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collapsedglasshouses · 1 year ago

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Consequences || Noah Sebastian x Reader [Part 2]

IF YOU DIDN'T READ PART ONE, READ IT HERE.

Pairing: Noah Sebastian x Reader

Summary: Even though Y/N felt slightly guilty about the eventful night with Noah, she can't help but follow him to his room that night.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, MINORS DNI, mentions of previous sexual events, swearing, alcohol consumption, oral sex (male receiving), (pls let me know if i forgot something <3), metric system (if that counts as a warning lmao, i'm european i don’t know anything about feet and inches)

A/N: Soooo, here is part 2... I dont even know what to say except that i was absolutely flabberghasted with your reactions to part 1. Thank you all so much! For those who want to know, I listened to Miracle on repeat while writing this ;) I'm always open for suggestions! Pls let me know if you liked this chapter. Enjoy!

When you woke up the next morning your head almost immediately started spinning. For the first few seconds you thought that maybe everything that had happened last night was just a dream but when you didn't feel any different after staring at the ceiling of your room for quite some time, you let out a frightened sigh.

Noah and you really hooked up last night. Noah really ate you out while watching your favorite movie. Noah and you really got intimate while your brother was celebrating his thirtieth birthday not even twenty meters away from you.

"Fuck..." you mumbled to yourself before you grabbed your phone to look what time it was. 10:23 AM. You didn't even sleep that long.

Slowly you got out of your bed and looked at yourself through the mirror that was hanging next to the dresser on the wall. The longer you looked the more guilt crept into your veins. You couldn't believe what happened. Even though you enjoyed every second of it, you couldn't wrap your head around how to go on from now on.

Would Noah and you continue as before? Were you now officially more than friends? Could you even go back from this? You had absolutely no idea...

After debating what to do, you decided to just go with the flow and went downstairs to be met with the mess the birthday party left behind. There were a lot of empty cups laying around and you felt the stickiness beneath your feet on the floor, causing you to shiver in disgust before tip toeing to a bar stool in the kitchen area to avoid as much floor contact as possible.

You weren't the first one to be awake since Jolly was sitting at said kitchen counter, eating a piece of Nick's birthday cake and mindlessly scrolling through Instagram.

"Good morning" you greeted him before grabbing a piece of cake for yourself.

"Are you okay?" You immediately tensed up and looked at Jolly who gave you a concerned glance. Is he talking about last night? Is he talking about why Noah and you just disappeared into thin air?

"I-… Uh… I threw up yesterday and Noah noticed I was gone and than he tried to make me feel a bit better." Tried to make me feel a bit better? Are you kidding me, Y/N, why don’t you just directly tell him Noah went down on you?

"Actually… just wanted to know why you looked so disgusted walking towards me." he began "But I’m glad you feel better now."

Internally you were this close to slamming your head repeatedly on the kitchen counter but on the outside you just forced a small smile onto your face "The floor is sticky. That’s why I looked so distraught." - "Thank god, I thought you decided you hated my face now."

"Jolly, you have long blown out hair and tattoos, if anything I would say I saw my fucking guardian angel." you joke and hug your friend from the said, who couldn’t help but gift you with the biggest smile you seen from him all week.

Right after you let go of Jolly, you heard steps behind you and were shortly met with Nick and Noah joining you in the kitchen.

"Good thing you took care of Y/N last night." Jolly spoke and making Noah and you stop in your tracks, while Nick just looked confused.

"Uh… Yeah… Thanks for taking care of me… Because you know… I threw up." You stumble not even daring to look your brother and his best friend in the eyes. "Oh right, yeah. She was totally wasted. She wasn’t even able to form clear sentences while we watched Spirited Away."

You immediately covered your cheeks since you noticed they were getting pretty warm while he grinned at you mischievously. He wasn’t wrong about you not being able to form clear sentences but for other reasons than Nick and Jolly thought.

"You really threw up? Holy! I always thought you could tolerate more alcohol than me, (Y/N/N)." - "Maybe, but yesterday was way different… Believe me."

You gave your brother an apologetic smile before quickly glancing at Noah who smirked a little while taking a sip from his water bottle. If he wouldn't have been so fucking pretty while doing that you would have slapped him in the face.

After Folio and Bryan had also found their way downstairs you began to clean the house.

About two hours later you all found yourselves laying on the couch while One Piece was playing in the background but no one seemed to pay closer attention to it since everyone still dealt with the hangover from yesterday running through their systems.

You were scrolling through Instagram when you let your mind wonder. You looked to your right and your gaze instantly landed on Noah. The last two hours everything seemed normal. You chatted as normal, he even helped you again to put the 'Happy Birthday' sign down. It seemed like nothing had ever happened between you and you didn't know if you liked that or not.

For you, even thinking about yesterday made you blush and you started to feel that weird feeling in your stomach but it seemed like Noah wasn't even bothered in the slightest by his previous actions.

You were snapped out of your thoughts when Folio threw a pillow into your face. "What?" you asked aggressively, throwing the pillow back to him, while the others chuckled. "What were you thinking about, Y/N?" Jolly asked teasingly but you just rolled your eyes. "What do you want, Folio?" - "I was asking if you wanted Pizza or Chinese Take Out for dinner?" Noah would be nice. You cleared your throat. "Fried Rice sounds really nice actually."

After the food was ordered, Nick threw a blanket over your lap, being the caring big brother he was. Before you could even process what was happening, Noah was also slipping under the blanket your brother just gave you.

"Would you all be down to do a small second celebration for Nick since we all got split up so bad yesterday?" Jolly asked and not even an hour later you were all sitting in a circle around the couch table and were playing stupid party games while eating your food.

"Oh! I know something. Never have I ever sent a dirty text to the wrong number." Folio stated and your brother and Bryan drank a sip from their beers. "Two each other?" Noah joked and everyone laughed at that. "That would have been intentional." Bryan smirked and winked at your brother who blew him a kiss before they laughed again.

"Never have I ever had dirty thoughts about a friend." Noah, Bryan, Jolly and you drank a sip. You could nearly feel Noah's gaze burn into you but you decided to not return it to avoid any suspicion.

"Never have I ever dumped someone over text." Noah and Nick drank a sip. "They learned that from each other" you joked and made the others chuckle a little.

"Never have I ever kissed or hooked up with a friends sibling or a siblings friend." Nick said and looked into the round. You also let your gaze wander over the others, but no one raised their drink to their lips except Noah and you.

Bryan howled teasingly while Jolly pointed at you two while smirking. You realised how your cheeks grew a lot hotter but before Noah or you could say anything, Folio came to your rescue without even knowing it. "Come on, guys. Everyone and their mothers know that Noah and Y/N were making out at that one party when they were seventeen. You know... They were drunk as hell, I think Davis was even filming it and even Nick knows that." Your brother began to nod. "I mean, it wasn’t the nicest thing to be woken up with Davis showing his phone under my nose but…" He chuckled awkwardly.

Meanwhile you took a deep breath and looked at Noah who smirked knowingly. Yes, you made out at that party but no one til this day knew that this was the day you lost your virginity to your brother’s best friend. Also no one knew that this little thing didn’t seem to be a one time thing.

Jolly seeing how nervous you got just went on with asking questions. Your mind still wandered through events happening almost ten years ago when you noticed a hand coming to rest on your thigh and than slighty squeezing it. You immediately tensed up and looked almost unnoticeable to your right. Noah wasn't even looking at you, seemingly paying close attention to the conversation your friends were having.

Slowly but surely his hand made its way up your thigh while drawing small circles on it. Were you hallucinating?

You took a big sip out of your beer when his hand landed on your clothed core and he suddenly started massaging you threw your panties. You immediately placed your beer bottle on the table before pulling the blanket closer to you and looking at Noah. His gaze was still on his friends and nothing on his face made it even slightly clear that he was almost fingering you under the blanket.

What was this supposed to become? Something made you mad about this. You knew this was wrong. You knew you needed to talk this out before anyone would get hurt. And than suddenly an idea popped into your head. If he wanted to play games, you sure as hell could take part in it.

Your hand started wandering as well and landed on his left thigh. Even though he tried his best not to look nervous, him suddenly biting his lip gave it right away.

The other boys were still full on discussing something about a video game when your hand landed right between his legs. He took a deep breath which made you grin while you slightly stroked him through his sweatpants.

His movements on you came to a hold, him being too surprised by your action and trying to contain himself, when your hand slipped through the waistband of his pants.

You gave him only a few strokes before he cleared this throat and started to shift, making you remove your hand from him. Guilt crept up your neck when Noah excused himself from the group, saying he was tired.

You looked at him while he stood up and adjusted his clothes. You shot him an apologetic glance when he started walking towards the stairs but you weren’t met with the emotion you thought you would.

Noah signaled you to come after him.

Does that mean-…? Does he want to-…?

Approximately five minutes after Noah you also wished the boys a good night before making your way upstairs and firstly going into the bathroom. You looked at yourself through the mirror and started to think about what was going to happen when you would enter Noah's bedroom.

You weren’t able to form a single straight thought in your head so you just splashed a few drops of water on your face in an attempt to cool you down at least a little before quietly making your way to Noah's room.

You again paused while looking at the door, feeling your heart race so fast you weren’t quite sure if you just had a heart attack. Your mouth went dry when you quietly knocked on the door.

Everything seemed to go a bit slower when you heard him shuffle and than open the door for you, staring directly into your eyes. You didn't even know what to say when you made your way into his room and you definitely didn't know how to go back from this when he closed the door and you slightly pushed him against it.

"What are we doing?" Noah asked quietly while bringing his hands up to your face while your arms wrapped around his torso. "I don't know, Noah. You tell me" You whisper, goose bumps forming on your arms when you noticed you could feel his breath on your face.

"Fuck... I just can't stop." he whispered before kissing you hard. A slight moan escaped your mouth.

Without thinking twice you worked your way to get him out of his pants, before he helped you out of your shirt. You grabbed the collar of his shirt and walked to his bed, while you kissed, your tongues fighting for dominance.

You signaled him to lay down to which he obeyed before he pulled you with him, but you swore to yourself that this time was payback. You helped him out of his shirt, before instantly attacking his neck with kisses. His hands found their way to your hair while he quietly whimpered under you.

"You don't even know what you do to me, Y/N." Noah almost cried out while you kissed your way down to his waistband.

"Than tell me." you demanded while slowly pulling his underwear down to expose his cock. You heard him quietly swear while grabbing the sheets under him. For a moment you were surprised you had this effect on him, before you continued your mission.

"Tell me, Noah." you whisper while taking him in your hand. "Tell me what I do to you." You pressed a kiss to his tip, causing him to buckle his hips up.

"Every time I see you, I want you all to myself." he let out under his breath before you took him into your mouth. "I just can't stop thinking about you."

If you didn't know any better, you would say butterflies filled your stomach because of his statement. You took him as deep as you can while his hips started to move in your favor. One of his hands tangled in your hair and the mix of him quietly cursing out your name and holding you in place while you pleassured him sparked a fire in your core.

"Fuck, Y/N." he curses, careful not to be to loud, "I'm so fucking close..." A moan escaped his mouth and he cupped your cheek with his other hand while you were going up and down his shaft in a steady tempo. "Can I-... Can I cum in your mouth?"

Almost moaning at his request, you nodded and hummed around him. When Noah released into your mouth with a groan it sent shivers down your spine. He slightly twitched as you worked him through his high, hands letting go of your face before pulling you up to his face while you swallow.

"I-..." He started but than there was a knock on the door that let you both freeze in your place.

With widened eyes you stared at each other before you heard the voice of non other than your brother at the other side of the door. "Noah, are you still awake? Can I come in?"

Before you could even think you rolled yourself off of and under this bed, while he dressed himself as fast as he could. "One second." He almost cried out before stumbling to the door and throwing your shirt under the bed in the process, that you quickly pull to yourself before holding your breath.

You felt like you were a fucking teenager hiding from the parents of your person of interest in an attempt to not get embarrassed.

So when Nick came into Noah's room, wanting to talk about something tour related you couldn't help but feel like this all was just some confusing fucking dream.

READ PART 3 HERE

#bad omens fanfiction #bad omens fic #noah sebastian x reader #noah sebastian fanfiction #bad omens fanfic #noah x reader #noah sebastian fic #noah sebastian fanfic #rpf #bad omens rpf #collapsedglasshouseswrites

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yeahtimesten · 2 months ago

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the summer after high school - pt. 1

patrick zweig x reader x art donaldson

summer break is what you look forward to all year, when your best friend, art donaldson, is back home with his family. the summer after graduation, he brings patrick zweig with him as well. you three are determined to have the best summer ever, before starting college.

word count: 2.3k

warnings: mentions of under 21 years of age drinking and smoking marijuana, profanity, mentions of semi-nudity/undergarments

Imagine growing up living next door to your best friend, but you really only get to spend part of your summer breaks with him. Well, you don’t have to imagine, that’s your reality actually.

While Art Donaldson was studying at Mark Rebellato Tennis Academy, you attended a local private school, stuck in your hometown. You longed for winter and summer break every year, when Art would come home and spend time with you and accompany you on your little adventures around town. Even then, with tennis practice, his schedule was spread thin, so you tried to make every second count.

Two nights ago was your high school graduation, his four nights ago. Usually, he’s flown in the first night of break starting, but you cut him some slack as you figured he’d have a school-hosted grad party and he had to pack every single one of his belongings this time to come home with. Still, you couldn’t imagine that he’d take this long to return home. And he wasn’t responding to any of your texts. You could have asked his parents, they were really close with your family, but they were so stressed getting their house together ready for his return as well as preparing for another graduation party, that was to be held to celebrate both of you with friends and family. You didn’t have the nerve to bother them.

Something in your gut told you he’d be home tonight and you waited up hours past your typical bedtime reading, listening to CDs, watching reruns of Lost. You even sat at your computer and typed an angry email.

Art,

Congrats grad! Where the fuck are you? Where do you get off? I’ve texted you 5 times since finals week. I’ve endured weeks of your mom showing me hauls of the new Stanford merchandise she’s purchased for you. What, you’re just going to ignore me? You’re not going to show up to your own grad party? You’re going to leave me alone all summer to spend time in your cushy living room painting your little sister’s nails and braiding her hair? Okay, not that that’s all that bad, I love your sister, but still. Fine then, throw away a lifetime of friendship with the coolest girl in the neighborhood. You’ll rue the day.$&:&3$:skehehxhseyurhreheb

You could have told him off for ages, but you fell asleep at your desk, arms resting against the keys of your laptop, drool dripping down your cheek. Suddenly, you heard familiar dings on your window. They weren’t very loud, but after hearing a few, it woke you up. Pebbles were being thrown your way. You lifted your head, feeling groggy and still fatigued. The laptop clock read 1:23 AM. You groaned as you got up and stretched, wiping the drool off your mouth with the back of your hand.

You sulked to the window, pulling back the curtains and lifting the window upwards to open. Across the way, blonde tendrils poked out of his own window, as an arm got ready to shoot another rock your way, but he looked up at you and flashed a dazzling smile at your presence. But, anger and annoyance still plagued you.

“What do you want, Donaldson?” You scowled, with your arms crossed over your chest. His smile faltered.

“Let’s go to the lake,” Art proposed.

“I’m not talking to you.”

“Yes, you are. You’re literally talking to me right now,” Art laughed at you.

“I’m mad at you,” you huffed.

“Listen, y/n/n, I’m sorry I didn’t text you back. I got wrapped up in finals and submitting files and paperwork for my contract with Stanford. And we’ve spent the last 24 hours at the airport with a flight delay. Please, let’s go to the lake.”

Your expression softened, but you were still all puffed up and red. Until it dawned on you. “We?”

“Hey, y/n,” Patrick popped into frame.

You looked down and blushed, your face now totally betraying your tough demeanor. You had only spent two previous summers and one Christmas break with him. He’d probably have spent more of his free time with the Donaldson family, if Patrick’s parents allowed it. But, they felt Art was a bad influence (lol) and wanted their son to focus on more important things. Anyways, you always had a small crush on him growing up and you found it difficult to hide.

“Come on, meet us out front with your bike and we’ll ride to the lake,” Art pleaded.

“We have a surprise,” Patrick chimed in with a smirk.

Though you didn’t will it, your lips curled into a smile as you looked off, defeated.

“Fine. Give me five minutes, I’ll be right down there. And don’t be too loud outside. Your parents would sleep through a thunderstorm but mine wont.”

Art shook his head and closed his window, and you did the same. You started scrambling around, brushing your hair in your mirror, throwing on an oversized hoodie and running shorts, socks, and your dirty worn out pair of converse. Your contacts were out for the night so you grabbed your glasses and headed out the door.

You jogged down your long drive way and grabbed your bike from its place against the fence as you head off your property. The two boys sat on their bikes waiting towards you. Rocks and leaves crunched under your bike tires, greeting them and letting them know of your presence. They turned to look at you, but the three of you remained silent, as you requested. A simple thumbs up from you let them know you were ready to head out. You peddled slow as you reached further from the house down the road.

Vineyard country was beautiful. The homes were large and rustic, with big bulbed string lights dawning almost every house. It lit the way, as you sped up and whirred by greenery and shrub lining the pathway. Maybe you were a tad jealous your best friend was off at a gorgeous countryside boarding school, studying in a beautiful classic brick and mortar that looked like it came straight out of a book. But, where you lived was quite beautiful, and truthfully made for the best scenery in your teenage years.

The three of you took the typical path into the woods where this beautiful lake was tucked away. The sound of frogs and crickets filled the air and fireflies twinkled in the night. You took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of mildew and algae as you dropped your bike into the grass and leaves.

Art coughed. “So, no hug?” You turned towards him with a small smile, practically running towards him and leaping into his arms.

“Oh, Art, I missed you,” you cooed, as he twirled you around. “And Patrick, hiiii, welcome back.” You hugged him too, and he lifted you off the ground in a great big bear hug. “Soooo, how was graduation? What shenanigans did you two get into this year? Tell me everything!”

Patrick and Art turned and smirked at each other, unable to keep their secret for much longer.

“But first, don’t you wanna see your surprise,” Patrick asked in a sultry and mischievous voice. You raised your eyebrow at in in intrigue, matching his cheeky smile. Smoothly, he whipped out a long crooked and wrinkled white cone from his pocket. “We brought you a joint!”

The three of you sat in a triangle near the edge of the dock passing around the joint and a beer they got their hands on.

“And then, Art just hops onto the table, pantses himself, and starts shaking his butt like a treat in front of a hungry dog,” Patrick muses, holding back bouts of laughter.

You’re barely holding back you own, and Art has his head down in his hands from shame.

“No fucking way,” you say, shaking your head.

“But then, get this,” he continues. “A big ass bird swoops down by his head - they mistook his hair for straw they could steal for a nest - and he got so scared he fall off the table and damn near face planted into dog shit. We were both so hungover the next day, Art woke up late, and we missed our flight.”

“Oh! So, there was no flight delay, you missed your flight,” you caught on, smirking. “You’re such a dirty liar.”

“No, no. Our flight was delayed, because we woke up late,” Art defended. “I technically didn’t lie.”

“Whatever, you know what that implies,” you teased. “Way to try to dodge accountability, though.”

“It was more so Patrick’s fault than mine! He kept forcing me to do shots! He had me do a beer bong!”

“Whatever, I don’t believe you. You really expect me to buy this ridiculous story?”

“You really think Art isn’t capable of letting loose like that?”

“Letting loose? Maybe. But that’s a whole other ball park. You on the other hand, I could totally picture you doing this,” you pointed to Patrick.

Art holds his hands up to you, palms scraped and bruised. His face was shy, a tad embarrassed upon showing you the proof of his foolishness.

“Oh…”

“Do you believe me now?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” You grab his palms and hold them in front of you on your lap, inspecting the injury. “Ow, Jesus, Art… Isn’t it going to hurt, y’know, holding your tennis racket?”

“Nah,” he shook his head. “I mean, it doesn’t feel great closing and opening my fists, but it won't keep me from playing.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re good then.” You smiled at him. He met your eyes and shared a crooked smile back.

The three of you kept talking. About summer plans, your impending college experiences, your graduation. You told them you graduated as your class valedictorian, had a phenomenal speech, wore this gorgeous powder blue dress that snagged in the crook of a folding chair and ripped. Art’s parents were there for you and gave you the biggest hug after, they even held up little cardboard signs of your face. They told you Art was supposed to be there but he got held up at his boarding school.

“God, it’s fucking humid out here,” Patrick said, fanning the neck of his shirt. “I forgot how hot it gets out here.”

“There’s a lake right there,” you pointed. “Jump in!”

The lake wasn’t really a lake, it was a large pond, technically. More shallow than a lake, the sunlight still reached the bottom floor of the body of water. Many summer days and nights were spent there. It was the typical meet up spot for the three, or even just Art and you when Patrick wasn’t visiting as well. And besides that, plenty of barbecues and Fourth of July parties were spent there too. It wasn’t that deep in the little forrest at the inner edge of your neighborhood. It was a precious marked spot in your memories.

Patrick looked at you and shrugged, standing up and stripping down to his boxers. His lean and muscular body practically sparkled in the moonlight. His arms and thighs looked bigger than the last time you saw him. At first, he hesitated, looking at the water. You thought he was waiting for you to say you were just kidding, but you weren’t gonna. He leaped in front of him, somersaulting in the air, cannonballing into the water bellow him. He emerged to the surface, arms crossing his chest and holding onto his biceps as he shivered.

“You coolin’ off?” Art laughed with you at his friend.

“Get in here, cool down with me,” Patrick smirked. You shook your head at the boys tomfoolery. Moments like this are what you missed during the school year.

Art started stripping down too, his body more lean, way more pale, but still just as attractive. You couldn’t ignore that your best friend was pretty good looking as well, you had stolen plenty of glances when he wasn’t aware.

He ran off the dock, flailing about, penetrating the water with his butt. A beat happened, and he hadn’t resurfaced. Just as you started to worry, though, his top half thrashed out of the water, shaking out his long blond hair.

“Fuck, it is sorta cold in here,” he said, joining his friend in shivering.

“What if I just took your clothes and left you here,” you laughed. If only you were a superhero who could manage taking their clothes and bikes. You’d be waiting at the end of Art’s drive way, watching them walk up soaked in lake water and freezing.

“No, it’s your turn,” Patrick said. “Get in. Join us, y/n.”

“What the hell,” you said. “No. I just have my chonies on underneath this.”

They both looked at you with big wide bug eyes.

“We’re not wearing swimsuits either,” Art exclaimed.

It’s totally different, you thought. They wouldn’t understand, but even if they did, they didn’t care.

The two looked at you, you looked at them, tapping your foot on the wooden deck.

“Okay. Fine,” you gave in. “Turn around.” The boys sighed and rolled their eyes, but turned their bodies around anyways. You began to strip down; your shoes and socks off, hoodie and shorts next, then your glasses folded neatly on top of your pile of garments. Now you stood in a pinkish tan set: ruffled bralette and lacy boy-shorts.

You dolphin dove into the water, swimming out a couple feet farther than the guys. The splash sprinkled on top their heads, and they opened their scrunched up eyes to see you in front of them.

“It’s not that bad,” you regard the temperature of the water.

