#wow look at me go ! she is bare bones but i will be adding 2 this later

[mvgcs]

they say icarus flew too close to the sun with his waxen wings causing his poetic downfall ; growing up on stories of familial tragedy leaving behind a legacy that’s too big for you to fill, telling half-truths and bold lies in the need to live another day ; the intrinsic grip that survival has on your soul blurs the lines between living the life you know and the life you want, a deepset feeling in your bones that war is a game of never-ending chess ; but there’s a match dangling from your fingertips about to set fire to the board, torn between a sea of golden righteousness and the shadowy depths of despair ; because what if icarus jumped instead - what if he never fell at all?

personal.

full name: arista neveah mckinnon

nickname/s: Twin 1 (... anyone who cant even tell the diff between them smh), ari, rizz (bc ngl. she has so so much of it<3), m, mckinnon,

age: twenty five

birthday: i will get back to u

gender & pronouns: cis woman, she/her

sexuality: bisexual

relationship status: single

aesthetic & personality.

positive traits: adaptable, perceptive, determined, independent

negative traits: self preserved, elusive, stubborn, manipulative

hobbies: god. no one wants to know.

health: anxiety, bouts of paranoia

scars/tattoos: she probably has matching tattoos w her besties . her order ones. prob not her de friends . unless....

character parallels: peter pettigrew (iykyk), i am blanking on others will come back 2 this

magic.

patronus: a lynx.

boggart: heights conveniently !! seeing as she's climbing higher n higher to no return

wand type: tba. something cool

occupation: girly works in a potion shop on knockturn probably. to keep up w her de appearance. and !! she needs fuckin money

affiliation: double agent for the order !! #go team

school & house: as she was a double agent, had gone to hogwarts instead. if they still had houses, or if she was sorted at scholomance, ari would have been a ravenclaw.

bio. kind of. tw mentions of parental & sibling death.

arista was born the oldest of the mckinnon twins - barely, but it counts, which she gladly reminds alanis of every chance she gets. the mckinnon's, since their tragic almost demise back before the first war ended, had become well-versed in infiltrating death eaters throughout the years, that by the time arista and alanis were born, there were already a few aunts and uncles embedded deep within the ranks of death eaters. could not tell you who they are though.

she was generally a soft girl, at least arista let everyone perceive her that way, it was easier to do what was expected of her than argue with her parents; even if half the time arista wanted to scream obscenities at the world and watch it burn. 

because of their skills in espionage and infiltration, the mckinnon's were considered fundamental to the order's foundation once going underground and it's remained that way ever since. while not well known; the deaths of her parents and brother at some point in her life had been a devastating blow, three deaths arista still carries around with her to this day. 

was sent into hogwarts with lorcan and her twin alanis to gather information through the children of prominent leaders in the death eater circle, arista always being one step ahead, had gained the attention of one certain blonde haired malfoy despite having loyalties to the other order aligned children in hogwarts ; with none other than her fast-paced wit and snappy attitude. fr she had no trouble calling out his ass for being wrong. 

at some point in her duration at hogwarts, it seemed her part of the infiltration plan had worked ; arista was slowly but surely feeding back tidbits of information back to the order, no matter how little it seemed. it seemed like their plan was working a little too well, perhaps. 

what wasn’t part of the plan was arista slowly pulling away from her twin sister and her best friend ; the two other people vital in their mission to succeed, however arista would constantly assure them that she was still theirs. arista wouldn’t ever leave her family - not after her parents death. right? 

after graduation, the friends and family arista had left behind were expecting her to come back, and yet she had stayed behind due to her being deeply undercover with scorpius’ and his friends - and in merlin’s sick twisted mind ; they had become her friends too. by this point arista was used to playing the best of both sides, growing comfortable in the way she teetered along the edge of good and evil.

studied potions extensively. is quite a natural at brewing and concocting new potions ; arista had to be good at something to be noticed. she's more known for her psychedelic potions, only known to those who need to know.

since graduation arista’s slowly been making her mark within the death eaters, but not enough so that her name would arouse suspicion within the order; arista still relays information… that’s been seemingly lackluster lately, but she’s still helping, right? anything for the order, right?

[bluberimufim]

21, 5, and 10 for the writer’s ask :))

Hiii thank you for the ask! Sorry for the late reply, I had this tab opened for an eternity and forgot about it.

21. Have you ever thrown any major rules that everybody follows out of the window?

Kinda?? I usually don't look too hard at writing rules and just do whatever. I find that figuring it out myself works better than following advice I don't fully understand, sometimes.

But I guess I could say I've discarded a few? I write mostly fantasy and, when people give advice on writing fantasy, they tend to gear it towards a more stereotypical idea of it. A lot of advice on story climaxes and character writing for fantasy focuses on there being a Big Bad Antagonist to beat and a Great Showdown at the end. And that just isn't how I like to write.

I've said it before, but my stories are all extremely chill. There are still big events happening and there are obviously stakes to the plot, but it's more emotional than anything else. The climax of "Black and White" is a tense conversation at a coffee shop and a farewell between two friends. (You could also say that the climax is Alphonse's death, but. Eh.) People literally just talk to each other all the time with almost no action scenes involved. "Devourer of Souls" features an entire war with an outcome that ultimately doesn't matter because the story is about the relationship between two characters. The climax is Seth trying to revive Theo after she dies and that's literally just. Also a conversation.

This also happened to me a bit in my architectural project classes in my first year of college. All my professors were like "pick an axis and go with it" and I discovered, together with my professor, that I just think differently about space, and tend to focus more on staying in a certain place rather than in walking through it. Everyone is different. Be yourself.

Wow. Sorry for the ramble. It turned into life advice. Dammit.

5. How would you describe your writing style? Does your writing style change for different WIPs? If yes, describe all or maybe just a few.

I've mentioned this once in passing. My style of story structure is very... jumpy, I guess? I switch POVs to get the better picture of a certain scene, and I skip around a lot in time. Both B&W and the dystopia WIP have a "present day" plot happening parallel to a "flashback plot". The dystopia WIP technically has five different flashback plots, but they're all told separately. This is because they have multiple protagonists who are at different points in their lives. Darius's story happens over three years. Diedrich's happens over thirty-five. To be given the same weight, they must mix. Otheriwse the story becomes "Diedrich and Some Dude".

"Devourer of Souls", however, is completely different. It has one protagonist, Seth, and it tells the story of her life. Book 2 has two protagonists, introducing Flick, but there's still no need for flashbacks, because the story of Seth's past has already been told. And I gotta say, it is super weird to write something so linearly. It feels wrong, but it's one hell of an experience!

10. How often do you stick to your original plot?

I only really outline the bare bones and the scenes I daydream about before writing, so it leaves a lot of room. I am technically still within DoS's outline, but I have since added two characters, new magic mechanics, and an entire mini-arc in the middle.

But the basis is usually still there. There's also bits that I just leave as "???" in the outline that stand for "pretty much 2 years of relationship development that I'll figure out in the moment". Anything character-driven I just leave as "whatever, we'll make it up as we go". I plan plot but I 100% pant the hell out of character development.

[wytfut]

Got Danes? part 2

And then there was Dozer. We found him thru a paper ad, on the Kansas border. These folks were wonderful. Raised strictly Danes. Clean and organized. Dogs looked beautiful. Out of the huge litter, he wouldn’t leave me alone.

Because of that, he was my personal shadow. Patti was always ok with this, but really wanted to imprint on all of them thru the years. I’d guess a lot of it has to do with “Alpha of the pack”.

There are 2 types of Danes out there. American, and European. Dozer was our first European. We didn’t know it at the time that there was such a thing. Dozer was just big boned with sloppy jowls.

European are stouter, bigger ears, bigger feet, and huge jowls. We’ve all seen the movies where the dog throws slobber all over when they shake their head. That was Dozer.

We are still finding slobber on walls in our house.

Dozer was also a Mantle, with white chest and feet. Huge boned beast with a very old soul.

Most folks that knew him and our Danes just adored him. Always friendly, attentive, and loved to meet people.

His favorite thing to do with me rain, shine, winter... when ever, was to help wash cars. He loved water and the garden hose. I owned a 1 ton truck at the time, and I’d wash the top with a ladder, all the while he was pulling on the hose, trying to pull me off to squirt him. Had to look hilarious from the interstate.

A weirdo washing his truck in the middle of winter, while a large beast pulling him off of a ladder. Take note: I had an outside water bib on the house, that is hooked up to water heater, so there was no one getting frozen.

He died suddenly at 5 years old. We worked with 2 different vets, with no results. They and us couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He just quit eating. His bowels quit working. I’d switch to all sorts of food, which he’d eat for a day and then quit. He lost 50 pounds within 2 weeks skin was just hanging on him. It was a very sad ending. This was a 3 week battle.

I finally had to have him put down, as he was in the basement, and couldn’t get up the stairs let alone stand. I had some friends come and help get him out, and I took him directly to the vet to be put down.

One of his favorite things to do, was ride with the window down and his head hanging out. On our trip to the Vet, he made the best effort to do that with his nose just barely across the bottom of the window. Wow, what a sad ending... I still tear up with that effort he made. whew..... I can’t even proof read this part, ugh.

We months later found out the cause of his sudden death...   I had heard thru some friends about an issue with oral flea/tick meds. That these meds were killing a certain amount of dogs somewhat regularly. This information really isn’t out there, and a lot of vets don’t know, or poo poo the whole idea. Our friends had this happen to their dog (also a pure breed). Well.... Dozer just months before he died, we had given him these oral meds for the very first time. In the past we had always used topical. And so he died....

That following Xmas, the family surprised me with another Dane. Otto came from a hi dollar Dane farm. He’s a brindle (all tan with a black mask). A very pretty Dane and is very needy in general.

Although good natured, he’s naturally scared easily by loud noises, sudden movements. And has a hard time with strangers. Still have him, and he’s going to be fine. Does all the regular Dane things, be a good dog. Otto is now an adult, gorgeous, and weighs in about 170-180.

This past spring Patti retired and decided that she needed her a Dane. I really wasn’t in the mood for 2 again, as 2 can be a handful.  But I knew there was no stopping my Hunny.

Thus Meeker became our number 7. He’s a rescue dog from Omaha animal rescue. A very nice proper place, that I highly recommend for rescues. They interview you, to make sure you are real about your adoption, and that you know what you are getting into.

We got Meeker (named after Mount Meeker in Colorado) at about 6 months old, with no knowledge of his back ground. He’s another European Dane and is another Mantle with a bit of white.

Last nite was a long nite. Meeker as a puppy who can reach anything on any counter within in 20″ of his mouth.... puts everything in his mouth, as puppies do. Unfortunate for us, he doesn’t always spit items back out.

Last night he couldn’t quit throwing up. We were up all night cleaning up and watching him. His bowels were not distended like a twisted bowel. He had no temperature. He had great circulation. But he was very lethargic. Drank gallons of water. And wouldn’t eat.

Took him in this morning to the Vet. She spotted something on the Xray and again with ultra sonic.... Called me and said “there’s definitely something blocking his bowels, but I dont know that it is. We”ll have to do surgery to get it” ... I told her, no problem, go get it, price isn’t an issue....

And here we wait for the phone call on how surgery went for Meeker at 1 year old. I’m sure he’ll be fine... and such is the life of owning Great Danes. We can’t help ourselves...

UPDATE: Meeker is home and recovering a lot quicker than I thought he could. Last night when we picked him up, he looked like he’d been ran over.

Turns out the “blockage” wasn’t an item (toy, rag, etc.) but a very bad intestinal infection. Vet didn’t need to cut into his intestines, and just rather “milked” the awlful stuff out his anus.  This as gross as it sounds it all good news, as cutting the intestines can be a rather detailed healing process.

When we got the demon dog, he would get the poops every few days, then back to normal. We are suspecting that he may have had this infection way back in May when we got him.  Who knows... but it makes sense now.

Otto Xmas day... an adorable brindle

Otto with Daughter in law Lisa

Dozer with Lisa

Norton and Gertie. Note Nortons left blue eye and right brown eye.

[yourmidnightlover]

the nickname

Summary: reader convinced spencer to let her take the reins in the bedroom... or does she?

TW: oral (male recieving), fingering, mention of overstimulation, multiple orgasms, unprotected sex, penetrative sex, riding, scratching, use of nicknames (princess, love, etc.), hints at sugar daddy!spencer, age gap (not specified but i’m thinking around 10-15 years). *let me know if i missed anything*

WC: 2,912

A/N: this hinted at sugar daddy!spencer (not really hinted so much as saying it outright). I also wrote this for @anxiousblanketqueen ‘s fic contest for her birthday! i believe it’s prompt number 21. i hope you enjoy :)

————————————————————————

you had been together for a while, now. maybe 13 months? you bet spencer could recall - more like knew he could.

you had met when you were one of his students. you're going to georgetown on an academic scholarship because no way in hell could you pay for the full tuition when you still couldn't afford it with the scholarships.

he took a liking to you - how could he not? you were a hard worker and proved yourself to be extremely determined. on top of the obvious intelligence, you had a beauty that radiated around you. and that beauty had a touch of... innocence. and maybe that innocent beauty is what initially attracted him to you, but he'd like to think it was just your personality as a whole.

you were never one of the students who would come to his office after hours for help you clearly didn't need. you would use your colored pens and highlighters to help organize your notes, so it took a while to pack everything up to leave.

one day, when there weren't any students lined up out his door, he went to your seat as you were cleaning up. you looked up, rather surprised that your inappropriate crush was standing right by you.

"uhm... hi," you smiled at him as you put your pencil pouch in your bag, breaking eye contact for the briefest of seconds before returning your attention back to him.

"hi. i was uhm..." he cleared his throat, "i was wondering if you had any questions? you never come to the office hours for questions and i was just... just making sure," he stuttered out.

"oh," you chuckled a light, airy laugh that spencer wished he had recorded so he could replay it over and over and over. "i don't have any questions. i guess that just means that you're a really good professor - very thorough," you stood up and flung the bag over your shoulder, still incredibly shorter than him.

"than-thank you," he smiled. "i'm happy to hear that you're actually getting something out of the lessons," you began walking out of the classroom, looking back to ensure that he was following you.

"yes, i truly do," you agreed. "i'm also pretty sure i'm one of the other people who isn't auditing the class," you added.

"correct, you are," he enthusiastically gestured, another laugh leaving your beautiful lips.

"i mean, you can't necessarily blame them for just taking the class," you chuckled as he held the door open for you, you gave him a subtle 'thank you.'

"what do you mean?" he asked in a soft tone.

"i mean you- you're..." you trailed off, gesturing to his entire body in hopes to convey what you meant. he just looked at you with a confused taste, letting you know you needed to elaborate. "you're very... attractive, professor reid."

"oh-that's very... thank you," he blushed as you halted by the bus stop.

"of course," you turned around, looking up to meet his eyes. "so... wait, what time is it?" you asked rather frantically.

"it's," he looked at his silver watch adorning his wrist, "6:27."

"shit," you swore for the first time in front of him, underneath your breath.

"wha-what is it?" he asked, perplexed as to why you would be so frustrated.

"the last bus leaves at 6:15 and i've missed it," you huffed out, trying to compose yourself before checking your bag and realizing, "i forgot my key and my roommate is at her girlfriend's house."

"is there anything i could do?" he asked concerned.

"no i can... i can just stay at the library. i should probably study up anyway," you tried to laugh it off although you knew it was pointless... he was a profiler for christ's sake.

"the library? y/n, this might seem a bit inappropriate but i have a spare room you could stay in until your roommate gets back," he offered kindly.

so, you took him up on his offer.

you slept in his spare room after he got you both takeout. you laughed and talked for what seemed like meer minutes but turned out to be until 1 a.m. you talked about string theory and the leonard euler's paradox. he gave you interesting facts about tortoises and achilles.

that little hangout session turned into countless hangouts over the span of three months. and then he asked you out on a real date once you finished at the top of his class - and not just because you were his favorite.

the first time with spencer was... beyond delightful. he was captivating with the way he worked against and for your body. it was almost as if he felt like his sole purpose on earth was to please you. he was eager, yet patient with the way his tongue flicked and sucked at your skin.

he was such a dominant personality in the bedroom, which was extremely appreciated since you didn't have much experience in that arena. but now that you were more versed in that world, you wanted to experiment a bit more.

casually, he began to pay for your things. it wasn't so head-on at first. it would be paying for your groceries, or buying all of your college books for you. but then it got a bit bigger. when your roommate couldn't give you the necessary half of the rent that was due and was beginning to be a nuisance, spencer quite literally let you move into his place. he would pay for your car's repairs and bought you jewelry consistently.

one time, as a joke, you called him your sugar daddy - mostly because that's how he acted. he just didn't like the term. he felt as though it made your relationship together seem one-sided when you were, in fact, very in love with the man. you came to realize it also made you seem like a gold digger, which you weren't - even though the money is a nice plus. so, you relented and didn't say that again.

spencer never really had much time off now that he was working back at the bau and traveling but now, you had him to yourself for a whole week. you had been planning this since he told you when he'd be off.

step 1: look sexy - you always looked sexy to him, but feeling sexy would also be a plus.

step 2: surprise him while looking sexy - absolutely devious.

step 3: seduce him - when doesn't he want you? exactly.

it was foolproof.

you had gotten the text 15 minutes ago that spencer was on his way back to his place, wanting you to meet him there once he had settled in. little did he know that you were in a sexy little white number - the white reminded him of your innocence which really got him going - lying in wait for him in a pair of heels. you sat in one of his reading chairs, deciding to pick up a book until he got home.

when you heard the jingling of keys coming from the other side of the door, you assumed your position. the chair was turned toward the door, you sitting pretty with one leg crossed over the other.

spencer walked through the door, hanging his coat and briefcase up before finally noticing you. his eyebrows shot up, looking your body up and down hungrily.

"wow," he smiled a wicked grin as he slowly made his way to where you were sitting. you stood up, heels clicking as they hit the floor and walked closer to him.

"i wanna try something," you placed your hands on his chest, pushing him back slightly until he was forced to sit down on the couch.

"and what would that be, princess?" he asked, hands stroking your hair that was cascading down your back.

"i..." you bent down to whisper in his ear, "i want to be in charge tonight," you placed a soft kiss below his earlobe, feeling his body shudder subtly at the proposition.

"are you sure you can handle that?" he chuckled, hands roaming to your waist and grinding your hips down on his.

you almost gave up. almost. you grasped his hands, placing them on the arm of the couch before getting close to his face. your lips were almost touching before you whispered, "no touching today, pretty boy."

you felt his hips rut up against your core, you chuckled at his eagerness. you decided to throw him a bone and ground down, hard, against his hips. the groan he let out was low and enticing, nearly enough to allow you to give him whatever he wanted.

"bedroom," you whispered against his neck before getting off of his lap, allowing him to scurry to the room. "take off your clothes while you're at it!" you giggled under your breath as you heard his clothes shuffling, telling you that he was obeying your request.

you waited a couple of minutes until you went into the room, wanting to have him go a bit insane like he normally did to you. when you walked in, he was laying on his back on the bed, just like you wanted. his cock was already red and leaky, prominent as it bounced on his tummy.

"good boy, spence," you giggled, walking over to him and straddling his legs.

once you were settled, you pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before trailing them down his torso, leaving the occasional hickey scattered on his chest. traveling kisses down his happy trail, you traced the vein on his dick and watched it twitch up and hit his stomach once again you giggled at the reaction.

"now i understand why you like so much responsiveness," you chuckled as you pressed a soft, barely-there kiss to the tip of his cock, he hissed once again from the contact.

you slowly took his cock in your mouth, agonizingly slow, and flattened your tongue at the base. one you got him as far down you could manage, you began bobbing your head just as slow. his hands flew to your hair, trying to force you to go faster until you swatted them away.

"should i tie those up?" you threatened, your hand working at his member as you spoke.

"are you fucking kidding me?" he swore, clearly agitated by your antics.

"no," you squeezed his dick for punctuation, the way he grunted made the wetness pool in your underwear. "i'm not kidding you."

you took him in your mouth once more, bobbing your head far more vigorously than before this time, just to spite him. hollowing your cheeks, you swallowed around him and began gagging around his dick before coming back up for air.

"fuck," he whispered underneath his breath, not wanting to let you know just how much of an effect you had on him.

you smiled to yourself and continued your antics until he was spilling all down your throat. you didn't stop there, you came back up and let your hand continue pumping his member slowly.

"shit," he hissed from the stimulation.

"shhh," you put your free finger up to his lips.

you gave his dick a few more strokes, curses leaving his lips delightfully before you drew your hands up his body once more before straddling his lap. after moving your panties to the side and slicking his cock with your arousal, you ground against him leisurely, trying to tease him a bit more. you unclasped your bra, throwing it somewhere in the room. finally, you reached between the two of you and lined him up with your entrance.

"are you sure you can do this?" spencer asked, not to entice you, but to make sure you were alright.

"there's a first for everything," you chuckled, knowing you had never been on top before.

you had never been on top before - you'd like to blame your lack of experience. you knew it might be hard to keep up the pace, but you were determined to make not only yourself but also make spencer feel good. that's all you've ever wanted. that's what you're meant to do - make him feel good. so no matter what it took, you'd make it happen.

you slowly lowered yourself onto his dick, being wary of how much bigger he felt from the new angle.

"shit," you whispered, your hands resting on his chest in attempt to ground yourself. "oh god..." you trailed off, feeling your dominant personality fade away as the pleasure overtook you.

"keep going, princess," he spurred you on, his hands finding your waist and rubbing gentle circles on your skin. "you've got it."

so you rose on your knees until only his tip was inside of you for you to lower yourself once more. you whimpered from the feeling of him re-entering your body, your pussy clenching around him as if he were an intruder.

"doing so good for me," he grasped your waist a bit tighter so he could help you rise and fall on his cock. "fuck, it's so good."

"d-doctor, i-" you stuttered, the persona nearly entirely gone and nowhere to be seen as he continued to move you up and down.

when you learn forward, your face hovering over spencer's chest, he took the opportunity to wrap his arms entirely around your waist. before you knew it, he was slamming his length into your pussy over and over and over and over again.

"oh! oh my god," you moaned, your voice reaching a higher octave as he drilled into your body in the most pleasurable way imaginable. "don't stop! don't stop! ple-please!" you screamed out, your hands wrapping around his torso and squeezing his body to ensure that he was there - present.

"i won't, princess. just let go. let go for me," he pressed a kiss to the top of your head so sweetly in contrast to how he was fucking you.

"i'm cumming! oh god, i'm cumming, spencer!" you cried out as you released the tension from inside of you.

only spencer wasn't done yet, so he took himself out of you, and he placed you on your back before reentering you. he moved in and out of you at a godly pace, trying to get himself to his climax before you would become too overwhelmed from the overstimulation.

"spen- spencer," you scratched at his back, surely leaving red marks for him to ogle once you were through. "i-i'm close," you sucked lightly at his earlobe before he moved his hand between the two of you, circling the little bundle of nerves at your crest.

"my little insatiable bunny, huh?" he smiled as you whimpered into his ear, nearing your second release. "loves my cock a bit too much, huh?"

