#we'll say she didn't for the sake of keeping it light

[blossom-sims]

Merlot would deny any involvement in Will's unfortunate and mysterious death, the only witness was the Grim Reaper himself.

Marry a rich sim and have them mysteriously die from unknown circumstances ✔

[pixeldolly]

The Sacrifice - Part 3

"Evelyn? What's up?"

"It's Roman. He hasn't come home last night, or this morning for that matter. Do you know where he is?"

To Jacob's surprise, Evelyn sounded worried.

"No, I don't know where he is. I haven't spoken to him since yesterday evening after he dropped off Olivia."

"Oh...right."

Jacob almost rolled his eyes.

"Are you sure he's not just staying over at someone's place and doesn't want to be disturbed?"

"I thought about that, but he's not answering his phone either. And get this: I get a call from some guy who claims to be a director, says Roman missed the morning shoot for the commercial he's supposed to star in. Weird, right? He was quite excited when he first got the gig."

There was a pause while Jacob considered this. It did seem rather odd that Roman would simply drop off the map like that. Odd and, if he was being completely honest, a little concerning.

"I really don't know what to tell you, Ev...I have no idea where he might've gone."

"Okay. Thanks anyway, Jake."

The call ended, leaving Jacob to stare pensively at Olivia's face beaming at him from the lock screen wallpaper. Suddenly, the silence blanketing the apartment felt subtly oppressive, as if it concealed a terrible secret.

Jacob frowned, and shook his head to dispel such fancies. Roman was most likely fine - it had just been a few hours, after all. He probably had one too many drinks and was nursing a hangover or something.

He made a move to pocket the phone - then pulled up his convo with Evelyn instead and began typing.

The hours passed with no news. Jacob even tried calling Roman himself, only for his calls to go to voicemail. Curiouser and curiouser; Roman was usually quick in answering his calls, in case they concerned their daughter.

Little by little, genuine concern began worming its way into his heart and nestled there, gnawing at his peace of mind.

Not long after 6 PM, he got a message from Evelyn saying she and Ulf were on their way, and he spent an anxious hour and a half until they arrived.

"Hey, guys. Are....you okay...?"

"Grr - Yes...Just raw from the change. Had no time to eat."

"We'll be fine. There's half a deer in the icebox when we get back. Now, let's talk about what we came here to do..."

"Ahh yes..." *sniff* "A strong scent trail, we should be able to follow it without too much trouble."

Jacob was having second thoughts about the whole thing.

"Maybe...maybe we should go to the police? If we think something happened to him..."

"And say what? He's an adult, it hasn't been that long, and we have no proof anything's wrong aside from our gut feelings. Even if they do take us seriously, it'll be hours before they do anything. We could find him right now - hey there, sweetie! Whoa, you've gotten so big!"

"Okay, fine. But I'm going with you."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..."

"Why? Are you saying you think there could be danger involved?"

"I don't know, Jake. That's the problem."

"Well, I'm going! He's my - he's Olivia's father. My mind is made up, Ev, so let's not argue about it. Ulf, are okay to babysit?"

Ulf looked at his wife with sudden alarm.

"Hold on, I thought we were doing this together."

"We only really need one tracker, and I know Roman's scent better than anyone."

Ulf didn't like the reminder, but couldn't deny she had a point. It wasn't his only objection though.

"And what if there is danger -"

"C'mon, that's pretty unlikely - This is Mistvale, for Watcher's sake! I doubt anything here could threaten a werewolf. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on little Liv."

"You are the pack leader...but a husband can't help worrying."

"And you are very sweet to do so, but I'll be fine. Most likely scenario? We'll find Roman passed out on someone's couch and I get to kick his ass for making us worry."

"I do know you are quite proficient at ass-kicking."

"Damn right I am!"

The light and warmth of the building seemed to recede behind them all too quickly.

"This way."

Jacob was glad to have Evelyn's nose guiding them, because that damnable mist made it impossible to see further than twenty paces or so.

It made the streets seem even lonelier and dingier than they were.

[that-one-kiddo-in-the-back]

Star Wars doesn't need to let the dark side be more interesting.

Oh boy. Like I said in my last post about star wars. I live, breathe, and shit star wars its my favorite sci-fi.

Without watching the video and only focusing on the title is that the dark side is already interesting because of how mysterious it is. All the people who are naturally connected to the dark side of the force are all gone, and the now and day sith keep everything close to their chest. The dark side is called that because of how rarely people shine a light on it.

Now to the actual video... why does Lily have to be so mean about it? She brings up how people would like to see more Star Wars without the force involved to be able to see the galaxy in a bigger light, to which she says those people lack vision and that what we really need is more sith characters. 😮‍💨 just go watch tales of the empire then.

Something that Lily needs to know is that anger and hate aren't one in the same. She brings up Yoda's monolog but still doesn't understand it or the Jedi's thoughts about emotions and how they view them. For those who don't know Yoda's monolog goes like this

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

When he says that, it's supposed to make you think more clearly about your emotions to be mindful of them. The Jedi's main advice when dealing with negative emotions is to meditate, which is genuine good advice, and she would know that if she actually went to therapy. They aren't telling you not to be angry just to not let that anger consume you because that will make you do things you will soon come to regret, making you fall deeper.

Think back to when Anakin found out his mother was taken by the Tusken Raiders, and when he found her, he was too late, and she died in his arms. Now, he had a right to be angry about what they did to her. The Tusken Raiders was just another reminder of how much Tatooine had stolen from him how much he hated the planet. But notice how him taking revenge wasn't labeled as a good thing when he got back home with his mother wrapped up, in his arms and after she was buried he confided in padme that he was so anger that he didn't just kill the men responsible but the women and the children too that he was so consumed in his grief that he wasn’t even thinking and by the time he realized what he had done it was far too late and the whole tribe was dead. Or how about when Anakin thought Padme had betrayed him and he started to choke her out the dark side had twisted his mind into thinking and doing things he wouldn't do he might not have killed Padme but he was pretty close to it all because he was consumed with hate.

Part of me thinks Lily hasn't read the high republic or the old legends before the republic, and the Jedi order was corrupt the Jedi prided themselves as peace keeper and negotiators when a war was about to break out on a planet you sent or asked for a Jedi to help stop it before it happened for fuck sakes the first thing you hear in the phantom menace is people calling Obi Wan and Qui gon negotiators.

Can we also not use the death of George Floyd to make a shity star wars take??? Why did you have to bring up the real death of a police brutally that hadn't even hit the two year mark of the video? If you have to make a comparison to a real-world death, at least make it from ten or twenty years ago. We'll add that to Lily being an insensitive jerk tally board.

I was going to end the post with that, but as I continued to watch the video, Lily said something that made me stop in my tracks, and that was... Leia is technically a sith because she follows the sith code to a tea...

Bitch what?!?!

Leia, while being strong in the force and training with Luke, fought in the rebellion for the sake of peace she doesn't want people to die or another planet to blow up both her and Luke are what the Jedi once was. Peace keepers that want peace for them and everyone around them. Leia is, first and foremost, a politician and more over a freedom fighter she fights for freedom the sith have only ever fought for themselves.

Oh my God. I'm close to unlocking alcoholism. For the love of God, Lily, your sith, do not steal OC is not a good person either, but that's a post for another day.

[waterdeep-weavemoss]

Please

Kinktober day 2! Song is Nonsense by Sabrina Carpenter. Modern AU Gale x Tav.

Doe perched at the bar, bathed in neon lights. She ran a long nail around the rim of her cocktail glass, gazing into its sweet red depths. It was almost full, and she was bored; the grape-press crush of bodies was a mush of neon pinks and lime greens and the occasional flash of blinding blue-white teeth in the blue gloom.

She scanned the bodies, trying not to inhale the heady mix of dried sweat and spirits, and the gentle ghost of vomit. Her date had vanished, his curly hair indistinguishable in the crowd.

'Fuck sake,' she muttered. Sitting with her chin in her hand, she barely noticed when the stool next to hers was occupied, until a piece of paper slid under her nose.

you look in need of rescue

written in neat cursive. She read the words once more, chancing a glance to the side.

'Gale?' she mouthed. His dark eyes glittered in the bright lights, shirt crisp and glowing. He offered a sympathetic smile, slid gracefully off his stool and offered a hand. She hesitated and then took it, his warm grasp anchoring her as they wove through the crowd and into the chilly air outside.

'You need to stop going on dates with men who don't appreciate you,' he said by way of greeting.

'Rude,' she shot back, stung. 'Why's that your business?'

'Doe,' he said, squeezing her hand. 'You're a clever, capable, gorgeous girl. You're wasted on the likes of Aradin.'

He gazed down at her, his eyes warm but serious.

'We've known each other for years and you tell me this now?' she asked, tilting her head.

'Look, this isn't a pass,' he said, dropping her hand and taking a step back. 'I don't mean it to come off like that. I just mean that you-' he looked away. His jaw tensed and he exhaled through his nose, a stream of white smoke in the dark. 'You deserve better.'

I must be dreaming. Gale Dekarios, the man I've been crushing on for years now...

'Mr Dekarios, are you asking me on a date?'

Of course not. He's just being nice. Preposterous. Idiot.

He looked up, hope alighting in his gaze. 'Would you accept?'

Oh holy fuck. Holy fuck. Holy fu-

'Depends.' She tried keeping things light and playful, even as her heart was in her throat. The effect was slightly marred by the way she trembled. 'Where would you take me?'

His cheeks flushed pink and he licked his lips, voice a croak when he spoke again. 'Oh, anywhere you wanted.'

Warmth pooled in her stomach. Oh, gods.

'Here.' He took off his tweed jacket, draped it around her bare shoulders. She was enveloped in the smell of books and sandalwood, coffee and vanilla. She huddled into it, even though the sleeves were far too long.

'Oh, you smell good,' she said without thinking. She felt the blush from the roots of her hair down her neck. 'Fuck, I didn't-'

'Come home with me.'

'What?' She blinked at him, bug-eyed, her heart hammering. 'Did you just say?'

'Pretty please?' he asked, mouth quirking into a sheepish smile. 'Pretty please with a cherry on top?' He held out his hand, wiggled his fingers, raised an enquiring brow.

'You're so silly,' she said.

'Call me a diviner, but I think you like silly.'

'Maybe a bit,' she said, taking his hand.

'I hope you don't mind,' he said. 'But we'll being going home by bike.'

'Oh.' She giggled in confusion. 'Like... a tandem bike?'

'No,' he smirked. He wouldn't elaborate, walking silently with her hand held firmly in his. And then he stopped down a side street.

In front of a shining black motorcycle.

'Oh,' she said.

He dropped her hand and opened the saddlebags. 'I always keep a spare,' he said, extracting a bright purple helmet. 'Here. Oh, and-' he pushed up his shirt sleeve, pulled a silk scrunchie from his wrist. 'You don't want your hair to turn into a tangled mess.'

The unspoken hung in the air.

Yet.

She tied her hair back, watched him retrieve another tie from the opposite wrist and do the same, then pull on a snug black leather jacket, gloves, and his helmet.

'Clip it under your chin,' he said, swinging a long leg over the bike. 'Climb up behind me and hang on tight. Remember to lean when I do.'

She swung up behind him, grateful that she'd opted for leather trousers instead of a skirt, winding her hands around his waist. The bike roared to life, purring beneath her. Gale nudged the kickstand with his boot and they were off, the city flashing past them in bright swathes of colour. He wove expertly through traffic, laughing in delight as he pushed the bike faster, until they were going 90mph and both of them were laughing like lunatics.

The wind cut through the jacket she wore, chilling her to the bone, but she didn't care; Gale radiated warmth and she could barely breathe with the exhilaration of it.

And all too soon, they were slowing, pulling up in front of a smart townhouse. They dismounted, helmets and leathers packed back into the saddlebags, and then he was bounding up the front steps and unlocking the door. Doe giggled when he threw it open dramatically and swept into a bow as she stepped over the threshold.

'I hope you'll forgive my lack of decorum,' he said lowly as he closed the door behind them. 'But I have been wanting to do this since I saw you at the bar.'

And then her back was against the wall, his warm body pinning hers, belly to belly and chest to chest. His knee slid between her thighs, his mouth on her mouth, his fingers twining with hers, held either side of her head.

'And you seemed so sweet,' she gasped when they broke apart, nose to nose.

'Perish the thought,' he said, the husky rumble of his voice shuddering through her body. 'Gods, the things I'm going to do to you...'

He kissed her again, slid a hand into her hair and bared her throat, sucking hickeys into her pulse, down to her shoulder, nibbling gently.

'Tell me,' she gasped.

'Mmph,' he said in protest, mid-kiss. 'But that means I have to stop kissing you.'

'A compelling argument, but- ngh-'

'Hmm. Okay, sweet girl,' he said, rising to kiss her lips again. His eyes smouldered. 'I'm going to fuck you against this wall.' He kissed her again. 'And then bend you over my desk.' Another kiss. 'And then on the sofa, in the shower, in my bed...' he pulled on her earlobe with his teeth. 'How does that sound?'

Like heaven.

'Like a challenge,' she gasps. 'For how many times you can make me come.'

'Hardly a challenge,' he says flippantly. Her heart stuttered. 'I bet he never even knelt for you, did he?'

Ah. So you're proving a point.

'No.'

He made a noise of disgust. 'Hmph.'

'Well?' She strained against his restraining hands. 'Get on with it.'

He smiled wickedly at her. 'Say please.'

A flare of defiance rose in her chest. She pulled against his grip to kiss him again, but he pulled tantilisingly out of reach. 'Gale-'

'Come on,' he grinned. 'Beg.'

She growled, squirming in his grip. 'Please.'

'You can do better,' he crooned.

'For fuck sake,' she whined in frustration. 'Please. Gale, godsdamn it those better be promises. I want you to fuck me all over this beautiful house.'

'Hmm.' He deliberated, eyes glittering. 'Since you've been such a good girl... why not?'

Tags:

@bluerosetarot @dansnotavampire @further-than-forever

@forget-me-maybe @poetryvampire @sasha199 @wandawillow

@boufsy @owlseeyoulaterpal @lanafofana @amorgansgal

@aryancunin @miradelletarot @marlowethebard

@crimson-and-lavender @reeseykins @medra-gonbites

@roguishcat @weaverofnetheril @galedekarioswifey @hyperfixationstation128 @lastlight-inn

@astarryvamp @feedthepheasants @dabigstinky @dreamingofthewild @ladyofcrowsandcoffee

@femmefuck

[pinksunsetsandstarrynights]

Adamsapple Harvest: Urban Legends

So this fill has nothing to do with the Human AU I wrote about in my other fills. I got the idea for this one while watching a Papa Meat video about asylums and one of the images in the video looked quite different from the corner of my eye...

Just a heads-up the Adamsapple is very light in this one.

"Remember to watch where you step," Adam warned his younger cousin, "and keep your grip on your flashlight, Butterfingers!"

"I'm not going to drop it," Peter answered back, annoyed. "I drop one of Emily's figurines one time…"

"I mean it, Peter. These abandoned places can be dangerous if you're not careful." Adam was really starting to wish that Emily hadn't insisted that he let Peter tag along for some "much needed family bonding."

Yeah, right.

Adam knew she just wanted her brother to be out the house so she could have a date over. It was good timing too since Aunt Sera would still be out of town for another day. Now normally Adam wouldn't mind helping Emily out so she could score some pussy, but he wasn’t checking out an old house this time.

It was a three story mental asylum miles outside of town with a long history of malpractice and patient death until it finally closed its doors sixty years ago thanks to a basement fire. The kids trying to scare their friends liked to say that the fire was the result of dark rituals that used the patients as sacrifices. Obviously that was bullshit. The story that the adults liked to gossip about was that it was arson, done to collect insurance on the property.

