. A chuffing sound leaves the lion, as if she were laughing at you. Jing Yuan rests his chin on your shoulder, cheeks still pink from the heat of the bath.

        “Don’t be mean, she’s missed you,” He lightens his iron grip on you, running a hand through the fur on Mimi's back. You smell opportunity. You worm your way out of your husband's arms, as warm and comfortable as they are, you still need to walk. Narrowly dodging his hand, fully intent on tugging you right back, you stride on down the corridor. You needn't look back to see Jing Yuan huff and cross his arms, dragging his feet as he follows you.

        The moment you close the sliding door to your shared chambers, you're shoved onto the unnecessarily large bed. Jing Yuan crawls over you as you shuffle up to the pillows. He straddles you, a leg on each side of your torso, keeping you down with a hand on your shoulder. As you settle your hands on his hips, you feel the bed dip once more. From around Jing Yuan, you watch as Mimi sprawls out over the entire foot of the bed. A hand on your chin guides your eyes back to your husband's face. He leans down, kissing you gently. Your hands travel, from his hips to his waist, then up his chest and over his shoulders. You settle your hands in his hair, running your nails over his scalp. Sliding a hand down his nape to his shoulders, you gently push him down, letting him put all his weight on you.

        "This isn't uncomfortable, is it?" Jing Yuan lowly asks, barely above a whisper. He's already shifting his legs, leaving only his chest resting on yours. Always attentive, your Jing Yuan.

        "No love, it's perfectly fine," You sigh, continuing to card your fingers through his hair.

        Jing Yuan hums, pecking your forehead then the tip of your nose. He lowers himself till his head is cushioned by your chest, pressing another kiss to your collar bone before settling down right above your heart, curling his arms around your ribs.

        Mimi huffs, and you hear her breathing become slow. You've certainly missed this. You can feel Mimi's tail sway against your calf in her sleep, and Jing Yuan tightens his grip around you, you can feel his every breath against the thin fabric of your shirt. You continue scratching at his scalp. "Jing Yuan?"

        You hear him mumble something, he throws a leg over yours.

        "I'm sorry I'm away so often," It stings. Whenever you leave. The silent nights holed away in your office, or piloting your vessel. The homesickness eating at you the minute you leave port. Sometimes you can't help but think that having someone so dear be so far away takes a toll that isn't worth the pay off.

        "Distance makes the heart grow fonder, my love," Jing Yuan replies, muffled by the fabric of your shirt, and slurred by exhaustion.

        On second thought. Maybe having someone tying you to your home was a good thing. Who knows if you'd ever return from the stars if someone wasn't waiting at home. Speaking of home...

        "Jing Yuan, how did you convince Qingzu and Lady Fu to leave you be for so long?"

        The man stiffens in your hold.

        "Jing Yuan!"

˜”*°•.•°*”˜

work belongs to @cougheemedicine, all forms of plagiarism, modifying, translating, reposting are not allowed.

[lit3rallyll0yd]

hey how are you? I'm sorry to make this personal request but it's my current situation and I wanted to console myself with this in the arms of chuuya x reader

I would like to make a chuuya request with a s/o who went on a trip with her family to the beach, but her family is toxic and usually does things to humiliate her, talk about her body, etc. She pretends she doesn't care about it but it causes her several crises.

when your family is toxic, but you don't show that you care to him

chuuya :3

warnings: mention of a toxic relationships, reader uses she/her, insecurities, mention of body shame, mention of nudity, overall border-line fluff

a/n: hmmm, did i write away from the topic a little bit? maybe, and for that, i'm sorry!!! I did try to get all the components you have asked for anon; also, i'm sorry you're going through all of that! im here to talk if needed.

OKAY FIRST OF ALL-

this man is not having you lying to his face.

no. no. no. NO!

he's sees right through you, anything you say that you may think is believing-

*CHUCK IT OUT THE DAMN WINDOW!!*

but not in a mean way :3

erm anyways.

he never really cared that you rarely mentioned your family, until he asked if he could ever meet your parents.

you know, because since you two are dating- he just thought it would be respectful. on his part, at least.

you tried your best to change subjects, but he would catch on quickly and ask if anything wrong between you and your parents.

"hmm, ohno- we just argue sometimes- but that's just life; people argue and people fight- it's normal!"

now, your not wrong? but you seemed to be hiding something about your family to him.

he's literally in the mafia; if you tell him that they're fucking murders on the run and you don't want anyone to know about it- who the hell is chuuya going to tell, mori?? 💀💀

thats not the case, but that's all what chuuya thinks.

you told him a couple of days later you and your family are going on vacation, and he was happy for you.

you needed the break.

you work too hard at your job, and you deserve a vacation.

he would help you pack because none of your relatives helped? that's okay, he'll get you everything you need.

with a kiss on your lips he watched as you entered your parents car and off to your vacation...what he didn't expect was you coming home two days earlier then you said you would be.

"sweetheart, your back?" he would hug you, but you wouldn't hug back they way you usually do.

you dropped your bags on the floor of his doorstep with the door wide open..the time was currently 1:06am and chuuya was in PJ bottoms and a black t-shirt..his hair was tied in a small ponytail.

you hid your face in his neck as he hugged your8 tightly, expecting you to hug back.

you just stood there, arms draped by your sides and your suitcase on the ground.

he couldn't help but smell your hair, then kissed it as he rubs your back as he spoke; "babe, have you showered?"

you shake your head, still not responsive verbally.

he takes you inside his home, taking your bags in with you as he sat you down on the stairs steps; combing his fingers through your greasy hair.

he looked at your face; it was dry and your eyes were dark and your eyelids were purple.

he took your hand and kissed each of your knuckles as he saw tears fall from your eyes, however your face stayed the same.

"could i bathe you?" he would ask, and as he waited for your response, you nod.

gently, he would lift you from the steps and carry you to the bathroom.

he sat you down on the sink and started to run the water to a warm temperature for you to bathe in.

once he filled the tub with water and added a bath bomb of his own, he slowly turns to you and softly smiles; now standing in front of you.

"i'm going to undress you now, is that ok-"

before he could move you grabbed his wrist and looked at him. you seemed scared to show him your body as you tried to close your body together.

he gave you a sad frown, kissing your arm, up yo your shoulder.

"sweetheart, i have seen your naked multiple times, and i've had no problem with what i see; it's almost as if i have a gift from heaven itself.."

you stared into his blue eyes, thinking about what to do in the heat of the moment.

you guided his hand to the collar of your shirt, and nod slowly...allowing him to undress you.

in a way to make you comfortable, he would kiss your bare skin each time he would remove a piece of clothing from your body...

once your body was bare,, he would lift you up and gently play you in the tub and rub your shoulders.

couple of minutes went by, and chuuya had just dumped a handful of shampoo in his hand and started to message your skull with it.

"i take your vacation wasn't so...memorable?.."

he would ask softly, his eyes widening when he heats your soft sniffles.

"i'm'so sorry, my'love..." he would lean down and kiss your shoulders as you hide your face in your knees and sob.

chuuya would just rinse your hair after conditioner and held your body in his arms as you sobbed and sobbed for possibly 20 minutes.

as your crying settled, he would ask you what happened and if you would want to talk about it he would drain the water and help you change, of course leaving you if you would prefer to do it on your own.

sit on the bed, cuddled close together and talking about your family.

you would say how much they take you for granted, and talk about behind your back. your mother would body shame you, saying you eat either too much or too little.

your father would always make fun of your clothing choses and when your out, he would say your too fat for that bathing suit, or you could never fit in that dress unless you start caring about yourself.

both of them would also mention how much chuuya deserved better then to be with a sad, disappointed girl like you-

chuuya would cut your ranting off by kissing you on the lips for about a couple of minutes, a break for breathing if course, and would tell you no matter what your parents tell you, they're just jealous from what an amazing, beautiful women you have become ❤️

[puhpandas]

What about beckory is so appealing to you? /gen

outside of them themselves and my own personal preference, them being a mlm ship and also not canon and completely hypothetical are huge factors to me. it's so interesting building them up in all of these different interpretations since theres not much canon to go off by, but the canon we DO have is really good

and now speaking of the ship itself the last point I made applies because ggy the book is just. really good. when you read it for the first time it's fine but then you reread it and notice things and look deeper and you find all of these things making the friend group you thought was average way more deep and you see everyones flaws, and that makes them interesting. the book revolves around tony and ggy so we get the most about them, and what it shows us about them makes me claw at the walls

it showed us how tony is obsessive when it comes to mysteries because of his dad being put in prison and how he cant handle not getting to the bottom of a mystery because of it, and that obsession has driven a wall between everyone and him. then he meets the most mysterious guy in the universe Rab and he becomes obsessed with ggy to an unhealthy degree while also slowly starting to prefer greg over his best friend since he was 4 (which like how am I not supposed to like the ship when tony inadvertently became obsessed with Gregory throughout the whole book that's so funny😭)

they're both flawed people and even outside of ggy Tony's relationship with Gregory is almost purely hypothetical since they never actually met. but making aus or story ideas where tony survives after the end of ggy has so many possibilities for his and Gregory's relationship

theres a whole new world if you think tony dies and Gregory mourns later on when he gets freed, theres whole new worlds if tony goes on a quest to save Gregory or if Gregory fights back against ggy to save Tony's life or whatever could happen. everything u could think of has potential and it could all be unique and different and could hit off their relationship in tons of different ways

and their relationship has so many directions it could go becuase of their respective characters. in my personal interpretation of them, Tony's obsession doesnt go away after he survives the ggy attack and he tries to track down greg after he goes missing after the attack, and when he finds him it's a year later and greg isnt actually greg at all but Gregory. to me the idea of tony having an idea of Gregory in his head that was never him and that he has to unlearn would cause drama between them but it makes their bond stronger. tony has to get worse before he can get better to me, and that playing out with Gregory as they get older is so good to me

and amneisiac gregory is one of my fave things so the idea that Gregory slowly remembered tony over the course of living with 3 star fam and had an idea of him too, and when he shows up on his doorstep hes excited to meet him and the fact that tony is from Gregory's past thats a whole mystery to him he means a lot to him immediately

I guess tldr they're so interesting to me because they have all the potential in the world and a thousand different things you could do with them, but also their characters themselves are already just so interesting and fleshed out that it's fun to see how they could get to a relationship from their starting points and how flawed they are. they're not immediately compatible and they have so much about themselves and their personal stuff to work through at the time they meet but they go through growth together and it makes them rlly close. they make eachother better people as they get older :)

[goldfishontheceiling]

guys wake up new nowen AU just dropped /hj

doordash AU

picture this:

march 25th. Owen and his girlfriend Izzy decide to order some good old doordash because why not, and the dasher rings the doorbell, drops off the food, and is about to get into the car when-

GASP

IS THAT NOAH?! OWEN'S CHILDHOOD FRIEND WHO MOVED AWAY!? AT HIS DOORSTEP?!