"please! fuck!" you shouted out as you came on his dick, pulling at his hair. the clenching and fluttering of your pussy finally sending him over the edge, his hot release flooding your insides.

"fuck," he groaned into your ear as he carried the two of you through your releases. "good job, princess," he pressed a kiss to your neck as you stroked his hair, playing with it as you were still coming down.

"i'm sorry," you frowned once he pulled out, finally making eye contact as he lay down beside you.

"what for?" he asked incredulously.

"i just... i wanted to make you proud and i couldn't even finish without your help," you explained in a whiney manner, not allowing yourself to meet his beautiful eyes.

"hey," he grasped your chin to force you to make eye contact. "i love it when i have to help you reach that high. that's not something to be embarrassed or upset about."

"i know but i wanted to ride you and i couldn't even do that," you rolled your eyes.

"it takes time to get used to doing that," he chuckled. "and besides, riding someone on the bed is never a good way to begin. the couch is always better - that way you have the back of it to hold onto."

"really? so it's not that i'm just terrible at being a top?" your eyes widened with hope, he smiled at your eagerness.

"i think you could be a switch but it needs a bit of work, my love," he brushed your hair behind your ear before seeing your disappointed gaze and adding, "but i'll bet that with enough practice i could start calling you my little bunny, yea?"

"really?" you perked up at the proposition. "i want you to call me that."

"well then, i guess we better start practicing," he grinned before leaning in and giving you a sloppy kiss, his hands flying to your waist as he stood the both of you up to go to the couch.

needless to say, with spencer's guidance you were able to master the art of riding him. and you got that special little nickname, too.

taglist:

@averyhotchner

@greenprisca

@muffin-cup

@emilyprentisslittlewhore​

@spenxerslut​

if you’d like to be added to the taglist, please don’t hesitate to message me or leave a comment saying so!

[petri808]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Inukag AU

As Kagome stood in front of the mirror getting ready for her date with Inuyasha, a slip of the hand landed her fingers against a small, raised scar hidden below the hairline. At least that one was hidden unlike the few she had on her arms from the metal pins surgery, or the worst, a scar near her brow line from hitting the steering wheel. Kagome frowned, her eyes zoning in on the angry horizontal line. It was indented front and center like a frown line, where no amount of makeup could cover it up. She’d even thought about growing out her bangs and changing her hair style, but everyone insisted it was barely visible.

‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘Scar? Oh, I didn’t notice until you brought it up.’

They could just be saying such things to be nice. Well, regardless of their efforts to cheer her up, Kagome felt like the scar stood out like a bright spotlight centered directly on her face saying look at me! Remember me?! No, she honestly couldn’t remember! Didn’t want to remember! Why would anyone want to remember a near fatal accident?! All she wanted were the good memories to return. Wouldn’t it be so awesome if she could choose which memories could return? Any broken bones she’d had from the accident were healed now, but the missing memories a constant reminder her brain still had a ways to go.

Mrs. Higurashi called her from downstairs. “Kagome! Inuyasha’s here!”

She sighed and turned away from the mirror, taking a moment to release the negative thoughts. There was nothing Kagome could do about the scar short of expensive cosmetic surgery, but she genuinely looked forward to their dates, so it wouldn’t be fair or fun to bring Inuyasha down too.

“Be right down!” Kagome called back making sure her tone was chipper. She quickly finished checking to make sure her sundress was okay before grabbing her purse and heading down the staircase.

The couple’s plans for the day included walking around Ueno Park Zoo after lunch, then meeting Sango and Miroku for a double-date dinner. It was meant to be a lazy fun day. Even the late Spring weather was in their favor with a breeze cooling down the sun’s rays. Four months have passed, and with each day, Kagome’s comfort levels had increased thanks to all the support around her. Being with Inuyasha felt exciting, almost electrifying, bringing out those giddy crush-like emotions when someone is developing romantic feelings for someone. All through college Kagome managed to stay away from any serious relationships, and even before that no one had ever made her heart skip the way Inuyasha did. So, this was the first time that she could remember ever experiencing such intense emotions. Any sadness she’d been experiencing always melted away the moment his honey-hues and smile flashed her way.

As they walked around the zoo, it was in one of those moments of elation that Kagome had reached out and taken Inuyasha’s hand. Her cheeks were on fire and rosy blushed but delighted when he squeezed it back. He never did anything to make her feel embarrassed for the move, just a natural gesture between two young people on a date. She’d figured he wouldn’t make the first move out of respect for her, but it was something she’d been thinking about for a couple of weeks. What would it feel like? Was his hands sweaty? Strong? Soft? Would it bring back any connections? It didn’t trigger a rush of express memories, only a sense of normalcy as if her hand just fit perfectly in his. Not in terms of size but as if it belonged there, meant to be there all along. It was a little weird akin to a deja vu moment. But such feelings definitely brought a new flutter to her stomach and wave of heat, coloring her skin like a young schoolgirl with her first love.

There was no rhyme or reason to the pathways they chose around the zoo, simply looking at the different animal exhibits and taking in the relaxing scenery. Sometimes Inuyasha made her laugh by teasing the animals or getting their attention. The funniest had to be the monkeys who didn’t take kindly to his teasing. Kagome even joked that maybe it was because of his heritage that some could understand him on a level. Of course, he scoffed playfully at such a notion even though it seemed true when it came to canine species like the wolves or foxes who’d cowed down before them in the enclosure.

When they reached a concession stand three-quarter ways through the park, it was a perfect time for a break. The couple sat down on one of the benches to have a snack and rest their feet. Inuyasha purchased a parfait to share, but after a few minutes, a man and a woman suddenly walked up to them, catching them off guard.

“Kagome?” The woman excitedly questioned. “Oh, my Kami is that you?! Inuyasha, have you been hiding her away all this time?!”

Kagome looked to Inuyasha with a mild concern flashing in her eyes. She clearly didn’t recognize the excited person. But it was a common occurrence, so he immediately switched into support mode.

“No, it’s a bit more complicated,” Inuyasha told the woman. He then took his girlfriend’s hand to explain further. “This is Ms. Tanaka, Kagome. You’ve worked in the cubicle next to hers at work for about 3 years.”

Kagome looked back at the woman, “Oh! I’m so sorry, Ms. Tanaka, I don’t recognize you. The accident left me with… temporary amnesia.”

“Oh, my that’s terrible, but,” Ms. Tanaka waved her hand, “please don’t apologize. We were apprised of the accident and I’m just glad to see you! You look really great!”

“Thank you,” Kagome smiled sweetly at the woman’s kindness. “I hope once I regain my memories, I’ll be able to return to my normal life.”

“The boss told us your position is being held for you. Oh, I hope you get your memories back soon too! We really miss you at work! Inuyasha,” Ms. Tanaka wagged a finger at the man, “you make sure to help Kagome, okay?! We need her.”

Inuyasha chuckled at the woman’s bluntness. “I’m doing my best. Wouldn’t you say?” He questioned Kagome who responded with a blushing smile and nod.

“Inuyasha’s doing everything he can to help me.” Kagome added. “I don’t know what I would do without his support.”

“Awww!” Ms. Tanaka squealed. “You guys are always so adorable together! Anyways, we should get going, but it was so great to see you! I’m gonna tell all the office girls you’re looking well!”

The couple waved as Ms. Tanaka and the man took their leave. Well, that was certainly unexpected but positive. Unfortunately, the last of their ice cream had melted away, so Inuyasha tossed the remnants into a trash can. Neither said a word about the encounter. They just sat quietly on the bench amongst the ambient noise of zoo-goers. Assuming Inuyasha was also thinking about something, Kagome went inward, reflecting on the brief interaction and Inuyasha’s role in it. How he didn’t take the lead or explain things, allowing her to give whatever information she was comfortable with. It mean a lot to her, supportive, and holding her hand to remind her she wasn’t alone. This encounter wasn’t the first time they’d run into someone from her life. Sometimes Inuyasha knew them, sometimes he didn’t to explain, but Kagome never once had to feel flustered about having to deal with people. Perhaps the air of protection is what kept her feeling so safe with him.

Inuyasha spoke up quietly, breaking the silence. “Did you really mean what you said? A-About my support?”

Kagome looked over to see a hint of a blush coloring the man’s face which brought some of her own to her cheeks. “I did— I do. Everyone’s support has been wonderful, but… well, the times I spend with you I can almost forget about what happened and just… be happy.” Inuyasha looked up as her voice softened. “It really means a lot to me.”

She could tell that her flushed cheeks and the soft embarrassment registering in her eyes communicated all he needed to know of the feelings behind her words. But Inuyasha must have been a bit surprised, and not knowing how to respond because he continued to sit there staring and speechless. Kagome’s gaze unconsciously moved to his lips. Maybe it was the emotions of the moment along with his lowered defenses all combining together into a heightened sense of curiosity on her part… or perhaps desire, because Kagome felt a pull.

Her hand reached out tentatively to his cheek. “May I… kiss you,” she slipped out like a whisper in a breeze.

He smiled, placed his hand over hers and leaned into it with a nod. Kagome inched in, eyes closing as their lips gently made contact. Oh, wow… her mind froze as an electric shiver raced down her body. Inuyasha’s lips felt… natural upon hers. So even though all her memories had been lost, her body remembered and gave into the muscle memory of lips she’d kissed thousands of times before. Kagome pushed further, harder, eliciting a small sigh from the man that sent even more riveting shivers along her skin. Ugh! The exhilarating feelings from the kiss felt so amazing! When they finally pulled apart, Inuyasha placed one last chaste kiss on her forehead. It’s specific spot wasn’t lost on Kagome, and it made the ending feel so much sweeter that he’d chosen it.

“Was that, okay?” Inuyasha tentatively questioned.

Kagome smiled all starry-eyed and breathless at him. “Mmm, more than okay…”

And if she got her way, definitely more will be requested in the future.

[damn-stark]

Fire pt.2

Diego Hargreeves x reader

Requested by anon: “Can you do a season 1 Diego Hargreeves x female reader one-shot where reader is his girlfriend, is a forensic scientist and met him when he was a cop, was born on the same day as him but wasn’t adopted by Reginald and can control fire, and she’s there when he reunites with his siblings after Reginald dies and gives him a comforting hug from behind when he cries and stutters as he turns Grace off? She’s basically a real life firebender from Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

A/N- it’s finally out hope you all like it ❤️ hope you like it too anon :)

Warning- violence, angst, light fluff

Tagged- @alexander-hamilhoe

———-

“Come on talk to me.” Diego kept pressing on, trying to catch up to you as you rushed to the passenger seat with your arms crossed over your chest, still very much pissed on the stunt he pulled earlier today. Yes, you understood that he didn’t really like his father, but what he did, the fight he got in with his brother was uncalled for and disrespectful. If he wanted to fight couldn’t he have done so any other time? Or at least just have listened to you and the rest of his siblings to stop? “Look I’m sorry, I know it was wrong and I’m sorry, please talk to me.”

You stop in front of the car door with your hand hovering over the handle and meet his pleading gaze to finally speak. “You’re unbelievable, one thing is hating your father but the other is fighting with your brother while they tried to have a nice memorial after they told you to stop! Not only that but you hurt your brother too.”

“It was an accident.” Diego interjected, trying to defend himself.

You huff and open the car door and go inside before slamming it and sighing louder as he climbed onto the driver's seat. “It doesn’t matter—” just before you could say more the sound of Klaus opening the car door cuts you off whilst also making Diego sigh and look away from you.

“Hey! Diego.” Klaus says as he climbs in the back not hesitating to continue, “I’m sorry did I interrupt something?”

You shake your head and mutter, “no.”

While Diego says the opposite. “Yes.”

Not like it mattered, Klaus seemed persistent on staying and switching the subject. “You know every time I close my eyes, I see a diarrhetic hippo about to shit on my face. It’s terrifying!”

Diego starts the car and sighs, “terrific.”

——

“So, how long have you been with Diego?” Diego’s brother, Klaus asks from the back seat, his kid like curiosity lacing in his voice.

You look away from the man you were talking about out by the water and look to Klaus through the rear view mirror. “A couple years.”

Klaus pulls himself off the seat and pulls himself closer to you, “and no ring yet?”

You scoff but can’t help the laugh that leaves you, “no, not yet.”

“Well,��� he continues in a serious tone, “I say if he doesn’t propose by this year, just break up with him. Just get rid of the tension he gives off.”

You answer with a lighthearted scoff and leave his comment unanswered. You knew it was just a temporary thing, this “tension” as Klaus mentions wasn’t going to last forever, it happens, Diego has a way to get under your skin more than once, but it never leads to a big break up. You loved that man, the thought of not being with him saddedned you already, you can’t even mention what it would be like without him.

“Yoo-boo, Diego! I hate to rush you through any kind of brooding moment you might be having, but come on man, we’re starving!” Klaus comes back into the car and exhales deeply, muttering to himself or...someone? “I’m craving...eggs.” He clicks his tongue, “no! Wait, it's too late for eggs. Waffles. Huh? You like waffles, right?”

Your lips part in confusion to his quiet muttering, watching him talk to himself through the rear view mirror. “Everyone likes waffles.”

Your eyebrows furrow and you choose to question him even if you were hesitating to actually know. “Uh—”

“Y/N, this is detective patch, we need you to come for work. Gunshots were reported on the 400 block of Milton Avenue, Griddys Doughnuts.”

You sigh but have no choice to answer. Work was work. “Okay I’ll be there.” Opening the car door you like your head out and groan softly before speaking to Diego. “Hey, Diego, could we leave! They need me at work!”

He turns around and you swear you notice a small smug smile. Because of course the sound and idea of doing something he’s not supposed gets him excited.

“Diego, thank you for joining us, we have decided on, drum roll, waffles.” Klaus finally speaks up to an actual existing person.

“I’m gonna drop you off at the bus stop. I gotta get back to work.”

“What, breaking bones and cracking skulls?” Klaus chuckles softly.

“Saving lives, baby.”

You scoff. “You’re going to work?”

His head turns to you and he nods, “we.”

“You’re not supposed to be at crime locations Diego, you’re going to get in trouble one day.”

He shrugs and smiles, “you’ll get me out.”

Rolling your eyes you turn to look out the window and hide your threatening smile right as you also added what you’ve been meaning to say since he came here. “we’ll talk after work.”

——

Truthfully you hadn’t planned spending so much time at work like you did for the past two days, but it was also something inevitable since out of nowhere these nameless people in kids masks have shown up. Causing nothing but trouble and late nights, keeping you from doing the simplest thing like talking to your boyfriend.

At Least you had time now and hopefully those people in kid masks were going to show up to ruin the day.

“Hello, Pogo, is Diego here? He said he was going to be here today?” You ask the...ape at the door.

Pogo nods and moves to the side to let you walk in, “you’re welcome to look for him inside. He’ll be around somewhere.”

You smile and respond with a soft thank you before you walk up the stairs, walking slowly and examining the area, noticing the silence that basked every square inch of this enormous place. Beginning to feel anxious about not finding Diego anywhere you looked, recalling on the phone call from before, not remembering if he said he’ll be here at this house or at your apartment...shoot.

Maybe now that you’re thinking about it he said he was going to be actually home—

“Y/N, you’re finally here.”

Oh good.

Stopping as he walked out of one of the many halls you nod, “finally managed to get out of work, I came here as soon as I could. To talk.”

“Good, come on, we can go to my room.” Diego takes your hand and pulls you with him, guiding you to a small room with nothing really to it but a bed and a couple pieces of furniture, looking boyish as well. You couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wow, it’s about time you brought me to your room. It feels like I’m a teenager again.” You chuckle, “should I sit at the edge of your bed and just awkwardly sit there and look around?”

Diego chuckles and takes a seat on his bed, making you sit beside with the same amused smile that falls as he talks about the subject that had been put on hold. “I want to say I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have acted like that. I stepped out of line, I should’ve respected the funeral no matter what he did.”

You sigh and interlock your fingers with his, glancing down at your intertwined hands for a brief moment before you met his gaze. “It’s not just that Diego, it’s the fact that you acted like that with your siblings. And I know it’s not my business, but you could’ve hurt him worse than you did and you have to understand that everyone has different thoughts of your father. Yes he may have treated you all the same, but it’s obvious some more than others are more attached. Just,” you inhale and exhale deeply, “just don’t do anything that you’re going to regret, I know you love them and I know if something happens to them you’re going to regret it and blame yourself.”

He sighs and nods, “yeah I know. Thank you for sticking around.”

Leaning your head on his shoulder you whisper, “always.”

He kisses the top of your head before he rests his own head on top of yours, staying exactly in that position for a moment longer until he pulled you to follow him in search for something he didn’t get to explain as you exited out the hall, their in end of the hall were two people in masks.

Of course they had to ruin the day.

The moment they saw you, their guns rose and they began shooting, catching Diego and you off guard for a split second until he threw his knives their way and then pulled you to hide behind a wall.

“Are those the same people running around the city?!” You pant.

Diego peeks head over the wall but answers regardless, “yeah I think so. Stay here they’re coming.”

“What?” You snap in a sharp whisper, “but I can help—” before your sentence was fully finished Diego ran forward and began to attack the one with the bear mask, twisting its arm and taking its gun and throwing it to the aside, beginning to do all types of moves that barely worked since it was such a big person. The only thing that worked was when Diego kicked them back, again taking your hand to pull you with him.

“Hey, you know maybe you could use your fire to attack them!” Diego suggested over his shoulder.

You scoff, “do you want me to burn your house down?”

“Jump!” Out of sudden Diego jumps off the second floor and lands on the couch, waving you over until you do the same. Hearing footsteps approach shortly after the both of you hid behind the couch, hearing shooting moments later they heard the smallest movement and didn’t stop until two others seemed to appear too; punching and kicking them, groaning and grunting as punches and kicks were thrown.

Sounds that finally let Diego and you jump out and help Allison being choked by the person in the bear mask until Luther came and threw them out of the room with ease.

“Who are these guys?” Allison asked in the short moment of peace.

“You’re welcome.” Luther then cut her off to talk to Diego.

“I was doing fine.”

“Oh, yeah, you really had them—”

“Ever hear of a rope—a—dope?”

During the argument the shooting began again and you threw yourself behind a couch, hiding your head until it stopped and you were able to move to hide behind the bar, waiting anxiously for the person who was in here to walk out. Being surprised as you heard, Diego’s other sister, Vanya enter the same room. Her pained grunt making you get out of hiding and throw a fireball at the bear mask; the action distracting them and letting you get Vanya without a second thought to take her to hide close by. Not wanting to do more for her sake.

Waiting in silence for what seemed hours until Luther rounded the corner, looking completely different than before. Almost ape like.

“Y/N! Hey, are you okay?” Diego asked in concern as he came to stand before you, his eyes studying your face and body for any wounds.

Nodding you respond with the same question he had asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Diego then presses a small kiss on your lips before he pulls away and his eyebrows furrow deeply on his face. “Shit. Mom.” Without saying more he rushes up the stairs, leaving you to follow even if he didn’t ask. Staying behind nonetheless as Diego approached her and asked her about what had gone on, receiving answers that visibly upset him and made him go quiet for a moment that you took to walk up behind him. Meeting his gaze and grabbing his shoulder as he began to take his mother’s hand and his breath began to shake.

“Diego? What are you doing?” Grace asked as she watched like you were, Diego cut her arm, showing capables that run under her skin and blue thick liquid that spilled out like blood.

“It’s gonna be o—” Diego cried and stuttered.

“Remember what we worked on. Just picture the word in your mind.” His mother didn’t hesitate to interject sweetly.

“It’s gonna be okay…..mom”. He then moves his hands to switch something off inside her, causing the beeping blue lights to stop and her whole body to begin to shut down. Causing Diego to cry harder and you to embrace him tightly from behind, feeling your own tears fall down your cheeks.

“Di—e—go...re..mem...ber.” Not a second to spare later, her eyes glowed blue until they didn’t show at all. Leaving Diego in a stunned and emotional state that he took to grab your arms wrapped around him and cry a moment longer.

You try to hide your crying to assure him, to be the support he needed. But it was hard to be strong when he cried, he usually never did. “I’m so sorry, Diego.” You proceeded to whisper by his ear, kissing the side of his head before whispering again. “I’m so sorry.”

[gogoseijoh]

losing: pt. 2 - kageyama x reader x tsukishima

 summary: tsukki is taken with you, and your best friend is not a fan of that fact

genre: fluff, with a dash of angst at the end

warning(s): tsukishima’s self doubt, kageyama tryna fight

a/n: tsukki’s pov this time :))) i do be loving both of these men. also thank you for all the support i’m sorry it took me so long to get this out! this isn’t very long, but the next chapter will be :)) 

word count: 1.9k

part 1, part 3

Tsukishima counted himself incredibly lucky. He hadn’t thought that he would find someone like you in high school, so he didn’t even think to look, but here you were, stumbling into his life with open arms and sweet words that turned his ears the most vibrant red he’d ever seen. You left kisses on his cheeks that burned into his skin, and he would lay in bed after he walked you home, fingers brushing over the spots in belated shock that you wanted to touch him. And then there was the sweaters. You liked to wear them, the sleeves swallowing you, because his arms were ridiculously long. They made you feel safe, but you always gave them back to him at the end of the day, and when you did, he was always consumed by the scent of your skin. Tsukishima hadn’t expected himself to be so taken with a girl, but now here he was, looking forward to seeing you every day at school. Even on the weekends he saw you, when for years the only person he hung out with both in and out of school had been the intensely loyal Yamaguchi. Now, though, he shared his time with you as well, and it was lovely. He didn’t think he would ever forget the first time you hung out in your living room, a documentary on the television and his arm draped over your shoulders, wanting to pull you closer, but not wanting to push your boundaries. You were both so nervous to speak, instead feigning interest in the screen in front of you. You had never been alone like this together, typically meeting in parks or cafes, where the ambient noise of others chatting spurred on your own conversations. Here though, it was all up to you two, so you both resigned to the comfortable silence. When the documentary ended, you had turned to look at him, “I feel so safe with you, Tsukki.” At that moment, he decided that you two didn’t need words all the time.

Your first kiss was on your front porch. Tsukki had decided to take you on your first real date, and the two of you had spent hours talking at the coffee shop he brought you to. He walked you home, hands tangled together in between you as you made your way down the street. Tsukishima, not usually one for physical affection, found himself so taken with you that he couldn’t help himself. He never understood the appeal of kissing, and then he saw your lips, covered in peppermint chapstick and always looking so soft. His hand didn’t leave yours when you reached your house, and when you turned to him, the look in his eyes was one you hadn’t seen before. He looked nervous but happy, and before you could ask him if he was okay, his voice broke through your thoughts, “Can I kiss you?” He was overjoyed when you nodded, and suddenly, one hand was cradling the back of your neck and the other held the curve of your waist as he leant down to meet you. He saw your eyes flutter closed and felt your hands snake up to your biceps, and he let his eyes fall closed, too. It was a gentle kiss, only lasting a few seconds, shy lips pressed to each other. Tsukishima basked in the blush of your cheeks when he pulled away and thanked you for a nice day. You just beamed back at him, pulling him in for one last hug before slipping into your house. Tsukki walked back home feeling as if he as walking on air, a feeling only you could give him.