Patrick splashed you, you back, then Art joined on the fun. The air is filled with the three of your giggles and you are content. This is what you longed for every school year. To spend your summer vacation with your best friends.

a/n: hi guys! here is the first part of a new series i’m writing. i was between using an original character or using y/n but when i have an original character i get way too in the lore and details in an unnecessary way and i wanted to be more inclusive in the fandom. here and there might be some specific descriptors on like how the character looks or what she wears, i am not used to writing ‘readers’ so im sorry if it’s not entirely inclusive! personally, i love to link outfit photos of what she’s wearing but i'll try not to go into actual detail of what she’s wearing, so feel free to ignore whatever i have her dressed as!!!! dividers by - @/chachachannah

#challengers #challengers 2024 #challengers movie #art donaldson x reader #patrick zweig drabble #patrick zweig x reader #art donaldson #art donaldson drabble #challengers fic #challengers x reader #challengers fanfiction #patrick zweig fanfiction #patrick zweig blurb #patrick zweig #patrick zweig fic #art donaldson fic #art donaldson fanfic #art donalson x reader #art donaldson x reader x patrick zweig

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34saveme34 · 6 months ago

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SMG4 sim review + Idk things funny

this is gonna be. unorganised. witness !

he sleeps with starving pou good for him

dumb hobo knockoff.......... where have I heard that before...........

interesting he's getting called a knockoff though!

some violence today I see!

he barely just woke up and is already going right in to Meme

I mean, I. respect the grind but. damn

one could say.... it's going to be perfect? Huh SMG4?

Hey that's. pretty early! Uhm. wow

he's REALLY going for the grind huh?

Also I posted before the "plan out shit vs make up shit" and man I love it for him honestly, he really does feel like someone who likes to go with the flow

and I'll say his video was pretty charming! Although it is once again Hamburger. saying once again because of his phone apparently like, having a hamburger folder full of hamburger pictures. I don't remember which episode it was at this point

very intensive meme making btw. puts his whole memeussy into it or whatever. sorry I said that, I won't delete it though. you have to read it

HE IS SO INSECURE "it should be funny" BRO, YOU'RE THE MEME MACHINE THE FUCK YOU MEAN SHOULD

CMON

me for real. me when I post something stupid and wonder if people will like it. I'm so SMG4 in this moment

his number 1 hater...... even after all this time..... what is this if not true love?

okay but genuinely so interesting. He was working hard on a video and it got disliked and 3 also called it shit

Idk I'm just, whenever 4's insecurity in his videos come up, I get reminded of his little "nobody loves me unless I am meming good" episode

especially with 3 being involved here

I bet he actually chuckled once but decided to say that anyways because he doesn't want to feed 4's non existent ego

anyways the fact, the FACT that after 3 tells him his video sucks he dies?? I know that they probably weren't going for it but it really does feel like he really REALLY cares about what 3 thinks of his stuff

it's almost like he wantst to prove himself to 3 that he can make stuff beyond 3's imagination, which is, kind of gay

can.... can this be counted as him using his guardian powers? I mean, it IS meme related even if for his video

I wonder what else can he do. I also wish we could see more moves and stuff where both of them are needed. like sure, we got the wotfi 23 fusion move but other stuff we really only saw them working by themselves

forced to hold hands doesn't count because they didn't really. use their powers there so

so disrespectful to his boyfriend..... come on man. you know he is worth millions. and his kisses for you billions

also find it really interesting that he seems to be the brightest here, like lighting wise

I wonder if he got in there because he actually LOVES being involved in 4's videos. Like, nobody else did, all the other stuff were memes

it was only 3 who wasn't, which I think especially justifies his weirdly coloured outline

I wonder, maybe, he was counted as negative points because he's not a meme

or maybe it's a bit of a throwback at the idea that he can't be funny

I just love this shot. this is so me core, I'm so like this, I'm saying this all the time

this looks so cursed

also kinda funny the ice cream seems to replenish him more than a watermelon

I mean- at least his eating isn't complete wack?

into the deep pocket you go, child

Now, let me say something controversial. I think, if 4 got over himself, he would like some fanfics. like ASMRs already like, especially this type of thing he's listening to hold a cringe factor

a cringe factor outsider people also associate with fanfiction. I'm just saying, I think he would read angst fanfics. He would read them and feel really sad but would be too ashamed to tell anyone about it

This is also supported by the fact that he likes dating sims. I don't know what his exact type is in all of this but he definitely enjoys sappy, romantic stuff. All of it. If he wasn't scared of people judging him, he would be so so SO indulgent. I think this is one of the reasons he likes hanging around Boopkins. I think he might even envy his ease of showing his interests in even the most indulgent stuff without caring what others think

you should've comforted him. Anyways why are you here, there's no way that much time passed. you're here at like 7 AM. Do you just live here 3? You also said in wotfi 23 prep stream that you have your credit card linked to 4's pc!!! you're not beating the living together allegatins, 3!!!!!!!!

although really interesting he gets his stuff together over 3's comment

he lost it at 3's words, he collected his shit together over 3's words

again, what is this if not true love in plain sight?

Really loved the fnaf bit, though Mario smashing his PC was kinda Eh

especially cuz he got punished for it

can't even be attention seeking around 4 because he's just gonna freak out and call you a distraction

and he like memes all the time which means you could become a distraction to him VERY often

lowkey makes me think 3 doesn't like to bother with some stuff because of that, like i just KNOW he wants to hang out more

like CMON

hey that's his silly little music player from last episode!

the bootleg 3 plushie in his inventory!!

a little gay I'll say

what ya lookin so crazy for!!!!!!

maybe the only fans option wouldn't have failed you like the sponsorship did

I mean at least the merch worked

which uh.....

not to be like that but my mind went catboy 3

ME !!! ME FOR REAL

by the way this once again shows how fluid and stupid fame is in the SMG4 videos

or this is like a sly sign at 4 falling off again and trying to hide his insecurity!!! I don't want that

I hope that this is just a bit that doesn't get brought up again, we don't need It's gotta perfect 2 I think

anyways that's it for the episode! Overall fun honestly

would be interesting to see videos like this with other characters as well, considering it shows an insight into the character's brain

for example here, I could tell that 4 has problems and is also still quite insecure, though that's not something that can just change so easily soooo

yeah

overall real fun though I'm left desiring a normal episode

#smg4 #Nicc-thinks

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tamurilofrivendell · 2 years ago

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Beauty and the Beast | Chapter 23

Previous Chapters [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22] Read on AO3 [x]

Pairing: Thranduil/Fem. Reader Summary: A Beauty and the Beast inspired tale with Thranduil the Elvenking and a human reader from a nearby village Taglist: @captainchrisstan, @rebleforkicks, @yjrevolution, @majahu, @honey-wine, @accio-boys, @achromaticerebus, @solomonssimp, @tired-ass-show-girl, @dreamlessnight, @daddy-long-legolas, @sleepyamygdala, @coopsgirl

Three days passed in a fairly similar, comfortable way. You divided your time between the library, your room, exploring the halls or the gardens, and enjoying the company of those around you. Your main connections were Thranduil, Myleth and Legolas. Elros, Tauriel and Galion were often not too far behind, though Galion was often so busy with the king, being his personal butler. He had a lot to keep him busy even when he was not personally attending to the king himself. Indeed, with the upcoming festival you had found out about, it seemed most everybody was suddenly very busy. The whole kingdom seemed to buzz with activity and excitement.

You found yourself intrigued as you learned what you could about this elven festival. You had learned some of the customs of the elves during your time here and found yourself increasingly curious with each passing moment. Elves were nothing like what the people of your village had always assumed, the horror stories that had been passed down through the generations. The Mirkwood elves being the only ones that your village had come close to in all its years of existence, which was still not very, imagination had easily run wild.

The truth, you had discovered, was far lovelier. You’d found yourself thinking about how you could not wait to tell everyone just how wrong they had been but, of course, it had then hit you that you would never get the chance. You were not leaving these halls. Still, you wondered if perhaps you could bring up the idea of writing your father a letter eventually. You couldn’t see why Thranduil would deny you the joy of letting your father know you were safe and happy. Happy? The word had caught you off guard but you were quick to dismiss it, distracting your mind with a book of Elvish, which you were currently attempting to learn.

You woke one morning and readied yourself for the day ahead. You had been taking most, if not all, of your meals with Thranduil and Legolas now. However many times you found Legolas suspiciously absent, though whenever you would bring it up with him, he would wave it off as having been busy with his princely duties. You accepted it but you were not entirely sure if you believed him. Still, why should he bend the truth with you? You could see no reason, especially about something so trivial.

After dressing, you turned and left your room, trailing down the corridor in the direction of the royal chambers. When you reached the door to the dining room, you slipped inside and were surprised to find nobody there. By now, Thranduil was usually already up and sitting at the table waiting. In fact, usually breakfast was sitting on the table already but today there was nothing. You lingered for a moment, listening, but there seemed to be no noise or movement coming from anywhere. Turning, you left the room again and retreated back down the corridor.

As you walked you spotted Tauriel about to turn a corner ahead of you, looking mildly concerned, and you hurried towards her. “Tauriel!”

She turned at the sound of her name and offered you a smile. “Oh, good morning.” Tauriel said, continuing on. “I am afraid I cannot stop and talk.” She seemed a little scattered.

You shook your head. “No, that’s okay, I was just... wondering if you knew where Thranduil was.” It was out of the ordinary and off schedule so you were, admittedly, a little thrown.

Tauriel’s footsteps faltered then, which you found a little strange because nobody seemed to bat an eye anymore when you referred to the king by name, and she turned to look at you. “Oh. I am afraid I cannot say, My Lady.”

Frowning, you tilted your head and regarded her curiously. “What do you mean?” Surely, as the king, Thranduil’s whereabouts would be rather well known. “Do you mean he has left the halls? Did he slip past the guards? Is he in the forest alone?” You were beginning to feel a slight panic starting to take hold of you as all sorts of scenarios filled your mind. Though you knew Thranduil was a skilled fighter, you could not help your worry.

Tauriel gave you a confused look before she caught your meaning and shook her head quickly. “Oh, no. There is no need for concern, he is quite safe. I mean I simply cannot say.”

Your frown deepened as you blinked back at her. “You cannot?”

She shook her head, turning to start walking once again, eager to get where she was heading. “I am sorry. It is the King’s orders.”

You stopped walking and watched Tauriel’s retreat as she turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Did Thranduil not want to see you? Had you done something wrong? Still frowning, you trailed away down to the dining hall, moving inside and hoping to catch sight of somebody you knew. Myleth immediately saw you from the table she sat at and waved you over. “Oh! I should have come to fetch you, how silly of me.” She shook her head as though she had made some sort of mistake and tapped her fingers against her forehead. “No matter, you are here now. Are you hungry?”

You shook your head at her. You had lost your appetite but you were also confused by what she had said. “But... you know I usually eat with Thranduil, why should you come and fetch me?”

Myleth looked at you. “Oh, dearie, did the King not tell you?”

“Tell me what?” You were beginning to get frustrated as the answers you sought continued to linger beyond your grasp.

“That he would not be able to break his fast with you today.” Myleth continued, unperturbed by your irritation. “I am sorry, I assumed he would have informed you and I suppose he probably assumed I would have come to your chamber before you left it. Miscommunications all around.”

You were still confused as Myleth turned to pour herself some tea from the pot on the table. “But... why is he unable to dine with me this morning?” You couldn’t help but ask, needing to know if something was wrong.

“He is unable to dine with you all day, My Lady.” Galion stated as he took his seat across the table, glancing at Myleth only briefly but you caught a secret sort of look pass between them that only frustrated you further.

“Will somebody please tell me exactly what they mean and stop talking in riddles.” You sighed heavily, looking from one to the other. “Have I done something to upset him? Is that it?”

“No!” Myleth was quick to jump in, hastily shaking her head. She had absolutely no desire to let you sit with the idea of the king being upset with you, especially not now she had witnessed just how much the two of you seemed to bring out this light in each other where before only darkness had lingered between you both. “Of course not, no. Oh, dear, do not worry. It is only today. Now, come on, let’s discuss the festival. I think I have found you the perfect dre--”

“Then why?” You cut her off, unable to just let it go. You felt like something was being kept from you and you wanted to know what it was. You glanced at Galion, noticing the warning look he shot Myleth when she turned to him for help.

“Come on.” You said, firmer this time. “Somebody better start talking.”

Myleth sighed and turned to look at you, ignoring Galion’s sound of disapproval. “My dear... it is a difficult day for the King... and for his son.” She murmured and you realised that you had not seen Legolas yet that morning either and it was quite a bit later now.

“In what way?” You asked carefully, looking at Galion who was engrossed in a teacup in front of him, acting like it was the most interesting thing in the world despite the slight scowl that had appeared on his face.

There was a long silence and then Myleth spoke again. “Well, it... it is the Queen’s begetting day, my dear.”

From what you could understand, a begetting day was the day on which someone was conceived which was what the elves tended to celebrate as opposed to actual birthdays. You hadn’t really understood why that would be important until Myleth had vaguely explained the conception and birth rates of the elves and it had started to form a fuller picture.

However, elves lived for so long that they often did not tend to celebrate at all, or at least not every year. However, with the queen... gone... the king had taken to truly taking this day to remember her. Or, more aptly, truly drown in his grief. He would shut himself away in the West Wing and Legolas would go into the forest with his bow, unable to stay in the palace when his father was like this.

The reason for Thranduil’s sudden disappearance on this day was only ever officially known by a select few staff members, who were under orders not to further discuss it, or his whereabouts, with others. Though, of course, rumours would have flown over the years, especially with everybody knowing that the queen was so off limits.

Your footsteps carried you in the direction of the library, intending to shut yourself away for the day as well, but your gaze fell upon that red curtain that concealed the staircase up to the West Wing and before you knew it, you had slipped behind the heavy material and were climbing the stairs.

Your last two visits to these chambers flashed through your mind. One horrible, one not so horrible. You weren’t sure which this would be but you felt as though it didn’t really matter. You were set on this course already and no amount of fighting with your own mind would get you to turn back.

You passed the portrait of the queen once more, looking up at the destroyed image of her as you did. She was so beautiful. She had such kind eyes, you thought. It was a shame that she seemed to have suffered such a horrible fate that nobody could even speak of it. Your curiosity was sky high but you turned your focus towards finding Thranduil, peeking into rooms as you passed. Moving into what was clearly a bedroom, you found an opened drawer of items had been upended, the jewellery and beautiful, intricate headwear all scattered across the floor. Images of Thranduil losing his temper to his grief and sending his wife’s jewels flying across the room in a rage flickered into your mind.

You felt sad.

Turning, you moved to the doors that led out to the balcony. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a blackened rose in the middle of a glass case. Moving over, you ghosted your fingers across the glass with a frown. As you turned your head towards the window, finally catching sight of Thranduil down in the garden, you realised this dead rose was one of the Starfire Roses. More specifically, the one your father had plucked and killed. The one that seemed to have started all of this in the first place. Thranduil had kept it, giving it something of its own little memorial display case.

The sight hurt your heart.

Carefully, you moved towards the doors and pulled them open, slipping out onto the balcony. Thranduil didn’t look up, he simply continued to caress the roses. You could see them moving. Even they seemed sad today.

Biting your lip, you turned and moved carefully down the stairs and began to cross the grass. Your heart was practically in your throat as doubt began to creep in and you started to think that this may not have been a good idea after all. Would Thranduil just be angry with you? Perhaps your coming here uninvited, sticking your nose in where it did not belong, would set the two of you back after coming this far.

“This had better be important.” Thranduil’s tone was cold and he didn’t move, not so much as turning his head at your approach. His attention remained upon the roses. “I was very clear that I wish not to be disturbed.”

You stopped walking, your heart sinking into your toes. “Oh, I... sorry.” A soft frown crossed your features and you turned to make yourself scarce once more.

Thranduil turned around then. “Wait.” He called, looking at you with a frown of his own. His voice was softer now and you turned to face him again. “I thought you were somebody else.” He admitted, having assumed Galion had come to bother him with something. He looked at you for a quiet beat before he held up his hand and gestured for you to join him.

Tentatively, you moved across the garden and took a seat beside him on the little bench that stood beside the Starfire Roses. You glanced down and reached out towards one, watching as it turned its attention to you. Smiling softly, you turned your gaze to Thranduil. He was watching the flowers again. Your smile faded away as he glanced up and met your gaze, attempting to offer you a smile of his own but it fell short and he simply looked... sad. It was the only word you kept coming back to, to describe this entire situation.

“Myleth forgot to tell me you would not be at breakfast...” You told him quietly, not sure what else to say. You didn’t want to overstep and make him feel worse.

Thranduil closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head in a way that made it look like he was feeling guilt or regret. “I am sorry.” He sighed, opening his eyes. “I must admit, it did not cross my mind to tell you.”

“There’s no need for apologies.” You assured him quickly. You understood, how could you not? “I really didn’t mean to bother you, I just... wanted to see if you were alright.”

Thranduil blinked at you for a moment, finding that it surprised him... the fact that you had thought about how he would be doing. That you would want to seek him out, especially considering the way he had acted in the past. He knew that you had both become closer, that you had even gone so far as to call him a friend a few days ago, but he still found himself surprised by it. By the changes that had occured during your time here. By the way you seemed to... care... for someone such as him.

It touched him and Thranduil found himself reaching out for your hand. “Thank you. I...” He turned back to the roses with a sigh, watching them curl towards each other. “I will admit, I find this day to be... especially difficult.”

The two of you lapsed into silence for a few moments. You did your best to ignore the butterflies that the touch of his hand gave you, swallowing down the annoyingly present feelings that you simply could not seem to shake.

“Tell me about her?” You ventured, glancing up at him. You were quick enough to see the brief flicker of surprise flash in his eyes as he turned to look at you again. He covered it fast enough, however, his face becoming the marble mask you had become so accustomed to.

Thranduil was quiet, scanning your face as if he were trying to ascertain whether or not you were being serious. When he found no insincerity in your eyes, his gaze softened slightly.

“Her name was Caleniel...”

Legolas returned from the forest early that evening and set his bow back in its place, moving towards his chamber so that he could bathe and change. He was exhausted, but it was mostly due to the emotional whirlwind his mind had been in for the entire day.

It happened every year and it never got any better. He would wake frustrated and retire in the evening the same way.

This day was always such a dark one in the kingdom, it had been for centuries. Which was saying something when he thought about how generally dark a lot of things in this kingdom had become over these years. Despite every single shred of his mother being removed and forgotten and forbidden to even be discussed, the heavy shadow of her was ever present. Legolas barely remembered her but he remembered his father’s grief. It had been a constant for practically his entire life.

He trudged through the hallways towards the royal chambers. He just wished for this day to finally be over once and for all. It would come again the next year far too quickly. One year was such a drop in the ocean to an elf, it always felt as if no time had passed at all.

Legolas was surprised to find himself waylaid in the corridor by Tauriel. She looked normal at first glance but Legolas could see a slight flush to her cheeks and she looked a little more wide eyed than she usually did. “You have to see this.” She told him, fingers clutching his arm as she pulled him back down the hallway.

Legolas allowed her to lead him but his feet stilled as they came to the staircase up to the West Wing. He shook his head. “Tauriel, I cannot, my father...”

Tauriel shook her head, practically dragging him up the stairs. “Come on.” She urged and his feet allowed him to follow. “He always retires to his own chamber after dinner, you know this... but he did not come and Galion was concerned.” Tauriel pulled him down the corridor in the direction of the large bedroom. “So he came up here to look for him, to see if he needed anything...” Huddled at the window were Galion and Myleth, both turning to look at Tauriel and Legolas with expressions he could not decipher. Legolas was frowning now, too drained for games, just wanting to retire. He could not understand what the fuss was about. If his father wanted to stay up here all night moping then he could do just that.

He came to a stop at the window, taking in the sight of you and his father down in his mother’s garden.

“She went missing during breakfast.” Myleth said to Legolas, watching him for a moment before she glanced back outside to you and the King. Thranduil was talking and you were solemnly hanging off his every word. “She was nowhere to be found but I did not imagine that would have come back up here...”

“Since breakfast?” Legolas could not hide the shock that coloured his tone as he turned his gaze on Myleth. He glanced from her to Galion, who nodded, and then looked back outside. He watched his father talking and you listening. He wondered what you were discussing and probably would have paid a troll’s body weight in gold just to be able to listen in on one single moment.

For all these years, his father had been a black hole of grief and anger. Not one soul had been allowed up here. Not one soul had been allowed to utter his mother’s name or talk about her tragic demise. Not one soul had managed to get his father to simply spare them but one moment on this day.

Until you came.

Now, here his father sat. Talking with you in his mother’s private garden, on this very difficult day, beside her beloved Starfire Roses. He did not look angry. He looked a little sorrowful but the weight that always sat so heavily and obviously on his shoulders this day almost looked, to Legolas, a little lighter than it usually did. He could hardly believe what he was looking at but the scene made his heart soar.

“Come... we should leave.” He said softly, ushering the others out of the room and back down the stairs. As big a turning point as he had just witnessed, Legolas was still fairly sure that his father would not take kindly to all of them lingering at the window like spies this time around.

#thranduil x reader #thranduil x you #thranduil fanfiction #thranduil fanfic #lotr x reader #lotr fanfic #lotr fanfiction #hobbit fanfic #hobbit x reader #beauty and the beast

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ioannemos · 3 months ago

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so. YESTERDAY.

1. woke up in time to shower before walking to church

2. here's the thing. the church i've been going to? next town over. even i cannot walk that far. so i decided to check out one of the churches in town

3. there are... several. i honestly did not expect that many

4. what the heck, i've never been to a nazarene church before, let's see what they've got going on, it's one service

5. start walking, get distracted by a sign for an art fair. the temptation is real. maybe after church i'll go check it out. i can fit in something fun before grocery shopping and picking up my medication

6. it's a thirty minute walk. i'm not even halfway there and have to turn on my data to look at the map. getting hot. this sucks

7. look up. i'm right next to a different church. according to google, this one has a female pastor. i rejected this one earlier for that reason. the 'can women be pastors' thing is not something i've really researched for myself but i have read the verses and idk, seemed pretty clear cut that the answer is no. on the other hand, i'm right on time for the service, and do i want to do this right now?

8. fk it. i'll miss more than half the service at the other church by the time i get there. if it sucks i'll hit the bricks

9. two old people are thrilled to see me. i am gifted a bulletin and a nametag

10. the sanctuary is more than half empty, most heads that are present are grey, and there is no sign of technology except for the dude up front wearing a mic. there is no apparatus for streaming online, no tvs to display lyrics, no soundbooth or even the person in charge of making the mic work. i have absolutely nothing against those things, but it's kinda nice tbh

11. the pastor is def a guy and they just moved their service from 10:45 to 10:30, so i've missed a lot of this service too. but i didn't miss the sermon, so whatever, fine, this is just my life today i guess

12. HYMNS. they do HYMNS here. i am instantly pacified that they didn't update their sign outside with the new time

13. don't get me wrong i LOVE contemporary Christian music okay, i have a playlist that's stupid long, great stuff, makes me think, makes me cry, all that

14. but HYMNS!!!!! from a HYMNAL!!!!! how i've missed them. i can hear some people harmonizing. this is the Good Shit

15. the bulletin says that after the service they're having a baptism and picnic at the lake. i'm trying to be more... social *gagging noise* so... maybe... i'll go... but only if someone invites me

16. service is over. hey who's that. i recognize her face. shit. what's her name and where the hell have i seen her

17. fk it. approach. "hey! i recognize your face but can't for the life of me remember your name or where we met 😅"

18. her name is vicki and i met her at my previous job *more gagging noises* but she only worked there once in a while. thus i don't have to feel guilty at not knowing her immediately. phew

19. she has a baby! her baby is cute, of course. coo over baby appropriately

20. while cooing over baby, someone else approaches. her name is marnie. i barely play sdv but it's enough that i don't think i'll forget her name very soon

21. marnie: are you going to the baptism?

me: i don't have a car

her: oh, i can drive you there and back if you want

guess i'm going!

