#whICH TO ME means walking through the sea up to like my knees - nOT on a paddle board (allison i am looking at you)

[jenmongiii]

— nct dream when they ask you the big question

MARK LEE

mark would be a nervous wreck when planning to propose to you. he's always been good with words but he'd stutter when he gets too nervous or just tries to laugh it off. he'd have your family and his family in on the surprise with you being completely oblivious. you both are having a family dinner at your place, while mark is nervously playing with the box in his pocket as he watches you with sparkles in his eyes. so when you two were finally alone out on the back porch, you catch the nervousness in his eyes. your small laughter fills his ears as he rubs the back of his neck. but then he meets your eyes again. this moment was now or never. mark professes his love for like he always has when you two were officially together and expresses how he's ready to spend the rest of his life with you. so when he pulls out the box with the ring inside, you stare at him in shock as he ask you the big question: "will you marry me?"

HUANG RENJUN

renjun would plan to propose to you at the aquarium which happened to be the place you both had your first date. he'd rent the aquarium after closing hours where it would only be the two of you with a few workers to help in on the special surprise. the lights would be dimmed down a bit, the light shinning through the water tank like little shimmer rainbows as the fishes and sea creatures swim about. you'd always be fascinated by the color fishes that would stay closer to the bottom of the tank that you hadn't even noticed the rose petals quickly being tossed around on the floor behind you, leading to renjun who stood nervously but patiently in the middle of the room with flowers in his hand and small box with a ring inside. "renjun-ah, i don't see any sea turt-" you pause mid-sentence when you turn your around to find your boyfriend standing there with a smile already on his face when he meets your eyes. you see how shy he gets when he laughs to himself, throwing his head back a bit before walking closer to him. he's unable to keep the eye contact as you laugh a little with him. "baby, what's all this for?" renjun hums a little before handing the flowers in your direction while you gladly take. they were your favorite flowers. and as you take them, renjun slowly gets down on one knee and you're taken aback. he presents the proposal ring to you as you bring a hand to cover your mouth. "y/n, you make me the happiest. i've always felt safe with you like i could share anything without the need to hold back. you've always been my pillar. and now i want to be that kind of support for you... forever. y/n, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

LEE JENO

you and your boyfriend would literally be texting each other even if you were both in each other's presence. to others, it's weird. but to you both, it was something special. you love that your boyfriend really isn't that type of a high-maintenance guy. you would show love to him and he would reciprocate that same kind of love back. he's never one to show off pda but behind the scenes, he's actually the sweetest and most lovable person. and that's what you love about him, how he can be himself when he's around you. so when you're both texting each other, jeno sends a picture of the proposal ring to you. you look up at him in confusion and he smiles when he meets your eyes before you start texting back. 'what's this?' and he replies. 'it's a ring.' 'well duh, i know it's a ring. but why did you send me a pic of that?' jeno brings his phone closer as both his elbows are propped on the chair's arm rests. 'isn't it obvious? i'm trying to propose to you.' your heart literally jumps out as you look back him but he's avoiding your eyes, still stuck at looking at his phone. "what do you mean?" you blurt out. his eyes finally look away and he has that puppy-dog look as he blinks a couple of times. "i mean, it means exactly what it means." your jaw drop slightly as you place your phone on the table while covering your mouth. "wait.. are you being serious right now?" your looking at your boyfriend for confirmation. he puts his phone on the table before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box. he opens the box to reveal the same ring from the picture he sent. "yeah, i am. is that a yes, baby?"

LEE DONGHYEOK

you and your boyfriend would be at your house chilling on your bed as you both watch a netflix show together. haechan would always have this tendency to look in your way, stealing glances every so often which would eventually turn into staring. you notice this and eventually take your attention away from the tv. "you know if you keep staring at me like that, people actually think you're in love with me." you chuckle. "but i am in love with you." he looks at you with a grin on his face as he leans on his propped elbow. "really? i did not know that." you gasp before letting out a small laugh and turning your attention back to the tv. that was one of the things he loves hearing from you: your laugh. his eyes never look away but instead keeps focusing on you. when haechan loves, he loves loyally. he could never give his heart away to another person, not when you already have it. "marry me, y/n." the sudden confession snaps you to reality as you slowly turn to look at him. you thought you might have heard wrong as your boyfriend was always known for joking around a lot. "what?" haechan, who was now sitting up fully looks at you, never breaking eye contact. "i said marry me." you blink your eyes a few times before chuckling a few times as you sit up. "are you being serious right now?" "i'm dead serious." and he leans in closer to you, you swear you can feel his breath on your lips as he stares deeply into your eyes. and when you stare back, you can tell he really is serious. you don't notice the ring he takes out before he takes your hand into his, forcing you to look down at it. "i know i tend to make a lot of jokes, but this time im serious when i say i want to marry you. so will you marry me, y/n?"

NA JAEMIN

it was no surprise how much of an artist jaemin was when it came to photography. being in a wonderful relationship with you for six years, jaemin was ready to spend the rest of his life with you and he had the perfect plan on how to propose to you. you were all dressed up for the evening as jaemin had requested but found yourself curious as you both were entering an art exhibition. jaemin leads you inside by the hand as you follow him. immediately upon entering in, jaemin smiles as he puts some headphones over your ears before pressing the play button. you hear jaemin's voice start to speak as you look at him funny but the smile on his face never wavers. one portrait after another, you start to realize it's all the fragments of your relationship that has been built up to this moment: the first photo he took of you when he met you on the bridge, the day where he attended your first theater play, when he asked you officially to be his girlfriend, another photo of the promise rings he got for the both of you. you hadn't realized jaemin had already let go of your hand as you mindlessly wandered to the last portrait to where your boyfriend's audio recording asked you to stand. the last portrait is blank, just a white page making you even more confused until you're asked to turn around. and you do. only to your surprise you see your boyfriend already down on one knee before you with a small box in his hands. he looks at you with the most romantic eyes explaining how he's ready to spend forever with you. "will you marry me, y/n?"

ZHONG CHENLE

you were always chenle's number one supporter when it came to his basketball games. no matter what, you always made it to his games, never missing one. and for that chenle has always been grateful. so when you receive a text from your boyfriend to meet him at the basketball court where he usually practices, you're already on your way. when you arrive at the outdoor basketball court, you find chenle alone shooting some hoops. smiling to yourself, you make your way over to him quickly coming up from behind. "what happened? the boys couldn't find time to play a few matches with you today?" and chenle grins when he meets your eyes. he passes the ball to you and catch it before dribbling it a few times. "no, i just wanted to shoot some hoops with you." you raise an eyebrow at him before focusing back on the ball and swiftly jogging up closer to the hoop before throwing it up above your head, the ball landing in safely. chenle's admiration for you clearly does not leave his face as he watches you turn to him, meeting his eyes. "actually, there's something i've been planning for some time... something i've been wanting to ask you." you look at him slightly confused before he poses another question. "do you see a future with me?" the question leaves you unguarded and candid, but deep inside yourself you already knew the answer to his question. "of course." and a look of relief washes across his face. "good, because i don't know what i would have done if this didn't work." you look at him even more confused. "if what didn't work." what you didn't noticed is that you had your back facing the bleachers, obviously oblivious to signs chenle's friends were excitedly holding. and when everything was ready and in place, chenle places his hands on your shoulder turning you around and a shocked expression plasters on your face. you see the signs 'will you marry me?' spread across the bleachers being held up in the air by his best friends. your boyfriend slowly walks in front of you before taking out a small box from his pocket and getting down on one knee. "so, will you?"

PARK JISUNG

jisung would totally ruin his own surprise of proposing to you. he would misplace the ring some place that sends him into panic mode before coming home from work. when you arrive home, you notice how tense and nervous your boyfriend was making you slightly concerned as to why he was behaving that way. just when you're about to ask him what's wrong, he's already out the door going to check the car and the streets in case it must have fell from his pocket. pouting slightly, you're left along in the house for a bit so you decide to just go and freshen up with a warm shower. you're hoping jisung would be back when you finish but he wasn't. when you're walking back into the room you and your boyfriend both share, your foot suddenly kicks something. you look down to find a small green, velvet box on the floor and eventually find out it's an engagement ring. your lips press together trying to contain that smile that was threatening to show. jisung was going to propose to you. you hear the front door suddenly open and close indicating that jisung was back in the house. quickly, you close the box and hide it behind your back before you hear your boyfriend call out your name. that's when jisung you finds you in the bedroom. "hi." jisung, still clearly stressed out, squeaks out a small 'hi' back before he's pacing from the bed to the nightstand to the bathroom. "looking for something?" you watch as he peeks his head from the bathroom door. "i am. i lost something important today." "oh? what did you lose?" jisung comes out from the bathroom feeling the signs of defeat. with a pouty look on his face, he walks over to the bed you both share before plopping his back on it. "it's a small box." a grin breaks out on your face before you plant yourself a seat next to him on the bed. "this box you mean?" you pop out the small green, velvet box from behind you presenting it to him before he sits up straight, his eyes widening in relief. "jisung, is this what i think it is?" he carefully takes the box from your hand and opens it, revealing the ring again. "it was suppose to be a surprise..." you could only smile at him. "i'm still waiting for you to ask me, ji." and you watch as his eyes shyly meet your's. "will you marry me?"

©𝐣𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐢𝐢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

[nightmare-niko]

Welcome Home [Childhoodbestfriend!Coryo x reader]

Warnings: TBOSAS spoilers, angst, two idiots in love, too cute for your own good tbh, no use of Y/n

A/n: Im still getting back in the swing of fanfic writing but if you have any other characters from The Hunger Games universe you want me to write for just lmk!!!!

Copying or translating my writing is not allowed. If you see my work on another site it is stolen. Reblogs are appreciated and encouraged.

Childhoodbestfriend!coryo who searches for your face in the crowded train station, and when he finally sees you, his knees almost gave in.

The two of you didn’t leave off on the best of terms (he blew you off the second he met Lucy Gray) and Coriolanus didn’t think you’d show up to welcome him home.

But there you were.

There in the crowd you stood, nervously playing with the end of your hair just like you always did. You looked through the sea of faces for your best friend, at first you couldn’t see him. Perhaps you missed him? Surely not… But then, there he was. Coriolanus Snow, Your Coryo.

Before you could register what was happening you were barreling towards him. Engulfing him in a bone crushing hug that he doesn’t hesitate to return.

“Oh Coryo!” You exclaim, pulling back from the hug to get a better look at him. “Oh my goodness! Your hair! What did they do to your hair? You’re bald!” You rub your hands in his head, savoring the strange new sensation.

He laughs gently, taking your wrists in his hands and holding them close. “I am not bald! it’ll grow back before you even realize, a swear.” He pauses for a moment, staring deeply into your eyes. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you more than you can know, Coryo”

“I’m sure i missed you more,” he paused again. “Where’s Tigris?”

“Don’t worry, she’s at work, she wishes she could be here but you know how her boss is.” Coryo hums in acknowledgment, “and I talked to grandma’am earlier today and she gave me strict instructions to keep you away from your house tonight.” You take his hand and start walking your way through the platform.

“What? Why?” The grip on your hand tight, as if he’s scared to lose you.

“Oh she wouldn’t tell me, she knew I was just gonna end up telling you anyway.” Your arms brush together as you walk, to anyone else, the two of you look like the loveliest couple. “But that just means you get to spend your first day back your favorite person!”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way~”

•

“Are you sure your parents are going to be okay with me staying over?" Your parents were never the biggest fan of Coriolanus Snow, they werent fans of the Snow family at all, and when they saw him on to with that District girl they deemed him no good.

"Oh they moved out, I have the place all to myself,” as you approach us your penthouse door you pat at your pockets for the key. "I Prepared the spare room for you for. When you come over, even though you always insist on taking up my whole bed...”

"Your bed is just the most comfortable bed, ever." He raises his hands in defeate. "Your bed is big enough for the both of us."

“It’s only big enough when you sleep normally which you never do. Ever,” the two of laugh as you enter your home.

When he walks through the door of your lavish capitol penthouse, he couldn’t stop himself from crying. The house didnt look the same from when he was last here. When he was last in your penthouse, it was right after his and Clemensia Dovecoats run in with Dr. Gaul. The once colourless decor of your house was now full of life, full of you.

As the tears fell down his pale check, you turned back to look at him. You were at his side in a second, "Coryo, what’s wrong?" You wipe his tears away with the cuff of your Sleeve.

"Nothing - It's nothing really, I just missed this, You." His voice just above a whisper.

“I missed you too, more than you can know.” You smush his cheeks in between your hand.

He swats your hand away, “I’m not a kid anymore, you can’t treat me like it,” a light pink flush blooms on his ears.

“Oh nonsense! I’m your best friend, and I’m older than you so I’ll always treat you like a kid!”

“You can’t treat me like a kid when I’m president,” he jokes through quiet sobs.

"I’m never going to stop, Coryo, I’m your best friend, it’s my job to annoy you," You run your fingers through his hair.

"You’re never annoying...”

As the two of you make your way into your room. It was the same as he remembered.

"It's the same," he points out.

"What is?" you question,

"The room, you didnt change it...”

"Why would I change it? I love my room, and when my parents moved away and left me the house, I figured: Why not just make the whole place my own?"

You take off your sweater and shoes before climbing into your bed. Your eyes follow Coryo as he walks around your room, making himself at home. After taking off his shoes he joins you on your bed, tackling you in a hug, knocking you over.

“Woah!”

You wrap your arms around his broad shoulders, basking in his warmth. Neither of you feel the need to say anything. Sure you were curious about his time away, but you knew Coryo was tired and all you wanted was for him to be comfortable.

Oh how you’ve missed this.

Tag list: @nallasstuff @chmpgneprblem

(If you wanna be tagged when I post hunger games stuff just lmk and I’ll add u to a tag list!!!)

[the-offside-rule]

Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari) - It's Always Been You

Requested: yes

Prompt: 4) "You deserve better."

Warnings: nope, but long iwl

As the paddock seemed normal in it's all too familiar business and loudness, Y/n found solace in between hospitality lounges, with the stacks of Red Bull Racing tyres as her only form of company. The scent of rubber and gasoline enveloped her as she sought refuge from the shattered pieces of her heart. Tears streaked down her cheeks, leaving a trail of black from her eyeliner. As the sister of Max Verstappen, Y/n was no stranger to the high-speed world of Formula 1. Her heart, however, had taken an unexpected detour when she fell for Carlos Sainz, the charming driver who had once occupied a special place in her life. She remembers when she first met him, back when her twin and him were teammates. There was always casual flirting but then when Y/n finished up school in 2016, the pair began going on dates since her visits to the paddock became more and more common, then becoming basically constant once they made it official. They were the it couple and it felt like no other couple could compare. How they looked at eachother, how they spoke of one another, it seemed too good good be true...until the faithful night after the Singapore Grand Prix win when Carlos decided to call it quits.

The music pulsed through the air as Carlos downed one shot after another, his laughter filling the space. Y/n, his girlfriend, tried to catch his attention, but he seemed oblivious, lost in the sea of people. "Carlos? I  wanna go dance." Y/n said. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Carlos replied, turning back to his group of instagram models who fanned over him, all desperate for the same thing; dick and clout. She rolled her eyes and walked away. "Fine, do whatever." As she walked away, the girls began giggling at her little outburst and Carlos didn't once stick up for Y/n. He was never like this before. He wasn't even like this at their romantic dinner the night before. But Y/n got on with it and did what she wanted to do; dance.

As she lost herself in the music, a man managed to gather the courage and make his way towards her. "Hey gorgeous." The stranger smiled, dancing along with Y/n. Since Carlos was surrounded by these stupid instagram models, the least Y/n could do was talk to a guy surely. "Hey." Their conversation continued until the topic of relationships came up, to which Y/n said that she had a boyfriend.

"I don't see him." The stranger grinned, leaning closer. "Well, you see that guy up there with the huge bottle of champagne?" The guy nodded. "That's my boyfriend. Carlos. He just won the Grand Prix a few hours ago." The stranger looked between the spaniard and Y/n. "He looks occupied." He said, referring to the hoard of girls surrounding him. "Honestly, who gives a fuck. The only reason he won it was because Red Bull had a fuck up." The man laughed at Y/n's drunken joke, but she couldn't help but feel bad for undermining her boyfriend's hard work.

As she swayed with her newfound dance partner, Carlos watched from afar, a twinge of jealousy gnawing at him. His strides became purposeful, marching towards the dancing couple. His vision blurry, he poked the stranger. He turned. "Hey, you're Y/n's boyfriend. How you doing man?" He asked, putting his hand out. Carlos slapped it away. "Yeah, whatever. Who are you?" Y/n arched a brow at the sudden rudeness of Carlos. "I've been talking to Y/n since you've been occupied." He joked. "Are you accusing me of cheating on my girlfriend?"

"Carlos, what the fuck?" Y/n asked. "I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, I know what you want and you're not going to get it." Carlos began shoving the guy. "Because when I go back to my hotel room, I'm going to have her on her knees and screaming my name, while you sit by yourself with your left hand doing all the work-"

Carlos was silenced by a hard thump to the face, that ended with both his lip and nose bleeding. Carlos stumbled back, holding his nose. "Carlos!" Y/n rushed to his side, concern etched across her face. "Carlos, we need to leave. This is getting out of hand." He pushed her away, his drunken gaze defiant. "I don't need you. I can handle myself." Ignoring her, he swung at the guy, completely missing him and falling to the floor. "Carlos, we're going." Y/n repeated, this time more stern. Carlos scoffed and despite the chaos, Y/n managed to guide Carlos outside and hailed a cab. The ride home was tense, filled with silence interrupted only by the distant sounds of the city nightlife.