That was a Saturday. Tsukishima was back to being his typically distant and sarcastic self by Monday, preserving the most gentle parts of himself for when you two were alone. In the mornings, he walked to school with Yamaguchi, while you were always accompanied by Kageyama. Tsukishima had been loathe to admit to the feelings he had for you because of your choice in best friend, but he saw that you had the same effect on the setter as you did on him. Kageyama wasn’t exactly subtle about his feelings, and the change in his personality when he was around you was enough to make Tsukishima wary of him. Spending time with you allowed him to hear about the friendship shared between you two, and it helped him understand. Kageyama was your best friend, the only person in the world outside of your family that you knew would be there for you for the rest of your life. Your tie to him was impossible to sever, and you swore up and down that you knew him better than he knew himself. It was still scary, knowing that someone who despised him was so close to you, having so much influence in your life. Tsukishima despised the brunette too, but Kageyama had been in your life longer. Would Kageyama’s opinion of him be the end of your relationship? Tsukishima tried to soothe himself into believing that Kageyama cared enough for you that he wouldn’t do that, but there was still a fear in him. 

Tsukishima was always shocked by the way you looked at him. No matter where you were or what was going on, your eyes always held the softest admiration in them when you saw him. No one had ever looked at him like that. You looked at him as if he had put the stars in the sky, and he felt triumph when he noted that those eyes were reserved for him, not even Kageyama gaining your attention like he did. There was a sense of pride in him when you kissed his cheek in front of the gym before practice, and he watched with a smirk as Kageyama scowled and stalked by you two, not that you had noticed. Tsukishima knew that when it came to volleyball, he wasn’t as talented as Kageyama, but here, with you smiling up at him, he felt like he had finally won against the King. In his mind, he knew it was juvenile to think that. He knew you were no prize to be won, nothing to be paraded around like a trophy in front of someone who Tsukki considered to be a foe, but he couldn’t help the satisfaction that seeped into his bones when Kageyama was close by. There was a conflict in his brain, a battle between the part that wanted to make Kageyama’s life harder and the part that understood how it would feel if the roles were reversed. He grimaced at the thought of having to bare witness to you and Kageyama doing the same things he did with you, but he just couldn’t help himself. You hadn’t noticed the added tension to their relationship, or lack thereof, but the rest of the volleyball club had. For the most part, they were their usual selves, but both of their voices now held an extra edge when they jeered at each other. Tsukishima could feel Kageyama’s steely gaze cutting through him whenever he turned his back, and he returned it when the brunette sought you out after practice and you handed him a snack with a brilliant smile. Still, Tsukishima knew that at the end of the day, you’d be walking home holding his hand, no one else’s. It was the most comforting thing he had ever known.

After five dates with you, Tsukishima figured out how to kill two birds with one stone. He was going to ask you to officially be his girlfriend. It was perfect, because not only would it show you how much he cared for you and that you were paramountly important to him, but it would also settle some of his fears about not being good enough for you if you said yes. Tsukishima’s feelings of uncertainty in himself had carried over from volleyball to his relationship with you, which he wasn’t thrilled about, but his faith in you relieved a lot of that pressure from his mind. He knew you liked him just as much as he liked you, so why should there be doubt in his head about you saying no? 

That doubt festered when Kageyama approached him in the club room one afternoon before practice, scowl drawing deep lines on his face and making Tsukishima stand up from the ground when he had tied his shoes. “Need something, your Majesty?” Tsukishima sneered, one hand coming up to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“When are you gonna cut the act?” Kageyama snarled, eyes narrowing even further at the middle blocker. 

Tsukki scoffed, “What on Earth are you talking about?”

“I know you’re just dating (y/n) to mess with me,” Kageyama accused, taking a step forward, “Just leave her alone.”

“Wow, are you that conceded?” Tsukishima chuckled, shaking his head at the thought, “This may come as a shock, but everything isn’t about you, King. She has a life outside of you. I’m dating her because I like her, and, not that it’s any of your business, I’m going to ask her to be my girlfriend.” He didn’t miss how Kageyama’s face dropped at that, but he kept going, “Nothing I’m doing has anything to do with you. I seem to have underestimated your selfishness. I will never understand why she chooses to stick with you.” He began to make for the door but not before he turned and in his cool voice, he said, “And for the record, it’s not my fault she doesn’t want to date you.”

Before Tsukishima had a moment to step out the door, Kageyama surged forward, hand locking around the front of Tsukishima’s shirt, “I could say the same for you. She deserves so much more than you, and if you hurt her, I swear-”

“You’ll what?” a timid voice spoke from the door, and there you were standing, eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at the scene in front of you. Ukai had sent you to check on what was taking the two of them so long, and here you found them, at each other’s throats because of you. 

Kageyama let go of the taller boy, who turned around to face you. Both of them began to speak, sputtering nonsense that you couldn’t understand until you held your hand out, to which they both shut their mouths. “We will talk about this later. Go to practice,” your voice was barely a whisper and you wouldn’t meet either of their gazes, which Tsukishima knew to be your tells when you were extremely nervous, like before the grammar exam you had taken a week earlier, but you seemed less nervous and more so in a state of deep thought. You weren’t a stern person by nature, and this was the most serious he had seen you since the two of you had met. He tried to reach out to you, but you turned on your heel and were already heading for the gym. In a moment of unity, the boys shared a grimace before following you to what was sure to be a tense practice. They were in trouble.

Thoughts swirled in Tsukishima’s head as he made his way down the stairs to go to practice, thoughts he had been trying to put to rest. What did you see in him?

---

taglist: @kiritokunuwu​

[another-miracle]

Under 1000 Words

Fic by @claudeng80​ [Rating: No Rating]

For how short it is, you’d be surprised how much pain it invokes, gosh. The sadder single Dad!Obi AU, but with so much love for Shirayuki still!

A Fic That Got You Invested in Fandom

An Economy of Suffering by @sabraeal​, @bubblesthemonsterartist​, and me! [Rating: T]

I remember never intending to contribute / participate in this fandom at the early stages, but I stumbled upon the then-series (now first 2 chapters of this fic) for this idea, and I was like, omg I’m so gonna write an angsty Obi continuation of this. It was only after I’d posted it that I realized I just kick-slammed the door into the playground of the biggest writers in the fandom??? HAHA Jen and Joanna graciously let me play though, and in the end, it is the fic it is today. 

Made You Laugh Out Loud

Dessert & Reward by @sabraeal​ [Rating: T]

I L I VE for Obi being totally out of his element and being pushed around by his butler and his housekeeping staff. It’s absolutely adorable. And I giggle-snorted at how completely intimidated by Kiki he is, and how Yori finally could gain the upper-hand with Kiki around. Love it! (also there’s lots of pining and omg it’s the best

Action-packed Fight Scene

Love and Other Monstrosities by @vivianvivi1​ [Rating: T]

Referring to Chapter 2 of this fic, and not exactly a fight scene, but definitely action-packed as the gang fight for the survival of Obi’s sanity. I remember bookmarking this fic early on when it was still a one-shot (to my delight, the author added a first chapter!). The angst hurts so good and my heart just pulls for Obi and Shirayuki in this fic.

Canon Divergent

I am become death by @bubblesthemonsterartist​ [Rating: M]

Oooohhhh boy. Absolute poetry. I completely fell in love with this fic when it came out. I remember it being such a foreign way of narrating that was so very intriguing - that made me both uncomfortable yet glued to the words. I remember also being delighted that a second chapter was added! Amazing amazing work.

Steamiest Kiss

Rarely Pure and Never Simple by @sabraeal​ [Rating: E]

This is probably the 1000th time this fic is gonna get recc-ed under this category *side-eyes Jen* but the category speaks for itself!! Other than that, the continuation is absolutely adorable as Shirayuki continues to explore her sexuality as well as her future alongside Obi, who is strung along like a lovesick puppy (despite having admittedly more experience than she does). Beautiful.

Wept Real Tears

Ever After by @bubblesthemonsterartist​ [Rating: E]

What’s more heartbreaking than everything you’ve been working for in canon to fall apart post-canon? Especially at the cost of your beloved friendships. Astounding AU-building of what happens when you trap a brilliant mind in a role not meant for her. Also, I will never not cry at the idea of Obi falling out of the habit of ‘returning home’ then realizing he has home to return to with Shirayuki.

Favourite Fan-made OC

Bob & Gayle from Wide Florida Bay by @sabraeal​ [Rating: E]

 Look. I know nothing about American culture - let alone idk Southern(?) American culture. But seeing Obi being parented by these two is crazy and something I never knew I needed. They’re absolutely adorable (and *spoilers!* I love that it’s while meeting them that Shirayuki realizes she loves Obi) Adorable!

First AnS fic you read

If You Want Him, You’re Going to Have to Fight Me by @bubblesthemonsterartist​ [Rating: G]

I can’t be 100% sure this was my first AnS fic (it could have been something of Jen’s as well), but this was definitely one that left the biggest impression on me early on. I’m such a sucker for Hurt/Comfort fics and there’s just something about a person finding comfort and safety in the arms of another, and being able to fall asleep from that. Absolutely lovely. 

Favourite Minor Character

Haki from Seven Suitors for Shirayuki by @sabraeal​

Man, I never thought that I would love a character who is barely shown in the manga (maybe like, 5 panels at most?) Loved her snark and the unexpected camaraderie she found with Obi. I loved how Jen has written her to not only support the main pairing, but to really be a source of comfort and a force of sorts to help them see not just the good in each other, but in themselves. Solid character creation. So good.

WIP

Saint Elmo’s Fire by @infinitelystrangemachinex​

Wow, this fic just broke my heart. Though sad that it’s a WIP, but it also has a bittersweet sense of completion to it. Obi’s POV is truly heartbreaking and to see him try so hard to help his Miss survive, when in the end, she was doing the same for him at her own expense - ugh *chef’s kiss* Absolutely absolutely breathtaking.

Canon Compliant

Fugue in Three by @infinitelystrangemachinex​

This fic must have been (as it should) recommended a hundred times over at this point because it’s SO. DAMN. GOOD. Gosh. The feels you get from this fic. I remember describing it to the author once as “tearing skin from bone” - it just gets beneath your skin and into your flesh, and you definitely feel like a different person after reading it. One of the pillars of the AnS fic archive imo. A must-read.

Oneshot

Fussing with Firedrakes by @leewritingrecs​

This is buried in one of her one-shot series, and it is indeed a treasure to be found! (do read her other fics too, they are gold) A very cute AU, with an interesting twist. Kiki and Obi as dragons!!! What could be better! Very cute.

AU you took a chance on (and loved)

Shift by @xaphrin​

A modern AU - much like Jen’s WFB - I never liked modern AUs until I joined the AnS fandom. It never seemed like people could do it right in other fandoms, but gosh darn it this fandom has an absolute talent for it. Shift in particular is really cute and lovely, with angst sprinkled here and there. It isn’t complete from what I remember, but still lovely to read through. (hi xaph!)

Favourite trope

A Dress for Shirayuki by @traditional-with-a-twist

So a super super guilty pleasure of mine is reading when dudes are completely awe-struck by their love interests in beautiful dresses / an outfit they don’t usually wear (or their own clothes idk; i just like it when they’re awe-struck). Gosh this fic. I remember reading it and just sitting there staring into space thinking about what I’ve done to deserve to read this. I love it, and it comes with a underlying layer of angst too which is - ugh, perfect. So so good.

[wholesomemendes]

I have an idea for a request. I was hoping you're still taking requests. I saw something where I thought you are but i'm not sure. If you ever heard a song called "Take your sweet time" By Jesse McCartney, i was hoping you could write a drabble thing based on that song.

Take Your Sweet Time

Summary: You’ve loved Shawn with all you’ve had for the past 2 years, but now you have to take a step away from him and learn to love yourself too.

Author’s Note: Hi this is my first request so thank you so much! I’m sorry it took so long but I hope you’re as happy with it as I am! This also turned out wayyyyy longer than I expected (over 4.6k words wow) but I’m really proud with how it turned out. As always please tell me what you think and my requests are always open!

You knew what you were getting into when you started dating Shawn. The long periods of time apart, hate messages from fans, and having to accept that millions of girls that you thought were much more beautiful than you were trying to steal him away from you was only the tip of the iceberg. But you loved Shawn through it all. Even the times when he was having a panic attack on the bathroom floor or you were dwindling in self doubt while he was halfway across the world, you loved him and stayed by his side every single day, giving everything you had to him. You were fully committed to your relationship, so much so that you failed to realize just how much of a strain it was putting on yourself. That was the thing about loving Shawn, it consumed every part of your senses until you didn’t know where Shawn ended and you began. It felt like your every movement had to revolve around him and if it didn’t, then you were failing the relationship.

It had been over 2 years since Shawn had made his way into your life, inadvertently flipping it completely upside down. Shawn was currently in LA for some promo work on his newest single, which you had expressed your proud feelings for on multiple occasions, and was set to return this weekend after being away two whole weeks. Although the two of you had gone longer apart, you could never help the feeling of being stabbed in the heart every time he left, no matter how many times you told yourself he was coming back to you soon. It took everything in you to not call him every chance you had, not wanting to annoy him or seem clingy, so you resorted to missing him in silence, your feelings building up inside of you like wires trying to strangle your heart. It hurt. Loving Shawn hurt. But day after day you loved him with all that you could give while those strings slowly pulled on your open heart.

___________________

After dating Shawn for so long, you thought you were prepared for everything his abnormal life could throw at you, but you never thought you would have to be prepared for him ignoring your existence. The night he came home was just like every other time, you had picked him up at the airport where he greeted you with a bone crushing hug and a gentle kiss to your forehead, knowing you didn’t like much PDA, and then he got into the shower, meeting you in bed for an endless night of cuddles. However it was the days that followed that were completely out of the ordinary for the two of you and threw you into a spiral of self doubt. You understood completely when he spent the first couple days meeting with his friends and family, you weren’t the only one missing him while he was gone, but typically the first couple days home were full of clingy Shawn, meaning he would invite you to go with him wherever he went. This time around he didn’t even invite you to dinner with his family, even though you later learned that Karen had specifically told Shawn you were invited, to which he had responded that you were working overtime at your job. You weren’t. You were sitting in your shared condo eating takeout from the Chinese place down the street instead of Karen’s famous lasagna. That definitely hit hard in your heart for Shawn always wanted you to feel comfortable around his family, constantly reminding you that his family was your family, so you couldn’t help but feel that he was trying to push you away. You knew you were probably overreacting, even if Shawn had taken a 180 degree personality change in the past couple days, causing those strings on your heart to tighten to the point of suffocation. It hurt even more when the moments he was home consisted of him locked away in his studio without even a mumbled good morning your way. You brought him coffee, tea, food, anything you could think of that he could possibly need, placing it down in front of him without a single peep so that you wouldn’t distract him, earning either the smallest of thank yous or most commonly, complete and utter silence. He came to bed at ungodly hours, no longer cuddling up to your body in the dark. You knew he always assumed you were asleep, but you physically couldn’t calm your mind without having him next, instead leading your thoughts down a spiral of depressive words. The worst part? You couldn’t remember the last time he had said I love you to you since he came home. Before, Shawn couldn’t go a few hours without reminding you of his love for you, but now you didn’t even know if the man you would die for in a heartbeat felt the same way.

You didn’t know why this was happening, hell you didn’t even know what could have happened in the 8 hour period when the two of you were asleep that first night back that could have caused this changed. But every night as you laid in bed waiting for the man you loved to enter the room, your mind always came to one conclusion on what the issue was at hand. You. You were the issue. You weren’t enough for him, you weren’t doing enough for him, you weren’t loving him enough. And after the 11th night, you realized that you were the issue, but not in the way you previously had thought. You were enough for him, you were doing more than enough for him, and you were loving him far more than you should be. You loved Shawn more than you loved yourself, and on that 11th night, you fell asleep before he came to bed, knowing that when you awoke alone the next day, things were going to change.

___________________

The morning sun woke you up from your slumber and you kept your eyes shut, not wanting to open them and face the reality of what today would bring. Begrudgingly you willed yourself to sit up, taking in the view from the bedroom window one last time and feeling the way the soft silk sheets felt on your body. What you didn’t want to remember was the coldness that could be felt on Shawn’s side of the bed, a telltale sign that he had left it without a second thought hours before. But in a strange way you did want to remember it, wanted it be a reminder as to why the decision you were making was the correct one when you would be inevitably regretting it once you stepped foot out of the condo. You began your morning routine as if it was a normal day, but instead of leaving your toothbrush next to Shawn’s, it was placed inside of your travel bag along with the rest of your toiletries. Clearing the bathroom of your belongings, you moved towards the rest of the bedroom, your heart clenching when you looked at the empty space in the closet. You forced yourself to leave behind all of the pictures and memories of him, knowing it would just cause you more pain in the long run, but your hands moved to grab your favorite shirt of his to wear to bed before your brain could resist it. His scent still lingered on the fabric and even though you knew it was a bad decision, you put it into your suitcase without a second glance.

It was past noon once you were finally satisfied with your packing and even though you had left almost all of your shared belongings to Shawn along with every picture and memory of your relationship, the condo still felt a little bare without your added presence along it walls. After taking all of your boxes and bags down to your car, your stomach rumbled from your lack of food, but you refused to stay in the condo for longer than needed, telling yourself that you would stop by Tim Horton’s on your way to your friend’s house where she was graciously letting you stay until you found somewhere else to live. If someone had told you last year when you sold your apartment in favor of living with Shawn that you would regret it, you would have laughed and called them crazy, but now you wanted nothing more than to have be at a place you could call your own. Though when you thought about it, you didn’t know if you would be able to live in a place that had held so many great memories of the two of you.

You rolled your last suitcase out of your shared bedroom that now only belonged to Shawn and you began the short trip down the hallway that felt like it held a century of memories. You replayed all of the events that happened in the place that used to feel like home, but now only felt like a shell of something that was hurting you from the inside out.

Passing by Shawn’s studio, you could hear the faint strumming of his guitar through the walls and your heart ached more than you ever thought it could. You never imagined you would be leaving the love of your life and knowing that this could possibly be the last time you would ever hear him made a tear slip out of your eye. Leaning against the door, you listened carefully to the unknown melody that was being played only feet away from you, coming to your senses once he stopped to do what you could only assume was writing something down. Knocking quietly on the door, you held your breath, afraid of what his reaction to you “interrupting” his writing process would be. “What!” he barked from the other side and your heart ached a little more, that tiny sliver of hope inside you that wanted him to beg you to stay diminished to nothing. Cautiously you opened the door and peered your head inside, seeing him still crouched over his guitar not even sparing a glance at you, “Um...Shawn?”

“What do you want?”

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m leaving,” you whispered, suddenly feeling extremely small in his presence.

“Ok, bye,” he told you shortly, still not lifting his gaze from his guitar.

Your breath hitched in your throat and you willed yourself to keep your tears at bay, not wanting him to see the effect he had on you, “I’m going to be gone a while.”

“Ok.”

At this point you were growing more frustrated than sad at how the man that supposedly loved you wasn’t even sparing a second glance at you, “I’m not coming back Shawn. I’m breaking up with you.”

His head snapped up at your words, the guitar suddenly losing his interest as his wide eyes met yours, “What do you mean you’re breaking up with me?”

“I’m leaving and I’m not coming back,” you told him, straightening your back to stand your ground and hide the way your emotions were breaking down on the inside.

“No, you’re not leaving,” he shook his head frantically, standing up from his seat and making his way towards you in frantic strides, “We’re gonna talk about this and fix whatever’s going on inside your head because you’re not leaving me.”

“Yes I am, Shawn, my mind is already made up.”

“No it’s not, you’re gonna talk to me and we’re gonna fix this.”

He was standing in front of you now, but his presence didn’t feel as comforting as it usually did, now a suffocating feeling surrounding you and making you want to back away. You could tell his breathing was becoming heavy and you wanted to sit him down to help calm him down, but you stood your ground. “I’ve given a lot of thought into this and I’m not changing my mind.”

“Baby,” he cooed, taking your face in his large palms and you allowed yourself to bathe in the feeling of him touching your skin one last time as tears prickled from the sides of his eyes, “Don’t do this, I love you, you know that. We said we were going to love each other forever. We promised.”

“I know, Shawn, I know, I love you more than words can explain, but that is why I have to let you go.”

“What? No, we love each other and we’re gonna stay together and...” his voice began to crack and tears began to falling profusely down his face, the hurt behind his eyes becoming too much for you to look into.

“Shawn...”

“No, no, no I’m bubs, or baby or...”

“Shawn, stop.” You grabbed his wrists in your hands, making him pause and focus on your words, “I’m not doing this because I don’t feel like we love each other enough. I mean, god knows I’m loving you with everything that I have. And I’ll be honest, lately I’ve been feeling like you don’t love me anymore. I can’t even remember the last time you’ve said I love you since you came home that first night, and it’s been almost two weeks since then. Yes, I know I deserve better than that but that can be fixed with time and I know that as well.”

“Exactly, baby, we can fix this and...”

“I’m talking now, Shawn and I want you to listen. I’ve been thinking a lot lately and what’s hurt me the most in these past two weeks isn’t how you’ve been treating me, it’s how I’ve been treating myself. I can’t keep living this life where I love you more than myself because it hurts and its degrading and I physically can’t keep going like this. And I know it sounds selfish, and it probably is, but I’ve been unselfishly giving you every inch of love I’ve had in myself for the past 2 years and it’s time that I take some of it for myself. This isn’t goodbye forever, I just need a break. I need to learn to love myself before I can love you fully again.”

Tears were streaming down both of your faces as Shawn pulled you into a bone crushing hug, rocking the two of you slowly with his face buried into your shoulder, “I love you, I love you so much. I don’t want to let you go.”

“If you love me you’ll let me go. I need time Shawn. I don’t want to believe this is the end of us, I just need a break.”

“Just a break,” he mumbled to himself and you pulled away gingerly, grabbing your suitcase from behind you. Shawn felt his heart break even more at the sight of your bag, realizing just how hard you had thought about this, “You already packed your things?”

“Yeah, everything’s in my car.”

“Where are you going?”

You sighed, “I think it’s best that I don’t tell you right now.”

He nodded his head sadly, looking down at the ground in front of him, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“And I want you to know that I will be here when you change your mind. When you want to come back to me I’ll be waiting. I don’t care how long, I’ll be here.”

“Thank you,” you breathed out, not trusting your voice from cracking if you spoke any louder. Shawn brought you back in for another hug, holding you tight to his body to keep you with him forever.

“Take your sweet, sweet time, baby. I’ll still be waiting for you with all of my love.” He felt you pulling away and reluctantly released his grasp on you, “Please tell me when you get to wherever you’re going though, I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

“Of course, Shawn,” and with that you placed one last kiss on his cheek, tasting his salty tears on your lips before you walked towards the door, shutting it and all of the memories behind you. Shawn’s heart collapsed inside of himself and after staring at the place where you left, he forced himself to go into your shared bedroom for any last remains of you. His breathing stopped when he saw all of your things gone, but all of the memories of the two of you remaining, realizing that you really wanted this behind you. He stumbled towards the picture of the two of you smiling at the Eiffel Tower that was placed on your nightstand, holding it close to his chest as he rocked himself through his tears on the edge of your side of the bed. When his eyes opened and focused on the item sitting behind the frame, he felt his heart break more than he ever felt possible. You had promised him when he gave it to you that you would never take it off but there it was, time standing still around it. Your promise ring.