(ramshackle pilot refrence teehee, GO WATCH IT ITS ON YOUTUBE I LOVE IT)

anyway, Eva grabs the food, Owen stops the dasher/Noah from leaving and asks if it's really him, Noah says some sarcastic remark about how "no, i'm just a stranger with the exact same name, exact same hair, and exact same childhood best friend from 10 years ago," they reunite. but now Noah has to go do another order, so they exchange numbers and Izzy makes a group chat titled "team e-scope."

(nobody questions the group chat name because it's Izzy, she winks at the 4th wall /j)

and all the sudden, Owen starts ordering doordash more, and keeps asking for a certain employee. at this point Owen knows Noah's schedule better then Noah does because he wants to see his little buddy!

but what's this? this is a nowen AU? so why are Owen and Izzy still together?

WELL NOT ANYMORE *hits ozzy with the break up beam*

and during that period of time, between Izzy breaking up with him and his desire to be closer with his childhood best friend, Owen develops a litttttle crush. just a little.

and at the same time, Noah realizes just how much he loves Owen. his smile, his warmth, both physical and personality, the way his touch was slowly helping Noah out of the cold touch starved house he locked himself in. and the more he thinks about it, the emptier his apartment feels.

and Noah develops a littttttle crush. just a little.

they're both scared to love again. Owen doesn't want to build walls, but the other part of him wants that extra protection, even if the construction hurts more then not having them does. Noah doesn't want Owen to put walls up, because he knows from experience (how's Emma doing now?) it's not worth it. he doesn't want to lose him the same way he almost lost himself (does Owen wonder if Izzy's moved on by now the same way Noah wondered?)

but it's okay, because they're working on taking walls down together, one brick at a time.

but right now it's march 25th, so Owen's just going to plan another doordash order. he just reunited with his Noah! surely he works tomorrow too, right?

[iguana-eyanna]

NCIS: Damon Pt. 1

So I've been watching NCIS since summer and fell in love with a lot of supporting characters. Here are some blurbs I had in mind. <3

Damon Werth:

"Damon needs you, more than ever." Gibbs said as you stared at Damon through the one-way mirror glass.

"Special Agent Gibbs, I'm not sure. We broke up before his deployment." You said, tugging your cardigan closer.

You and Damon were high school sweethearts. He had dreams of serving his country, but his immune system got in the way of being medically cleared. In just an instant, he became one of the strongest and fastest soldiers in his unit. You couldn't believe how he progressed through training, but you kept it to yourself.

Things didn't go as planned the month before he deployed. He decided to break things off between both of you. You didn't understand, since both of you were thinking of marriage. Even if it wasn't easy, you had to move on for the sake of your unborn baby.

You found out just days after the breakup and Damon was already deployed. Up till now, two injured NCIS agents came to your doorstep asking you about your ex and that's how you ended up here.

"I never seen him so afraid." You whispered. Damon could only be described as a deranged beast, frightened of his surroundings as he tried to break free from his restraints.

"Somebody drugged him with enhancements. We're trying to figure out who did it." Gibbs said.

Your hand landed on your growing bump, feeling protective.

"You're the only one who can get through to him. You were listed as his emergency contact for a reason. If anything happens, I'll be outside the door in an instant." Gibbs reassured you.

You look at the agent and back to Damon, determined to get the love of your life back.

"I'm ready."

You were escorted out then arrived at the door where Damon was in. Your heart felt like it was going to leap out of your chest, but you nodded to Special Agent Gibbs to open the door.

Once he did, Damon's head whipped towards who came in and saw you. He didn't say anything, but his eyes explained it all. Gibbs closed the door gently behind you and you slowly made your way to sit down.

You tried to formulate words, but they couldn't come out.

"Please tell me you're real."

"Wh-What?" You replied.

Damon gulped as he felt his throat dry, but he continued.

"Tell me that you're actually here, and I'm not hallucinating."

You thought for a moment, and you looked up at him.

"When you finally got enlisted, you wanted to take me out to this fancy restaurant. After that, we strolled through the park and you bought me a yellow rose from a stand. Then you said..."

"... I'd buy all the flowers in the world if it meant to see you smile again."

Damon's voice became soft and saw how his muscles relaxed. You raised your hand on the table, trying to reach him but he flinched back.

"I don't - I don't want to hurt you." He said, his voice straining.

"You won’t, Damon."

He scoffs as he sits back.

"Really? Who do you think hurt those agents that brought you in?"

You pause, but you held your ground.

"You were scared, you didn't know what was real and what wasn't."

"Don't make excuses for me, I hurt people. It's not safe for you or your baby to be here."

You could feel your eyes water as he also looked like he was close to tears.

"Damon, it's our baby."

He was speechless. All this time, he thought you already found someone and made a family together.

"How long have you've -"

"6 months. I found out after we broke up."

And that's when his shoulders began to violently shake. He began to sob and tried to face away from you, ashamed.

"I should have- stayed. I should have never - left you." He hiccuped, as his eyes began to grow red.

You got up from your seat and stood by Damon, enveloping your arms around him. He sank into your embrace as his sobs began to grow louder. You silently cried as well, as you held him closer, missing his touch.

"Dammy, they're trying to help you. You need to tell them who did this to you."

"I-I can't. It's complicated."

You let go, feeling a burning sensation in your chest.

"Damon, that agent told me you could overdose! You would rather die than live long enough to see your daughter born?"

His eyes soften as more tears threaten to pour down his face.

A daughter... he always wanted a girl.

He wanted to tell you the truth so bad. But if he admitted that he'd administered the enhancements to himself, he would have been dishonorably discharged. He fought so hard for his future in the Marines, that's all he ever wanted to be: a soldier.

But all he could do was look up at you with saddened eyes.

"I'm sorry." Damon whispered.

You stood still as your tears felt like they were burning.

"You're not the man I fell in love with, Damon. I hope this is worth it." You said, storming off as you opened the door. He called your name, then began to yell after the door was closed. He tried breaking off his restraints but there was no use. You close your eyes as you lean behind the door, sobbing. Agent Gibbs was there in front of you with sympathetic eyes and you hugged him, needing some comfort that you hadn't had in a long time.

Damon could hear your sobs outside the door, only wanting to hold you in his arms and place a loving hand on your bump where your little girl was safe.

But he knew he had to keep this secret to protect you two.

Even if it would kill him.

[macsimagines]

I'M SORRY BUT

TW: NSFW, Toxic!Ran, DRUG USE

The fact that Ran Haitani is so fucking mean to you and just such an ass with you most of the time. In public you're just a pretty little face he likes to show off, but he'll toss you to the side real quick when he wants to flirt with other girls, and then call you a 'possessive bitch' truly a king of gaslighting

But then 🤪 he feels kinda bad when you're mad at him, he notices he's been getting the cold shoulder and he doesn't really like how it feels when he's not your whole world.

So of course he decides he has to remind you how nice he is. Just shows up at your doorstep with a couple of pre-rolls, like they're fucking roses, asking you to come in so he can 'apologize'

And Oof you almost don't let him in, but Ran always has the best green and you're running low on your own stash. Not to mention the way you can see him through his sweats that has you rubbing your thighs together.

You'll let him in and then he's walking straight to your couch and sitting down, legs wide open letting you see his cock's outline in his pants. Ran's hands rub against his thighs a gesture meant to tell you to come sit on his lap and you relent with a roll of your eyes.

Then he's putting one of the rolls between your lips, telling you to; Open up like a good girl. One of his hands trailing up your thigh up to pet you like you're some of puppy. But you just can't help but cling onto his words, the praise going straight to your pussy.

And Ran is such a gentleman, he even stops cupping your ass to light it for you, watching you take a big hit and licking his lips when you bring your mouth down to shotgun it to him. Then his hands go right back to fondling your ass and bringing it down to rub your pussy against his the tent in sweats.

He loves watching your face when he does this, loves the fact that he can see the fuzzy haze filling your eyes be mixed with arousal so suddenly. Ran can feel it too, how wet you are with just him fondling you for a few moments, the thin fabric of your panties not hiding anything from him.

But he steals himself from just pulling your underwear to the side and making you ride him, afterall he's supposed to be saying sorry. Ran will lay you down on the full length of the couch so gently too.

"It's ok, princess," he'll tell you, kissing his way down your stomach and slowly pulling your legs apart, "You keep smoking, let me take care of you first."

And you do, you don't even look to watch him pull your panties to the side, or to watch him lick his lips at seeing your wet folds. NO, you just take another drag as his tongue drags across your slit, and you close your eyes as he repeats the motion your whole body suddenly relaxing.

Ran does this languidly at first, enjoying the taste of you on his tongue, the way your pussy clenches around it. But he can tell you're getting impatient with the way you're rolling your hips, he even has to grab them to keep you from squirming too much.

And Ran will stay down there switching from tongue fucking you, to licking your slit until he decides he wants to feel you cum against his mouth and sucks down on your clit.

Any other day he would have yelled at you for grabbing his hair, but he lets you fuck up his braids and hold on for dear life as he forces an orgasm out of you suddenly, ignoring your "P-please! Its too much-Ah-!"

Ran won't waist anytime, you're not even fully done calming down when he pulls his leaking cock out and rubs the head along your slit.

"Fuck, baby~ Make daddy feel good too?"

[helloalycia]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 [𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄] // 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤

summary: after accidentally exposing your vulnerable side to Alicia, you fear you've crossed the line and can't go back on your feelings for her – and you're not sure you want to.

warning/s: mentions of death, blood, injury and weapons.

author's note: i think you’ll like this chapter haha, hope whoever requested this one does at least anyway! ♥️

one / two / four / masterlist / wattpad

When Alicia and I returned to the ranch the next day, I knew there was a shift in dynamic between us. Last night had brought us closer, especially since we fell asleep together, and I didn't hate it. Mostly, I was grateful for her company, but it also scared me a little. Growing closer with her meant my feelings were only intensifying, and that meant I was getting attached. I couldn't take losing someone else I cared for, so this was a dangerous game to play.