As Y/n scanned their key card, Carlos lay against the wall beside the door, looking at Y/n with pure hatred in his eyes. "You're such a bitch sometimes." He muttered. Y/n turned to him. "Excuse me?" The door beeped and Carlos practically burst it down. "You heard me. You're You're a bitch sometimes." Y/n closed the door behind her and followed Carlos to the bed where he kicked off his shoes. "How am I a bitch? People were filming you and I don't think you want to answer to your PR people tomorrow morning." Y/n rolled her eyes and sat down on the sofa, taking her heels off promptly. "Okay? You're still a bitch. I could have taken him."  Y/n's frustration bubbled over as she demanded an explanation. "Carlos, what's going on? Why are you acting like this?"

Carlos glared at her, venom in his words. "I'm tired of this, Y/n. I don't want you in my life anymore." Stunned, Y/n pleaded. "Carlos, what are you tired of? We don't argue ever. Please, let's talk about it in the morning. You're drunk, and we can figure things out then." But Carlos was resolute. "No, I want you gone now. Pack your things and leave." Her eyes flickered as a few tears had fallen.

"You're so shit at this mate!" Max cackled, taking another sip of his beer whilst Pierre missed yet another goal on FIFA. The hotel room was filled with laughter as a few drivers had finished their clubbinv prematurely to instead play a few games of FIFA. The camaraderie and banter echoed through the room, creating a light atmosphere that temporarily eased the pressures of the racing world. Amid the gaming frenzy, a sudden knock on the door disrupted the jovial mood. "I'll get it." Charles said, walking towards the door. He expected some food from room service since they paid for it, but instead he was surprised to find Y/n Verstappen standing there, tears streaming down her face. "Hi, Charles." She sniffled.

"Y/n. Are you okay? What happened?" Charles asked, genuine concern etched on his face. Y/n, struggling to compose herself, managed to choke out. "Is Max here?"

Charles nodded, realizing something serious must have transpired. He stepped aside, allowing Y/n to enter the room. "Max? It's Y/n." The laughter hushed as the other drivers sensed the shift in the atmosphere. Max stood up. "Y/n? What's wrong?" A few words had been spoken in Dutch and it seemed that each word Y/n said, made Max angrier. The other drivers simply watched on, wanting to see what happened. "Where is he?" Max demanded in a demanding tone. "Max, please don't. That's the last thing I need tonight." Y/n pleaded. "No, I'm getting dad and we are sorting this." Max replied. "Max, no! He'll kill him!"

"And I will bury him. Don't worry about it." The drivers shared glances amongst one another as the siblings had run out of the room, closing the door behind them. "Are we going to see what happens or what?" Charles asks. "Seems like family stuff. I am leaving them to it." Pierre replied. "Seems logical." Lando added. Charles groaned as he left the room, following the sounds of loud shouting in both Dutch and English.

He looked down to see two figures banging on Carlos' door. "You don't treat my sister like this!" Max shouted as Y/n pulled from his arm, trying to deter him. "Max! Stop!" Charles shouted, trying to mediate, urging everyone to calm down. "If someone did this to your sister, you'd you'd the same!" Max shouted back at Charles. "Max! Not here! There are people trying to sleep." Charles said, reasoning with the dutchman. The commotion drew the attention of hotel staff and even a few curious guests. "Get out here, you fucking pussy!" Max had begun kicking the door now, not caring if it broke and deciding he'd worry about it if the door did break. The chaos continued until Max's father, joined the fray. The yelling and banging intensified, creating a scene that could be heard throughout the hotel.

Eventually, the rage subsided, as everyone agreed that Carlos must have passed out drunk and that it was a conversation best having in the morning. Max and Jos walked away as Charles stood by Y/n, tear-stained and emotionally drained. "Do you have a place to stay?" Charles asked. "I'm sure your brother wouldn't mind letting you stay." Y/n shook her head. "No. They're playing FIFA I don't want to have to kick them all out." Y/n replied. "Then I'll let you have my bed and Ill sleep on the floor." Charles offered. She smiled. "As nice as you're being right now, I don't need your pity. Im just going to fall asleep in my room and deal with this in the morning." She said. "Y/n, you can't possibly do that. I wouldn't wouldn't sleep in the same bed as him. You deserve better." Before Charles could even trg to convince her, she opened the door, re-entered her and Carlos' hotel room and closed it again without another word.

She had moved on from Carlos. In all honesty, she hadn't heard a lot from him. That was until she had come to her first Grand Prix single in 8 years. It felt weird not having someone to hold hands with, but she got on with it, showing her poker face and pretending not to care about her recent breakup. As she walked, she noticed an all too familiar spaniard, holding a gorgeous woman in his arms. It was a model, a model Y/n had seen on the catwalk of the Ferrari fashion event. That's where they must have met...back when Carlos was still in a relationship with Y/n. And that's how she found herself hiding like a kid scared of the dark, in between the Red Bull and Ferrari hospitality where no one could find her.

"Are you okay?" Y/n jumped as she wiped her eyes. "I- yeah. I'm fine. Who are-" She paused as she looked up to see Charles walking towards her. "What are you doing here?" Charles asked. "Inspecting the tyres, you?" Y/n replied quickly, drying her eyes. "Talking with the tyre inspector." Charles replied, sitting down next to her. Y/n looked up, her eyes swollen but grateful for the company. "Why are you crying?" Charles asked. "It's just-" Yhe tears had started again. "Carlos' new girlfriend is so much prettier, and she's so much skinnier and her hair is different, her eyes are different, we are just nothing alike and Carlos is just so happy with her." Y/n sobbed. Charles wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him as her tears stained his red shirt. "He's moved on and I'm sat, befriending stacks of tyres."

"Well that's not true. I'm not a stack of tyres, am I?" Y/n chuckled at the light hearted joke Charles had made. "No, no you're not." She replied. "You seem to be much nicer to talk to than a set of tyres, to be fair." Unbeknownst to her, Charles had been silently witnessing the intricate dance of emotions unfolding in the paddock. His infatuation with Y/n had started years ago, at one of Max's early kart races.

"Charles, you cut me off there! You could've caused a crash," Max argued, frustration evident in his voice. Charles, eager to impress Y/n, tried to maintain composure. "Max, I had the racing line! You should've anticipated my move." He chuckled, looking over to Y/n subtly to see her reaction. "Anticipated? You came out of nowhere!" Max shot back. As Charles vehemently defended his position, Y/n couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She expected a spirited rivalry, but Charles's insistence on being right grated on her nerves.

"Charles, back down. You know I'm right." Max urged, trying to defuse the tension. Yet, Charles, fueled by both competitiveness and a desire to impress, doubled down. "Max, I won't back down when I'm right." The harder Charles pushed, the more Y/n saw a side of him she didn't like. She began to see why Max always yelled about how much of a diclhead Charles was and she fully agreed now. "Charles, seriously, I will be to the stewards about it." Max insisted, the frustration evident in his tone. But Charles, in his pursuit of proving himself, didn't heed the advice. As the argument escalated, Y/n couldn't help but feel a growing distaste for Charles.

"You know what, Charles? Forget it. We're done talking," Max declared, grabbing his helmet and walking away with Y/n behind him. "Hij is een klootzak." Y/n muttered. "Ah, dus nu zie je die kant van hem?"

"Why are you even here? Don't you hate me?" Y/n asked, too tired to move her head from his shoulder. Charles sighed. "I never hated you, Y/n. You started hating me so I pretended to hate you back." Her brow furrowed in confusion. "But you always seemed so distant, so cold." Charles cast his gaze downward, confessing, "I didn't want Max to think I was interfering. I liked you from when I was in karting, but you started dating Carlos and I just gave up."

"I wish I had known, Charles," Y/n admitted, wiping away tears. "I could've used a friend." Charles offered a reassuring smile. "Well, you have one now. And if you'll let me, maybe more than just a friend." She sighed. "As much as I would love to, I just don't think I'm ready to have a boyfriend, let alone date my ex's teammate." Y/n replied. "That's fine. He's out of a Ferrari seat for next year anyway." Y/n smiled. "Listen, I don't care how long it takes. I've waited like what, 15 years already? I may as well hold on for another while."

[torialefay]

I love the way you write about Channie so here i come with a request!

Could you maybe write something, like a one shot idk, about how chan would propose to you?

I feel like it would be so perfect and im on my period so i really need a good romantic thing to cry on (maybe a bit smutty on the end cause…yk…👀👀👀)

🌊💍

Chris hid his hands behind his back as he realized they were a shaking mess. He was hoping you hadn't noticed... As if his voice hadn't been pitchy the entire night and he hadn't been acting totally bizzare for the past two weeks. To be honest, you weren't sure what was up with him, and you were slightly worried that it was because he'd regretted bringing you back home to Australia with him.

Considering the amazing (and very expensive) restaurant he'd just taken you to, you tried pushing those thoughts aside to just enjoy the relaxing evening with your boyfriend.

On the drive home, Chan had suggested taking a detour to have a walk on the beach.

"You're really pulling out all the stops tonight, aren't you baby?" you had teased, leaning in to peck him on the cheek as he kept his eyes on the road.

He'd let out a strained laugh followed up by suggesting a short drive to the first beach he'd taken you to when you'd come for your first visit. It was a place that had a lot of sentimental meaning to him as he used to come a lot with his family and friends.

You'd happily said yes, which led you to your current situation- trying to make small talk with your boyfriend who was a trembling, slightly sweaty mess.

"Babe, is everything okay?" you finally asked as your feet muddled through the water, one step at a time. The tides gently washed away each mark as you went.

"Of course... why?" he tried to cover up nonchalantly, but sounded more grand than he'd meant to.

"You just don't seem yourself... The past couple of weeks, you've seemed a bit... off," you looked away from him and out towards the sea, calming yourself a bit. "It's not because of me, is it? You're not regretting bringing me?"

"Oh god no, y/n, no," Chris said, scatter-brained now as he moved his body to stand right in front of you, forcing your eyes back on him. The crashing waves washed up against his legs, leaving the bottoms of his pants sopping wet.

"It's not that at all," he continued, reaching his hands for yours to hold you steady. "I just- jeez, I wanted to do this a different way," he nervously laughed at himself, looking off for a split second in his usual Channie embarrassment.

Your heart began to speed up at the sudden realization. Was he about to do what you thought he was about to do?

"But umm, here goes nothing," he bashfully smiled before clearing his throat and fixating his eyes back on you. "Y/n, every day I spend with you, I fall more and more in love." His ears turned the brightest shade of pink. "And I've known from the very moment I met you that you would be special, but I never realized-" his voice broke. You thought you could make out the tiniest glimmer of water in his eyes, which became more evident as his eyes and nose were slowly overcome with a slight red hue.

He shook his head slightly as if to shake it off while you felt tears start to well up in your own eyes. Your heart felt like it was swelling until it would bust.

"I never realized just how amazing life would be once you came into it. You truly make me a better man," his voice carried up, batting away tears. "And I, I just wanted you to know that I would move the heavens and earth for you. I am 100% certain that you are the love of my life," he sniffled, his eyes sparkling.

"Which is why-" he strained out, removing his hands from yours to reach into his pocket. He swiftly removed a small black box. "I have to ask you," he continued, slowly kneeling himself down onto one knee in front of you. The waves crashed behind him as they ran up along the shore, washing through his legs. His expression softened, admiring the way you looked in this moment with a single tear falling down your face.

"Y/full/name, will you make me the happiest man in the world and do me the honor of marrying me?"

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

edited to add: i'm so sorry anon for the lack of smut (and missing your period 😭), but maybe a pt 2? if you'd like?

[liberalk1tsch]

💕 kissing somewhere other than lips

two things:

1. my mind immediately went to a far dirtier place before i decided to keep things a bit more PG today

2. i’m seemingly incapable of so-called «snippets» so enjoy a wee itty-bitty oneshot instead

from this ask game !

context: sneaking away on the victory tour, district 10, canon compliant, katniss didn’t even know that neck kisses were an option (!!)

“I need to leave. Now.” My voice is low enough to escape the crowd around us, but the severity of my words and the pleading in my eyes do not elude Peeta’s attention, even as I keep a false smile plastered on my face.

Concern flashes across his features, but it’s gone in an instant. “I know,” he says quietly, quickly replacing his worried expression with his usual dazzling smile. “Just follow my lead, all right?” I nod and he offers me his arm — the proper way, like Effie taught us — which I accept gratefully.

Peeta weaves us slowly through the sea of people, toward a side entrance at the back of the room. We accept what feels like a hundred vile congratulations on our victory along the way, to the point where I begin to worry that if I hear it one more time I’m going to be sick to my stomach.

Luckily, it’s at that very moment that the band ends whatever inappropriately lively tune they’ve been playing, and the crowd erupts in applause, giving us the cover we need to slip past the few remaining patrons undetected and into a dark quiet of a moonlit hallway.

Peeta immediately drops his arm, taking my hand instead and pulling me along, away from the cacophony of people celebrating the death of this district’s children. He tries door handles along the way until he finds one unlocked, and leads me inside to what appears to be an extravagantly decorated sitting room.

I start to wonder what such a plush, elegant room like this would be doing in a place like the Justice Building, before I realize this is probably one of the rooms where the tributes say goodbye to their loved ones. Where they probably made promises to their families to try to come back to them, just as I did. And if it hadn’t been for Peeta and I, there’s a chance both of their promises could’ve been honored.

At least it’s quiet. And we’re alone.

I sigh, walking over to the windowsill and take a seat, tucking my knees into my chest, staring out at the night sky. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

Peeta leaves the door open a crack before joining me in the windowsill. “This is only our second stop on the tour, Katniss,” he reminds me, his blue eyes sparkling, near silvery in the moonlight. “But I know what you mean. I’m not looking forward to Eight. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling about One or Two.”

I hadn’t even thought about that. Or at least had been trying not to. I bury my face in the folds of my dress in an attempt to find some sort of comfort, no doubt messing up the makeup that my prep team spent hours painting onto me. Part of me wants to whine candidly about the unfairness of it all to the only other person who knows what I’m going through, but I know the whole building is probably bugged, that anything we say will somehow make it back to Snow, so without raising my head, I settle for reaching out my hand.

He immediately intertwines his hand with mine, giving it a squeeze before brushing his thumb over it soothingly.

We sit like this for a few minutes in comfortable silence, before the dreaded sound of several pairs of feet walking toward us sounds in the hallway. My heart drops and I look up at Peeta in alarm, devastated at the interruption.

“Oh, Katniss,” he says gently. “You’ve got a little . . .”

I quickly glance at my reflection in the glass of the window to find that my lipstick is indeed smeared around my mouth, the dark makeup they’d painted on my eyes now ringed like a raccoon. Any damage I’ve done to my dress is unnoticeable, concealed in the green and gold brocade pattern of my skirts, but the makeup is unmistakable proof of the break in my composure. This would only ensure that I’ll be taken for an emotional fool for the rest of the tour, and — as Peeta said — we were only two districts in.

“What do I do?” I ask, panickingly trying to clean up what little I can, but I only seem to be making it worse.

Peeta grabs my wrists. “Do you trust me?”

“What?” I ask.

“Do you trust me?” he repeats, more forcefully this time as the footsteps grow louder. Whoever is out there was almost upon us, whatever he was planning on doing to help, he didn’t have much time for.

“Of course, Peeta, I —”

My words are cut off by Peeta pulling me into his lap, but instead of kissing me like he normally would, he presses his lips to the side of my neck, right as the door swings open to reveal a group made up of a cameraman, the mayor of District 10, Effie, and Haymitch.

I let out a gasp of surprise, gripping Peeta’s arm tightly. Not because of the sudden audience bursting in on us, but because of the unexpectedly pleasant sensation of him kissing the base of my throat, the sudden warmth that rushes through me at the feeling of him sucking lightly at a sensitive patch of skin.

Peeta pretends not to notice the newcomers at first, but as soon as he does, he removes his lips reluctantly and moves to shield me from view before pasting an apologetic, charming smile on his face. The expression of a boy so madly in love that he’d been willing to risk getting caught if it meant a moment alone with his lover.

Meanwhile, the cameraman is near-giddy with excitement. The mayor looks bored. Effie is clearly beside herself with how mortified she is. A very drunk Haymitch is barely containing his laughter.

“Leave her alone, you’ve gotten your shot,” he says to the cameraman, shooing him away and pulling me closer against his chest. “I was the one who suggested we leave. She just looked so incredibly gorgeous tonight — I had to try to get her on her own, if only for a minute. Nothing happened, though,” he assures them.

The mayor coughs awkwardly. “We’ll leave you to it then,” he says to Haymitch before leading the cameraman out and shutting the door behind them.

Peeta releases me as the door clicks shut and I shift myself a friendly distance away from . . . whatever that was.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Effie chides us, her voice high and squeaky. “What will people think?” She looks genuinely upset. “You two are not off to a good start with the press on this trip. Now I have to go talk to that dreadful man to see if he’ll erase that footage. No victors of mine should be known for sneaking around doing who-knows-what behind closed doors. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

“Sorry, Effie,” Peeta says.

“Sorry,” I echo.

“You should be!” Seemingly satisfied with her chastising words, she softens a little bit. “Now go and get yourselves cleaned up, children. We don’t want anyone else getting any more ideas.” Effie collects herself and disappears into the hallway, the clicking of her heels against the marble floors fading as she goes. Leaving us with Haymitch.