In Adam’s opinion, it was caused by probably the most overlooked and boring theory: an electrical fire that got out of hand. The asylum had become more run down in its later years, so faulty wiring wouldn't be unexpected.

But whatever reasoning for the asylum's closure, it wasn't the kind of place anyone would take their skittish teenage cousin. And honestly, it wasn't the kind of place a braver person should visit alone either. Adam had been planning to explore the place with his best friend, Lute, but she bailed on him at the very last minute. Just before Emily suggested that he take Peter instead.

It didn't take a genius to figure out why Lute changed her mind.

He wasn't mad about that, but damn it, Peter was not a good substitute. Adam wouldn't be surprised if their trip ended up being cut ridiculously short because Peter freaked out over some rats scurrying around. And if it did, then Lute was going to owe him big time.

---

It was so far so good, surprisingly.

There wasn't much inside, most of the furniture was gone. Strangely, there was no graffiti indoors, even though the outside was tagged to hell. Adam guessed that the stories were enough to keep taggers from actually going inside. Peter was still looking anxious, but when he was asked if he wanted to wait in the car, he insisted on staying.

Whatever. As long as Peter didn't start screaming his ear off, Adam will ignore the teenager's obvious trembling.

Less natural light was shining through the windows and the flashlights were now being kept on. Sunset was coming, so they would have to leave soon. But there was one more place Adam wanted to get a look at first...

"The basement-?!" Peter cried out before stifling himself, his eyes darting around the administration office. "But Adam," he continued in a frightened whisper, "that's where they killed those poor people for blood sacrifices!"

For fuck’s sake…

"Dude, there were no evil rituals in the basement. There's no such thing as black magic," Adam firmly told him. "The only creepy shit that happened here was just normal shitty people doing fucked up treatments and that ended years ago."

Adam pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

"Look, how about we both go down the staircase together and if you see anything before we get off the stairs, we'll turn right around and go home. Sound fair?"

"…I'm not going into the basement even if I don't see anything, " Peter stated quietly.

"Then you don't have to. Just stay on the stairs and shine some extra light for me."

Peter agreed and surprisingly took the lead down the staircase. "So I can keep an eye out better."

They took it slow, much to Adam's chagrin. At this rate, it was going to be pitch black outside by the time they leave. After fucking forever, Peter reached the bottom of the staircase, the beam of his flashlight moved frantically around the basement before suddenly freezing on one spot.

"Uh, Peter...?" Adam asked. "Do you see something?"

Peter didn't answer, instead turning around and shoving Adam out of his way back up the stairs.

Adam ended up tripping on the final steps and landed hard onto the floor. Pain lit up his senses as the taste of iron filled his mouth. The sound of Peter's retreating steps was echoing in his ears.

Did that fucker seriously just shove him and leave him here?! Adam huffed, yeah he so wasn't contributing to Peter's college fund after this bullshit. Fucking asshole.

He got himself back onto his feet, ignoring the stinging on his palms and knees. It was dark as hell here. Thankfully there was a beam of light cutting through the dark. Adam was lucky his flashlight didn’t shut off from the fall. He spat out the blood in his mouth and took a few steps toward the light. He grabbed his flashlight and aimed the beam around the basement. Now what did Peter see that made him bolt out like that. It better not have been a damn piece of burnt furniture...

That wasn't burnt furniture.

Adam felt sick. His heart began to race and his hands became clammy.

Furniture wasn't made up of charred bones.

Oh god, he could see a face...

There was fresh, red blood right on its lips, the stretched skin of which were frozen in mid-wail. Fuck his life, he desecrated a corpse...

Alright, Adam, just stay calm. You just need to get out of here and then you can call 911 to report the body. Okay? That's the game plan. Now turn around and leave.

What was that?

D-did those fingers just twitch...?

No, he's just stressed. It's not everyday you find a body. He should probably stop looking at-

Adam dropped his flashlight and took off running back toward the stairs.

Corpses don't lick blood off their lips!

He practically flew up the steps and didn't stop running once he reached the top. He needed to get the fuck out of here. There was still just enough sunlight that Adam could see where he was going.

Right.

Left.

Left.

He can see the front lobby!

His lungs were burning, but that didn't matter. He only needed ten more feet to reach freedom!

Adam's fingers skimmed the door knob of the exit.

So close!

Strong limbs wrapped themselves around him and yanked him back.

"Nooo!" Adam yelled, hope snatched away at the last possible second.

He stumbled onto his ass and before he could even try to get up, a hand - so pale that it practically glowed under the growing shadows - covered his mouth.

Adam moaned in despair. He was going to die in this shithole.

"Shhh… I won't hurt you, I won't hurt you," the voice, a harsh rasp from disuse and thirst, whispered. "I only want to make you scream."

Adam didn't believe it. He whimpered, and struggled some more. He knew no one would be coming to save him.

"Shhh... You'll love it," The creature murmured in his ear before licking the tears off Adam’s cheek, making him shudder. "My savior."

Adam's screams echoed throughout the asylum that night, left unheard by his cousin as he ran down the dirt road back toward civilization.

[multiverseofstrangeness]

King!Daemon Targaryen x Female!OC

A/N: Well first of all I hope u all had wonderful Holidays. I haven't published for a long time cuz I was busy with school. So I take place in a Christmas Challenge from Vee (@sstan-hoe) and yeah I gave my best to make outta the prompts a whole story. Excuse my English and if my smut scene isn't that good: excuse that too. Anyways: Hope u enjoy it. Have a great day/night/evening and we'll hear eachother next year! Prompts: "Such a good little pup, aren't you?"; King!Daemon; Christmas Trees and Dragons Warnings: Out of Storyline, smut (18+), kinks, harsh words, slight dark!daemon, oral receiving (p in v), NSFW, my English (I am no native so excuse my grammar) Words: 1,567

Her eyes flow over the crowd of men and women, showing their desire. Her eyes disinterested in their behavior. The warmth of the room filled her cheeks, and a smile crept along her lips as she saw her sister coming over to her. 

"You got a room?"

Her sister nodded. 

"Very good. I mean it's uncommon to stay here in a brothel, but better than sleeping on the street." 

Her hand was resting on the table, and her fingers were drumming on it. She cast her gaze around the room and noticed a man in a corner. Unlike many others in the room, he wasn't accompanied by a woman on his lap. This rarity brought a smile to her lips, and she appreciated his lack of lustful behavior.

"To your information, he is the King." 

Her sister whispered into her ear. She let the sound of it run along her tongue. A King in a brothel, what a rare sight. Her smile rose as he noticed her view and smiled back at her. Her sister interrupted her thoughts. 

"You shouldn't stare like that. Rumors say that he is a vicious and violent man. Better for you to keep away from it. Furthermore, he is the king, he has higher interests than a mercenary." 

"Since when are you a spoilsport?"

"Since I got to hear the rumors about him. Keep away from him for your own sake."

She rolled her eyes and sipped at her wine. Her sister huffed and moved away, probably on a search for a useful man for the night. She tried to look at the man again and noticed that he was gone. The corner was empty. A person appeared in front of her. It was him. Her eyes widened a little not noticeable, and she swallowed. She saw the dark in his eyes, and she knew this man had power. 

"Your majesty." 

She mumbled under her breath. His lips raised to a smile. 

"No need to be formal, My lady. May I?" 

He pointed to a seat next to her. She only nodded. Her eyes followed him as he sat down. 

"What's ur name?" 

She looked at him still with big eyes. He laughed. 

"I am sorry. I didn't expect the King to talk to me. But my name is Isabella." 

He smiled.

"A beautiful name. What are you doing here, Isabella?"

"My sister and I searched for housing for the night." 

"So u are not from here?" 

She shook her head. 

"We are from Braavos." 

"A Braavosie beauty, what a rare sight." 

She smiled lightly. 

"Thanks." 

His eyes wandered over her, and a smirk played in the corner of his lips. His eyes met hers, and it seemed like he was sure with his next sentence.

"Isabella, what do you think about a more private space? A space with less desires." 

He pronounced the word "desires" more than the others. She understood what he meant and smiled. 

"It would be me an honor, my King." 

"No formalities, as I said. Call me Daemon." 

She smiled even more as he said so. 

--

They moved to the back of the brothel where the more private rooms were. He led her inside one. The smile still on his face. He opened the door and let her move inside. The room was big and painted in one color. In the corner, there was a Christmas tree, as nearly everywhere around. The bed was big and completely red. He closed the door behind him. 

"So, my dear, tell me something about yourself except that you are beautiful." 

She turned to him, and a light blush covered her cheeks.

"Well, what should I say? I am 21 years old. I am from Braavos, and I am a mercenary." 

"U are a mercenary?"

She nods her head. His eyebrows raised in amazement. 

"What are u doing in Westeros?" 

"We had business to do." 

He laughed softly and looked at her. 

"I am a little curious: You sleep in a brothel but don't sit on the lap of a good-looking whore. Why? I mean, every whore would scratch eyes out for someone like you." 

She felt the blush return. How does this man always know how to make her blush? She was intrigued by him. His eyes wandered again along her body. As he noticed that she was watching him, he locked eyes with her again. 

"What do u think about getting to know?" 

"Highly overrated." 

He smiled and leaned a little forward, his eyes were still locked with hers. 

"U just became one of the most interesting girls I've ever met. Tell me, what do you know about dragons?" 

Her eyebrow raised.

"To be honest, not much. I mean I know that Balerion was the biggest Dragon and Vhagar was one of the big three, and she is still alive but not more." 

He smiled. 

"No worries, you will learn the rest but for the beginning, it is very good. Tell me, would u sleep with a Dragon?" 

Her eyes widened. 

"No. Definitely Not."

"And with the blood of the Dragon?" 

He leaned even more forward, their faces nearly touching. A dark smirk appeared on his lips. 

"If the blood of the Dragon is so good as they say." 

"You know what you are getting yourself into, my dear girl?"

--

She nodded. He stepped even closer. His breath hit her face. His hand cupped her cheek, and his eyes showed something like affection. His lips were close to hers. One last step and his lips laid on hers. A warm rush of feelings ran through her. His lips were soft and passionate. His hands ran through her hair, and his kiss got even more passion.

She replied to the kiss. At first, she moved her lips slightly on his as he pressed his body even closer to her she raised the passion. He pressed his body even closer to hers. A tingle ran down her spine as he moved his hands to her hips. 

He broke the kiss but stayed close to her face. With one fast movement, he pressed her against the next wall. She gasped as she felt the wall hard on her back. His eyes were darker than before the desire nearly sparkling out of them. 

"You are the most beautiful woman I ever met. May I kiss u again?"

She nodded and he kissed her again, this time with way more passion. She felt his hands all over her body. She felt his breath on her face and his lips on hers. He moved his hands further and further down till he laid one hand on her tighs. She gasped a little as she felt the little movements of his hand on her thigh. He only laughed softly and kissed her further. His lips trailed down to her neck. 

"Such a good little pup, aren't u?" 

Her heartbeat increased by his words, and her breath stuck in her throat. 

"Breath, little one." 

Her eyes closed as he started to suck on her neck. She felt his hand still on her tight. His hair lightly tickled her face, and she sighed as he hit her soft spot. 

"Oh, Daemon." 

He laughed and kissed down to her collarbone. As she lightly moaned he looked up and searched for permission to go further to bring her to her climax. She only kissed his neck as permission and he laughed again. He unzipped his trousers and ruffed her dress up around her hips. 

She was still pressed against the wall. Her breath was fast, and she felt him with her whole body. His cock was near her entrance, and he kissed her again before he moved into her. She moaned as he did so. He started to move, and his thrust only got faster. As he got faster, her moans were more and louder. The room was filled with their noises of pleasure. His thrusts were hard but exactly on point. She had her head in the space between his neck and head. He held her hair in one hand and held himself with the other at the wall. She reached her climax and screamed his name. He reached his climax too, as she reached hers.

His thrusts started to get less. His breath was fast and warm against her head. His hand in her hair started to stroke through her hair, and he whispered comforting words in her ear. The other hand on the wall comes to her hips to hold her. He left his cock inside of her. 

"You are such a good little girl. You were impressive." 

His body was hot, but his words were soft. She had her head still in his space between neck and head. 

"You would make a good wife, my dear." 

She smiled. Her breath was still fast. 

"No joke really. You know what? I want you as my personal mercenary. Stay by my side." 

She lifted her head and looked at him. 

"U sure?" 

He nodded his head. 

"Yeah totally. Stay by my side. Stay with me. My love." 

She smiled and kissed his lips. His hands moved to her cheeks, and he cupped her face in it. 

"Stay with me till the end of the line." 

One last kiss sealed his request, and she knew she would stay with him now, even if that would be a new experience. 

[seneon]

I'm so sorry i didn't know about this lmao >¬<

Can You please do a Abyss x reader oneshot ? (i don't know for an idea I'm really bad for idéa sorry T-T) but whatever You write i know it would be amazing <3

I really don't know what to say sorry ahah :')

featuring. abyss razor x fem! reader — oneshot.

genre. romance | fuedal japan! alternate universe.

synopsis. in which, abyss was sent on a mission to capture an infamous criminal but in reality, he saves her.

notes. 1.8k words | taken and edited from my oneshot book ANGELS in wattpad. this is originally a kamui (gintama) and rin oneshot. anyways, abyss is actually so pretty 😭😭

abyss razor roamed through the underground red light districts of yoshiwara — old tokyo, with the samurai lord he served under, abel walker.

they were oblivious to it, but women had their eyes on the fellow samurai.

the ladies whispered among themselves, wondering who these attractive young men were.

the samurai men had striking features, good height, their eyes, and overall, their serious demeanour. they wore fine clothing, showing everyone they work for the shogun, prominent and the best in their field.

a mission was what the two were on, in seacrh of a few criminals to murder. each samurai was given a different task, abel receiving the more brutal and heinous criminals and abyss receiving orders to search for intel.

but abyss never intended to search for intel upon stepping foot in this... all glorious district of endless entertainment.

it bore him to know that many samurai came here to have fun with women and drink their night away, immediately spotting a few rivals of his, drinking.

abyss' sole purpose of coming here was to find for a certain woman.

ah . . . a woman that held a great place in his organ called heart. never would abyss himself thought he would be looking forward in a search for her, a recently known villain.

"abyss, go west. i will search east. we return at six in the middle of four directions," abel said before vanishing in a flash, heading to the east for his mission.

the said male scanned the area and started to move his feet to collect as many information on you as he can.

there were oiran making their way to customers of prominence, dancers, sake, music and light all around the place. it was a place abyss wasn't very fond of, for he preferred silence and a time to solitary.

what he needed now was a change of clothes. citizens had their eyes on the samurai, growing weary of his idea of being in a red light district. so he went to the nearest shop to buy a cheap kimono to disguise himself.

abyss quickly picked up the clues that was given to him as a starter from the palace. now he has a lead, that you were a master in disguise, and there was a well-known brothel that recently recruited a skillful courtesan.

that brothel was the first place he went to as a normal customer looking for a service.

"greetings. may i ask for kitsuhime oiran?" he asked the receptionist, as the male shook his head.

"kitsuhime-sama is currently serving a customer, but our other courtesans are available for you, sir."

"it's alright. when will she be free? i'll pay you in gold for an audience with her."

the receptionist hesitated to answer the offer abyss gave him. it had not been the first time men had brought up gold for their best courtesan in their service.

"uh, she should be free in two days. if you could wait sir, we'll—"

"how does a hundred gold sound to you?"

"uhm... i'm not sure if that's how it works.."

"a hundred and fifty."

"sir.."