22. her: do you want to stop by your house and get some shorts?

me: i don't own any shorts

her: ... your swimsuit?

me: i don't have one of those either

her: ...okay

23. she has to pick up something at her house first. she offers to lend me something lighter than jeans 🥺 i turn her down, bc i'm just. used to wearing jeans everywhere, but i appreciate the offer

24. the beach we go to is lovely. it's part of a camp that a bunch of churches in the area use. the water itself is probably freezing (the lake doesn't really warm up, a familiar refrain to someone who grew up right next to lake michigan lol) but the area is nicely shaded (it is hot in the sun)

25. the picnic food is good. i talk a little with the people at the table i sit at. it's... fine. there are a few conversations going at once, which i find distracting and unpleasant (my brain struggles with what i'm supposed to be paying attention to)

26. it's time for the baptism!

pastor, quietly: how do you guys do this here?

me, very amused: idk man, this is my first day attending this church

pastor: what, really?? okay, stick around after this, i wanna talk to you

me: okay

27. the guy getting baptized cries during his testimony, we pray for him, he gets dunked, we cheer and applaud, we pray for him again, he lets a few people take pictures and then cannonballs off the end of the pier into the lake to more cheers and applause

28. some people leave. the pastor's wife asks if i want to go kayaking. i think i've gone kayaking once? i say yes anyway. fk it, i'm already stepping out and i don't feel like killing anyone at this picnic or myself yet

29. obvs both the pastor and his wife are in high demand so it takes a while but eventually we start hauling out the kayaks

30. marnie, who works at the camp, is very conscientious that everyone has an emergency whistle and is wearing a life jacket that is appropriately sized. she also lends me and the pastor's wife hats. marnie is the best, i think

31. the water is crystal clear and the weather is about perfect. marnie suggests we head for a slightly shallower part of the lake, where there are lily pads

32. the youngest member of our party, a teenager, capsizes on the way. we all come together to tow her and her kayak to shore. the pastor's wife uses her emergency whistle to tie the swamped kayak to the guy towing it. i wrangle the teen's paddle and point out that the person who offered to tow the teen doesn't have anything for her to hold onto but that someone else does, and they switch accordingly. the extra water is dumped out on shore. the teen is checked on and encouraged. we all head back out onto the lake

33. the pastor talks to me for almost the entire trip. it's nice bc he tells me that if i don't want to answer any of his questions i can just tell him to back off, but honestly i like talking about myself 😅. i realize that the person his voice reminds me of is ted danson and it is made abundantly clear to me why he has a mic in the otherwise electronics-less church: his voice is fairly quiet and barely carries (which are separate things, fight me)

34. amongst other things i talk about mom. when do i not tell people about mom. i mention how the night she died i had the feeling that i wasn't going to see her again, so before the paramedics left with her i had a chance to say goodbye and give her a kiss. he describes this as the gift of... discernment, i think? anyway i want to talk this down a bit, bc when do i not talk down any gifts i might have, but the more i think about it the more instances come to mind. huh. i will need to think more on this

35. we see the lily pads and a few lily buds, hang around for a little bit just talking, and then head back. we arrive back at camp without incident, put up the kayaks, and go our separate ways

36. except marnie has a thing to do first, do i mind, no i don't, repeat about three times, lol. but i really don't mind, i have tomorrow off also to do what i need to, and the things she needs to do are a. all for the camp, which has kids who just arrived and b. the kind of tasks i find completely non-stressful, like refilling napkins and hand soap. i am introduced to her boss. we leave eventually, each with a plateful of brownies

37. we talk the whole way. i am once again asked questions about myself and i am once again more than happy to do so. i should probably shut up occasionally. 🙄🤐 she drops me off but not before asking for my number

38. i have neither done my grocery shopping nor picked up my medication. fk. guess i'm doing that tomorrow

39. go inside, take dog out back to play with her. one of the other dogs also wants to play. thankfully there are two balls, so i kinda just juggle between them. neither dog seems to mind

40. another roommate shows up with his new dog: the tiniest puppy 😭 so small! one and a half hands big! and i got to hold her 😍💞🥰 reminded me of my dog when we first got her 😭😭 i miss her... 😭😭😭

41. did my laundry. turned on my laptop and only made it through one of my yt rec'd videos before realizing i was falling asleep. reluctantly decided to do the right thing and just. go to bed

42. fell asleep almost instantly and finally slept well. so all i need to do is wake up early, eat no breakfast, walk to church, go to a new place, talk to people i don't know, go kayaking, play with two dogs, do a big load of laundry, and then i'll sleep well. glad to find out it's as simple as that 🙄

#an excellent day in the life of a mostly introverted and kind of socially stunted adult. that's all #think positive #personal #abbie needs a twitter

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rainisawriter · 1 year ago

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Sick for You (Ryu) {Sicktember 2023}

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Genre: Fluff, slice of life, angst, comfort, domestic, comedy, romance

Word Count: 8,564

Pairing: First Person x Ryu

World: The Rampage

A/N: Okay, let me say that this is 100 million percent self-indulgent because I am a certified Ryu simp. I would die for this man, okay. This also took like a week to write lmao and it was written for @sicktember 2023. I wasn’t originally gonna do anything for this because of Flufftober but then this idea hit me like a freight train c: Also shout out to Kels (@babyboybinbin), Dia (@sieunkinnie) and Sweet (@xsweetelegantdisasterx) for letting me abuse them in this fic~ I regret nothing ò.ó)

Prompts (in order): #11 -Beginner’s Guide to Faking Sick / #18 – “Wear your coat, you’ll catch a cold.” / #4 – Hiding An Illness / Alt #3 – Pounding Headache / #23 – Coughing Fit / #16 – Consulting the Internet/Web MD / #19 – Curled Up With A Pet / #8 – Persistent Fever / Alt #4 – Forehead Kisses / #12 – Home Remedy/Old Wives Tale / #21 – “But if you stay, you’ll get sick too.” / #24 – “Did you just sneeze?” / #3 – “What happened to your phenomenal immune system?” / Alt #1 – “I could really use a hug right about now.”

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Light streamed through the curtains, landing conveniently across my eyes and bringing me from my sleep. I looked at the clock through blurry eyes, realizing that I needed to get up soon for work but I really didn’t want to. My bed was so comfy and the body wrapped around my own was warm. Why would I ever want to –

Wait a damn minute… I blinked dumbly at the wall for a moment. Why is there a body in my bed? I turned slowly so as not to disturb them, a smile instantly coming to my face when I realized who it was.

Ryu was sleeping peacefully behind me, strands of hair falling across his face. He was already a gorgeous man but he looked like a damn angel when he was sleeping so peacefully. I slowly reached forward, tucking the hair behind his ear. He stirred, gorgeous brown eyes meeting mine.

“Morning,” he mumbled, stretching out his long body.

“When did you get here?” I wondered, propping my cheek up against my hand. “I thought you were on tour for another three days.”

“We had to end it early because of the bad weather.”

“You shoulda woke me up.”

He hummed, fingers curling around the hem of my shirt. “You looked too cute. I didn’t want to bother you.”

I ignore the fluttering of my heart and the warming of my cheeks, leaning down to claim his lips. “Babe, you could never bother me.”

He gave me a goofy grin, eyes lighting up. “You have to be at work soon, right?”

All thoughts of work had gone out the window when I realized he was in bed with me. I rarely got to see him because of his hectic schedule and there was no way I was going to work.

I forced myself up, grabbing my phone off the bedside table and bringing up Google. Ryu propped himself up on his elbow, looking curiously at my phone screen.

His brow furrowed as he read the words of the article I had clicked on. “‘A beginners guide to faking sick.’ You’re gonna lie to your boss?”

“No… I’m just gonna bend the truth a little,” I defended, trying to ignore the stern look he sent me. “Is it so wrong to want to spend time with my beautiful boyfriend, hm?”

He fought back against the smile trying to overtake his lips, still trying to appear stern but I knew I had broken him. It was my special ability at this point. “Fine, but you have to make it up to him later, okay?”

“I’ll bring him donuts or something.”

Ryu laughed, shaking his head before climbing over me to get off the bed. He started to leave the room but paused as if unsure. “Do you want me to make you breakfast?”

I wasn’t sure why, but he was always cautious when it came to cooking. It’s like he wants to, but he just doesn’t have the confidence in himself which breaks my heart. I offered him a playful grin. “Well, the last time I cooked something that wasn’t instant ramen, I set the kitchen on fire, so…”

He paled as the memory came flooding back to him. “Ah… I’ll cook, then.”

“Sounds like a good idea.” I followed him into the tiny kitchen, settling down at the table with my phone. “I love your cooking. Your food always tastes so good.”

“Really?” He glanced at me with a shy smile and I nodded.

“Yes, really. If I could cook like you, I wouldn’t be a Fire hazard.”

He laughed, pulling the eggs out of the fridge. “Just don’t attempt it when I’m not here, okay?”

“Okay~” I promised, pulling up my boss’s contact. I took a deep breath, clearing my throat as I pressed it to my ear. I hoped it would go to his voice-mail, but no such luck.

“Hello? Takanori speaking.“

“Hey, boss.” I tried to lower my voice and sound as if I was dying, but judging from the look Ryu was giving me, it wasn’t working as intended. “I, uh… I can’t come in… today…”

“Oh? Are you okay? You sound terrible.“

“Yeah, I -” I faked a few coughs and Ryu sent me another stern look, clearly not approving of the lie. “- I’m not feeling too hot.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Get some rest and –“

There was a sudden loud clang from the kitchen. Ryu had dropped the metal spatula on the floor. ‘Sorry,’ he mouthed, sending me an apologetic and guilty look.

My boss called out my name, sounding worried. “What was that noise? Is everything okay?“

“Yeah!” I replied quickly, forgetting my tone change which I quickly fixed. “Yeah, sorry. I… I dropped my cup…”

“You should be in bed,” he scolded softly. “Don’t worry about anything. I can get Dia to cover your shift.“

“Thanks, boss.”

“Take care.”

I hung up the phone, releasing a relieved sigh as I sat back in my chair. “Man, acting is hard. I don’t know how you do it.”

“A lot of practice,” he hummed, breaking the eggs into a bowl.

I watched him for a moment, admiring how careful he was with each action. “What should we do today? A new store opened up a few blocks away. Looks interesting from the outside.”

“Is that a smart idea? What if your boss sees you?”

“He works in an office building on the other side of town and he’s a workaholic so he stays way later than everyone else. The chance of him seeing me is,” I formed a circle with my hand. “Zero percent.”

“Famous last words,” he teased.

“For you,” I came up behind him, arms around his waist and face buried in the back of his shirt. “It’s worth the risk.”

His hand found mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. It was something he did to show thanks when words failed him.

After breakfast, we started to get ready to head out.

Ryu checked his phone before glancing at me. “It’s supposed to rain and the temperature is going to drop. Wear your coat, you’ll catch a cold.”

“Don’t worry so much, you know I love the cold,” I replied, shoving my feet into my boots.

“Loving the cold doesn’t make you immune to it.”

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” I held my hand out to him with a reassuring smile and he reluctantly took it, his hand easily dwarfing my own. “Besides, I’ve got you to keep me warm.”

He quickly turned his head but not before I noticed his blush, bringing a grin to my lips. He tugged me out of the apartment, the chilly autumn air nipping at my exposed skin. The sky was covered with gray clouds, thunder rolling softly in the distance.

He glanced up and hummed thoughtfully. “We should buy an umbrella first.”

“The convenience store on the corner sells them, I think.” I tugged him in that direction, feeling in high spirits. How could I not be? The love of my life was home, it was nearly October, it was cold out and it was probably going to rain. It was a recipe for pure joy.

The store had an entire rack of umbrellas for sale, including a blue one with lamas printed on it and a teal one with cats printed on it. It took me an embarrassingly long time to choose one while Ryu waited patiently, standing behind me with his arms around my waist and chin on top of my head. It was an easy feat given our height difference.

“If you want, you can buy both,” suggested Ryu softly.

I considered it for a moment. “They’re overpriced already and I don’t need two.”

Ryu chuckled, picking them both up and heading to the front despite my protests. He didn’t hesitate to pay for them both, again, ignoring my protests. I sent him a disapproving look when he held them out to me.

“Don’t be mad,” he pouted. “I like buying things for you. It makes me happy.”

Well, I can’t argue with that. His happiness is my happiness. I clicked my tongue, taking the umbrellas from him. “Thank you, I really do appreciate it.”

“Of course. Should we check out that new store now?”

“Yes, let’s go~!” I grabbed his hand and dragged him from the store, prompting a laugh from him.

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I stifled a yawn, rubbing the back of my neck. We had been out for hours, mostly just walking around and enjoying each other’s company. The shop hadn’t been anything special, though Ryu did find a jacket that he liked.

He threw his arm around my shoulders, rubbing up and down my arm. “Should we head home?”

“Yeah. We can watch a movie if you want.”

“I’d like that. You can choose.”

“Oh?” I sent him a grin and he frowned.

“Am I going to regret that decision?”

“We are so watching The Worst.”

A faint tint came to his cheeks. “We’ve already seen it a hundred times.”

“And I wanna see it a hundred more because my baby is in it and he’s incredibly talented.” I smiled warmly, reaching up to cup his face. He leaned down to make it easier, his warm hand covering my own. “You’re an amazing actor, you know? And an amazing dancer. And a genuinely amazing person in general.”

He shifted nervously, glancing away.

I knew complimenting him made him feel shy and nervous, but it felt important to me. I needed him to know how important he is, how special. Maybe that makes me selfish, I don’t know.

I pulled back, releasing my grip on him. “Come on, let’s get home before -“

As if sensing my thoughts, the sky opened up with a loud roar of thunder. Sheets of rain fell on top of us, causing the others on the street to cry out and rush for cover. Ryu grabbed my hand, pulling me under the cover of a nearby Cafe. As badly as I wanted to enjoy the rain, I was more concerned about him. It would be bad if he got sick and couldn’t rejoin the other Rampage members.

“We should get home so you can change,” I murmured, frowning at the water that clung to his hair. I opened the cat umbrella, making sure to hold it high enough so it wasn’t resting against the top of his head.

“You need to change, too,” he pointed out, putting his arm around my shoulder and tugging me against his side to ensure that the umbrella covered us both. The wind picked up, sending a chill down my spine. It took everything I had not to shiver simply because I didn’t want to worry him.

The apartment was chilly, providing little warmth.

“Hurry and get changed,” said Ryu as he shrugged off his jacket.

“You first.”

He sent me a pointed look which I returned.

“Don’t look at me like that, Ryutaro. Think about the other members if you get sick.” I folded my arms over my chest, watching as he bit his lip. “Go on, I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be quick.” He pecked my cheek before rushing into the bedroom. Kazu came rushing out when he opened the door, easily slipping through his legs before rushing over to me.

I clicked my tongue, kneeling in front of him. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were in the room.”

He stared at me with his large blue eyes, tail swishing back and forth in annoyance.

“Will a treat make it up to you?”

Mrow~

I chuckled, patting the feline on the head before standing up to enter the kitchen, him hot on my heels. He hopped up onto the chair, waiting patiently as I searched for the treats. Where the hell are they? I tugged open the cabinet, spying them on the top shelf.

Well, shit. I stood on my tiptoes, reaching up but only the tips of my fingers brushed against the plastic container. I tried pushing it closer to the edge but I think I just pushed it farther away.

A chest pressed against my back, his hand appearing beside my own and easily reaching the container. “I’ll feed Kazu. Go get changed.” He pressed another kiss to my cheek before approaching the annoyed feline.

I smiled at him before doing as I was told, changing into a t-shirt, a rampage hoodie, and some pajama pants with little ghosts printed on them. I felt much warmer now, but there was a tickle at the back of my brain. I couldn’t describe it, I just knew I didn’t feel quite as energetic as I had this morning. Then again, it was a long day.

Ryu was sitting on the couch waiting for me, Kazu curled up beside him as he gently brushed his fingers over the feline’s white fur. I settled down on his other side, seeing the movie already pulled up and ready to play. He pulled me against his body, arms wrapped protectively around me.

With a smile, I pressed play on the remote before letting myself melt against him, chest filled with warmth and love.

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Over the next couple of days, I started to feel worse and worse. My body felt heavy as if it were made of lead, someone seemed to be endlessly pounding on my skull with a hammer and I barely had the energy to live. Even so, I knew I had to hide it from Ryu because he’s the type who would drop everything for his loved ones.

I refuse to be the reason behind him getting into trouble or, worse, getting fired and losing his dreams. It was hard as hell to pretend to be okay, but I managed by pretending it was a video game. Besides, he leaves tomorrow morning so I can die in peace without disturbing him so long as I make it through the night.

The smell of paella filled the apartment and I swallowed hard, hit by a wave of nausea. Not that it smelled bad or anything, but in my weakened state, I simply wasn’t hungry and I couldn’t trust myself not to throw up if I actually ate something. If that were to happen, Ryu would blame himself for messing it up and I didn’t want that.

On the other hand, telling him I didn’t want to eat would probably make him feel self-conscious and sad. He put in the effort to cook for us despite not having a lot of confidence in doing so, I couldn’t just crush him like that.

I brought my knees to my chest, groaning softly into my knees. Kazu was staring at me from the recliner. I don’t know if he understood my predicament but it felt as if he was judging me for my choices, the little shit. He reminds me of someone else who just so happens to share the same name.

Ryu’s feet padded softly across the wooden floor as he appeared beside the couch. “Dinner’s ready. Do you want me to make you a plate?”

I took a slow, deep breath. ‘Come on, get your shit together. Do it for him.’ Lifting my head, I gave him an apologetic smile. “Actually… I think I might skip dinner tonight.”

He sat beside me with a frown, brow furrowed in worry. “Why? What’s wrong?”

My stomach lurched, a sharp pain shooting through my skull simultaneously and I nearly cursed aloud at my body for conspiring against me. I wrapped my arms tightly around my stomach to try and ease some of the pain I felt. “I’m about to start my period so my stomach is a bit… wonky at the moment.”

“Already? You’re not due to start for another week.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised that he knew that because he was always on top of things like that, always trying to ensure I was comfortable and prepared each month, even when he was away. “Uh… better early than late?”

His face burned at the comment and he brought the back of his hand up to cover it. “Go get some rest.”

“I’m sorry, Ryu.”

“For what?”

“You cooked for nothing… I should have said something sooner.”

“It’s okay,” he replied softly, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “You can eat it when you’re feeling better.”

I wanted to kiss him so badly for being such a sweetheart but I didn’t want him to get sick so I settled for a thankful smile. “Thank you, baby.”

“Of course.”

I waited for him to disappear back into the kitchen before standing up and hobbling my way back to the bedroom, holding onto the wall for support. The room was spinning by the time I made it to bed and I was all too happy to fall face-first onto it, the pillow muffling my groan.

Despite feeling exhausted, I just couldn’t fall asleep. My head was hurting too bad, the painkillers not even touching it. For two hours, I lay there staring at the wall, trying to will myself to succumb to the darkness of sleep but my body refused to obey. When Ryu finally joined me, I pretended I was asleep, urging myself not to move as he slid in behind me, arms wrapped protectively around my body.

I guess that was the missing link because the last thing I remember was him kissing me on the cheek and whispering, I love you, something that he rarely said out loud.

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I startled awake as a coughing fit grasped me tightly, forcing me to sit up. The room was bright with Ryu nowhere to be found. I glanced at the clock and cursed, realizing that he had already left. I was already late for work, too.

As badly as I wanted to just bail and call in sick again, I knew I couldn’t. This was my karma for lying about being sick in the first place, I knew. With a groan, I threw the covers off of me and immediately started to shiver as the cool air wrapped around me. My head still hurt, my nose stuffy and the room spun when I tried to stand up.

“Shit,” I muttered, sitting back down and squeezing my eyes shut. I waited for my head to stop swimming before standing up again, walking slowly so I didn’t fall. Kazu followed close behind, his big eyes not leaving me once. At least he didn’t seem to be judging me this time. If anything, he looked worried.

“I’m fine,” I told him, though my voice was hoarse and my throat scratchy. He flicked his ear, eyes narrowing. “Don’t give me that look. I’ll never give you treats again, you little -” My threat was interrupted by a coughing fit, my throat burning.

It took longer than I’d like to admit to get ready for work and, if I’m being completely honest, I don’t remember how I got to work. It felt like I blacked out and when I came to, I was sitting at my desk with a sheet of paper in one hand and a pen in the other.

I felt a familiar tickle at my nose and I scrunched it up on instinct, only making it worse. I tried to hold it back but a loud sneeze ripped from my body, sending the stack of papers flying off the desk. I groaned at the throbbing in my skull, eyes half-lidded.

“Are you okay?” A hand rested on my shoulder and I slowly lifted my head, seeing my boss frown. “Geez, you look like death.”

“Am okay, boss,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. I started to get up to retrieve the papers when the world started to spin violently around me.

“Woah!” He threw his arm out to steady me, slowly lowering me back into my seat. The back of his hand rested against my forehead, his frown deepening. “You’re burning up… wait here a minute, okay?”

I didn’t have the energy to reply, my body slumping forward onto the desk with a groan. Why does everything hurt so bad? Am I dying right now?

“As you can see, she’s not doing so well,” stated my boss as he adjusted his glasses, returning to my side. “Can you take her home? I’ll pay for the Uber.”

“Of course, boss,” replied Dia. “Leave it to me.”

“I’ll call them, then.”

As soon as the car arrived, Dia helped me down to the first floor, allowing me to lean against her even at the risk of catching my cold. At least, I think it’s a cold. Maybe it’s the flu, I don’t know. Either way, she was selfless and I loved her for it.

There was a car parked in front of the building, tinted windows making it impossible to see. I could hear K-pop music blaring from within and I dreaded getting inside with my head hurting as badly as it was.

Dia knocked on the passenger window and it slowly slid down, the driver leaning toward it. She was wearing a strange pink thing on her head, the fabric secured beneath her chin with velcro. On the top was something resembling a tentacle, though it was different. I felt as if I knew what it was, but my feverish brain couldn’t quite place it.

She tilted her head down to peer at us over her sunglasses, yelling to be heard over the loud music pumping through the car. “You Dia?”

“I can’t hear you!” She yelled back.

Shaking her head, the driver flicked the volume dial and repeated the question.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Cool, I’m Kelso. Hop in and let’s go for a ride,” she grinned, rubbing her hands together like some kind of anime villain.

Dia sent me a concerned look as she helped me into the backseat, though I wasn’t sure if it was because of my illness or because our driver might be certifiably insane. The cold air of the ac felt good against my heated skin and I sighed softly, resting my head against the glass.

The car was quiet at first, broken only by the soft music playing in the background.

“Hey, you know sharks don’t have any bones?”

“I – huh?” Dia looked at the woman, startled.

“Yeah and don’t say their teeth, either, because that shit is calcium, not bone.”

“Sure…”

The song changed and Dia gasped. “Oh my god, I love Pentagon!”

“Really? Me too!” She grinned, turning in her seat so that she was half-facing us while still driving down the road. “Who’s your favorite member?”

Dia didn’t seem to notice that our driver was no longer looking at the road despite driving at such a high speed. “I love Jinho.”