“You got overwhelmed?” he asks me as soon as Effie is out of earshot. I nod. “And you helped her?” Peeta nods. “You two are gonna be the death of me, you know that?” Haymitch pinches the bridge of his nose. “Nice touch with the whole sneaking away bit. Couldn’t have planned it better myself. Just try to keep it together from here on out.” He sighs. “I’ll go find one of your stylists. You certainly look the part of the caught-in-the-act teenager, sweetheart, and Effie’s right — there’s only so much scandalous press we can take.”

When Haymitch is finally gone too, I turn on Peeta. “What was that for?”

He blinks at me in disbelief. “What do you mean?” he asks.

“What you did,” I splutter helplessly. I didn’t know how to describe the neck kiss thing. Nor did I particularly want to voice how nice it felt.

“I was just trying to cover for you,” he says, a hint of defensiveness to his voice. “ I needed you to look surprised at them walking in on us for it to look authentic. And we both know you can’t act, Katniss. I asked you to trust me — it worked didn’t it?”

My face burns and I open my mouth to say something biting, spiteful, before stopping myself. No, I have to remind myself. I can’t be mad at him, not for this. He saved me just now; he took what would’ve been my humiliation and made it his, while fabricating even more rumors to support the guise of our relationship. Besides, I’m not mad at him, not really. It’s something else I feel — something undefined.

So why do I feel so guilty?

[descendantsramblings]

I absoloutely love your Storys and i wanted to request one as well :3

Morgie x Male!Reader

Male Reader is Part of the Vk's or his studie Partner in an Assignment (your choice) and the Reader is in Love with Morgie, Morgie on the other hand is into Uliana and always talks about her which is breaking Reader's Heart

So- Hurt comfort/no comfort with a Happy or Sad ending, whatever you like more

I won't lie to you, something about this fic turned extremely dialogue heavy and this feels a touch behind the bar to my other works, I'm sorry about that.

Also somehow his friendship with Hook had me writing this in the mindset of “boooooo he sucks, kiss his friend” so feel free to read it as Hook having a thing for the reader. Adds to the one sided chaos

One Sided

Morgie le Fay x VK! Reader

Pronouns used: he/him/his

Summary: What else was he meant to do but just take the boy’s words like they’re rolling punches?

Warnings: no happy ending we die like men, Morgie gets called stupid out of frustration a lot

Word Count: 1.9K

     “James, I am going to implode,” the boy flops onto the pirate’s bed with a dramatic huff, body just barely missing the legs that rest under his maroon blanket. Hook had grown used to this, shifting to making room beside him, in case his friend was  willing to take him up on it. Not that (Y/n) ever did, too scared that Morgie would walk in. If he saw how close the boy got to his roommate, the sorcerer would never see him as an option. Not that the serpent did see him as anything.  “Do you know what he just did?” He flips over onto his stomach, chin cradled in his hands as he whines at Hook.  The pirate lets out an sharp exhale that vaguely resembles a laugh, “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” “He asked me to go with him to that new coffee place in town, and I mean, I knew it wasn’t a date. But he asked me to go so he could tell me more about Uliana. I mean, how blind does a man have to be? Asking a boy who’s falling at your feet to get coffee just to talk about some girl who doesn’t even want you.” He looks up at the boy, and where you’d expect to see sadness, all that sits on his features is annoyance. Hook laughs, patting the spot he made on the bed for the other boy. “Morgie le Fay is a boy at best, not a man.” It earns him a laugh from (Y/n) who sits up, turning to him but not quite filling the spot with his name on it. Hook does his best to ignore it, letting his eyes stay focused on his friend instead. With a shake of his head, he smiles over at the pirate, “He could be. He’s just, not.” 

      A hum comes through his closed, pouty lips. “If you say so. And since you came to me, I’m assuming that means he,” James drags the one syllable word out, waiting for the boy to finish the sentence for him. “Left me early because Uliana showed up. She needed someone to carry her bags for her while she’s shopping for Castlecoming. He’s so stupid, James. That girl is never going to look at him as anything more than someone to use. How does he not see that?” There’s a mocking air to the first sentence, eyes rolling with a wave of his hand. Mocking the sea witch in a way that would surely get him in trouble were she to see. Lucky for them, they would be alone for hours. “He’s a boy, (Y/n), he’s stupid.” It makes them both laugh, James reaching over to push his knees slightly. “You’re a boy, James.” “Yeah, so are you,” Hook waves a hand at him, a smile plastered on his lips. “I personally am a man,” (Y/n) laughs, putting a hand over his heart as he speaks as if he’s offended. 

    It was a song and dance both boys had become far too accustomed to. Morgie would upset (Y/n) by talking about Uliana while they’re alone, or even by leaving him for the sea witch like he had today. Then he’d come running to Hook, if Morgie wasn’t coming back for a while, they’d stay on his bed. Otherwise it was (Y/n) and Hades’ dorm or the hideout. The boy would complain, his pirate companion would comfort him. Then when he was happy again, and they part ways, Hook would get a soft thanks, a swear that he was a good friend, and they would split. And now, as they reach the finale of their duet, (Y/n) puts a hand on top of Hook’s, an adoring smile stretched across his face. “You know, James. I really wouldn’t know what to do without you. You’re the best friend a boy could have.” He rolls his eyes, a familiar and playful smirk on his face, “And you are a wonderful stroke to my ego, Lad, really.” “Yeah, yeah,” the boy laughs, standing up from Hook’s bed, “Thank you, idiot.” “Anytime.” 

                                     ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

    The next time that (Y/n) sees Morgie, it’s in “History of Piracy”, his head laying gently on the sorcerer’s shoulder as the teacher drones on. Something about a research project where they got to pick their own partners. Not that the villain cared to listen. Morgie would, he’d never admit it but, he always did. The kid was smarter than he let on, something about it was oddly admirable. And it was too hard to listen anyway, no way he could care about something as minor as pirates when he could feel Morgie’s body heat through the silk shirt pressed to his cheek. His head moving so slightly as the boy breathes that the human eye wouldn’t pick it up. It was so cozy, quiet, something out of (Y/n)’s daydreams. And for once, there was nothing about Uliana to interfere. Class was a genuinely Uliana free zone, the boy and the sea witch being blessed with wildly different schedules. It made going to class just a touch easier.

    As the man finishes talking, the whole room gets up, kids crossing left and right to get to their friends, picking out different partners. The shoulder he leans on shakes ever so slightly, earning Morgie a slight glance in his direction. “We’re going to be partners, right?” His eyes fly open, moving off of Morgie’s shoulder to stare at him. Mouth running dry as he lets his eyes flicker wildly over the other boy. “What?” “We’re going to be partners on this project, right?” Right, he should’ve known that. “Actually, I was thinking of asking Charming, got a huge crush on him, you know. This would give me a way in.” Morgie’s face falls, looking over to the prince. Charming is leaning against Ella’s desk, obviously partnered with her. He turns back to (Y/n), “Oh well, I think he actually has a partner. I could see if Ella could switch if you wanted? Not that I want to work with her, I’d rather work with you.”  He’d rather work with him.

    (Y/n) forcefully laughs, reaching out for the boy’s arm, “Morgie, I’m kidding. Of course I’m going to be your partner. You’re my other half.” A nervous smile stretches across his face, leaning onto his hand, “It’s not a funny joke. I thought you were actually going to leave me.” Lip finding its way between his teeth as he literally tries to bite back a smile. He was scared he would leave him? Maybe the boy meant more to Morgie than he thought. “Never,” it’s meant to be light hearted but (Y/n) can feel the way it tugs on him. It’s a promise, he knows in his heart that it’s a promise. And the idea of it is absolutely horrifying. 

    “So, what exactly is this project?” Morgie laughs, shaking his head as he pulls out his sloppy notes on the assignment. “We have to write a research essay on how being a pirate can lead to harm.” A teasing little smirk makes its way onto the boy’s face, an excited air filling the space between them as he bounces ever so slightly in his seat, “We could do it on James losing his hand.” The laughter that erupts out of Morgie is loud, light and joyful as it shakes his shoulders. Smile meeting his eyes, squinting them with their perky glow still barely visible. He looks amazing, (y/n)’s lip once again sliding into his teeth as he stares lovingly at his friend. “Hook would hate being used for a project,” Morgie shakes his head, absentmindedly brushing his scarf over his shoulder. “You must not know your roommate very well, le Fay. James would absolutely love being the center of attention. Don’t play with me.” “Well, if you’re so sure.” “I am. Let’s go to your dorm.” His hand wraps around Morgie’s wrist at the exact same time as the bell rings, dragging the boy up from his chair.

    There was no use in fighting against him, Morgie was well aware of that. So he allows his excitable villain friend to drag him up to his dorm, fingers wrapped tightly around his skinny wrist. Pulling him into his room and throwing the boy down onto his own bed. The bedsprings screeching as the sorcerer falls to it, his body bouncing with the mattress. The little display earns them a shocked noise from Hook, his eyes wide as they turn to him. “Whatever you two are up to, I am in here, please be aware of that.” It makes Morgie laugh but (Y/n)’s face heats up at the idea, glaring pointedly at the pirate. The look on his friend’s face makes Hook smirk, crossing his arms and leaning back against his headboard. “What could you possibly be up to then?” The boy laughs, perching on the mattress beside his friend. “We came to see you. We have to do a silly little project on pirates.” “Oh, do ask away then.” 

    It doesn’t take long for the trio to go off the rails, what was once James getting to brag about his times at sea quickly turning into the three just hanging out. (Y/n)’s head in Morgie’s lap and his legs in Hook’s. Fingers ghosting through his hair as the sorcerer who cradles him babbles. “I mean she just, I don’t know. She sees me, obviously she does because she drags me around with her but she doesn’t see who I can be, you know? And that’s so frustrating because all I do is try, I am constantly on her beck and call. It’s exhausting, she’s so beautiful and talented. Evil too, and I understand that love isn’t evil but everyone is just a little bit good, aren’t they?” He pauses, smiling down at his friend, “I mean you’re so full of love. Especially with the way you treat us, and Hook over here is a serial romantic. There has to be some sort of love to her. So why can’t she just point it at me? It’s so unfair, I just want someone to love me.” 

    Unfair? It’s unfair that Uliana can’t love him. He has someone who loves him, why is he so stupid that he can’t see that? The boy looks up to Hook, his dark eyes already trained on him. The two of them have a silent conversation, the pirate silently promising that he had his friend’s back. And as if that was all the push he needed, the boy stands up, cutting off Morgie’s bubbling rant that had been going on for at least the last ten minutes. “I need to,” he pauses, looking at both boys before heading to the door, “I need to not be here. We’ll finish that project later, yeah?” 

     And they don’t get a minute to respond before he’s storming out of the room. Two pairs of eyes staring at the empty space where the boy once was. “What,” Morgie looks up to the door, “Was that?” His question is met with a sigh, the pirate rising off his bed.”You really are stupid, you know that?” He huffs, staring over at the boy with his mouth agape, “Excuse me?” Hook rolls his eyes, rolling his jacket onto his arms and grabbing his room key. “You’re stupid. He’s been in love with you for the past year, mate.” And the pirate storms out too, leaving the sorcerer alone, gapping at the wooden door. He’s been what?

[aldryrththerainbowheart]

Drunk

Fandom: Castlevania

Characters: Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes/Alucard

Relationships: Adrian x reader

Note: I suck at titles

You walked through the dark hallway in hopes of finding your room. Even after months spent in Castlevania, you still couldn’t navigate through endless corridors even to your own space. You were confident you had walked through this particular hall three times now. Just when you were about to turn left, you heard a faint noise. You keened your ears to decipher the sound and concluded it must be someone's voice. There was only one person other than you who lived in the castle. You pushed the ornate doors to one of the drawing rooms ajar and found Adrian reclining in one of the lounge chairs.

He looked like he was posing for a painting, but then again, he always did. You knew Adrian was something more than a human but these small things which it showed, such as being in a state of constant elegance and poise, no matter the situation, still amazed you. He was lying on the comforter with his torso slightly turned to the back of the chair. One of his legs was stretched over the edge while the other one was bent at the knee. His right arm was hanging off the armrest while the other was holding an empty wineglass precariously perched between elegant fingers. How he didn’t splatter the red liquid on the pristine white shirt, which was unbuttoned to reveal almost the entirety of his chest, was a mystery to you. His head was buried in several pillows and golden tresses fell loosely down the chaise and around his face. He had a faraway look in his eyes and was mumbling something incoherently. When you stepped closer and had a chance to decipher his mumblings, you realized he wasn’t talking to himself, he was singing. Poorly.

“…and the fish’s at the sea…they sway by me…” or whatever gibberish you were able to discern. Probably some tavern song he learned from Trevor. That moment he noticed you standing there, golden eyes squinting at you.

“Oh…hello-” A small hiccup found its way past his lips.

You were trying your best not to laugh but your mouth still twisted into a smile as you watched him cover his mouth in embarrassment.

“Pardon me. I think I’ve had too much to drink.” He sat up, or rather, tried to sit up as he swung his legs over the sofa. You attempted to help him, pressing your arm at his back. “Are you alright?” You tentatively asked him. You didn’t know what his life was like before you came in. He wasn’t willing to share many details about his past, but from the small pieces of information, you concluded he was living a very sad, lonely life. That sometimes resulted in evenings spent drinking away his sorrows.

He shooed your hands away. “Nothing is wrong. I’m a vampire, so I am particularly able to hic keep my countenance in place.”

At that time you were fully grinning at his efforts to remain decent in his drunken stupor. Of course. You thought to yourself while you watched him fix his collar as if to add modesty to the already gaping hole in his shirt. There, you could see the pink sliver of scar that ran across his entire torso, marring the otherwise flawless pale skin. What sort of fierce battle the powerful dhampir face to mark him in such way. Every time you caught sight of that scar, your heart clenched painfully at the thought of Adrian in pain. He snapped you out of your thoughts with his drunken ramblings.

hic “You astound me, did you know that?” He said out of the blue and you were staring at him in surprise. He continued, “You are hic …most incredible person I’ve ever met in my life.” He looked you in the face a desperate look in his eyes as if he needed you to understand his statement more than he needed his next breath. “I mean that I mean it,” he softly whispered. “You are unlike anyone that I’ve ever met in my life, he put his hand on your cheek, studying your features.

“I…expose myself… to you.” You looked at his opened shirt in panic. The last thing you need is to have the dhampir deep in his cups to start undressing in front of you.

Adrian noticed your frightened expression and realized he was misunderstood. With laughter, he added, “no, not like that. I mean emotionally,” he grabbed one of your hands and placed it on his chest, right above his heart. It seems alcohol also made him sentimental. “I bare my soul and you don’t run away. I‘m a vampire lord’s son, THE vampire lord’s son…and you’re not afraid of me…and we can go on walks…and talk…and…and…I’ve just never met anyone like you…” his words dissipated into silence.

hic

Oh, Adrian.

All this time you had no idea he harbored such thoughts in his mind. You had a feeling he was being courteous to you by letting you stay in his castle, but not overly caring for your presence. If you knew what these brief encounters you two shared meant to him…

“I’m rambling a little bit,” Adrian bowed his head in shame and dropped his hand from your cheek to cover his face with it.

“I’m ashamed that you’re seeing me…like this,” he gestured to his disheveled appearance.

You patted his arm with placating smile, “It’s alright Adrian, sometimes we all have our bad days.” Then, you draped one of his arms over your shoulders and took hold of his waist.

Some light stumbling, a few knocked candelabras, and plenty of hauling on your part later, you made it to his bed-chamber. Where was the floating when you need one? You let out a huff as you threw Adrian’s limp body on the bed and almost fell on top of him in the process. The close physical proximity the two of you shared when walking into his room was already enough to paint your cheeks a rosy hue. You threw a blanket over him and prepared to leave when you felt a hand grabbing your wrist. The dhampir was looking soberer now. Still holding your arm, he brought you closer to bed.

He propped himself on his elbows and looked into your eyes with more clarity than before, “I likely won’t remember any of this in the morning…but…,” he paused for a moment as if gathering the courage to finish the sentence.

“I…can I…kiss you? Just one time…”

You were taken aback by his words once more. He practically confessed to you earlier, and the thought of touching those soft, plush lips sounded tempting. You didn’t realize that you’d been inching closer to his face until you felt his wine-laced breath on your lips and by then, you were too lost in his eyes to pull away.

He tasted like the sweetest of vines. Soft and supple, his mouth danced hesitantly over yours. You were sure that no vinery in the world has vine more rare and luxurious than the one you’re tasting on his tongue. You pulled away and whispered to him “goodnight Adrian.”

He mumbled goodnight to you as well and fell asleep mid-sentence.

You chuckled to yourself, caressing his cheek. *Creatures of the night, what symphony they make…*you pondered as you listened to his soft snores.

[kaydreamer]

Viva la Revolution

‘See ya tonight, sunshine.’

During the short walk to her apartment, Hope tried very hard to convince herself that Hancock’s invitation was just friendly drinks and not a date. She tried even harder not to think about how he’d apparently allocated her a pet name, and tried her absolute damndest to believe ‘sunshine’ was probably a term of endearment he used for every girl he took a fancy to.

Then the elevator door slid open, and her eyes fell upon the note he’d written her a few days prior, ‘Good morning, sunshine’ jumping out at her in that eye-catching script.

She groaned at herself. She was not doing this. She was not doing this. He was exactly her type, and her type was invariably bad for her.