___________________

Ring. Ring. The sound of your phone ringing startled you from where you were hands deep in meat, rolling meatballs for tonight’s dinner while your friend was still at work. You quickly washed your hands off, grabbing your phone without looking at the contact as you leaned back against the counter with the phone against your ear, “Hello?”

“Y/n! How are you?”

“Karen?” you gasped, standing up straight, “H-hi, um I’m good thank you, how are you?”

“I’m great, thank you! I think I can speak for all of us, though, when I say we’ve missed you at family dinners!”

“Oh, yeah um, I’ve missed you guys a lot too,” you told her, biting at your nail in nervousness, your heart rate picking up.

“But don’t stress, I’m not saying that to make you feel bad. Shawn’s told us about how busy you are at work, how’s that going by the way?”

Your heart dropped. Shawn’s told them you’ve just been busy at work? Do they know... “It’s going well, thank you. It’s been a bit crazy lately with all the changes, but it’s good.”

“That’s good to hear,” she replied cheerily, “Listen, I’ve called to tell you that we’re organizing a going away dinner-party thing for Shawn next week before he leaves for tour. I know how hard it is with him leaving, Manny, Aaliyah, and I have gotten so used to him around I know it’s gonna be hard. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now.”

“Ye-yeah, I almost forgot he was leaving next week.” You would have been lying if you said you hadn’t still been keeping up with him on social media, therefore hearing about the upcoming tour through his feed. You even still had his leaving date in your phone calendar, not having the heart to remove any of the special dates in there even though it had been over 2 months since you had walked out the door.

“I get it, I don’t want to be reminded about it either,” his mother sighed, oblivious to the panicked girl on the other side of the phone, “But we’ve decided that we’re going to have a bunch of his friends and family over for dinner as a surprise for him! I was wondering if you could just keep him home with you and tell him you’re taking him out for a dinner date or something and then maybe blindfold him to drive him to our place! If you have a better idea that’s good too, I just thought it’d be a cute idea!”

“Take him on a...on a date?” you stuttered, breathing becoming heavily as tears threatened to spill from your eyes, the memories you’ve been trying to hide fighting their way back into your brain.

“Yeah, you know, just something that won’t make him suspicious because the two of you obviously get dinner together all the time.”

“Um yeah...yeah, Karen I’m really sorry, but I have to go,” swallowing the pain held in your throat. If you didn’t end the phone call now, you knew you wouldn’t be able to hide your tears from her anymore.

“Of course, sweetie! I’m sorry if I caught you at a bad time. I’ll just text you the details ok?”

“That’s great, yeah.”

“Ok, bye Y/n.”

“Bye Karen,” ending the phone call you collapsed against the kitchen counter, tears streaming out of your eyes and chest heavy. You had cried almost every day since you had left, your best friend trying to comfort you the best she could. You wanted to stay strong as much as you possible, but leaving behind the one thing you loved more than yourself proved to leave a gaping hole in your heart that only Shawn could fill. This week had been the first week you hadn’t cried yourself to sleep every night, only for all of your progress to be ruined with a simple phone call. Karen made it clear that she was completely oblivious to your breakup and it made you wonder why she hasn’t been told yet. Shawn and his family were so close, he told them everything, so it made you wonder if he was so unaffected by the breakup that he didn’t feel the need to tell them. Was he not hurting the way you were? Was he lying when he told you he’d wait for you? When he told you to take as much time as you needed? Did he already find another lover, someone else to give his love to? He hadn’t reached out at all since you walked out the door and although you acknowledged that it was probably for the best in order to forget him, a little part of you wanted him to be calling you, begging for you to come back to him. But nothing happened, only silence from his end leaving you broken hearted and alone.

An hour later and your tears are dried, heart aching for the one person you can’t have. More importantly, you want answers and you were going to get them. Setting out with a determined look on your face, you clean up your plan for dinner and grab your keys, heading out the door towards your car. Placing the keys in the ignition, you wondered if you were stupid for putting yourself in such a vulnerable situation, but you ignored the sinking feeling in your stomach and drove towards the place you used to call home.

It felt almost foreign walking up to his condo, the walls of the elevator mocking you for showing up. You stared at yourself in the reflective panel as you went up, seeing the face of a broken girl staring back at you. Lifting your chin up and pulling your shoulders back, you took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself in anyway as the doors of the elevator finally opened. The trek down the hallway felt as though it was a mile long and your heart beat increased with every step you took. This is so stupid, you thought, he’s probably not home. Or what if he has people over. What if he has another girl over?! Your heart clenched with jealousy at the thought of someone else being over, even if you weren’t together anymore and he was therefore allowed to be seeing someone else. Though you couldn’t help but feel hurt over the idea that he had moved on so quickly when he was begging you not to leave in the first place. You realized your feet had moved you to the door before your brain could process it and you quickly knocked on the door to prevent you from backing out.

Minutes passed and you debated turning around to make your escape, but just as you were about to leave, you heard the lock jiggle, the white door in front of you opening wide, “Y/n?”

“Hey,” your throat suddenly felt drier than before and you swallowed thickly in hopes of being able to speak. Shawn moved closer to you, seemingly wanting to give you a hug, but when you took a step back, he took it as a hint to stay in the door frame.

Clearing his throat, he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, “Um...uh what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you, your mom called me today,” you told him, trying to fake your confidence by looking at his eyes.

“Oh that’s nice, she’s said she misses you....”

“Why didn’t you tell her we broke up?”

Shawn’s eyes widened as if this was new information to him and all of your belongings weren’t missing from his place, “Because we’re didn’t?”

“What are you talking about? Shawn, we haven’t talked in two months.”

“I know, I told you to take however long you needed because I would be here when you change your mind. So I gave you your space for the break you wanted.”

“No, I-” you sighed in annoyance, looking down at your feet as your confident facade faded.

Shawn peered his head out to look down the hallway, “Why don’t we talk about this inside, I don’t really want all of my neighbors hearing about this.” Following him inside, you couldn’t help but notice that he hadn’t moved anything since you had left. All of your pictures were still up, and the empty spaces for your belongings were still bare. “So, what do you think?”

“Hm?” you turned your head around from where you were staring at the living room to meet his eyes as he leaned comfortably against the wall.

“I’ve given you space and time away from all of this. Have you learned to love yourself the way I love you?”

“Shawn...”

“No,” he told you sternly, walking over to where you were standing rigid, “I want you to listen to me this time. I’ve taken this time to reflect on myself and our relationship as well, and trust me, I regret everything about how I was acting before you left. I know it wasn’t right and I want to fix this, ok? I am still just as in love with you as the day you left and I want this again if you do.”

“I love you too, so so much and I do want this again, but...” you were caught off by his soft lips being pressed feverishly against yours, holding onto your waist as you grabbed his biceps to steady you from the dizzying feeling of his kiss after so long. You relaxed into his touch, pressing his body closer to yours in fear that he would disappear once you opened your eyes.

“Shut up,” he mumbled onto your lips, and his arm wrapped around your back to pull you impossibly closer. Pulling back, he let his forehead rest against yours, placing soft pecks to your lips every so often. “I love you baby, just stay with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Shawn, I love you too much for that.” With your lips reattached to his, you realized that maybe taking a little time away made his arms feel much more like home.

[k7l4d4]

Midnight Striga: Fairy Tail/Owl House Cross Fic Episode 4 Part 5

Hello all, here is the second to last section of Midnight Striga, episode 4! Everybody Clap Your Hands!!

“GET DOWN!” Luz screamed, diving towards Boscha. As the two crashed to the ground, the savaging claws just barely skimmed overhead. With a roar of fury, the Owl Beast rounded on them, murder just barely visible in its Pitch-Black eyes. As King desperately waved them towards the hallway, Luz tried to crack a joke, nervous fright bleeding into her voice. “Huh, guess that kids’ story turned out to be true, eh Boscha?”

“I Really Wish It Wasn’t!!” Boscha yelled, naked fright burning through her voice.

“Less talking, and more running!” King shouted, running up beside them as fast as his legs could carry him.

“SHRRRRRRIIIIIIIAIAAAAAAAAKKKKKKK!!!” The Owl Beast roared behind them, the sound of its talons digging into the wood of the floor as it closed in, sending chills down their spines. As the Beast’s footfalls pulled closer, Luz spared a glance back. The Beast was soaring through the air, talons raised to slash through them.

“Shit!” Luz bit out. Raising her hand, she quickly cast. “Quick Flash!” A burst of light bloomed in front of the Owl Beast’s eyes, prompting it to roar in pain as its sensitive sight was assaulted. As it crashed to the ground, it frantically wiped and scraped at its eyes, desperately trying to clear them. When its vision returned, its prey had vanished. It roared in rage. Snuffling, the Beast stalked around, ready to attack at the first sign of the intruders who had dared to disturb its home. Hiding in one of the nearby closets, the three let out sighs of relief as the sound of the Owl Beast went off into the distance.

“Okay, so,” Boscha breathed. “Just what the heck was that!?”

“You tell us, seeing as how you described that curse.” King huffed, trying to disguise his shaking at the close brush with death the three had received.

“I didn’t think it was real!” Boscha retorted, flailing her arms in the crowded room.

“Why would you think that!?” King exclaimed.

“It’s not the kind of thing you really expect to be real, I mean seriously, a curse from the Titan!? Please!!”

“Well we might not be stuck in a closet if you had mentioned this earlier!”

“Excuse me!?”

“Quiet!!” Luz hissed, grabbing the bickering duo by their ears, much to their mutual pain, particularly when she twisted. “We. Do. Not. Have time for this!” She muttered as low as she could, releasing the two. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down, and she wasn’t sure she actually managed it. “Okay, look. This is a very bad situation. Eda has apparently turned into a freaking Owl Beast, and we need to do three things: 1) figure out how and why she turned, 2) subdue her so she can’t keep trying to kill us, and 3) find a way to turn her back so we don’t have to worry about keeping her bound. Agreed?”

“”Agreed.”” The two echoed, both sharing looks of mixed fear and determination.

“Alright then,” Luz said, putting on a confident expression, while internally squealing in relief that they listened. “Let’s make a plan.”

They hungered. It was not unusual; they always hungered when awakened. Once more, they found themselves bound. This time, the binding was less… infuriating. They were bound within the not-tree/nest/den that the shell called their own. They growled. This was not THEIR home. They were an outsider, but the shell acknowledged this place, thus it was acceptable.

They sniffed, growling at the scents of invaders. Those who would bind/capture/restrain them. They would be eliminated. They prowled forward, claws digging into the not-tree dead-wood-flesh beneath them. They would not be caught by surprise again. The bright-flash-with-bang was painful, but not impossible to defeat. The one-who-danced-with-light they saw in the shell’s dreams was skilled, but could not challenge their might.

They screeched in fury. Once more, oppressors attempted to steal their freedom. Unacceptable. They sniffed. One of their prey was nearby!! But where!?

With a growl, the Owl Beast shook its head, trying to track down the source of the scent. Unbeknownst to the fierce beast, it’s target was actually creeping along the ceiling, right behind it. Boscha tightened the handholds she had gotten in the ceiling, internally begging for her fingers to stay strong. ‘How did I let myself get talked into this!?’ She worried.

“Wait a minute, you want ME to spy on that thing!?” Boscha incredulously demanded.

“I’m wondering about that myself.” King said. “I mean, I hate to say it, but I am smaller than her, wouldn’t it make me harder to see?”

“You are smaller,” Luz conceded, before her gaze sharpened. “But Boscha is an athlete; out of all of us, she most likely has the best stamina for getting to safety if caught. Besides,” She smiled, giving Boscha a wink. “I believe in her.”

‘Oh yeah,’ she deadpanned, ‘that’s how.’ Dang it, being praised was gonna end up being a weakness for her now, wasn’t it? Ah well, at least she stayed out of the Beast’s sight. Silently sighing, Boscha crept after the Beast as quickly as she dared. She had to keep the Beast in her sight at all times, and if it looked like it caught wind of what was happening upstairs, she was to make a big racket to distract it, and then break for cover. And, if necessary…

‘I always have my… flames to fall back on.’ She mused internally, holding back a shudder at the thought of those bloody flames. No, she had no room in her heart and soul for doubt right now. No matter what, if she needed to use those flames, she would. The alternative was one she refused to accept.

“If everything goes to crap, make a break for it and run away.” Luz bluntly stated.

“What!?” Boscha just barely kept from shouting.

“Luz?” King trepidatiously asked.

Luz gave her small friend a sad smile, and ruffled his head. “Out of the three of us, she’s the only one who can reliably survive the rain. Odds are, this will end one way or another far before it stops.” She sighed, fixing Boscha with a stern look. “That’s why I’m saying, if only one of us can get away, it should at least be the person who will survive getting through the barrier. Make a break for it, and live, you hear me?”

“Yeah.” Boscha said numbly. “I hear you.”

‘Sorry Luz,’ Boscha internally focused her resolve. ‘I’m not going to keep that promise.’

Luz huffed, feeling like she had just been defied for some reason, as she and King silently crept through the rooms, looking for any sign as to what could have caused Eda’s transformation. After a few false starts, they eventually found themselves in Eda’s room. Luz just stared in dumbfounded disbelief. “Wow.” She quietly muttered. “She actually sleeps in a nest.”

“Yeah.” King quietly added. “With the whole ‘turning into an Owl Beast’ thing, it makes a lot more sense.”

“Same with the attraction to shiny objects.” Luz mused.

“And eating small rodents at night!” King laughed.

The two shared a quiet chuckle, picking through Eda’s nest/bed, and while they found a lot of strange bones, including a disturbingly complete humanoid skeleton, and a miniature mountain of shiny bits and bobs, they hadn’t found anything that could be considered a source for her present state. Holding in a growl, the only thing keeping Luz from thumping her head against the wall was the knowledge that it would draw the Owl Beast’s attention. “Let’s go King, I think this is a bust.” Luz muttered softly.

“No!” King insisted. “I’m sure we can find something, we just have to keep looking!”

“I don’t know King,” Luz muttered sorrowfully. “It really doesn’t look like there’s anything here. Come on, let’s try another-” She cut off, her eyes drawn to the slight opening of the closet. It was a long shot, but it just might work. “Scratch that, King. Let’s check one last thing, then we head to the next room.” With that said, she headed for the closet. King followed behind, grumbling but accepting her decision, knowing he wouldn’t be able to out-stubborn her.

Opening the closet, Luz scanned it’s contents, panning her vision up and down, before catching sight of an glowing bottle filled with an orange liquid. Bringing it up to eye level, she slowly read out the tag affixed to it. “A potion a day keeps the curse at bay…” She muttered. Turning wide eyes towards King, she said, “This must be how she’s kept the curse under wraps!”

“Yeah!” King agreed. “But, why didn’t she take one today?”

Luz’s mind flashed back to the events of earlier today; when Eda sorted through the massive pile of Lacrimas she had accumulated, something that took upwards of four hours to complete, and when she pushed herself to set up the barrier against the rain. Luz grimaced. “I have a pretty good idea.” An ear-splitting scream cut through the air. “”Boscha!!”” The two exclaimed, abandoning subtlety to race towards the commotion.

They were growing annoyed. No matter where they went, they could not find the intruder. It was very aggravating. They growled, spitting to the side. How could the intruder avoid them so completely? It was impossible. They were apex, a beast beyond the limits of what could normally be challenged, let alone avoided when hunting. It made no sense! Where could the intruder be…? They were not found on the ground, not in the smaller dens riddling the not-tree/nest/den, so how could it avoid them? Unless… pricking their ears, a faint noise came through. The faint sound… of a heartbeat. They bared their fangs.

Boscha was worried. The Beast was just standing there, panting lightly. Could it have…? No, that was crazy, no way this thing was smart enough to try and trap her!! Still, better to be cautious. ‘After all,’ Boscha mused darkly, ‘being reckless is ultimately what got Skara hurt. If I had never gone after Luz that night, I never would’ve gotten that stupid Lacrima, and never gone crazy.’ Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Boscha relaxed her hands and wrists, ready to start casting the instant the Beast made a move.

Without making a sound, she slowly crept closer to the doorway, ready to spring into action. She turned her head for just a second… and blinding pain surged through her side. With a shriek, she jumped as hard as she could, feeling the talons exit the newly formed wound in her side. Biting back a curse, she crashed to the ground, blood oozing underneath her fingers as she stared at the Beast, which was clearly staring back. Its teeth were bared, its nostrils flared and scenting, the movements of its head clearly showing it was tracking her visually as well. The twitch of its ears drew her eye. Was her noise how it had caught her?

They gurgled, pleased they had managed to wound the intruder. It was a youngling of this Land’s dominant race. How amusing. With a shriek, they closed the distance between themselves and the intruder, her scent reeking of fear. She twirled her hands… With a shriek, they pulled back as the bright light burned before them. That little rat!! How did she threaten them with the light!? Howling in rage, they chased after the wretch. They would savor the taste of her blood upon their tongue for such an insult.

Bouncing off of the walls as platforms to propel themselves forward, they chased after the soon-to-be-dead youngling. They would grudgingly admit, they found her tenacity admirable, were she not trying to bind them again. With a pleased roar, they leapt into the air, ready to rip and tear… why was the youngling showing joy?

“Eat Boiling Rain, you dumb bird!” Boscha shouted, jumping to the side. The Owl Beast howled past, crashing through the window and part of the wall from the force of its jump. Internally, she felt guilt at putting the Beast through something like that, but it would at least slow it down-

With a roar, the Beast hurled itself back inside using the talon it managed to keep clinging to the floor.

-Scratch that, she had just delayed it for a few seconds, and probably annoyed it.

“Demon King’s Rocking Roar!” A familiar voice screamed. Boscha barely had time to cover her ears, for all the good it did, as a solid mass of sound slammed into the Owl Beast, prompting it to scream in agony. Boscha felt a twinge of sympathy; she was fully aware of how painful King’s magic was for those with sensitive hearing. While the Beast was distracted, she rushed over to King and Luz who were waving her over.

“Guys!” She cheered. “Did you find something!?”

“Yeah, we did!” Luz said, giving her a quick hug, which honestly left her feeling… weird. She wasn’t used to hugs. Luz gave her a crooked grin. “We honestly found it just before we heard your scream. A second earlier, we’d have probably taken off without.” She opened her hand, showing off the potion inside.

“A Curse-Suppression Potion… of course!” Boscha exclaimed. “That’s how she keeps it in check, and keeps from turning into that thing- Gah!” She yelped as pain flared throughout her side.

“Boscha!” Luz shouted worriedly, looking at her side. “What happened!?”

Boscha grimaced. “It figured out how to track me.” She glanced back at the Beast, wondering how long they had until King had to drop the spell; when he let it down, it would be up to Luz and herself to get this potion down the Beast’s throat. “I’m not sure how, but it got to me, and slashed at my ribs.”

“Yeah, I can tell.” Luz deadpanned, looking over the wound. “It’s kind of weird, this injury isn’t as deep as it should be, and it’s not bleeding anywhere near as bad as you’d expect. How’s the pain?”

Boscha blinked, it finally clicking into place how odd the fact the wound had phased her so little was. “Honestly, not much at all.” She gently brushed the gash. “That is weird.”

Luz snorted. “I guess we can add hard to injure to your list of Devil Slayer powers.”

Boscha chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I guess we can!” She was still incredibly uncomfortable with the whole ‘Devil Slayer’ thing, but if it came with benefits like this, she’d try not to let it get to her.

Luz grew serious. “Okay, King’s going to have to drop his spell any moment now, and then we’ve got what has to be at least a ton of Owl Beast bearing down on us. Are you ready?”

Boscha grinned with a confidence she wasn’t sure was fake. “I was born ready.”

The Beast shrieked, King having tapped out and released it. It charged them.

“Then let’s go!!” Luz shouted, jumping into the fray, Boscha joining her with a shout.

[thegoodgayshit]

Luz’s mother really doesn’t want to send Luz to camp. She knows once she leaves, there is no going back. But Luz has a knack for getting into trouble, and one day she stumbles into the same type of people her mother would have preferred she avoided. After helping Luz dissolve her high school bully into dust, Eda and Lilith know right away that this kid is just like them - a child of the gods. So Luz hops on a Pegasus and heads to Camp Half-blood, where she embarks on a dangerous quest that makes her both friends and enemies... and she might even save Olympus along the way.

Chapter 2: I Meet the Camp's Talking Hellhound

The introduction to the camp was pretty brief. Eda more or less just waved nonchalantly with her hand to the gathering crowd.

“Luz, these are the other campers. Other campers, Luz.”

A chorus of hellos rang throughout the clearing, and Luz slowly began to relax. A lot of the campers looked like kids like her: the youngest being six or seven and the oldest being around college age. There was a huge diversity of campers, kids of all different races and ethnicities, and most of them sporting an orange shirt that Luz could now read: “Camp Half-Blood, Long Island Sound”.

“Alright, with introductions out of the way, all of you should be heading back to your activities for the day.” Eda drawled, and the crowd began to disperse. There was a handful of campers who stuck around though.

There was a girl who looked about her age with black curly hair and green eyes, and Luz thought that she looked like the friendliest person she’d ever seen. She carried a bronze Spartan kopis on her belt, and in her left hand, she was holding a pot that was growing a golden plant unlike any Luz had ever seen before.

Next to her was a skinny boy with dark brown skin and dark eyes, who was both shorter and younger than Luz herself. His hair was styled into a fashionable fade, and if Luz had to guess he was maybe twelve. He was wearing a bronze chest plate that was clearly a size too big, but despite how uncomfortable it must have been he was smiling brightly.

“Eda, I helped the naiad in the forest like you asked.” The girl said, her voice mellow and soft. “It turns out she was still upset about the visiting party ponies”.

“A centaur from the Florida chapter trampled under her tree,” the boy added. “Willow fixed up the roots super-fast!”

Eda nodded at the pair, “thanks, kids. I swear to Zeus, Fennel has some knack for holding grudges… the party ponies left three weeks ago.”

“Eda?” The noise came from a second camper, who had been standing awkwardly off to the side. She was also around Luz’s age but maybe half an inch taller. She had dyed green hair pulled half back that exposed brown roots at the top of her head, and Luz found herself looking curiously at her eyes. At first, she thought they were brown, but then she realized they were, in fact, gold like Eda’s. The girl had her arms crossed, and she was standing a noticeable distance from the other two campers. The pair shared a look with one another that Luz understood immediately, and she felt that feeling of discomfort beginning to prick at her belly, the one she often felt on the first day of a new school. Luz immediately pegged this girl as the bully type.

Eda hummed, looking up at the girl like she had just noticed she was standing there. Luz felt a small grin starting to poke at the corners of her mouth as the girl’s face began to tint red, clearly embarrassed. The girl caught Luz’s expression and her face darkened, giving Luz a glare. Luz cut the smile right away. Despite the fact that she didn’t seem to be carrying a weapon, Luz thought this girl would have no hesitation gutting her with her bare hands. If looks could kill…

“Where’s Lilith? She told me she’d train me tonight when you got back.” The girl said, turning back to Eda with an airy and impartial look.