"excuse me, what is going on?" another male voice asked, standing beside abyss in hopes on lending a hand to the troubled.

the receptionist perked up in hope. "ah! haru-sama! this fellow customer wanted an audience with kitsuhime-sama, and he keeps raising the wage. i don't know what to do..."

the male whom the blue-haired male assumed was a high ranking staff in this brothel placed his fingers on his chin, thinking hardly. his dark red scanned from top to bottom, before letting out a sigh. "guess there's no choice. did you bring the goods?"

rin nodded, stashing a bag of gold onto the table. "when can i meet the courtesan?"

"right now. her schedule is empty, since her customer went out for a small errand," haru said as he quickly counted the gold. "one hundred fourty two, three... one fifty... deal. you have fifteen minutes at most. this way, sir."

the male with red eyes led abyss through the huge brothel and abyss wished he at least waxed his ears temporarily from the erotic sounds he kept hearing throughout the whole place.

he felt relieved when they ascended, the noises disappearing behind them. abyss believed they were heading to the highest and most off-limits floors, a high-class area.

haru stopped at the room right at the end of the floor, opening the door while stepping aside for the customer to head in. he walked in after abyss, shutting the door behind him.

abyss grew alert at the sound of the door shutting, his eyes looking around the room.

"kitsuhime-sama! you have an unexpected audience," haru said, abyss taking a glance behind to have his eyes widened in sheer shock.

he froze at the sight of haru slowly peeling himself off. only to reveal a completely different person underneath it.

abyss couldn't see who it was, for the male was peeling off the skin on his face. e/c eyes then flashed under the moonlight, fingers moving to remove the wig.

a chill ran down abyss' spine, like tiny spiders crawling down his skin. the moment it was revealed who was under it, he couldn't help but remembered old memories that seemed to get more prominent now that he sees a familiar face.

how long has it been since he saw that face? the same old smirk that he recognised since childhood, and the eyes that held so many dreams, only to be crushed right in front of him.

"care for a round of sake?" you asked, your smirk turning into a slight smile.

the razor was too stunned to speak at the sight of seeing you for the first time in all these years. you were a criminal now, working as a courtesan, and disguised as a man...?

everything was spinning around him. he didn't know what to do, so he simply nodded and sat down on the cushion laid out for customers and a courtesan to have a chat.

it was quiet, sentimental, as you carefully and gracefully poured japanese alcohol into both cups, handing one to abyss. he picked it up and drank it, still registering what had happened.

"why have you come here?" you asked, gaze on the samurai, "i thought you didn't like red light districts."

it was quiet again. you sipped on your alcohol, never taking your eyes off of the man you haven't seen for a long time.

he was as beautiful as you remember, a child connected to the moon in a way that it favours him. even if his eyes were eyepatched from a battle wound. abyss is even more beautiful now, his features chiseled and you could tell he had been doing some hard work.

"i'm on a mission. you are one of the shogun's targets."

"and you've became a shogun dog," you never let him finished. shutting your eyes while feeling the most ease, you sighed.

abyss felt his eyes twitched at your answer, but he kept his cool and set down the sake cup. "i became one to receive top notch training. to find you, and follow you until the ends of the earth."

it was your turn to be caught off-guard. it seems like he hadn't forget about the promise they made during childhood after all.

"as courtesan, may i have my valued customer's name?" you asked, wanting to hear him said it himself.

"abyss razor."

it ringed around your ears, inside your mind and down to the core of your memories. you knew who he was, yet hearing him said it himself was . . . different.

abyss!

a little girl, no more than the age of nine would call out for the boy who was staring at the black heavens that was filled with twinkling little life.

she would twirl around and capture abyss into a deadly hug, releasing to then plop herself beside him. wherein little abyss would be flushed red and continue his stargazing.

"hey abyss, when you grow up, what do you want to do or be?" she asked, and the little razor would soon fell deep into his thoughts.

"hmm... i want to be like abel-san! i want to be a cool man who's going to be a samurai and protect everyone i love. like mom and dad, abel-san... and you!" he gave her a goofy smile. "you?"

it was little y/n's turn to think for a while. and when she found the perfect answer, she returned the same childish grin he gave her. "i'll go with you anywhere!!"

lies.

she was taken away months after those words came out. oh how abyss fell into ultimate despair seeing her getting taken away by the shogun's officials. her eyes only held the look of fear, tears running down her cheeks.

"i'll be a strong samurai and protect you! then i'll follow you wherever you go! i promise, y/n!" abyss could only shout his little throat out, his older friend, abel, holding him back from any more harm the officials might inflict.

abyss couldn't defeat the people that took away his only friend. he was simply too weak, a mere child with the brightest dreams.

who knew the person he looked up to the most would also leave him to volunteer in a recruitment for new generation samurai?

everything was ruined, so much that abyss' mind became twisted and he too, would soon join the next recruitment to search for you. only to find that you are now a criminal.

your eyes stared at the table contents of a tea set. throat becoming dryer and dryer as seconds passed by. "i'm a murderer now. what are you going to do?" it turned intense and heavy around the atmosphere.

".. i don't care. you simply killed the men that tried assaulting you back in the palace right? that is nothing," he said coolly, pouring for the both of you another drink. "i plan to retire to make the shogun mad anyways."

"so, will you come with me?"

you chuckled at his words. things had certainly changed, abyss too, for he had grown way more mature than you are compared to your childhood days.

it all felt so nostalgic, to be speaking to the razor the same as you both did back then.

"i will."

a smile unconsciously crawled up to abyss' lips, portraying a beauty you hadn't seen in forever. such a work of art, indeed.

if the woman sitting in front of him knew what he was thinking about, you were definitely, most certainly the y/n that abyss was looking for.

there was no mistaking it. you were the light to his darkness. and even if you committed a crime or two, it was all for abyss and a promise.

you elegantly stood up, a habit picked up from the brothel owner that brought you in to keep your disguise.

"but first. i just want you to know this place is a disguise itself. everyone here has committed a crime before, even customers. it's my home."

"sounds like a you thing to do. now then, shall we abandon everything and head for a run? i don't want to be seen as a samurai any longer ," he stood up, holding a hand out.

you immediately accepted it with a smile, "we shall, abyss."

"perfect."

istg if anyone talks or mentions about raiden shogun or whoever tf she is, i will literally send you paragraphs to educate you that shogun doesn't only exist in genshin impact and it's actually history in japan 💀

[quills-of-freedom]

Headcanons ~

Modern AU - How they'd react to seeing you working in a strip club (And they have feelings for you)

Inspired by... well me being an ex-stripper :')

Written as if reader is working there just for some extra cash, not as a living - it'll make sense why I noted this as it goes on.

Reiner - Porco - Eren - Levi

Some music to set the mood 🔥

Reiner

Reiner would never wander into a strip club on his own accord, either being dragged in during a bachelor party or doesn't realise what the establishment actually is. As much as he appreciates the female form, Reiner is too respectful and too much of a softy and a blushing mess.

Get this man some water please, for pity's sake. His face is flushed the entire time he's in there, his eye-line erratic as he avoids sights of thighs, asses, boobs and bare stomachs.

When the dancers come to talk to him for a private dance, he'll politely turn them down, his eyes glueing to theirs, his mouth dry and - oh gosh is he shaking?

He doesn't know it's you being called on stage because well, they use your stage name. But when the lights brighten slightly and he sees you - legit thinks he's been spiked for a moment and is seeing things.

His movements all stop, his lips part and his eyes enlarge when he realises this is actually happening.

"Oh, you like her?" The other girls will say. "She's great, you should get a dance from her."

Excuses himself and heads into the bathroom while you're on stage, splashing his face with cold water. Other patrons in the toilets laugh at him. "Yeah, it's tough out there, huh buddy?"

Once he hears applause he knows you're done and swiftly leaves. This is what gives him the incentive to confess his feelings for you and try to convince you to leave.

I know if Reiner Braun told me he loved me, I'd leave and never look back.

Porco

Porco loves to talk big and will laugh and "banter" with the "lads" but under the surface, he's a lot like Reiner and is pretty shy (at first) when it comes to intimacy.

He's respectful and will enjoy the attention of the dancers but I can't see him ever getting a private dance, if I'm honest.

He avoids his gaze like Reiner but isn't having mini panic attacks about it like his blonde friend.

When he sees you, he freezes and his nose burns pink but quickly regains his composure. He'll walk up to you and tell you to get changed, he's taking you home.

He hasn't drunk too much so he's okay to drive as he takes you towards his house.

"Porco, where are we -" "You should have just told me if you wanted some money." "It's not like that, I can make my own mon-" "We'll talk about it later."

You'll go to his where you have a long conversation into the night, where he admits his feelings for you and fucks you into his bed.

Oh god, I might turn this one into a fic...

Eren

I can't see Eren actively seeking out a "gentleman's" club, but he's not fussed about being in one either.

He turns down private dances politely. He'll have friendly conversations with the dancers but if they keep pushing for money he will turn mean.

He will get a dance if he is totalled though, but he'll sit with a blank face the entire time - unless he was my boyfriend, I don't think I would wanna dance for Eren tbh :')

Has no problem approaching you with a smirk when he sees you. "Woah, I didn't know you worked here. I'd be in every night."

Pays you to talk with him all night (he insists) to keep other men away from you and to warm you up for his confessions of feelings later. If any man stares, he'll shoot a warning look. If anyone is disrespectful, he will throw hands.

He stops drinking so he can take you home after your shift. He takes you to his, confesses his feelings, convinces you to stop and gives you the best sex of your life until you can no longer walk.

Levi

There's no way Levi would knowingly go into a club. Let alone a nude one. He's either been tricked or he wasn't aware. "Little black book...? I thought this was a fuckin' Library." "Levi... what library is open at 2am with thumping music?!"

Is not amused. DO NOT try to get a private dance. Oh god, he will make you cry if you try to.

Once he sees you, he'll snarl and straight up grab you and tell you to get changed, he's taking you home.

You have to beg the bouncers not to all leap onto him.

Scolds you, so bad. But explains it's only because he cares. It's not the profession it's the people it attracts.

Again, best sex of your life.

[jelzorz]

147.

mad at @raayllum for this post

The chaos is the worst part. They can see it from the castle: the wave of corrupted elves and soldiers overruning what's left of the Katolan army; the common folk scrambling for safety as anyone able herds them towards the castle gates; the bodies falling and rising again, just as terrifying, just as corrupt.

Opeli has lived through sieges before. They have been far and few between, but she knows the terror of being trapped in the towers and the uncertainty of whether the kingdom will last the night. She was a novice last time: fifteen and afraid, her hands shaking as she assisted Phoebe, the High Cleric at the time, lead the common folk in prayer.

Justice and her sisters have been kind in the past. Opeli doubts that even they can help now.

There's movement to her left. A blur. A flutter. A flash of light and a flurry of feathers, and Callum all but collapses against an embrasure in his exhaustion.

"There's no stopping them," he manages. "They keep getting up like it's nothing. I don't know what Claudia did to make them stronger but I don't know what else to do!"

Opeli's face tightens. She glances at the gates below, drawn shut and locked tight. She looks at the fires on the horizon and knows there's nothing else to be done.

"You need to go," she says shortly.

Callum stares at her. "What?"

"You need to go," says Opeli again. "You and Ezran. Soren and Rayla too. Prince Azymondias can carry two of you, you can carry the last."

"I—Opeli, what are you saying?"

"You know exactly what." She gives him a hard stare, hoping the severity of it is enough to hide the fear clawing at her heart. Callum stares back, confused, or perhaps reluctant to understand, because she can see the conclusion dawning in his eyes, and then the refusal to accept it.

"I don't understand—you don't mean—We're not going to leave—"

"You have to," says Opeli. "Ezran is the last of your father's bloodline. He cannot be lost to this. Neither can you, and there is no one better able to protect you both than Soren and Rayla. The four of you have to go. Now."

"Opeli—"

"I won't argue with you about this, Your Highness."

"You can't be serious—"

"I am, and you're wasting time."

"We're not leaving you!" bursts Callum. The frustration in his voice makes her heart ache: there's no other choice and he knows it as well as she. There's nothing else that can be done now. There are no more options. And yet—

"We're not leaving you," he says again, his breath heavy, his eyes damp and frustrated in the dimming light. "You, and Barius, and Corvus, and the rest of the people behind the gates. We're not—we can't—"

"You can," says Opeli gently. "The gates will hold for some time but if all else fails... Katolis can't fall tonight."

"If we leave, it will! Ezran and I—we'll have failed, and there'll be nothing left to protect—"

"Callum." Opeli offers him a smile. It's grim, and despite it all, unafraid. She swore an oath when she became High Cleric to serve the Crown, and swore another, quieter one when Ezran and the others came into her care that she would protect them in their parents' stead. Sarai and Harrow and Lissa are all gone. Viren caused this. Rayla's family abandoned her when she chose the truth and justice over petty revenge.

There has been no one to watch over them these few years but her. How can she live with herself if she didn't do what was best for them now?

"Callum," she says again. "You and Ezran are more than the Crown to me. You know this. I am not asking you to leave for the sake of it. I'm asking you to leave because I need you to be safe. You have to go now, do you understand?"

"I can't—we can't—"

"Yes, you can," says Opeli. "And you will. And you'll protect each other, and keep each other safe, and perhaps when you come back, we'll still be here—but you have to go now. Okay?"

Callum scowls. He kicks a stone across the flagstones. He rubs furiously at his eyes. Then he pulls her into his arms and hugs her tight, afraid it might be the last. "Swear to me you'll be okay."

"You know I can't do that," says Opeli, chuckling ruefully against his shoulder.

"Do it anyway," snaps Callum. "We'll—we'll go, and maybe we can get to Duren and find reinforcements in time and—swear it, Opeli."

She sighs. "I swear it," she says, even if she knows it's a promise she can't keep.

Callum tears himself away from her then and leaps over the embrasure, his wings materialising over his arms. He dives towards the keep and then he's gone and Opeli is alone on the tower bridge watching the horde come tearing towards the castle.

She takes a breath.

She swore an oath the Crown once, and then another to the boys who would have to bear it. What's one more sacrifice to keep them safe?

[gabriellerudessa]

Compass (Norm Maclean x OC) - II

“Terrible hosts, all of you. Not you, Goose, he has food and I know it’s only because of you.” That made everyone drop quiet.

“Ma-”

“He’s your guest, Marigold, I bet you didn’t even introduced him or everyone else for that matter.” Marigold closed her mouth and actually pouted. “Sorry about it, darling, Marigold is too much a child of the desert and forgets the basics.”

AO3 | Part I | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI (Smut) | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV | Part XXVI (Smut) | Part XXVII | Part XXVIII | Part XXIX | Part XXX | Part XXXI | Part XXXII | Part XXXIII | Part XXXIV (Smut) | Part XXXV | Part XXXVI (END)

PLAYLIST ON YOUTUBE

Words: 4.435

Warnings: None

II

The sun kept rising in the sky and they kept walking, mostly in silence. They had stopped only once, and Norm watched Marigold string together the bunch of the so called radroaches that fell on the trap, hanging them from her backpack with a string net over it, and collect the pieces of the traps - all the time mumbling about "not catching a molerat this time" and "can't believe I'll have to search an actual nest".

Norm had felt first a wave of gratefulness, for Marigold stopping him from going in the middle of the night, and then relief that he had turned off the light when he did: the giant insects were horrifying and the... Teeth, mandibles, whatever, were huge. She had said they were nasty in a group, but Norm was pretty sure a single one would be enough to finish what the invaders hadn't.

Marigold probably hadn’t killed him just because she knew the Wasteland would have done a better and faster job.

What exactly was he doing on the surface again?

Oh yeah, finding his sister because their lying father had been kidnapped and if Norm remained things would've ended badly for him because they were all supposed be agreeable rats in a lab.

The heat and the sun and all the walking with nothing but sand and ruins to see no matter where he looked were probably worsening his mood, he admitted. Norm was pretty sure he would start a pointless discussion if they started talking; not even one for information, no, just pointless bickering for the sake of bickering.