She ran a hand through her hair and a small cloud of dust puffed out from it.

“Maybe I should take this shower cold,” she said to Dogmeat. He just tilted his head at her, then pointed his nose toward the pantry where she’d found dog food the last time they were here. She laughed, fetching a second tin and emptying it into a bowl for him as he danced around enthusiastically, splashing the floor with droplets of drool.

“You know, they say the easiest way to a person’s heart is through their stomach,” she said to the dog, as he inhaled the bowl of food. “That’s what this is. He cooked me one breakfast, and now I’ve gone insane.”

Hope left the apartment, refreshed and dust-free, just as the sun was dipping below the barricade outside. She’d decided to leave both Dogmeat and the Minutemen armour behind, telling Dogmeat to be a good boy and enjoy a relaxing snooze.

He hadn’t looked impressed, but he was an obedient fellow, dutifully sitting and watching as the elevator door slid shut.

She caught sight of Daisy as she approached the Third Rail, waving to her with a cheerful smile, which the ghoulish woman returned.

“It seems our illustrious mayor has taken a shine to you, General,” said Daisy.

“Just ‘Hope’ is fine,” she said, sheepish. “I’m sorry to pull him away from you.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” said Daisy. “He takes off like this every now and then. Not often he does it with a pretty thing like you on his arm, but I trust you’ll put him to good use. When are you heading out?”

“Dawn tomorrow,” said Hope. “We’re meeting for drinks at the Third Rail, to see us off.”

Daisy looked Hope up and down, a frown adding extra creases to the twisting lines of her face.

“You’re wearing that?”

It was such an old, familiar line, and so absurdly out of place in the apocalypse, that Hope had to stifle a laugh.

“It’s either this or go naked.”

Daisy’s eyes grew wide for a moment, then she broke into a peal of laughter. “Oh, he’d like that!” She took Hope's elbow. “Here, come with me.”

Daisy led Hope her over to her store and up a staircase to a second level - her home, as far as Hope could tell - where she began to sort through a drawer of clothes.

“You’re about my size, I think. Let’s see… Oh! This will work.” She spun around to Hope, holding a sky blue dress with white polka dots - well-pressed, pretty, and remarkably preserved. It was a playful design, sitting just above the knee, with a white sash around the middle. Daisy held it up in front of Hope and smiled. “Oh yes, that’s perfect. It used to bring out my eyes the same way… Wear this.”

“Daisy, I…” Hope took the dress in her hands, marvelling at it. It was the kind of dress she would have chosen for a summer picnic, or a day by the sea. Wearing it would be like stepping back in time.

“To be clear, I’m lending it to you,” said Daisy, firmly. “That means I want it back.”

Hope laughed, gratitude flooding her. “I remember what lending means, Daisy.”

“Good,” said Daisy. “You must be the only person in Goodneighbor who does.”

“Thank you,” said Hope. “It’s beautiful.”

“You be careful with it, now,” said Daisy. “It’s one of my favourites. Now, wait there. I think I have an old pot of eyeshadow somewhere…”

---

By the time Hancock reached the Third Rail, he was fighting down a nagging headache bought on by the sheer amount of mayoral bullshit he’d just spent the day slogging through. Giving speeches and looking roguishly dashing up on a balcony was one thing, but whoever knew running a town involved so much fucking paperwork?

But that was about to become Fahrenheit’s problem. At least for a while. Right now, his only job was to spend an evening charming his pretty new travelling companion - and mayoral bullshit or not, he intended to treat her to a good night out.

And so, he left his troubles at the door of the Rail, brushing down his coat and nodding to the bouncer, a tuxedo-clad ghoul named Ham, at the top of the stairwell.

“Evening, Hancock,” said Ham. “You’re in for a treat down there.”

“Oh?”

“You’ll see. Enjoy your night.”

His curiosity whetted, Hancock descended the staircase and cast his eyed around for Hope.

Hancock’s breath caught in his throat when he saw her. Hope was wearing a sunny blue dress with barely a fray on it, a crimped scarf decorating her hair. Her face was subtly done up as well, with a hint of gloss on her lips and powder to darken her eyes. She was perched on a stool by the stage, talking with Magnolia, leaning on the bar with a bright smile and looking like a vision from two hundred years ago.

He stood by the entrance for a few seconds too long, staring like a dumbstruck fool. He didn’t think there was a woman alive who could out-glamour the illustrious Magnolia, but Hope was doing a damn fine job of it.

Ham’s comment suddenly made perfect sense. A flirtatious grin bloomed across Hancock’s face as he cleared his throat, sauntering over to the bar.

“Why hello, ladies.”

“Mayor Hancock, what a pleasure,” said Magnolia, greeting him with a dazzling smile. “I’ve just been talking with your lovely new travelling companion. She’s quite the talent, did you know?”

“Not yet, but I’m lookin’ forward to learnin’,” said Hancock, as Hope flushed slightly. “May I offer you ladies a drink?”

“I’ll have to decline,” said Magnolia, graciously. “A professional always keeps her wits about her on stage. Well, I’ll leave you both to it, shall I?” She rose from her seat. “Lovely to meet you, Hope.”

Hancock held out a hand to Hope, tilting his head toward a couch with a good view of the stage.

“My favourite spot is free. Care to join me?”

She took his hand with a dazzling smile of her own. “I’d be glad to.”

Hancock dragged a low table over to the couch once she was seated, brushing off a rebuke from the potty-mouthed, bowler-hatted Mr Handy who tended the bar.

“C’mon, Charlie, you like caps. How are we supposed to enjoy dinner and all the drinks we’re gonna buy without a table?”

“You could choose one of the other bloody tables,” Charlie grumbled, in his rough Cockney accent, but he did return with two pints of beer.

Hancock raised his glass to Hope, drinking in the sight of her as deeply as the beer. 

“Goddamn, you look like ya walked out of a magazine. Where’d ya get that little number?"

“Daisy lent it to me.” The slight flush of her cheeks as she answered was delightful. 

“Hah! She tryin’ to kill me?”

Hope chuckled. “Well, considering I told her my only option other than the vault suit was walking in here naked…?”

Hancock shook his head as he huffed with silent laugher. “Cool, she’s not trying to kill me. That woulda killed me. You gotta remind me to thank her. Not that I don’t love the vault suit, but… damn. Now I feel underdressed.”

They both laughed, sipping their beer as Charlie floated back over with two plates of Brahmin roast and a gruff warning not to spill gravy on the couch.

Hope would also need to thank Daisy again for the dress. It was obviously doing things to Hancock, and although she knew she was playing a dangerous game, she was thoroughly enjoying every flattering glance he sent her way.

“So, indulge my curiosity for a sec,” said Hancock, draping his arm along the back of the couch as he turned to her. “You told me how you joined the Minutemen, but not why. People always got their reasons if they’re riskin’ their lives for a cause. Especially fresh outta a vault.”

Hope lifted her gaze slightly as she considered the question, chewing on a piece of roast brahmin. “It’s… I guess it’s just the kind of thing I assumed I’d be doing anyway, if the bombs ever fell, and I somehow survived them,” she said, with a slight shrug. “I used to be a park ranger, before the war. We have training in-"

Hancock’s brows flew up as he cut her off. “Woah, woah, woah, hold up. Before the war?”

She nodded. “Yeah. The vault I was in, it… they had us cryogenically frozen. I only woke up about a month ago.”

“Are you kiddin' me?” Hancock wore an expression of utter astonishment. “Daisy said you told her you were pre-war. She thought you were havin’ her on.”

Hope tilted her head, curious. “Is it that unusual?”

“Unless you’re a ghoul? Fuck yeah. Unusual doesn’t even begin to cover it. Never heard of a vault freezin’ people before. Did you know they were gonna do that?

Hope’s expression soured as a familiar tangle of emotions rose like bile. “No. It was some sort of… sick experiment,” she said, bitterly. “They were testing it on us. I was the only one who got out alive.” She looked down at the beer cradled in her hands. “The only one other than Shaun.”

Hancock leaned back, his dark eyes wide. “…Fuck. You went under pre-war and you just woke up to… this?” He made a sweeping motion with his arm, as though he meant to include the whole Commonwealth with the gesture. “That’s… wow.”

“You can’t even begin to imagine,” whispered Hope.

“Oh, I got a pretty good imagination.” Hancock winked at her with a cheeky grin, and she smiled half-heartedly, but it fell quickly from her face. She was watching the bubbles rising silently in her glass when Hancock spoke again, his voice soft. “…I bet this world feels like one never-ending bad trip you can’t wake up from, huh?”

His words struck a chord in her, and her breath hitched. “That’s exactly what it feels like.”

“I’m sorry, sister. That’s rough.”

“Yeah.” She look a long swig of her beer and shuddered. “But… I’m here now,” she said, summoning the dogged determination which had driven her since she’d stumbled out into the splintered remains of Sanctuary. “And as messed up as this world is, there are still decent people in it, trying to survive. And people like you, making it a little brighter,” she added, tilting her glass to him with a smile. “And I still have a job to do.”

“What job would that be?”

“To help rebuild,” she said, resolute. “Like I said, I was a park ranger.” Hancock frowned at the job title, looking confused, and Hope realised he probably had no clue what a park ranger was. “We worked in areas of wilderness, had training in all sorts of things,” she explained. “Survival, search and rescue, ecology, first aid, firearms. Pretty much everything you’d want to know if you were trying to survive and rebuild in a ruined world.

“Is that why you went into the vault?”

“Ugh, hell no.” Hope’s face twisted with distaste. “God, I hated Vault-Tec. And all their sick, cheery ads about how nice the fucking apocalypse would be if you just spend your life savings buying a room in a metal hole... But Nate - my brother - he was always arguing with me about it. Kept telling me that if the worst happened, the world would need skills like mine. It wasn’t until the bombs started falling that he told me he’d already signed me up with Nora and Shaun, and at that point I just… ran for it.” She looked away. “Just like everyone else.”

She took another large swig of beer. “When I crawled back out of there, I… I guess Nate’s words stuck with me. I’ve got a lot of useful skills. I should use them to help make things a little better for people.”

Hancock raised his glass. “I’ll drink to that, sister. Sounds like you’re already puttin’ ‘em to good use.”

“I’m a little late,” said Hope, ruefully.

“So you overslept by two hundred years, it happens. You’re here now.” Hancock’s cheeky grin returned. “Guess we got lucky.”

Hope felt her own cheeks warming as she smiled. “Anyway, that’s why I joined the Minutemen. When Preston explained to me what they were about, I knew I could help. Hell, I can make more of a difference now than I could before the war.”

Hancock looked at her for a moment. Not a sultry, undressing-her-with-his-eyes look, but a real, soul-searching gaze. “Ya know, I think I’m gonna enjoy travelin’ with ya.”

Hope’s heart skipped. She was touched, but she covered it quickly with a smirk. “And here I thought you only wanted to come so you could stare at my ass.”

Hancock chuckled. “Oh, I’ll be doin’ plenty of that too, don’t you worry.”

“Scoundrel.”

“Only with my eyes, sunshine. Unless you say otherwise.” He added the last part with a wink. “By the way, change of topic. I gotta know - what did Bobbi tell ya her job was all about?”

Grateful for the change of topic, she began slicing into her roast brahmin again. “At first, just digging,” she said, between mouthfuls. “No further explanation. Later? That we were breaking into the storeroom of the Mayor of Diamond City.”

Hancock barked out a laugh. “That bastard? Damn, If she had been tellin’ the truth, I would’a joined in. Still, I’m surprised,” he said. “You don’t strike me as the thievin’ sort.”

“Ordinarily? I’m not,” said Hope, trying a slice of mashed tato with a satisfied little hum. “But that guy had it coming. The way I saw the Upper Stands people in that settlement treating everyone else…?” She huffed. “And McDonough was the worst of them. He reminds me of the politicians we had before the war. Smooth talking and arrogant, out for themselves, damn everyone else.”

“Yeah, sounds exactly like him,” Hancock muttered.

“He told me the Minutemen were irrelevant to Diamond City.” She put on a nasally imitation of his voice, which had Hancock chortling. “‘Diamond city already has the best security in the Commonwealth,’ blah, blah, blah… He wouldn’t help Nick and I when we needed a key to search an abandoned Upper Stands house, either. Said he ‘valued the privacy’ of his voters. Never mind the fact that his city is tearing itself apart in fear of the Institute, and we had an actual lead which could help take the fight to them. Stealing from him seemed like it would be doing the world a favour.”

Hancock stood, clapping her on the shoulder. “And for that, sister, you’ve earned yourself a bottle of the top shelf whiskey.”

“Speakin’ of stealin’ shit,” said Hancock, as he returned from behind the bar with two shot classes and an amber bottle of pre-war whisky he’d been saving for a special occasion, “what’s the story with that line this mornin’ about bad influences?”

Hope took a swig of the whiskey, and an electric shiver zinged through Hancock when she moaned at the flavour.

“Ooh, that’s really nice,” she sighed. “God damn. Hmm. Where to start… How much do you know about the world before the bombs?”

“Not too much, but a bit more than most,” Hancock replied. “I spend a lot of time hangin’ around pre-war ghouls. Picked up a few stories here and there. From what I can tell, it was a hell of a lot nicer than this mess, but to hear Daisy talk, it was a long way from perfect.”

“It was fucking Eden compared to this mess,” said Hope, a shadow falling across her eyes. “The people in power were what spoiled it.” Hancock poured her another glass of whiskey and she knocked it back with another little shiver. “Thanks,” she said. Hancock smiled and gestured for her to continue, topping up her glass again. “I was a hippie,” said Hope. “And not just the chill-and-do-drugs kind of hippie - though I did a lot of that, too,” she added with a laugh. “I was one of the loud, outspoken hippies the people with power absolutely hated. Marched in anti-war protests, blocked traffic, broke into government storehouses, helped hack a few classified databases… even found myself in a riot or two.”

Hancock whistled in approval. Hope grinned and continued her story.

“I fell into that crowd because their ideals matched mine, and I loved the idea of that free, live-as-you-please way of life, but I never really intended for it to go as far as it did. I just… met the right people. The ones with a bit more passion, a bit more courage, who bought out those qualities in me. People like you,” she said, and Hancock felt his stomach flutter and plummet all at once, because what the fuck? He wasn’t that person, and he suddenly dreaded her finding that out. “My parents called them ‘bad influences’,” Hope continued. “I think they were the best people I ever met.”

She sipped at her whiskey again, a fierce, defiant edge to her expression.

“I lost my job over it. Got arrested at a protest. I wasn’t doing anything outright illegal - at least not that time - so they couldn’t charge me. But the good ol’ US government didn’t appreciate its employees speaking out against it. Can’t have a park ranger chanting about how violently annexing a peaceful neighbour for the sake of fucking resources is a shitty thing to do.” She looked up at him, and her sour frown turned into a sardonic grin. “It’s a bad look.”

They both laughed, and Hancock raised his glass in a toast toward her before knocking back its contents.

“You’re a pre-war fuckin’ hippie with a taste for revolution?” he said, eyes sparkling. “And you’re hot. How the fuck are you even real?”

“I could just be a hallucination,” she teased, leaning in. “Too much Daytripper and hard liquor. You could be talking to Charlie.”

Hancock absolutely lost it at that, melting into the couch as they both dissolved into helpless laughter.

“Fuckin’… goddamn,” he said, once he had breath enough to talk. “I’m gonna be real mad if this is all one big jet flashback.”

“Same,” said Hope, wiping away tears. “Fuck, I haven’t laughed so much since way before the war. I’m glad you’re coming with me.”

“Oh, you’re gonna have a hell of a time gettin’ rid of me,” said Hancock. He filled both their glasses raised his again. “You’ll have to forgive me butcherin’ how this is supposed to sound, it ain’t my line and I only heard it a few times from an old ghoul, but - viva la revolution!”

“Viva la revolution!” Hope echoed, in disjointed chorus. “Didn’t work out last time, but hey,” she winked, passion and fire glinting through the bar light reflected in her eyes. “This time, I’m building an army.” 

She knocked back her whisky again.

“Round. Fucking. Two.”

Chapter 5

Chapter 7

[fanaticsnail]

Snail, my love! I am swamped with uni lol so not as much asks I'm afraid but I read Bonnie Lass pt 2 and YOUR BRAIN!!!!! YOUR GENIUS!!!!

“-Garp, lass. It’s Garp, please,” his breathy voice gasped through the speaker, “I’ll make it up to you, I swear. I should’ve been down by the docks waiting - up to my knees in sea water to reign your ship in with my bare hands.” - SNAIIIIILLLLLLL, you know I love me a man groveling on his hands and knees (where he belongs who said that?)

Several cracking objects bent and broke, echoing throughout the den-den-mushi transponder; something akin to wood snapping and nails tearing through mahogany. - eheheheheheheheheh. One of the many things I love about your writing is how shamelessly in love everyone is. Speaking of “All mine,” ????? AAAAAAAA

I loved taking the lead to kiss Garp, something about this old man who's so confident over the phone but so smitten that he gets all in his head about being right for the one he's besotted with. And then something about the assistant (who I love by the way - hilarious, competent, sassy) being so smitten that they take charge because they are wholly in-for-a-penny-in-for-a-Garp READY.

As your knees knocked with a hard benchtop behind you, you ushered the larger man to turn, forcing his body down to sit himself down on the bench. You opened your mouth, your tongue raking against his bottom lip. - walk him like a dog

The assistant playing Garp like a fiddle for their own amusement, teasing him until he's staggering over himself to grovel. I love it.