“My bias is Wooseok.”

My wide eyes stared forward as cars and buildings zoomed past us. My heart was racing in my chest, and my head seeming to throb in tandem with it. I looked at Dia in horror, trying to get her attention but my voice seemed to have left me. When I turned back to the front, there was a woman relaxing on the hood, not seeming the least bit bothered by the high speed at which we were traveling.

She slowly turned her head, smiling warmly at me when our eyes met, but it quickly fell into a worried frown. “You don’t look so good, hun.” Despite being on the outside of the vehicle, it sounded as if she was talking from right in front of me.

“I…” My voice was scratchy and I ended up coughing a few times before I could speak again. “I think I’m dying…”

She chuckled softly, amusement dancing in her eyes. “You’re not dying. Not yet, anyway.”

“How are you on the hood of the car? How haven’t we crashed yet?” I glanced at Dia to find her still chatting animatedly with Kelso, but they weren’t making a sound. It was as if someone had pressed the mute button on them. “I’m so confused,” I groaned, resting my face in my hands. All I wanted was to be back in Ryu’s arms, but he would be gone for a while.

My heart clenched painfully at the thought, tears stinging at my eyes.

“Don’t cry,” said the woman, her voice soft and comforting. “Everything will be alright, I promise.”

Maybe she was right, but at that moment, it felt like everything was collapsing in on me.

“Rest,” she ordered.

Warmth spread throughout my body, my eyes growing heavy. I shook my head, trying to keep them open but I wasn’t strong enough. Before I knew it, darkness had claimed me.

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I tugged the comforter tighter around my body, feeling as if I was freezing. It wasn’t even cold outside and the AC certainly wasn’t on, yet my body refused to warm up. What in the world is happening to me? I rarely get sick and it usually knocks me on my ass when I finally do but shit. It feels as if I’ve been sick for weeks, though I know it’s only been a few days.

I wasn’t feeling quite as bad as I had been yesterday, so that’s an improvement, I guess. I felt exhausted and barely got two hours of sleep last night, yet sleep seemed to be running away from me.

With a sigh, I rolled over so I could grab my phone off the bedside table. I was hoping to have a message from Ryu to lift my spirits, but he still hadn’t replied to my last message. I knew he was busy but, already feeling so shitty, it hit me harder than it should have.

I pulled up Google, contemplating my next action for a moment before deciding to search for my symptoms. If I knew exactly what I had whether that be the cold, the flu, or something else entirely, then I could take the proper medication and finally recover from this shit. Regular cold meds and painkillers don’t seem to be cutting it.

After inputting all of my symptoms and the time frame into Google, I skimmed through most of the results because my head was still hurting and my vision slightly blurry, but most of the links I clicked all said the same shit – you’re probably going to die.

No fucking shit. Were all gonna die eventually. I groaned in frustration, throwing my phone onto the bedside table. As if disturbed by the sudden noise, Kazu came running into the room, tail straight up in alert.

“I’m still alive,” I grunted. “Barely.”

“Mrow~” He jumped up onto the bed, looking at me expectantly.

“What?”

“Mrow~“

“I don’t speak cat.”

He blinked at me and I blinked back. After staring at each other for several minutes, he hopped up onto the bed, flopping down against my side. I slowly turned, throwing my arms around him in an attempt to cuddle. I figured he was going to run away because Ryu was the only one who could get away with cuddling him.

He didn’t, though, allowing me to hold him against my chest. I buried my face in his soft fur, wishing that I would stop feeling like the damn walking dead. More than anything, I wished Ryu was here. Maybe I was being clingy but I missed him something terrible, my heart aching.

I heard the front door open, Kazu’s ear flicking to indicate that he heard it, too. Dia appeared at the door of my bedroom a minute later. “Morning. Feeling any better?”

“If by better you mean death then yes.”

She frowned, touching my forehead with her hand. “That fever is being really persistent… I think you should go to the doctor.”

“Doctors are expensive,” I muttered.

“You’re dating a celebrity, I think you can afford to see a doctor when you’re sick.”

I shook my head, frowning at her. “It’s his money, not mine.”

“You’re supposed to share things in a relationship.”

“Don’t care. I refuse to use his money. Besides, if I ignore it long enough, it’ll give up and go away.”

She sighed deeply, bringing her hand to her face. “Are you hungry?”

My stomach twisted painfully at the thought of food, my nose wrinkling. “No.”

“You have to eat if you want to get better, you know.”

“I ate last night.”

“Half a slice of bed is hardly nutritious.”

“I’m fine, mom.”

“I’m just worried about you,” she frowned. “Have you even told Ryu-san?”

“Of course not!” I replied quickly, scowling at her. “And I’m not going to. As far as he’s concerned, this never happened.”

“Don’t you think he’d want to know?”

“Of course, he would, but I know him. He’ll obsess over it and worry himself into the ground. He needs to focus on his group, not me. There’s nothing he can do for me so there’s no point telling him.”

She clearly didn’t agree, making me narrow my eyes at her.

“If you tell him, I will steal all your K-pop albums and sell them for one penny outside of Seiyu!”

She gasped dramatically, hands coming up to cover her mouth. “You wouldn’t dare…”

“Try me.”

“Fine,” Dia huffed, putting her hand on her hip. “Do you need anything before I head to work?”

“Can you get me a Dr. Pepper from the fridge?”

Without a word, she left the room, returning a minute later with a bottle of water.

“That’s not Dr. Pepper,” I scowled.

“You shouldn’t be drinking soda while you’re sick. Drink water so you hydrate, not diedrate.”

I scoffed in annoyance, knowing she was right but refusing to admit it.

She set the bottle on the nightstand, giving me a smile. “I’m off, then. Call me if you need me and get some rest. Don’t do anything stupid.”

I watched as she disappeared from the room, listening to the sound of her footsteps fading as she headed for the door. The hinges squeaked when she opened it, squeaking again when she closed it.

I don’t want to rest, I’ve been doing nothing but resting for ages and I’m starting to go stir crazy. I pressed a kiss to the top of Kazu’s head before slowly crawling out of bed, taking a moment to regain my sense of balance. “Kazu, don’t tell Dia.”

He tilted his head back, staring at me with narrowed eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to say he disapproved of my actions or if he just didn’t give enough fucks to tell her even if he could talk.

After making sure Kazu had food in his bowl, I grabbed a Dr. Pepper from the fridge and curled up on the couch to watch some Netflix. I hoped it would distract me from everything or ease my stir craziness, at the very least. Kazu hopped up into the recliner, crossing one paw over the other before resting his head atop them, large blue eyes staring straight at me.

It was only slightly unnerving.

“I’m not just gonna, like, keel over and die ya know,” I scowled at him, earning just a blink in reply. I really wanted to watch The Worst again, but I knew it would only make me long for Ryu more so I chose a funny movie instead. Thank god Deadpool is available in Japan. It’s easily one of my comfort movies and I love Ryan Reynolds so much.

Man, I’d kill to be able to eat some popcorn right now, but the thought of it had my stomach doing painful flips. I scowled, patting my belly. “Relax, ho. I’m not gonna feed you so chill out.”

About halfway through the movie, I felt my eyelids growing heavier but I fought to stay awake. I was tired of sleeping, I just wanted to watch Deadpool and laugh my troubles away! I slapped my cheeks, shaking my head to try and wake myself up and it worked… for about twenty minutes.

Maybe if I just rest my eyes for a few minutes, it’ll help. Yeah, that’s right. I’m just… resting my eyes…

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The feeling of being lifted startled me awake, my eyes snapping open and my limbs flailing in panic.

“Calm down, it’s just me.”

I blinked dumbly, slowly lifting my gaze to meet Ryu’s. “You’re not supposed to be here… am I hallucinating again?”

“Again?” He frowned at me, his jaw tense. He didn’t say another word as he carried me to the bedroom, setting me gently down on the bed. “Do not get out of this bed.”

I frowned at him, not used to hearing him sound or look so annoyed. My eyes followed him until he was out of sight and I heard the front door open and close loudly, making me wince. Ryu was always so patient and kind, even when someone was trying to rile him up. He playfully gets mad with his members, but it’s nothing serious.

Seeing him act this way now… I knew I had fucked up royally. Tears stung at my eyes but I blinked them back, sniffling loudly as I reached for a tissue to blow my nose. God, I bet I look like an absolute mess.

I’ve always been self-conscious around him because he’s just so beautiful and I know I don’t deserve him, but my insecurities have, for the most part, stayed hidden in a dark corner of my mind. He made me feel loved and accepted, seeming to crush those negative thoughts every time they tried to crawl out into the light.

Now, though, I was completely overwhelmed. My body was at its limit and it was affecting my mind, as well. I felt weak and pathetic, like a burden on Ryu who had raced home to help me because I couldn’t help myself. Was he going to get into trouble for this? Would he lose his spot on The Rampage?

He leaned against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest and jaw clenched. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t want to bother you -“

“Bother me?” He echoed in disbelief. “Do you even consider me your boyfriend?”

“What? Of course, I -“

“You never tell me anything. You’re always hiding your feelings, hiding when you’re sick. Don’t you trust me?” He shook his head, brow furrowed in frustration. “Do you not want to be with me?”

The question was enough to finally break me and send tears rolling down my cheeks. He looked at me with a startled expression, body tense as he pushed away from the doorframe.

I quickly rolled over to face the wall, biting my lip to try and muffle my sobs. I tried so hard to stop crying but, as always, my body refused to obey.

The side of the bed dipped, his warm hand on my back. “Please don’t cry… I’m sorry.”

I was the one who fucked up but he is apologizing? Goddamn it.

“Hey,” he called softly, trying to roll me over to face him but I refused, shaking my head. Instead of forcing me, he slid in behind me until his warm chest was against my back, arms wrapped protectively around me. “It’s okay, darling. I’m right here.”

His words only made me cry harder, fists clenching around the sheets. I was a fucking mess and I hated showing this side of myself to him. He was patient with me, though, whispering comforting words to me and rubbing my arm to try and calm me down. It took a while, but I guess I finally ran out of tears.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice hoarse and throat sore. My eyes felt puffy and there was a wet spot on my pillow from all the tears I had shed. “I… I should have told you, I just… I don’t want to, to ruin your career…”

“That won’t happen,” he assured me, trying to roll me toward him again. This time, I allowed it, not having the strength to fight back. His brown eyes met mine, swimming with love and warmth. He cupped my cheek, thumb brushing away the remnants of my tears. “I thought my heart stopped when Dia called me.”

“I told her not to,” I muttered, focusing my eyes on his necklace, unable to hold his gaze.

“I’m glad she did. You’ve been suffering alone for days,” he frowned, reaching down to press a kiss to my forehead. “You still have a fever.”

I pushed at his chest while simultaneously trying to sink into the mattress. “You’re going to get sick!”

He chuckled, taking my hand and pressing it over his heart. The steady beat was comforting. “I’m not leaving your side until you’re better.”

“But The Rampage -“

“Sends there get well soon wishes. I can’t promise Likiya-san and Zin-san won’t scold you when they see you next,” he smiled, pressing another kiss to my forehead before standing up. He started to leave the room but paused, sending me a stern look. “Don’t you dare move.”

While he was gone, I sat up to grab some tissues to wipe away my tears and blow my nose in an attempt to look a little less like a bog witch. I doubt it helped much, but he didn’t seem to care as he returned with my favorite Halloween mug, steam rising from it.

Ryu sat on the side of the bed, careful not to spill it. “Drink this, it’ll help.”

I tried to sniff the air but I couldn’t smell anything. I eyed it wearily. “What is it?”

“Ginger tea. My lola used to make it for me every time I got sick. She swears by it so she made sure to teach me how to make it.”

I was a picky eater, so trying new things always made me feel weary. I trust Ryu, though, so I took the mug from him and gave it a careful sip. It filled my body with warmth, tasting slightly spicy. Not like chili pepper spicy but more like… herbal spicy.

“It’s good,” I murmured, closing my eyes as I drank more of it. My throat was already beginning to feel less scratchy and sore.

“I’m guessing you haven’t eaten, either?”

“Define eaten.”

He held back a sigh, running a hand through his hair to compose himself. “I’ll make you some Lugaw.”

“Lu what now?”

“Lugaw,” he repeated with a chuckle. “My lola always told me that it has healing properties and it always made me feel better as a kid. I… don’t know if I can make it correctly, but I’m going to try.”

“I bet it’s going to taste amazing,” I assured him, reaching out for his hand. “You’ll put Gordon Ramsay to shame.”

His cheeks tinted, a goofy smile on his lips, and his eyes lighting up. “Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

When he stood up, I tried to follow only for him to click his tongue.

“No, you need to rest.”

“I’ve done nothing but rest,” I scowled. “I want to watch you cook. It calms me.”

He seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding and holding out his hand to help me up. His arm remained around my body as we headed to the kitchen and he didn’t leave my side until I was safely on the chair. Watching him truly did make me feel calm, along with the beverage that I was drinking.

I felt a tiny bit better already. Maybe his grandma is really onto something with these home remedies. “How long are you staying?”

He hummed as he cut up more ginger. “I told you, I’m not leaving until you get better.”

“And I told you, the longer you’re around me, the higher the risk of you getting sick. You’re already missing work because of me. If you get sick, you’ll miss even more. What if they fire you?”

“I promise you, that’s not going to happen.” Ryu sent me a reassuring smile but I didn’t feel very reassured at all. “Our managers were very understanding when I told them.”

I slid down in my chair, setting the empty cup on the table. “You could still get sick and spread it to the other members.”

“I won’t get sick.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

“Because I have a phenomenal immune system,” he grinned, making me scoff.

“What was that you said to me? ‘Famous last words,’ was it?”

“Except I’m not going outside in the winter without a coat only to be caught in the rain.”

I opened my mouth to reply only to scowl, realizing he was right. “Wipe that grin off your face, Ata Ryutaro.”

“Yes, darling,” he chuckled, returning to the task at hand.

I tried to ignore the fluttering in my chest and the warmth at the tips of my ears when he called me that. I adored it when he called me darling, but it wasn’t something he said often, especially not in public.

I couldn’t find the smile that came to my lips. I truly was the luckiest human on earth. “Hey, Ryu?”

“Yes?” He paused what he was doing to look at me. “Do you want some more tea?”

I shook my head. “I just wanted to thank you. You really are an amazing boyfriend.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” he mumbled, hiding his face from me.

“I love you.”

His eyes met mine, filled with love and warmth. “I love you, too.”

━━━━━━༻☔༺━━━━━

I stretched my arms over my head, smiling as I breathed in the fresh air of the morning. After a couple of days under Ryu’s care, I was nearly back to my old self, though my body was still a bit achy. At least I could breathe properly now and the room didn’t spin when I got up too quickly.

The time spent with him was a nice bonus, too. I never wanted this to end, but I knew he had to be getting back to work. With one last look at the cloudy sky, I headed back inside to wake up Ryu. Just as I reached the door, I heard a sneeze from the other side followed by a soft groan.

I pushed the door open with a frown, taking in the appearance of my boyfriend. He still looked tired, his brown eyes lacking their usual luster. He seemed pale, too. “Babe, you okay?”

He smiled at me but it was obviously forced. “I’m fine.”

“You just sneezed.”

He seemed embarrassed that I had heard him. Before he could reply, though, another sneeze ripped from him, followed by a groan as he clutched his head. Rather than deny the obvious, he just pouted at me.

I hummed, approaching the bed so I could take his face between my hands. I could feel how warm he was before my forehead even met his. “You’ve got a fever.”

His fingers curled around my wrist, lips brushing against my own when he spoke. “I think I caught your flu…”

“Yeah? What happened to that phenomenal immune system of yours, hm?” I teased softly, brushing the hair from his face.

“You’re really going to tease me when I feel this bad?”

“Sorry, baby,” I chuckled, pressing a kiss to his lips. When I tried to pull away, he chased me with a whine. I chuckled, knowing how clingy and whiny he could get when he was sick. “Well, on the bright side, I get to return the favor and nurse you back to health.”

“‘M sorry,” he mumbled as he laid back down. “Will you stay with me?”

“You don’t even have to ask.” I slid in next to him and he slotted his body against mine, face buried in my neck as his limbs wrapped around me. I hummed softly, running my hands through his hair until his breathing evened out.

Maybe this makes me a bad person, but… I’m kind of happy that he caught my flu. God, I sound like such a bitch thinking that way, especially since I knew he was going to be feeling miserable, but I do love being able to take care of him. Despite being younger than me, he’s always been the caretaker in the relationship, going out of his way to accommodate me and my needs. It feels nice to be able to take care of him for a change, to have him rely on me.

His phone vibrated on the bedside table and I cursed softly, reaching my arm behind me to try and grab it. It was not comfortable at all but his limbs were like chains around my body, holding me in place so I couldn’t really move. I’m not entirely sure how I did it, but I managed to grab a hold of his phone, answering it without much thought so it wouldn’t wake him up.

“Hello?” I spoke softly, not wanting to disturb his sleep.

Zin said my name in surprise. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling great, actually. Ryu is a really good nurse.”

“That’s good to hear. Why are you whispering, though?”

“He’s asleep and I don’t want to wake him up.”

There was a moment of silence and then a deep sigh on the other end of the line. “He’s sick, isn’t he?”

“Um… kind of?” I replied sheepishly. “I’m really sorry, Zin-san. I tried to get him to leave but you know how stubborn he is…”

Zin chuckled. “Yeah, I know. No need to apologize.”

There was muffled talking in the background before the phone shifted to Likiya. “Hey, little one. You feeling better?”

“I’m doing great, Likiya-chan, but Ryu caught my flu, I think.”

“I figured he would,” he replied with a laugh. “Listen, we’ll be there soon but don’t tell Ryu.”

“Eh?” I replied louder than intended, making Ryu mumble and squeeze himself closer to me. “You’re coming here? What for?”

“We wanted to check on you and cheer you up, but I suppose we’ll be doing that for Ryu now.”

“But all of you are going to get sick, too,” I frowned.

“Don’t worry about us, little one, just worry about taking care of our Ryu. See you soon.”

I blinked dumbly as the sound of the dial tone filled my ear. Do these boys have no self-preservation at all? They’re skipping work to come here and risking getting sick in the process, thus keeping them out of work even longer. I sighed deeply, setting the phone down on the bed.

Something tells me this isn’t going to end well. The Rampage is known for having only one brain cell combined and stuffing them all into our small apartment with a sick Ryu and an introverted Kazu? What the hell could possibly go wrong?

━━━━━━༻☔༺━━━━━

I stepped outside, hands stuffed into the pocket of Ryu’s hoodie as I glanced around. Likiya had messaged me a few minutes ago saying that they were about ten minutes away from the apartment so I figured I’d come out and meet them. A few of my neighbors aren’t very fond of strangers in the building and these guys would no doubt be loud on their way up. I also didn’t have much faith that they wouldn’t go to the wrong apartment despite knowing where we lived.

A familiar-looking black car pulled up to the curb and Dia stepped out of the back, looking annoyed. The driver was Kelso again and she, too, looked annoyed as she jumped out of the car, eyes narrowed at Dia. She was still wearing that ridiculous hat which I now realized was Buu from the Dragonball series.

“Go away!” Dia scowled, folding her arms over her chest. “I already told you, I’m not buying your fake CDs!”

“How dare you! They’re not fake, they’re economic,” defended Kelso with a huff.

“They’re fake and you should be in jail!”

“Jokes on you, I was just released from jail!”

I watched the two of them argue back and forth, unsure of how to proceed. Do I try to break it up? That sounded like more effort than I was willing to spare, especially since I needed to be at full battery to deal with the storm that is the Rampage.

Speak of the devil…

Two tan vans pulled up to the curb behind the black car. The sliding door on the first van opened up before it even came to a stop, Shohei jumped out of the vehicle with a grin as he cried out my name. I had no time to prepare myself before his body barreled into my own, arms so tight around me that it knocked the air from my lungs.

“Nee-chan~” he sang with a grin. “I missed you~”

Likiya rushed over with a scowl. “Put her down, Shohei! She just recovered from being really sick!”

He pouted at being scolded before doing as he was told, putting me back on the ground.

I sucked in some air, resisting the urge to cough as I patted his shoulder. “Good to see you, too, Sho-chan.”

“How are you?” asked Likiya softly, holding out his arms for a hug. It was much softer than the one Shohei had given.

“I’m doing well. Wish I could say the same for Ryu.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be better in no time,” he reassured me, giving me a gentle squeeze before pulling away.

I realized the arguing had stopped and I glanced over at the two women, both of whom were staring at the men with wide eyes. Dia’s eyes were trained on Makoto while Kelso’s were trained on Takuma. The scene behind them changed to pink, sparkles and roses appearing around their heads as hearts appeared in their eyes.

Shit, am I hallucinating again? I quickly shook my head, rubbing at my eyes before looking at them again. They were just standing there staring at the men, no sparkles in sight.

“You okay?” Kazuma patted my arm, tilting his head to the side. Hokuto was beside him, sending me a concerned look.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” frowned Hokuto, reaching forward to feel my forehead. “You’re not warm, that’s good.”

“Sorry, I just zoned out, that’s all. Why don’t we all go inside? It’s getting colder out here.”

Shohei and Kenta didn’t need to be told twice as they darted into the building, followed by Zin who was trying to wrangle them in. The rest slowly filtered inside and I noticed the two girls following as if being pulled by an invisible stream tied to their bias.

Rui was the last one outside, getting a bag from the van. As he turned toward me, I noticed the woman from the car sitting on top of the van. Just like the other two, there were sparkles and roses around her head as she stared at Rui, hearts in her eyes.

“So dreamy~” she sighed, grinning like a fool.

Rui blinked, looking at me. “Did you say something, nee-san?”

“You heard that, too?”

“Yes.”

My eyes widened at the woman. Was she not a hallucination, after all? I quickly waved at him. “Come on, Rui, let’s get inside! I think the cold is getting to our brains.”

The woman looked up, winking at me before disappearing before my eyes.

━━━━━━༻☔༺━━━━━━

#sicktember #sicktember2023 #the rampage #fanfiction #the rampage fanfiction #the rampage ryu #creative writing #Rains ficography

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bloobearr · 2 years ago

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ooting with the forgers! [1/5]

“Yor Forger at the Island of Mainau” / “Briar Rose”

• entry:

June 23, xxxx

It was a wonderful day to take the forgers out for a week long holiday. Handler approved of my request and i— no, i shouldn’t be talking about work.

For the first day, i took the liberty to take them on a short car ride, about 3-5 minutes if there are no traffics of the sort.

Anya seemed a bit bored, of course that’s a given—since young girls like Anya prefer a bit of a thrill or something she can play with. Though Yor was incredibly helpful—as always—she took Anya’s hand and showed her the different kinds of flowers the island has to offer, and told her the wonderful meanings behind them.

Yor looked—too—beautiful and ethereal whilst she was doing so, that…by no means am i a religious man. But, jesus. fucking. christ. My wife is so beautiful, caring and sweet that my fingers moved on their own.

—end of entry—

“Breakfast with the Forgers” [2/5]

• entry:

June 24, xxxx

Yesterday’s trip to the island of mainau was very lovely. Oh! And Loid gave me a beautiful small bouquet of my favorite roses! they smelled wonderful..

We tucked Anya in since she was so exhausted from yesterday’s trip. Loid told me we could let loose for once and since there’s wine, we shared one glass—and one glass only!—i wouldn’t want to get drunk on our first outing together like this! i wish to cherish them, even the smallest of things, whether they’re mundane or not.