“She’s still at Olympus,” Eda said with a shrug. “We found Luz here in Manhattan so Lily and I decided I should take her to camp. She should be meeting with the council right now.”

“Oh…” The girl said, clearly not expecting that answer.

“Anyways, since I’m back I might as well head to my cooking class,” Eda shrugged, gesturing to the three other campers. “Show Luz around camp, will you? When you’re done introduce her to Cabin Eleven.”

Eda didn’t wait for them to respond. She just turned tail and walked away, leaving Luz and the other three campers standing there a little awkwardly. Luz smiled nervously at the three of them, and the girl scoffed turning on her heel.

“She doesn’t need three tour guides. You can show her around. I have better things to do.”

As the girl walked away, Luz felt like she had been slapped. “So much for a warm welcome…”

“Ignore her,” the girl said with a shrug, shifting the pot in her hand. “Amity is just like that.”

The boy smiled and extended his hand, and Luz took it with a nervous smile. “I’m Gus from Cabin Six.”

The girl smiled brightly at her, waving with the free hand that wasn’t around the pot. “I’m Willow, from Cabin Four. Eda said your name was Luz, right?”

“Yeah, Luz Noceda,” she said, blinking at the way they introduced themselves. “From Cabin… I don’t really know what happening”.

Thank God (or… I guess… gods?) the pair laughed. Luz felt herself relax a little. She already found herself liking Willow and Gus, and she wondered if Eda had been right when she said that everybody here was a little weird.

“Don’t worry, it can be overwhelming at first, but you’ll get the hang of it,” Willow encouraged with a smile.

“Come on, we’ll show you around!” Gus said excitedly, and Luz grinning, following after them as they turned around and started to walk.

They showed Luz the archery range, and the rock climbing wall, (Luz winced thinking about how her Mami would kill her if she ever tried that, she watched another camper scrape past the lava with the hairs singed off her arms) the canoe lake, and the pavilion where Willow said everybody met for dinner. Then they guided Luz through all the cabins if they could even be called that.

“Why do they all look so different?” Luz gasped, taking in the arrangement of colors and designs that varied from cabin to cabin. Cabin Four, which Luz remembered Willow was in, was covered in flowers and tomato plants growing up the walls. It had a roof made of real grass. As they passed, Willow waved to a girl with blonde hair standing on the porch watering wildflowers.

“Each cabin represents a patron god,” Willow explained. “You get sorted based on who your godly parent is.”

Luz hummed thoughtfully, “ok I get it. So Cabin Four…”

“My mom is Demeter,” Willow said. “Goddess of the harvest”.

“Well… technically-” Gus was about to speak, but when he caught Willow’s look, he swallowed his words and quickly changed the subject.  

“And I’m Cabin Six!” He said quickly, gesturing to a different Cabin that was grey with white curtains. There was an owl design hanging over the door. “My mom is Athena, the goddess of wisdom.”

Luz noticed the awkward tension between Willow and Gus, but she was so impressed by what she just heard she let it slide.

“Wow, so you must be pretty smart then,” Luz said, and Gus’ cheeks pinked.

“I mean, not really…”

“He’s being modest,” Willow deadpanned, rolling her eyes affectionately at the younger boy. “He skipped three grades.”

“Oh wow! Good for you, Gus,” Luz said, and she meant every word. Considering Luz had barely managed to pass most of her classes, and considered a C a job well done? That really impressed her.

“So, what about you Luz?” Gus asked, now so embarrassed he had to change the subject again. “Is your godly parent your mom or dad?”

“My dad,” Luz said, humming as she looked around at all the different cabins. “I wonder which god he is?”

“Well, let’s see what kind of skills you might have!” Gus said excitedly, and the trio began to compare the different cabins to try and narrow down the results.

She saw some campers by the basketball court shooting baskets, and some of them were crazy shots too. Willow had said they were from Cabin Seven, Apollo. From what Luz remembered he was the god of music and poetry. Luz didn’t have a musical bone in her body, so she could cross that one off the list. She wondered if maybe Zeus was her dad, like Eda and Lilith, but then Willow gently explained to her that their cabin was pretty exclusive. She was a terrible swimmer and hated the water, so she was definitely not a Poseidon kid. She got pretty angry a lot, but she didn’t think that was because she was a child of Ares. Luz was pretty sure she was just frustrated with her situation at school. Maybe she belonged in the wing of the minor gods. She could see her mom falling for one of those guys… someone more lowkey. But her mom had always told her that her father was a very successful businessman… that didn’t sound lowkey.

Luz was going to raise this concern to her new friends when she noticed something she had ignored earlier. Around both Gus and Willow’s neck was a brown leather necklace, with beads strung around it. “Cool necklaces,” Luz comments, pointing to them. “Did you buy them together?”

Willow chuckled, reaching under her orange shirt to give Luz a closer look. “Nope, everybody at camp gets one when they’ve stayed for at least one summer. A different cabin every year designs the beads based on an event or memory the camp has and gives them to each camper at the end of August. I have four beads for four summers.”

Gus reaches down to show Luz his own necklace. “And I have three beads for three summers!”

Luz awed over the different designs, the art on them was so intricate and beautiful Luz couldn’t help but ask about the shared designs, especially since one of them had what looked like a hot air balloon on fire.

“Oh, that was a crazy summer,” Gus said with a grin, launching into the story.

The trio talked for so long, that soon the warning bell rang for dinner. Willow jumped up like she’d been burned.

“Oh shoot! We were supposed to introduce you to Cabin Eleven. We can go there now quickly.”

“Cabin Eleven?” Luz said with a raised brow, but she couldn’t say much else as Willow grabbed her arm and practically dragged her across the U shaped wing of cabins. Eventually, they parked her right outside one of the cabin doors, and there was a girl standing outside the porch. She had tied back brown hair and a single fishhook earring. She looked a little older than Luz, maybe sixteen. Luz immediately liked her, she looked pretty laid back and cool.

“Hi, Viney!” Gus grinned, and the girl shot him a friendly smile.

“Hey, guys! Eda told me there was a new camper, so I decided to wait around here until she showed up.”

“Sorry we’re so late, I know you need to get your cabin to dinner,” Willow said apologetically, and Viney just shrugged her shoulders.

“We’re always late. It’s no problem.” She turned to Luz, who for the first time all day didn’t feel anxious around someone new. “You must be Luz. Welcome to Cabin Eleven! I’m Viney. Hopefully, you’ll be comfortable here. All new campers stay with us until they get claimed.”

Luz had a couple of follow up questions to that, but she didn’t really have time to ask them, because Willow and Gus were now waving goodbye.

“We’ll see you later, Luz. Let us know if you need anything!” Willow said, and Luz nodded to them before they headed out, likely back to their cabins.

“If you’re looking to make friends, they’re a good start,” Viney said to Luz with a smile. “Almost everybody at camp likes Willow and Gus.”

“Not everybody though,” Luz said with a frown, remembering that other girl, Amity.

Viney shrugged, “you win some and lose some. Now come on, let me introduce you to the rest of the cabin.”

The cabin itself looked pretty unassuming from the outside. It was a light brown, it looked like it had recently been repainted, and there was a caduceus over the door. Inside, there were about a dozen bunk beds, each with a simple brown chest at the end of it. Some of the bunks were decorated with posters or pictures, but a lot of them kept a simple kind of design. Luz already liked it in here, it was homey, but not busy enough for her ADHD brain to hyper-focus on any one thing. Luz counted about eighteen campers in total, which meant there was a good number of empty beds. The campers all turned to look as Viney and Luz walked in.

“Alright Cabin Eleven,” she called to them. “This is Luz, our new undetermined camper. Play nice. We’re leaving for dinner in five minutes, so be ready.”

Luz waved awkwardly, but thankfully most of the cabin seemed just as friendly as Gus and Willow.

“Hey Luz, you can have this bed right here,” one of the boys said, gesturing to the bunk above the one he was sitting on. The boy had brown hair and a pointed nose, and he fidgeted with his hands. It didn’t bother Luz. She could relate to that.

She grinned at the nice gesture, hoping it revealed just how relieved she was. “Thanks.”

Luz walks over to the bunk and takes off her backpack, and is about to throw it on the bed when the boy shakes his head quickly.

“Don’t leave that there, it’s a rookie mistake,” he says, and Luz eyes him uncertainly.

The boy sighs and then gives her a crooked smile. “Our dad, Hermes, is the god of merchants and travelers… but also thieves. If you have anything valuable, leave it in the chest. We can share it.”

Luz understands immediately. Opening her backpack, she pulls out her sketchbook and a pack of drawing pencils, her phone charger, and her earbuds. Her phone and wallet with her MetroCard and the remaining change she has are also there, so she leaves those things in the chest and slings her backpack over the edge of the top bunk. The boy shuts it when she’s done, and tells Luz the code.

“Thanks for the warning,” Luz whispers softly, and the boy shrugs.

“Don’t mention it. We were all new once. I’m Jerbo, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Luz.”

Viney stands from the front entrance of the cabin and holds up her hand to get everyone’s attention. “Cabin Eleven! Fall in!”

The cabin falls into rank by order of seniority, so of course, Luz is last, but she doesn’t mind. Together the Hermes Cabin walks towards the pavilion, where all the other cabins have gathered for dinner. Luz spots Willow and Gus with their siblings, and then Amity sitting over at the table right next to Luz. She makes eye contact with Luz, and then scoffs, turning away. Next to her, a pair of green-haired campers that are no doubt twins say something to her, and her face goes red. She elbows the boy hard, and the girl laughs loudly.

At the head table, Eda is sitting there with Lilith, who must have gotten back while Willow and Gus were showing her around. There’s also a boy with red hair and glasses, chatting amicably with what Luz can only describe as a talking black mastiff. It has a red collar, and Luz’s mouth can’t help but drop open at the sight. But she guesses she’s seen weirder things today.

“That’s King, the camp's loyal hellhound,” Viney says from across Luz, noticing her staring. “Hellhounds are usually ten times that size, but King’s always been special.”

“He can talk.” Luz just says, and Jerbo laughs.

“Oh yeah. Thinks himself real special for being able to as well. He follows Eda around everywhere.”

"Who's the boy next to him?" Luz asks curiously.

"That's Barcus, the camp's oracle. He's human and lives here at camp during the summer. When campers go on quests they get a prophecy from him."

That is way too weird for Luz to process, and she opens her mouth to ask a hundred follow-up questions but doesn't get the chance. Eda and Lilith get to their feet, and the camp quiets. Lilith is the first to speak.

“Good evening campers. Today we welcome a new half-blood to our ranks. Everybody, please welcome Luz Noceda.”

There is a series of whispers as people turn to look at her, and some of the campers say hello and wave in her direction. Luz rubs her neck in embarrassment when Gus whoops from next to his brothers and sisters. Viney pats her back encouragingly.

“As you all know on Friday we will be having our weekly game of Capture the Flag.” Eda continues once the murmurings settle. “The captains have been randomly selected, and this time the teams will be the Hermes cabin against the Aphrodite cabin.”

Luz’s table erupts into cheers, and Viney grins from ear to ear. Luz notices the table Amity is sitting at also explodes with noise, and she looks quite pleased with herself. Luz wonders if she misheard.  

“Amity’s mom is Aphrodite?” Luz says in surprise, and Viney nods her head.

“Yeah. Why are you asking?”

“It’s just…” Luz isn’t sure what to think about that. “Isn’t she the goddess of love?”

“And beauty,” Viney says as she shoots her a sly smile. “But also passion. Be careful of what you’re assuming. Sure you get the prissy campers every once in a while, but the Aphrodite cabin can be a force to be reckoned with. The Blight siblings make sure of that.” She gestures to Amity and the two green-haired campers who had been talking to her earlier, and Luz hums as she processes this new information. Eda’s voice snaps her back to reality.

“Yes, yes, in any case, captains will have to have their teams ready by tomorrow night.” Eda continues, and she tries to speak seriously, but her smile gives away just how excited she is. “Now, it’s time we eat.”

As if Eda just spoke some kind of spell, food begins to spill out from around the entrance to the pavilion. There are these weird chicken ladies (Viney calls them Harpies) that pass around a variety of barbecued meats, fruits, vegetables, and all kinds of food that makes Luz’s mouth water. She loads her plate and then gets handed an empty goblet, and looks at it uncertainly.

“Say whatever you want, and it’ll appear,” Jerbo says helpfully, and Luz breaks into a grin.

“Lime soda!”

The goblet fills with bubbly light green liquid. Luz takes a sip and her eyes widen in awe. It’s identical to the ones her Mami buys.

Mami! She’s probably wondering where she is right now. She left her phone in the Cabin, but she makes a mental note to call her after dinner.

Before she can dig in, she sees her cabin begin to get up and make their way over to the fire. They take something off their plate and chuck it in, muttering what seems to be a prayer as they do.

“It’s an offering to the gods,” Jerbo explains quickly, before doing the same thing.

Luz approaches and doesn’t quite know what to do. But she takes a cluster of delicious-looking grapes and tosses it in the fire anyway.

Dad, if you’re listening… thank you for letting me come here. I really like it so far.  

The fire roars, and Luz is taken aback by the smell. It’s like parchment and a dewy morning before school. It’s comforting.

Eda and Lilith once again get the attention of the crowd. They raise their goblets, and all the campers follow.

“For the gods!” They say.

“For the gods!” The campers repeat.

Luz eats until she can’t eat anymore. Once you’re done dinner, the rule is campers are allowed to visit other tables. Willow and Gus join Luz at the Hermes table, and they all begin to have a steady conversation.

“So how did Eda stumble across you in Manhattan?” Viney asks, and Luz timidly launches into the story. When she’s done, Gus whistles lowly.

“You helped them kill an empousai?” He mumbles in awe. “Servants of Hecate are no easy win.”

“Gus is a fan of Hecate’s illusions,” Willow explains with a smile. “While some campers might use it for pranks, Gus uses it for showmanship.”

“We’ll let me tell you, she was scary,” Luz says with a shiver. “I don’t know what I would have done if Eda and Lilith weren’t there to save me.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Viney says, reaching over to nudge her arm. “You leaped on the back of a monster with no weapon. That’s pretty brave.”

“Or pretty stupid,” Jerbo comments teasingly.

“Don’t worry, Luz,” Willow says with a smile when her face begins to heat up in embarrassment. “Gus and I can take you tomorrow to find you some kind of weapon.”

“That sounds great,” Luz said, relieved.

Soon, the harpies began to clear the plates, and her new friends got up to head down to the campfire to sing songs and roast marshmallows. Luz was eager to join them, but she remembered the mental note she’d made earlier. Making a promise that’d she be there soon, she was about to leave the pavilion to go get her phone when she was stopped with a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Where are you running off to, kid?”

Luz turned to see Eda, standing behind her petting Owlbert who was resting on her shoulder. Luz broke into a smile.

“Oh, hi Eda. I was just heading to Cabin Eleven to pick up my-”

“I just wanted to tell you that I spoke to your mother this afternoon,” Eda said, and Luz effectively shut her mouth and raised her eyebrows. “She was pretty angry that you ran off from school, but when I told her where you were she seemed to cool down.”

“Is she ok? She’s not worried about me right?” Luz said anxiously, and Eda smiled softly.

“No, lucky for you she seemed to have realized she couldn’t keep you from camp for much longer. She just wanted me to tell you that she loves you and hopes you're being safe and that you made it through the school year. You’ll be welcomed back to the same high school in the fall.”

Luz felt relief hit her like a pound of bricks. She really didn’t want to worry about her Mami needing to find her another school. She worked full time at the hospital, she worried enough.

“I told her that we don’t allow cellphones at camp since they send out a lot of signals to monsters and that if you wanted to contact her you’d have to see me.” Eda finished, and Luz tightened her lips. She wasn’t exactly sure why cellphones weren’t allowed, but she was glad she hadn’t admitted to Eda she had one. “So I was going to ask you if you wanted to call her, but now that I see you’re running off… I’m wondering if somebody might have something they’re not supposed to have.”

Luz began to panic, but thankfully Eda just chuckled. “Well, that look says it all. Just be careful kid. I’m a fan of troublemakers myself, but my sister sure isn’t. Keep it on the down-low.”

Luz nodded quickly, and Eda chucks her one more sly smile. “Your mom sent us over some pocket money for you to get whatever you need while you’re here. It’s at the camp store, so whenever you want to go buy some clothes or whatever just give them a visit.”

The talking hellhound Luz had seen earlier made their way over to Eda and Luz, and sat down at Eda’s feet, casting a suspicious look at Luz.

“Who are you? Who dares disturb the King of Demons?”

“You’re not the King of demons, you’re King the demon,” Eda muttered to the hellhound, rolling her eyes. “There's a difference. And you came over to us."

King just looks up and her and Eda facepalms, waving her hand toward Luz in defeat. "This is Luz, our new camper.”

Now that Luz was face to face with King, she found him a lot less freaky. In fact, he was kind of adorable.

“Awww, look at this little guy!” She said cooing, reaching down to meet King at eye level. “You’re so cute!”

“I am not cute!” The hellhound barked back in annoyance, and Luz reached over and pat him on the head. Despite looking angry, the hellhound leaned into the touch.

“What a sucker,” Eda mumbled under her breath, and King made a noise of annoyance. “Anyway Luz, if you need anything don’t think twice about coming to find me. I hope you’ve noticed, but everybody here is kind of one big family. We help each other out.”

Luz felt that warm feeling again, and without even realizing she was doing it, she leaned over and hugged Eda tightly, trying to express how grateful she really was. Eda huffed in surprise, before hesitantly hugging her back.

“Thank you, Eda,” Luz whispered into her shoulder.

Eda laughed awkwardly, patting her shoulder. “Anytime, kid.”  

[neerasrealm]

I loved your latest LJxReader so could we have a pt.2 please? When y/n go on a date with him? :D

Y’ALL WANT MORE??? I’M MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE! It’s actually really interesting to explore the dynamic of the creeps trying to hide the fact that they’re killers/monsters. Writing stuff like this is fun! and also LJ interacting with people he knows is just. fun. building tiny side characters is fun.

Any moment now…

Aaaaany moment now

…

AAAANNNYYY MOMENT NOWWWW-

Damn. That didn’t work? And you were so sure saying that over and over again in your head would make your date suddenly appear from thin air. Darn. 

You’re stood on a street corner, patiently waiting for your date. You look calm, but inside you’re buzzing with excitement. You’re head over heels for this guy. He’s tall, cute, funny and has the cutest accent. His smile is to die for and just thinking of it makes your stomach do flips. He’s definitely a catch, and you feel like the luckiest fisherman at the- er- dock? On the boat? I- I don’t know...this analogy is weird.

But anyway! You’re excited for this. It’s just coffee, a simple meetup, but it feels like your wedding day or something. It’s also pretty big. You’re gonna be seeing him outside of his costume for the first time. He’s a performer! And a good one at that. Just another thing that makes him amazing. 

As you’re debating texting him again, you hear someone calling your name. You look up and see him. He’s tall, with wispy black hair. He’s….still in costume. A grey crop top, bandages covering his torso, denim shorts, striped socks and sleeves, and a striped cone shaped nose. He waves at you from above the crowd and almost- slithers- his way through it and over to you. He grins as he jogs up, one of his hands tucked behind his back. You smile at him, cocking a brow. ‘’y/n!’’ he greets cheerfully.

‘’Hey Jack.’’ you look him over. ‘’You’re...still in costume?’’

‘’Huh? Oh- oh yeh, er-’’ he fidgets for a moment, rocking on his heels. ‘’Sorry abou’ tha’...I ‘ad a gig booked las’ minu’e an’ I didna wanna cancel on ye so-’’ he shrugs. ‘’Sorry.’’

Normally you would be mad. But you fell in love with this guy in his costume, so a date with him in it isn’t the end of the world. ‘’It’s fine.’’ you smile at him. He seems to relax.

‘’Ah- good, good. Er-’’ he pauses for a second and pulls his arm out from behind his back. ‘’I brough’ ye these.’’

He holds out a bouquet of the most beautiful yellow begonias you’ve ever seen. You take it from him and sniff the flowers. They smell sweet, and fresh. Your heart does flips and somersaults in your chest. You knew Jack was a sweet guy, and you already liked him a lot, but flowers? On the first date? He’s more perfect than you thought. Your smile widens to a grin. ‘’Thank you.’’ you murmur up at him. His cheeks flush pink beneath his face paint and he laughs gently. 

‘’I-i’s nofink. I’m glad ye like ‘em…’’ he rubs at his arm nervously. He’s such a sweetheart- he looks at you and smiles slightly. ‘’Er um- so- ye wanna ge’ sum coffee?’’

You nod. ‘’Coffee sounds good.’’

Jack nods back, and then holds out his hand. You take it, your fingers intertwining with his. His hand feels bony and almost...old. The bandages around his hand feel soft, and you can’t help but notice they look brighter than usual, like he just put on fresh ones. His hand is also way bigger than yours. You never noticed that before. Internally, you wonder if he is actually as tall as he is- he...seems shorter today? Or maybe you just remembered him as taller. He’s still fairly tall though, maybe 6’3. 

‘’Somefin’ wrong?’’ he looks down at you. Shit, he noticed you staring didn’t he? You blush.

‘’No, it’s nothing.’’ you smile up at him. ‘’So where are we going? Did you have a place in mind?’’

‘’Oh! Er- no- was I suppos’ta?’’ he looks worried for a second. You laugh gently.

‘’No, I just assumed you planned to take me somewhere specific.’’

‘’Hm...well- I do know this li’le place tha’s real nice. We could go there?’’

You squeeze his bony hand and nod. ‘’Lead the way.’’

The two of you walk through the city. Jack is as cheerful and funny as usual, but still extremely flustered. His cheeks stay a soft pink while he tells you funny stories from his past performances and his misadventures through the years. It seems he gets around a lot. You can’t help but admire that- Jack is the kind of person who likes to always seek out new things and go where the fun is. He’s exciting, and you love it. You can’t help but smile smugly to yourself when you realise how lucky you are to have snapped him up before someone else did.

‘’Ere we are.’’ he stops suddenly and you look up. In front of you is a small coffee shop called ‘Sherlock’s’. The sign atop the door sports a silhouette of what you assume is Sherlock Holmes. Through the window you can see racks of cakes, and plenty of people inside. The tiny shop must be awful popular. He grins at you. ‘’This place is th’ best, I’ve been comin’ ‘ere fer donkey’s ears.’’

You step inside, with Jack following you. You barely hear the bell above the door chiming over the sound of people talking. The inside is bigger than you initially thought. The walls are wooden and decorated with all kinds of knick knacks and even a book shelf over in the corner. There’s an old gramophone over in another corner playing old-fashioned music. Towards the back there’s stairs leading up to a second floor, and the entire place smells of rich coffee and freshly baked pastries.

‘’Jack!’’ 

You’re snapped back to attention by somebody calling your date’s name. A woman with frizzy black hair and glasses steps out from behind the counter. She dusts off her navy apron and rushes forward. Jack steps forward and the two of them hug tight. He chuckles at her. ‘’Ow’ya, Rosie.’’ he greets her like an old friend. She steps away from him and gives him a stern look, her hands on her hips.