“L-Lass, I didnae mean t-," - what if I ate him. What then.

“P-Please, lass. I’m sorry. I am a cruel, cruel man,” he confessed, claiming your left hand within his right and peppering the flesh with a flurry of kisses, “What can I do t’make it up to ‘ye, ‘me bonnie lass. Tell me,” he trailed his kisses up higher, halting at the inner flesh of your elbow, “Order me, dictate me,” he continued spreading kisses up to your shoulder, soothing over your scorching flesh, “I beg ‘ye to reconsider your withdrawal. I am ‘ye humble servant, wee bonnie.” - poetry in motion. I love strong boisterous men crumbling. I love the Marine Captain becoming the servant - willingly.

Garp giving a strip tease!!!!!

Beautiful. Brilliant. Stunning. No words.

SNAILLL I MISSED YOUUUUUU!!! I hope you're having a wonderful time at Uni! I remember those days well, and I hope you have time to have joy amongst the havoc.

I looooove reading your analysis', it always warms my heart to see you in my ask box. I also love writing for love, it's a favourite of mine - which you've noticed.

The "Walk him like a dog" comment had me screeching. It had no right being that funny, Snail.

"What if I ate him? What then?" - r o l l i n g. d y i n g. h e a v i n g.

Garp's strip tease has been eating at my brain since writing it.

If you're interested in the hazing Garp endured while becoming a Marine, this is exactly how I see it going down:

[thespillwaysofyoursoul]

The Cove

AN: Please bear with me I literally haven't written fan fic in like 7 years but I cannot get this concept out of my mind.

Word Count: 1930

Dew enjoys being a fire ghoul, he does. But that doesn't mean he doesn't occasionally miss the water. When it starts to get to him Rain is there to help.

Dew keeps a small vial of water around his neck at all times.  It’s filled with water from a small saltwater cove in the woods behind the abbey. Terzo had the cove put in for Dew when he noticed how excited the ghoul was after a group trip to the beach. Technically water ghouls are connected to all water but Dew had always had an affinity for saltwater.

It’s been a few years since the ceremony and the transition but part of him still yearns for his former element. When he’s alone he remembers the peacefulness of floating aimlessly in the sea and his fingers drift to the slight bumps where his gills once were. You wouldn’t notice them if you didn’t know to look but to Dew, they were a constant reminder. A reminder of being called into Sister Imperator’s office, of being told what was going to happen, of how they chanted and he screamed as they burned his element from his body, of the months after spent in bed trying to breathe through the smoke suddenly coursing through his veins. 

He’s still unsure of why it needed to happen. Why they couldn’t just summon another fire ghoul from the pit when Ifrit left. The clergy rarely explained themselves and certainly not to the ghouls. 

Don’t get him wrong, he does love his newfound warmth and the boost of energy he gets when Papa calls for pyrotechnics during rituals. He loves how his packmates fight to be next to him when it gets cold on the bus. But he can’t help but feel like he lost a bit of himself that night in the abbey.  So he wears his little reminder no matter where he is, he looks longingly out the bus window when they drive past the ocean, and when all else fails he leans on Rain. 

Lucifer knows he doesn’t deserve Rain. He was terrible to him when he arrived. Jealous of the new ghoul who got to commune with his element while Dew lay in bed feverish, dehydrated, and struggling to come to terms with his situation. It took months before Dew warmed up to him but Rain had never held it against him.  Rain is his rock when it all gets too much. 

They had been back from the last leg of the tour for a day. It was a rough one for Dew, he had tweaked his back during one of the first nights and the dull ache had persisted for the next few weeks. The weather had been bad enough that they had to cut down on the fire in the shows, so he wasn’t even getting to commune with his new element. And if that wasn’t enough to make him feel off, they had spent most of the tour driving up the coast, which meant he had spent far too much time curled in a ball and staring out the window at his beloved ocean. His packmates tried their best to lift his spirits but it only helped so much. 

Everyone had split up to recharge in their own way upon their return to the abbey. Rain had stopped Dew to check in but Dew had assured him that he was just tired and gone to bed. Rain wasn’t sure he believed him but went to soak in the lake and recoup. 

The air ghoulettes are curled up in the common room watching a movie when Rain walks in 12 hours later, hair still dripping with water. “Has anyone seen Dew?” 

 “Aether was looking for him earlier but I don’t think he found him. Did you check his room?” Cumulus responds when Cirrus shakes her head.  

Rain makes his way to the ghoul hallway and knocks on Dew’s door. When he doesn’t get an answer he knocks again “Dewdrop I'm coming in.” He opens the door to an empty room. The bed still perfectly untouched, Dew’s tour bag sitting on top of it unopened. Now he’s worried. 

Dew is sitting on the grass by the cove with his knees pressed against his chest and his hands clawing into the messy bun he’s had his hair in since the last ritual. His tail wrapped around himself. Tears still occasionally run silently down his cheeks. Fire ghouls normally can’t cry, their body temperature warm enough to evaporate the tears but it’s one of the few remaining traits of his old life. He only allows himself to cry here. At his cove. Nobody uses it these days, lying forgotten by the clergy. It’s still his favorite spot on the grounds. He doesn’t go in anymore, scared of what will happen when it doesn’t feel like it used to. But he comes and sits by its banks when he can. Rain is the only one who knows about it. 

Rain, who’s probably in the lake right now. The flow of the water recharging him. Relaxing as he uses his gills for the first time since tour. Dew misses that feeling. Sure the excitement of fire is great but he misses the serenity of his beloved cove. His tears start back up in earnest when he thinks about it. He’s sobbing with his head between his legs before he can try to calm himself. He’s too in his own head to see Rain making his way over. 

Rain picks up the pace when he sees Dew curled up. Diving onto his knees once he’s close enough. “Oh, Dewdrop. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it was this bad.” He hugs Dew into him as he sobs. He knows Dew is in no shape to speak like this so he just holds him for as long as he needs. 

“Rain…  I miss it. I miss it so bad.” Dew eventually whispers.

 “I know Dewdrop. I’m so sorry.” Rain wipes the tears off Dew’s face. 

“I just- I want-“ he stops himself. 

“What do you want, sweetheart?”

 Dew shifts uncomfortably “Forget it. It's dumb.”

“It’s not dumb if you want it.” 

Dew’s quiet for a minute and Rain can feel the smaller ghoul steadying his breathing. “I mean… I just wish I could be swimming. Like I used to.”  

“That’s not dumb. And you know you can still swim. What’s stopping you?” 

There’s another moment of silence before Dew quietly answers “It won’t be like it used to be” 

Rain puts his hand under Dew’s chin and turns him to look at him. “It won’t be. But that doesn’t mean it won’t still be nice.” Dew still looks hesitant. “Want to start by dipping your toes in? That could be nice.” Dew nods and begins wordlessly struggling with his boots. Rain kicks off his sandals and helps Dew where his hands are shaking too hard to untie his shoes. 

Dew lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding the second his toes hit the water. Rain watches as his brow relaxes and does his best to pretend he can’t hear the quiet purrs coming from next to him. They sit quietly for a while with their feet in the cove. Eventually, Rain can sense the tension returning. “Dewdrop” 

“Hm?” 

“Do you want to go further in?”

 “… I don’t know”

“I’ll go in with you.” He stands and pulls Dew up with him. “Do you want to go first or should I? I’ve never swum in this cove before.” 

Dew looks at his reflection in the water “You should it's a good cove” 

Rain takes his hand “I wouldn’t want to without you.”  Dew watches Rain’s reflection, thinking about how good it would be to be swimming together. 

“What if I don’t remember how to swim?” Rain can’t help but laugh at the ridiculous notion. 

“You’ll remember. I promise. It's in your blood. Come on.” 

Rain takes off his shirt and pulls off his shorts. Dew stares at his gills and freezes. Rain has seen him shirtless before, he knows about Dew’s closed gills but for some reason, he has never felt more vulnerable. “I can help you. If you want.” Dew nods and Rain unbuttons his shirt before helping him shimmy out of his jeans. The second he’s undressed Dews's hands shoot around his body to cover the spot where his gills were. “It's ok Dewdrop. You’re ok.” He reaches to unclasp the chain holding the vial around Dew’s neck. Dew grasps what has become his security blanket and after a moment slowly takes it off himself, hands shaking. He gently puts it on top of his clothes. Rain gently takes his hands in his, kissing them. He puts his forehead to Dew’s and starts breathing deliberately to help calm the anxious ghoul. When Dew’s breathing has steadied, Rain finally speaks. “Do you want to walk in together?” Dew nods again and Rain slowly leads them into the water. 

Dew grips Rain’s hand tightly as they walk in. By the time the water hits his knees, his face has erupted into the purest smile Rain has ever seen. A tear runs down his cheek and the taller ghoul wipes it with his thumb. 

“Welcome back Dewdrop” Rain kisses him on the cheek. Dew pauses and lets go of Rain’s hand to let his hair down. Rain takes a step back so he can fuss with his long locks. Once he’s sufficiently shaken out his bun Dew looks Rain in the eye, smiles, and dives in. Rain waits for just long enough to be pulled under by Dew, who has decided he’s not moving fast enough. 

It may have been a few years but the cove is still Dew’s domain.  Sure he can’t see as well underwater and he did momentarily forget he would have to go to the surface to breathe, but he knows these waters like the back of his hand. Rain follows him around as he gets reacquainted, allowing Dew to show him around the rocks, plants, and fish that live there. It’s the most excited Rain has seen him in a long time. They swim around like that, taking trips up for Dew to breathe until Rain notices Dew’s swimming begins to slow. He leads Dew towards the shallow bank of the cove and they lay there blanketed by the water. 

“It’s our day off and we decided to go to the aquarium and there was this lovely little cowfish who clearly wasn’t being cared for properly and it was really pissing me off. So I ran and bought a small tank from the gift shop and got Aether to cause a distraction and I rescued him. And then I snuck him out of the aquarium and onto the bus and kept him hidden from Papa in my bunk for the rest of the tour. And that’s how I met Bubbles! I’m so glad he’s still doing ok.” They had been laying there for an hour, Dew spread across Rain’s chest telling him stories of the different creatures he had in the cove. 

“Of course, he’s doing ok, you take such great care of him. Of all of them.” 

Dew lifts his head up just enough to look at the ghoul beneath him “I try, I come out as often as I can. I get worried about them when we’re on the road.” Dew yawns and lays back down. 

“You know you can go to sleep, Dewdrop. The cove and I will still be here when you wake up.” 

Dew considers protesting but snuggles into Rain and for the first time in years falls asleep to the gentle lull of the waves.

[paladinbaby]

the hunter & the rabbit

robot rebellion, emily axford / true blue, boy genius / the wee free men, terry pratchett / the house on the cerulean sea, tj klune / i worried, mary oliver / @curseworm / wild geese, mary oliver / @romanceyourdemons / lucy dacus on her song christine / why be happy when you could be normal, jeanette winterson

[Image Description: Ten images of text, mostly black on a white background except the last which is a photo of a book page in low light. The images alternate being one or two to a row.

1: “we can run, we can run, we can run / and it’ll be a race, just you and me / cause they can’t keep up with their metal feet / we can hide, we can hide, we can hide / and you can build a fire in a cave / and i can conjure shadows for a play

cause i am not afraid to die / long as you’re here by my side”

2: “Because it doesn’t matter anymore / Who won the fight? / I don’t know, we’re not keeping score / And it feels good to be known so well”

3: “He said it was better to belong where you don’t belong that not to belong where you used to belong, remembering when you used to belong there.”

4: “When something is broken, you can put it back together. It may not fit quite the same, or work like it did once before, but that doesn’t mean it’s no longer useful.”

5: “Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven, / can I do better?”

6: “im extremely devout but nobody can figure out what im worshipping”

7: “You do not have to be good. / You do not have to walk on your knees / for a hundred miles repenting. / You only have to let the soft animal of your body / love what it loves. / Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. / Meanwhile the world goes on.”

8: “i love when a character has something terrible happen to them and as a result they can only see themself as, essentially if not literally, a ghost. and so that means they only can (and have to) do what ghosts do, ie get revenge and then cease to exist. easy as that. but then halfway through this ghost vengeance they realise hey actually i might still be a human person. with human needs. that’s incredibly inconvenient, considering how much i’ve invested in this whole ghost thing”

9: “She was dating this guy who at the time was just not treating her right, and I played her the song. I was like, ‘I just want you to hear this once. I’ll put it away, but you should know that I would not support you if you get married. I don’t think this is the best you could do.’ She took it to heart, but she didn’t actually break up with the guy. They’re still together and he’s changed and I don’t feel that way anymore. I feel they’re in better place, but at the time it felt very urgent to me that she get out of that situation.”

10: “I was hurt. / It is never too late to learn to love. / But it is frightening.” End ID.]

[cybersp4c3]

HOLU FUCK IM COOKING (Pun not intended, also the inspo is from the nun scara art someone posted here,)

It was the weeks right before winters cold, the somewhat warmth in the cool breeze made the warm oranges and yellow of fallen leaves fly like the birds in the sky. In the moments before the lone nun left his church, the stars that shine through the bright colors of the stained glass to him felt like shame. Each shine of the star burned his skin like holy water on a sinner. He dropped to his knees like rain on a rising flooded sea, he's a sinner. He knows it, his faith weaker than his desires. He knows that his church have found his love letters to his unknown lover, which it most cases would be a seen as a gift from God. Treating love like glass from the passion between a man and a women, but there's the problem. Our dear Scaramouche, in love with another man. He looks into the blessed water In front of him, his sinful tears almost staining the holy water that sat before him. Now, understand, he's not crying because he's losing his church. He's crying because he may not hear from his lover again. So, after a final prayer and standing on his shaking legs and grabs anything he can, clothes, food, fresh water, and any medication he believes he needs and rushes off. Taking his lovers letters and left to who knows where? Blessed be our cowardly pathetic fool and his want for love, a "man" reborn, May God be with him.

After miles of walking he's developed a somewhat considering routine. He finds himself in a bar, seduces the man, take his money and run and try to never see that man again. However, with this last man of he little scheme was, unknowingly the same man that he left his old life for, like a fool. Or a whore.

His name is Taurus, tall, strong man. Many scars on his arms and his face, a worthy fighter and lover. He's quiet and calm but also passionate, when he saw our dear Scaramouche his heart fell into his hand, and his 'friend' had to be covered up. And Scara knew this and took this and ran with it. Pathetically falling into his big strong arms, acting like he could barely stand.

"I-Im so sorry sir, im new to town and I was stuck in that storm and need a place to stay." He said, weakly as he held the man. "You may stay with me in my home, it not many ways away but, what's a beautiful doll like yourself doing at this shabby bar?" Taurus responded, handing him his jacket and holding him closely as they walked out the bar and walking to his home, through a few woods. They got a long as well as they did during those love letters, and once they got to Taurus's home. They had they're fun. Scara was bent over, his unknown lovers cock filled him in ways any man hadn't done before, Taurus was trying his best not to cum as quick as he wanted, he was tight or maybe he was just hung? We'll never know, As he fucked him, Scara desires flooded his mind. To be bred, to become a mother and have children for as long as she could. As she was riding her mans cock, he held her small tits, kissing and sucking on her nippies like she could leak milk. The hours following was 'pure' bliss, though, as Scara dreamed about his new live with the man, he missed a detail. I wonder what that patch of demonic skin on Taurus's means. Ill add another part that's mainly smut later but I needed this idea out of my brain but spoiler, corruption + cock drunk + hung demon man = Sex slave I think idk I'm bad at math -🛁

This is so hot chop chop story boy

[gemini-sensei]

Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz x Single!Pregnant!Reader

Chubby!Fem!Reader ○ Y/N used ○ cuteness

From this req: HERE ○ let me know if I should do more of this idea, with Hawk or other characters, because I love it! 💖

The first time he saw her, Eli knew he had to at least learn her name. He'd never seen her before, her entrance to the school quiet and unannounced. It wasn't spectacular; one day, she was just there, and that intrigued Eli more than anything. He wanted to know her.

It started early in the morning. He first noticed her walking through the halls with a big sweater and yoga pants. She held some notebooks to her chest in one hand as she pulled a rolling backpack behind her. She looked a little lost, as if walking around an entirely new country on her own.

She's beautiful, he thought to himself, but before he had the chance to approach her and offer some help, the bell rang. The crowds of students began parting ways and flooding the halls with movement. He lost her to the sea of moving teenagers and before long, he found himself walking to his own class without much more than a glimpse at her.

That was how most of the day ended up being. He saw her in the halls and at lunch, but always missed the chance to talk to her for one reason or another. It felt like a curse, as if he wasn't destined to meet her; something always seemed to stop their paths from crossing.

That was until the final bell rang...

Eli stayed after class to discuss a project with his teacher, so when he entered the halls to leave, they were empty. He waited for a tumbleweed to blow through, but of course it didn't happen. Instead, he heard a clatter with a startled-

"Oh shit!"

When he turned the corner, there she was, standing at her locker with scattered books and journals and papers at her feet. Her bag was open, ready to receive the materials, but they never got there. She huffed, puffed out her cheeks and spread her legs awkwardly before trying to bend forward.

Eli rushed over to help without a second thought. "Let me help you!"

His voice stopped her and she stood straight again. Her eyes were nervous, but she smiled appreciatively. "Thank you..."

He got down on his one knee and started gathering her things. He stacked them together a little messy, working quickly and quietly. For a moment, he did wonder if she would try to pick anything else up again, and he glanced up and her, which was when he saw it.