And yet I played it just a little longer. It would have been rude of me not to acknowledge what she'd done for me, how she'd been there for me. So, when I had the time, I picked some flowers, making her a bouquet – a little thank you for helping me – and left them in a vase on the doorstep of her family's cabin. As I left them there, hoping to avoid confrontation, footsteps behind me startled me and I spun around, embarassed.

"Er, hey."

It was Nick, Alicia's older brother.

"Erm, hi," I spoke awkwardly, offering a matching smile. We'd only spoken a few times on occasion, so it was still pretty odd between us.

His eyes fell to the vase behind me. "You good? You need something? Alicia's not here."

I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "Yes, I'm aware. Sorry, this was supposed to be– never mind. I was just– the flowers are for Alicia. They're a thanks for her helping me out with something yesterday. That's all."

He nodded slowly, definitely confused. "Nice. Okay, I'll let her know."

Letting out a breath, I smiled. "Great. I'll leave you to it."

As I was about to walk away, he stopped me and asked, "Are you and Alicia, like–? Y'know?"

I quirked a brow. "Like what?"

He studied my expression, confused, before shaking his head. "Never mind... You're friends, right? You hang out a lot."

"I guess so, yeah," I answered, visibly confused. "Why? Did she say something?"

"Say something?"

"Yeah, like did she say something about it?" I asked, wondering why he was asking a question with such an obvious answer.

He glanced at the flowers then shook his head. "No. Why? Did you expect her to say something?"

I tilted my head to the side, baffled by the direction of the conversation. "No... never mind. See you around, Nick."

"See you later," he returned with a nod, before shaking his head and taking the flowers inside.

I walked away, wondering what on earth that encounter was, before thinking about Alicia and hoping she'd like them.

That same evening, I was putting together a tray for dinner when I felt someone standing too close to my left. I looked up and realised it was Alicia, and she was smiling so softly that it made my heart skip a beat.

"Hey," she said, gaze holding mine. "I've been looking for you. I wanted to say thanks for the flowers."

I didn't know what to say, my brain short circuiting at how close she was standing to me.

"You could've just given them to me in person," she added, tilting her head playfully.

"It's no biggie," I said as coolly as I could.

Her smile began to widen with amusement, eyes twinkling. "You're no good at talking about your feelings, are you?"

I pressed my lips together awkwardly as she laughed at my dismay, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.

"Never mind that," she said, thankfully. "You wanna sit with Ofelia and I?"

I nodded slightly. "Sure. I'll be with you in a minute. Just let me tell my dad."

She chewed on her lip as she nodded, her smile sure to stun me into silence forever, and then she walked away with her dinner tray.

Well, this crush thing didn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

"Hey, dad, d'you know where Ofelia is?" I asked, finding him by the pantry.

He glanced up from a clipboard he was holding, probably taking inventory. "Hm? I think she said something about feeding the horses, dear."

"Thanks!"

I took a leisurely stroll to the stables with a bag of clothes in hand, the ones Ofelia wanted me to patch some holes in. It was nice out today, albeit a little warm, with the sun shining down and giving everyone a reason to be outside.

Eventually, I spotted Ofelia at the stables, though she was holding the reins to a horse outside of them, talking to Alicia. I tried to ignore the way my heart rate increased slightly at the sight of the Clark girl, telling myself it wasn't a big deal that she was there, too. We were friends and I was grateful for her presence in my life, but this crush of mine wasn't going away in the slightest.

Every time I was around her, I tried to play it cool, but it was beginning to get impossible to stop my hands from growing clammy and my brain to stop functioning. At the same time, I couldn't distance myself from her because I liked the way she made me feel. I enjoyed talking to her, and I especially enjoyed the way she would give me all of her attention when she was with me. It made me feel foolishly important to her, and I didn't want to trade it for the world.

It terrified me.

As I approached them, Alicia spotted me first, her green eyes shining bright and matching her smile when she waved at me. I waved back, but my heart was already racing. Ofelia paused from her conversation and did the same when she saw me.

"Hey," I greeted them with a small smile, before holding the bag towards Ofelia. "Patched those holes up for you, Ofelia."

"Yes, thank you!" she said gratefully, accepting the bag and looking inside before pulling me in for a quick hug. "I owe you."

I waved a hand dismissively, knowing she didn't, then glanced at the horse. "What are you guys up to?"

"Ofelia here won't teach me how to ride a horse," Alicia answered, shooting her an unimpressed look. "I'm trying to convince her otherwise."

Ofelia raised her hands in defeat. "I've told you a million times, Alicia, I'm a shit teacher. And I can barely ride one properly myself."

"Ofelia, c'mon!" Alicia tried to convince her lightheartedly.

"Y/N, why don't you teach her?" Ofelia looked to me, making me quirk a brow. "You're more patient than I am. And you kinda taught me, didn't you?"

I blinked. "I– er–"

"You can ride a horse too?!" Alicia asked me with surprise. "Of course you can. Right, now you have to teach me."

I sighed, glancing at my watch. "I don't know. I said I'd help–"

"Please," she begged, hands on my arm as she gave me a pleading look. "I'm a quick learner, swear."

I couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked. It was impossible to deny her. "Fine," I gave in, making her grin.

"Yes!" she muttered, before saying to Ofelia, "Thanks for nothing."

Ofelia rolled her eyes playfully before giving me the reins to the horse. "She's all yours. The horse too."

I laughed as Alicia glared at her when she walked away. Stroking the horse's head, I smiled before looking to the eager Clark girl before me.

"Okay, let's start with the basics, yeah?" I said, holding out my hand. "Give her a stroke, go on."

Alicia stepped forward, placing her hand in mine, and I placed it gently on the horse's head, starting her off. She began to smile as she relaxed, stroking her fur.

"She's cute," Alicia commented, glancing at me. "She got a name?"

"Not that I know," I said, watching her with admiration. "She's one of the ranch's horses, not ours."

Alicia hummed, attention back on the horse, and I forced myself to look away from her before she caught on.

"Okay, we'll start with mounting the horse and then dismounting, sound good?" I said to her after a moment.

"Whatever you say, Miss Y/L/N," she said, purposely teasing me.

"Don't be an ass," I warned her, but a smile was ghosting my lips nonetheless.

We spent the next half an hour together, with me attempting to teach her how to grow comfortable around the presence of a horse. She got as far as riding around the field in circles at a slow trot, but nothing more than that because she didn't trust herself to do more.

"Okay, this is a lot more tiring than I realised," she admitted when I helped her dismount and she jumped off beside me.

I hid my smile as I said, "What did you think would happen? That you'd be galloping around the place in two minutes?"

She quirked a brow. "Er, yeah?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "C'mon, Alicia, it takes practice."

She sighed dramatically, crossing her arms and watching the horse. "I won't give up. But we're definitely done for today."

I shrugged, stroking the horse's mane. "Suit yourself. I think you did pretty good though."

She nudged me in the side. "Thanks. Now, are you gonna take me on a horse ride or do I have to take your word for it that you know how to ride this thing?"

Again, I tried not to laugh as I glanced at her. "You think I'm lying?"

She challenged me with a smile. "Maybe."

"Wow." I rolled my eyes playfully, before mounting the horse and patting her back. "You coming or what?"

Alicia grinned and I held out my hand, helping her up on the horse. Getting comfortable behind me, she suddenly wrapped her arms around my waist and I felt goosebumps all over my skin, even in the heat. Dismissing the feeling of it all, I glanced over my shoulder.

"You secure back there?"

She nodded in my back. "You got one shot to impress me, Y/L/N."

I cracked a small smile, nerves disappearing for a moment, before facing forward and grabbing the reins. With a slight move of my foot and wrist, we were off, initially at a slow walk which then transformed into a gentle gallop. Alicia's arms tightened slightly as we moved a little faster, but she didn't tell me to stop, so I kept at the same pace for a bit.

"Okay, this is really fun," she admitted joyfully, looking around the field. "How don't you do this all the time?"

"As much as I'd love to gallop around a field all day, I have other responsibilities," I joked, before glancing back. "Want me to go faster?"

"You can do that?"

"Obviously," I said knowingly. "Only if you're comfortable."

I could feel her smiling against my back as her hands tightened slightly. "Do it."

With a suppressed smile, I began to ride faster, feeling lightweight as the horse galloped at full speed around the field. Alicia yelped, grip squeezing me more, before she began to laugh, and that was when I knew it was okay. Her laughter filled me with a warmth that I only ever felt around her, and I wouldn't have traded that moment for anything else. It was perfect.

Eventually, I returned to the stables and we slowed down, coming to a halt outside them.

"You okay?" I checked in with her, glancing behind me.

She was grinning. "Are you kidding me? That was awesome!"

I smiled, dismounting the horse before holding my hands out for her to grab. She accepted them and let me help her off, her hair all dishevelled from the ride, only serving to make her look more beautiful.

"I take back what I said," she gushed, "that was insane. You were so good! You've gotta help me get that good."

I chuckled. "I will, I promise. You'll get there eventually, Alicia."

She laughed, licking her lips and glancing from the horse to me. We were both on cloud nine, adrenaline coursing through us from the ride, and I didn't notice how close we were stood to one another until I spotted the ethereal gold flecks in her irises, and the stunning laugh lines around her smile, and the softness of the slope of her nose, and– god, was she always this pretty?

Of course she was. I'd always known it, I just never wanted to admit it. But right here, right now, I was mesmerised, and I couldn't seem to move away. But I didn't need to because she took me by surprise, her eyes flickering between mine, smile fading as she looked to my lips. Eyes meeting mine once more, she closed her own and leaned forward, lips pressing to mine.

They were as soft and delicate as they looked. I closed my eyes, melting into her in seconds, nothing making sense except for the feeling of her against me. It was as if every part of me was weighed down and as soon as she kissed me, my insides shot up into the sky like fireworks. I couldn't stop, intoxicated already, my hand creeping up her neck and hers curling around my waist.

I wanted this, and so did she, but this was insane. What the hell was I doing?

I pulled apart suddenly, flushed and embarrassed and stressed. When she saw my expression, her smile faded.

"Wait–"

"That shouldn't have happened," I cut her off, letting go and taking a step back.

She licked her lips and I cursed inwardly at how easily my eyes followed it. "Y/N–"

"I just realised I said I'd help Ofelia with something," I lied terribly, but needing an excuse to leave. "Sorry."