I woke up next to Loid, hehe. He’s so warm, i could still feel his warmth. Though, he won’t let me go until i told him that it was time for breakfast. Loid could really be adorable sometimes…

Breakfast was amazing, and it is even more delicious now that i have a family that i love sharing it with me <3

—end of entry—

“Beach Day” [3/5]

• entry:

June 25, xxxx

So far, my stomach is safe, despite the chef from yesterday’s breakfast told us he had “accidentally” switched our jam with a bowl of raw egg mixture and at dinner, where the waiter “accidentally” gave us an uncooked fish—and no, it wasn’t sashimi, which i would’ve turned down just in case—this was undoubtedly an enemy of the forgers, no mistaking it. If it were the enemy of the thorn princess or twilight, they would’ve at least used poison or the sort. A rival from eden academy, perhaps? Were they stalking us?

Nevermind, i wrote and promised my family—and myself— that i wouldn’t talk about work during our time here.

There were lots of people—men, women and everyone in between—casting their—filthy—eyes at Yor. Thankfully none of them had the guts or balls to even approach her or engage in a conversation.

Yor seemed to notice my discomfort and took my hands and rubbed them gently between hers, comforting me with her gentle touch and whispering sweet words to ease my worry.

She’s everything to me. I’m very lucky to have her as my love and my wife.

—end of entry—

“Anya and Bond’s ooting!” [4/5]

• entry:

June 26, xxxx

Anya is very happy today! Why?? Because Anya gets to play with Bond with the other kids here! They have a doggy park! Anya hears Becky does this die-uh-rih and brings this book with her—Anya only has a piece of paper but it’s ok!

Mama and Papa are shacking up right now or kissing so Anya needs to make this top-secret-do not touch or read- letter quick!

Anya has showed off my pre-tih ootfit that mama got me (Anya hears she got it after a bam! bam! assasin miss-yen last week! Very exciting!! That means Anya is wearing her very assasin-ny ootfit!)

Fhank You Mama and Papa,

Anya loves you! (Anya bets that Anya loves you more than you do, heh.)

—end of entry—

“Forger Family Picture” [5/5]

• entry:

June 27, xxxx

The last day felt incredibly short compared to the previous days of our short holiday. Though, even short, i’m glad Anya, Yor and Bond had fun. They deserve the break, and i do believe that i, Loid Forger needs this outing as much as they did.

Here’s hoping to more outings like this. Hopefully, with a new member of our family joining our eventful outing.

Thank you for giving me this wonderful family.

Sincerely, Loid Forger.

#spy x family #fanart #my art #loid forger #loid x yor #twiyor #yor forger #loidyor #thorn princess #twilight #anya forger #spy x family fanart #this is a stamp sticker project i made #for an upcoming convention!#added some entries or diaries from our fav forgers too #bond forger

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noonajoe · 2 years ago

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When He Asked Her to Watch His Match (pt.2)

"You're already pretty just with this, I don't want any men to see you prettier!"

Synopsis: Kageyama invites Y/N to his match for the first time, when the day arrives she constantly changes her makeup, confused about which looks she wants to use. It ends nicely with Kageyama requesting something again for her.

Genre: Slice of Life, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kageyama is a sweetheart, Y/N is confused about her makeup, Comfort

Links for [part.1] [part.3]

Word Count: 1500+

©noonajoe (Published on 10 March 2023 - 23:10 Bangkok Time) this story is not going to be sold, modified, or translated in any manner.

“Okay, this is it.” You just woke up an hour ago, and now staring at the bathroom mirror. Today is Tobio’s game and the first time she will be seeing him in the arena.

She found her alone in the bed, so she knew Tobio woke up earlier so he can take his morning run. After that, you went to the kitchen so you can prepare his favorite sandwich for our breakfast.

Now she’s stuck in the bathroom, 3 times applying and erasing, and re-apply again not finding the gorgeous look that she wants. She didn’t which look that suitable for a girlfriend who will be visiting his dear boyfriend in a sports match. In the end, she only uses base foundation, lips, brows, and eyeliner, a full complete package she always used when she went out with Tobi.

After finishing his morning run, he enters their apartment door and looks at his girlfriend already preparing herself looking on full makeup. “Oh hey, hon,” he said, he hugs her dearly and almost kiss her forehead, quickly Y/N stopped him otherwise he have to taste some foundation in his mouth.

“Hi- Wait there, mister, I already put my foundation on so don’t kiss me anywhere on my face” she closes his mouth with her hand. Kageyama chuckles and just kisses her hand instead.

They have their breakfast together, it’s Kageyama’s favorite sandwich menu. He takes his first big bite, another bite, and last bite until he realizes the moment he enjoyed his sandwich was not accompanied by his girlfriend’s appearance. Her sandwiches remained still because she haven’t gone out of the bathroom yet.

He opened the bathroom door and found her staring at the mirror, looking at lots of cottons she used for re-applying her makeup. Looking at her situation right now, he knows something’s off with her.

“Is something the matter?” he asked leaning his shoulder to the bathroom door, looking worriedly at her.

She sighed, putting her brushes down, “I’m weird, am I?”

“Well you look good, but I prefer your bare face. But if your current look is okay with you, I’m fine with it”

She was confused hearing his answer, ‘bare face’ is the most unconfident point level of Y/N's appearance, “Why do you like my bare face?”

“I mean, you don’t have to use that tints in your eyes, or even a colorful thing on your lips, I guess, and those red cheeks?” he means; eyeliner, eyelashes, lipstick,, and blush 🙂

“But I think I look awful on not using them…” she was confused about what looks she should use today, it’s a special day for Tobi as well.

He walks to her, stroking her head indicating it’s going to be okay because deep down Tobi really doesn’t care about how bold her makeup is. Somehow he wants to help her, “Can I have one more request then, hon?” he asked.

She looks at him with a pout, “Uh, sure… But, what request? I mean it’s 8 AM babe, you’re going to be late, you have to go to the gymnasium at 9 AM, right?”

“Nope, I know you’ll make it quick,” he said while pouring her makeup removal water into cotton.

He gave the damp cotton to her, “Okay, now, clean your face from that makeup”

“Wha- why? C’mon Tobi it’s not fun to go to your match in the bare face” she took the cotton but urge to wipe her face.

“Trust me, okay? It’s my day babe, please?” he asked nicely with a sincere smile. She just can’t help because Tobi rarely smiles, in the end, she trusts him, wiping her face clean.

“Okay, first. I will instruct you about your makeup things because I often observe you doing this tiring thing” he said. Wow, he ‘observed’ her, should we assume he’s possessive and nasty? Lol.

“Can you just.. Apply that creamy thing, the first thing you use on all surfaces of your face?” he asked

“Uh… do you mean foundation?” she picks up her foundation bottle so he can look closely, and he nodded.

“Ah yeah. That thing.” He instructs her to put her face with foundation. She puts them nicely on her face and waits for him for his next instruction.

“Next, uh, I don’t know but your whole face is pale right now. Can use that thingy looks like a brown stick”

“Uh… you mean, bronzer? Well you’re right, it could make a little shape in my face” she puts them nicely, blending them so they didn’t look to contrast in her face. After applying those, Kageyama instructs her to stop.

“Okay, stop there, look at me” she shift from the mirror to him, moved facing him, so he can take a better full look at her.

He look at her for 10 seconds and said “You look pretty fine to me. Just using this. Okay, next I think I have seen some TikTok videos showing how to make your lips not too colored. Like using your lip product first after that they just dab their lips? I don’t know babe”

“Oh, wait a minute” she do what he said. You use your lipstick around your lips on the inside, and blend the color so it doesn’t make your lips too pink.

“Like this?” she faced him, showing her lips too close to his face, which startled Kageyama and make him blush.

“Uhh… Ye-Yeah, okay. You good, just like this” he tries to hide his face, it’s a stupid idea that he insists to look at her makeup steps, she’s just already pretty with just no makeup.

“Wha- I don’t see the difference in my face, Tobi. It’s just like my bare face but with no black spots or acne” she pouted, it’s really not like her/

“Ha-? Of course, it’s you. There is no difference, because it’s you, right?.” he asked, confused because she’s still pretty, okay?

“No, honey, I mean my face now is similar to a baby with no makeup on. It’s just a foundation covering my black spots and toned up my skin a little” she explains to him by pointing at her face.

“Well, you’re not weird. I prefer you to go out like this anyway on every date or even if you come to my matches” he appears closer behind you, so you can see him in the mirror as well.

“Huh? Do you prefer me to look like this? No eyelashes, or no eyeshadows?” she asked.

“Well- Hon, First of all, I don’t know what that thing is. I mean, this face is more than enough fulfilling my request right now. You look pretty babe, seriously. I don’t want any guy to see you prettier than this!” he said in a little high tone, actually upset because he slip something he should not say.

She remained silent for a second, frowned after hearing his sentences before, “Wait… what did you say?”

He quickly went outside the bathroom, picking up his jersey and towel, “Uh- no. Forget it, I’ll just take a shower and we’ll leave at 8.30 okay?”

She follows him outside the bathroom and still questions him, “Wait. Can you repeat the last sentence?”

Finally, after circling around picking things so he can go to the bath, he reaches the bathroom again, “Yeah, I want to take shower” he said.

When Kageyama closed the bathroom door, she blocks the door, still grieving for the answer, “No! Before that, Tobi. You said you don’t want any guy to what?”

“Okay FAQ is closed, now Babe, I will take a shower and please, just don’t add anything again to your face” he kissed her on the lips, making her startled because worrying that her thin lipstick fading.

“Hey! Wha- Tobi… Wai…” in the end, she waits for him until he dresses up, picking up his things. They didn’t discuss further this makeup until they were already in their shoes outside.

“Hon… Are you sure?” she asked when they walk, while Kageyama walks grabbing her hand.

He stares at her, the looks that she got right now it’s fine, not too bold, definitely Kageyama’s type. Stopping their walk, he asked, “Am I too much asked for this, Babe? I’m sorry if this is really essential to you, but from what I read, just using base face things and lips, especially since you’re going to be in the crowds with so many people… I just don't want you to worry to do your ‘touch-ups?’ yeah, that ‘re-applying thing’ too much in the arena, that's why…” he explains.

She has no idea that he’s actually observing girls’ things that much. “Am I pretty now, Tobi? I mean in your eyes..” she asked him.

“Now? You’re like a baby. Of course sweetheart.” he strokes her hair because he doesn’t want her to be upset with him at the idea of touching/cupping her face.

“Okay then… I’ll trust Tobi, then” she grabs his hand tightly.

“That's relieving… Now, good to go?” he asked her.

“Yeah. Sorry for making you trouble about an unnecessary thing, especially an hour before your matches…” she apologizes, when it comes to looks girls are mostly sensitive because they want to show their best version, right?

“It’s okay, hon. Your looks are necessary" he laughs, "Well because it’s my day, one day I can’t do these ‘requests’ again.” he smirked, sarcastically.

“Hah? What do you mean?” she was confused.

“Nothing, it’s just, you're prettier this way” he grabs her hand and walks inside the gymnasium.

“Ugh, I really don’t understand either of your 2 sides, Kageyama Tobio” she pouted, already tired of him but somehow she don’t want to leave the tiredness.

#haikyuu fluff #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu x you #haikyuu x y/n #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #hq x y/n #hq imagines #hq fluff #kageyama tobio #kageyama x you #kageyama tobio x you #kageyama tobio x reader #kageyama x reader #haikyuu!!#makeup #fluff

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spartanguard · 1 year ago

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sons of love and death, 12/13 {CSSNS 23}

Summary: After the Final Battle, Killian Jones had finally settled into his happily ever after with his wife and family. Until a new foe arrived in Storybrooke: the infamous Dorian Gray, who looks rather familiar—one might say identical—to the pirate, and he’s on a mission: to claim the powers of the Dark One for himself. There’s only one problem: the Dark One no longer exists. What follows is a journey of vengeance, revelations, magic, and finally facing down the darkness within himself that Killian thought he’d finally put to rest. [roughly canon divergent from 5B, though set post-canon] A/N: Here it is—the last big chapter of this @cssns adventure! I'm so excited to finally share it with you. Hope you enjoy it! (Epilogue to come next week.) (As always, thanks to the best beta, @optomisticgirl !) rated M | 6.5k words | AO3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Killian was dragged from a deep, post-coital sleep by a shrill, unseasonable tune.

“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…”

It drew simultaneous curses from him and Emma. “Bloody hell.” “What the fuck?”

He blindly reached towards the bedside table for his phone, wanting to silence the infernal device. But once he found it—and recognized the image on the screen, fuzzy as it was with his sleep-blurred vision—he realized: Belle was calling.

(She’d set that ringtone against his wishes. “Get it? Jingle Belles?” she’d told him while giggling—and more than a little tipsy on Granny’s rum-spiked eggnog.)

“Belle? Is everything okay?” he asked, voice still rough with sleep, once he managed to answer the call.

“No, it’s not; Dorian took Rumple.”

“What?” That woke him up immediately. “What happened?”

“He took him—right out of our room. He froze me so I wasn’t fully aware of what was happening, but, Killian—he had a dagger.”

An uncomfortable weight settled in his stomach. “I’m assuming a very specific kind of dagger?”

“From what I could see.” Bollocks; that likely meant whatever Dorian had planned towards taking on the Darkness, he was about to execute it—and with it, them, unless Killian could intervene. Next to him, Emma was answering a text on her own phone.

“Do you know where he was going?” he asked Belle and threw off the covers; he knew he wasn’t going to get back to sleep tonight.

“I wish I knew; he didn’t say anything—just poofed them both away. He’s not there, is he?”

It was a logical assumption, but Emma had long since put up wards around the yard that would let them know of any intruders.

Emma tapped on his bare shoulder. “That was Leroy; sounds like there's something odd going on outside the library.”

“Does that man ever sleep?” Killian quipped back, but that told them enough of where they were headed. “He’s been spotted; center of town,” he told Belle. “Don’t worry—we’ll handle this; you stay there with Gideon.”

“Well, I’m definitely going to worry—about all of you,” she replied. “But I trust you. Good luck.”

“Thanks,” he said, something telling him they’d need it.

They made quick work of getting dressed, although Killian did linger a moment over his old pirate coat. It had long been his companion when going into battle, and this was sure to be one of some sort.

But the bulk of those fights were on the wrong side of things. He wasn’t that man anymore—he knew for certain now. So he grabbed his newer, shorter coat, slipped it on, and then grabbed his prosthetic hand off the dresser where he’d left it.

Emma came up to his side as he snapped it into his brace, looking equally prepared for combat in her red leather jacket. “You ready?”

“As much as I can be at…2:30 am,” he answered, glancing at Emma’s alarm clock. Why couldn’t these things ever happen at reasonable hours?

“We can get coffee after,” Emma assured him, then placed a kiss on his cheek. “Let’s do this.”

He nodded, and the familiar swirl of her magic wrapped around them. When it cleared, they were standing in the town’s main intersection, facing the library and clocktower.

And, directly in front of them, were Dorian and Gold—and a whole display. Upon an easel to one side was the decrepit, cursed portrait of Dorian; to another was a pedestal with a box on it, lid opened to reveal the Crimson Heart. Dammit.

Rumpelstiltskin was tied to a stake on the other side of the portrait, which seemed more than a bit unnecessary, and Dorian stood between the two objects, casually assessing the weapon in his hands: a very recognizable dagger, albeit slightly different—somehow seeming more dangerous.

“Wondered how long it would take you to show up,” Dorian taunted. “Figured you’d be here sooner.”

“It’s only been 15 minutes,” Rumple added, but was quickly silenced as a gag appeared around his mouth after a wave of Dorian’s hand.

“We don’t need that kind of unnecessary commentary, do we?” Dorian strode closer to the former Crocodile, toying with the blade in his hands. “As much as I know we all have a flair for the dramatic, I’d rather not drag this out.”

“Sounds good; so how about you just let him go and then get the hell out?” Emma shouted at him.

“Hmmm…no,” Dorian (unsurprisingly) countered. He turned his attention to Rumple, then. “It’s funny; the first time this metal found its way into his flesh—or so the story goes—it couldn’t do anything. But when you melt it down and reshape it…” He whirled the dagger around dramatically and then, with the tip of it, made a small but deep slice on his cheek.

Rumple hissed through the gag as the blood quickly flowed. Curiously, Dorian caught some on the flat edge of the blade—which was apparently forged from Killian’s hook; bloody bastard. It was hard to see from several yards away, but it looked like he was letting it fill in the engraved design, and then waved a hand over it to seal it. “One down, three to go. Who’s next?”

“I’ll pass,” Killian said, at the same time Emma told him, “No thanks.”

“Guess I’ll have to take it on my own, then.” His hand glowed and a rope made of magic grew from it. He lashed out with it towards them, but they split up and ran in opposite directions, evading him—and formally starting combat.

From her side, Emma shot a jolt of electrified magic toward Dorian, but he whipped it away with the strand of magic, which in turn dissipated. Killian saw his own opening and fired a jet of water at him, but Dorian threw up a shield of magic at the last possible moment; it arced over the barely-visible dome towards Emma, who ran out of the way just in time.

Back and forth they all went, exchanging bursts of power. Killian and Dorian for the most part canceled each other out—either Killian extinguishing Dorian’s fire, or Dorian rendering Killian’s water into steam.

As a consequence, the view began to get hazy; eventually, Killian was so surrounded by fog that he couldn’t see anything—just the glow of the streetlights overhead.

And then he felt a sharp sting on his left cheek and a heartless laugh he knew too well—one that he used to use himself. “Gotcha,” Dorian mocked from just behind him, and Killian hissed as blood began to flow onto the waiting blade. “How’s it feel to be on the other end of your hook, eh?”

He jumped away as soon as he could, but it wasn’t soon enough; he could see the red pooling in the etching on the dagger, then becoming a dark red enamel as Dorian locked it into the blade, on the opposite side from Rumple’s, though only covering about half the length of the blade.

Dorian flipped it over and swiped across his opposite palm, allowing a few drips to fill in the rest of the first side. “Almost done, then,” he taunted. “Just need some from your lovely wife.”

“Over my dead body,” Killian spat.

“Eventually, yes—but not yet,” Dorian countered.

A stiff breeze ran down the street, clearing the smog; Killian recognized by its warm tickle along his skin that it was Emma’s magic at work. Once he could see again, he saw Emma standing behind them. “Gotta catch me first, asshole,” she shouted, then disappeared as soon as Dorian looked in her direction.

“Over here,” she called out from over near the Crimson Heart. She shot Killian a heavy look; he knew exactly what she was saying before she disappeared again.

“Up here!” she yelled from the roof of the library, then immediately taunted again from down the street.

He saw an angry fire light in Dorian’s eyes as he attempted to track Emma around the street, and then he disappeared on his own, likely trying to follow her. Killian used his distraction to make for the Crimson Heart.

First, though, he decided to get Gold out of there. His former foe watched as he ran past the Heart to him, behind the pole he was tied to. Of course, that was the moment when Killian realized his lack of hook was going to make it all the harder to undo the (rather sloppy) knot around Rumpelstiltskin’s wrists, but he’d have to make do.

However, he’d barely made a dent in it when a blast of heat sent him flying away from Gold, throwing him several feet away and then making him roll on the pavement.

“Not so fast, brother; I’m not done with him,” Dorian warned from the center of the intersection. His focus was on Killian, so he didn’t notice when Emma popped up behind him—not until she was slamming her shoulder into him. “Surprise!” she teased, then poofed away again.

Killian slowly got to his feet after having the wind knocked out of him and watched as Emma and Dorian quite literally played a weird game of popcorn over the town square (yes, he knew that game; Snow’s class had introduced him to it). As soon as Emma appeared in one spot, Dorian found her and moved to that spot just as she was headed somewhere new.

He could tell she was trying to keep Dorian in her sight the whole time, not moving until she found him. But when she reappeared in the street not far from where Killian stood, she seemed to be coming up empty.

She turned in her spot, scanning for their foe; Killian did, too, watching the rooftops for an aerial attack, or possibly coming from the alleyways.

But he was able to slip past both of them. “Surprise,” Dorian parroted, suddenly behind Emma, and took advantage of the pause she made in her reaction—he grabbed her arm and slipped a familiar cuff on her wrist.

“Shit,” they both cursed, and Emma grabbed at it with her other hand even though it was futile.

Then she yelped in pain and tried to curl away from Dorian, but he gripped her wrist tight—and held the dagger underneath where he’d apparently just slashed the side of her hand. Her blood dripped onto the blade (the same side as Killian’s blood) and as with the others, Dorian sealed it in.

“There we go,” he gloated. “Oh, it’s beautiful.”

Now with all four blood samples, the dagger took on an unnatural, uncomfortable glow—red where the blood had been spilled, reminding Killian far too much of the way Excalibur had looked after he pulled all the Dark Ones past into it.

That awful memory was enough to shake Killian from his momentary stupor and remember what he was supposed to be doing: getting the Crimson Heart.

Not that he was far from it, but he sprinted towards the pedestal nonetheless. “Oh no you don’t—not yet,” Dorian warned, and shot a line of fire at Killian, but he threw up a shield of water before it got to him, fizzling it out on impact a few feet away from his goal.

However, he wasn’t sure if it was the shield itself, or the force of the resulting steam, but somehow, something knocked over the podium.

And everyone’s eyes watched as the Crimson Heart was tossed into the air, its crystalline exterior reflecting the streetlights.

Killian attempted to make a dive for it—hoping he’d both save it and sacrifice his own magic at once—but Dorian reacted faster and reached out for it with his own magic, likely to prevent it from falling and shattering.

It worked—in a way; as soon as his magic connected with it, it paused midair. But rather than gently falling back down, it stayed there—and, from where Killian stood, seemed to take control of the flow of magic.

“What the hell?” Dorian cried, and tried to pull away—but the Heart wouldn’t let him let go. It was taking his powers, swiftly and viciously. He even dropped the dagger, attempting to use his free arm to yank the other away, but to no avail.

Killian and Emma instinctively found each other as they watched it happen—it was like a magnet, or maybe a vacuum, forcing Dorian’s arm aloft as it pulled the magic out through his fingertips.

Killian almost felt guilty; if he’d known that was all it took to eliminate his powers, he’d have done that straight away. As it was, though, the only thing he could do was lean on Emma.

Eventually, it stopped, once it had apparently sucked Dorian dry, and the heart drifted to the pavement, now carrying a bit more of a reddish sheen. Killian was out of breath, but Dorian—he’d definitely taken the brunt of it. He was curled over at first, but once he straightened up, he—well, he looked like shit. Not as bad as the portrait, but he definitely appeared tired, and older, as if some of the life had been sucked out of him (which, in a way, it had).

That didn’t stop him from holding his palms open and staring at them. Then he closed them and opened them again, as if that would help. “Come on,” he urged. “Do it. Do it!” But nothing happened.

Emma squeezed Killian’s side. “What about you?” she asked.

He mirrored Dorian’s gestures, attempting to summon water to his hands, but—nothing.

“Guess we know it worked,” she said, though it was somewhat emotionless.

The three stared for a moment, taking in the changed, though still somewhat even, playing field.

“Whatever,” Dorian finally sighed. “The spell has already started, and I don’t need my magic to kill you all.”

He reached for the pocket of his jeans, expecting to grab something, but a look of surprise crossed his brows as he came back with nothing. He felt around some more, checking his jacket pockets and looking around at the ground (with increasing panic) as he continued to come up empty.