‘’You haven’t been here in over a week! We were getting worried!’’ she chides. She gestures to a couple other employees behind the counter. They laugh at her and shake their heads.

‘’Ey lads.’’ Jack smiles at them before turning to Rosie again. He pats her head like she’s a child. ‘’Sorry luv. I wuz busy!’’

‘’When aren’t you busy?’’ she mutters, shaking her head. ‘’You’re going to be nothing but skin and bone if you keep avoiding us! Honestly! And what about Cody and Junior, hm? I haven’t seen those boys in forever! Not to mention Sally!’’ 

Jack laughs again. ‘’Awrigh’, awrigh’. I’ll drop in more often, I promise, an’ I’ll bring th’ boys wiv me.’’ he turns to look at you. ‘’I did bring some’ne wiv me though.’’

‘’Hm?’’ Rosie tilts her head and looks over at you. Her stern expression softens to a smile. ‘’Oh! A new friend of yours?’’

Jack laughs sheepishly. ‘’Eh- yeh, yeh,’’ he clears his throat and gestures for you to come closer. Bemused, you join him by his side. ‘’y/n, this is Rosie. I’ve known ‘er since she wuz jussa basin ‘f gravy!’’ he laughs gently. You have no idea what that means, but you shake Rosie’s hand to be polite.

‘’It’s nice to meet you.’’ you murmur. Rosie smiles.

‘’Nice to meet you too!’’ she looks up at Jack. ‘’They a new member of the family?’’

‘’Eh- er- n-nah no’ really um-’’ Jack fidgets a bit. ‘’They’re eh- me da’e.’’

Rosie looks surprised. She looks over at her other employees, who look equally surprised. ‘’Well you should have told me you’d be bringing a date here! Honestly, we would’ve reserved a table for you two and cleaned up!’’ she shakes her head. Jack blushes a darker pink.

‘’S-sorry.’’ he murmurs. Rosie shakes her head disapprovingly and looks at you. 

‘’Don’t mind him, y/n. I’ll get you both the best table in the house,’’ she smiles sweetly at you before turning around. ‘’HEY! JEREMIAH! IS THE BACK BOOTH OPEN?!’’ She screeches. The other employees don’t even bat an eye at her. A teenage boy pokes his head out from behind a wall and nods. Rosie looks at the both of you. ‘’Right then! You know where to go, Jack!’’ she chirps.

‘’Thanks Rosie.’’ Jack says with a smile. He takes your hand and leads you across the cafe. There’s a second room in the back you hadn’t even noticed. It’s small, with only a couple tables, a window and a small booth in the back. Jack gestures to the booth. ‘’After ye.’’

You take a seat. The booth’s seats are just wooden benches, and the wall juts out slightly so that you can basically hide from sight if you so wanted. Jack sits across from you and smiles.

‘’So- you come here a lot, huh?’’ you ask, looking around. 

‘’Yeh. I ‘elped Rosie star’ th’ place up! I’ took a lo’a money an’ fundraisin’, bu’ now lookit ‘er! Business is boomin’!’’

You laugh a bit. ‘’Wow.’’ so that explains why the employees treat him so nicely. He helped them start this place up...he’s even kinder than you thought! As you’re about to ask him a bit more about Rosie and the cafe, you’re interrupted by the boy from earlier, Jeremiah, placing a tray on the table. He puts a slice of chocolate cheesecake in front of both you and Jack, along with a menu. Jack looks up.

‘’Eh- Jer, we ‘aven’t ordered ye’.’’ To your surprise, Jeremiah replies via sign language. Which you don’t understand. But Jack apparently does. He laughs gently and shakes his head. ‘’Awrigh’. Tell yer ma we said thanks.’’

Jeremiah nods and walks away. You look at Jack. ‘’What’d he say?’’

‘’I’s on th’ ‘ouse,’’ he smiles at you. ‘’Rosie’s a peach.’’

Huh! Well then- you grab your fork and cut into the cheesecake and take a bite. It’s- the most delicious thing you’ve ever tasted. You blink in surprise. The crust crunches pleasantly in your mouth and is slightly salty, but the sweetness of the chocolate balances it out. The actual cream cheese part is smooth and thick, and almost melts in your mouth. You look up and realise Jack is smiling at you from across the table.

‘’I’s good, innit?’’ 

‘’This is amazing!’’ you exclaim. ‘’How come nobody told me this place has the best cheesecake around?!’’

Jack laughs. ‘’Jus’ wai’ till ye try th’ ho’ choc’la’e. I’s th’ bes’ aroun’, I promise ye tha’.’’ he looks over the menu for a second. ‘’Ye can ge’ anyfin’ ye want. I’ll pay.’’

You blink. ‘’You will?’’

‘’Yeh. Rosie gives me discounts.’’ he winks. You grin a bit.

‘’Alright then…’’ you continue eating the godly cheesecake before speaking again. ‘’So...who’re Cody and Junior?’’ you finally ask. Jack looks up.

‘’Oh! They’re eh- roommates! I live wiv a lo’a people. We all pitch in fer rent an’ all’at. Kinda like a circus, we’re one big fam’ly! ‘Xcept i'm th’ only clown there.’’ he winks at you again. You laugh. 

‘’That sounds nice, living with such a large group of people.’’ 

‘’Ehh...i’ is, bu’ i’ ge’s tirin’, ye know? I mean eh- when I tol’ every’ne I ‘ad a da’e they all kept pesterin’ me! Last time I tell any ‘f those eejits anyfin’.’’ he shake his head tiredly. You laugh again.

‘’Really?’’ you smirk. ‘’I didn’t know I’d cause such a stir…’’ under the table, you poke his leg with your foot. Jack blushes. Hard.

‘’E-eh- heh- well eh-’’ he looks away nervously, fidgeting anxiously. ‘’I’ve...never really gone on a da’e b’fore…’’

‘’Really?’’ you’re genuinely surprised. Sure his costume might be off putting, and his thick accent adds to how intimidating he is, but he’s a sweetheart and a funny guy! How come you’re the first person to ask him out?

‘’I eh- didn’ fink any’ne’d like me like tha’...I mean I-’’ he shakes his head. ‘’I dunno…’’ he laughs gently and gives you a nervous look. You soften.

‘’Well I like you.’’ you say gently. You reach over and put your hand on his. He stares at you in shock, then softens, smiling again. He laughs softly and looks you over. His gaze is soft, loving. Your heart flutters as he looks you over. Your cheeks flush red. He’s so cute...the way he smiles, the way his crystal blue eyes caress your face, the way he curls his hand around yours and squeezes it. You love him. You’re head over heels for the guy and your first date with him has only just begun!

‘’Ey y/n?’’

‘’Yeah?’’

‘’There’s choc’la’e all over yer face.’’

And it’s off to a terrible start.

[masonscig]

first line tag game

thank you for the tag @crackerdumortain !!!!! yours were so much fun to read omg !!!!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag some of your favourite authors!

[disclaimer: i write for the choices fandom and some for litg so you’ll see a mix of those fandoms on this list LMAO]

1. stay [twc – mason x sofía]

The first time was casual. She had a knack for musing her thoughts aloud, tossing her harmless opinions out for anyone who’d catch them.

She was good at starting conversations in that way – while he’d never been one for talking.

She never did it with heavy topics, though.

2. thieves in the shadows [choices – blades au – mal x zilyana]

bullets pelted the crates they were crouched behind, wood splintering in every direction. bodies were strewn across the warehouse, the unmistakable pools of blood streaking across the stone.

“raine! to your left!” immy yelled her way, barely sparing her a glance before unloading her clip, shell casings clinking against the ground.

the gun trembled in yana’s hands. she’d shot one before – practice at the gun range, glass bottles in a back alley – but never a live target.

3. if we meet again [choices – open heart au – bryce x spencer] 18+

year one

The ride from the airport to her parents’ home was long and grueling, the slushy ice pelting the windshield barely passing for snow.

It was practically sub-zero outside, a stark difference between the mid seventies weather she’d just left.

4. clandestine [twc – mason x sofía] 18+

“hey. hey wake up –”

she stirred at the greeting, but jumped when he kicked the desk. her face contorted into a grimace, the imprint of her tweed jacket on her cheek outlined in pink. “hmm?”

“you fell asleep again,” he said, plopping a bag in front of her.

5. undying [choices – blades – mal x zilyana]

Zilyana stirred, resituating herself against Mal’s bare chest, feeling his arm instinctively tighten around her shoulders. When she realized she was missing the sound of his deep breathing, accompanied with an occasional soft snore, she cracked an eye open to see his chin tipped upwards, his gaze trained on the ceiling.

6. talent show [choices – platinum – shane x dom]

There wasn’t a day that went by where she didn’t cross his mind. Even since they were kids.

He admired so much about her – her fiery spirit, her drive, her unwavering tenacity.

And he’d been in love with Dom for as long as he could remember.

7. redeemed [choices – platinum – raleigh x dom]

As soon as he stepped off stage, he was shuffled to his tour bus, Fiona on his heels. She looked like the human embodiment of rage in a grey blazer, a look in her eye that made him thankful he wasn’t the one it was directed at – or at least he hoped he wasn’t the reason she was two seconds away from a murderous rampage.

8. hidden [choices – foreign affairs – blaine x carina] 18+

Her cheek slipped out of the palm of her hand, forehead smacking the desk, nearly jumping out of her skin at the abrupt awakening.

“Ow.”

She prodded the tender spot on her face, thankful her foundation was thick.

A soft snore caught her attention – next to her, Blaine was passed out. Leaning back in his chair, his head was thrown back, arms crossed against his chest, the textbook on its face in his lap.

9. is this fate? [litg au – bobby x mc] 18+

The peroxide was cold when it hit her skin, the liquid bubbling on her knee, relentlessly stinging. She sucked in a breath through gritted teeth.

“Sorry… should be over soon,” he murmured, wiping up the stray liquid that streamed down her leg with a small rag.

The heaviness of the atmosphere between them was almost too much to bear – they’d barely spoken since he helped her onto the counter in his small office, leg propped up between his own, where he sat in his desk chair.

10. asvista cove [litg college au – bobby x elena]

Bobby’s thumb flicked the lighter repeatedly until he got a consistent flame, moving slowly from left to right over the edge of the blunt. His cheeks hollowed out as he sucked in, the tip of it an auburn ember. He pulled it out of his mouth and sucked in an even deeper breath, holding it.

When he blew out the thick cloud of smoke, he passed it to her, coughing under his breath. “Whew. Your turn.”

She followed suit, the thick smoke coating the inside of her lungs, bitter and heavy. She exhaled, the shroud smoke enveloping her view of the sealine.

11. reticent [twc – mason x sofía] 18+

She was bare.

Bare in the way that one is when they’ve been stripped down and torn apart with a trained gaze just calculating enough for them to feel seen – parts of her she didn’t know she’d hidden splayed out like withered pages of a book, dog-eared and marked up like a frequently reread novel.

One he’d reread because it was familiar, because it had fallen into his lap (he hadn’t searched for it), not so much because it was his favorite.

12. more [twc – mason x sofía] 18+

He laced his fingers through her thick hair, reveling in the way his skin looked contrasted against the midnight of her hair.

[the way i can’t post more than this bc it’s....... very nsfw right out the bat LMFAO]

13. calm before the storm [choices – open heart – bryce x spencer]

Since the moment his hands trembled amidst one of the most important surgeries of his life, Bryce was holding on by a thread.

With each half-assed joke he cracked, each wavering smile, each time he tried convincing others – including himself – that he was coping, he fell apart more and more.

The first night he went home after Spencer was quarantined, he trudged through the halls of Edenbrook, like he was dragging his legs through wet concrete. He was nearly magnetized to her bedside, not wanting to leave, but he needed to rest – he’d been awake for nearly a day and a half by the time he clocked out.

14. envy | part two of the attached series [twc – mason x sofía x felix]

He strode down the hallway, hands in his pockets to give the illusion that he didn’t give a shit, when he was most definitely on edge. His fingers flicked his lighter open and closed against the twill lining of his pockets, trying to focus on the soft clicking noise it made instead of the swarm of thoughts clouding his conscience.

He still couldn’t figure out why he cared so much.

15. comfort | part one of the attached series [twc – mason x sofía x felix]

He noticed it before she did.

Her pulse didn’t jump the same way it did the first dozen times he walked into the room. The blood didn’t rush to her cheeks, or creep up her neck, the crimson flush absent even when he tried his hardest to fluster her. And it normally took next to nothing to get her to turn into a bumbling mess.

16. out of time [choices – open heart – sienna x danny]

She sprinted down the hallway, pager still beeping erratically on her hip, the weight of the numbers enough to make her feel like she was slugging through wet concrete.

No, no, not him, please, not him, she chanted to herself, vision blurring with tears before she had the chance to let the negative possibilities set in.

17. unrequited part three [choices – open heart – bryce x spencer]

She slumped into the seat in the deserted waiting room, her joints popping as she stretched, her deep sigh echoing off of the tile. She was exhausted.

She could usually push through the worst of her shifts, but fatigue settled into her bones, a lethargy she’d never experienced entrapping her like a net, and she couldn’t fight her way out of it this time.

18. signs [choices – ride or die – logan x raquel]

“A final in sign language? Couldn’t you just have a conversation with the teacher or some shit?” Logan sat across from her on the couch, watching as her fingers bent and flexed, transfixed.

She stopped abruptly, screwing her mouth to the side in concentration. She repeated the same few moves, getting more and more frustrated with each sequence.

19. mementos [choices – ride or die – logan x raquel]

The sound of his boots slapping against the damp pavement reverberated off of the brick of the alleyways, his gasping breaths adding to the symphony that was his escape.

20. warmth [twc – mason x sofía]

“You’re going the wrong way,” Mason grunted, looking particularly stiff in her passenger seat.

“I thought we could take the scenic route,” she shrugged, flicking her high beams on as she turned off of the main road leading downtown, easing on the brakes when the tires hit the gravel.

okay so....... i didn’t really realize just HOW MUCH i’ve written since the summer? i’ve fallen into a pattern where i think i’m a failure bc of how slow i am to write because i have so many series i’ve started and dropped off and wips i’ve abandoned but.... i’ve managed to write for most appreciation weeks i’ve both hosted/participated in and i’ve written for THREE fandoms.... i don’t normally gas myself up but? i’m really? proud of myself? KSJDJKSD if you read this far thank you and you’re prob watching me have a breakdown over how much i’ve managed to write oh my GOD ok i need to lie down KLSDFKASFJD i didn’t even think i could hit 20 but i did???? alright i’m officially gonna treat myself at some point bc i did all this in less than a year.... these are from the end of july 2020 to now..... wow ok im done i promise SKDFJKSDF

tagging: @raleighcarrera and @pixeljazzy !!! <3 

[sableflynn]

anything goes (2)

This is part 2 of my sadistic card game story, based on the prompt by Avie and Dot. Original prompt here. This also applies for my “forcibly stripped” square for @badthingshappenbingo​ !

CW: noncon stripping, noncon touching, forced alcohol use, mention of broken bones and cuts, hand trauma

Part one | Part two

Also on Ao3

---

At some unseen signal from Volkan, a servant entered and laid down a platter of fruits and cheese and refilled their drinks, like this was some sort of fucking cocktail party.

“This is taking so much longer than I expected,” Volkan said, choosing a strawberry from the platter and popping it in his mouth. “Not that I’m complaining, of course. He looks amazing, and we’re barely a third through.”

Anna said nothing. Across from them, Kailo knelt on the floor, shaking with muffled sobs through the gag, cloth wrapped around his eyes and stuffed in his ears. She realized she was clenching her fists, nails digging into her palms. She forced herself to relax them, let out a slow breath. Don’t let him see how this is getting to you.

He saw. “You should have a drink, Anna,” he said, motioning towards her untouched glass of liquor. “It might take the edge off, make the rest of this easier for you.”  

Anna refused to look directly at him. “No.”

“You sure?” Even out of the corner of her eye, she could see his self-satisfied smirk. “You might even end up enjoying this, if you let yourself relax a little.”

Kailo was trembling, weakening before her. The sooner they got through this, the sooner she could take him home and get him help. “Just play your next card.”

Helping himself to another piece of fruit, Volkan pulled the next card, and his eyes lit up. “Oh, fuck yes.” He dropped the card on the table, and Anna read the elegant script: Strip them naked.

“Don’t.” The word slipped out before she could stop herself, and she wanted to reach out and pull it back in, but Volkan had already frozen and was turning back to her, so slowly.

His eyes on her were poisonous. “Are you forfeiting the game?”

“No.” Her voice was a whisper.

He took a step closer. “You were okay with everything we did before, but this is where you draw the line?”

“No.”

“No, what?” He stepped closer.

“I wasn’t okay with any of it.”

“But you let it happen.” Another step, and he was in front of her.

She swallowed. “Just...just do it.”

He smiled, tilted his head, then took her chin in one hand. She almost wrenched her head away, but she held still. How can I flinch from this when Kailo is going to go through so much worse—has already gone through so much worse?

“Do what, Anna?” Volkan asked, his grip on her chin deceptively gentle.

He’s going to make me say it. “Finish your card.”

The grip on her chin tightened infinitesimally “Be more specific, Anna.”

She looked him in the eye. “Strip him.”

At once the hand on her chin was gone, and Volkan was rummaging through the tool box. “If you insist,” he said, pulling a small knife from the box.

“If you cut him with that, you forfeit the game,” she said in a fit of desperation. “The card doesn’t say to cut.” It was a weak attempt to take back the control she had lost.

Volkan hummed in agreement. “I guess I’ll have to be careful, then.” He stood behind Kailo, hand trailing gently down the side of his face, and then began to undo the gag. “I’ll take this out for now. I want to hear him beg.”

As soon as the gag was off Kailo began to cough, his body shaking with the force of it. Then he started begging, and Anna felt her heart shatter. “Please, please, please stop—” He broke off into another fit of coughing that turned into a shuddering sob.

Volkan laughed. “Wow, I haven’t even done anything to him yet and he’s terrified.” He toyed idly with Kailo’s curls. Anna gripped the edges of her seat with white knuckles to stop herself from flying at him in a rage. What the fuck do you mean you haven’t even done anything to him yet?

True to his word, Volkan was careful with the knife as he began slicing Kailo’s clothes away. Kailo flinched every time the knife cut into the cloth, but Volkan had perfect control and was soon pulling the remnants of the shirt from his body. He ran a hand over Kailo’s now-bare chest, and Anna wondered with dread just how much more intimate these cards would get.

Volkan pulled the pants off and Kailo was now fully stripped before them. Anna averted her eyes, then realized that was fucking pointless when Volkan was still crouching right over Kailo and running a thumb over his cheek. Kailo jerked away from the touch, curling his legs into himself in an attempt to keep some sort of dignity. “D-don’t touch me,” he whispered, his voice wavering, and then it broke as he continued, “please, please don’t…” His breaths were short, sharp.

“Your turn,” Volkan said as he turned back to her with a supremely satisfied smile, but she was already pulling the next card, desperate to get through this as quickly as possible. Play with their hair. She held onto the deep relief that this wouldn’t be something painful, and crushed down the unease at just how this would feel to Kailo immediately after being stripped naked. She rolled the die and landed a three.

“Three minutes,” Volkan said, pulling an ornate watch from his pocket. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep time for you.”

Like hell do I trust you to be honest about that, she thought as she made her way to stand behind Kailo. Beginning the countdown in her mind, she placed her hands as gently as she could in Kailo’s hair. He immediately jerked away with a cry, a soft whispered please don’t. Hating herself for it, Anna placed her hands on his hair again and began running fingers through his curls. One eighty, one seventy-nine, one seventy-eight, one-seventy-seven…

As the seconds ticked by, Kailo’s sobs quieted, and he began to lean into the touch. Anna wasn’t sure that was any better. Ninety-two, ninety-one, ninety, eighty-nine… Her eyes flicked up to see Volkan watching with a deep fascination, occasionally glancing at his watch. Forty-five, forty-four, forty-three… Kailo’s breaths were softer, and he almost seemed relaxed. Three, two, one—

“Stop.” Volkan startled her with his punctuality; she’d been so sure he would try to drag it out. He smirked at her confusion. “What, did you think I’d try to cheat you?” Drawing his next card, he added, “Why would I need to cheat, when you’ve been playing so well?”

Anna sat as Volkan read his card. “Give them alcohol.” He briefly considered the bottle sitting at the table with them, then got up to search the bar. “I’m not wasting my good liquor on this,” he said.

While Volkan searched, Anna allowed herself a moment to consider Kailo. With the gag out, his breathing was much louder, even as he had managed to contain his sobs. He was stripped naked. Covered in cuts and bruises. One arm broken, the other carved with Volkan’s name. And we’re just about halfway through. She wondered if he could make it through the rest of the game. If she could make it through.

“Here we go.” Volkan returned with a bottle of clear liquor. Without further ceremony, he crouched next to Kailo, unscrewing the lid and pressing the bottle to his mouth.

Kailo jerked his head away. “Please don’t—I don’t want—” Rolling his eyes, Volkan snarled a hand in Kailo’s hair and jerked his head back, forcing the bottle once again to his mouth. The liquor splashed down his body and Kailo cried out as it washed over his cuts. His cries turned to coughing and choking as Volkan continued forcing the drink on him, pouring the liquor until Kailo’s throat bobbed with a swallow. Anna could smell the alcohol from where she sat.

As Volkan returned to his seat, Anna drew her next card. Stroke their thigh. She couldn’t help but frown at that. How much further will these cards go?

Volkan glanced over at the card, scoffing as he read it. “You’re worried about that? Would you rather slice him open some more?”

“I—no,” Anna said, cursing herself for getting so easily flustered by a simple card. “But don’t play coy. You know how this will feel to him after what you did—”

“After what we did, Anna.” He reached across the table and rolled the die for her. “Six minutes. Do it, or I’ll take him home and do much worse.”

Hating how easily Volkan got to her, hating every flicker of weakness she had ever shown him, Anna knelt next to Kailo and laid a careful hand on his thigh. He gasped and flinched away, and once again, Anna ignored his protests and continued to touch him.

I’m not hurting him. I’m not hurting him. I’m not hurting him. She tried to convince herself that it was true, tried to block out his sobs and quiet pleading as her hand continued to move almost of its own accord. His skin was warm under her palm, his thigh slick with the liquor that had spilled over him. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, even though she owed him at least that much. She stared straight ahead, and moved her hand mechanically up and down his thigh, and counted the seconds in her even breaths.

The very second her time was up, she withdrew her hand as if it were on a burning stove, and Volkan laughed, pulling his next card. His eyes gleamed as he read it. “Ooh, time magic. That means I get to go through all the cards we’ve played so far and choose one to repeat.” He scooped up both their cards and began rifling through them. “I do love a good encore.”  

Of course he’s got to make a big show of this, Anna thought, but she couldn’t deny the growing dread she felt as he explored his options. “Let’s see...I could break his other arm, slice him up some more—ah.” He pulled out one card with relish. “Make them scream. I don’t think you fully appreciated this card when you had it, Anna.”