He preferred to exercise pointless bickering with Lucy. And Chet.

God he missed them.

Norm threw a look at Marigold: face relaxed, steps sure, absolutely not looking affected at all, a fast but easy to accompany pace. He was certain that she would’ve reached wherever they were going already if not for him.

What his father had been saying in Lucy's marriage, before the attack? Something about "keep the candle of civilization lit" and "repopulating the surface"? Yeah, right, he knew the people of his Vault, the lack of an acclimatized environment would end that plan fast.

Norm looked at the desert again, a tall sandy hill ahead, tips of iron and concrete almost seeming to bloom from the ground.

"Our ranch is after the hill. It's not long now..." She looked at the sky and grinned. "We'll be in time for lunch. C’mon."

The word "lunch" was enough to cause a grumble from his stomach. Damn it, he was really trying to not remember he was hungry.

---------

He noticed the wind generators before they reached the top of the hill, spinning with the wind.

The rest of the ranch came later, and while Norm didn't know what he had been expecting, he knew it wasn't the spread-out and mismatched jumble of three buildings one-floor height – even if two were mostly one-room sized – made of wood and concrete with what appeared to be solar generators on the roof, the wind generators to one side, a tall metal fence with a gate and three two-floor towers with... Something on the top, he really couldn't see yet. Even with the distance it was easy to notice how things had been added and fixed along the time, no real pattern or organized plan, but... Well kept. With signs of being lived in – a line with clothes hanging and fluttering in the wind, people like ants coming and going.

A home to someone.

"How old is the ranch?" it came just as they started down the hill, Marigold ahead, Norm doing his best to step exactly where she had – that side had more metal and concrete sticking out from the ground and he didn’t want to risk getting hurt.

"Ehh, it was started some decades after the bombs, I think, by one of my great-great-grandpas. Can't say how many generations passed by at this point."

As they reached the foot of the hill and approached more, he finally identified the tops of the towers: some type of defense turret, two per tower, facing different directions.

Norm replayed her words about the dangerous animals and people roaming the Wasteland. Considering what he had seen first-hand in the Vault, he was actually a little surprised they had managed to hold on in the same place for so long.

Marigold's steps slowed, and Norm slowed too, looking in time to see her frowning and squinting.

"What?"

"Those turrets ain't static."

Oh.

She put her thumb and forefinger to the sides of her mouth and gave a sharp, rhythmic whistle, and Norm winced as the sound pierced his ears.

Seconds later, an answering whistle traveled through the air, a different rhythm, and Marigold relaxed, waving for them to keep going, steps faster.

Well. Either he died there, or outside.

At least inside he had a chance of learning more without risking a heat stroke.

---------

A woman was waiting by the metal gate, holding it open for them, hair mostly white  and gathered at the top of her head, skin already showing wrinkles and sun spots, and equally tall and huge – figures –, in leather pants and t-shirt, two guns dangling from her belt.

"Norm, that's my Ma, Guadalupe; Ma, this here is Norm." Marigold made the introductions as Guadalupe closed and locked the gate.

"Pleasure to meet you, Norm. Welcome and be safe here."

"Thanks, ma'am." The answer surprised him, with how it was his default when dealing with the grandmas of the Vault when he was kid, always saying "you should eat more, Norm my dear, you're so skinny". It was just… Hard to talk back to them; they were inexplicably terrifying. And something in Guadalupe was the same.

"Ma'am, hm?" the woman grinned, and it was the same he had seem on Marigold's face. No way to deny the connection.

"Ma don't start."

"I didn't say anything."

"But you're thinking. Why the turrets ain't moving? I verified everything with Dad before I left."

That made Guadalupe's grin fall, a sigh in place as she started pushing both of them towards the building.

"It's something with the programming, from what we gathered." Marigold opened her mouth, Guadalupe was faster. "Lunch first."

"The radroaches..."

"I'll take them to the Drying room, anything else can be dealt with later." Norm barely saw her fingers unhook the strung insects. "Now go and show him to some food, for God's sake! Guests don't starve here!" were her parting words, as she walked fast to one of the separated buildings.

Norm blinked at her retreating back. How she managed to sound exactly like those grandmas all those years ago, even if not with the same words, or even meeting them?

Marigold let out a sigh, hands at her hips and shaking her head while looking the building.

"Sorry. Ma... Well. Hm."

Yeah. "Well. Hm." It was clear one didn't say “no” to Guadalupe.

"Thanks for, you know, letting me choose and not outright dragging me."

Marigold actually winced at that.

"Yeeeah, she totally would've had. That’s actually a good summarization of how my three adoptive siblings ended up here."

Adoptive siblings. He was starting to understand why he hadn’t been killed.

"Then they weren't adopted, they were dragged."

The words, delivered in a small sarcastic note, pulled out a short laugh from Marigold.

"Can't disagree. Let's go eat, before she notices we haven't moved."

Norm started following her to the bigger building, noticing the lack of windows. Then his brain made him the favor of remembering the "food is food" about the radroaches, and he almost, almost turned back. The fact and knowledge that he hadn't enough food for many days and at some point he would need to eat what the people on the surface ate kept him following Marigold.

---------

They were by the door when Marigold leaned towards him, hand at the handle, the sound of voices reaching them – loud and enthusiastic.

“Fair warning: while they’ll probably not bother you too much, being a guest and all, sometimes my family can be a lot and too fucking curious, so if anyone starts making you uncomfortable or anything, just tell them to shut up and it should be fine, all righty?”

“That’s… Kind of rude.” And it was a useless way to try and get information.

Marigold gave a cheeky grin, the gap in her teeth making it seem all the more trouble in the light of day.

“We are a very big family. Telling someone that is being annoying to shut up is the tamest thing you’ll hear, believe me.” Marigold opened the door and nodded her head for him to go first.

“Very big family”; Norm wondered how big. Most families in the Vault were the two parents and at most two kids. With how old people could get, too many kids would strain the resources.

That is, if you didn’t consider the whole Vault a single family, but each family had their own separated space, so he wasn’t sure if this comparison would hold.

The door led into a large single space, walls and floor made of worn down wood.

And before anything else, he noticed that it was filled with people, loudly talking, sitting all around worn sofas and chairs and ground and holding plates of food. He counted nine people, four of them clearly kids, sat over the single old fur rug in the middle.

He heard the door closing, and one woman raised her head at them, smiling.

“Heya, Marigold arrived and she brought a guest!”

There was a collective holler of sound and they were the center of attention. A bunch of people were talking at the same time, and he just barely understood someone asking for a name and another one about “where she had found the keychain they wanted one too”, and Norm only had noticed because there was a sharp following of “Moose Bear don’t you fucking dare”.

How they managed to hear each other?

Also keychain was a new one.

“Yeah yeah, you lot missed me, I got it.” Marigold screamed in answer to her family. “C’mon get a plate for ourselves.” She had finished putting the rifle and backpack down, touching his shoulder to get his attention.

The kitchen was just a follow up of the living room, to the left of the door, no walls separating it. A wooden table in the middle with pots and pans and bowls – cracked and old and stained, but clean –, another one against the wall, one tall cupboard with mismatched doors, a wood stove with the fire still lit… And a woman sitting by the table in the middle, a plate with her, the blond hair so light it was almost white, watching it all with a soft smile.

Marigold approached and gave her a half hug, kissing her hair.

“They’re being a bit too loud today?”

Norm had approached the table, sneaking glances inside the objects and hearing the two of them. He could barely identify the foods as plant-adjacent and meat-adjacent. The smells didn’t give better clues.

Not good.

“Juuust a little bit. Moose managed to hunt two mirelurks and they are excited with the stew and the cooked legs and what to do with the carapaces.”

What the hell was a mirelurk? He was pretty sure Marigold hadn’t mentioned those last night.

He found the single pot with stew. The color wasn’t… Encouraging him. Neither was the weird salty smell.

This was just getting better and better.

“I thought I had smelled it. Hey Norm.” he raised his head, blinking as Marigold extended a white ceramic plate towards him – clean, chipped at the edges and the color stained a dull yellow by age – and a slightly bent fork. “Go right ahead, get whatever and how much you want.”

She didn’t wait for an answer, starting to pile her own plate, enough for it to turn into a small mountain, and plopped down by the sofas on the other side, immediately getting involved in the loud talk.

Norm looked again at all the unfamiliar… Food, he would call it all food because it was what everyone was eating, no matter how unfamiliar it was. Or… Unappetizing it looked.

“Norm, right?”

He looked at the woman, still sitting, and with how her head was upturned, he could see a scar circling all around her neck, old but still angry looking.

“Yes, right. I… Didn’t get your name.” Of no one besides Ma Guadalupe, actually, but one step at a time.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much Marigold for you. Slightly scatter-brained when at home.” She smiled, no heat behind her words. “I’m Goose. I’m also the one that usually cooks, so if you need help to choose, just ask.”

“I don’t even know at what I’m looking.” Norm admitted, looking over everything again, and Goose chuckled.

“Ah. Vault dweller indeed. I met some when I was a kid. Let’s see if I can help you.”

Her mention of meeting Vault Dwellers almost took his brain towards how it could be possible, but then she got up – and finally someone normal sized, not that much taller than him – and started pointing and naming things. He would try and ask later.

Some, while not familiar looking, seemed a safer bet, like the cooked maize that remembered corn, the thin and twisted carrots, and the salad made of a bunch of different flowers and leaves – he didn’t recognize them, but it was closer to what they had in the Vault on day-to-day life.

The meat-adjacent were a whole other thing. Besides the stew, one bowl had the so-called mirelurk legs, and they looked like crab legs but twenty times bigger. He had never eaten it, but had seen pictures. It made the stew all the more suspicious, the pieces of meat in it just… Weird and everything too big for the pictures he had seen.

First the radroaches and now this.

When they talked about mutations caused by radiation in the Vault, he expected tumors and what like, not freaking gigantism in arthropods as if they were back to the Carboniferous age.

“And this is roasted ant, seasoned with jalapenos, salt and mushrooms. If you don’t have a taste for peppers of any type, I don’t recommend.”

Norm looked again at the meat.

Roasted ant, Goose called.

It sure looked… Weird. Not ant-shaped, each piece the size of his hand, but he didn’t doubt that it was indeed another gigantic arthropod. Please no giant spiders.

The color was slightly less weird than the mirelurk-thingies, so it was what he put alongside the plant-adjacent food, if just not to look out of place.

“Thank you, Goose.”

She nodded, and since there wasn’t any free chair close to the table, he conformed himself with finding a place to sit amidst the loud group.

Aaand he was pretty sure the free spot at one of the sofas wasn’t there before. It was social trap if he had ever seen one, he just didn’t know for what.

Since there was a locked gate between him and the rest of the land, and it was either the maybe-cannibals inside and whatever the hell had mutated out there that had crab legs bigger than his arms, Norm thought he would take his chances with the maybe-cannibals. Humans he understood better than animals, at least.

His approach didn’t interrupt the talks in any way, the woman and old man besides the spot just nodding briefly at him. He still felt some brief looks.

“Yeah, the route was way too calm this time, Pa Isaac. I didn’t catch a single molerat.” It was Marigold, breaking one of the mirelurk legs and using her fingers to scoop out the meat inside – and he better focus on trying to eat what was on his own plate or he would start to wonder if she had cleaned her hands.

Damn it, too late, he was already wondering.

“But I did found a bunch of materials we needed, no need to expend caps in Filly or whatever.”

Norm stabbed some of the weird orange-ish flowers, looking it over. Broc flower, Goose had called it.

“Damn it, Goldie, there was a bloody pack of stingwings on mine.” The man on the other side of the woman to his left groaned.

“You forgot the bloatflies.” One of the boys sitting on the rug complemented, thin, hair the same blond-white from Goose.

Norm took a small bite of the flower, slowly chewing; a distinct natural spiciness that slowly became slightly bitter, the texture harder and drier than it looked for a flower. Not… Bad, but definitely weird.

“That’s what you get for being the bigger target, Moose.”

“Fuck off, Goldie.”

He finished the flower and stabbed a cooked carrot, thin and twisted.

“Took care of the stingwings nest?” the older man besides him, head shaved and tattooed.

The taste was… Slightly sweet. With certain spiciness. Familiar, but also different.

“Burnt every single egg, don’t worry.”

Norm kept carefully tasting the plants, the maize almost corn in taste, which was bittersweet. He purposefully left the ant for last – he really wasn’t excited for it.

“I noticed y’all sold some leather. Which caravan appeared?” The Moose man again.

“Nip-Nip.” The woman besides him answered, and there was a collective groan and curse from Marigold, Moose, the boy, and the man besides him.

“Motherfucker, seriously?”

“Don’t worry, he didn’t try to rip us off this time. Mika hitting his hat off his head from a hundred-fifty feet the other time really sold it.” Another older man, thick white beard covering his face.

Norm looked at his plate; all the plants had been eaten, and only the roasted ant remained. He was really doubtful it would be as… Palatable and agreeable as the plants.

He heard a door open, and looked sideways to see Guadalupe entering.

“What did I miss?”

“Nothing big, love.” The man besides him.

“Your plate, cariño.” The bearded man.

“Thanks, sweeties.”

Norm watched Guadalupe take the plate and kiss the forehead of both men – wait what? –, before sitting in a place on another sofa that had apparently magically appeared, practically in front of him – an Overseer analyzing the person that had just arrived. Yeah. A social trap. One that had just closed around him.

She looked at all of her family, looked at Norm, and rubbed at her temple.

“Terrible hosts, all of you. Not you, Goose, he has food and I know it’s only because of you.” That made everyone drop quiet.

“Ma-”

“He’s your guest, Marigold, I bet you didn’t even introduced him or everyone else for that matter.” Marigold closed her mouth and actually pouted. “Sorry about it, darling, Marigold is too much a child of the desert and forgets the basics.”

Marigold’s lips moved, whatever she mumbled too low for Norm to hear, but not her mother: Guadalupe’s hand, lightning fast, reached behind the man besides her to reach Marigold, and Norm only heard a yelp, the woman jumping and almost dropping her plate as she started rubbing at her waist. Guadalupe didn’t even turn her head.

Norm almost raised a hand to his cheek, the phantom pain of terrifying grandmas pinching his cheeks coming with a vengeance.

“So Norm, darling, those are my husbands, Isaac and Francesco,” she pointed to the two older men, his mind echoing a ‘is this allowed?’ “my stepson Jonas but Moose at this point is his name, his wife Stacy, and their twins Evie and Josh.” Guadalupe pointed at the tallest man and the woman besides Norm, and two kids that hadn’t talked much if at all. “Moth, Goose’s son,” she pointed at the thin boy “Mika, and… Where’s Lily?” Guadalupe touched the shoulder of the man besides her.

“Here, grandma.” Norm almost jumped at the thin voice just behind him, turning to see a girl that should have at most seven years, crossed arms over the backrest. “The number. It’s a Vault marked on our map.”

So all the family knew about his Vault and its location, information about the routes obviously shared in some capacity. Should he be worried?

“We know, dear. Have you eaten yet?”

“… Well…”

“Food, now.” Guadalupe’s voice didn’t broker arguments, and Lily went with a sigh. “And, family, this is Norm, Marigold’s guest. Again, be welcome.”

“Thanks, ma’am. Again.”

Norm blinked, slightly overwhelmed by all information – who was child of whom again? –, and then noticed Mika sign something that caused a wave of chuckles. It didn’t resemble the holotapes of ASL he had seen in the Vault, which didn’t surprise him after two hundred years and the isolation of that family.

And just like that, the talk started again, loud and animated and it almost made him remember the Vault and the occasional parties.

Norm looked at the piece of ant still in his plate and sighed. Well… At least it wasn’t the radroaches he had seen. It should be fine, mostly because he hadn’t seen it alive.