“Looking for this?” Emma taunted from her spot at Killian’s side, waving the glowing dagger at him with her free hand. Killian hadn’t noticed, but her fingers were sticky enough that she must have grabbed it when she was running to reach him while the boys were distracted by the Crimson Heart. A surge of pride rushed through him.

Dorian growled and lunged, but Emma was already sprinting away. However, Killian wasn’t about to let them chase each other again, so he too jumped to action—

—And tackled Dorian to the asphalt before he could get very far. It was at this point he realized that they didn’t exactly have a plan of attack, and this had devolved into something of a game of keep-away until they figured out how to actually put an end to this. (And he lamented the fact that he’d forgotten to bring his sword; a weapon would be extremely useful at the moment.)

“Get the fuck off me,” Dorian demanded, shoving Killian’s shoulders away from his chest where they had landed. But if anything, it just gave Killian more leverage to pin him down; he was able to get his knees under him and straddled Dorian’s waist, then pressed his left forearm across his twin’s chest.

A glance up showed him that Emma was continuing his earlier efforts to free Gold, using the dagger to saw at the ropes.

But then his world spun and he was suddenly on his back; should have known not to take his eyes off Dorian for a second. His foe fisted one hand in Killian’s jacket and reared back with the other, then punched down. Killian tried to turn his head, but Dorian’s fist still connected with his face; he could feel the bruise form on his cheekbone almost immediately.

“That’s for last time,” Dorian hissed, then attempted to scramble up and away. Killian instinctively reached out with his left arm to try to hook his ankle, but his false hand barely touched him, so he rolled over and was just able to get his right hand around the other one as Dorian took another step away, bringing him back to the ground before he could get very far. The subsequent groan suggested he’d hit something sensitive.

Emma was still working on the knots, so Killian again sat on Dorian to keep him down, pressing a knee to his lower back. Killian still hadn’t decided just what he was trying to do to Dorian, but anything that prevented him from hurting Emma or Gold was worth it.

Dorian rolled under him, knocking Killian aside but not entirely freeing himself. Killian grabbed the collar of Dorian’s coat before he could get away and followed him to standing, yanking him back before he could stop Emma (perhaps Dorian would have made an excellent sailor, too, with how well he’d tied Rumple up).

He wrapped his arms around Dorian to hold him in place. “Sorry, brother; I’m not much for hugs,” Dorian spat, and tried to shake Killian off.

“Well that’s a shame; I am,” he retorted and held on tighter. Dorian glared over his shoulder, and from the side, Killian could see blood trailing from his nose again, likely from his fall.

Squealing brakes grabbed everyone’s attention as Gold’s Cadillac suddenly peeled onto the scene; he wasn’t surprised that Belle had shown up (and he could see Gideon’s infant seat in the back), but he wished she hadn’t. She started to get out of the car but he called out for her to stay put. She glared at him, but complied—especially as she watched Dorian shove his elbow into Killian’s solar plexus.

Spots immediately filled Killian’s vision and he gasped for air; the force of the push had also allowed Dorian to escape from his grasp. For good measure, it seemed, Dorian also turned around and kicked him in the groin, bringing him to his knees.

In the haze of pain, he heard Emma call his name; however, he was aware of nothing for a good moment but the incredible discomfort searing across his midsection and between his legs. It was a dirty move, but he wasn’t shocked at all that Dorian made it.

He was able to suck in enough air to look up and vaguely make out the form of Dorian approaching Emma, though his vision was blurry from tears. He could at least tell that Emma had put herself between his twin and Gold, and had to imagine Belle was calculating her own move there.

Emma seemed to be holding the dagger in a defensive position, but why did she need to? She was more than capable of “punching his lights out,” as she’d once described her own method of rendering Killian useless in that fight by Lake Nostos.

But a flash of light from Dorian’s right hand caught his eye as the sharp part of a switchblade opened. Bit harder to fight against that with fists.

Dorian flipped the knife to get a better hold on the handle, raised it above his head, and rushed forward. Despite knowing Emma could probably fend him off, and despite still kneeling prone on the pavement, Killian reached towards her, reacting instinctively, and then—

A blue-tinged shield made of magic appeared in front of Emma and Gold, just in time for Dorian to be thrown back by it.

Perhaps Killian hadn’t been entirely truthful when it came to the presence of his powers. (And thank the gods that Dorian had been the one to help them figure out that the Crimson Heart didn’t affect the two of them the way they thought it might, rather than he.)

Through the buffer, Emma was staring at him, stunned—but relieved, he could tell. The shield faltered a bit as he was still requiring considerable focus just to breathe, but the ache was leaving his body enough for him to stand.

A few feet away, Dorian was seated, rubbing the back of his head and muttering to himself. But his focus returned to Killian, probably when his shadow fell on him, and he turned his angry stare on him. “You filthy liar,” he spat as he hopped to his feet.

“Aye, well—I’m a pirate; comes with the territory,” Killian threw back tiredly.

“It’s not fucking fair!” he roared, coming closer. “I’ve been chasing this for years and you just—you've taken everything I should have had!” He punctuated his outburst by shoving Killian.

He snorted; what a bloody fool. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth, mate; I’ve told you that already.”

“You’ve had family, love, the Darkness—”

“Not by choice, that one,” he interjected, and was glad he wasn’t looking at Emma, knowing the guilt that would likely cross her face at that. “And I had nothing to do with whatever decision our parents made; that’s on them. But love—yes; I’ve been so fortunate as to have that, more than once, even. Which proves you can, too,” he insisted. “You knew it once; it’s possible to find it again. I’ve been in your shoes—”

“No you fucking haven’t,” Dorian interrupted again, angrily pointing in his face. “I saw you give up the Darkness. Which—first off: rude; but don’t pretend that everyone would have done the same thing in that situation.”

Killian tilted his head, confused; how could he have “seen” it, as he was implying? He’d mentioned it to him, certainly, but this suggested he’d somehow relived it (something Killian wouldn’t wish on anyone—yet something he still did more often than he’d like to admit, especially in anxious nightmares).

It didn’t really matter, though. “You just have to find—”

“—Something else to live for; yeah, I’ve heard that,” Dorian finished. “But there isn’t—not anymore. This is it for me—this is my last chance. So please, don’t try to stop me further.”

He sighed, but Dorian was right: a hope speech would be wasted breath at this point, and gods only knew how many of those Killian had rejected when he was similarly at his lowest.

Besides, Dorian was yet again making a run for Emma, and the shield had fallen while Killian was trying to sway him. In an instant, Killian transported himself in front of her and pushed Dorian back with a small but concentrated surge of magic when he got close. He stumbled back and growled.

Killian conjured up a small wall of water to give them a moment of privacy. “Emma, get Gold and have Belle get you all out of here; I’ll handle him,” he murmured over his shoulder.

“You sure?” The worry in her voice was obvious.

“No,” he answered honestly, “but who else can?”

She squeezed his shoulder and pressed a peck against his cheek, then hurried away from him as he let the water fall and faced Dorian, instead summoning a small, whirling orb of water to his palm.

But it fizzled out when he heard the unmistakable (at least, to him) sound of Emma stumbling; she was never known for having any of the grace of her namesake. He looked over and saw, almost in slow motion, as she fell forward, having tripped on an uneven crack in the pavement.

She put her hands out in front of her to brace her fall, but in the process, released her grasp on the dagger, which was turning in the air, glinting in the light, as it fell to the ground.

Killian ran to Emma; Dorian ran to the dagger.

He knelt at Emma’s side and helped her sit up, but both were silent as they watched their foe pick up the weapon several feet ahead.

The sick grin of satisfaction that appeared on Dorian’s face was both unwelcome and all too familiar; how many times had Killian worn his own when he was about to do something awful?

Dorian flipped the blade in his hand, repeatedly tossing and catching the hilt. And then his gaze turned on Killian.

He quickly gave Emma’s bicep a squeeze and moved away from her. He wasn’t entirely sure how he’d keep Dorian away from her and Gold, but he could at least put some physical distance there to mitigate any damage.

“What, offering yourself up first?” he taunted, blade extended, as Killian took careful steps away from Emma and Gold.

“I’m not going to fight you off,” Killian told him. “And I’m not going to try to change your mind.”

“Good,” Dorian sneered. “It wouldn’t work anyways.” (It sounded a bit like he was trying to convince himself as much as Killian, though.)

He jabbed forward toward Killian, laughing as he jumped out of the way, but Killian tried to remain calm and continue drawing Dorian’s focus away from his loved ones (granted, that term was a stretch for Gold, but Belle had yet again ignored his advice and joined her husband, so the statement still applied).

Subtly, he twitched his hand to draw up another shield over them—but Dorian noticed right away, and looked over his shoulder at it. If Killian wasn’t mistaken, his gaze lingered on Belle, before shaking his head and turning back to Killian.

“The ladies, I understand, but why do you continue to protect that man?” he asked. “Your feud is well-documented, and from what I’ve seen around here, seems to have gone on.” He continued to close in on Killian blade-first. “So why are you trying to save him, too? I figured you’d be all too happy to offer him up as some sort of sacrificial lamb.”

“A few years ago—yeah, I’d have delivered the death blow myself,” he answered. “But that wouldn’t give me satisfaction anymore, especially when it comes at a dire cost to a dear friend.”

Dorian scoffed, but didn’t interrupt for a change, and they continued their slow circle around each other.

“I told you: everything I’ve ever done has been motivated by love,” he said plainly. “The right decisions, and the wrong ones, too. I’ve certainly been selfish and misguided over my many years, but at the heart of it—I was always driven by those I love. Liam, Milah, Emma—and now, more people than I thought I’d ever have. I don’t deserve any of it, but I’ll be damned if I don’t fight for them. Well, damned again.”

His heart pounded heavily as he looked at Emma through the shield, who was staring back intently, only furthering his resolve to keep her out of harm’s way (even if he was still working out how he would; he wasn’t naive enough to think his impassioned speech would do the trick.)

Dorian’s brow furrowed and he rushed closer, the dagger now leveled at Killian’s neck. “I thought you said you were done trying to reason with me.”

“I’m just answering your question,” he replied calmly, even though he knew it was more than that, and held his hand and prosthesis up in a placating manner. He took a step back, but then his foot connected with something—the easel holding Dorian’s portrait, which nearly toppled over, but he quickly righted it.

“You expect me to believe it’s just that easy? To change who you’ve been for so long just for—for love?”

“Of course it’s not,” he argued back. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But it was worth it. They are worth it,” he emphasized, pointing at Emma and his friends.

“You know what I did to the woman I loved?” Dorian hissed, drawing still closer. “I tore her heart right out of her chest and crushed it myself.” He leveled the dagger at Killian’s chest in emphasis.

“Yeah, I kno—aaahh!!” Killian cried out in pain; Dorian had quickly and pointedly jabbed the tip of the dagger into his pectoral muscle, dangerously close to his heart.

“All to continue my pursuit of the Darkness,” he went on, nearly oblivious to the blood he was shedding. “To prove to my father that I was worthy of it; certainly more than you were.”

“Yeah, probably,” Killian answered through panting breaths. “Sounds like yours at least cared how you turned out, though. Is this what he wanted for you?” he asked, “Or that?” He nodded toward the ghastly painting (at least, as best he could).

Dorian glared and grimaced at him in reply.

“Is that what Sybil would have wanted?” he added quietly (that was his only volume).

That seemed to strike a nerve; for the first time, he dropped the manic stare he’d been holding toward Killian and looked at the canvas, but then he closed his eyes and tilted his head, as if he was listening for something.

“I should do it,” he bit out, seemingly talking to himself as much as Killian, but the blade was shaking in his grasp—much to Killian’s chagrin; every vibration was a new shock of pain. He was holding on so tight, his knuckles were white; his hair was falling in his eyes; and when he opened them again, there was an almost frenzied light behind those blue irises that seemed to be the only thing keeping him moving.

“You could,” Killian answered, “though we both know you’re at a disadvantage.” He gently waved his fingers—more specifically, the blue light dancing within them, which he was frankly astonished he was able to summon with as much pain as he was in. (Miraculously, the barrier over Emma and Belle was holding, too, and it looked like they’d finally freed Gold.)

(Emma, though, he could tell was now frozen with fear—and probably reliving the same awful memories Dorian had brought up earlier. Gods, he couldn’t be doing this to her again.)

Dorian glanced at Killian’s hand and frowned, then looked back at the group behind the shield. He shook his head and looked back at Killian. “No, I can’t dishonor her memory like that.”

“I understand,” Killian murmured. “So if you’re gonna do this, please—just don’t let Emma see it again,” he asked; he was still hoping for an emotional appeal, but he could feel the blood sluggishly dripping from his chest wound around the steel still embedded in it, and didn’t know how long he could outlast that. “She’s already seen me die a couple times; I can’t do it to her again.”

Again, Dorian looked back at them, then his focus returned to the portrait. He abruptly yanked the dagger out of Killian’s flesh, ignoring the way his twin yelped and curled in on himself, and stood directly in front of the easel.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, though who he was apologizing to wasn’t clear.

He took a step back, sighed, and then looked up.

He pulled back the arm holding the dagger and held it aloft.

Then he screamed, and lunged forward. Killian was in too much pain now to get his magic to protect him; all he could do was find Emma’s eyes and brace for impact, hoping she could see how much he loved her, though he was at least comforted by the fact that he’d never shied from telling her.

Death, though—he knew what that felt like, and braced himself for it.

But it never came. He watched as Dorian instead plunged the cursed blade into his own portrait, right in the middle of its grotesque face.

Heat burst from the canvas, as intense and bright as an explosion. The force of it sent Killian rolling across the street, but he could still feel the temperature of the reaction.

He thought he heard screams coming from inside the odd inferno, but couldn’t see anything but fire. Still, he forced himself to standing, in case he needed to rush in (despite the fact that he was still pressing his hand against the wound on his chest), but then he felt it—different from the throb of his stab wound; more of a twinge, deeper inside, right by his heart.

Though it pained him, he pulled his hand away; even with the blood covering it, he could still see the blue glow in his veins, even if he couldn’t control it at the moment. But as he glanced between it and the blaze, the light in his palm started to flicker in time with that of the blaze.

Dorian was dying—the same way he had in his namesake novel (though perhaps a bit more incendiary)—and with him, their connected magic.

It was a bit ironic that Killian’s powers could have put out the fire; alas.

As such, there was little he could do but watch and wait. It didn’t happen immediately, but where he’d finally gotten used to the feeling of the power in his veins, he felt it slowly recede, like the tide going out.

The glow of his hand faded out before the inferno did, but the impromptu funeral pyre didn’t last much longer, eventually sputtering out with a feeble hiss.

For hopefully the last time that night, Killian collapsed to the ground—but this time, he was spent. He was fatigued, for sure, after the whole encounter, and obviously injured, but also felt…off, somehow; as if some part of him that had kept him balanced was gone. Which, he supposed, it was, even if it was only recently that he’d discovered what was on the other end of that fulcrum.

Emma was suddenly in front of him; the shield had probably long since dissipated, he realized, and didn’t hesitate to reach for her waiting arms.

She pulled him into an embrace that he was all too eager to lean into. “You okay?” she asked, though it was a bit muffled with the way she pressed herself into his neck.

He almost wanted to laugh at the question; he was actively bleeding, so obviously he wasn’t, but he also knew she was asking more about his mental state than physical (she had eyes; she’d seen the whole thing).

“Aye; I will be,” he wheezed. And he would; it would just take a bit for him to recalibrate. And then he pulled back just enough to find her lips, thankful that he got another chance to kiss them.

He had to break away far too soon, though, as his head began to spin. “Oh, gods—hold on,” Emma said, an edge of panic in her voice. She slipped off the magic-blocking cuff—now able to, given that the person who placed it was no longer alive—and then immediately pressed her hand to the gash on his chest. He hissed at the contact at first, but then felt the soothe of her healing magic flow over it, sewing muscle and skin back together.

When she was done, he was finally able to take a deep breath. “Thank you, love,” he murmured, but this time from exhaustion rather than an inability to speak louder.

“No problem. But don’t make it a habit,” she teased.

“I’ll try not to.” Two major stab wounds were enough for one lifetime.

Emma helped him up and slowly, they made their way over to where Dorian had last stood. Gold was free of his bindings and was already standing there with Belle and a sleeping Gideon, looking over what was left of their shared enemy.

Which wasn’t a lot. There was a rather large burn mark on the pavement, but no other evidence that anyone or anything had been immolated in the intersection.

Incredibly, the portrait still sat on the easel, somehow untouched by the heat. However, it had changed: it was no longer the monstrous depiction of a wicked soul, but a simple portrait of a (dashingly handsome, he had to admit) man in his prime. If the story was accurate, then this was the original picture of Dorian Gray.

Though the jagged tear through the canvas was obviously a recent addition.

Next to him, Emma was glancing between the face in the portrait and his own; something was bothering her. He was about to ask, but then she reached up to turn his face to her.

“That’s better,” she said as she traced the open cut that he’d forgotten about, healing it as well. “Two scars would have been a bit much.”

He chuckled this time, but it was somewhat hollow; he just wasn’t sure how to feel at the moment.

Especially when the dagger was just laying there on the pavement before them, both innocent and ominous at the same time.

All eyes were on Emma as she bent down to pick it up, but most of all Killian’s and Rumpelstiltskin’s; they knew best the power—and call—that weapon might hold. (Killian still got an unwelcome chill down his spine whenever he heard a distant murmur or whisper.)

She assessed its weight in her hand, and turned it over to look at it a few times. But… “Nothing,” she finally said. “There’s no magic or anything in it; it’s just a dagger.”

The other two former Dark Ones let out simultaneous sighs of relief, and Killian exchanged a knowing look with Gold. Though it would forever be part of their histories, that chapter of their lives that had threatened to be reopened was once again closed.

“Killian,” Emma started, “Do you want me to change it back?”

“Back?” He was confused.

“Your hook,” she said, nodding at the dagger. “I could probably reshape it, if you wanted.”

He stared at it for a moment, then at the space at the end of his left wrist that had been weaponized for so long. The loss of that tool had been sharply felt over the last few days, but mainly for its utility—not its symbolism. Which, if he’d learned anything these couple of weeks, it was that he was no longer the man who had hidden himself behind a hook for the sake of vengeance, following the darkest paths; he’d come out the other side long ago.

Besides, it had now been marred by Dorian’s actions; he’d shed enough blood with it himself, and didn’t need to walk around with a reminder of his twin’s transgressions, too.

“No,” he told her, after some thought. “I think it’s time I finally move past that.”

Emma raised her eyebrows, surprised, but smiled. Then she tucked herself back into his side and leaned against him.

A sense of finality gradually settled over him; it was over. He’d need time to rest, and to grieve—Dorian was still his brother, after all, bastard he may have been—but for now, everyone could exhale.

Everyone, that was, but the man with the bright blue eyes in the portrait, who was now forever fated to bear a scowl of failure as the world went on without him.

“Come on; let’s get that coffee,” Emma said, taking his hand in hers.

“Yes, please,” he agreed, and turned away from the last remnant of his brother—and all the drama he’d brought—hopefully leaving that all in the past.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

thanks for reading! tagging some peeps (let me know if you do/don’t want a tag!) @kat2609 @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @shireness-says @ohmightydevviepuu @wistfulcynic @pirateherokillian @colinoeyebrows @wingedlioness @word-bug @thisonesatellite @killianmesmalls @thejollyroger-writer @ineffablecolors @ive-always-been-a-pirate @nfbagelperson @stubblesandwich @phiralovesloki @athenascarlet @kmomof4 @ilovemesomekillianjones @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snowbellewells @idristardis @scientificapricot @searchingwardrobes @donteattheappleshook @jrob64 @the-darkdragonfly @stahlop @klynn-stormz @resident-of-storybrooke @bluewildcatfanatic

#cs ff #cssns 2023 #captain swan supernatural summer #killian jones ff #sons of love and death #my ff

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tinycatstars · 1 year ago

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Could you do little eridan and maybe cg feferi? (btw I love ur story’s!!)

ee thank you so much!! i know this one is a bit short, sorry for that, but hereee u go!! some momma fef and little eridan for uuuu :D please enjoy !! <3 <3 <3

lil tw for panic attacks !

Feferi really didn’t expect to be woken up in the middle of the night by her phone ringing, but hey, there’s a first for everything.

She sluggishly grabs her glasses off of her nightstand to see that Eridan was calling her. Eridan wasn’t one to call, which was the first sign that something was wrong. Secondly, when she picked up the call and sleepily asked “...Eridan? Why’re you calling me this late?”, all she heard from the other end was wails coming from the other; Panicked hyperventilating and crying.

That woke her up quickly. “Glub! Okay, Eridan, I’m on my way now. Are you at your hive?” she asked, panicking as she got dressed. Between sobs he whined out an “mhm”.

“Be there soon!” She said, and before she could hang up, he cried out “No, don’t go!”

She sadly smiled at his response, “I’ll stay on the line bub, okay?” He hummed, still breathing way too fast. She left her hive soon after that, swimming up to the surface to reach Eridan’s shipwreck. Thankfully, he didn’t live too far away.

“I’m here, Eridan, I’m gonna hang up the phone now”, she says loudly as she enters through his doorway, making sure he had heard her. She could hear Eridan hiccup, his crying was still loud and unbearable to hear, but it had calmed down a little.

She finds the little in his room, curled up on the floor. He had a thick blanket wrapped around him, his glasses were slightly askewed on his face, tears tracked down his face. Feferi thought he looked so small, physically and probably mentally.

Definitely mentally, she thinks, as he sticks a thumb into his mouth and begins to chew on it.

“Momma…”, he whines, reaching out to her with his free hand.

“Hi, baby, Momma’s here now”, she says, bending down to sit on the floor. She picks him up and sits him in her lap, encasing the little in a warm hug.

He sobs into her shoulder, both out of relief and exhaustion. Feferi holds him tight, letting him cry out all of his big feelings. She began to rock him gently, whispering reassurances into his fins as he wailed to his momma.

After a while, Eridan calms down. He slumps in Feferi’s arms, he had already tired himself out from the nonstop crying. “Is someone sleepy?” she asks, to which Eridan slowly nods.

“What was that all about, hm? Can you tell Momma what’s wrong?” Feferi pressed. She didn’t want to pressure her baby, but she was really concerned to why he was this upset this late at night.

Eridan just shook his head, whining as he buried it into Feferi’s shoulder. She sighs, “That’s okay, bub, you don’t have to tell me”.

She looks over to the clock that was hung on Eridan’s wall, it read 1:23 am. “Are you ready for bed, bub? Or would you like some milk to help?”

Eridan thinks for a moment before mumbling “Milk” around his thumb that he had moved to his mouth. He sucked on it as Feferi moved him to her hip so she could pick up the smaller. Eridan really didn’t weigh anything, so it wasn’t very hard to carry the other troll to the kitchen.

She grabs his baby bottle and fills it with milk, putting it in the microwave for a moment. The bottle was black with purple fish and bubbles covering it, something she thought was so cute and just so Eridan. She tested the milk before handing the bottle back to Eridan, and sure enough, the temperature was perfect. He gratefully accepts his bottle, chewing on the teet as he drank his milk.

“Let’s head back to bed, baby, ok? Momma’s gonna spend the night tonight”, Feferi said. They made their way back to Eridan’s bedroom, and thankfully he had something else they could cuddle on besides his recuperacoon. She couldn’t imagine how uncomfortable that would be. In the corner of the room was an actual bed, home to Eridan’s many blankets and stuffed animals. Most of them were cute sea creatures, all gifted to him by Feferi.