“Just do it already, then,” Anna snapped, her entire body tense as she waited to see how he was going to drag this one out. Volkan sauntered over to Kailo, completely at ease, circling around him a few times. Eyeing him. Finally, he paused in front of him, and laid a gentle finger on Kailo’s lips. A clear message: be quiet. Kailo was already nodding.

Anna dug her nails into the leather of the couch, and waited, and said nothing.

She watched as Volkan toyed with Kailo, testing limits, finding every tiny way to hurt him. He started small—if any of this can be considered small, Anna thought bitterly—jostling old injuries, digging fingers into bloody wounds, twisting already-broken bones. Kailo was biting his lip in an attempt to contain his cries.

Volkan was taking his time. I took my time with it, too. She had gone slowly in hopes of finishing the card without hurting Kailo too badly; Volkan was enjoying the build-up and anticipation of hurting Kailo in as many small ways as he could. Not that that distinction would make any difference to Kailo. All he knows is that he’s being hurt again, and again, and again.

Anna nearly jumped when Kailo screamed, and her eyes snapped up to find the knife stabbed clean through his hand. And then Kailo’s scream quieted, and he started talking through his sobs: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, please stop—”

Volkan looked thrilled. “Seriously? Is he always like this?” he asked Anna with a broad grin. “It’s like he was made to be someone’s plaything.” Anna bit her tongue and didn’t rise to the bait, but inside she burned. Every fiber of her being longed to destroy this man and everything he stood for and to tear his fucking empire to the ground.

She drew her next card.

Rest. For a moment Anna blinked at the card, processing. What was the catch? She picked up the die and rolled a five.

“Five minutes’ rest,” she told Volkan. It seemed too good to be true.

He nodded, but made no move to step away. Instead, he began to circle around Kailo once again, studying him as one would a fascinating art exhibit. Kailo was tense, jumpy, twisting in his bonds as if trying to find where the pain would come from next.

“You’re not—” Anna began, but Volkan cut her off.

“I’m not touching him. I’m just looking.” He crouched low, staring Kailo in the face. “God, you’re so fussy about all this.”

This isn’t a rest, Anna thought. This is just...putting off the inevitable. They still had eight more cards to get through before this was over. And Kailo had no way of knowing even that—for all he knew, this wouldn’t end until he was killed. He was hyper-alert even with the blindfold on his eyes and cotton in his ears, flinching every time Volkan moved, as if he could sense the shifts in the air. Volkan drank in all his reactions with a satisfied smile.

The minutes slowly ticked by. Volkan continued his circling, admiring his (our, Anna reminded herself) work. Kailo trembled in the bonds, his head hanging low, curls damp with sweat. Anna watched them both, and waited for the rest to end.

[love-killed-the-superstar]

Pinch Hitter

Written for @codesecretsanta 2020!!

Hey, @nemesisadraste!! It’s me, your secret santa!! I heard you wanted a slice of samodd so I was ofc 100000% down to clown. Hope you enjoy!!!! It’s a little group chat heavy and I apologise, but there’s some actual prose around the halfway point haha

Can also be read here on AO3!: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28323549

ngl I would actually recommend reading it on ao3 because of formatting hahaha but anyway enjoy!!

Pinch Hitter

DIRECT MESSAGE: Odd Della Robbia

(11:43PM) Odd Della Robbia: SAMMMMMM

(11:45PM) Sam Suarez: yyyyea?

(11:45PM) Odd Della Robbia: XANA ATTACK. NUCLEAR SHIT. COVER FOR US PLSSSS SHOULDNT BE TOO LONG 🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀

(11:46PM) Sam Suarez: sure thing sure thing go save the world n shit 👍👍

(11:46PM) Sam Suarez: was only going to stay up late rewatching good omens anyway

(11:47PM) Odd Della Robbia: hero. incredible woman. love of my life

(11:47PM) Odd Della Robbia: and say hi to you know who for meeeee 😻

(11:48PM) Sam Suarez: crowley is a fictional character odd, he cant hear you

(11:48PM) Odd Della Robbia: but he's so sexy and strong 😻😻😻

(11:48PM) Odd Della Robbia: not as sexy and strong as you, ofc ofc

(11:49PM) Sam Suarez: jesus odd go save the world already and leave me alone

(11:49PM) Odd Della Robbia: SO COLDDDD 🙀🙀🙀

(11:49PM) Odd Della Robbia: still love you tho

(11:49PM) Sam Suarez: still love you too ok NOW GO

…

DIRECT MESSAGE: Jeremie Belpois

(1:24AM) Jeremie Belpois: Samantha?

(1:27AM) Sam Suarez: sup belpois

(1:27AM) Jeremie Belpois: Motion sensor went off. Pretty sure Jim is out and about. Try to buy us some time?

(1:28AM) Sam Suarez: shit alright. i'll see what i can do. b-team already know???

(1:29AM) Jeremie Belpois: They do. The four of you work something out, please? Thanks.

(1:30AM) Sam Suarez: ofc. hey btw hows odd doing??? ok???

(1:30AM) Jeremie Belpois: 80 life points and going strong, Sam.

(1:30AM) Sam Suarez: sweet 👍👍

…

GROUP CHAT: Lyoko B-Team REPRESENT

(1:31AM) Sam Suarez: what's our plan then home slices!!!!!!! 💪😤

(1:32AM) William Dunbar: Still don't know why I'm considered a b teamer but okay 😒

(1:32AM) Sam Suarez: don’t fucking complain william at least you get to be in the main group chat, 🙄🙄

(1:32AM) Elisabeth “Sissi” Delmas: ^^^^^^

(1:33AM) Laura Gauthier: Try getting added, then removed, and still being on the waitlist to rejoin

(1:33AM) Sam Suarez: ouch lol

(1:33AM) Laura Gauthier: ANYWAY, we need a plan of action. Jim’s doing the rounds. Any thoughts?

(1:33AM) William Dunbar: I’ll go stuff Jeremie’s duvet 🙋♂️ Laura you go to Aelita’s, Sam come up with some sort of distraction 👉

(1:33AM) Sam Suarez: hold on WHY DO I GET STUCK WITH THE HARD JOB?? 😠😠

(1:34AM) William Dunbar: to prove yourself, young one. how else do you plan on getting into the lyoko warriors group chat?? 🤷♂️

(1:34AM) Sam Suarez: SHIT U RIGHT… 👀

(1:34AM) Sam Suarez: its my chance… to shine

(1:34AM) Elisabeth “Sissi” Delmas: Why does everyone forget im fucking here?? Give me something to do????? 🙋😤🤦♀️

(1:35AM) William Dunbar: nobody forgot you sissi, shit 🙄 take odd and ulrichs room, if u think u can wrangle kiwi 🥝

(1:35AM) Sam Suarez: i would like it on the record that i did in fact forget about sissi 🙋🙋

(1:35AM) Elisabeth “Sissi” Delmas: FUCK NO. THAT DOG DOES NOT RESPECT ME 😤😤😤😤😤

(1:35AM) Elisabeth “Sissi” Delmas: Also RUDE..

(1:35AM) Sam Suarez: priorities babe or the fucking world ends. your call tho!!!!!! ✌️🤪

(1:36AM) Elisabeth “Sissi” Delmas: ………………. F I N E 🤦♀️

…

GROUP CHAT: Lyoko B-Team REPRESENT

(1:59AM) William Dunbar: @Sam Suarez What did you tell Jim?????? He’s 100% doing head counts now you dumb fuck 🤦♂️

(1:59AM) Sam Suarez: don’t take that tone with me dickbar, he’s looking for a sick GIRL. if you stuffed the fucking duvets properly we won’t have a problem, he’ll only be peeking into rooms anyway 😠😠

(2:00AM) Laura Gauthier: And what do you suppose happens when he finds NOBODY and comes to the conclusion that you lied to him? You have to think these things through, Sam, Jeremie’s not planning on doing any return trips if he can help it.

(2:00AM) Sam Suarez: yall are jerks, YOU put me up to the task of cooking up an excuse, don’t complain that it was shit!!!! geez!!!!

(2:00AM) Elisabeth “Sissi” Delmas: God you’re all useless. I can fake-cry, I took a drama workshop over summer. I’ll take the hit but you OWE ME. 😤

(2:01AM) Sam Suarez: there are no favours in this sissi, we took an oath. we are heroes of justice now and you don’t get compensation for saving the world, its superhero 101

(2:01AM) Elisabeth “Sissi” Delmas: Shut up Sam, you’re buying me dinner tomorrow. Take me somewhere nice 💅🙆😘

(2:01AM) Sam Suarez: but i don’t date girls who only save the world to reap the benefits, this simply won’t work out 😔😔

(2:01AM) William Dunbar: Take your flirting to private message, I don't want to be implicated in this sordid affair if Odd finds out

(2:01AM) Sam Suarez: ahahahahahahaahahahaha we got a funny man over here

(2:02AM) William Dunbar: Lololol

(2:02AM) Laura Gauthier: SHUT UP ALL OF YOU.

(2:02AM) Laura Gauthier: I can hear Jim coming, play it cool

(2:02AM) William Dunbar: Hahahaaha good luck 😂😂

(2:07AM) William Dunbar: You all alive……………..? 👀

(2:07AM) Sam Suarez: we sure are, listen to this

(2:07AM) Sam Suarez: sissi fake cried, told Jim she was having the worst cramps of her life and started listing off the side effects of the birth control she’s on. It was the greatest thing ive ever heard and im absolutely buying her dinner tomorrow, and yes it will be candle-lit 🍽️🍷💍

(2:07AM) William Dunbar: Holy shit. 👀 My deepest respect. 🙏 I will put in a good word with Master Belpois Himself, she deserves a seat at the grown ups table for this 🤷♂️

(2:07AM) Sam Suarez: no doubt no doubt

(2:08AM) Laura Gauthier: That was a close one. Sissi’s methods are unorthodox but hey, it worked. Next time find an excuse that doesn’t create more work for us, all right, Sam?

(2:08AM) Sam Suarez: shit you’re ungrateful as fuck. Damn . 🙄🙄

(2:08AM) Laura Gauthier: I’M JUST SAYING

(2:08AM) William Dunbar: Come on, lets not fight, I’m too tired for this shit 😴

(2:09AM) Sam Suarez: so go to bed, dumbass

…

DIRECT MESSAGE: Odd Della Robbia

(2:59AM) Odd Della Robbia: guess who just got DEVIRTUALISED!!!! 😹😹🔫🔫

(3:02AM) Sam Suarez: oh no, poor baby, you were doing so well

(3:03AM) Odd Della Robbia: right????? fucking megatanks, im telling you, they suck so much 😿

(3:03AM) Sam Suarez: well, if you’re out of points now, come by my room and we can play animal crossing together

(3:04AM) Odd Della Robbia: would that i could, sam, would that i could

(3:04AM) Odd Della Robbia: but theres a fucking building contractor lurking somewhere in the factory, xana-possessed, trying to take me the fuck OUT 🙀🙀🙀

(3:04AM) Sam Suarez: just tell him you’re not interested????? Its what i told sissi earlier

(3:05AM) Odd Della Robbia: ahahahahahahahaha

(3:05AM) Odd Della Robbia: first of all, WOW WE GOT A FUNNYMAN OVER HERE

(3:05AM) Sam Suarez: lololol

(3:05AM) Odd Della Robbia: second of all, i demand to hear that story as soon as i get back. Nobody turns sissi down and gets away with it 👀

(3:06AM) Sam Suarez: well, i cant help it

(3:06AM) Sam Suarez: my heart… belongs to another… a mr odd della robbia… im in the throes… of love… 💓💓

(3:06AM) Odd Della Robbia: OH!!! SAM!!!!!!! 😻😻😻💓💓💓

(3:06AM) Odd Della Robbia: luv u. So much

(3:06AM) Sam Suarez: same same lololol

(3:07AM) Odd Della Robbia: when i get back we ca

(3:07AM) Sam Suarez: ????

(3:07AM) Sam Suarez: odd????

(3:07AM) Sam Suarez: come in, funny man????

message failed

(3:08AM) Sam Suarez: odd if you die i will be so mad

message failed

…

DIRECT MESSAGE: Ulrich Stern

(3:10AM) Ulrich Stern: Hey Sam, it’s Ulrich

(3:10AM) Ulrich Stern: Einstein has another favour to ask

(3:11AM) Sam Suarez: first of all you dont have to tell me its you, the app TELLS me whos messaging me, this isnt a text

(3:11AM) Sam Suarez: second, tell me my boyfriend isn’t getting fucking murdered by a building contractor 😠😠

(3:11AM) Ulrich Stern: Huh???

(3:11AM) Ulrich Stern: Oh yeah. He’s holding his own but there’s not much time. You need to go keep watch outside Jeremie’s door while Laura transfers some files. If we get busted and she can’t complete the file transfer… well. The world does actually depend on it, so. Yeah

(3:11AM) Sam Suarez: isnt william the better option anyway?? Isnt he only like 3 doors down from you 🙄

(3:12AM) Ulrich Stern: He’s not answering. Probably asleep already, he’s a dumbass. Please, you’re our only option, Sissi isn’t answering either

(3:12AM) Sam Suarez: oh theres a GREAT story behind that but i’ll let her tell it tomorrow

(3:13AM) Sam Suarez: and fine, but seriously is odd okay?? If this dude is more than 5’5 he’ll have a problem taking him down, you know how scrawny he is

(3:13AM) Ulrich Stern: He’s tougher than you think, Sam. Trust me on that one.

(3:14AM) Ulrich Stern: (Also I am about to go save him from getting his ass beat)

(3:14AM) Sam Suarez: all right all right

(3:15AM) Sam Suarez: but hey stern, when this has all blown over, we’re having a serious talk about promoting me to the big leagues

(3:16AM) Ulrich Stern: ...Big leagues?

(3:16AM) Sam Suarez: im talking main group chat, my guy. MAIN. GROUP CHAT. 👏����

…

DIRECT MESSAGE: Odd Della Robbia

(3:30AM) Odd Della Robbia: im coming mi amore… i beat up a fully grown man with my bare fists… pushed him down some stairs… it was amazing 😼💯

(3:31AM) Sam Suarez: please say you didnt break any bones, belpois isnt planning on reversing time right???

(3:31AM) Sam Suarez: like even if was going to kill u he was only possessed by xana

(3:32AM) Odd Della Robbia: heh i broke nothing!! Im a hero of justice after all 💪😼

(3:32AM) Odd Della Robbia: ulrich may have given him some bruises tho 😹

(3:32AM) Sam Suarez: ehh i’ll take that over this guy waking up with fucked up limbs and shit

(3:32AM) Odd Della Robbia: no doubt no doubt

(3:33AM) Odd Della Robbia: …

(3:33AM) Odd Della Robbia: anyway, night sam 💞

(3:33AM) Sam Suarez: oh, ok 🙄

(3:33AM) Sam Suarez: night, stupid. love you ❤️

…

Despite his parting message, Odd shows up anyway.

He slinks into her dorm room as it draws to 4:00AM, half-heartedly kicking off his shoes at the door and closing it with a softness that’s surprising given how exhausted he looks; almost as though it is second nature at this point to keep quiet, avoid drawing more attention. Her boyfriend is a professional, after all, when it comes to saving the world on the down-low.

Samantha watches Odd from her desk, where she is sat up browsing Twitter and waiting for the inevitable ‘we need you to do something else before the night is through’ messages from Jeremie. She’s been listening to the same Jay Som song on loop for over an hour now, and it leaks quietly from her laptop speakers, a strange extra layer of ambiance to the puzzle that is the hour before birdsong begins. A Baymax-patterned blanket is thrown around her shoulders for warmth, and there’s an empty can of energy drink within arms reach.

“Wrong room,” she says in a low voice, expecting him to jump anyway; he doesn’t. Instead he squints at her in the dim light, leaning back against the door with a weary sigh. “Didn’t think you were coming.”

“Wasn’t, but… here I am.”

He doesn’t really elaborate further than that.

“Ulrich know you came this way?”

“He stayed behind to talk things over with Jeremie. The overbike got fucked up in Lyoko and they’re gonna upgrade it or something. Jer-bear needed to know the specifics about his experience driving it so they can do some fine-tuning, I think. Y’know, so he doesn’t drift too far and plunge into the digital sea. Shit can get real bad, real fast.”

“I’ll bet. So, you triumphed over evil tonight?” she guesses, shutting her laptop lid and rising to her feet. Her blanket trails behind her as she does. “XANA can’t attempt to destroy the world for another 24 hours?”

“You know it,” he says, yawning. “And now, it’s bedtime.”

Thank fuck they don’t have classes tomorrow. She’ll happily lie in til noon with Odd, catching up on these lost hours.

Sam steps over her skateboard and some laundry she kicked aside earlier, a little embarrassed that her floor is so messy, but she knows Odd is too tired to even comprehend the state of her room right now. As it is, he’s swaying a little while standing, stifling a yawn against his hand - it’s only a matter of time til he crashes.

“All right, guess you’re here to stay. Hop in.”

“Did you know? You’re a goddess. An angel. A truly spectacular woman among women,” he mumbles.

“Flattery won’t give me back the hours of sleep I lost sending Jim on that wild goose chase earlier,” Sam muses, wiggling under her covers, still bundled up in the blanket like a crepe. She doesn’t know the full story, nor does she imagine she’ll get it until tomorrow when the group meet up for lunch - something about XANA threatening to blow up a reactor on some nearby building site, creating some devastating damage to the local area - but at this point she’s too tired to listen and Odd is too tired to explain.

Odd flops down on the bed beside her.

“Thank you for helping us out,” he sighs, too tired to even look at her. His limbs are all floppy. If she nudged him off the edge of the bed now, he’d probably just fold up like a pair of pants and stay there til morning. “What did you do, exactly?”

“Told him I heard someone crying in the bathroom and thought maybe someone was unwell,” she says with a shrug. “Jim checked the girls bathroom and did room checks, which gave me, William and Laura some time to sneak into your respective rooms and act as extra head counts. Just being under the covers was enough, I don’t think he was doing anything more than cursory peeking into rooms with a tiny flashlight. Wasn’t the most innovative red herring to give him, but it did the trick.”

“If it keeps them off our backs, the creativity isn’t worth factoring in,” Odd murmurs, tugging off his jeans and chucking them at the wall opposite. The impact scuffs the wall slightly, but Sam doesn’t care. Delmas doesn’t give them shit about damages to the room unless it makes the room completely uninhabitable anyway, which is why there’s a literal hole in her wall through to the room next door that she’s had to artfully cover with a Front Bottoms poster.

“Anyway, Sissi distracted him. I’ll let her tell the story herself, it was fucking hilarious. Then Ulrich messaged to say he needed me to keep watch while Laura sent over some files from the computer in Jeremie’s room to the supercomputer, which - I mean, in this day and age, why the fuck doesn’t he keep everything on the cloud anyway? So I was stuck doing that, because apparently, William had already fallen asleep again, the fucking lug. Can you believe that? You’d think, being your Lyoko pinch hitter and all, he’d be better at staying awake.”

“Oh, I can believe it,” Odd drawls, tugging off his shirt and balling it up, sending it to land atop his crumpled jeans with a flourish. He rubs his eyes and peers around. “Got that old shirt for me to sleep in?”

Rolling her eyes fondly, Sam reluctantly peels back the bedsheets once more and pads over to her wardrobe, pulling it open and sifting through until she finds what she’s looking for; an old Hootie & The Blowfish T-shirt, handed down to her by one of her older brothers. It always hangs right off of her, so on Odd’s scrawny frame, it’s basically an Ebenezer Scrooge nightgown.

“Here.” She tosses it over to him and he wriggles into it happily. “You might as well keep it, these days you wear it more than me.”

“If I walked around in a band shirt that hangs off me like a smock I’d never hear the end of it from Ulrich,” he says with a laugh, flopping back against the covers and sighing deeply. “He makes fun of my little chicken legs enough as it is.”

“Well, I love your little chicken legs, so he can keep his opinions to himself.”

She slides into bed beside him and he’s cold to touch; the freezing factory, coupled with walking back in the chilly night air, must have really done a number on him. He snuggles against her happily, mumbling, “Can I warm my feet on you?”

“Will you respect my wishes if I say no?” she retorts. He grins as she sends him a knowing look, before placing his feet, two tiny, stinky blocks of ice, against her shins. They both pull the covers up over their noses, staring at the ceiling in dazed silence for a few moments, before she adds, “He won’t miss you when you get back?”

“Not likely, I don’t fucking spoon him to sleep, Sam,” he snorts. “He’ll be too tired to care where the fuck I’ve snuck off to, and he can handle anything Kiwi throws his way, so it’s fine. I’m sure he’s capable of connecting the dots.”

“Fine, shithead, I’ll drop it.”

She continues to stare up at the ceiling, but she can feel his keen gaze on her, and rolls over to face him. He watches her carefully.

“Are you mad at me?”

“What? No.”

“Even though it’s nearly four in the morning and you spent the whole night covering for us?”

“It’s what happens when you agree to saving the world, isn’t it?” she points out. Sam’s eyes adjust to the darkness, and she notices for the first time that there’s the beginnings of bruises around his neck. She reaches up to trace them with her fingers, and he instinctively wriggles away. Her breath catches in her throat. “…XANA did this to you?”

“Actually, it was a building contractor,” he corrects. “He started to choke me, but then Ulrich got him in a headlock and next thing you know… we pushed him down some stairs.”

“It must have been scary,” she mutters. At that, his face melts into a smile, and he prods at her face.

“You’re so serious! Sam, trust me, this happens all the time. I’m indestructible, so it’s fine.”

“How else am I supposed to react, huh? My boyfriend comes home with strangulation marks on his neck and you want me to be all cavalier about it…”

“Because I’m used to it.” Odd pauses. “Well, not strangulation in particular, but getting hurt on the job is kinda everyday stuff.”

Sam scowls. “You're not supposed to pretend like this is normal, Odd.”

“What, you want me to cry and be vulnerable on you?”

“No.”

“You do.”

“Okay, fine, I do! What about it?!” She fixes him with a stern look. “You have to be careful! What’s the point in me staying awake and making distractions and shit if you’re just going to fucking die at the end of it, huh?”

“I’m not going to die.” He cups her face in his hands and fixes her with his own stern look. “Look. I know you haven’t been doing this long, but this happens, okay? Not always, but it does. I mean, you remember the kind of fights you used to pick with me when I would come over with these bruises without telling you why.”

She thinks back to the months leading up to him finally telling her the truth. How scared and hurt she felt, seeing him with these cuts and scrapes, bruises, occasionally even a sprain. She’d gone through all the possibilities in her head - bullying, hate crimes, mugging even. Still, he refused to budge, until one day he just… stopped pretending it was all some big coincidence.

“It was scarier not knowing,” she decides. “At least this way I know what you’re up against, but… I don’t know.”

He leans forward and kisses her on the nose. “I promise you I’m fine. But look, part of being a Lyoko pinch hitter is knowing things get hairy sometimes. I’m gonna get hurt from time to time but if I don’t, the whole world explodes. Or, okay, maybe not literally , most of the time, but I’m like, a drop in the bucket.”

“Well, you’re a drop in the bucket who matters to me,” she reinforces. Staring into his eyes, she can feel her body relax slightly. “Look, I’ll drop it. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Good. Now, can we please sleep? I am so tired, I’m starting to forget who I am. You’re about to encounter Grinch Odd, and he’s no fun whatsoever.”