He cut a small piece, and it almost literally melted, with how soft the texture was; some taste of the jalapenos and mushrooms could be felt, but in general the meat was just… Bland with a slight sugary aftertaste and a greasy feeling.

It was weird. Too weird. He should’ve kept to the plants.

---------

Her side was still aching. Fuck, it had been ages since the last time Ma had pinched her, she had forgot how much it hurt.

Marigold finished sucking the last of mirelurk meat from the legs, the tenderness and taste just perfect, the saltiness, ginger and onion helping ward off the radiation aftertaste. Goose miracle worker as always.

Looking at Norm, she could clearly see, as he took small bites of the roasted ant, that he was trying to be… What was the word? Ah, polite. But his eyes were just too tense. It hadn’t been as bad with the plants, but insect meat really wasn’t his jam.

For a moment she wondered what Vaulties had been eating, and if she didn’t had more urgent things to worry, she would’ve asked. It sure would spark the best of talks.

“All right, Ma, I’ve eaten. What’s the thing with the turrets?”

A collective groan. Mika signed a string of curses, so fast she missed half of it.

“The programming. It has some type of error, right now it’s powering the fans from the Tanning room, the heater from the Drying room, and the lights, but the freezers are spotty and every time we try to make it power the turrets and the fence too, one of the others falls. We are literally having to choose.” Lily explained from her place in the rug, voice small; probably wondering if she had missed or misremembered something Catarina had been teaching in between her visits.

Marigold winced, both because Lily was only seven and shouldn’t be demanding so much from herself, and because she was useless with anything technology-adjacent; she still believed what Catarina had said when they were kids, that it was “magic” – her difficulty with reading terminals certainly didn’t help.

“And I verified the generators, fuses and batteries, it’s all perfectly functioning.” Dad Francesco pointed out.

“Fuck. Did you call Catarina yet?”

“We have a bunch of things to sell in Filly. I’ll go later to do it and also see if Ma June has someone to send a message… If the Brotherhood lets me in, otherwise I’ll have to go myself and sell to whoever trader I find in the way.” Moose answered and Marigold nodded.

“We’ll have to pull double watch shifts for the next weeks. There’s no way to let the tanning and drying room off, or even the freezer even if spotty. If the leather and meat go bad we won’t have what to trade.”

“Let’s hope Regina brings a good haul, we won’t be able to go out and hunt too.” Mika signed, which provoked a new collective groan.

“I… Could look the programming for you?” Norm started, shoulders hunching a little when everyone stared at him, but he kept going. “If it involves terminals and so on. I worked with them in the Vault.”

“It would save us a lot of time and trouble, Norm… What do you want in exchange?”

Ma Guadalupe started, leaning her body towards him, elbows on the knees. Watching.

Norm blinked, and while he looked shocked, there was also something determined in it, raising slightly his chin and staring straight back at Ma – and Oh, that was a good look on him. It was his perfect opening to get what she had kinda promised, and she damn hoped he took it.

“I… Need something to cover the back of my Vault-Suit. And information about my sister, another Vault Dweller that left a little more than two weeks ago, if you have it.”

Ma nodded slowly, and Marigold knew she was considering a lot more than just the offer – like “oh this one is smarter than he looks”.

“That seems like a fair exchange, Norm. Mika, Lily, show him the power terminal. During it, I’ll verify if we have something that fits you and if we heard about another Vaultie. What’s your sister’s name?”

Mika and Lily got up and Marigold automatically extended her hands to take their empty plates.

“It’s Lucy, ma’am. She’s taller than me and with long dark hair.” Norm got up, Pa Isaac taking his mostly-empty plate.

“Noted, now go on, please.” The three moved, Lily guiding the path outside – it was almost funny, with her just shy of reaching Norm’s shoulders, and Mika closing the line, a full head taller than Norm. A perfect staircase.

The door had barely closed behind them when Marigold felt all eyes on her.

“A missing sister. I gather you already knew, Marigold.” Ma sing-sang, and slight smirks appeared on the faces she could see.

Oh for fuck’s sake… That in itself wasn’t that sappy.

At least no one had discovered the knife.

“I’ll start on the cleanup.” She sprung from her place, collecting plates and cutleries as she went.

“Goldie just showed her sappiness!” Moose started.

“Fuck off!” Marigold threw over her shoulder, approaching the kitchen.

“Finally a Whole Bear.” Goose finished the family joke, smirking, and Marigold huffed with a roll of her eyes.

“Finally a Whole Bear!”

The family chanted behind her amidst laughs and Marigold groaned, aggressively pre-cleaning the plates with sand. Her family was definitely missing some screws, for fuck’s sake.

[twinchampionsofkalos]

♚ - a memory of something paranormal

Serena wasn't scared. She wasn't scared at all. Sure the house was dark and full of odd creaking sounds, but that was nothing. It was all just for show, there weren't any real ghosts in here.

Shauna, on the other hand, didn't seem as convinced. She was clinging to Serena's arm pretty tightly. Serena had expected this. Shauna loved spooky stuff like this. Whenever they'd have movie nights she'd always vote for a scary movie and she'd been the one to suggest they visit the Scary House in the first place. Despite that, she always acted terrified and Serena was never able to figure out if she was faking it or was genuinely scared.

Regardless, Serena held her friend close and patted her on the head. "There, there, it'll be okay. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Calem agreed. "There's no scary things here."

Serena could tell he was lying. Which meant he could tell she was lying. Both of them were actually pretty scared themselves, and just putting on brave faces for the sake of looking cool.

"You're right." Trevor said, scrolling through an ebook on his Holo Caster.

Trevor was the most timid of all of them. He'd always been anxious and socially awkward. He preferred to avoid confrontation and typically hid behind his friends when the situation got tense. Despite this, he was keeping a remarkably cool head. It seemed that if he was able to filter a situation through the lens of research and science, it became less scary for him.

"According to this, there's none of the signs typical of a haunting." He said. "Not even from a Ghost-Type Pokemon."

"A-are you sure?" Shauna asked. She almost sounded disappointed.

"Well, it is a bit cold." Trevor replied. "But it can get pretty chilly in this part of Kalos, especially at night."

Tierno laughed and smacked Trevor on the back. "That's our Trev for you."

Before they could continue their conversation, they came across a man standing in front of a crackling fireplace. He was dressed all in white, with a white hat and a white suit. His hair was also white and he had a pale complexion.

"Th-that looks like a g-ghost to me!" Shauna exclaimed.

The man chuckled. "I'm not a ghost. I'm flesh and blood, just like you."

Shauna breathed out a sigh of relief. So did Calem and Serena, though they hadn't realized they'd been holding it in.

"So, what brings you to my decrepit old house." The man said. "I don't get many visitors out here, you know."

"But isn't this-" Trevor began before Shauna elbowed him.

"I mean... we are but travelers seeking shelter from the rain."

Never mind the fact that there was no rain. The man chuckled again, clearly pleased that they were playing along.

"Oho. In that case, why don't I tell you a story."

"A sc-scary story?" Shauna asked.

"Perhaps." The man said with a sly smile.

Suddenly, the fire in the fireplace went out. There was the hiss of a match and a spark, and a single candle lit up the old man's face.

"It was a dark and stormy night many years ago. Lost, I arrived at this house and went inside. The lights would not turn on, so I fearfully looked around the house. Eventually, I made my way into the kitchen. There was no sign of anyone being there... I found the fridge, and when I opened it, a faint light leaked out. I could finally make out my surroundings. And I saw the faint outline of a man huddling in the corner of the room.

I tried to tell him that I was lost and I was hoping he'd let me stay until morning, but when I approached him... The man suddenly screamed,

"Stay back!"

I apologized and continued to plead my case. "Please, can't you help me?"

"I'm not talking to you!" he shouted.

I looked at the man in surprise. When I did this, the man asked me...

"Can't you see them? Behind you! A horde of faceless men!"

There was a pause. Nobody seemed quite sure what to say. It was clear the story hadn't had its desired effect. After about 30 seconds, the man clapped and the lights turned back on. He held out his hand expectantly.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Shauna asked.

"Aren't you going to give me a tip?" The man said.

"Seriously!?" Shauna exclaimed, all traces of her previous fear gone. "You're charging us!?"

"Hey, I've gotta eat too!" The man replied.

Shauna sighed. "Fine." She dug 300 Poke out of her pocket and deposited it in the man's hand.

"Thank you." He said smugly.

"Sheesh, lets get out of here." Shauna grumbled, leading the way out of the not-so-Scary House.

[bones4thecats]

┗ I'm Here, my Love; Kanae Kocho🌺 ┛

Character: Kanae Kocho (Demon Slayer) A/N: Finally wrote this idea. Took me a while to actually find out how to angle it, but I did it. Be aware, this does contain a LOT of angst! ⇘ Summary: What if Shinobu wasn't the one who held Kanae in her dying moments? What if it was her S/O, you?

┍━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┑

┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙

🌺 The breathing of a slayer came out as they ran towards where the crow was leading them. They were in a state of panic. All they had heard the bird say was that single sentence. "Caw! Kanae Kocho, the Flower Hashira, has been overpowered by Uppermoon Two!" 🌺 The thoughts that ran through your head were enough to make you freak out, but adding those of what Shinobu could be thinking sent your mind into a frenzy. She grew up with Kanae, suffered with her for so many years, and now she could be losing her too. 🌺 You took a deep breath as you jumped into a tree and down to the ground. Your sandals were noiseless as you caught sight of the long, black hair of Kanae's. 🌺 Sprinting full-force, you stopped next to her. Your arms moved on their own as you picked her head up and held it, examining the wounds she received against Uppermoon Two. Despite the obvious pain she was going too, Kanae smiled. 🌺 Why was she smiling?! She was on the brink of death! "Don't worry, Kanae. You'll be alright. You just have to hold on until the Kakushi get here, okay?" 🌺 She smiled gently and raised her hand to your cheek, which you didn't know was beginning to dampen with your tears. Just seeing her open eyes was the only thing keeping you from screaming in anger and sadness. "Y/N... my love..." "Don't waste your energy on me, Kanae. Just- stay strong. Please." "You know... I'm not going to make it..." "No! You're going to make it! You're going to survive this! And we'll kill that bastard demon together!" 🌺 Her light chuckle made your tears fall heavier, far quicker in production than you wished. "I love you... so, so much. Please- for my sake... tell Shinobu..." She gritted her teeth as more blood began to come out, eventually dripping from her barely open mouth. "Tell Shinobu that- she needs to keep smiling... to show her sister the smile that- that..." "That you love so much?" You chuckled. "Yes..." 🌺 Kanae looked into your eyes, shining with water as her's were beginning to do as she held your arm with a strong grip, despite her state. "Y/N." 🌺 You looked back into her eyes, the beautiful shade of violet, almost matching that of the wisteria trees you both loved to sit underneath every day after a long mission together or time apart. And, much like they would then, they sparkled with love as you heard oncoming footsteps. "I'll be waiting for you..." 🌺 Shinobu stared in shock as your cries were heard. It was too late... they were too late to save her... "...sister?"

[pitroig]

SpyxFamily episode 25:  lessons on parenting

Or a reminder that Twilight is here for a very specific reason that we should not forget.

SxF episode closed season 1 with the first meeting between Twilight and Desmond Donavan. The animation encapsulated the same tension between Twilight/Loid that we perceived in the manga and with a beautiful play of lights and shadows conveyed the character duality, addressing the fact that, we like it or not, for the agent the mission goes first and above everything else.

I have a couple of thoughts about it:

1. it's sad 

Because Anya - cute, and small, and funny, and so many times rejected by other families - says that she doesn't know if his father loves her, and sometimes she’s afraid of how he reacts when she shows him her poor school performance, but it's ok because she loves him and that's enough. And despite we know that Twilight cares about her, he still uses her as a cover, his family as a mask, their bonds as and excuse. 

And yet, he uses the poor Damian - so love deprived, so lonely, so approval-seeking - to get closer to Donovan. All for the mission, of course, all for the greater good, but still: he is taking advantage of the untamed love of children for his purposes.

One of the main themes of the series (as also shown in the current arc in the manga) is what are we able to do in order to protect our loved ones. How far does Yuri goes with his torture to protect Yor? How many people should Yor kill for the sake Yuri’s smile? For how long Loid Forger is going to use Anya? Is the Handler truly worried about the Forgers future? And, what if the Desmonds and their detached love is a way of protecting their children, keeping them far and away of the danger? What if the experiments conducted on Anya by some hidden structure of the state were meant to create a super diplomat and not a war weapon?

As nations and countries and states conduct questionable operations in the spirit of their citizens safety, parents may be as ruthless when it comes to their children wellbeing.

I believe that at some point, Twilight will abandon his all-for-the-mission attitude and will think about his relationship with Anya - but is still a long run. (My suspicion is that the horrible scientist that didn't allow Anya to draw is going to be the real bad guy, but sssh 🤫

2. There is also a lot of hope

Loid Forger doesn't understand Anya. Like, the poor guy is absolutely clueless when it comes to his daughter motives, plans and actions - who can blame him. The little girl is as adorable as random.

But he talks to Donavan and makes a wonderful hidden paralelism of parenting and politics, when he admits that he tries to accept her and set a common ground where they can meet and start listening to each other. The same low key diplomatic core embedded in Anya’s talk to Damian.

And both talks lead to a brief but meaningful word exchange between father and son, and that's enough for now.

But it also leads to un unexpected development: Damian tomato red admitting that he really wants to get on we'll with Anya. Cutest crush ever.

PS: This post was written while in an airport stopover, sorry for the poor quality

[daintyduck99]

things you said with no space between us + OT3 of your choice

Julie didn't know a ghost could get so pale.

Maybe it's just shocking because she's used to seeing Reggie with a perpetual flush, which is probably the part that shouldn't be possible. It makes it easy to forget that he's dead when he usually looks and acts so…bright, so alive. 

Now he just looks wrong, still and small. 

And his eyes are dreadfully vacant. 

Luke grasps his shoulders, guitars forgotten, and frowns as another crack of thunder makes Reggie shudder. 

"Reg, you're okay, you're here with us—" 

Julie scurries over to Alex as Luke continues to murmur to Reggie. Alex is also watching concernedly, hovering beside his drum kit. She clutches his arm. 

"What's wrong, what can we do?" 

They grimace in sympathy as the wind begins to howl and Reggie starts to shake.

Alex blows out a breath. "Astraphobia. It's—we think the sounds overwhelm him with like, bad memories of being home." 

Julie lets out a distressed whine. She meets Luke's eyes and sees the same emotions that are churning in her gut. 

"And? Isn't there anything we can do?"

"We could pull out the couch bed," Luke suggests, "if we hold him, it usually helps."

She makes up her mind in an instant.

"Take him to my room. Mess up the bed if you have to, turn on all of the lights, I don't care. Do whatever might help." 

Luke poofs them away. She turns to Alex.

"Do you think you could take me?"

He swallows. "I mean, I can try—" 

"If you can't, that's okay. I just don't want…if I ran through the rain, it'd take me longer before…" 

"I get it," he says softly, and Julie wraps him in a grateful hug. "If it works, I'll poof you there and then I'll head out. Too many people might just overwhelm him and—" 

"And you want to keep looking for Willie."

He blows out another breath. "Yeah." 

She squeezes him tighter, burying a small smile in his hoodie as he does it back. 

"Okay. Just…be careful, Alex." 

"I will," he murmurs, and they hurtle through space in the blink of an eye, but he keeps her steady. "I promise."

Then he's gone, and she stumbles over to her bed, aided by the cozy lamplight.

She crawls under the covers, where Luke already has Reggie pressed to his chest. He speaks softly in his ear, running his hands up and down Reggie’s back. 

"It's okay, baby, you're safe, we're in Julie's room. Everything is gonna be alright." 

Did he just…? 

Okay, not that important right now. 