My head was spinning as I walked away, mortified. How could I give in so easily?

I should have known Alicia would try to talk things out with me after our kiss – she wasn't as emotionally immature as I was, clearly – but I tried to avoid her at every cost. She'd look for me in my cabin, where I'd get my dad to tell her I wasn't there, or if it was in the evening, he'd tell her I was already asleep. Of course, that led to the conversation with him of why I was avoiding her, and I had to lie saying it was a minor thing, but he definitely didn't believe me.

It was easier not to talk about it – ever again, if I had it my way. Liking her was one thing, but the thought of her liking me back? And the possibility of us actually being something more than friends? Absolutely terrifying.

So, I avoided her as much as I could, finding an excuse to leave if she ever approached me whilst doing chores, and then she seemed to get the hint after a few days, giving me some time to cool off.

It was obvious enough to everyone else, the awkwardness between us, since prior to this we'd been glued at the hip. That's why when we were sat in a meeting with my dad, her mum, Jake, Nick and Ofelia, it was brought up.

I was zoning out for the most of the meeting, knowing they were just going over what was going on at the ranch, where we were at with supplies and things like that. But then Madison called my name and I looked up, startled.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked, feeling everyone's eyes on me, including the green ones I didn't want to be.

Madison nodded to me and then Alicia. "You and Alicia are gonna go on a supply run. A gas station not far from here."

I sat up straight, about to protest, but Alicia beat me to it, giving her mum a disapproving look.

"Mum, I don't think–"

"It's already been decided," Madison interrupted her, as my father nodded in agreement.

I gave him a questioning look. "Dad, don't you think–"

"You heard Madison," he cut me off with finality.

"Maybe it'll finally fix this rift between you both as well," Madison added quietly, exchanging looks with Alicia.

I raised my eyebrows with disbelief, both embarrassed to be called out and also nervous because the last thing I needed right now was to go on a supply run alone with Alicia.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" I muttered to my dad as he handed me my backpack. "You and Madison."

"Partially," he admitted. "We do need some more gas if you can find it, but also you and Alicia need to solve whatever this petty fight is. There's no time for it, Y/N."

I rolled my eyes in response before shouldering my backpack and approaching the pickup truck outside the front gate of the ranch. Of course, Alicia happened to be doing the same thing and we both reached for the door handle at the same time, our fingers brushing one another. I instantly pulled away, hating that I was already being reminded of the feeling of those same fingers around my waist the other day.

"Sorry, I–"

"It's fine, you can drive," I told her, clearing my throat.

"You sure?" she asked, eyes trying to find mine, but I avoided hers.

"Uh-huh," I agreed awkwardly, before rounding the truck to get into the passenger's seat.

I reminded myself that this was just another job, before putting my seatbelt on and keeping quiet as she got in the truck too. The air was thick with tension, so much that I was forced to roll down the window as she drove us to the gas station. Get in, get out, that was all we had to do.

She parked the truck out front before we both jumped out and made our way to the back of the gas station to find the generator. It was uncomfortably quiet as we located it and prepared to turn it on with some fuel we'd brought with us.

"I'll head inside and turn on the pumps," she finally spoke. "You okay to turn the generator on first?"

I nodded and she left to do just that. After fiddling about with the generator, the gas station finally had enough power to last long enough for us to fill some gas cans, but we had to be quick. I met Alicia back out front and, in more silence, we began to pump gas into some cans we'd brought.

"So, I was thinking and maybe now would be a good time to talk," she suddenly said, breaking the silence. "Unless you were planning to ignore me forever."

I pursed my lips, focusing on the task at hand. "I'd rather not."

I could feel her eyes burning into my face, unimpressed. "Y/N."

I didn't answer, hoping she would take the hint and leave it at that, but she hung up the pump and faced me properly.

"I don't get it," she said tiredly. "I kissed you, yeah, but you kissed me back! It doesn't have to be complicated. It doesn't have to be–"

"It does!" I interrupted, not meaning to snap. Exhaling slightly, I risked looking up at her, my fear returning. "It is. It is complicated."

Her expression softened as she tried understand. "Why is it? What are you so scared of, Y/N?"

I closed my eyes, looking back down to the gas can in my hand.

"I can't read your mind, although right now I wish I could," she admitted with a sad smile. "Please, tell me."

The struggle in her voice made me feel guilty – she'd only ever been patient with me, but I couldn't have this with her.

"I've lost a lot of people," I spoke reluctantly. "And I'm not putting myself into this situation where I'm gonna lose you, too. It's easier this way, and I shouldn't have kissed you back."

She furrowed her brows. "So your reaction is to push me away and lose me instead anyway?"

"Uh-huh." I put the can down and grabbed the gas pump. "At least it's my choice that way.

She scoffed, sounding completely annoyed and upset for the first time. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

My grip tightened on the pump. "Then I'm dumb. Leave it."

"You can't just–"

"I said leave it!" I exclaimed heatedly. "It was a mistake, okay? It shouldn't have happened!"

"Let's say that's true," she persisted, despite my protests. "You're saying we aren't friends anymore either?"

I frowned, swallowing the lump in my throat. "No. I don't need you."

She fell quiet and I knew it wasn't very nice, but it had to be said if it meant she'd leave me alone.

"You really mean that?" I nodded, but she said, "At least look at me, Y/N."

I sighed, lifting my head to meet her hurt expression.

"You really mean that?" she repeated, jaw clenched as she waited for an answer.

"Yeah, I do," I said bluntly.

She pressed her lips together, eyes betraying her hurt, and it broke my heart to see her like this, especially because I was the cause. But I couldn't give in – I needed to push her away otherwise I'd gain her, just to lose her to something or the other. And after my mum, I couldn't bear to lose someone else so close to me.

"Whatever," she mumbled, eyes avoiding mine now. "I'm gonna check the store."

She left me alone as she headed inside, and I felt horrible but knew it had to be the right thing to do. I didn't understand how she could be so confident and fear nothing from us – I wished I could be the same to give her what she deserved, but I wasn't.

I tried to hurry up, wanting nothing more than to go back to the ranch and pretend today didn't happen, but as I was filling up more cans with fuel, I heard a gunshot come from the store and froze.

"Alicia?!" I called worriedly, before dropping everything and running inside the store with my gun in hand.

When I went inside, I called out for her again, on high alert, and only when I ran to the till at the back did I see her on the floor, bleeding out from her stomach.

"Oh my God," I got out, running to her side with my heart in my throat. "No, no, no, Alicia."

She was dazed, eyes glazed over and barely able to focus on me. My eyes followed down to her wound, hands pressing to it to stop the blood, but it was everywhere and I couldn't pinpoint the exact spot. I looked up, trying to figure out what happened, and then I saw the staff room door opposite her open, with a shotgun aimed right at her. Someone must have rigged it as a trap to go off when the door opened and Alicia had been caught in it.

"Alicia, talk to me," I pleaded, eyes tearing up as my brain struggled to work out what to do next. "Alicia?"

She let out a groan, hand weakly reaching for mine, but she scrunched her face up in pain and dropped it. The shrapnel from the shotgun shell had made a huge mess of her stomach, blood everywhere and scaring me to death. This was all my fault. She'd gone in here because I'd pissed her off, and now she was hurt.

No, there wasn't time to think like that right now. I needed to get her back to the ranch.

"Okay, I need to get you out of here," I spoke aloud, needing to hear something other than my own daunting thoughts. "Just– think, Y/N."

I let go of her quickly, spotting some t-shirts hung up in the corner of the store – one of the few things left in a place already ransacked – and tore into it, the cheap fabric ripping in no time. I tried my best wrap it around her stomach, needing something to soak up the blood whilst I got her to the truck, but it was already staining a deep red and I couldn't see it holding for long.

"I'm gonna help you up now, Alicia," I warned her, heart aching when I saw the tears in her eyes.

I wrapped my arm behind her shoulders before lifting her up into a sitting position. She let out a scream, falling limp for a moment, but I couldn't afford to stop. I powered through, trying to remind myself that it was for her benefit, despite the screams she was letting out, and carried her weight on my side as much as I could.

With great difficulty and a lot of muttered swearing on her end, I managed to lay her down in the backseat of the truck before jumping into the driver's seat and already starting the route back.

Too much was happening as I radioed the ranch, warning them of Alicia's state and to prepare the medbay for use. The inevitable bumpy ride was causing great pain to Alicia as she continued to lose colour in the backseat; I kept glancing back at her, trying to talk her into staying awake, but it was no use as my voice was long gone to her.

My heart was racing so fast by the time I pulled up to the ranch, so much that I didn't acknowledge anything other than making sure Alicia would be okay. Nick helped me take her out from the truck, lowering her onto a stretcher, and she was rushed straight to the medbay where they could take a look at her. After giving a quick account of what happened, I was ushered out the room, my last sight of her laying unconscious on a bed.

I wanted to throw up as I stood outside, catching my breath. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was only supposed to be a quick in and out supply run, nothing more, nothing less. It was all my fault.

The sound of the medbay doors opening suddenly made me turn around, and out walked Madison, Nick, Ofelia and my dad, the latter of whom embraced me in a tight hug before checking over me once more.

"You're sure you're okay? You didn't get hurt?" he asked the same thing he did when I first pulled up.

"I'm sure," I told him quickly, before my eyes fell to Madison and Nick's, and the guilt very quickly set in. "I– I'm so sorry, Madison, I– Nick, I– we didn't know. It was a trap and she shouldn't have gone in alone. I should've been with her, but we had an argument and I– she was pissed and she went in there to get away, but I– I'm so fucking sorry– I didn't know– I–"

"Hey, hey, hey, it's not your fault!" Madison cut me off, pulling me in for a hug, and I hated that I was crying into her shoulder when she should have been crying. Her daughter was literally on the brink of death because of me!

"It is," I told her between sobs. "She wouldn't have got hurt if I didn't–"

"The trap was there whether you fought or not," Madison told me, holding me at arm's length. "Neither of you knew."

I begged to differ, since Alicia wouldn't have stormed off inside so carelessly if I hadn't upset her like I had.

"The doctor said you brought her back just in time," she continued, eyes red as she had cried earlier, but she was holding up for me. "Thank you. Now, we wait. But you need to get cleaned up."

"I don't–"

"She's right, Y/N," Ofelia stopped me from protesting, already taking my hand. "Come on."