“Oh, is he the one who said my face looked like a beet that one time?” she wonders, raising her eyebrows at him. He groans and pushes her away, covering his face with his hands.

“How many times do I have to tell you XANA fucked with my speech?” he grumbles. “Completely scrambled my words. I was going for beautiful.”

“Sure, sure. When in doubt, blame it on XANA?”

“I mean it! I would never call you a beet! A potato, maybe…”

She shoves him and he both winces and laughs. “Oof, that guy did a number on me.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll beat him up for you then.”

“You’re going to beat up XANA?”

“Sure, how hard could it be? I’ll just like, reach into the supercomputer with my full fist-”

They both burst out laughing and fall back against the pillows.

Once it trickles out, she blinks sleepily at the ceiling.

“I never really thought about how long you guys have been going without us, though.”

Odd quirks an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Us. The B-Team, the Pinch Hitters. The Lyoko Warriors’ freaking PR Team! Without someone pulling the strings you must have run into all sorts of trouble, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” Odd laughs. “We used to have the authorities trying to invade the factory. Almost got expelled by Delmas. I almost got sent to a psych ward before, that was fun.”

“Jesus, Odd. Why did it take you so long to introduce other people to the fray?”

He shrugs. “No clue, really. One day we just kinda realised… sometimes it’s better to have people around. No man is an island. That can apply to groups too, I guess.”

“And why would you trust me?” Sam presses on, arms folded over her chest. “Sure, I’m your girlfriend, but I’ve hurt you before. I mean really fucked you over. That whole thing with William…”

“You had no way of knowing,” he says firmly. “It was stupid and immature, sure, but how could you have known?”

She shrugs. “I’ve just been thinking about it, I guess.”

They both lapse into silence, but beneath the covers, Odd reaches for her hand.

“I trust you because I trust you,” he says eventually. “And because if we need some big Lyoko Warriors PR Team, I’d want you at the helm. Who else is going to keep William from swaggering off the side of the planet? He can be kinda self-absorbed.”

“Sissi,” Sam deadpans.

“And who else is going to keep Sissi from turning every XANA distraction into a fucking performative art piece?”

“...Okay, fair.”

“By the way, you still taking her out to dinner tomorrow?”

“Apparently. You should tag along as my date.”

He laughs. “No way, I’m no third wheel.”

Sam leans forward and kisses him gently, before muttering, “By the way, I told Ulrich to get me in the main group chat. Think he’ll do it?”

“Absolutely not,” Odd says cheerfully, kissing her back. “But nice try. Here’s to next time.”

…

GROUP CHAT: Into The Lyokoverse

(9:48AM) Jeremie Belpois added Sam Suarez to Into The Lyokoverse.

(9:48AM) Jeremie Belpois: @Everyone Look who decided to show up!

(9:52AM) Yumi Ishiyama: Oh Hi Sam

(9:59AM) Aelita Schaeffer: hey, look who made it to the big leagues!!

(10:10AM) Odd Della Robbia: SAMMMMMMMMM !!!!!!!!!!

(10:12AM) Sam Suarez: !!!!!!!!

[lovemollywho]

Thoughts of the Past - Forever

Alright people, last chapter. Thank yall for coming on this adventure with me, I present to you the longest chapter I’ve ever written, which for my first fic I’m super proud of :)

Previous Chapter

CW: Angst with an open happy ending 

“Soda,” Lorcan stuttered out. “Rowan asked me if I wanted a soda.” Lorcan cleared his throat and wiped his sweaty palms onto his jeans before stuffing them into his pocket. The corners of Elide’s mouth tugged into a small smile before nodding her head. 

“I didn’t think you were coming, actually I didn’t even know that you knew my show was tonight.” Elide said, crossing her arms, placing her hands on her elbows. 

“I, uh, I asked Rowan,” Lorcan cleared his throat again and crossed his arms over his chest mimicking Elide. “I asked Rowan about you...a lot. After our conversation at the diner I asked him to tell me when the show was.” Lorcan told Elide all while looking at his shoes. He didn’t know why he just felt like he wasn’t worthy of looking at her anymore. Elide bent at the waist bringing her head under his, forcing Lorcan to look up...or down, Gods she was so tiny.

“Why?” She asked him when he finally met her eyes. “I wanted you to know that it was never about you Elide.” Her eyes widened and he saw the look of hurt in them before she turned to look at the final piece in her installation. 

“Shit, no, Ellie that’s all wrong. That’s not what I meant.” Lorcan stumbled, kicking himself for never being good with words. “Gods I didn’t mean it like that.” Elide could see from the corner of her eye when he started fidgeting with the ribbon hair tie that was around his wrist. 

“Then what did you mean?” She asked, ignoring the twist in her heart. 

“Oh my goodness,” a voice said from behind the two of them, “Aren’t you Elide Lochan?” Elide offered the woman a small smile before nodding yes. “Oh stars, oh wow, everything was so beautiful and I was literally telling my husband all the pieces that I want.” The lady smiled at her husband who looked at his wife with utter adoration. “Some pieces that I wanted, I was wondering if I could talk to you about if that’s alright? Just so that way, I know how to discuss them with my friends when they come over.” The older lady smiled at Elide in the way that all rich people seem to think that everyone’s time should be theirs because they had money.

“Actually, I’m so sorry but…”

“It’s fine,” Lorcan interrupted. Elide turned to him shocked. “In fact I was just leaving. Goodnight.” He bowed his head slightly in farewell. The lady was positively beaming that she had all the time in the world to talk to the artist. He got a couple of steps away before he felt Elide’s small hand on his arm.

“Where are you going? We were in the middle of talking.” Lorcan looked at the lady behind him who looked put out. “This is your night Elide. I don’t want to ruin that. I just came to support you, because I should have always been here to support you, and I know I messed up but I want to make it right.” 

“Then talk to me.” Elide hated the way that she sounded pleading. Lorcan took her hand gently off of his arm. 

“I will. But there are so many people who want to talk to you and praise you about your art. Tomorrow, okay? I’ll text you and we can meet somewhere for lunch or coffee, or whatever fits your schedule.” Elide looked at her hand that Lorcan was holding as he brought it to his mouth to give her a small kiss on the back of the hand.

“Tomorrow?” She asked. Lorcan nodded, “Tomorrow.” He let go of her hand and started to walk to the door. Elide wanted to run after him, had so many questions she wanted to ask but she knew that he was right. If they continued talking here, they would have kept getting interrupted. So instead she turned back to the couple that had been talking to her, placed a bright smile on her face and said, “Sorry about that, you said you had some questions?”

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

It had been a long day and Lorcan was ready for bed. He laid on his mattress but despite the exhaustion he was still too keyed up. Elide was entitled to her feelings, and if she decided to never forgive Lorcan, to walk away and completely remove him from her life he would have to find a way to live with that.  

Sighing, Lorcan sat up in his bed. There was no way that he was going to be able to sleep, not with all the noise in his head. He got up and made his way into the kitchen to make himself some tea, while he was waiting for the kettle to get hot he saw his journal, picking up the pen that he left beside it he began to jot down his thoughts, hoping that it would help clear his mind. 

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

Three cups of tea later, Lorcan was beginning to brew his fourth cup when he heard the sound of the front door unlocking. Lorcan grabbed the frying pan off of the stove and walked to the front door to find Elide kicking the door shut behind her, eyeing the frying pan in Lorcan’s hand.

“Elide, what...what the hell?” Lorcan said walking back into the kitchen to place the frying pan down.

“Calm down Rapunzel it’s just me.” She said kicking off her shoes and placing her bag on the hook by the door. The sight squeezed Lorcan’s heart a little as so many memories of her coming home and doing that exact routine hit him. 

“It’s three in the morning El. What are you doing here?”

“You said that we would talk tomorrow, it’s tomorrow.” She said throwing herself on the couch. 

“I didn’t expect you to come busting through the door.” He said moving back into the kitchen. 

“First of all, I have a key. Second, the gallery show was in the neighborhood so I figured now would be as good as time as any.”

“I could have been asleep,” Lorcan muttered, coming into the room with two steaming mugs. He placed one in front of Elide and sat on the armchair next to the couch. 

“I could see the light from the street, and I know you can’t sleep with any of the lights on.” Again his heart gave a small squeeze. He watched her pick up the mug in front of her and take a tentative sip.

“Peppermint?” She asked. Lorcan nodded. 

“It helps with my headaches,” Lorcan said with a shrug. “It’s sweet,” Elide said before taking another sip. Lorcan took a sip out of his own mug before answering, “I added sugar to yours, I know you don’t like plain tea.” Elide looked at the cup in her hands before placing it back on the coffee table. 

“You said you were in the neighborhood?” Lorcan asked. 

“What of it?” Elide asked. Lorcan looked at her outfit, she was in yoga pants and a white shirt that hit around mid-thigh. Her face was clean of the makeup she wore at the gallery event except for some light mascara and the tinted lip balm she always wore. If he hadn’t seen her tonight dressed up, he probably would have believed her when she said she was in the neighborhood, there was a bakery that stayed open till 2 am, but with her hair pulled up and the fuzzy socks she was wearing, he knew that she had gone over to Aelin’s place on the other side of town first, and then traveled all the way back here.

“I’m sorry, can you put on a shirt please?” Elide asked, crossing her leg underneath her on the couch. Lorcan looked down at his bare chest, he had pulled on some sweatpants when he realized he wasn’t going to bed but he got hot quickly in their apartment and so he hadn’t put a shirt on.

Lorcan got up and smiled softly as he took another sip of his tea and walked into the bedroom to find a spare shirt. Despite all the shit that had happened in the past couple of weeks it was always so nice to be around Elide. She had steel in her bones and mischief in her eyes that told everyone that she was down for anything but wouldn’t let take anyone’s shit. Sliding his shirt on, the nervousness came back. He didn’t think he was ready to have this conversation but if Elide was then he would, for her. 

He stopped short when he walked back into the room. Elide was standing, flipping through the pages of his journal, a furrow between her brows as she sped through the words. 

Lorcan cleared his throat and she looked up abruptly, fire in her eyes. 

“What the fuck is this?” She asked, turning her eyes back to the book. “How to fall in love again. Go to wildflower fields in the spring, learn how to make mousse, buy a dog, or rent one.” Lorcan walked over to the coffee table to set his mug down, before walking over to Elide and taking the journal from her hands.  

“I’m sorry, you weren’t supposed to see that.” he walked over to one of the bookshelves and placed the journal down. 

“I wasn’t...I wasn’t supposed to see that?” She asked incredulously. 

Something snapped inside of Elide as she walked over to where Lorcan stood and slapped him across the face, the sound ringing out, and Elide stepped back and put a hand over her mouth as if she couldn’t believe she had done that. 

“Shit!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t mean to do that.” Lorcan brought his hand to his face to rub at the area. “Actually,” Elide said running her hands through her hair, and pulling it up into a ponytail, “I did mean that. You are an ass, Lorcan. A huge fucking jackass. You haven’t called, or texted, and then you show up at my show out of fucking nowhere! And now I shouldn’t be sorry. I’m not the one who should be apologizing. Fuck you!” Elide was pacing the entire time she was speaking. Elide pulled her hair down from her ponytail and tried to pull it back up into a bun when her hair tie broke.

“Fuck!” She yelled. Lorcan snapped out of his stupor and took the ribbon hair tie off his wrist and offered it to Elide in a silent offering. Elide looked at it with eyes shining before accepting the hair tie from him. She ran her fingers over the ribbon before tying her hair back in a low ponytail. It was silent for a moment before she said, “I’m so angry.” It was said softly as if it had escaped her mouth before she could stop it. 

“I know,” Lorcan responded, moving to fidget with the hair tie that was no longer on his wrist. 

“That’s it?” Elide scoffed. “You know?” The fight was building inside of her once again. “What is it that you think you know Lorcan? Huh? Do you know about the nights that I just wanted you home? But you were out getting drunk and then waking me up because you’re making so much noise? I’ll admit it was cute the first couple of times but at a certain point it needed to have stopped.” Elide started her pacing again. “Do you know about how some of my friends from work thought that we had broken up a long time before we actually did because nobody had seen you show up for our lunch dates or dinner dates, or pick me up when I was sick, and I had to defend our relationship to people who didn’t even know us?

Let’s talk about the fact that there were times that I wondered if you even knew that I was here, because you didn’t pay attention to me, didn’t bother to talk to me. There were days when I wouldn’t be home. Did you notice? Did you not care?” Elide swiped her hands under her eyes to clear away the tears that were falling.

“You know nothing.” She said enunciating each word. “I’m angry, Lorcan because it took me leaving for you to get your act together. I’m angry,” She paused, “ because you told me once that I was the love of your life and yet could do nothing to help you. I’m angry because,” She stopped her pacing in front of Lorcan looking at him in the eye.

“You didn’t even try to stop me.” She whispered, her breathing becoming slightly erratic as she swiped her hands under her eyes again. Lorcan pulled her into a hug and she beat her fist against his chest. “Why didn’t you try and stop me?” She asked, full heartbreaking sobs escaping from her mouth. Lorcan pulled her tightly against his chest until she stopped hitting him. 

“Our whole relationship...I never,” Lorcan signed onto the top of Elide’s hair, “I never felt good enough. Like, I didn’t deserve you, and that there were so many other people out there who could take care of you better. I didn’t know how to take care of you, I didn’t know how to communicate with you about all my insecurities because for once in my life there was this amazing thing in front of me. And I was scared Ellie, I was so scared of screwing up with you that I would take a shot of something before we went out to help calm me down, to put those insecurities at the back of my mind to just...have fun and be someone you could love.”

Elide pulled back from the embrace.

“So you’re saying that this is my fault?” She stepped back

“What? No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. Fuck, I can’t say anything right.” Lorcan ran a hand through his hair. Flexing his fingers in an open-close gesture, something that happened a lot more since he had quit drinking. 

Lorcan took a deep breath. “I can’t explain anything without it sounding like an excuse. I can’t say that I didn’t know that you were hurting, because I did, I just couldn’t, no I wouldn’t do anything about it because I was, am, a selfish person.”

“There’s a part of me that wants to know everything, all the why’s and what-ifs but another part of me knows that it’ll eat away at me forever trying to figure out what was going on inside your head. You didn’t stop me Lorcan. That was the biggest fuck you to my face, to the love I had for you, for everything that we had built together.”

“I needed to think.” Elide scoffed. “El, please. I couldn’t think, my mind was all fuzzy and it was like there was this piece of glass between you and I. I heard the words and I knew what they meant, but I’m telling you that I’m an asshole and I thought that you would be here when I came back and we could actually have the conversation that we needed.”

Elide’s chin began to wobble as she tried to hold back her tears. She hated that she was crying in front of Lorcan...again. She felt a burn in her throat from restricting her tears, but she didn’t want to fall into the same cycle of cry, forgive, repeat. Ever since she left Lorcan she felt as if a part of her was missing. It was a wound that was bleeding her dry, she could feel it the same way people can sometimes still feel the limbs that they lost. That was what her show had been about, trying to take this pain that she was feeling and move on from it, so why did it hurt so much to have Lorcan assume she would just be there when he got back?

Elide walked over to the couch to sit down, trying to get some distance between her and Lorcan. “What would have made that conversation different? Huh? In fact what makes this conversation different? Are you going to tell me sorry again Lorcan?”

“No,” Lorcan said, wiping a hand over his face. Elide’s face looked murderous. This conversation was not going the way that the thought it would - granted it wasn’t as if he had high hopes for this conversation, to begin with, he just thought it would be during the day when he was a little more awake. “I’m not going to apologize, you told me that it wouldn’t mean anything if I did, and I can’t blame you for thinking that.” Elide pulled her knees up to her chest. 

“So what happens now then?” Lorcan took a seat in the armchair again bracing his elbows on his knees and bringing his hands to his mouth.

“I don’t know.” He said. “Part of my recovery is to apologize to people that I’ve hurt, and I could spend the rest of my life telling you sorry El, but I know that the wounds I’ve created run deep and I... I don’t know how to fix them.” Elide could no longer hold back the tears that were streaming down her face. Lorcan got down on his knees before her, making them more at eye level. Ever so gently he put her face in his hands and brushed away the tears with his thumbs. He was so gentle and it made Elide cry even harder. 

“If you let me, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you,” Lorcan’s voice cracked with emotion, letting his own tears fall. “Every day, and I know it still won’t be enough.” Elide let her knees fall into a crossed position, to wipe away some of the tears on Lorcan’s face. Elide could feel the rage she walked in the door with slipping away. It was hard because she wanted to be angry, she was hurt but they had never had a conversation like this. Never had a conversation this open, and sure there was still so much left to say but she wanted to believe that if they could have a conversation like this now, why couldn’t they have more in the future. 

But another part of her, the part that was tired and bitter told her that nothing would change. That they had had conversations like this before. That Lorcan told her that he would be better before. 

Elide leaned away from his hands and wiped her face, standing up and walking towards the kitchen for something to wipe her nose. She paused in the archway of the kitchen and saw Lorcan still on his knees before the couch head bent, Elide crossed her arms over the chest, holding herself back from going over there and giving him a hug. 

She walked over to him, “I don’t know.” She whispered. Lorcan turned his head to her. “I don’t know what would make this time different.” Lorcan nodded his head and turned to sit on the couch. He wiped his hands across his face. “I know. I knew it wouldn’t be easy for you to forgive me and realistically I wouldn’t ask you to either”

“I forgave you.” Elide said, still standing. “I forgave you the moment I knew I was going to come over here. It’s forgetting that’s going to be harder. I need...time”

“I wouldn’t have expected anything else.” Lorcan took a deep breath. “But I don’t think that you should forget. I need to learn from my mistakes so that I don’t make them again. I let my fears and insecurities drown me instead of talking to you. I let myself believe that my problems were my own and if you were hurting that you would talk to me.”

“That’s not fair, I told you I didn’t like you drinking. I told you when I was upset.”

“But you still haven’t told me about your uncle. You still haven’t told me about why you keep your apartment even though we’ve been together for over two years. And I’m not blaming you  - how could you be open with me when I wasn’t open with you, but Elide,” Lorcan ran a hand through his hair not sure how to continue the sentence. Elide came to sit next to him on the couch, facing towards him. 

“You’re right.” She said. “I didn’t want to add my problems to yours. But that’s not an excuse for drinking Lor.”

“I’m not saying it is. I just think that moving forward there has to be more communication.”

“I want to move forward. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to move forward. I just thought that maybe you didn’t want to move forward with me” Lorcan gave her an incredulous look. 

“What?” He asked.

“The journal,” Elide started giving Lorcan a confused look. “It said ‘how to fall in love again’, I thought you were trying to move on.” Despite everything, Lorcan started to laugh. 

“That list is for you, for us. If you didn’t want anything to do with me I would have understood, but if I had thought that there was a slight chance that I could make it right I was going to do everything on that list.” Elide’s eyes started to fill with tears again causing Lorcan to panic slightly.

“You idiot, if I loved you less I wouldn’t have shown up.” Lorcan expression changed from panic to shock to awe. 

“You mean…?”

“I didn’t leave because I didn’t love you, I left because I was suffocating. And it was like,” She cut herself off. “I couldn’t breath under the weight of everything that wasn’t being said between us.”

“How did we get so lost?” Lorcan asked when Elide put her head on his shoulder. 

“I don’t know,” she whispered back. They sat there in silence for a while, reflecting on everything they had said and everything that still needed to be said. 

“I don’t know,” Lorcan stated after a while, “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but what if, what if we tried again.” Elide lifted her head off his shoulder to look up at him. “What if we tried and this time we talked. And I’ll continue going to AA and therapy, and we can tell each other the things that need to be said, your past, my fears, everything.”

Elide smiled at Lorcan, “But it has to be everything,” she said, “even if it hurts, even if we’re scared. Because we’re a team Lorcan, there’s no one I would want by my side than you.” Lorcan put his arm around Elide into a hug, but the angle was awkward so Elide did what she had done so many times before, she twisted onto his lap and buried her face into Lorcan’s neck. 

Lorcan buried his face into her hair and breathed deeply. 

“I’ve missed you El.” Elide snuggled deeper into his lap. “I’ve missed you too.” She said. And they sat there together for a while before she pulled herself back and took Lorcan’s face into her hands. “But if you ever, and I mean ever, pull this shit again there will not be any more second chances.” Lorcan smiled at her, “Yes ma’am.” Elide looked into his eyes and found whatever truth she was searching for in them and nodded at him. 

“Great, let’s go then.” She got off his lap and moved towards the front door.

“Go? Where are we going?” Elide was putting on her shoes and grabbing her purse off the hook, pulling her hair into a messy bun. 

“It’s like almost seven in the morning and I want chocolate chip waffles.” She stood at the door waiting for him, giving him a look of impatience that split into a smile. Lorcan walked over to the bedroom and grabbed socks and shoes while Elide scrolled through news articles about her show and Lorcan knew that he would do anything he could to keep her in his life. 

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

It was early in the morning and Lorcan was asleep on the couch in Rowan’s apartment. After a day of hanging out at the lake and then having an all-night movie marathon everyone had finally gone to sleep a couple of hours ago, so why was someone making so much noise?

Lorcan cracked an eye open to find Elide searching for something, and while she was trying to be quiet Lorcan had always been a light sleeper.

“What are you looking for?” Lorcan asked, his voice still thick with sleep. Elide jumped slightly, “Shit, why are you awake?” She asked accusatorily, “The better question is, why are you awake?” He asked her back. She looked at him for a while before saying, “It’s like seven in the morning and I want chocolate chip waffles.”

Lorcan rubbed his hands over his face trying to wake up before he sat up.

“Okay.” Elide looked at him.

“What?” She asked. 

“Okay, let's go get waffles.” He got up to find his shoes and put them on, his mouth felt gross with morning breath but he didn’t have a toothbrush here. 

“You don’t have to come with me.” Elide said, “I was just trying to find my keys.” Lorcan pulled out his keys from his pant pockets and held them up. “We can look for your keys after I get breakfast.” He said and Elide smiled up at him. It was a smile so big he couldn’t help but smile back, it made Elide’s smile even bigger. 

“Two.” She said, heading towards the door.

“What?” He asked, closing it behind him. 

“That’s the second time I’ve ever seen you smile Lorcan Salvaterre.”

“What was the first?” Lorcan asked, trying to rack his memory.

“Yesterday at the lake, you were sitting on the curb and I remember thinking that I wanted to paint you.”

“You’re an artist?” Lorcan asked unlocking the door and getting inside the car. 

“Not yet, but someday.” She said buckling her seatbelt. Lorcan smiled again, “Well buy me breakfast and you can paint me whenever you want.

Elide smiled at him again and Lorcan knew this girl was going to be trouble, “You have a deal Salvaterre.”

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AHHHHH it’s done! Sorry for all the angst, it got really dark there for a moment.  I’m working on some fluff to make up for it but I don’t know when that’s going to go up, maybe send me some prompts?

tag list:

@nalgenewhore @safewithintheheart @bibliophileaddict @acer6437 @tswaney17 @starseternalnighttriumphant @bat-wing-rhys @b00kworm @queen-of-glass @hizqueen4life