Julie bites her lip. "How should I…"

"You can wrap around him from behind—let me just—"

With a bit of wriggling and maneuvering, they get Reggie tucked between them. 

As she'd hoped, the storm is less loud than it'd been in the studio, and her curtains are closed, preserving the coziness of her room and muffling the sounds even more. 

"He's shaking much less," Julie murmurs, idly rubbing Reggie’s arm. "Is that good?"

"Yeah, but—" 

A particularly nasty clap of thunder makes Luke suck in a breath. 

"We need to keep talking. Singing, something. He should come out of it then."

CRACK.

They're plunged into total darkness, and Julie and Luke both make soothing sounds as Reggie lets out a little distressed noise.

"We've got you," she says softly, and it's probably too soft but it's what he needs. "Baby, come back, we'll keep you safe." 

Luke hums, and her heart skips. It's wanted to escape this whole time, but she's been forcing herself to breathe evenly and keep it calm for Reggie’s sake.

Luke doesn't push it either, though. 

He goes from humming to singing, and his voice thrums with the same gentle warmth it'd held when they sang this in the kitchen.

Your eyes, through the night, you and I 

Julie jumps in on the next line, singing through a smile, and she knows he is, too.

We will fight to shine together 

They make it through a verse and another chorus before Reggie jerks. Breathlessly, he asks them something about angels. 

"No," Luke says, then pauses. "Well—maybe one. Julie's here, after all." 

Julie just huffs, pressing her face between Reggie’s shoulder blades. "Are you okay?" 

Reggie's voice comes out clearer, but it's very small. She's sure they'd be squeezing him too hard if he actually needed to breathe, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"Um. Would you—keep singing to me?"

"Of course," she and Luke chorus.

She wonders if he had to bite off baby, too.

Judging by the way he clears his throat...she wants to say that the answer is yes. 

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 4 - Sutures

The next morning, Katrina woke up weirdly refreshed - All sunshine and daisies, she could say - Which was quite a peculiarity, considering how exhausted she felt all the time. Maybe this fresh air from the old eras is a good remedy to get healthier, considering how polluted and foul the air was in her present time, and how great an impact this terrible thing has on their world. 

Advantages and disadvantages can be found in any era, you just need to look around properly and analyze the situation. After all, the infinite spectrum of Grey can only be done by mixing together different percentages of White and Black. There is nothing 100% good, not 100% bad, just like there is no real altruism or real villainy.

Or perhaps it's just her overthinking and pretending to be some Nietzsche or Freud philosopher in her own mind.

The red haired girl messily braided her hair and put it in a disheveled bun, not bothering to properly brush her long hair as she knew she'd be busy all they and all night, so why bother appearing decent when she'll look like she woke up from the dead 3 years later. Instead of garbing one of those beautiful, rich kimonos, she put on a pair of comfortable blue jeans, chose some thin, light sneakers and a large band Tshirt, putting a haori over her shoulder, in case she got cold. After all, she didn't really want to wear her leather jacket or trench coat in a make-shift hospital where she'd get splurted with blood and hopefully not other bodily fluids.

Grinning mischievously at her small bag, where she found the absent-mindedly thrown instruments she used at the clinic - Courtesy of a habit she took from her University days when she'd have 2 spares of anything in her bag ( except for notebooks, papers, crayons, pens, textbooks and literally anything else she'd actually need ) - And swinging the bag casually over her shoulder, she got one of the maids to guide her to the rooms where the patients were being treated.

She wasn't surprised seeing all those injuries, the blood pooling all over them, or the groans and wails of agony and despair - She was, however, surprised to see Masamune helping out in taking care of the victims.

"Yo, cyclops, how's it going?" Kat smirked at him throwing off the haori and bag in a corner, putting on the latex gloves and taking out the tools, looking around at the helpers. "I need some fire to sterilize my tools. I already have a needle, but I need a lot of threat... Some sake, I guess. Lots of water basins and towels, some marigold ointment... Can we get ice cubes? No, wait, I don't think so, it's too early in the times... Then, I will need constant supply of river-cold water. We'll need sulphur fumigation after this... No matter, I digress. What disinfectant was used so early... Hmm... Alcohol... Alcohol... Ah, yes, vinegar, perfect for open wounds! Yes, you guys, please bring me what I just said, it would help a lot." she instructed the healers who she thought were lackeys. They looked at her skeptically as they started whispering between themselves instead of moving.

"Didn't you hear the Princess? Do as she says! She clearly knows what she's talking!" Masamune's authoritarian voice seemed to make the physicians tremble and run out of the room to do as commanded.

"Uh... Thanks for that. I know I don't have the most authority over people, especially since I've just come here and I didn't earn anyone's respect. To tell you the truth, I only ever treated animals, and even then, we had... Technology and tons of medicaments and modern treatments. Relying on herbs and plants is a huge downgrade and I don't know entirely how potent or fast their effects are. On that note, I will do everything in my power to keep these guys alive. We have a saying in medicine - An oath, you could call it - Primum non nocere. It's Latin, and it means - First of all, do no harm. Basically, as long as you do more good than bad, it's all cool, especially in these times." she crouched down next to the warlord, taking off the blanket covering the man he was attending to, and taking off the armor and top nonchalantly, she saw a nasty gash from one to the other of his abdomen.

"Nobunaga already told us all that story about you being from the future and stuff. By the way you're talking, I can't even imagine doubting you. These tools... They look weird. How do you use them?" the man asked, very curious and intrigued by her words, and in the meantime, the healers came by and brought everything to the girl.

"Well... Watch as I explain everything I'm doing. Oh, and... Don't freak out or something, okay? I heard at some point that these... Western medical practices haven't been accepted in Asia until very, very late... And by that, I mean like, 19th century or something. Relying on praying and plants alone won't solve your problems." she explained as she took a towel and wet it, carefully wiping away all the blood from the gash, and from around, revealing the nasty open flesh wound. "Keep this thread bolt please." Kat handed him the bolt as she took the thread and got it through the needle's ear, and dangled the metal above the small fire the physicians created. "By doing this, I'm sterilizing the metal... It's not the best, but it's as much as I can do. By this, I'm reducing the possibility of bacteria, microorganisms and may other bad, harmful things that we can't see with the normal human eye that can get inside the wound and make it to fester."

"Why would the... Bacteria thingy get inside the wound if nothing except our hands touches it?" he asked, analyzing every move the girl did.

"Bacteria is everywhere. Literally everywhere. It's like dirt. It gets inside, you're screwed. It can get inside even by blowing air on it. I know, difficult to believe such abstract things that you can't see, but that's the truth. First, we disinfect the wound with vinegar, padding the wound with a handkerchief. Now we bring the flesh together... And we do sutures. Stitches. In the shape of the Latin-alphabet X-shaped letter. First with the muscle part inside, and then with the skin outside." she used the forceps to move around the needle with such astonishing dexterity and accuracy that

Masamune's single eyes only gazed, widened and enchanted by the movements, yet the many minuscule knots and the snipping of scissors made it very confusing for him. He couldn't quite grasp why, as she made so many knots, one on top of the other, she'd do different moves, some forwards, some backwards, and... Something?

"He looks like he's sewn like a blanket." the one-eyed dragon stared, stunned, at the sutured wound. His hand went to touch it, but it was slapped away by the girl. 

"Bacteria! Don't touch it with your filthy hands! That's exactly how the wound gets festered!" Masamune's face was bewildered with disbelief, so much that the girl had to look away and laugh lightly. "Okay, sorry, your face was adorable. Anyway, please don't touch wounds, I don't want them to get infected. Now that we're done, I will put some marigold ointment gently over the sewn up wound... Et voila, that's it. It's the best I can do for now. We don't really have antibiotics, I can't do vaccines and stuff... I will forever miss Amoxicillin and Ceftriaxone... But whatever. I will have the other physicians tend to the physiological aspect of it... Give him some medicine soup or something. Until then... We have many more others to take care of, so, if you want, you can help me out... Or maybe you can help bandage them? Whatever you want, it will help either way." smiling at the blue-garbed man, Kat got crawled to the next man, doing the same procedure over several open wounds and cuts around.

"You've got it, lass, leave it to me. I've taken care of my injured men before, I can handle this!" almost as if he got a huge boost of confidence seeing the girl so sure of herself, explaining the procedure and the reasoning behind it, it made him feel reassured that somehow, despite these life-threatening injuries, they will all live.

Despite their best efforts combined, more and more hours passed, yet neither of them seemed to feel any kind of fatigue - Or at least, they didn't let it be seen. One of them was used to such heavy work load in the clinic, while the other was used to fighting day and night tirelessly, so at least for that, the adrenaline rush keeping them focused and steady was doing its job, surging rapidly through their veins with an electrifying speed.

Katrina, despite not being one to speak too much, got used from her clinic time to giving orders to her subordinates to help her or delegate some of the minor work, and thankfully, after Masamune's order, they all followed her instructions to a T. Lovely success, she might say, considering that there was place for a sole woman in a world dominated by narcissistic, egotistical men. And yet, she somehow seemed to gain the... Maybe not outright trust, but at least the respect of the milder warlords, like Masamune and Mitsunari. People like Ieyasu and Hideyoshi were still very suspicious of her, despite everything, and yet, she knew that, with time, she will get through them too. After all, she had no ill-will or bad intentions towards them, and above all, she just wanted to have fun and maybe get through this alive.

Sengoku era was pretty fun, despite all the hardships and non-stop threats upon their lives, but somehow, being surrounded by people and being able to turn to them to have a simple talk or a drink, made her feel less alone than usual. It wasn't like she was an extrovert or overly sociable, but at the same time, her heart suffered greatly whenever she realised how truly alone she was, even surrounded by people, whenever she'd see all the people she was 'friends' with talk to her only out of necessity, or whenever nobody else was available or a hang out. Everyone was either married, had kids, or was at least in a steady relationships, and all the old, lovely friendships quickly vanished, and she was forgotten for the most part.

After all, she was never anyone's first option, and that thought alone truly hurt her.

"Masamune, you idiot, have you been here all day?" a new, sudden voice disrupted the organized chaos that the brownian motion that became their pattern in the room, tending to all the injured people.

"Ieyasu? What are you doing here?" Masamune's lower voice asked, surprised to see the blond warlord there, holding a basket.

"Have you forgotten to eat again? Stupid." the future Tokugawa shogun light-heartedly insulted his friend with a stoic look on his face as he thrusted the food basket in his arms. "Share."

"Thank you for your consideration, Ieyasu." despite saying that, almost robotically, Kat, didn't look up from the procedure she was doing.

"...Masamune? Why are these men patched up like potato sacks?" the man frowned - But Kat's frown was worse, as she suddenly got up, ignoring the dizziness from dehydration and lack of proper nutrition for the day.

"Excuse you? Patched up like potato sacks? I'll have you known my sutures are the peak of beauty! If you insult my magnum opus, I swear I'm going to sew up your mouth and eyes permanently!" she got in his face, her arms crossed, showing how offended she was.

"...Huh?" Ieyasu's eyes grew wide as he made a dumbfound expression, his mouth just slightly agape from the shock of her outburst and the words she used. On the other hand, Masamune's loud, mirthful loud resounded through the room.

"Don't worry, Ieyasu, the lass did a splendid job on these men! She told me all about the importance of disinfectant and these extra small things called bacteria! Ain't that a funny word? Anyway, this sewing thing is said to be a Western practice and keeping the flesh together helps it heal faster!" Masamune went to pat - With a bit too much strength - Ieyasu's shoulder, making him flinch a bit from annoyance.

After muttering some more insults to the cyclops, the blond crouched to one of the man, inspecting his wound. "Interesting..." he hummed, but as soon as he extended his hand to examine and admire the intricate craftmanship that seemed almost like a seamstress's sewing, or an embroidered handkerchief, his wrist was roughly grasped and pulled away.

"Don't touch it." the two shared a look, and begrudgingly, the man took away his hand, making the girl release his hand gingerly. "Sorry about that. It's just... Wounds shouldn't be carelessly touched. You create the risk of infecting the wound and festering from inside, which would really suck." she sighed, speaking in a lower voice.

"I'm half-inclined to say you're speaking non-sense, but at the same time, I'm interested in your knowledge. Masamune, that food is all yours. I want to have a conversation with this one." the blond got on his feet, motioning for the red haired girl to follow him.

"But... The patients... They need constant supervising... And if they spaz out, they risk breaking their stitched and bleeding again." Kat got up, looking worriedly between the sleeping patients and the expecting warlord who looked impatiently at her.

"Don't worry, lass, I've got this covered! Go eat something and rest, you deserve a break." the man's wild grin encouraged her to leave - Albeit still skeptical - Yet a bit more reassured.

The whole way to his home was quiet, except for the crickets and toads singing in tune a beautiful symphony of the night. Thankfully, the way to his place was pretty short. There, as the weather was mighty fine, Ieyasu had his servants put the table and pillows on the porch, lighting up the lanterns so they could see, but the very late dinner was still incredibly awkward and silent, sans the sound of chewing and chopsticks moving. That is until finally, after the leftover food was taken off the table, and the man finally spoke, his green eyes peering into her own green eyes.

"Tell me what you did with the warriors." his harsh voice had an edge to it that was both intrigued yet had an invisible force holding him back from appearing interested in any way.

"And by that, do you want me to medically explain what and why I did what I did?" she raised an eyebrow, questioning for a proper explanation. The man simply said an affirmative answer as a reply, but that alone - Someone actually being interested in her knowledge and skills - It truly made her happy enough to smile.

"Do you believe my time-traveling story?" she asked in a gentle voice.

"Is that relevant?" the man looked away with a roll of his eyes.

"Yes, it very much is." she nodded solemnly.

"Your answer tonight will give me a definitive answer." the girl couldn't help but grin and let out an amused exhale.

"Very well. I asked you because in my time, we don't really use plant-medicine anymore. We use medicaments that are made from various chemical compounds put together into pills, emulsions, ointments, syrups and other liquids for vaccines... That's why, I had a hard time thinking about the proper plants and how to create a proper ointment or treatment based on their wounds. I only know that honey, garlic, ginseng and maybe moldy bread were good to kill bacteria and such, but I'm not sure, and I don't want to risk blindly." she explained briefly the hesitation behind the scarce using of the plants. Except marigold ointment. Marigold ointment is Grandma's famous, legendary treatment. Forever.

"And what is this 'bacteria' that Masamune glamorized so much?" he asked, humming in understanding.

"Bacteria are microscopic living things - It means they are so small you can't see them without a microscope, which is like... A binocular, but you don't look into the distance, but on a strip with a sample... But I digress. Basically, they are quite literally everywhere, and they can cause diseases. That's why they must not make their way into wounds - They can cause festering and necrosis... Basically, the cells and tissues that form the human body... The place afflicted dies, and it turns black because blood doesn't stream through there, so it gets no more oxygen and nutriments, and thus, you have a dead part in your alive body, and this dead body is like the plague - It spreads - Hence why you need to cut it off. However, you can't cut off the torso, can you? If you have necrosis affecting your fingers or limbs, you can successfully amputate them - You cut them off - But... I'm not sure you people would agree to having a limb less, considering you won't be able to fight anymore, but the theory behind still stands. Back then, I didn't necessarily stop you from touching it because it's forbidden, but because you had dirty hands. You have to at least wash your hands with water and soap and then disinfect them with alcohol, like vinegar or... Sake maybe. Did... Any of this make sense?" she asked sheepishly, realising the pondering look he had on his face. Ieyasu nodded his head and grunted an affirmative answer. "We can't quite afford much hygiene measures when at war, but I suppose there are some things we can take care of anyway. I saw a fire inside the room. Was that to kill this... Bacteria?" he pointed out, hesitating as he spoke out loud that foreign word again.