I frowned, glancing back at the medbay and praying to anything and everything that Alicia would make it. I let Ofelia bring me back to her place, but I couldn't stop shaking as I thought about how weak and lifeless Alicia looked before.

"It was my fault," I muttered to Ofelia when we were in her cabin. "I was so horrible to her and now she's dying because of me."

"Y/N, what happened exactly?" she asked worriedly, meeting my eyes.

I shook my head, trying not to cry again as I looked down at my trembling hands. They were still covered in Alicia's blood, dried up but serving as a reminder of what happened.

"Y/N, you need to talk to me," Ofelia encouraged.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked up at her. "She kissed me. A few days ago. And I kissed her back, but I shouldn't have. I ran away and hadn't spoken to her since, until today. She wanted to talk to me about it at the gas station, but I told her I didn't need her, as a friend or anything more. I– I was so horrible, Ofelia. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it, I was just scared of losing her. But now I might lose her anyway and she's gonna think– fuck, she's gonna think I hate her and–"

I stopped, shaking even more and realising how foolish I was to do any of what I did in the first place. The irony of it all would have been laughable if it didn't mean Alicia was hurt.

Ofelia pulled me in for a hug, practically holding me together, and she didn't need to say anything for me to know she was sorry. I didn't deserve her pity – this was my fault. But it was comforting nonetheless.

[miss-hyoko]

A New Life

Character(s): Lilia

Summary: You and Lilia start a new life after withdrawing from the war

Tag(s) and warning(s): GN!Reader, fluff, platonic but can be read as romantic, reader is NOT Yuu, childhood friends, crack, domestic life, a little spoiler about Lilia's past, little Malleus makes a cameo

Note: This fic is kinda like a missing scene from this childhood friend headcanon, but you don't need to read that to understand this

After withdrawing from the front line, you and Lilia chose to live together in a house located near the palace, taking into consideration that Lilia still works as a Royal Guard.

While Lilia's continuing his work at the palace, you settled down as a local physician, healing anyone who came to your house for treatment. You treat everyone, fae or human, without asking for a penny. Knowing you will refuse their money, they then decide to give you something else as a token of their gratitude. Every so often, it's their crop, sometimes it's their livestock, sometimes it's home cooking, and some even give you cloth or little trinkets they make.

All of that, coupled with Lilia's income as a Royal Guard, makes the lives more than enough for the both of you

You enjoy your current lifestyle. Living with your dear childhood friend, in a small, humble house owned by the two of you. Everything is perfect. So calm, peaceful, and more importantly, far from the brutality of war.

You thought life couldn't be better than it already is, but that assumption of yours was proven wrong when one day Lilia came home with a surprise. A pleasant surprise that makes your days even better.

***

"Lilia, whose child is that?"

Hearing the sound of the door opening, you hurriedly turned off the stove to welcome your childhood friend home. But as soon as you arrive at the doorstep, your attention is immediately drawn to the little boy in his arms.

The boy had hair that was as black as night, a pair of emeralds-like eyes, and two small horns perched on top of his head. His appearance reminds you of someone, but who?

"Ah, (Name)!" Noticing your presence, Lilia walked excitedly to you, making the child in his arms flinched in surprise and hide deeper into his chest.

"This is Malleus, the boy in the palace that I often tell you about! Isn't he adorable?" Lilia rubbed his cheek against the child's head, being careful not to get pierced by the horn.

You tilted your head slightly, trying to remember the stories Lilia once told every time he returned from the palace.

Hmm… the palace, a fae child, and those familiar appearances...

"Ah! Is he the Queen's grandson? The new prince who was born not long ago? The one that accidentally burned your hair?"

Lilia nodded his head to answer all of your questions, "Yup, you're absolutely right! This is that kid, Malleus Draconia!"

"I see... so, he's our prince."

You turned your attention to Malleus who was being carried by Lilia. Giving the friendliest smile you had, you extended your hand to the little fae and started introducing yourself.

"Hello, little prince. My name is (Name) (Last Name), I'm Lilia's friend. I've heard many stories about you from Lilia, it was nice to have finally met you!"

Malleus looked at you and your outstretched hand in turn, then he looked back at Lilia with eyes full of uncertainity.

Seeing the puzzled expression painting the prince's face, Lilia chuckled slightly and nodded his head, saying, "Go on, you can hold their hand. They're my friend, they won't hurt you. So, you don't have to be afraid."

Hearing Lilia's assurance, Malleus then looked back at you, who were still stretching out your hand while smiling at him. Although a little hesitant, Malleus slowly stretched out his hand and clasped your hand back.

"Na-naish to mith yuu…," he whispered a little shyly, red blush adorning his chubby cheeks.

If you wasn't aware of his identity as a prince, you would love to pinch those chubby cheeks and kiss them countless times. His cuteness is too much! As expected of Briar Valley's prince!

Huh? Wait a minute… Why does it feel like something is wrong?

!

"LILIA! WHY DID YOU BRING THE PRINCE OUT OF THE PALACE?!"

"Ouch! Don't hit me, (Name)!"

"YOU STILL DARE TO TALK BACK?!"

"W-woah! Careful, (Name)! I'm still holding Malleus!"

"PUT HIM DOWN FIRST ON THE SOFA, AND THEN WE TWO CAN CONTINUE TALKING!"

***

After learning that Lilia took Malleus out of the palace at the behest of the Queen, who wanted her grandson to see his homeland, you finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You hurt me, (Name), to think you thought of me as someone who dared to kidnap the prince of our country." Lilia complained while playing dolls with Malleus at the dinner table.

"I'm sorry, okay?" You said, coming out of the kitchen with a bowl of warm porridge, "Besides, it was partially your fault for not telling me that you were going to come home with the prince."

Taking the nearest seat, you sat on the other side of Malleus, making the little fae seated between you and Lilia.

"It was supposed to be a surprise, so naturally I won't tell you." Lilia pursed his lips, trying to defend himself.

You can only sigh, not knowing what else to say about Lilia's odd antics. Instead, you scoop up the porridge you made, blow it until it's slightly cool, then feed Malleus, who's still busy playing with a doll you got from one of your patients.

"So, the Queen gave you an order to take care of the prince? Wouldn't that mean, you're now the prince's caretaker?"

"Yeah, you can call it like that." Taking the doll from Malleus' hand, Lilia used his magic to make the doll dance, making the little fae clap his hands happily.

Seeing that Malleus' mouth was empty again, you then took another spoonful of porridge and fed him again. Meanwhile, Lilia continue controlling the doll to entertain Malleus so that he can finish eating quickly.

When the porridge in the bowl is almost gone, you suddenly realize something important.

"Lilia."

"Hmm?"

"Do you know how to take care of a fae child?"

"...."

Hearing no reply from your childhood friend, you turn your eyes towards him and find Lilia smiling mischievously at you.

"Care to guess the reason I brought Malleus here?"

Oh, you have bad feelings about this.

"Say, old friend, what do you think about the two of us raising a child together?"

Great Sevens, please give me more patience to face this childhood friend of mine.

***

"Huh? How do I raise my fae child?"

The patient in front of you seemed a little taken aback hearing your sudden question. You're also actually a bit awkward to ask that, considering until this moment you yourself are still single, but all this is necessary for the future of Briar Valley.

You've had enough of Lilia's attempts to take care of Malleus just by relying on his 'nanny instinct'. What kind of 'nanny instinct' did he have that made him feel practicing advanced magic spells with a LITERAL child was a good idea? Whatever it is, you no longer want to trust Lilia's 'nanny instinct'.

Since then, you've frequently asked every patient who comes for your treatment about how they take care of their fae child. After asking different people many times, and occasionally getting meaningful smiles from some patients, you finally managed to gather all the answers into a small book that you titled 'Tips and Tricks for Taking Care of fae child that Even Idiots Can Understand'.

"Why are you giving me this book, (Name)?" Lilia gaped dramatically when you gave him that book, "Don't you believe my ability as a caretaker?"

"Absolutely not." You answer quickly without a second thought while rocking Malleus to sleep.

Vaguely, you can hear Lilia's sulking about how you, his childhood friend who he has grown up with, don't trust his 'nanny instinct'. But before long, you also hear pages being turned, a sign that Lilia is starting to read your book. Soon, all you can hear in Malleus' room is your humming sound and occasionally the pages of the book being flipped.

After confirming that Malleus was indeed sound asleep, you slowly laid him back into his crib and tucked the blanket under his arm.

When you turn around, you find Lilia leaning against the wall, one hand holding your book while the other turns the page, and a rare gentle smile adorning his face. You always knew that Lilia was very good-looking, but this time, under the dim lighting of the room, he looks so breathtaking, like a painting that has come to life.

Fascinated, you don't realize how long you've been watching his face. You only woke up from your daydream when you heard Lilia's low chuckle. Didn't know since when, he was already in front of you, face just an inch away from yours. His long hair swayed along with his every move, framing that attractive face perfectly.

"Is my face to your liking, (Name)?" he teased, making you instantly flush in embarrassment.

"You-"

"Shh."

A cold finger lands on your lips, making you spontaneously swallow whatever you want to say. You looked at Lilia nervously, not knowing what else the fae would do next.

With narrowed eyes and a mischievous smile, Lilia held up the book he had been reading earlier.

"Page seventeen, paragraph three. Don't make noise near fae child who has just fallen asleep. There's a chance that they will unconsciously release their magic to attack you. Don't tell me that you have forgotten what you wrote yourself?"

You closed your eyes, giving not the slightest response to Lilia's words. Let alone respond, you didn't even really hear what Lilia was talking about. How could you do that when his face is so close to you to the point you can even feel his breath? If you open your eyes now and come face to face with Lilia's red eyes, there's no guarantee you won't become a stuttering mess.

You planned to keep closing your eyes until Lilia moved his face away, but suddenly, you felt two sturdy arms wrap around your body and pull you into a very familiar embrace. A hug that feels warm like the sun, comfortable like the softest pillow, and most importantly, it always makes you feel safe.

Just as you were about to relax your body, you felt Lilia put his head on your shoulder.

"If I didn't know you better, I would have mistakenly thought that you were a parent who had countless experience with children."

Lilia's breath tickles your neck when he speaks, making you squirm a little in his embrace. You tried to break free, but Lilia just chuckled softly and tightened his arms around you.

"You know, (Name)? I think you can be a good parent." He said, burying his face deeper into your shoulder.

"Now, all that's left is your partner, how about considering me as one?"