She stood over him with her hand cradling her midsection, which held her sweater against her stomach and allowed him to see how round it was. From its previous position of swallowing her up, he could only see a few of her curves. He knew she was bigger, her face was rounder, her thighs were thick, but her belly was well hidden. He wouldn't have guessed it before that moment, but it was indisputable from there on out.

She was pregnant.

He stared for a moment, not meaning to. She must have felt his eyes on her because she turned to look at him and became flustered. She stopping holding her belly and stood straight, letting the fabric of her sweater fall away and hide her round little secret again. Averting her eyes, she let out an unsure hum, an awkward squeak really.

Nothing was said between them until he had all of her things gathered up in his hands. He stood and held them out to her, which she took and held securely in her arm. Her eyes were uncertain but expectant, waiting for him to say something about what he'd seen.

Instead, he said, "I'm Hawk."

She blinked. "Hawk?"

He chuckled at her cuteness. "That's what my friends call me."

"Oh."

"What do they call you?"

He was being cheeky in hopes it would put a smile on her face.

She gave a small grin. "I don't know. I'll let you know when I get some friends. But for now you can call me Y/N."

"That's really pretty," he told her.

She looked away with a shy smile. It was quiet for a moment, as if she didn't know what to say. Then, softly, she said, "Well, thank you for helping me. It would have taken me a while to get all this up."

"It was no big deal," he told her, giving her a big smile. "But, uh, if you ever need help with anything else, you can always come to me. I won't mind."

She shook her head, as if about to refuse, but he didn't let her.

"You said you don't have any friends, right? Well, consider me your first friend at West Valley High." He chuckled at the cute face she made at his declaration, the little smile she gave him. "And as your friend, I will give you a hand with anything you need from here on out."

They exchanged numbers after that and he walked her to her car, helped her put everything inside, then waved her off. It was beyond learning her name, and it was so much greater.

From there, they became good friends. At first, Reader didn't want to talk a lot about the baby. She talked about other things; her father's work transfer that brought her to The Valley, her interests and hobbies, her favorite movies and musical artists. He didn't mind so much because they were getting to know each other.

Similarly, he shared parts of himself with her that was surface level and easy to find out. He told her about karate, about movies and comics, about his tattoos. There were parts of him he kept to himself, so he understood why she might want to keep some of herself to, well, herself.

He introduced her to his friends, but made them aware beforehand that she didn't want to talk about the elephant in the room. Moon was the most understanding and also the first of his friends to jump into normal conversation with Reader, asking her about where she had moved from and how she was liking it in The Valley. She made it easy for everyone else to ease into and before anyone knew it, they were all chatting and laughing with Reader as if she were a longtime friend.

It was a couple of weeks later before she truly opened up to him.

He'd offered to help her on an at-home project for science that was tricky for her to fully understand. He was pretty good as science, so he offered his expertise, which turned into working on it together, but her teacher didn't have to know that. It'd be there little secret.

When she became too uncomfortable to focus, they decided it was time for a break and she got up to move around. She rubbed at her hips and back, still wearing a big sweater to hide her body. Soon that trick wouldn't work anymore, as her belly had gotten bigger. Her curves were also filling in, hips widening, breasts swelling; a slew of things Eli didn't know before meeting her. He'd never admit to her or to anyone that he'd looked it up, that he read into everything she'd go through and all the possible symptoms she might have.

As she struggled to rub her back, he sat up a little straighter. "Do you want some help with that?"

She turned to him, her cheeks warming. "You don't have to..."

"I want to," he told her, standing from his spot. He walked over and came to stand behind her. "How would you prefer me do this?"

"Oh um," she hummed softly, looking around. She moved over to the arm chair and leant forward, resting her arms on the back of it. The way she bent over, her sweater hung off of her and he knew hidden behind it, her belly hung too. "This should do it."

He nodded and gently followed her lead, then came to stand behind her. He put his hands on her midback and started rubbing the heel of his palms into her muscle. It was tough and she moaned softly as he worked out the stress. He didn't say anything, knowing it was helping her just by the relief in her tone.

Eli didn't mind doing these little acts of service. She deserved someone to be there with her to rub the soreness out of her back and hips, to help her tie her shoes, to take care of her when she didn't feel good. For crying out loud, she was growing a tiny person inside of her, and no one was around to pitch in even a little bit. Her parents were gone most of the time with work. She was essentially all alone.

As he moved his hands down to her hips, she shifted and rested on her arms. She sighed, laying her head on them. He saw her eyes were closed and her eyebrows were knit up, meaning there was still work to do and he added a little more pressure to his ministrations. She moaned and he licked his lips to keep himself from giving a satisfied, proud smile because it felt like an inappropriate thing to do at the time.

It didn't stop him from saying something stupid, though.

"Man, it feels like there's a shit ton of tension right here," he said as his pressed his fingers into her hips. That was rather obvious in retrospect.

She let out a noise between a sigh and a moan. "I try to work it all out, but it never... well, works out."

"How am I doing?"

"A lot better than I can."

He let himself smile at that proudly.

When she asked him to stop, he helped her stand straighter and they walked back over to the couch. She looked at him shyly, then turned away. It was a move he knew well, because he used to do it often; she wanted to say something, but thought it wasn't important enough to bring up, so she wasn't going to say anything.

"What?" he asked. He kept a smile on his face, but his voice was softer than what it would have been had they been at school. She shook her head and he put his hand on her back gently. "You can tell me, you know that, right? I won't judge you or anything."

"It's nothing. I wouldn't want to bother you..."

"Nothing you do will ever bother me."

She looked up at him and their eyes met. He gave her an assuring smile and she returned it sweetly.

"Well... I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to do that more often... I know it's probably a lot to ask for, so you don't have to it if you don't want to..."

He stared at her for a moment longer and she put her head down, staring at the pattern of her sweater. As she started to pick at a loose thread, his words came together.

"You deserve someone that's gonna be here for you, I hope you know that."

She had an idea of where the conversation was heading and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess so."

"This isn't all on you," he told her, never taking his eyes off of her. He glanced at her belly, seeing the bump form a small protrusion in the big sweater she was wrapped up in. "You didn't do this on your own, so why should you have to go through it alone?"

"My boyfriend- my ex boyfriend, he didn't care, didn't want anything to do with me anymore. He left, so I told myself I didn't need him... said we'd be okay on our own." She put her hand on her belly and rubbed it gently. "Why make him stay or be a part of all this? It would just make him resent us, and I didn't want my kid to grow up with a resentful parent. It's not their fault he doesn't want us."

Hawk grimaced, disgusted that her ex had just abandoned her when she popped up pregnant. It was such a pussy move in his eyes. However, hearing her talk about it, hearing how she handled it, made him think she was stronger for it. All the power to her for taking that situation into her own hands and essentially saying, well fuck you too.

"Still, that doesn't mean you don't deserve someone to help carry the weight. You shouldn't have to do it on your own."

"It's sweet of you to think so," she said with a small smile. It made him sad because it was so apologetic and sincere.

In that split second, he wanted to find her ex and knock his teeth out.

"I'll do whatever you want me to do," he promised her. He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "Anything you need, and I mean it. Come to me, otherwise I'll be offended."

She giggled and he smiled. However, it didn't last very long before her face become somber again. She looked at him, another question in her eyes. However, she wasn't as nervous to ask this one.

"Why are you doing this?"

"You want the truth?" he asked, feeling his heart skip a beat. No matter what, she was beautiful; whether her expression was crestfallen or pouty or tired, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on. And he was about to tell her the truth regardless.

"Yeah, the truth." She looked at him funny. "What else is there?"

He shook his head with a laugh. "Nothing, I guess."

With a pause, he composed his thoughts. He licked his lips as they came together and he squeezed her hand lightly. When their eyes met again, he finally told her,

"It's because I like you... I like you a lot."

She stared at him, mouth gently fallen open. He saw it in her eyes how much it surprised her.

"You like me?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. Though it was nerve wracking to say it out loud, there was relief with it too. There were a handful of things that might keep them from being together, though. "I'm sorry if that's weird or anything. I know it isn't exactly the right time for that sort of thing."

"No, no," she said, a little rushed. She bit her lip thinking it was too rushed. "I mean... I like you, too. A lot."

His smile only brightened. He kept ahold of her hand as he scooted closer to her, making her smile and let out a small giggle. Then he leaned into her and she shyly did the same, closing her eyes in anticipation of feeling his lips against hers. Once they connected, it was everything he imagined and more, and he slipped his arm around her back and held her close as her other hand came up to hold his cheek.

It was what he'd wanted since he learned her name and it was better than he could've dreamed of.

[smilesrobotlover]

Whumptober day 31- emptiness, setbacks, take it easy

Read day 30

Happy Halloween!!! Thank you so much for sticking with me with month! This was a fun challenge and I’m so proud of myself for pushing through it 😊 I hope you guys like this one, it’s kinda mid imo but it’s pretty intense I suppose.