"Yes! Sort of. It's not the most effective method, but it does the trick. Since I used a needle and a thread to sew up the wounds together, you keep the metal in the fire until it colours red, and that kills the bacteria, so you can use the needle on the wound. Thing is, after you clean the wound and you sew it up, people usually do an antibiotic vaccine to prevent getting infections inside." she explained, not realising that she wasn't properly explaining all words, and that people from the past had no idea what she was talking about, and they couldn't possibly corelate so easily foreign words with their roots and meanings.

"Are you going to let me guess what "Antibiotic" and "Vaccine" mean?" the man huffed, kinda frustrated because there was such much to learn, yet things seemed more complicated, as he never heard of these words before, yet this technology and knowledge she held... Ieyasu was craving them.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Well, 'Antibiotic' is something that kills bacteria. Basically, it's 2 words coming from Greek, and they were put together. 'Anti' means 'Against' and 'Bios' is 'Living'. I find it easier to understand words and medical terminology once I understand the roots of the word and what it means. And a vaccine is... Uhm... A tube with a small, hallow needle. Inside the tube you have a liquid with medicine and you stick the needle... Here, in your vein, and this liquid gets in the bloodstream. The blood uhm... Irrigates the whole body with Oxygen and nutriments and... Since the blood goes everywhere, the medicine goes where it needs to go. I'm pretty sure vaccines weren't allowed in Asia as a proper practice until...About 200 years from now on or something. They were seen as Western barbarian practices and that went against the beliefs of Confucius, Buddha and the ethics and stuff. In my time, vaccines are extremely important and everyone, animals alike, get vaccinated, so they can prevent getting some diseases, especially infectious ones." Kat smiled at the man who could only grunt in understanding again, and... Even agreement, maybe?

"Fear of the unknown makes people afraid of the consequences and don't want to even try to understand, even if the explanation is in front of their very eyes. Most of the time, even the nobles or the educated ones believe in Divine Retribution and the Devil's work when it comes to... "Unorthodox" practices, as a Christian missionary put it. Development, education and technology are the base of a plentiful and rich future, but with how many people still believe in onryos and oni, you can't expect much progress." despite the man being genuine and contemplating, Kat chuckled, very amused.

"Some people called me a Kitsune in my time. Tradition means a lot for this country, and while sure, in the future people don't believe in kami and oni anymore, they still hold the history and culture very close to their heart. On another note... I'm pretty sure I heard Hideyoshi curse Mitsuhide at some point and called him a Kitsune as well." biting her lip in amusement, she twirled around a strand of her hair, resting her jaw on her palm.

"How stupid... But I suppose it's not that far away from the truth anyway." the man rolled his eyes again, scoffing at the ridiculousness of the statement, but he was unable to agree or disagree with it. 

Before he could shoo the girl away, as it was getting dreadfully late, and the tiredness was evidently painted on her face, a quiet, rhythmical trotting sound coming from inside the house, getting out... A small deer, of all things, was revealed. It looked up at the two people sitting on opposite sides of the small, round table. It looked at its owner, and then at the stranger.

"Hello, sweety." the red haired girl slowly extended her hand towards the baby deer, as she carefully sniffed it, and with an unexpected braveness, it jumped in her lap, licking her face, shocking the physician girl. "Wh-Whoa...! I have been blessed!" almost as if scared to touch it, as fawns are fragile and soft and gentle and adorable as hell, her hands carefully went to hug and pet the small critter, sticking her tongue half out as if she was mleming, and the fawn imitated her.

"You're acting like a stupid kid." Ieyasu scoffed, yet his annoyance was a mask for his amusement. "Her name is Wasabi."

"Wasabi...! You're the cutest little baby in the whole entire world! I want to hug you and never let you out of my arms. I love youuuu~!" suddenly, the calm, stoic and collected woman became an overly-affectionate cuddle bug that was spoiling that fawn. In fact, Ieyasu was shocked at such a drastic change in her behaviour, and the sweet voice she was talking in with his pet, but not only that, he also hasn't seen women - Mothers, in particular - Fawn over and spoil a human baby so much as this woman in front of him was practically melting in complete bliss and glee. She truly was peculiar in all the weird sorts of ways. He didn't have the heart to send her home, instead, he just watched the peculiar scene in front of him for as long as it lasted. That is, until he noticed the girl trying to mask out a yawn, only for Wasabi to stick her tongue inside her mouth as she tried to lick up her face. They both retracted their heads backwards, staring at each other in shock with wide, confused eyes. They almost looked as if they were both two baby fawns, so innocent, so pure, and very ignorant of the horrors and dangers of the world around them.

He hated this girl... He hated her so much, but at the same time, he didn't. He hated weakness, and she was nothing more than a frail little snow-drop, like every other woman he's encountered. On the other hand, Wasabi is just as fragile and in need of protection, and he felt the soft and gentle feeling of love and protectiveness. He wouldn't let anyone even look weirdly at the baby fawn, let alone harm her.  Maybe that's why he hated Katrina so much. Not that she was suspicious - She really wasn't. Despite all the stories about kunoichi and how they disguise themselves as maids and maidens that lure men in bed and then kill them, stealing all the important intel and running away to their employers, Katrina was obviously not like that. He prided himself with being a pretty good judge of character... And what the hell would a woman from the future, that simply wants to go back home, want with them, except for protection until she can somehow find a way to go to her rightful time? She even showed them some revolutionary medical practices and have them important intel, so there was no reason to be as suspicious of her as when she first arrived.

Ieyasu wasn't going to go outright and protect her, that would be too much of a bother, and even thought Nobunaga claims she's some kind of lucky charm for him - That's all she is - HIS responsibility, so why should he bother with Nobunaga's fleeting obsessions? On the other hand, he wasn't going to outright let her die that easily - If only for that intriguing and controversial knowledge she has in that head of hers.

Stupid red head.

He could only watch from his seat as she said good night to him and, with one last kiss on Wasabi's wet nose, left to sleep, since she couldn't stay awake anymore from the exhaustion. She thanked him for the meal and the lovely conversation even, even though she was the one who spoke most of the time. What a peculiar woman, as if she has nobody to talk to. Then again, with the way she flinches away from her so-called paramour, and how she tries to stray away from him and how she scolds and glares at him at all time... And how violent he is with her... Maybe she was just fed up with him altogether and with him being the only person she knows, she was getting lonely.

Never mind, why the hell would he care anyway? Wasabi was in his lap, licking his face, and it was a decent night. It was time for him to get some sleep.

Morning came by faster than expected, and the birds chirped with the rising of the sun, yet their beautiful song wasn't enough to wake the girl up. Her sleep were sweet and well-deserved, and she didn't wake up until pretty late into the day, and even then, she was pretty sluggish. It was finally a normal day! And it was pretty much a free day as well!  Technically speaking, she was free to do whatever she wanted, as long as she remained in Azuchi, so she took advantage of it, mixing her time with having fun, exploring and working, all in a perfect imbalance - As usual.

Getting ready, the first thing she did was check up on the patients and make sure they were in good condition, and after she was satisfied with what she was seeing, she went to have a look at the traveling market and maybe even treat herself to some tea and dango.

As she was absent-mindedly admiring the hustle and bustle of the place, and noticing that nobody was really bothering or even looking at her, thankfully, she smiled softly, feeling content and at ease. That all disappeared as soon as a tap on her shoulder woke her up from her trance and her name was called - Looking at the man calling her, she realised the ninja boy who she got to know recently was there, gesturing for her to go somewhere with fewer people and have a chat.

"I'm sorry I left you alone for so long. How is life at Azuchi castle?" he asked as they both sat down on a bench under an umbrella, outside a tea house.

"Oh, it's quite alright. I got to show off my medical skills by sewing up some people... And I played with Ieyasu's pet, which was adorable, considering my profession is a Veterinary doctor. And you? Your profession here is much more dangerous than mine, are you alright?" she asked the man, looking up at the beautiful azure sky.

"I can't complain. I miss home, but at the same time, if I treat this as a history project, then I'm rather excited, despite all death-threatening things I have to do." he smiled as well, ordering tea for the two of them.

Then, another man, dressed in a burgundy kimono, stepped in front of them, his hands on his hips like an upset mother. "There you were, Sasuke! Who is this?" he analyzed the fire-kissed woman from head to toe.

"Hasashi Katrina. My friends call me Kat, so if you don't mind... I'm Sasuke's friend. It's lovely meeting another of his friend!" Kat got up from the bench and bowed lightly at the man before extending her hand for him to shake - But he merely looked weirdly at her hand, then at Sasuke.

"Shake her hand. It's a way of greeting new people and making new friendships." Sasuke encouraged the man, and with a bit of skepticism, he engaged in this foreign act.

"Sanada Yukimura." he muttered, frowning a bit. "I've never heard of this kind of greeting before. Your name, also, is rather unusual... Your hair as well." 

"Well, I am a pretty unusual woman, you could say." she shrugged, carefree, signaling for him to also sit down. "May I call you Yuki? It's only fair to use a nickname as well, don't you think?" despite the friendly tone in her voice, the teasing was pretty obvious, and the man's cheeks reddened, and he could only look away, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Yuki~? Are you okay? You look feverish." Kat's eyes narrowed slightly from amusement, smiling like a mischievous fox as she stepped in front of him, putting the back of her hand to his forehead, making him even more flustered, hurrying away from her. 

"I-I'm fine, jeez!" he stuttered, unable to look at the girl, as she and Sasuke chuckled at his reactions.

"Ah, look, Kenshin, a Kitsune!" another voice, unfamiliar, chuckled, and as the trio snapped their heads towards the new voice, they saw two men, one extroverted, and one introverted. Perfect friend duo.

"Don't compliment me too much, Mister. I forgot my 9 tails at home." Kat giggled, nodding her head towards the two new-comers as a way of greeted them.

"Ohh, this lovely fox has such a charming smile. Are you trying to trap me under your spell?" this chestnut haired man, very bold and straight-forward, stepped in front of the red haired girl, his hand going to her hair, taking a strand of it and twirling it flirtatiously.

"My, my, aren't you a casanova? It was not my intention to enchant you, however, I cannot say I mind it." her fox-like smirk, playful and full of mischief, made this easy-going man laugh boisterously.

"Why don't we have some tea together? I want to know more about you." he raised the girl's chin gingerly, with his finger, gazing affectuously in her eyes.

"We were just having a cup of tea. You and your friend may join us, if you will. I was thinking of getting some sweets as well." she chuckled gleefully as she gingerly put her hand over his wrist and guiding him to the table so the 5 of them could enjoy some nice tea and dango.

"You're at it again... Honestly, please stop it, Lord Shingen, this flirting is really annoying." Yuki sweat-dropped awkwardly.

"Come on, Yuki, you can't expect me to stay silent when I have the honour of being in the presence of such a charming young lady! Or... Maybe it is that you are jealous and too shy to approach her yourself!" Shingen... Takeda Shingen, the Tiger of Kai, teased the boy cheerfully.

"N-NO! It's nothing like that!" but Shingen could only laugh, his arm around Kat's shoulder, as she was just smiling serenely, as if she had no idea that's Takeda Shingen hugging and flirting with her, while Uesugi Kenshin was glaring into the horizon and Sanada Yukimura was blushing like a green boy because of her teasing.

"If you're shy, just say so, Yuki! There's nothing wrong with that. There are many women who are into the easily-flustered type~!" putting her hand over her mouth to stifle her teasing chuckle, it seemed her Kat and Shingen paired up nicely to fluster up the poor boy.

"That's enough, you two. You are attracting too much attention towards you." Kenshin spoke, devoid of any emotion.

"Katrina, since you are a friend of Sasuke's, I will tell you a secret. There will be a war soon. Go to another country as soon as you can." as he said that, the Sasuke tapped the girl's shoulder, motioning for her to get up from the table and step away, to have a semi-private conversation together.

"The famous Yukimura Sanada is worrying about me while Takeda Shingen flirts with me. I think I hit the warlord jackpot." Kat hummed in amusement, only to see the ninja's serious expression.

"How is Nobunaga treating you? Did you tell him about the time-travel thing and the wormhole that will appear in 3 months?" he asked, pondering.

"Yep. All the warlords know by now. Of course, it's only kept between them, thankfully. And I told him about the portal, he tried to bribe me with a bet, but I refused. I think I've got a pretty decent grasp on his personality, he's not as impossible to predict as I first thought... And yet, he still surprises." she tilted her head leisurely to explain the situation.

"I don't mean to scare you, but just in case, you should have a way to protect yourself from Nobunaga or any warlord that may imprison you or put you in danger. I'm sure you know that if you miss the next wormhole, you might never be able to go back to the present again... Which is why... If you think anything's going to happen, use these to escape."  and thus, Sasuke handed her some smoke bombs and ground spikes he manufactured himself by watching online tutorials, which was super cool and made Kat grin, remembering the cosplay costumes he worked so hard on, especially the Temari one, from Naruto. Oh, how she loved Temari and wanted to find a Shikamaru for herself... "Always think of protecting yourself, Kat. The Dragon of Echigo and the Tiger of Kai are after Lord Nobunaga. What I'm saying is... Don't get deeply involved with the people of this time. And before I forget... Watch out for a demon dressed as a monk." as he said that, Kat's emerald eyes widened in realisation.

"Sasuke... The guy who tried to assassinate Nobunaga as Honno-Ji... Was that this guy you're warning me about?" she gasped, only for him to give her a solemn look.

"Unless he delegated, then most-likely, yes." he grunted softly.

"Hey, Sasuke, I wouldn't mind revealing my identity now. I am the Lord of Echigo's Kasugayama Castle, Uesugi Kenshin. Do me a favour and tell people that you have seen us here in Azuchi. I am ready to take on everyone willing to face me in battle." the winter-aesthetic man drew his sword fearlessly, a certain frozen smile on his face.

"That was a brave affirmation of war. Is this how all warlords are, or is it just you two?" Kat asked, hoping to keep things light-hearted and non-violent, at least when she was around.

"Don't let yourself be fooled by this one." Shingen pushed Kenshin away, getting the spotlight. "Kenshin and I have been fighting Nobunaga for years. My name is Takeda Shingen. People call me the Tiger of Kai... But unlike Kenshin here, I don't draw my sword freely, especially now that I've met such a beautiful woman like you." as he said that, he grinned confidently, dazzling, as his hand caressed her hair.

"You're really flattering me, Shingen... Ah, pardon my familiar addressing, I couldn't help myself." she chuckled playfully, feeling less intimidated now as the flirty man was in her aura, not the ice-man anymore.

"How foolish... It's like you need to flirt with women just to survive, Shingen." Kenshin scolded the warlord who could only grin at him.

"You're just jealous this one likes me, and not you." Shingen playfully attacked Kenshin, only for the platinated man to turn away with no reaction, disappointed the chestnut haired one.

"You seem like really close friends~!" Kat chirped, despite knowing very well they were mortal enemies for a long time... Or at least history said so!

However, before Shingen could reply, an obnoxiously annoying voice called out her name, destroying her zen immediately, and Shingen could see the angry and fed up grimace on her face as she recognized the voice's owner.

The man stomped to the girl's side and snatched her roughly by the wrist, in his embrace, glaring at the Takeda lord, who could only watch the scene with passiveness and slight irritation at having that nice moment interrupted.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, flirting with other men when you have me!" Drew yelled in her face, grasping her shoulders harshly, making her flinch from the loud noise right in her ears.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. We were merely having a decent, pleasant conversation about this fine weather. Is that a crime?" Kat sneered at him, lying through her teeth as she pushed away the obnoxious brat.

"His hand was on your hair, and you two were sharing bedroom eyes, undressing each other in your minds, and you really think that such a stupid, obvious lie will fool me?!" yell more and the whole Japan will hear you.