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Michael & Peter

Trip for two (Part 4)

The trip is something special for Michael. What he had always experienced with his father, he was now experiencing with Peter. And slowly their hunger started to kick in. "I'm curious to see how this combination tastes. Garlic, paprika and tomato…"/ "Believe me, it tastes fantastic together. And the good thing is, we'll both stink…"/ "hehe, definitely".

After the first bite, Peter wasn't quite so enthusiastic. "mh…hm, maybe we should have fished somewhere first"/ "And where? All the lakes here have practically been filled in"/ "hmm…"/ "See… Oh man, I miss our beach. We really had a lot of fun there"/ "Yes… And there was good fish"… Even though he wasn't necessarily thrilled with the taste of the roasted vegetables, Peter ate everything anyway, after all, he was hungry too.

After dinner, Michael didn't want to lie down in the tent straight away. Instead, he lay down on the blanket in front of the tent and looked up at the night sky. Peter joined him a short time later "Are you OK?"/ "mhm. It's so quiet out here. Even though there are no more cars in the city, everything is still somehow… loud."/ "It is. There's hammering, drilling, people are trying to get their houses warm for the winter".

"Do you think everything will be a bit more normal here again one day? I mean… I've got used to all the walking, it's not wrong that there are no more cars, but… there's just so much missing. In summer it was always nice to be on the beach or at the fairground…"/ "mhm. Now we have to provide entertainment here ourselves".

"I'm not just talking about entertainment. We used to be able to just go into a store with our pocket money and buy whatever we wanted. A magazine, or lemonade". Peter thought for a moment and smiled. "Or a bag of potato chips, man, that would be great now"/ "hnhn, yes, or cookies…"/ "hehe. No, they should first make sure that we all have a working heating system. You know… I think there's something going on in the background…" Peter's voice became more serious.

"Do you think…they're deliberately not giving us any help here? It's been almost a year now… They should have asked about us a long time ago. I mean… Three people came back, they found a way back here…"/ "Exactly… Actually, someone from the military or some other aid organization should have turned up here a long time ago".

"Do you think they've forgotten us? Or think we're all dead?"/ "It's possible. Certainly not forgotten… But you've experienced what happened here yourself. Maybe no one wants to look… but I still have the feeling that someone here knows exactly what's going on."

"I think … that the Altos know something. I mean… Have they ever helped us in all this time? We kids in particular should have been given better support. I don't know what I would have done if Xander hadn't turned up on our doorstep one day…" Peter nodded in agreement. "Yeah, even if he screws up now and then, he takes care of you guys…hmm, do you think he might know something?".

"I don't know, I don't talk to him about his work and I don't think he would tell me anything. Besides, he's often pretty exhausted when he gets home, so I don't want to bug him…"/"hhh, oh man. ". Peter rubbed his eyes, he'd been up a long time and it was quite late. "Let's go to sleep now, shall we? " / "mhm."

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

While Peter and Michael are already in their sleeping bags, Xander is a little surprised that evening. "hm. You do realize that this is my bed, don't you?"/ "I know that. But if Michael's not there, I don't want to sleep alone in the room"/ "ah… OK, then… Shall I read you something again? But the three little pigs are not for the night, that's an explicit instruction from your brother"/"hm, then another story…".

A children's book, appropriate, but not quite age-appropriate. Bella has long since outgrown the level of knowledge she gains from this book. She knows that herself and she's sure Xander knows that too. But it's something light, something that doesn't strain the mind too much, but also tires you out at some point because of all the colorful pictures. "Well, and that was triangles, circles and lots of other shapes."

After the girl fell asleep, Xander was in his own thoughts. "I got used to you guys really fast. Maybe… I should go check on her after all? I'm off tomorrow… Finally. And I haven't had a chance to check downstairs to see what's going on. Nick has the key. But a locked door isn't necessarily an obstacle, hnhn. Sleep well, girl".

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

End of this Part

@greenplumbboblover ☺

poses partly by @justanothersimsblog (I don't know if I have chosen the right simblr to mark, unfortunately your Sims 3 Poses download page is not accessible?)…

[moonlit-mystery-writer]

My Oc's Relationships with the Arcobaleno

First and foremost I want to clarify that these are romantic relationships that all formed before the Arcobaleno Curse happened and it's one big polycule. For more information on my Oc, Celeste, here's the link for my KHR Oc Masterlist

I hope you all enjoy!!

Tw: Attempted suicide. I don't go into any graphic details or anything, but it's still there and a pretty pivotal point for one of Celeste's relationships.

@childe-of-saulot @myrmyrtheorca @lixenn

Skull: Why are we starting off with Skull? Why because he's her dearest childhood best friend of course! The two of them met very young at 4 at the circus Skull's parents were apart of. They bonded near instantly with each other. To the point child her was in complete hysterics and inconsolable when she had to leave him for days afterwards. As one of the two potential heiresses for her mafia family, this simply couldn't be allowed. So through events neither child understood at the time (*cough* her family pressuring his parents and the circus to give him up *cough*) Skull started living with his grandparents who lived in walking distance of her. She spend basically every second of every day with him. Her family didn't care too much, seeing her as just the spare in case her older sister failed as the first heiress and seeing Skull as just a plaything or her lackey. (This man can never escape the lackey allegations)

The two of them have been through thick and thin. They've seen each other at their worst and their best. She's why he understood flames pretty well even before joining the Arcobaleno and getting involved with the mafia. Celeste definitely fell for him first, but he fell harder. In their late teens, she even started to plan out their future together; 3 kids, he owns an auto-repair shop, and she's a stay-at-home mom who does mafia stuff on the side. The idea at the time flustered him, but he also loved it so so so much. Things took a turn for them though when her family figured out her sister didn't have strong enough Mist flames or illusions to take the position as boss, but she did.

Her time with him was limited, but he could see how much everything was draining her. Once a brilliant star who swayed with all kinds of music and overflowing with love and kindness was slowly decaying into a bitter rock aimlessly floating in the void of space. As a Cloud, he naturally hates things that bind and clip wings, for himself or for those he holds dear. So when she showed up on his doorstep in the middle of the night begging for help and pleading for him to help her run away before she offically inherits the title of boss; of course he helped her get far away. This leads to the two of them joining a new circus.

Originally, they preformed a trapeze act together. Skull, having mild experience from his childhood, and Celeste, having done gymnastics almost her whole life, easily got used to this and learned everything like fish to water. They even made the hand signals to communicate with each other that Skull now uses to command Oodako! However, after a few months, both quickly got bored doing the same thing nightly. So they decided it was time for a change! Around this time is also when Skull becomes more of a daredevil. Celeste supports it wholeheartedly and does acts to compliment his daring ones, namely tightrope walking or occasional magic performances with her illusion.

A year since they ran away soon pass, Skull is now famous for his stunts and being immortal, both literally to those who know him and figuratively to his fans. Celeste couldn't be happier! Maybe this is finally the life they're meant to have and settle down in! Then one night, he simply disappears. Only leaving a vague note to her about Italy and a man with a checker patterned mask. Devasted and desperate to find Skull again, Celeste contacts her mafia family and takes the boss title to use their resources to locate him.

It takes her another year to find him, but when she does, she rushes to him and instantly tries to get him to come home with her. Something the other Arcobaleno aren't happy with at the time.

Nowadays, post-getting cursed, Celeste and Skull are still super close. She's not actively romantic with him (or any of the Arcos) anymore, because she's not comfortable doing so in his cursed form. However, he's still the one she calls up when she's at her lowest. He's still the one she shares good news with first. She's part of his motivation for getting his curse broken. (We ignore the creepy fact the Arcobaleno don't go back to their real ages in this household. Because what the actual fuck Akira Amano???)

Luce: Onto Luce!! As stated, the other Arcobaleno weren't happy with the fact Celeste just showed up one day and tried to take Skull from them. Namely because he was their Cloud and she was infamous in the mafia world at that point for being a run away heiress. Luce, out of the group, was the least upset about it though. Being the type of person she was, she did her best to understand Celeste's view of the situation. To her, Skull had simply run away, or possibly even taken, to join this group of strangers in the mafia. Of course she'd want him home. Luce understood this. But while she never let Celeste take Skull away, she did do her best to get the others to leave Celeste alone and let her tag along with them. At least for awhile.

However, when a rather nasty spat with Reborn ends with Celeste running away and Skull coming to her in tears and begging for her to help Celeste because she was refusing to listen to him, Luce stepped in fully. Finding where the woman had gone wasn't hard for the Sky in the slightest, the Giglio Nero family is expansive and she holds a lot of power even if she doesn't flex often as a grown woman. Celeste wasn't too upset to be found, having expected it, but was surprised to see it was Luce. She kept her distance, assuming the other woman would've done the same, only for Luce to carefully waltz her away from the roof edge of the restaurant she'd been having her last meal.

Celeste had been burned, figuratively, from her rather shitty Sky. She never thought she'd find a Sky she could fully trust. But Luce, in moments, proved she could and more. In moments, she fell for the woman hard. Luce, for her, was perfect and everything she ever wanted in a Sky and in a partner outside of Skull. For the rest of that night, Luce stayed by her side and even ordered them some wine to drink. Wasn't until months later that Luce learned that Celeste hates red wine. And when Celeste was simply exhausted afterwards, Luce carried her back to the base and let her sleep in her room. And after that night, Luce made it crystal clear to the others they needed to back off of Celeste and stop picking so many fights with her.

Luce didn't fall for Celeste and it was far more gradual than how Celeste fell for her. When they were finally together though, they quickly became an almost cheesily cutesy couple. Both out a genuine love and because it annoyed others in such a way they both found it funny. After two years of dating, they get "married". Legally, they're married to Reborn and Skull, however to anyone close to them and to the mafia world, they're the ones married to each other. It was a beautiful June wedding.

When Luce died, Celeste took it hard. However, she had to pick herself and her pieces up, for the other Arcobaleno and for baby Aria. Even so, all the grief comes right back to her on their anniversary, on Luce's birthday, and the date of Luce's death (September 8th, 11:59 pm).

Nowadays, post-curse, Celeste almost selfishly and greedily hopes that when the curse breaks, that it'll somehow bring Luce back. Don't get her wrong, of course she loves the other Arcobaleno and wishes they had their proper forms back again everyday, but Luce was everything to her. The light of her life. She'd do anything to have her back again. To be able to hug her or be in her arms again.