Warnings: stabbing, blood loss, hopelessness, kind of an unhappy ending oops 😬 everything’s fine tho it’s fine

~~~~~~~

Age couldn’t help but hum along with Kass, Benji, and Linebeck’s music. They were playing some of Linebeck’s sea shanties, and it was getting more and more chaotic. Kass and Linebeck were remarkable singers, but Benji was pretty terrible, but they all sung loudly, laughing like maniacs at the end of every song. Age listened to them, laughing along whenever they erupted into laughter after a song. Age’s father walked up to them, looking like a mess and very frustrated.

“What are you all doing?” He asked angrily, a pitchfork resting on his shoulder while his prosthetic arm rested on his hip.

“Singing!” Kass answered, “care to join us?”

“No! I’m too busy working on the farm! No thanks to any of you!”

Benji gave an awkward chuckle but looked away while plucking his guitar. Linebeck gave a sigh and leaned back.

“Ammon, I’m a sailor, not a farmer,” he said, and the others nodded.

“Well I’m a soldier! But I’m still trying to make sure Talon’s farm doesn’t get ruined!” Ammon shouted.

“Man, I don’t get why both Talon and Rusl had to leave the farm,” Benji muttered, continuing to pluck his guitar. “They’re the farmers, we don’t know what we’re doing.”

Ammon sighed. “Talon is understandable, I’m not sure why Rusl left as well, but no matter! It doesn’t mean that you can just sit around lazing the day away!” He shot a look at Age, who sat up straight quickly. “What are you doing?”

“Ah– uh– I’m sorry father, I was just resting,” Age said quickly, and Ammon narrowed his eyes at him.

“Goddesses, what do you want from us Ammon?” Linebeck asked.

“I want some help! This farm work isn’t easy to do!”

Kass stood up, walking over to Ammon who was seething. “Now now, Ammon, tell us what to do and we will try to help. I’m sorry,” Kass said gently, which calmed Ammon down. Age was almost surprised at how calm Kass was in every situation, he was perfect for dealing with Wild’s… well… wild personality.

“Right, right,” Ammon let out a sigh. “I could use help grooming the horses, I’ve milked the cows, but if someone could feed the cuccos and clean the house, that’d be great, and also–”

“LOOK OUT!”

Age’s father was interrupted by Wild, who was chasing a round pig that was sprinting towards the men. They all shot up and moved out of the way as the pig nearly plowed through them, watching it run and stop just outside the ranch.

“Hey, don’t move towards it all at once,” Wild said breathlessly, resting his hands on his knees.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Link,” Kass said, “did that piglet escape?”

“Yeah, and I need to hurry and grab it before the others escape too!”

Linebeck let out a sigh of relief and crossed his arms. “You’ll never catch a pig by chasing it kid, you need to sneak up behind it, and then grab it before it knows what’s going on.”

“Oh great! You can catch it while I keep an eye on the other pigs!” Wild suggested with a smile. Linebeck looked at him in surprise.

“W-what? Noooo no no no my Link was always the pig catcher not me.”

“No, I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Ammon grinned, “Make yourself useful.”

Linebeck frowned then took off his overcoat, throwing it somewhere safe as he hesitantly walked over to the pig.

“Oh I need to watch this,” Benji said, running after the sailor. Age grinned and followed as well as his father grumbled. Linebeck was a good distance away from the pig, crouching down and crawling from behind the pig, being as quiet as possible. Benji snorted and Linebeck shot him a glare, cautiously moving closer to the pig.

“Oy, I thought you guys were going to help with the farm wor–”

“Yeah yeah, after this Ammon, shut up,” Benji interrupted, not taking his eyes off of Linebeck.

Ammon grumbled again, but he stayed with the others as they watched Linebeck. The sailor was close to the pig, and he quickly went to grab it, but it slipped out of his fingers, jumping over his head and onto his back. Linebeck let out a yelp as he went face first into the ground, getting dirt and mud all over himself. The others started laughing as he attempted to wrestle the pig, getting more and more dirty. Finally, he grabbed the pig and held it over his head, panting and glaring at the laughing group.

“Weren’t you guys going to do farm work?” He yelled. He looked at Wild who was still with the group. “Weren’t you going to keep an eye on the pigs?”

Wild scratched the back of his head while Benji snorted laughing. “It’s not my fault you’re so entertaining to watch.”

Linebeck grumbled and marched right past them, heading to the pig pen. “If one of those pigs escaped I’m not catching it!”

They all watched as Linebeck grumbled, and Kass smiled at Wild.

“It’s best to leave him alone while he blows off some steam.”

Wild shrugged. “Well, he can deal with the pigs then, if he’s gonna be such a grump.”

Kass chuckled and Wild’s gaze lingered over to Ammon, who was also watching him blankly. Kass quickly jumped in front of them, blocking off the view.

“Let’s go help with the horses! You like horses don’t you?” He suggested, and Wild agreed, the two walking towards the horses. Age sighed sadly. Ever since Wild met his father, he’d been pretending that he didn’t exist, but there were moments where he watched him for too long, and he would spiral. Thankfully, Kass was helping him through it, but it was very hard on his father. Age gave his father a small smile, who smiled back, but it quickly disappeared.

“Uh, ok, what the heck happened?” Benji asked, plucking his guitar strings. “Why are you and Kass avoiding each other?”

Ammon shook his head. “Me and Kass aren’t avoiding each other, it’s just… Wild.”

“Oh, right, your twin,” Benji looked at Age who shrugged.

“He’s not my twin, we’re… technically the same person.” Age sighed. “It’s hard to explain, but he’s from a timeline where evil won, he’s been asleep for a hundred years and… um…” Age looked at his father who was staring ahead.

“Oh, I get it now,” Benji said softly. Age gave him an awkward smile.

“Yeah…”

It was silent for a long moment until Ammon moved away.

“Let’s finish the chores, alright?” He said softly, and the other two followed him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey! Hyrule, can you hear me?”

Hyrule groaned as consciousness began to return to him. He opened his eyes and saw everyone huddled around him, with Windy holding a magic potion.

“Oh yeah, that’s definitely Benji’s kid,” a man next to Twilight chuckled. Hyrule frowned.

“How d’ya know m’ dad?” He said weakly, his words slurring. The man grinned at Time, who was next to a woman with red hair.

“Well he knows his dad, that’s good,” another man he didn’t recognize with a big nose said. “Are ya good to drink this potion, little one?”

Hyrule squinted at Windy who started to uncork the bottle. He nodded and let the others sit him up. He drank the potion carefully, being able to drink it himself as he felt his strength return to him.

“Thank the goddesses you’re doing’ better, Hyrule,” Windy said when he finished the bottle. “We were getting worried about you!”

Hyrule smiled, then looked at the people he didn’t know. “Who are they?” He asked, pointing at all four of them.

“Hyrule, this is my father-in-law Talon, and my wife, Malon,” Time introduced the both of them.

“Huh, Malon and Talon, that’s cute.”

Talon chuckled. “Gotta keep that Lon Lon name, yeah?”

Malon laughed and nodded. Hyrule smiled and looked over at the man who was side hugging Twilight.

“Oh! Hyrule, this is my pa, Rusl.”

Rusl waved at him and Hyrule tilted his head.

“You don’t look like him.”

“I’m adopted.”

Hyrule made an “oh” sound and looked at the serious looking man behind the colors.

“This is our father!” Red introduced him. The man gave a nod at Hyrule.

“The name is Leon.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Hyrule smiled at them, and Windy grabbed his arm, helping him up. “Uh, so you mentioned my dad?”

“Oh yes!” Talon pointed to a ranch in the distance, “He’ll be so happy to see you!”

“Is that where he is?”

“Yep! At Lon Lon ranch! We’re almost there!”

Hyrule nodded. “Now I get the Lon Lon name…”

Time chuckled and nudged him towards the ranch. “C’mon, we don’t want to dawdle now do we? Let’s find your father.”

Hyrule grinned, beginning to register the idea of seeing his father again. He truthfully didn’t know him very well, he was separated from him when he was ten years old, being apart from him for so long that he almost forgot everything about him. He’d only just reunited with him, and though it felt weird calling him father, he still found familiar comfort in him, and he was excited to see him again. He started walking, still feeling weak, but determination to see his father again kept him going. When they reached the entrance, Hyrule jogged towards the horses despite his dizziness, and he looked around, spotting Wild next to a giant bird man.

“WILD!” He yelled out, sprinting towards him, but he felt his legs weaken, and he suddenly started to fall face first into the grass. He let out a yelp, but something caught him and helped him up. He looked at his savior confused, and grinned when he recognized his father, beaming at him.

“Orchid!” he cried, and pulled him into a tight hug. Hyrule buried his face in his neck and melted into the embrace.

“H-hey dad,” he mumbled, his voice wavering. He got a lump in his throat and he blinked back the tears when his dad started running his hand through his curly hair.

“I’m so happy to see you safe, Orchid. Too many times we’ve been separated.”

“Yeah.”

The two held each other for a while until he heard people come up behind him. He saw Wild and the bird man who were smiling.

“Oh my goodness!” The birdman looked at the two. “I can see the family resemblance!”

Benji chuckled and gestured to Kass. “Orchid, this is Kass. Kass, Wild, this is my son, Orchid.”

Wild narrowed his eyes. “‘Orchid’? Is that like… your real name?”

Hyrule nodded shyly, and Wild chuckled.

“Why didn’t you say that when we came up with nicknames? I’m sure it beats ‘Hyrule’.”

Hyrule shrugged. “I don’t know… Um… you have a bird for a dad?”

Wild looked at Kass in shock, and he laughed nervously. “No! No! He’s uh… he’s Kass and he’s a good friend! Has great songs. Can dance really well too.”

It grew silent and they all glanced at each other awkwardly. Time walked up to them and smiled at Wild.

“Wild! You're here! Are the others at the ranch as well?” He asked, with everyone else joining them (and Twilight scolding Hyrule for running off). Wild shook his head.

“Just me and Age.”

“Oh my!” Talon chuckled at the sight of Wild. “You must be Ammon’s kid huh?”

Wild’s smirk faded, and a sense of unease filled the air. Hyrule looked at his dad who had a blank expression on his face, then at Kass who had his wings resting on Wild’s shoulders, who surprisingly looked upset. Talon looked at everyone’s reactions and frowned.

“Was it something I said?”

“No, no Talon you’re alright um,” Kass looked back at the horses he and Wild were taking care of, “let’s finish the job, shall we?”

Wild nodded and ran over to the horses. Hyrule watched, realizing who Ammon is. The group knew about Wild and Age’s situation, but Hyrule always forgot about how serious of a situation it was, and how much it affected Wild. Benji looked at Talon and the others, who all looked concerned.

“It’s complicated, Talon, so don’t worry about it.” Benji looked at Windy and smiled warmly. “So you must be Linebeck’s then, huh?”

Windy’s dark expression lit up. “Yes! Where is he?”

“Over at the pig pen. Careful though, he’s kinda pissed off right now.”

Windy giggled. “When is he not? I’m gonna go find him!” The little sailor turned and sprinted in the wrong direction.

“The pig pen is the other way,” Benji called out to him, and Windy quickly turned around and sprinted in the correct direction. Everyone laughed at him as he ran by, clearly excited to see his own dad. Or at least, Hyrule assumed this Linebeck guy was his dad.

“Well, guys, how about we find Ammon and his kid and make some introductions,” Benji started, eyeing the different Links, “I’ve been dying to meet your guys' kids.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Linebeck finished washing all the mud and dirt off of him, grumbling about the stains on his pale shirt. He put his hair in a ponytail and watched the pigs play around. They seemed to be fine, no risk of another one getting out, but he wasn’t in the mood to see the others. He’d be forced to do farmwork, and he hated farmwork. He grabbed his coat and shook it off, making sure it wasn’t dirty, until one of the pigs gave a desperate squeal and he spun around, looking at it weird.

“What’s wrong with you?”

The pigs started to back away into the corner of the pen and Linebeck frowned.

“What are you pigs doing?”

He knelt down and tilted his head at the pig’s strange behavior, but something cold and sharp touched his neck, and he froze.

“Scream and I’ll slit your throat,” the familiar voice of the man who’s caused this mess whispered in his ear.

“You,” Linebeck growled, not moving with the knife up against his throat.

“You know, it took me a long time to find you and your friends, and to find you here, goddesses, it's infuriating,” the puppeteer sneered, and Linebeck rolled his eyes.

“What do you want, you big baby.”

The puppeteer scoffed. “You and your friends have been nothing but a thorn in my side! Always trying to ruin my plans and getting in my way! And then you suddenly disappear, somewhere where I can’t find you,” the puppeteer spun Linebeck around with his sword pointed at his neck. Linebeck glared at the one eyed mask he wore. “I’ve had enough of you, and I want nothing more than to kill you all.”

“So then kill me, why are you monologing when you have me right here with your pretty little knife pressed up against my neck?”

The puppeteer didn’t say anything, his grip tightening on Linebeck’s shoulder. He looked behind him, checking to see if anyone was there, and he returned his attention to his hostage. “I had no idea that the Links were all your sons,” his head tilted, “perhaps you all could be of some use to me.”

Linebeck’s eyes widened. “If you think you’re gonna use me against my kid—“

“These Links have truthfully been a pain as well, and if using their family to get them to listen is what I have to do, then so be it. If it’ll mean making you all suffer, then so be it.”

Linebeck kicked the puppeteer in the chest as hard as he could, trying to dig his heels in his ribs. The puppeteer grunted as he fell back, holding his side, but before he could do anything else, a battle cry was heard, and he jumped away before Link was able to slash him with his sword.

Wait, Link.

Link?

“Link!” Linebeck shouted, not believing his eyes when he saw the boy that he’s been looking for standing right in front of him, pointing his sword against the puppeteer.

“Oh, you’re here too. Isn’t that just convenient,” the puppeteer snarled and swung his sword at Link, who blocked it with his own. The two fought, Link being calm and collected while the puppeteer was enraged and messy. Linebeck just watched the two of them, his heart beating a mile per second.

Come on you idiot, help him! He thought to himself, looking around for anything that he could use as a weapon, but he found nothing. When he looked back at the two, the puppeteer had grabbed Link and threw him over his shoulder. Link landed with a painful thud, and he let out a cry.

“Link!” Linebeck called out again, more worry in his voice. Goddesses, why couldn’t he do anything to help him? Why was he so useless?

“You know what? I don’t need all you Links to be alive!” The puppeteer shouted, pointing his sword at Link, “I can make do without one!”

Linebeck gasped and finally moved. He sprinted towards the puppeteer as he thrusted his sword at Link, and he jumped over his kid, trying to tackle the puppeteer before he stabbed him and—

Linebeck grunted as he felt pain explode through his abdomen. He was face to face with the puppeteer, and when he looked down, his sword sunken deep into his stomach.

“Well, that wasn’t supposed to happen,” the puppeteer said breathlessly, and he kicked Linebeck to the ground, pulling the sword out of him.

“Linebeck!” He heard Link scream, and he saw him enter his vision, horror apparent on his face. Linebeck groaned at the pain, and felt the world spin around him as he felt the hot blood pouring out of him. He heard shouts and swords clanging, but Link stayed by his side, putting pressure on his wound. Linebeck stared at him, the boy that he was stuck with for so many months, the boy that saved his life countless times, the boy that he’s spent hours stargazing on his ship. Tears poured out of his eyes, and he reached out to him.

“L-Link,” he said, struggling to speak. Link turned to him and looked over his face.

“Linebeck, I—I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” he started to cry as the blood poured out of his wound.

“I’m—I’m glad you’re alright, green monkey,” Linebeck reached out to cradle his round face, but he saw the blood all over his hands, and a wave of nausea and dizziness overwhelmed him. He squeezed his eyes shut, letting his hand drop. “Oh goddesses…”

He heard people talking, and another set of hands helped with the pressure.

“We need Hyrule! He’s losing a lot of blood!”

“Hyrule is busy right now, Windy, I’m sorry.”

“But he’s going to die!”

Linebeck heard rummaging and cursing, then a cheer.

“I have a red potion! It’ll have to do alright?”

Someone lifted up his head and he opened his eyes, seeing Rusl sitting over him.

“Ok, Linebeck, I need you to drink this,” he said, and he put the red potion to his lips. Linebeck tried to do just that, and as he sipped the potion, he felt a warm tingly feeling go through his body as some of the pain left his body. He felt like he’d been drinking the potion for forever though, and Linebeck couldn’t drink it anymore. He suddenly went limp, and Rusl cursed under his breath. “You’re not done, keep going, please.”

Linebeck felt the world go dark around him, and the voices grew muffled. He heard shouting and crying, then darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Age groaned as another wave of monsters charged him and his father. He didn’t know what happened, he was greeting his friends when the puppeteer arrived and sent monsters after them. The Gerudo guards, Time, and Talon took Malon inside, and the two men guarded the home, Hyrule and Benji were fighting off a pack of Lizalfos, Rusl and Twilight ran off to help Linebeck who got hurt, Kass and Wild were busy with bokoblins, and Leon and the colors all went after the puppeteer. He and his father were being bombarded with wizzrobes, and they were never ending.

“When did the puppeteer show up?” His father grunted as he killed a wizzrobe.

“No idea, he always shows up at the worst times!”

The wave of wizzrobes were finally killed by the two, and Age spotted the puppeteer running from Leon.

“C’mon.” Age took off where they were, and soon the puppeteer was surrounded.

“Nowhere to run you bastard,” Leon growled, pointing his sword at the puppeteer. The others copied him, pointing their swords so that the puppeteer had nowhere to run.

“What are you going to do now that I’m caught, hm?” The puppeteer asked, tilting his head. “Are you gonna get on your knees and beg me to take you home?”

Leon grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall. “Shut up! Make the monsters go away or else I’ll–”

“What? You’ll torture me? Not very virtuous, first knight.”

Leon tightened his hold on his neck, and Age glanced at his father, who looked mortified. All the colors had unease written on their faces, and Leon sighed, loosening his grip. But when his hand pulled away slightly, Age saw goop fall off his neck. Leon jumped away as the puppet melted, and he spun around.

“That was a decoy! Where is the puppeteer?”

They all looked around frantically, and Age spotted the real puppeteer watching them. He lifted his hands, and a bright light assaulted his eyes. He yelled out in pain, feeling his skin burn from the light.

“Link!” He heard his father call out, and he felt a hand grab his arm. He reached out and embraced the person near him, feeling the world around him spin and change.

And then he opened his eyes.

He was lying on his back, and he knew that he was no longer in Lon Lon ranch. He sat up, noting that he was in a forest with thin trees littering the ground, and he saw the colors, calling out for their father. He looked around, confused on where his own father was. He was right there. Age was hugging him, he remembered. Where was he? He shot up and looked around frantically, but his father was gone, as was Leon. Age heard loud sobbing suddenly, and he searched for whoever was crying. Green spotted Age and ran up to him, with the others following.

“Age! What happened? Where’s my father?”

“I don’t know. My father is missing too.”

Red was crying and he stared in the direction where the sobbing was coming from. “Did we… did the puppeteer teleport us away?”

“Obviously you idiot!” Blue shouted. “The ranch looks nothing like this place!”

“Hey hey,” Age rested his hands on the two, speaking in a gentle voice, “let’s try to find the others, alright? The last thing we need to do is fight each other.”

Blue grumbled and followed Age when he jogged in the direction of the sobbing. There was a small clearing with fallen trees, and they saw Hyrule and Time huddled up next to each other, the traveler looked upset, while Time looked devastated. His head was resting in his hands as he stared blankly at Twilight, who was holding a sobbing Windy. Twilight was rubbing his back and whispering reassurances to him as he cried.

“What happened?” Red asked, and Twilight gave him a solemn look.

“He… his father got stabbed, but it’ll be alright. He drank half a red potion, which is better than nothing,” he said firmly, mostly to Windy than anyone else, but the sailor continued to cry. Age winced at every sob he made, Windy was such a strong young man. Seeing him this hysterical, it was hard to watch. The group heard running and they flinched when someone arrived, but it was just Wild. He looked relieved to see everyone, but he still had a desperate look in his eye.

“The puppeteer is nearby, we need to go. Now.”

Time stood up, fury apparent on his face. “Good, then I can deal with him once and for all.”

Age ran up to him and stopped him from moving any further. “He’s too strong for you, we need to see if we can find the others, alright?”

“That man took me from my home twice. My wife could give birth soon and I won’t be able to be there for her!” Time snapped, his voice cracking at the end. Age took a deep breath and rested his hands on his arms.

“I know, I know, but think about it, he sent us away from Lon Lon so we’d be away from everyone. He wants to isolate us, we must stay together and find help. We—“ he gestured to Windy “—are not ready for a fight against the puppeteer.”

Time glared at him for a moment, then the anger left his eyes, and helplessness took over as he stumbled back. Age grabbed him and held him steady.

“Woah, hey, take it easy, Time.”

Time let out a shaky breath and sat back down next to Hyrule. “Malon…” he whispered, burying his face in his hands.

“Guys… I know it’s hard, but we need to leave.” Wild looked behind him. “The puppeteer can’t find us like this.”

Everyone nodded and stood up with Twilight helping Windy, who was shaking. Wild and Age stayed in the back, listening for anything that could be chasing them, while watching the upset heroes in front of them. Age only hoped that their fathers were safe.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Where’s Link?”

Malon’s voice was shaking as Rusl put a bloody and unconscious Linebeck on the table. Benji stood near Talon, who was shaking pretty badly, looking confused and hurt. He had a deep scratch on his arm, and he stared at Linebeck in horror. It was chaos since the puppeteer attacked, Benji was with his son one second, and the next, he was gone. All the Links were gone, along with the puppeteer and his monsters. The men’s focus went to Linebeck who was practically dying from being stabbed. Rusl said that he drank some of the red potion, but the wound wasn’t fully healed, and he lost a lot of blood. Talon went to try to help, but Benji stopped him.

“Talon, maybe you should sit this one out,” he said softly.

“B-b-but he’ll d-die and I h-have to do something–”

“You’re shaking, and this is way out of your league, you know it.”

Talon took in a shaky breath, and Risa stepped up. “We can take care of him, you voe should go outside, alright?”

Talon nodded and headed for the door, with Malon following, asking where Link was. Benji looked at Linebeck who was pale and unmoving. He sent a quick prayer for his recovery, and went outside.

The men were all devastated in one way or another. Leon was cussing out and kicking the ground in fury, Ammon and Kass were comforting Talon and Malon, who were panicking, and Rusl…

The farmer went outside, and silent tears went down his face. Benji stared at him for a moment, then walked over to him, wrapping him in a hug. Rusl didn’t say anything, he just melted into the embrace and cried silently. Benji should be upset too, he’d lost his son three times now. First time, Orchid was only ten-years-old. Living with the guilt of losing him and possibly subjecting him to a terrible life was hard, but to see him alive and well six years later, it was a miracle. And then the puppeteer stole him away, and it felt like he lost him all over again. But now…. He just felt empty. He buried his face in Rusl’s shoulder and let out a sigh.