She sits Eridan down on the bed so she can go find his pacifier. His little stuff was hiding somewhere in his room, she just couldn’t remember where!

Eventually, she finds the soother tucked underneath some old research papers, which were littered all over the bedroom. It had a protective cap on it, so she wouldn’t need to leave the room to wash it. Feferi didn’t think Eridan would react very well to her leaving right now.

She makes her way back to the bed, replacing his thumb with the pacifier he probably had been yearning for all night. He gives his Momma a wobbly smile, his arms outreached, silently asking to be held.

She gives in, giving the little one a tight hug before getting into bed, tucking them in and making sure Eridan was comfortable. She carefully takes off his glasses, setting them on the endtable of the bed. She tracts a thumb underneath his eyes, gently wiping away his dried tears. Maybe he would talk about what had happened later, but she didn’t feel like putting any extra stress onto him now. Glub knows he would just start crying again, exhausting himself even more.

For now, they were just going to cuddle and go to bed. She wraps her arms around the little, gently pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Momma loves you, Eridan”, she whispers.

“Love you too…” he mumbles, and soon, he’s fast asleep.

#emmy talks #asks #my work!#homestuck agere #feferi peixes #eridan ampora #fandom agere #sorry this isnt my best :[ i dont think abt eridan or fef a whole lot but i hope u enjoy this still !! wahh !#one more request to goooo !

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blindrapture · 4 months ago

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WEDNESDAY JULY 27TH, 2011 (Maybes and Mysteries)

12:20 AM huhwake. donnie wants to switch, she needs sleep. where are we. manteca. outside a wal-mart. she's showing me the road map.

12:23 AM went outside for a minute. pissed on a tree. stretched my legs. I may not know exactly where to take us, but all we need to find is one camper, and we'll be talking to all of them.

12:24 AM there's a river not too far from here. water's good, right? stay along the water. okay. sleep well, donnie.

1:06 AM Slowing down. The other two are still asleep. Gonna trawl along here a bit. I think this is the Stanislaus River.

1:13 AM Dead silent around here. I have the window open and there's no sound, no wind, no monster noises, nothing. Town of Riverbank and it's a ghost town.

1:21 AM Circled around. Only thing of note, and it is pretty noteworthy, is that big black dog waiting on every corner, watching our car drive by. I'm taking that as my cue to move on. Nothing for us here.

1:32 AM Oakdale now. Same as before, following the river, circling around. Not stopping for that dog.

1:37 AM I thought it was just as quiet here, but when I slow to a stop, roll down the window, and listen real close, I can just about hear a powerful thump. thump. thump. in the distance. We heard that on the border when we were just entering California. What is it? Oil pump-things? It's too regular to be anything natural. … thump. thump. thump. Reminds me of the thumpers from Half-Life 2. Highway 17. .… thump... thump... thump… Yeah, I don't know. I'd better keep driving. Not hearing anything else.

1:59 AM I've circled around Oakdale. I sure hope I'm doing something smart here.

2:25 AM This town's called Waterford. It's on the Tuolumne. It's even smaller than Riverbank.

2:27 AM Is that...? Something humanoid laying on the road. Slowly raising its head to look at us. Dead eyes. EAT...? ...it growled at me and its jaw fell off. Just a zombie. Thanks for nothing.

2:45 AM sighhhh. I've parked on a bridge on Hickman Road. Got out of the car, leaned on the railing, looked out at the river below. There's a park down there, lot of trees. I got to wondering about birds, birds singing in trees. I still see them on our travels, even through all of this. I always liked birds. Their jittery movement and iterative singing remind me of myself. Always looking, taking things in. Always taking flight.

2:46 AM ...birds.

2:51 AM I drove around to access the park directly. River Park. Creative name. There's gotta be birds in here. ..almost got out of the car and went in there by myself. And ordinarily I would. But I think this time I ought to do things right.

2:52 AM Donnie? "hm?" Donnie, I'm going to go looking for EAT. I want you to come with me. "…" So I'm not charging into the Fears by myself. "Yeah, yeah, I'm waking up..."

2:53 AM Woke up Tiger too. We want him to stay in the car, he can go back to sleep if he wants, but. We had to tell him we're going off and will be back. I had to tell him about EAT. If he has any suspicions, he didn't voice them. We did literally just wake him up.

2:55 AM Donnie took a moment to change back into her combat suit. It's, uh, quite worn by now, but I'm sure it still offers some protection. Now we're heading into the park. "Do you expect to see Camper here or something?" No, I expect to see birds. And I expect them to see us.

2:59 AM We're sitting at a park bench. There's, uh. Yep. There's definitely birds here. In the trees. One or two walking around on the ground, pecking at bugs. Must be nocturnal. … Yep. ..this will be boring, I'm sorry. … "..what if these are all just regular birds?" Then at least we've done some birdwatching?

3:15 AM Ah! Fell.. fell asleep for a bit there. Donnie. Donnie, wake up. Something's splashing in the river.

3:16 AM That's a giant ice-blue tentacle rising out of the water, as wide as a small building, its tip curling like a question mark. It's a piece of something far bigger underneath, something squeezing its girth short in order to navigate the river. The skin of the tentacle makes a stretching and pulling sound as it moves in the air. Makes me cringe. o_e A mass of thinner strings come out of the river too, waving in the air, thin as hair, long as needs be. The tip of the large tentacle splits into... more hairs. It's made up of tightly-pressed strings. And a mass, a bulge, comes up inside the tentacle from under the water… Writhing up, and up, towards the splitting tip… ...it's a human. The head just emerged, between the strings at the tip of the thing, like from the throat of a colossal snake. ..eyes opened. They look like black holes from down here. It opened its mouth, spewing water and seaweed. ..Sal..ma..cis...? o___o A wheezing hiss. A hissing wheeze. Two arms wrench themselves out of the 'throat.' Followed by three more, one coming out of the stomach. Coughing, heaving. A voice gives a faint whisper too far away to hear. Masses of waterdrops splatter on the grassy riverbank. Donnie's starting to step back. I look back up, and the tentacle is rearing into the air, preparing to

3:18 AM ..eject the Camper in a vicious slam. It has so many legs. A whole skirt of legs. And it's clambering up to face us, standing now on the grass with us. Its neck is not rigid. The head swings around as a ball on a string. And the voice that comes out is nothing more than a whisper, voiced only on the inhales. "Raeeel. Viiictooooriiiaaaa." I just gulped. Or was that it? "I ammm aaaa herrrrrrr." Wh. What? "It. And herrrrr. Neverrr... sheeeee." But I. But I didn't say anything. "You wrooote it iiiin your jourrrnal." How… cough. cough. stagger. Wheeze. "The birds are my eyyyyes. As you fi..ured out." R..right.. of course. "Doo not beee so.. mod..est. It is unbecoming. You stand now before a... g... g.... g…" it vomited teeth. a lung. "a god. your. god." Salmacis, you're... you're freaking us the fuck out. Do you.. have any.. other... Camper?? That we can speak to?? "But Raeeel. This one is not a" gulp "Camper. This. is. ....the. Eardrum." donnie "It's really fascinating, and all, but please! Please, EAT! The voice is getting in my head!" "You twooo are. priiivileeeged. to see it. I do not liike. to bring it. out. of the waaaterr. out of. my booodyyy." But your other Camper are still too far? "Yes…" ........may I sit down? o_e for a moment.. "you may."

3:24 AM had my.. head in my hands for a moment. kinda wish I was dreaming right now. ...salmacis can read this. look, I just. I'm. I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't ready. Donnie's seated next to me, and she's talking to the.. the Eardrum. "We're sorry that we got you killed. Or, you know what I mean. But we need your help even more now." "Yes. I am listeningg…" "The RAF have far more numbers than we thought, including armed soldiers. They plan on destroying the Golden Gate Bridge, and they want us back in the city at noon for that. I fear they have bigger plans." yeah, and. the bikers bolted after our conversation. after Cody... fucking Cody… The Eardrum is looking at neither of us. Arms aren't reacting. It is standing perfectly still. "I am.. listeniiing." No, I believe you, I'm filling the silence with description! "Is this. All?" "Uh. I guess so." "I was afraaaid. They had. Threatened your.. liives." ... .w.;; "I was aware of all of this. After Codyyy's ac..tions... I con..siderred.. it.. top prioorityy.. to monitor with my birds. I have seen the truck..ss... and I have heard.. the speech... and I know where.... the bikers are..." donnie "We have Tiger with us. He's the one whose sister Cody killed. We had to get him out of there, and we had to come up with a plan. We don't want to just let this happen." "And you want..." head swivels to face her "revenge." Yes. We want to know when your Camper will get here. facing me now. "Of courrse." ..the Eardrum skitters and moves around the park. Its Her legs move her frighteningly quickly and turn her on a dime. She It stops in the middle of the grass. Birds fly to it, perch on its arms. Little birds, nothing seemingly wrong with them at all. "They are not far now." ..a noise in the distance. like a bunch of humans making one big screech. which is probably exactly what it was? "See. You could.. hearrr them. That is how close they are. I would say.. 24 miles." That's close! O: "It will take them... only... another six hours…" donnie "Couldn't we go and.. pick them up? Drive them?" "Too many. But some... will be able to.. fly. I am still workinnngg on their DNA. Each body's must be... edi..ted.... from.. scraaaatch." ...Salmacis, I'm almost afraid to just come out and ask this, but. ..looking at me. .....what are you? "I am the end.. of all... things. Not the termin..al.... ennnd... but the goal… of all commun...i...caaa...tion... all cooper..ation.... all e..vo...lu...tion.…" skittering towards us, aaaa "I am... your... god." donnie "There's a lot of those going around lately." "I was... your god... befooorrre.... any of them.… I was above you... you were only an experiment…" it's wheezing as air struggles to fill her lungs. "With enough... drug..g... g.... g.....gs... your species caught a glimpse... but then you feared... and you turned.. to tobacco.. and alco..hol... I think your fear.. came from... a re..a..liz..a..tion.... that your bodies... were so dear to you… you would rather.. be... buried... as the body.. that you were.. born... into…" wheeeeze.... wheeze… "Regarrrd..less... I have told you e..nough... talking is so slow…" skittering back to the river "I leave you. For now. I would advise... waiting in your.. car.... for my Cam..perrr… to arrive…" Uh. Alright. o_o; "Be.. seeing... you…"

3:30 AM The large tentacle stretched once more, opening up and consuming the Eardrum in one brisk motion. It's.. more accustomed to grabbing than to letting go… And back into the water it went, and onwards down the river.

3:31 AM Donnie and I are just. Here. Looking at the river. Looking at the car. Looking at each other. … I, uh. I still.. feel like it's kinda friendly? Relatively speaking. "It's.. definitely still working with us?" It's not mad that we got a Camper killed. "I think it is, actually. Just not mad at us." Could you imagine being EAT's enemy? As just a human? ..quick shaking of the head. "I don't.. want to.. think about that." Yeah. Yeah. … "I'm not going to be able to sleep for a while." God, no. Am real tired, though. "Do you want to just. Lie on this park bench... together?" Do you want EAT to watch? The birds? "I kinda don't care about that right now. It might help me feel more control over myself." ...well, sure! :D

9:54 AM Woke up still in Donnie's arms. Her on my chest... .w. Then I remembered where we were, gently placed her on the bench, and surveyed the area. Sun's out, there's a bit more noise coming from Waterford, barks and yowls, but it all sounds like small animals. There's nothing around us. Only the trees, and the birds. ..the car's empty. Don't know where Tiger went. I'll have a look for him. Will leave my trilby here with Donnie, so she can at least figure that I'll be back.

10:01 AM Found him coming out of an old shop. He was just stretching his legs, checking out the area. Yeah, I figured it was something like that. "Listen, we should really be heading back by now. It's gonna take us a while to hit San Francisco." Yeah... we will, I promise. But we're still waiting on that backup. "The Fear thing?" It's a Fear we trust. Is that okay? 'Cause if it's not, you don't have to be a part of it, and I have no interest in threatening you. No judgement. "Right now, I just want to fuck up his plans. I don't care. He's so uptight about those Fears; it'd be great to give him reason to be." Good to hear. :) So, did you find anything in these shops? "Peanuts. Juice you gotta add water to. Some rice cakes, ate those."

10:03 AM On the way back to the car, we heard a heavy flapping in the air. There, on the horizon! "Is that a flying man? ..is that an angel?" It's the first sign of our backup. :D

10:05 AM Donnie's up, and wearing my hat. She's gazing at the sky, the Camper fast approaching. flap. flap. flap. flap. it's a black man, shirtless, in jeans, with the hideous wings of flesh. it's slowing down. gonna land.

10:08 AM "Rael. Victoria. ..Tiger." Kinda giving up with the prog theming? "There are songs with tigers in them." donnie "Are the rest of the Camper still on the way?" "They will not make it to San Francisco in time for the burning of the bridge, but they will be here in time for the Archangel's undead masses." tiger "Zombies? Masses of them?" "You have never seen them in such dense quantities. I told you, Rael, that they were coming?" You did. "They will be here later today. And so will my Camper. For now, would you like me to ride with you?" Uh. Will those wings... fit? It's not a massive car... "I can ride on top. It will give me a chance to practice physical coordination." Uh! I mean, yeah, look, you can do whatever you want, Salmacis. But we've gotta get moving.

11:48 AM It was an eventful car ride. When Salmacis wasn't balancing on the roof of a moving car, it was clinging to the driver's side door, arm hooked through the open window, so it could talk to me. It would often give me better directions on how to save time on our route, but also EAT filled me in on the bikers' activities (they're not.. really very good at finding rabbit holes. they just keep stopping to get drunk). And, as we started to see the city in the distance, EAT latched onto the door again to, finally, talk about a plan. EAT talked us out of the flanking idea, as we're only going to raise hostility that way. So we'll rejoin the group back at the house. We think there's not much we can do traditionally, but we could use the RAF's paranoia against themselves... if we can expose Heaven as not being who she seems. It's her plan. And if the RAF realizes they've been doing the Archangel's dirty work, they should abandon the plan. ...and, if EAT can get some people away from the group, we could have more Camper to work with… Donnie was pretty alarmed at that idea, so I got EAT to promise it would only try that if it really had to. Then Tiger added that it could take the armed guards. They're going to have to lug equipment to the bridge somehow, so they'll probably have a guard take a truckful each. There's gonna be a time when they're working alone and vulnerable. Nobody had anything to say about that. It's.. just plain a good idea. And Salmacis left our car as we entered the urban areas. Flew off to her own designs.

12:03 PM We arrived at the RAF house, or, well, we parked a few blocks away and got through the crowds, to find Heaven glad to see us.

12:09 PM "Okay, everyone! Today's the day! I hope you're good with walking, because it should take us at least three hours to get to the bridge! If you think you're particularly strong and able-bodied, come and talk to Cody about hauling equipment, whether onto trucks, or carrying it all the way yourself! If you're really unable to walk, also see Cody, and he'll see what accommodations we have, but otherwise, we're leaving now!" okay. okay I think that bodes well.

12:25 PM Massive march of people. Not.. marching, just all following each other. That's how marches usually are in practice, isn't it? It's only on the final approach that even armies really switch into lockstep. And I don't even know about, like. Protests. Tiger's got his friends. Even with all the regulars for the Party House, we're dwarfed by sheer numbers. I don't know if he's telling them anything. Donnie's with me, but as we're around the front, she's keeping an eye on Cody.

12:49 PM There's a sign up ahead for a Twin Peaks. o_o I don't think that's got anything to do with this. Just, cool.

1:11 PM We're not passing anyone at all. All the shops are shut. There aren't even any loose zombies. The sky is a perfect blue without any flickering whatsoever.

1:33 PM Heaven? Are we gonna stop for food, or breaks, or anything? "No breaks. We get one chance at this. We work for the cause." Don't we have people who might not be able to keep up a walk for that long? "We work for the cause. We just need numbers. Even if 70% makes it up to the bridge, that's more than enough." ..cody's eyeing her. "..what?" "This isn't like you." "I'm sorry you feel that way. But we're doing something important here. I have a chance to make a difference, and I guess that's just my priority here." "It's a bridge. It'll still be here after a break. The kid's got a point, Hev." "Cody, we need to be a team on this." … … "..alright."

1:34 PM Cody's asked a message to spread back through the crowds: If you have food with you, you'd may as well eat while walking. And consider sharing if anyone else really needs it.

1:37 PM ...fuck it. We got any slim jims left?

2:27 PM I'm finally seeing some form of life up ahead. But it's the black dog. ..nobody's saying a thing about it. Hey, uh. Cody? "What." You do know that dog there's a Fear, right? "...no, I did not know that. Heaven, that—" "I see it. It's not doing anything. If it attacks anyone, then we can deal with it." "But it's a damn Fear." "Says who? The 'kid?' Didn't you think he was a Fear once?" "Alright, what are you fucking doing? Don't try to piss me off." "All I'm saying is, it's a dog. And maybe it's just a dog." argghh

2:30 PM found the old journal. The Black Dog, the Omen. It was July 14th, it was literally another branch of the RAF that told me. Cody, we should at least do something. You and me. "Eh.. it is just staring at us as we pass by. What is it gonna do? It's a dog." Cody, c'mon, man. We're Rise Against Fear. It's in the name. "I.. I know." If we don't know what it can do, that's more reason to be wary. "Yeah…" C'mon, man. What are your instincts saying? You saved us from that Sally thing. "I'm feeling similar now. I'm clocking it, and I don't like it." heaven "I am not going to stop this march." "For fuck's sake, Heaven, I wasn't asking you to." grabbing his gun "I can deal with this myself. Jordan, I want you with me."

2:31 PM I followed him as he pulled back from the front, as we'd passed it up here, but it was still watching everyone pass by. Cody told me to watch his back, and crouched low and approached it. Tried to treat it like a regular dog at first. Then it bit his hand. Jumped at him, bit at his shoulder, took out a.. not insignificant chunk. I whacked it with Tiger Stripes and shouted for the group nearby to hang back, go around us, give us space. Cody got a good look into its eyes, and his face turned pale, but then he got a big surge of adrenaline and grabbed the dog with both arms and ripped it off of him, chucked it to the ground. And shot it clean in the eye. And it growled at him, growled at us, and stormed off. As soon as it passed behind some of the crowd, I lost sight of it completely. Like it vanished. Cody got a towel off of a stranger, wet it with someone's water bottle, and covered his shoulder. And he thanked me and got back to the front. Staring daggers at Heaven, who didn't even seem to notice.

2:33 PM Donnie thinks that wasn't the greatest plan, but it did something. ...what the fuck is the point of that dog.

3:05 PM Heaven's sending another message back through the crowd. We'll be there soon. And around about now, the trucks will drive up to meet us. Good. Not the biggest fan of walking. And won't we have to walk all the way back after?

3:31 PM At last. Golden Gate Bridge. Hoo, man. Now that we're actually standing on the thing, staring ahead at a perfectly straight road, I'm seeing just how big it is. It'd probably take us a full half-hour to walk to the other side. It's strange. I can hear that thumping again. thump. thump. It is not in the distance. It's just on the other side of the bridge.

3:32 PM Here come the trucks, through a parting crowd. Behind them is a flatbed truck carrying a full-on wrecking ball. Donnie and I are looking carefully at the drivers, trying to see if we can tell that any are EAT. But they're all wearing wraparound sunglasses, so the eyes won't help us.

3:34 PM Heaven's turned to face the crowd. "Okay, we're here! We'll have the trucks set up the explosives on the far end of the bridge. We'll have a wrecking ball to the supports, the 'gates' themselves. And all I need you good people to do is pack yourselves in on this side. The rich are going to come running out, just you watch, they're going to want to save the bridge and stop us, and we just want you to be our shield." Yeah. Yeah, that plan makes no sense. And the sky's still solid. The ants are working overtime to be unnoticed. The Fears are waiting for us to do this, alright.

3:37 PM Things are still being set up. But one guard has gotten out of his truck. He's gone to Heaven, says there's a problem. "What? What's wrong?" "It's a problem with the equipment." taking off his sunglasses to rub his eyes. "Yes? Which one, exactly?" now he's looking into her eyes. "..what are you" "I know what you are now." "...uh. Cody, get over here..." "Shut up. And don't you come any closer." pointing gun at Cody without even turning his head. "This woman is an Indisen." "...and you're Salmacis…" cody "What the FUCK is GOING ON?" heaven's shouting to the sky "DO IT! DO IT NOW!"

3:38 PM thunderous quakes. the far end of the bridge bends and crumbles. except that wasn't an explosion. that's pairs of thick black legs. stepping on each truck, crushing it and the driver inside. marching in true lockstep. the sky turns red as a storm of buzzing black dots swirls and scatters. people start to turn and run, but behind us is a mass of people we don't recognize. they're not zombies. and I don't think they're Camper. I think they're Indisen. they're pushing against the crowd, pushing us up onto the bridge. up towards the walking legs. stretching up, infinitely, into the sky. lifting up off the ground, stepping forward, and thudding down. thump. thump. crush. glass smash. choking screams. a fire spreads on the far end of the bridge, behind the walking legs. and a man in a gas mask is suddenly with us now, floating slightly above the ground.

3:40 PM "Salmacis, what are you doing?" the camper is strangling heaven. or trying to, with the other hand pointing a gun rather pointlessly at a Cody who is too busy freaking out at the massive stampede of stimuli to pay attention. "Really, I thought you were smarter than this. You're trying to strangle an Indisen?" "I'll strangle you next, Death." "They were your bodies once. Did a lack of air stop them then?" he got his hands on Heaven and pulled her away from the Camper. EAT "Goddammit, Archangel, what elaborate lengths did you go through to set all this up?!" archie "Nothing I wasn't working on already. A little bit of populism, gaming the humans' animal brains, their communal justice. Easy as piss. And the Indisen were gathering here for some reason anyway. They were ready to give the city away. I merely.. agreed to it." "The Ants of the Sky, are they yours too?" "What, these?" ...faster than a bullet, stopping on a dime, landing on the bridge are two robots, bigger than some helicopters, grey and sharp all over, with edges and wires bending their joints. on the front is a big beady camera-eye, surrounded by dozens of tinier cameras. the arms terminate in beehive-like holes, gun barrels. there are no legs. it's a round body with two gun arms. "Not to brag, but they're quite genius little death machines, aren't they? Stylish, modern, military-grade. I paid those corporations more money than they'd ever seen before to build to my specifications, but when I turned them on, I got my money back and then some." ..heaven's silent, in archie's arms, eyes darting between the camper and cody. and me. EAT "Certainly, the design is interesting. Its capabilities surprise me. But this doesn't change the fact that your plans are always so... unsophisticated." "Excuse me?" with a chuckle "A populist march in a time of uncertainty and struggle? It's so trite even the humans were doing it. Machines that target financial transactions... okay, that is certainly creative, for you, but then you just.. what, introduce your own currency? Z's yours too, isn't it? You replace a system with the exact same system? What, were you competing with the dollar? You thought of humanity as equal to you, your competition? Where's your imagination? Where's that intelligence you boast about?" "..oh, I see now. You're getting wit and thorn from the humans. You're protecting them... or is it just him? He is your protégé? Has he seen the extent of your horrors yet? That won't even matter, will it? You're not going to let him go. He's gone from one puppetmistress to another." "The difference between you and I, Archangel, is that I can perceive of many possibilities, while you are limited to your own." "Whatever. People are dying, and I grow ever stronger. That's all I'm hearing right"BANG … Cody shot Heaven in the head. She's limp. Archie tosses her to the ground. Okay, good, you're back in the moment now. cody "Fucking traitorous Fear freaks." Archie allows his own feet to touch the ground, no longer vaguely levitating, floating in the conversation. Walks up to Cody. "You. You work for me. Did I tell you to do that?" cody "I don't work for you, you jackass." "Really? You've been doing my work. You've been killing my enemies. You even recruited for my church. Thanks for that, by the way." "I—" bang. Cody falls to the ground, a hole in his stomach. all it took was a single shot, from several feet away, by one of the ants of the sky. "You work for me now." ..and cody gets back up from the dead. cody is a zombie. donnie screamed with grief. donnie, don't.. point that thing. I think you're better off using it on the Indisen that are currently tearing through innocent people. I think we're better off running now.