"You're overreacting and being dramatic again. If you have confidence issues, go ahead and solve them, but I have nothing to do with them. Then again... With how painfully annoying and disrespectful you're being to me, I wouldn't mind throwing you to the piranhas and running away with Lord Shingen." Kat started mockingly laughing in his face.

"I wouldn't mind that either, lovely fox~." Shingen, from the back, chuckled as well.

"ENOUGH!" and, shocking everyone, Kat found herself with the blade of a small dagger at her neck. "ENOUGH! STOP CHEATING ON ME, YOU STUPID, DUMB WHORE! I'M FED UP WITH YOU AND THE SHIT YOU DO TO ME! IT HURTS ME TOO, YOU KNOW?!" Drew had tears of frustration in his eyes as he dug the blade deeper into the girl's skin, enough to draw a little bit of blood.

"Are you done?" Kat sighed, rolling her eyes at his childishness.

"...What?!" he gasped, his hand trembling on the dagger handle.

"I said - Are you done? You're wailing like a cat in distress, what the hell is wrong with you? If you want to be a man, you gotta start acting like one and earn some respect. Look at you. You're nothing more than an entitled, whiny brat who wallows in self-pity and sobs to his mummy over the smallest things. You can't even hold that dagger without shaking like a leaf. You couldn't take a life, even if your own life was in danger. What the hell are you good for, anyway? You disgust me. You truly piss me off." Kat's sweet and cheerful voice became dark and threatening, spreading a miasma of freezing poison that made Drew grit his teeth and shake even more.

He knew... She wasn't one to get angry, hence why he took her for granted and would behave any way he wanted to... But he hasn't seen her this wrathful is so long, it slipped his mind that she had such a vengeful side of her. Without the least bit of fear, the red haired girl brought her hand up to the blade, pulling it away from her neck, and as an affirmation of her dominance and strength, she gripped it tightly, enough to draw blood and paint the metal crimson. She titled her head menacingly, the way she saw Michael Myers do in the Halloween movies, but then, she smirked, seeing the man cower in fear and let go of the blade - And she hit him over the head with the handle with all her strength, making him fall to the ground, screaming for mercy - The display was so pathetic and disgusting that Kat couldn't help herself and stomped down on him.

"You know you messed up bad enough if you got me angry. Now you suffer the consequences. You are not a man, you're just a pathetic excuse of a waste of breath who thinks the whole world owes him. Next time you decide to piss me off, remember that you are the one who offered me this dagger, and unlike you... I'm not afraid of using it." and with one more kick in the back, Drew finally became enough of a coward to pick himself up and run the hell away from there, making the girl sigh in annoyance, not wanting to look back at the men staring at her, feeling the burning rage in her heart turn into quick embarrassment.

However, that silence was filled with a single set of steps that walked in front of her, and she found herself being faced with a smiling Shingen, who carefully took her hand in his own, kissed the back of it, then wrapped it up in a handkerchief, before using the sleeve of his own kimono to wipe away the faint necklace of crimson dribble from her neck. "I don't think I've ever seen a woman as brave and firey as you are. Are you sure you're not a Kitsune?"

"...I never said I wasn't, did I?" after a few seconds, the ghost of a half-smile appeared on her face, continuing the playful back and forth with him.

"Sure you don't want to run away with me?" he chuckled, caressing her face, a bright, gigolo smile gracing his features.

"Ask me that after our 3rd date, Shingen. Until then... I'll see you around, maybe?" she mused, earning yet another mirthful laugh from him, as booming as always.

"I love confident, cheeky women like you, yet I have to say, I haven't met anyone to direct and straightforward like you! I'm looking forward to having having that date with you, lovely fox~!" and with that, the 4 men departed back to their castles, leaving the red haired girl to chuckle softly to herself, walking back to Azuchi.

"If only you didn't have cancer, Shingen... You're the only man who ever made me feel like a woman." despite the sorrow in her voice, she still smiled, albeit it was bittersweet.

She was ready to turn in for the night and just chill around in her room, however, one of the men who serves under Nobunaga told her she must attend a war council - She was surprised, sure, but at the same time, pretty excited about being allowed to seat through more of these.

As Kat announced her presence and got inside the room, she noticed the warlords were already there... And Drew as well, was trembling still, sitting next to Mitsunari. However as soon as he noticed the red haired girl, he let out a distressed wail and stormed out of there, making everyone look after him with wide eyes. Sighing and rolling her eyes, Kat turned around to close the sliding door, as he didn't even have the audacity to something so easy. Idiot.

"What was that about?" Hideyoshi asked, very confused.

"It seems our little fire fox came from an altercation with a few scratches on." Mitsuhide pointed out, alarming the other warlords.

"Ah...Well, when a dog is bad and misbehaves, you punish him. You may get bitten in the meantime, but as long as you assert your dominance and authority over it, then it's all good." she chuckled venomously, only to see the silver haired fox smirk at her.

"My, my, what a cunning fox we have here. You're not about to bite our noses while we sleep, are you?" Mitsuhide teased her, as she sat down next to Ieyasu.

"Not at all. In the end, I am no dog owner. That stupid mutt was just greedy and thought he could eat me. It's his fault for being stupid and getting suffocated with my fur. Besides... Noses are dirty with mucus. The neck, however... I can confirm, they are very... Delicious." the fox girl made such a bold implication that made Masamune laugh, while Mitsuhide and Nobunaga only smirked in amusement, while the other three either gasped and blushed at her rudeness, or looked innocently confused.

"Very well, enough of that. Since you've been working so hard, and more, as you've saved my people, I will have you rewarded personally. Until then, let us begin our discussion." Nobunaga smirked from his far away seat of honour, as the main warlord.

But she was not surprised in the least that such a topic of discussion was brought upon, and yet, rumours sure fly fast around the castle - She wondered, for a stupid second, weather social media was as fast as all these spies and gossips around. What a silly thought.

The Dragon of Echigo is still alive and he's sheltering the Tiger of Kai

What a lovely metaphor for such lovely people.

Oh, this was going to be one very fun war council indeed.

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[austinsgirl]

Rather Die | Chapter 14

rating: pg-13, language

warnings: talk of pregnancy

word count: 2047

cross posted on wattpad

masterlist

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Two months later...

Victoria is now about 16 weeks pregnant, about equivalent 4 months.

Austin has gone with her to every checkup. Ashton goes when he can, which isn't often, as he's in crunch time for the new album with his band.

Vic & Austin have been getting along quite well for the baby's sake. Victoria gets urges to fight, or get snarky, but she holds back.

Austin on the other hand, hasn't been wanting to fight at all. In fact, he's been wanting to hold her hand, give her sweet kisses, and all of that mushy gushy stuff, but he knows it's not his place to do that.

They've agreed in a couple of months, Victoria will move in with Austin, making the final months of the pregnancy & the co-parenting easier on them.

Rumors have been speculating that they are a couple, as they're seen together quite often out & about. Thankfully, no one has seen them at the gynecologist office to speculate the pregnancy rumors.

The two don't know when they'll decide to tell the world on what's going on, but eventually they will have to, as Victoria can't hide behind baggy t-shirts & hoodies forever.

The dating rumors are a reason why they both got called into the production office today to speak with Sarah & Anna.

They all gathered in a conference room.

"So, a couple of reasons why we asked you both here today." Sarah speaks. "The film is currently in the first editing stages. There is an argument scene that had some missed marks and the lighting ended up being off a bit. So, we'll need to re-shoot that, and we'll schedule that here in a bit. Now, obviously, you guys have been seen quite a bit recently. Are you two friends now? Are you more than that? What's going on with you guys?"

Austin & Vic both look at each other, realizing that their producer and director are not in the loop of what's been happening since filming ended.

Victoria nervously laughs before speaking up, "Um, funny you should ask that. We um, we're having a baby."

Anna almost does a spit take. Both of them are in complete shock.

"You're what now?" Anna asks.

"Yep. I'm pregnant." Victoria rounds out her little belly over her baggy tee. "And, I decided to keep it as this could be my only chance to conceive with my reproductive issues."

"Now....how did this happen? Are you two?" Sarah asks, insinuating that they're dating.

"Oh! No, no. We're not dating." Austin says.

"We um, got into a heated argument near end of filming that lead to us, uh.."

"Hooking up." Austin cuts off Vic.

"Yeah. That." Vic says.

"Well...alright then. So, when are you guys planning to tell the media?" Anna asks.

Austin speaks up, "Um, were not totally sure.  My PR manager, Kate, she suggests we do it soon before Victoria isn't able to hide it anymore. Don't know exactly what we'll tell them as we're not together but..."

"Okay. Well, that's one thing we did want to get clarified from you guys, was the relationship status." Sarah speaks. "I'm sure you're well aware of the media thinking you two are an item."

"Yes, we're aware." Victoria answers. "We're also aware of the cheating rumors because people know from mine & Ashton's Instagrams that we're together, but then I'm seen out with Austin more than my own boyfriend."

"Okay. So you two, not a thing. But you & Ashton, very much a thing." Sarah says.

"Yes, that is correct."

"And Eliana?" Anna asks, nervously.

"Oh, noooo. She's way out of the picture." Austin answers.

"Good, good. So, you're single, Austin?"

"Yes."

"Hmm okay." Sarah says thinking. "We really like seeing you both out and about. You know, it's good for the film. We we're hoping that maybe you two we're an item so we didn't have to do a PR stunt but, now knowing the whole situation, I still don't want to do that if there's cheating rumors involved."

"I get that it's good press, but yeah. I really don't want to deal with the cheating rumors. And having that will just give me a bad rep for my first film." Vic says.

"Exactly. So, maybe you two should put out a statement ASAP before the media takes it too far with the rumors?" Anna suggests.

Austin says, "Well, I don't really use social media, like at all. Maybe Victoria can make one for the both of us?"

"That would work. I mean, if you both did it, that would be best. Talk it over with your PR managers and make a plan, then have them get in touch with us. Sorry this meeting was so last minute and neither of them could make it in." Sarah says.

"Oh, no worries. We we're headed out this way anyways. My gynecologist is just a few minutes from here. We find out the gender today." Victoria says.

"Oh, that's so exciting! Anna exclaims. "What are you hoping for or what do you think you're having?"

"I personally don't care either way, but I think it's a boy. Austin doesn't really care either, but he wants a girl and thinks it's a girl."

"You'll have to let us know! Well, congratulations to the both of you." Anna says.

Victoria & Austin both say thank you.

"What does Ashton think of all this? Just wondering." Sarah asks.

"Um, he's really supportive. He's been by my side through all of it so far, except he's missed some appointments, as he's been really busy with his band. He's only going to get busier unfortunately."

"I'm glad he stuck by you, though. Most men would have ditched." Anna mentions.

"Thanks, I am too." Vic smiles

Austin lowkey rolls his eyes. He hasn't been the fondest of Ashton lately. Not just because he's jealous of their relationship, but also because he hasn't been putting in a whole ton of effort into being a part of the pregnancy.

Ashton will know when the appointments are, and yet doesn't schedule his recording sessions around them. It upsets Victoria every time Ashton has something to do with his band. Especially this time around with finding out the gender.

Austin hates seeing Victoria upset. She'll say it's fine, but Austin knows deep down it's not.

Victoria gets that Ashton gets busy, but she's starting to feel less important lately. She tries to play it cool, but she knows in her gut, that it's bothering her.

"Okay, so. When are you two free to do the re-shoot?" Anna asks.

"Um, I think we're both pretty open right now. Right, Vic?" Austin asks her.

"Yeah, I was looking into more roles, but then here comes along baby, so I stopped looking for now."

"Perfect." Anna says. "How about next Friday? So a week from today."

"Sounds perfect. What are we going to do about me showing? Obviously, Allison isn't pregnant in the movie." Victoria asks, curiously.

"Well, since you only wore that outfit once for this scene, we'll just change the outfit to something like you're wearing now or we'll hide your lower half behind something."

"Okay, that works."

"Alrighty, then. I think that's it." Sarah says. "Let us know what plan you guys come up with. I'd really hate for you to get all the bad press for cheating allegations."

Victoria responds, "I would hate that too. I really don't need that. We'll get in touch with them & they'll get in touch with you."

"Sounds like a plan. And let us know about the gender! Congratulations to you guys again." Anna says.

Austin responds, "Thank you. We'll definitely let you know."

Everyone says their goodbyes & Austin and Vic are headed off to their appointment.

As Austin & Vic step out of the building, they get bombarded by paparazzi. Sure, they've been papped before, but they've never been right in their faces.

"Are you two an item now?!"

"Where's Ashton?!"

"Are you cheating?!"

So many questions, the both of them chose to ignore.

Once they're safe in the car,

"We really do need to make a statement ASAP." Victoria says. "If they're going to be getting in our space and asking us questions directly, it's only going to get worse."

"I agree." Austin says. "I'll message Kate when we get to the office and see when we can meet or at least chat. Do you have a PR manager?"

"Honestly, no. I haven't super needed one yet. I've just been going through my actual manager at WME."

"I work within WME too. Maybe Kate can sign you onto her team."

"That would be great, honestly. It'd be nice having the same PR manager and team."

"It would be, especially with us having a baby & all."

"Exactly."

They made it to the gynecologist office & we're called back almost immediately. Now they sit waiting in the room for the doctor.

Victoria let's out a big sigh. Austin can tell she's upset Ashton isn't here.

"You good?" he asks, even though he knows she's not.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Vic..."

"What?"

"You're upset, aren't you?"

"No. What would I be upset about?"

"That Ash isn't here for this special appointment."

"Okay, fine. You're right. I'm upset. He should be here if he really wants to be supportive of me and this baby."

"I know he should be. It's been kind of annoying me lately how he seems to not be making any time for you."

"What do you mean? He makes time for me. He just has to get his album done before the deadline."

"Sure, I get having deadlines. But he knows when these appointments are, Vic. He can schedule his studio time around the appointments, or give up an hour or two to be here."

"I know. It's been really upsetting me that he doesn't seem to put more effort into being here. You know, I haven't seen him in a week."

"Because he's constantly in the studio?"

"Yeah. I've even offered for him to come over afterwards & he can stay the night, but he just says he's too tired."

"So, he's making up excuses now?"

"You don't know that, Austin."

"Sure seems like he is though."

"Are you all of a sudden not liking him?"

"No."

"Sure seems like you are though."

"He's fine. I just don't like seeing him hurt you. That's all."

"Why? Because you love me or something?"

"No. I consider you a friend now, and I don't like seeing my friends get hurt."

"Oh, okay."

Dr. Martin comes into the room and greets them both.

"How has everything been the last month?" she asks.

"It's been great! The morning sickness has calmed down. Haven't had any kinds of pain. I've been good." Vic responds.

"That's great to hear! How  have you been, Austin?"

"I've been good." he smiles.

"Alright, ready to find out the gender?"

"Very ready." Vic says.

"Okay, go ahead and lay back. I'll get you all set up."

Dr. Martin gets everything set up & starts the ultrasound.

Austin leans on the back of the bed and watches the monitor with Victoria.

"Alright, so baby is looking good, measuring to about 16 weeks as we suspect. Heart beat is coming through nice and strong. And as for the gender..." Dr. Martin moves the scanner thing around to get the right angle. "Congratulations, it's a girl!"

"Are you serious?!" Victoria asked shocked. "I swear it was going to be a boy."

"I'm serious! Here's the legs right here, and then the buttock, then right here between the legs, if it was a boy, we'd see a penis, but there isn't one. So, yes, you're having a girl! Congratulations."

Victoria looks back at Austin, who is in utter shock, and grabs his hand. "Austin, it's a girl." she smiles up at him with tears in her eyes.

He looks down to her & smiles back, also with tears in his eyes, "Yeah, it's a girl. I can't believe it."

Austin has such an urge to kiss Victoria in celebration, but he holds back. But he does take in this moment where he gets to hold her hand, once more. Seems the only time these two will ever have any kind of physical touch is in moments like these.

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