Viper/Mammon: At first, Viper was one of the Arcobaleno who disliked Celeste the most. They naturally distrust other Mists, especially ones with iffy reputations like Celeste. However, after the night Luce brought her home, the dynamic between the two of them started to change. The two avoid each other for awhile which turned into the two of them quietly hanging around the same room as each other, but never addressing the other. That then became the two of them having small conversations with each other and backing each other up when one of them makes complete lies about being a Mist or Mist flames in general for the sake of messing with the others.

Eventually, Celeste offered to pay Viper to take missions they didn't want to do and who are they to refuse free money? The addition of money to their dynamic together was the biggest game changer for. Viper fell for Celeste first and did not know what to do. At first they tried to pull away from her again, when that didn't work, they tried spending so much time with her that they were sure they'd grow tired of her. Celeste's not stupid and spending more time with them led to her own feelings developing. So, to help Viper with their crisis in a weird way, she asked to pay them so she could love them. This helped Viper settle a little as they were used to conditional agreements that involved payment. So for the first month of their relationship together until Viper fully accepted their feelings, Celeste paid Viper a set amount so she could love them lol.

Nowadays, they remain in as much contact as they can. It's not uncommon for Celeste to surprise visit them at the Varia base. Both tend to refer to the rest of the Varia, especially Bel, as their kids/sons in a kinda teasing and loving manner towards the group.

Fon: Obviously, Fon wasn't one of the ones who'd pick fights with Celeste even if he was iffy with her. However, he did tend to kinda ignore the arguments with her that happened around him. He of course felt extremely bad for doing so after the night Luce brought her home. Yet, the two of them still didn't bond right away. Then one night, he found her almost completely sprawled out on the couch, completely sore after a few hours of practicing her beloved gymnastics. Not only could he relate to the muscle pain, but he also knew just how to help her.

After that, the two of them started bonding over simple things like cooking and occasionally did warm ups together. There was no real specific moment or specific person who fell in love first. It was a sweet, gradual thing between them and they both realized it about the same time.

Nowadays, Celeste is in the most active contact with him. Namely because they have a kid together: I-Pin! As parents, they balance each other perfectly. She spoils their daughter rotten with gifts, food, and as much quality time as she can. Fon meanwhile teaches I-Pin discipline and independence. Also, kind off topic, my headcanon for I-Pin's real name is Yu. Which if Behind the Name is to be trusted means: 玉 Yu - Jade, Precious Stone.

Lal Mirch and Colonnello: Combining these two to make it easier on myself. Lal, even after the night Luce brings her home, doesn't bond with Celeste for awhile. Most of their interactions having been awkward silence between the two of them. Then Colonnello joins the Arcobaleno finally. He and Celeste quickly click together, the two of them bonding over being kinda outcasts in the Arcobaleno because they weren't actually chosen.

Obviously, Lal doesn't care if Colonnello has friends or even female friends specifically, but his tendency to tease her over being tomboyish while Celeste is very feminine does start to breed some insecurity. Then one day he makes the comment to her while Celeste is around them and she very shamelessly responds: "Why should she change one of her hottest traits?? If you don't want Lal as is, I'll take her."

Not only does this comment make Colonnello back track what he said, but also makes both Rains realize Celeste's been way more into Lal Mirch than Colonnello the entire time. Her explanation: "I know like millions more blond haired, blue eyed men with C names who've joined the military than I do pretty women with blue hair and red-brown eyes and L names who also joined the military."

Her bonding with them is a little awkward, especially with the rougher parts of Lal's personality, but she grows to love them nonetheless and they soon enough love her too.

Celeste deeply respects the fact Colonnello took the Rain pacifier for Lal. Part of her wishes she could've done the same for Luce or any of the others.

Nowadays, she doesn't get to talk to them often because they're both busy and rather reclusive for Rains. However a good chunk of the time when she does talk to them, she's either trying to convince Colonnello to get her a free trip to Mafialand for the kids or she's asking Lal to convince her not to kill Iemitsu/Lal's shitty boss. Obviously, this isn't every time, but it's a decent handful of times. She also considers Basil their kid together ever since she met him when visiting Lal at CEDEF one day.

Verde: He never hated her before per say, but he didn't see the point in her hanging around. Then one day, again after the night Luce brought her back, she started poking around his lab. She didn't mess with anything she shouldn't, but she did take a great interest in his animal subjects. Especially Kaiman. In fact she took enough of an interest that she kept going into his lab to play with and take care of his animals even when he wasn't there. On one hand, it annoyed him she just kinda invited herself to do that. On the other, her taking care of them means he has more time to do experiments and such.

Soon enough though, without him realizing right away, her taking care of his animals turned into her taking care of him. Bringing him food and making sure he eats it when he's in his lab all day, having a first aid kit ready for any small lab accidents, coaxing him into his room and bed to sleep rather than taking power naps in front of his computer, and things of that nature. When her actions clicked for him and he calls her out, Celeste just pauses for a long time before reaching up and patting his head while informing him: "You were worrying the others and Kaiman. So, since I was already in there a lot to help, I decided to help you out more."

Not long after Verde lets his minor qualms with her taking care of him go, Celeste find his art. He's Da Vinci reincarnated, of course he does art occasionally! But he hardly sees why she's so amazed by it. He tries to ignore her comments about it, but she soon starts to give him little challenges around it. Like: "Did you really draw these hands? I mean of course a genius scientist can understand how hands work, but draw them?" or "Can you prove that this is your self portrait? It doesn't look like you anymore so I can't tell."

Verde, being the rather cocky and even prideful man he is when it comes to any of his works and talents, of course falls for these challenges hook, line, and sinker. Then one day he realizes she's gotten him out of the lab, with Kaiman following them on a leash as they look for a good background for a painting of them. When he finally questions why she cared so much about his art, Celeste happily tells him how much she liked the "old Da Vinci's" work, both art and science, so of course she wanted to see what the "new Da Vinci" can do in both fields. Then happily informs him she loves his work way better, even if she doesn't fully grasp a lot of the complicated science.

Needless to say, while Celeste did ultimately fall first, Verde fell harder.

Nowadays, they remain in mild contact. Though Verde never gives her any specifics on anything, he keeps in contact purely because he knows she's the type to try to track her loved ones down if they attempt to cut of communication for no reason. However, the last thing they tried to do together was save the Estraneo kids which ended a tragic bust, having been just a little too late to help them. At least the Estraneo in general were dead... This is another reason as to why he limits contact with her. He'll never forget how distressed she was and looked over failing those kids.

Reborn: I was going to jokingly call him the star of this show then realized I wasn't wrong technically. Out of all of them at the start, he was the worst to her. Not only was he naturally protective of the others, but he looked down on the fact she tried to run away from being a boss. At the time, he didn't understand it and didn't understand her. This led to the two of them butting heads a lot. Did he regret being mean to her? A little, especially the argument that led to her running off then being brought back by Luce. Yet, even after that, he struggled bonding with her. Even as the others fell for her, he either avoided her like the plague or still bickered with her here and there.

They did find their way of getting closer though. Namely, hating how the other sounded trying to communicate to them in their native tongue. Celeste couldn't comprehend how Reborn would butcher English and he found her Italian simply atrocious. For the longest time, their middle ground was using French as it was Celeste's second language and Reborn's third. However, the two eventually decided to fix the problem by tutoring the other in their language. It was... So fun and funny on top of actually helping their communication. Lots of pronunciation fuck ups that completely change what a sentence means or makes it complete gibberish, dumb jokes about how certain words sound, and more. By the end of it, they were definitely close.

Neither knew what to label the relationship though. Were they friends? It feels like more, but it's not quite love yet. So, in an attempt to understand the other better, both separately decided to track the other's daily schedules! Totally not stalking. However they both find there's big chunks in the day where they can't find the other. Neither figures out why until Celeste complains about it to Luce and Reborn overhears. That's how they fully fall in love; realizing they have similar habits to each other just in their own ways unique to their personalities.

Nowadays, they have the second most amount of contact. Namely so Reborn could be an active father in Aria's life growing up and now because Celeste deems Tsuna and Dino their sons. While she doesn't act lovey dovey with him currently because of his cursed form, she will still happily rag on him and tease him for things he's done or does in that way couples do. Tsuna and Dino don't know what's scarier, the fact she can get away with things like that or the fact it genuinely flusters Reborn at times.

[marypsue]

I've also got three The Lost Boys AUs that I've been chewing on, only one of which has deigned to offer me anything like a 'conclusion' or even a 'plot':

It turns out that impaling a vampire does count as a first kill. As long as Michael doesn't taste human blood, though, there's still enough him left in him not to turn fully cold-blooded killer. However, a guy's still gotta eat, which is how he ends up teaming up with the Frogs to keep the Boardwalk vampire-free - and his larder stocked. This works for about eight years, until Star comes back into town, looking for help again - somebody's left a newspaper article on her doorstep about a group of kids on a surfing trip to California who'd been murdered. One of them is still missing. And Star and Michael both once knew the missing kid by the nickname Laddie. Somebody knows what happened that summer in 1987, and they're looking for revenge. And the vampire Michael thought was his first kill might not actually be all that dead...

It turns out that impaling a vampire doesn't count as a first kill, and it doesn't matter what a stake is made of so long as it pierces the heart. In the aftermath of canon, everything is normal again - until one night Michael suddenly finds himself back in the cave, with a terrifyingly familiar hunger in the core of him, surrounded by people who should be dead. Something's gone terribly wrong - nobody remembers the ambush at the cave or the fight at the house, his family are pointing crossbows and water pistols full of holy water at him, Star's not speaking to him, David's implying that the sun will crispy-fry him and that he's killed, and worst of all, Max is still dating his mom. Also, Michael's having strange dreams in which he's trapped inside his own reflection - which is made even stranger by the fact that vampires, apparently, don't dream. It takes the combined brains of three comic book nerds to work out what seems to have happened - somehow, Michael from the canon timeline has swapped bodies with the Michael from a timeline where he gave in at the bonfire. And he has to figure out a way to take care of Max and save his family in this timeline and get back to his own, fast, before the other him has a chance to ruin everything Michael had to kill for.