3:44 PM Tiger! C'mon, we're fighting our way out of this! "What happened to Cody?" He's dead! "And the EAT thing?" Still back there, talking to the Fear that caused all this! Don't worry, it knows what it's doing! Just, we gotta GO! Before the legs make it across the bridge!

3:47 PM indisen are a lot tougher than zombies. they fight back, they grab at your weapons, they flat-out don't want to die. we're having trouble here. tiger has a knife, which he's at least able to use, but. donnie lost her rifle.

3:48 PM Oh! That's why we're not dead yet! The winged Camper is here fighting the crowd! Tearing sharp mutated claws into throat and limb, wafting gusts of wind with heavy wings to keep Indisen clear. Our guardian angel… Tiger! Donnie! Stick with our Camper!!!

3:51 PM "Rael!" shouting over the sound of the crowd Yeah, EAT? "He's killed the Camper on the bridge!" Well, were you able to get any more information out of him first? "No, we mostly just insulted each other!" So, am I understanding correctly that he pretty much just did this to get more zombies? "And crush morale, yes! But I believe he also desired to work with the Indisen in order to better learn about them!"

3:55 PM CRASH ..lightning just struck the ground ahead of us and now there's a lot more fighting going on over there. EAT, can you see what's going on? "It's someone in a mask. They came out of the lightning, with their... is that a Jesus Christ mask?" Cockroach Jesus? o__o "What? No, this is a human." Oh. Oh, the Masked Massacrer! What the fuck is he doing here. Or, one of... them… donnie "Maybe he really wanted to kill some Indisen?"

3:56 PM THE MASKED MASSACRER IS RUNNING ON THE CROWDS' HEADS like in a damn action movie

4:19 PM the crowd is thinning out we're getting out of it

4:22 PM the camper is staying here to fight the indisen and let us make our escape. thank you, salmacis.

7:37 PM The long walk back was set to the sound of distant slaughter and crashes. At some point, there was a tremendous creaking, turning into screeching, and a large noise. That was the Golden Gate Bridge finally collapsing. There's a glow on the horizon as coastal fires rage. We've arrived at our car.

7:38 PM We've been looking at each other, exhausted. We need to get in the car and drive until we can't see San Francisco any longer. We know this. But the long walk.. the long day.. the long week… It's weighing on all of us.

7:42 PM We returned to the RAF House. It's completely empty here. Everything's happening three hours away. We think we can afford to sleep.

8:08 PM We shared a dinner. Heaven still had food stocked in the cupboards and a working oven. We made some simple pasta and sauce. Tiger's sleeping in the living room, on the couch. Donnie and I will sleep in our cots.

8:10 PM She's sitting on the cot, taking off her shoes. Body still throbbing with adrenaline. Brain still abuzz with what ifs. "What if we'd gone to Los Angeles instead?" Then we wouldn't have met Tiger. "You feel a responsibility for him." I do. Because I took so long to tell him. "It's a good thing to feel. I still feel responsibility for trusting Cody so much." He.. wasn't all bad. He was a lying, manipulative, paranoid man, but he had a principle and he stuck to it. "You don't have to defend him, baby." getting into bed "He's.. dead... and I'll miss him, parts of him.. I'll miss the memories. But we're back to how we were again. Just you and me, against the world." And Tiger, now. "Yeah. He's like our son." Pfft. He's gotta only be, like, a year younger than me. "And two years younger than me." Do you think he'll be receptive to our trips through the rabbit holes? "He'll probably think it's a kick. An adventure." Kinda like I do, yeah. "They are kinda like little adventures, each world, aren't they? They have such a weird design to them." Like a video game. A whole little story, a whole lot of little stories. "That outlook of yours, I might be coming around to it. If we have to go searching for those bikers in the rabbit holes, even if we have to go all the way to the Cipher ourselves just to stop them from dealing the finishing blow, I.. I think I'm up for it." But we probably won't have to. EAT's got an eye on those bikers with her birds. EAT may even try to trick them and lead them away from any Doors. "Maybe. But then we can always go down some rabbit holes anyway, just for the sake of it." Yeah. I'd like to see something other than this city again. "This world… this crazy, neverending power struggle of a world…"

11:11 PM We fell asleep not long after that. I find I've woken up by myself again. Like. She's still here, still asleep. But just me has woken up.

11:12 PM I took a look around the house. Figured I'd let Tiger sleep. He's a really quiet sleeper.

11:13 PM The glow outside is spreading. I can see it from the kitchen window. Trying not to think about how many people must have died. ...all of them?

11:14 PM ..hang on. Tiger's not asleep. He's not on the couch. I didn't see him at all in the house. Is he outside?

11:15 PM ....oh. ._. A window on the top floor is open that wasn't before. And here, on the street outside… Oh… Goddammit.

11:16 PM What choice did he have? Traveling with two kids, barely older than him, who are working with another monster. And he might have had other choices if we hadn't come here. 'Cause I can't help but wonder if I was what pushed Cody over the edge. Bringing Donnie here to reopen old… But, like, that doesn't.. make sense, does it? This was just a kid taking control of himself in the middle of Hell. Taking control back...

11:20 PM Goddammit. All the Maybes in my head. All the shit going wrong.

(Attached: “I am wrought with Maybes and mysteries. Recall the anecdote I shared much further back, where a Camper pointed me down a Door and my next memory was waking up in a bus stop in the rain. That memory goes somewhere. I sat in the bus stop for ten minutes, thinking thoughts that weren’t mine. When’s it gonna arrive? I guess I could read more Discworld while I wait, but it’s such a hassle to have to keep looking up from my book, and then when the bus does come I’ll have to take myself out of the immersion and I hate that. I looked around, not in curiosity of my new environment but in the bored glance of a familiar place I’ve grown so tired of seeing. I remember a stone wall opposite me, across a single-lane road. I never looked at the sky, instead at the wall with the line ’FISH AND CHIPS 1.10p SPECIAL’ written on a hanging chalkboard. I saw someone walking up the road from the right, heading towards the bus stop. A new thought entered my head: Oh good, he’s here. The person’s face flickered for a second, and then their entire shape flickered before settling on a form I’d recognize: The Sempiternity, my blindfolded friend, the Fear of forever, who knew more of me than I of them.

They raised a hand in greeting, and I nodded my head in return. We had a conversation about the weather. Apparently, we were due for rain in the coming week, followed by months of snow. Not a single decipherable word was exchanged, only droning voices from both our mouths. But still the information conveyed. More thoughts came to me. Perhaps if I kill him now, the world will never know? I’ll leave. No one will see. No one will know. No one will remember. I pictured two cats in a microwave, clawing at the door and struggling for footing on the spinning plate. I’ll remember. Droning came out of my mouth, followed by more from Sempi. We had just exchanged secrets. I felt some information leave my mind, information I still cannot remember but that I swear must have meant something. I felt some information enter in return-- Sheet music for a piece in D# minor, still permanently frozen in my mind to this day. Playing the piano part recently felt like rediscovering an old love that never existed. The Sempiternity droned something I did not understand. I looked at their face and saw, for a second, seven eyes through their blindfold. This is it, isn’t it? This is the moment I die, the moment I finally atone for what I’ve done. Coestts has come for me, come to take my thoughts away, come to leave my body wandering emptily through life with no meaning behind my eyes. That’s when the bus arrived. I paid my ticket, and sat down near the front.

We rode mostly in silence. Other people sat behind us, filling the bus. A window was open. It was cold. I looked out the window for most of the ride. I saw nothing, nothing I can remember anyway. My thoughts were absent. It was boring. At one point, Sempi spoke. The information entering my head this time pertained to some ancient civilization, now extinct. Their religion outlasted their culture, with practitioners executing innocents in hopes of one day being forgiven. I asked a question, something about rumors. The slender man answered. One remained from the ancient civilization, an immortal sage who led his murderous people throughout more than just history. Sempi ended the droning, leaving one thought floating in my head. We’re going to see his tomb. The bus stopped, and the door opened. The events which transpired afterwards proceeded, in succession, less lucidly than even those before. In recollection, I cannot hope to transcribe their accuracy, let alone nuance of meaning, any more than I might hope to interpret a dream.

TOMB OF TURIN The Sempiternity and I walked, through a gift shop, down a narrow stone staircase into the dark depths of deteriorated dominion. The stairs crumbled and rumbled, promising unsafe travels and refusing to ascertain our return.

TURN AROUND NOW We surfaced at a chamber with faded red carpet and unlit candles. Sealed treasure chests of varying size littered the area, with locks unable to be opened for so long that they’d corroded. A throne of glass loomed over the room. However, the central features, despite all this majesty, were the paintings above the throne.

MOVING PICTURES One king, elected despot, contradicted logic. He ate children across the sands, one family at a time. His name was Neferkaapep. Neferkaweneg appealed to Thoth, gun in hand. Neferkaapophis conquered sky in his father’s name. Ma’at at feet of Neferkaapepi. Weneg breaking the door open, ascended. Horus and Osiris dreading darkness, and Nyarlathotep carrying black paint.

WINDOWS Ra’s boat, rebuilt, seeing great lands again. Mama Qucha doing Ch’aska Quyllur’s job. Hermes and his hairless heart. Trees with no leaves.

NAMES Neferkaapep Neferkaapepi Neferkaapophis Turin Onnekas kameelperd

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE In the next room, there stood the sarcophagus itself. It was empty. The coffin's interior swallowed us, sending us careening into an abysmal expanse. I could no longer see the Sempiternity; instead I saw what the blind see. More on this later.“)

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#ogtrib #oh god the rapture is burning #ogtrib act 2 #horror

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eruden-writes · 2 years ago

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The Unexpected Human Problem - Part 28

Tag list: @ajarofpickledtears, @boogeysmoth, @omg-the-nutella-queen

☆ ☆ ☆

Summary: The night her abductors die, Rayelle finds herself running for her life. She doesn’t know where she is, what is following her, where to go. All she knows is she’s not on Earth any longer and the thing chasing her has the capacity to kill.

Tai'qdei never anticipated finding a human when he took the job of tracking and subduing a small contingent of smugglers. It was only when the human attacked and fled fled, Tai'qdei - hopped up on the euphoria of a successful hunt - gave chase, instinct burning at his center.

Will sense return to Tai'qdei before he catches Rayelle? Or will Rayelle be subjected to the yautja’s natural inclinations?

And what happens afterwards?

☆ ☆ ☆

The next time Rayelle roused, it had to be the next morning. Late morning. Maybe afternoon, she thought, as she laid in the bed. Tai'dqei was gone. Most likely, he let her sleep since he'd put her through the ringer yesterday. Multiple times.

Faintly, she realized she wasn't even sure if their continuous fucking had really only been a day. They had stopped to eat or wash at intervals. But, invariably, their hormones would pique and they'd find each other wrapped up in the other.

As she worried at her bottom lip, Rayelle wondered if their carnal hunger stemmed from uncertainty. How long did they really have to be together? Would they soon be separated by time and space? Or was their eagerness born from sexual tension and, in her case, a blessed stamina boost from some futuristic rejuvenation process?

Whatever it was, they had gotten the bulk of it out of their systems. For now.

Sitting up in bed, Rayelle winced as her abdominals twanged with pain of exhaustion. A sweet delicious pain, but still a little uncomfortable.

The door to the room hissed open and the familiar footfalls of Tai'dqei announced his entry, before his soft words broke the quiet, "Rayelle, are you awake?"

"I just woke up." Rayelle flashed Tai'dqei a smile, but something in his demeanor made her sit straighter. Even as he neared her, she could see his mandibles fidget, his fingers flex. Clashing thoughts hurtled through her head, hope and dread. "What's wrong?"

A pang shot through Tai'dqei's chest, hearing the longing anticipation in Rayelle's voice. He paused a little ways from the bed, giving her ample space to get to her feet if she so chose. Even as the lump formed in his throat, threatening to make the words dissipate, he answered her, "The Temporal Authority Council wishes to speak with you."

As he expected, Rayelle scrambled off the bed. "Am I going to be told if I can go back?"

Tai'dqei swallowed down the unfair, bitter feelings at seeing her so excited. Now wasn't the time. He tried to stow the hurt as far down as he could, imagining it taking residence beside the now dull pain of losing Ah'ke. "They didn't say. They just asked for your presence as soon as you're available."

Rayelle nodded, trying to restrain the excitement building in her chest. With the excitement, something else swelled. Something that would make Rayelle cry if she stopped to focus too long on it. That very feeling kept her from looking too closely at Tai'dqei, from brushing up against him. If she touched him, she thought she'd break down into tears, all the same.

Too many thoughts, too many feelings, careened around her head. Taking a deep breath, she tilted her gaze up at Tai'dqei, forcing herself to look at him. "I'll shower and get dressed, then we can eat before going to see the Counsel?"

There was half a beat, before Tai'dqei could answer her. He was too tempted to ask hard questions, too sobered by the potential of losing her to tease about joining her. An uncertainty wavered in the air around both of them, weighing on their shoulders. Right now, he needed to give her some inkling of support, without making the pain worse for himself.

Instead of offering to join her, Tai'dqei simply nodded and chose an alternative, "I'll cook something up while you get ready."

As Rayelle said a weak thanks, watching Tai'dqei turn and leave the room, she fought back a burn at the back of her eyes. She forced herself to gather clean clothes, to head out of the bedroom and into the bathroom.

Briefly, she caught the sound of Tai'dqei moving implements in the galley around, muttering to himself about what to cook. Or maybe he was on a comm with Ah'ke. Rayelle ducked into the bathroom before she could be certain.

It was hard to focus as she started up the shower. Her thoughts chased one another, tumbled over each other. She might be able to go home, be able to see Elliot and Skylar again. If that was the case, what was she going to do? How was she going to make sure Evan wasn't going to hurt them? Or try to hurt her own self, again?

While part of her mind raced through options, trying to remember the restrictions of the past, another part of her thoughts lolled over Tai'dqei.

They both knew this would come... eventually.

She was just glad Ah'ke had showed up soon after the liberation of the resort. Ah'ke said she was there to tend to the wounded, but Rayelle was pretty sure she was there for Tai'dqei. He probably told her what was going on between them. What would happen when the TAC got back to Rayelle about her options.

Scrubbing at her face, Rayelle wicked away moisture, trying to convince herself the warm droplets weren't from the few tears that had crested from her lashes.

She wasn't even sure if she was going home! For all she knew the Temporal Authorities would decline her and then... She'd have to live with knowing she could never return. Or fight and find a way back.

With a harsh shake of her head, Rayelle focused on taking one step at a time. First, finish her shower. Second, go eat. Then head to the TAC agents set up on Rerli 3. Any plans beyond that would have to wait, until she knew what was going to be allowed.

Another twenty minutes passed, before Rayelle emerged from the shower. Dressed in a fresh outfit and with hair slightly damp, she headed into the galley area. Tai'dqei turned at her entry, as if he'd been listening for her. "Good timing, I just finished some... oatmeal."

Rayelle couldn't stop the smile that curved at her lips. During their brief reunion, they had talked about a number of things, including foods. She couldn't recall how oatmeal came up - perhaps some teasing remark about something that was good on a cold day? - but it had. And it seemed Tai'dqei had endeavored to make some, probably with the guidance and resources from the humans on Rerli 3.

"Thank you," she said, as she accepted a bowl from a rather large pot of the still simmering food. The spicy sweet scent of cinnamon and sugar and cardamom drifted up on the steam. He definitely had help, she mused with a smile.

The gesture made something in her chest twinge. Ignoring it, she took the warm bowl to the table, Tai'dqei following with his own serving. Sitting down, side-by-side, the two would eat quietly. Neither really tasting the food, with their minds focused on other things.

Each bite, every passing second, got them closer to a possible end. What were they going to do? Both of their minds prepared for the worst. For the sad and lonely path, for the aching and the pain.

"Tai'dqei?" Rayelle finally hedged, placing her spoon at the edge of the bowl.

Her eyes didn't tilt up toward him, he realized, as his attention focused onto her. "Hm?"

A lump formed in Rayelle's throat, a tangle of words that she wanted to say but was having a hard time getting out. She couldn't bring her eyes to meet Tai'dqei. Even as he shifted in his seat, giving her his full attention.

"No matter what happens... I... I am glad, you know. That we..." Despite her mental grip on herself, Rayelle couldn't stop the tears. Couldn't stop the crack in her voice. Her shoulders hunched and shook, quiet tears slipping down her cheeks.

It only took a single crack for Tai'dqei to slowly, softly, lean over to her. Rayelle her head toward him, about to apologize, but quieted as he gathered her up in his arms, pressing his forehead gently to hers. In silence, she stared up at him, finding the weight and texture of his forehead against hers both enjoyable but heart wrenching.

Rayelle realized it took him a long breath, before he said something in a painfully even voice. "I understand."

Those two words hung heavy in his mouth and struck her hard in the chest. As true as they were, his heart ached. Something in his bones told him she was leaving. She would be returning to her time, her world. He tried to shrug it off as paranoia or just being prepared for the ache of losing her. But instinct told him she'd be leaving. Their time together was dwindling painfully short.

As much as Rayelle didn't want to admit it, she felt the same sense of an end coming, as well. Perhaps that's why she threw herself against Tai'dqei, her arms wrapped tight around his neck, still quietly crying.

They sat like that for a little while, both memorizing how the other felt against them. Tai'dqei committed to memory Rayelle's plush softness, her warmth, the scent of her, the feel of her smaller body shifting minutely against his. Rayelle basked in Tai'dqei's arms, his body heat, the certain solidity of him wrapped around her.

It wasn't until Rayelle carefully disentangled herself from him, wiping at her tear-streaked face, that Tai'dqei spoke once more. "Are you ready to go?"

"No, but I don't think I ever will be," she mumbled, turning doleful eyes up at him. It was silly to already be crying, to already feel as if they were saying good-bye. Still, she offered a watery smile while giving her head a shake. "But I have to know."

Tai'dqei nodded, his own mandibles pulling upward in a reciprocating smile. Like hers, it didn't reach his eyes.

Once Rayelle dried her tears, she pushed back in her chair and stood. He followed her lead, feeling slow and heavy despite his lack of armor. Tentatively, she held out her hand to him, half-expecting a gentle wave-away the longer he stared. But his hand soon encompassed hers, swallowing down the premature grief as he burned the memory of her palm in his into a permanent memory.

Together, Tai'dqei and Rayelle left his ship, hand in hand, enjoying whatever time they had left to touch.

—

It took far shorter for the Temporal Advisory Counsil heads to call on Rayelle than she expected. With Tai'dqei by her side, the two were led into an auditorium that had been converted into a sort of hearing room for the head committee. It was a huge room, filled with rows of chairs and a stage. People bustled in and out, carrying stacks of papers, addressing one of the five non-humans sitting at a long table on the stage floor.

As chaotic as it was, it somehow reminded Rayelle of a high school, during some big function. There was a method to the madness. She just didn't know what it was. From the way Tai'dqei held tightly onto her hand, he didn't seem to know, either.

"Ah, you must be Miss Brooks, yes?" One of the five obvious leaders looked up, offering Rayelle what she hoped was a friendly smile. It was hard to tell, since their form seemed to constantly shift. Not that Rayelle could put a finger on how. It just seemed they were... changing. Her mind turned to aliens capable of dimension hopping and time travel, wondering if they were one of them.

What she did manage to register was blue skin and six glowing eyes and two smiling mouths, one right atop the other. Or maybe that's simply how they wished to be perceived? She shook her head, trying to dislodge the complicated thoughts concerning dimensional transmission.

"Yes, I am. I'm supposed to meet with the Temporal Authority Council," she said, diverting toward the stage stairs as the alien waved her in that direction.

Tai'dqei followed her, if only thanks to the fact she still grasped onto his hand. Or maybe he was holding onto her for dear life. That sense of instinctive dread swelled in him. On top of the misery he was doing his best to keep at bay, the busy nature of the area grated on his nerves. His shoulders hunched, tension winding down his back.

The blue shifting alien abruptly nodded, before turning to one of their colleagues. "Oh, ah, Sh'thal, I believe you were handling this case?"

"Which case?" From across the stage, another alien looked up. Their skin shone like purple glass, little specks of light flickering beneath the surface. Crystalline eyes looked to the blue energy alien, blinking owlishly, as if they were readjusting their thought process from one task to another, completely unrelated, one. Even as they tilted their attention to their co-worker and Rayelle, four of their six hands continued to presumably sort through holo-pads.

"The temporally displaced human, Rayelle Brooks of 2022, Missouri, United States." Sh'thal still stared, no answer. Tai'dqei and Rayelle exchanged a look. The first alien sighed, crossing their noodly arms as they said, in an almost deadpan voice, "The one a yautja brought in."

"Oh!" Tai'dqei's stomach dropped - Rayelle's heart twisted - as recognition struck the crystalline alien. She turned to one of her six wrists, inputting data and pulling up a holoscreen. "One second!"

Rayelle glanced up at Tai'dqei, who had - at some point - released her hand. The sudden realization sent a chill through her, but she shoved it away. It didn't mean anything. That was just some attempt to build a new wall between herself and him. Instead, she focused on him in the moment. The physicality of him. The way the lights of the room played off his skin and the metal rings on his tendrils, the barely-there scars that ticked along his arms and knuckles.

He'd been staring off into space, watching the crystalline alien - a Corizite - scrolling through files and messages. Vaguely, he wondered if she was just delaying bad news. Guilty hope fluttered through him, at the mere idea of it. Feeling Rayelle's eyes on him, Tai'dqei tilted his attention down to Rayelle, eyebrow ridges raising with curiosity.

"I just enjoy looking at you," she answered softly, so low that no one else could hear her comment.

To that, Tai'dqei made a scoffing grunt and playfully pushed at her, but couldn't help the way his mandibles quirked upward, just slightly. They'd come so far, she realized, to the point she could catch such expression changes. Returning the gesture, Rayelle pushed back at him, giving a short laugh, before leaning into him. Tai'dqei didn't fight it. His arm came around his shoulders, hand resting on her far hip as he relaxed against her.

For a brief moment, the hustle and bustle around them died away.

Until the Corizite turned toward them with a triumphant trill.

"It has been decided that Miss Brooks may return to her time, if she so chooses." Sh'thal looked up, their countenance beaming as they closed out of the file. They clapped two pairs of their hands together, giving off guidance counselor energy as they chirped, "Isn't that exciting?"

#exo writing #exophilia #yautja #yautja oc #yautja x human #alien x human #monster x human #monster lover #monster fucker #monster boyfriend #alien boyfriend #tuhp #the unexpected human problem #tuhp part 28 #the unexpected human problem part 28 #rayelle #tai'dqei #*posts then runs away from inevitable fall out*

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