Now what were they going to do? They were back to square one, and this time, they weren’t in the same dimension as the Links. He thought that everything was going to be ok when he saw Orchid, but that didn’t last. It never did. He could tell the others felt a sense of hopelessness for finding their sons as well. And on top of that, they didn’t know if Linebeck was going to make it or not.

Their only hope was for some miracle to happen, but Benji didn’t think it would happen anytime soon. He just prayed that his son would at least be alright.

Please let him be alright…

[wolverinesleftclaw]

NYX’s NIGHTFALL

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

“𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬“

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

Natalya's eyes fluttered open as the morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. She blinked away the remnants of sleep, her mind slowly coming into focus. And then, as realization dawned upon her, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She turned her head slightly and saw Damon lying beside her, his form still and peaceful in sleep. But Natalya knew better than to mistake his calm demeanor for kindness. Beneath the surface lurked a darkness, a cruelty that she had become all too familiar with. As she shifted in the bed, Damon stirred, his eyes flickering open. A cold chill ran down Natalya's spine as she met his gaze — "good morning" Damon says as he moved his hand towards her face "please...don't" she said flinching away from his touch. "don't do that — ah ah ah" he tuts pushing her hair over her so he could view the bite marks from the night before "no, no, no, get away from me — No" she scrambles off the bed towards her vanity. A knock is heard at the door, "Natalya are you okay?" Elena yelled through — Damon looked at Natalya with a sinister look daring her to yell for help, "yeah lena just - uh- dropped my perfume" she said looking Damon in his eyes, "alright i made you some food downstairs, Jenna's on campus for the day" she said walking away. Damon smiled "this could have gone a completely different way. i'll be back later" and he disappeared. Natalya sat down on her bed, the silence weighing heavy on her chest like a suffocating blanket. The once vibrant walls now seemed to close in on her, their cheerful colors mocking her bleak mood. She hugged her knees to her chest, seeking solace in the darkness that enveloped her. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision as they streamed down her cheeks unchecked. Each tear felt like a drop of lead, dragging her further into the depths of despair. She felt numb, empty, as if a black hole had swallowed up all the joy and light in her life. Thoughts swirled in her mind like a whirlwind, each one more crushing than the last. She felt worthless, hopeless, as if she were drowning in a sea of despair with no lifeline in sight. Every breath felt like a struggle, every heartbeat a reminder of her pain. She dragged her feet to her mirror where she ran her fingers over the holes in her neck. She hadn't felt this way since her parents died, so lifeless — out of control. She quickly got ready, grabbing a scarf from her sisters closet; she wrapped it around her neck.

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

Under the shade of a sprawling oak tree, elena and bonnie stood outside mystic falls high school, their voices mingling with the soft rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze. The sun cast dappled patterns of light and shadow across the pavement, creating a serene atmosphere for their conversation. Bonnie leaned against the trunk of the tree, her backpack slung over one shoulder as she listened intently to her friend, elena. "somethings up with talya" Elena said to bonnie — who perked up at the mention of Natalya — "what do you mean, i haven't talked to her since last night i tried to call her this morning but she didn't answer" bonnie said back "this morning it sounded like there was someone in her room and then i heard a loud noise" Elena said her worry was clear on her face "i knocked on the door and she told me she dropped her perfume." Elena had a perplexed look on her face "she didn't want to have a movie night last night which is completely not like her" bonnie raised her eyebrows in surprise "wait — there she is" — Natalya walked up to the girls with a smile on her face after she exited Damon's car; the scarf around her neck, she tried to cover up the bite marks on her neck and hoped no one would be able to notice them. She couldn't say the same for the bags under eyes and her sunken cheeks. Elena and Bonnie both noticed her depressed state, she was normally so happy and bubbly she would practically run to meet up with her friends, but here she was walking slowly towards them. Elena noticed the lack of color in her all black outfit, the only color was a burgundy scarf. She always had a bright color whether it be a pink bow, or bright shirt. She actually thinks Natalya stole that scarf from her closet. "hey guys sorry i'm late" Natalya said sounding out of breath — "i — uh— couldn't figure out what to wear this morning" Natalya scratched the back of her hair "i'm just gunna go inside" she quickly turned around and started walking away — "wait talya" Elena yelled to her sister who turned around, "yea?" she responded "bonnie and Stefan are coming over for dinner tonight just wanted to let you know" she said smiling at her — "great" Natalya whispered under her breath as she turned and walked away. "that was caroline's mystery guy from the grill" bonnie said as she turned her head back to Elena — "that's not a mystery guy. That's Damon Salvatore" Elena responded — "Salvatore.. as in Stefan?" bonnie quickly asked Elena who shook her head. Elena and bonnie had parted ways, she was on a mission to find Stefan. She knew that from what Stefan told her about his brother that he was nothing but bad news. She also knew that Natalya would never go for a man that looked like him. she saw him walking towards her near Mr. tanners room — "Stefan" Elena exhaled as he approached her "did you know my sister is dating your brother?" she pressed, she watched as Stefan's face contorted with confusion and she could have sworn she saw anger in his eyes. "no i didn't know that" he responded voice strained — "well i don't know you brother all that well but somethings up. Natalya's being different than normal and no offense but he is not her type." Elena said waving her hands to make her point — "i think he's doing something to her" Elena whispered eyes watering as she look up at Stefan who had an almost painful expression on his face. "listen, i promise you i will handle it alright." Stefan said back as he grabbed Elena's hand.

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

Damon had made himself comfortable in Stefan's bedroom reading his journals when Stefan arrived home from football tryouts — "how were tryouts? did you make the team? very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul with so many adjectives" Damon instigates — "what are you doing here?" Stefan replies wary of his brothers next move "i've come to apologize. I've been doing some thinking, some soul searching, and... i want us to start over. we need to put the past behind us. You're my little brother, and if you want to live a normal, happy human life, then I want that for you. Maybe I can do it, too. That I can learn to be a non-living living person. Maybe there's hope for both of us." Damon says, he almost looks serious but Stefan knows him better — "no Damon, there isn't actually hope for both of us because there will never be hope for you" Stefan shot back as he walked closer to Damon grabbing his journal from his hand. Damon gets up from his chair — "You know i saw Elena today, btw. That means by the way." damon retorts — "She was at cheerleading practice. She looked so perky in her little short shorts. Just... simmer down, I didn't even go near her. I've got my own gilbert girl now. Ooh, that reminds me... I gotta run. I have a date. Sweaty palms. Wish me luck." he says wiping his hands on his pants and walking out of the room.

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

Elena and Bonnie were in the gilbert kitchen preparing food that elena had ordered. The girls were currently trying to make it look like they had cooked it. "You explain it. Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial breaks come on and I'm like, I bet it's that phone commercial. And sure enough, it's that guy and the girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture." bonnie exclaimed as she shrugged her shoulders matter of factly "Oh, come on. That commercial's on a constant loop." Elena retorted looking for a spoon — "Fine. Well, how about this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers. 3 numbers. I keep seeing 8, 14, and 22. How weird is that?" bonnie said back looking over her shoulder "Maybe we should play the lottery." Elena said stopping herself "hey can you try to go upstairs and talk to talya she won't let me in her room." Elena asked bonnie concerned laced in her tone — "yea i'll go now, i'm really worried about her." bonnie said walking away. Bonnie was worried about her best friend. the girls had been inseparable since the day they met, and yet bonnie hadn't heard from Natalya more than their quick interaction outside the school this morning. Bonnie bounded up the stairs towards Natalya's room, she could hear the shower running so she figured she could enter the room and wait for her on the bed like she normally would do. When she entered the room she noticed that all her makeup products from her vanity were scattered all over like Natalya was looking for something and her bed wasn't made, she even took notice of what looked like blood on Natalya's pillow. Clothes were scattered on the floor and some pictures were hanging sideways. she grew concerned when she realized the shower had been running for a longer time than necessary, she quickly knocked on the door "Natalya..." bonnie banged — no answer — "tal..? it's bonnie can you come out here" she heard the sound of the water shut off. "go away bonnie i just want to be alone right now" Natalya yelled back through the door — "no tal i miss my best friend and you scaring me and Elena. we just want to make sure that you alright." bonnie pleaded, finally the lock clicked and Natalya opened the door quickly making sure to move her hair over her neck. the door swung open and Natalya stepped out of the bathroom steam flowing out of the room. "i'm fine okay? i just want to get ready." Natalya snapped at bonnie as she moved out of her way — "ready for what?" bonnie inquired moving to sit on the bed. "i invited Damon over for dinner" she replied with a quivering voice — "tal you know if Damon is doing something to you that you can tell us right?" bonnie asked moving to grab Natalya's shoulder — "he's not doing anything to me" she snapped back to her pulling her shoulder out from her grasp. "okay.. okay, just promise that if you need help you will tell me or Elena?" bonnie held her hands up in surrender as she turned around and made her way to the door. "GUYS STEFANS HERE" Elena yelled from downstairs — "i'll let you get dressed, i love you glinda" bonnie smiled sadly at her. "i love you more elfie" Natalya choked out, she didn't want to cry but it was like her thoughts weren't hers anymore. she wanted to yell for help but she couldn't and she didn't know why. "okay don't be nervous, he's here, just be your normal loving self" Elena whispered to herself as she opened the door.

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

Stefan sat across from Elena next to Natalya, bonnie was on the end of the table. Stefan could smell the dried blood from Natalya's wound on her neck. He tried to not focus on it but rather the conversation at hand — "Did Tanner give you a hard time today?" Elena asked — "Well, he let me on the team, so I must have done something right." Stefan retorted, Elena turned her head towards bonnie — "Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him, and..." Elena started, you could hear the excitement in her voice as she spoke — "yea i heard" bonnie said quietly, Natalya knew that when bonnie wasn't fond of someone she wasn't exactly secretive about it. "why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" Elena pushed. Natalya cringed that was always a sore subject for bonnie. "Um, divorced. No mom. Live with my dad." bonnie replied calmly, "No, about the witches. Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches. It's really cool." Elena said looking back and forth between bonnie and Stefan — "i don't think cool is the word bonnie would use" Natalya said lowly under her breath. "Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of celtic druids that migrated here in the'00s." stefan said moving his arms on the table and crossing them over each other — that had piqued bonnie's interest "My family came by way of Salem." she said back just as the doorbell rang. Natalya's head flew up at the sound her breathing gone ridged, her shaky hand held her chair so she could get up "I wonder who that could be." Elena said beating Natalya to the door, she opened the door and Damon stood there with a pie in his hands.

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

"Hope you don't mind. Natalya invited me over for dinner" Damon said with a smile on his face, Stefan got up from his seat "what are you doing here?" he asked keeping his calm as if to not alert the others. Natalya noticed how he glanced at her, she realized he knew what Damon was doing. She grew mad at the realization that he knew and he wasn't doing anything, then she became scared because if his brother was doing that to her then what was he doing to Elena. as if on autopilot Natalya spoke up in a sweet voice "Baby hi, i'm so glad you could make it." she said pulling him over the threshold into the house. Damon leaned down and kissed her, she internally cringed but her body played along leaning into him. "you have a beautiful home, Elena" he said making eye contact with her. the group gathered in the living room, Natalya was sat on Damon's lap. "so.. um how did you guys meet?" Elena asked keeping her eyes on where his hands were placed making sure her sister was uncomfortable. "well i met him the other night when i ditched bonnie and caroline at the grill after caroline said how you can get any guy you want." Natalya said rambling — "you know i love her to death but sometimes i wish sheriff Forbes was the one who died that way i didn't have to listen to her voice all the damn time" Natalya finished, Elena and bonnie gasped at her words, Stefan held in a breath. it was never like Natalya to ever wish something bad on someone she loved, the person sitting across from them was not the girl they knew and loved. damon tapped her on her knee and said "you know you shouldn't say that sweetheart, I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die." — natalya was forced to say that, she didn't feel that way at all. "i should put the dishes away" elena excused herself — damon shortly after excusing himself to go help. Bonnie had went home giving natalya a quick hug and kiss on the head. Stefan was sitting across from natalya watching her intently, the way she fidgeted with her hands, how her heart beat irregularly every time she heard damon laugh. She was scared of him. "that's a really nice scarf" stefan said to natalya "Mm. Thank you, it's elena's" she said playing with the end of the scarf. "Can I see it? I mean, would you mind taking it off?" he asked holding his hand out for it, "oh i can't" natalya replied shyly — "why not? you okay?" stefan pushed, natalya raised her eyebrows as if to say "you know i'm not" but replied "Um... All I know is that I can't take it off." she said looking down at her lap. "what are you two kids up to?" damon asked as he entered the room — "i was just asking her about her scarf" stefan said to his brother — "Hmm. Hey, you know, um, Elena is finishing up the dishes. Why don't you go see if you can help?" he directed his question towards natalya but stared at stefan, natalya got up and made her way to the kitchen to help her sister. — "They are people, Damon. She's not a puppet. She doesn't exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to." stefan said getting in his brothers face, "Sure she does. They all do. They're whatever I want them to be. They're mine for the taking." damon said pushing his brother back "All right, you've had your fun. You used Natalya, you got to me and Elena, good for you. Now it's time for you to go." Stefan said pushing Damon towards the door — "That's not a problem. Because... I've been invited in, and I'll come back tomorrow night and the following night and I'll do whatever i want with Natalya. Because that is what is normal to me." damon said leaving the gilbert house. Natalya and elena finished up the dishes and made their way to their respective rooms for the night. Natalya laid in her bed making sure she locked her windows and shut her curtains hoping that would deter damon if he chose to come back. She turned her tv on for some background noise and fell asleep into a deep slumber.

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

Amidst a field of vibrant wildflowers swaying gently in the breeze, a girl with cascading locks of Brown hair danced like a sprite, her laughter echoing through the air. She twirled and skipped, her dress billowing around her as she moved with grace and joy. Behind her, a boy with an air of mystery chased after her, his form blurred as if shrouded in mist. He matched her steps with a playful determination, his laughter blending with hers in harmonious melody. The sun cast a golden glow over the scene, painting the world in hues of warmth and serenity. Each step they took seemed to be imbued with the magic of the moment, a fleeting dance of innocence and freedom. The girl glanced over her shoulder, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes as she quickened her pace, daring the boy to catch her. He responded with a playful grin, his movements fluid and effortless as he closed the distance between them. Their laughter filled the air, mingling with the sweet scent of flowers and the rustle of leaves. For a moment, they were lost in their own world, a world where time stood still and worries faded away.

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 :), 𝐢'𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 -

𝐌𝐢𝐚 𝐗𝐎𝐗𝐎

[chickensarentcheap]

Fandom: Extraction/John Wick crossover

Pairing: Esme Drummond and John Wick (platonic)

Face claims: Rachel Bilson and Keanu Reeves (obviously lol)

@tragiclyhip @munstysmind @themaradwrites @thebejeweledwatercat @youflickedtooharddamnit @secretaryunpaid @kmc1989 @karimac @asirensrage @residentdormouse @alisbackalleybbq @theesirenteller @ninjasawakenedmystar @mrsmungus

AFTER THE CUT:

Smiling, she raises her mug to her lips. “I’ll say it again, Jonathan; you’re a really good friend.”

“And about what you brought up…the whole ‘business proposal’ that never was…”

“Let’s not revisit that, okay? It’s not one of my finer moments. It was humiliating as hell. I’m still embarrassed. All these years later.”

“I didn’t say no because I was against it. In theory. Had it been another place, another time, another life, I would have gladly helped out.”

“I can’t believe I ever thought it was a good idea. Recruiting a friend to help out like that. I know I always wanted to be a mom, but…”

“I was flattered. That I was at the top of your list. And had things been different…had our lives been different…I wouldn’t have thought twice about going along with it. I just wanted you to know it was never about you; why I said no when you brought it up. It wasn’t because I was disgusted or thought less of you for asking. And I know you’ve probably thought it for years. That you were out of line.”

“I was, though. I was completely out of line. It’s a crazy thing to ask of someone. But thank you; for setting my mind at ease. It’s nice to know I wasn’t the issue. At least not in a bad way.”

“It wasn’t a good situation. With both of us being caught up in this life. Even if you’d walked away, I still would have been knee-deep in it. And that isn’t who you would have wanted to have a kid with. Someone like me. All the enemies I’ve made. That’s why I said no. Because you deserved so much better than that. Better than me. And I knew that guy was out there. Somewhere.”

“What’s the saying? ‘All’s well that ends well’? Had we gone that route, I never would have met Tyler. Which means I wouldn’t have Millie. And I wouldn’t give her up for anything. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Aside from her dad, of course.”

“And as far as this being a good friend? Being there the other night, all the help I’m giving now. I guess in a way, I feel owe you.”

“Not The High Table stuff again. I thought we agreed; it’s all water under the bridge.”

“I was thinking of something more important. More…personal.”

Esme smiles up at him. “Helen.”

Wick nods

She returns to looking at the window, drink clutched in both hands as fingernails repeatedly tap against the porcelain of the mug. “She was one of a kind.”

“She certainly was.”

They’d met in a coffee shop in Brooklyn, strangers living in nearly identical brownstone apartment buildings within a block and a half from one another. Two women living very different lives; Helen, a famous and world-renowned photographer, and Esme, only six months into working under The High Table. Frequenting the same cafe twice daily, their busy schedules, sought-after skills, and expertise had made anything more than warm smiles in greeting and simplistic, minor chit-chat impossible. But they had been paying attention; learning each other’s standing orders and one often treating the other. A rather simple gesture that means so much; signifying a door left open when it came to a potential friendship.

Fate intervened three months into ‘knowing’ one another; both finding themselves at the receiving end of some well-deserved downtime. An extremely rare occurrence of clear schedules that allowed them to stop, breathe, and take in the world around them. Helen was already seated when she’d spotted Esme stepping through the front door; calling out a greeting and then flashing that brilliant smile before gesturing to the various offerings on the table. It had been the start of something so beautiful; both surrounded by the sea of humanity that ruled over New York City, yet never feeling more alone. And they’d spent hours in that cafe; drinking countless cups of tea and coffee, sampling various desserts, and lamenting about ‘single girl life’ in The Big Apple. There’d been o talk of their respective careers; instead, they’d chatted about their hometowns and large yet fractured families.

After that, they’d prioritized meeting every morning, whether at the cafe, each other’s favourite breakfast spots, or even for jogs through Central Park. Helen quickly became not only her best friend, but a sister figure. Only four years separated them, but at times Helen had seemed so much older; wise, learned, brimming with positivity and always prepared with the perfect advice for any situation. Ad she’d been more of a sibling to Esme than any of her blood relatives had ever been; suffering through even her very early years with five older brothers that lived to torment her.

“I think about her all the time,” Esme swallows around the lump of emotion sitting square in her throat. “Even now, after all these years. She was my first friend…my ONLY friend...here. Outside of the circle, anyway.”

“It’s hard. Making any connections beyond all this. Most people…regular people…wouldn’t understand. Why we do what we do.”

“I’m right in the middle of it all and most of the time I don’t even understand it. And I know it sounds horrible; to say I’m at least glad she was gone before I left the city and moved to Prague. Had she been alive, I don’t know if my heart could have taken it. Saying goodbye.”

“She thought very highly of you. Always had something amazing to say about you. She valued your friendship. She would tell me that you were the sister she never had. Say how she would have given up all four of hers for one of you.”

“She was an incredible woman. Just so beautiful and so talented. And she was so perfect for you. You were perfect for EACH OTHER.”

“And that’s why I feel like I owe you. Because you were the one that brought her into my life. I got a chance at normal because of you.”

“It was merely a blind date. I just thought you’d be good together. And you were. You were so good.”

“Helen was the best thing that ever happened to me. I never thought I’d get away from this life. I thought it would always be ‘live by the gun, die by the gun’’. It never occurred to me that I could have anything more than that. Or that I even deserved to.”

“You sound so much like Tyler. The number of times he used to question the same thing; whether or not he deserved having me in his life. When really, it’s always been me that hasn’t deserved him. And considering five years ago…what I did to him…how badly I hurt him…I honestly don’t. I don’t deserve him. He should hate me. Not want anything to do with me. Yet here he is.”

“He loves you. Just as fiercely as he did back then. If not more. And there’s an extra layer to that now. You’ve made a human being together. He’s a dad again. How could he ever hate you? You’re the mother of his child. You talk about Millie being the greatest gift you’ve ever been given? I bet he’s thinking the same thing.”