Westworld-inspired/time loop AU where the Frog brothers visit an escape-room-style attraction on the Santa Carla Boardwalk in the nebulous spacefuture, where the point of the game is to figure out which of a cast of artificially-intelligent meat-robot actors is behind the killings taking place in a 1987 version of the Santa Carla Boardwalk. For less paranoia-prone players, it'd be a fun immersive game. For the Frog brothers, it's an excuse to stake everything in sight (requiring them to restart the narrative multiple times), and a short descent into madness and questioning the nature of their own reality and cognition as the 'hosts' slowly become self-aware around them. Also, vampire bites can be used to transmit data packages, and I get to make fun meta jokes (the 'escape room' was previously skinned with a storyline based on Solarbabies, the movie Jami Gertz and Jason Patric were in together before TLB!).

[softly-potter]

A Nun and a Girl

Summary: Weiss is to be a nun, and of course thats who Ruby falls for; someone who's already spoken for.

Inspired by the season two finale of Fleabag

Pairing: Ruby X Weiss

Word Count: 1,853

Warning: religious talk

-

It’s cold at the train station, and Ruby knew she should’ve worn something else, something other than her ‘too short slut dress’ as her sister liked to call it.

Tugging at the hem, she splays out her fingers, watching as the bones and muscles flex beneath her skin. Her attention perks when she hears footsteps, and she breaks her gaze away from her hands and turns to face the woman walking towards her.

Ruby smiles, removes her fingers from her lap and begins to pick at a nail. The smile feels too large, showing too many teeth, and she tries to soften her expression.

“You nailed it,” she giggles and Weiss smiles, nodding as she sits down beside her. 

Crossing at the ankles, Weiss doesn’t respond, instead cranes her neck to the computerized screen that dictates the bus schedule, and Ruby follows suit.

The sign displays a forty-six minute wait and Weiss groans dramatically. “They always lie, it’ll magically appear in a moment.” Weiss says as she looks up and down the street, waving her hand gently at the screen, as if to dismiss its falsehood, and Ruby nods.

“They're really into each other, Taiyang and Raven,” Weiss continues, not meeting Ruby's eyes, and Ruby agrees, talking over her slightly. “Oh yeah, its brutal honestly. They really pulled it off.”

Weiss chuckles, nodding. Her hair is braided tightly, the white and silver locks intertwined and Ruby roos the day that Weiss’s hair will be permanently covered with a boring habit. Now, her hair is still technically 'free', but Ruby can see the change. When they had met, Weiss used to wear it in a high ponytail, delicate pieces framing her face. Months later the style had grown tighter and more intentionally hidden, as if any braid or smock can disguise how beautiful she is.

Habit or no habit, Ruby would always find her beautiful.

“How is your sister, by the way?” Weiss asks, her fingers laced with one another. “She seemed a little upset. On edge.”

“She um, oh you know, a work thing.” Ruby said dismissively. 

“Oh. She’s…dedicated.” 

“Dedicated.” Ruby chuckle's, and she isn’t sure why Weiss makes her so incredibly nervous that she laughs like that at inappropriate times.

Weiss laughs too, but it's thin, nearly pained. Ruby looks at her, silently begging that Weiss will turn and look at her too. 

And then she does. 

Slowly, her eyes like liquid pearls, Weiss turns her head, smiling softly. Ruby smiles too, holds her gaze, and they’re both silent.

They’re both thinking it, Ruby is sure of it. They’re thinking how not more than a day ago Weiss showed up to her doorstep tipsy, her hair loose, lips slippery from drinking, and demanded that she and Ruby never have sex.

“I've sacrificed a lot…for this life,” Weiss said slowly, her eyes big. “You know? I’ve given up a lot.”

The bell rung, and Ruby ignored it, her eyes trained on the girl in front of her, trying not to think about how all she has under her coat was lingerie, about how she hadn’t been expecting this, about how she wanted nothing more than to show Weiss that she gets it, that she’s given up a lot too.

“I can't be physical. With you.” Weiss said. Ruby had smiled, that awkward pull of her mouth, and of course said something stupid.

“What, we can’t even wrestle?” She joked, and to her relief Weiss did too. She rolled her eyes, let out an airy giggle. “Nuns have sex you know, a lot of them actually do. They don’t…burst into flames!”

Weiss laughed again, and clenched her hands together. “I can't have sex with you because I’ll fall in love with you.” She said quietly, the smile still on her face but strained. “And…if I fall in love with you I won’t burst into flames but, my life would be fucked.”

Ruby stared, her jaw had felt lose and her skin prickled. Weiss had definitely been a little drunk, but not drunk enough to stop her words.

“You know I don’t think you want to be told what to do at all,” Weiss challenged, eyes glassy. “I think you know exactly what you want to do, if you really wanted to be told what to do you’d be in my covenant.”

“I wouldn’t, actually, as I’m not cathol-“ Ruby tried but Weiss had cut her off. “Oh fuck off I know that!”

Her outburst had been loud, the sound of her voice bouncing off of the walls of Ruby's tiny apartment and she breathed hard. She’d looked pale, paler than normal, and her expression looked nothing short of wrecked.

“We’re going to have sex, aren’t we?” Weiss said quietly. Ruby chewed her lip, trying to balance her emotions. She nodded.

“Yeah.” She said, trying her hardest to keep her eyes on the girl across from her.

Weiss nodded. “Okay.”

Ruby didn’t regret it. She was pretty sure it was the best sex of her life. Now she knew what people meant when they said ‘sex with someone you love is magical’. 

Sitting beside her on that train bench, she halfheartedly wondered if Weiss regretted it, regretted her, the things they did. Did Weiss regret pushing Ruby against the wall of the church only an hour ago, and plunging her tongue inside her mouth while guests of her sister's wedding were talking on the other side?

“I best get back,” Weiss said, her blue dress uniform swishing around her hips, and Ruby had nodded. “Still…loads to do before the wedding begins.”

Weiss turned, her shoulder brushing against Ruby's chest and she barely had time to register before her back had been pressed against the brick of the church, Weiss’s mouth on hers. Her fingers were chilled, cupping Ruby's face in one hand and the other on her hip, gripping the fabric.

The kiss was all tongue and teeth and lipstick, Weiss’s movements messing up the rouge that stained Ruby's mouth.

“Oh my god,” Ruby laughed, her skin prickling as Weiss’s thumb ran on her lower cheek. “You have lipstick all over you.”

“Oh fuck,” Weiss swore, immediately tried to wipe the color away from her skin. “Can’t have that…oh god. I don’t, I don’t…know what this feeling is.”

Ruby wiped some lipstick from Weiss’s chin, giggling again. They were so close, and Ruby wanted to taste her mint gum again. “Is it God or is it me?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know.” Weiss murmmered, her eyes dropping to Ruby's mouth again. “I don’t know.”

Ruby knew she was staring but she couldn’t help it. To her astonishment, Weiss was staring back, still smiling, still watching Ruby's movements.

“It’s God isn’t it.” Ruby says quietly. She says it as a question, even though she doesn’t need the answer. She already knows.

Weiss doesn’t give any thought away on her face. She blinks, watching Rubys face. 

“Yeah.” She replies with a gentle nod.

Ruby lets out a soft breath, feels her cheeks ache from the smile she’s trying to hold up, and nods as well, holding eye contact. It isn’t until she can see the slight glisten in Weiss’s eyes that she turns away, nods her head heavily. “Damn.”

Weiss laughs, presses her tongue into the side of her cheek.

Ruby looks out to the street, wishing the asphalt would open up and swallow her. She contemplates her next words carefully, knowing once they’re said that she might live to regret them.

But this is Weiss.

She could never regret anything about her, no matter how much it hurt.

“You know the worst thing is,” Ruby says, turning to her again. A tear has fallen down the side of Weiss’s face, and Ruby watches its slow descent. “Is that I fucking love you.”

Weiss sniffs, the corners of her mouth twitching as if preparing to laugh at a joke, waiting for the punch line.

“I love you.” Ruby says again, softer this time, can feel the lump in her throat growing. Weiss nods, blinks, wipes at the tear. She opens her mouth to say something but Ruby shakes her head. “No, don’t…don’t. Let’s just leave that out there, all on its own.”

Weiss nods again, bites her lip as she digests the words. Ruby smiles, if anything to comfort the other girl.

“I love you.”

Their shoulders brush, and Weiss puts out her hand, placing it atop Rubys before interlacing their fingers. She stares at their joined fingers, as if scared to meet Rubys eyes. Her digits squeeze, the skin cold, and Ruby looks intently at Weiss’s nailbeds, hoping to commit their shape to memory.

Weiss looks up, her eyes still wet but they’re brighter, and it makes Ruby feel a sense of relief. Weiss shakes her head once, twice, a small smile pulling at her mouth.

“It’ll pass.”

She’s nodding, still trying to smile, as if her words didn’t ice Rubys heart. As if hearing it didn’t condemn the idea of love and a future, didn’t change the trajectory of Rubys life.

She feels her face shift, and the smile that was hurting to keep finally slipped. Her brows furrow, and she chews on the edge of her lip, smearing lipstick on her teeth. Its sticky, tacky, but she cant find herself to care.

They both stare down at their entertained hands, and its all too much.

“I don’t think that train is coming,” Ruby says thinly and Weiss shakes her head.

“I’ll walk,'' Weiss replies, patting Rubys knee and smiling, but it doesn’t meet her eyes. She stands, pats down her skirt as she takes a few steps. Turning, she clasps her hands together, and Ruby nibbles at her lip again. “So…see you sunday?”

Ruby laughs, the sound hallow and Weiss grins. “I’m joking, you’re never allowed in Father Qrows church again.”

Ruby grins, laughing softly, and tries turning her head away from Weiss but she just can’t, so she nods.

Weiss’s tongue juts out from between her lips and she nods to herself. “I love you too.”

The tears are swimming in her eyes before she even registers it, and Ruby nods, feeling her face crumble. Weiss looks down at her shoes, hands clasped so tightly the knuckles are white, and then she looks up, and gives Ruby a small wave.

Ruby smiles, and places a hand on her chest as she watches Weiss’s retreating figure, until she’s a blur in the night air.

She lets out a shaky breath, clutching at the fabric of her top, before looking up to the computerized sign and finding that the train has been canceled.

Ruby swears under her breath, coughs and rubs at her sternum. She begins to uncross her legs, when she hears a slight russell, and she bends, looking towards the right. 

A small orange fox with needy eyes looks up at her, its snout wet. She would laugh at it all if she weren’t so distraught.

“She went that way.” Ruby whispers, pointing to the right. The fox blinks, then bows its head as it walks slowly in the wake of Weiss’s tracks.