#you can hear her gasping at the end of her sentences when she starts describing his dead body and that just tears me up inside

[petewentzssilkpress]

that part in the silt verses finale where carpenter is describing how she takes care of faulkner's body then releases him to the river and méabh de brún starts crying broke me.

[soccer-love]

Underneath the Mistletoe

Felicitas Rauch x female reader

Song recommendation: Somewhere in my memory - John Williams 

“Hey Y/N.” Pauli greets me as I walk in and Pia next to her passes me a cup of spiced wine. 

“Hey guys.” I answer, it’s the Christmas party of the team and I’m not sure if I like it or hate it. 

Don't get me wrong I love my team, but we decided to do Secret Santa this year and I’m not sure if the person I got will like my gift. 

I walk around, chat with some of my team mates, someone brought a guitar and at the end of the night everyone is sitting somewhere and sining along to Christmas songs.

We exchange the gifts at the end of the night, when it's almost midnight, I get a red hoodie with the words “Feel free the kiss me underneath the mistletoe” on it and a red Santa clause hat. 

They force me to wear both of it but when we’re finished with opening gifts I’m not the only one with a Christmas sweater. 

After that, most people start to leave and I get up too. 

“Hey, Feli can you bring me my jacket too?” Pia calls out as I realize Feli is following me into the back room where everyone left there stuff. 

“Sure.” she says and gives me a smile while walking past me. 

“I like your sweater.” Feli says as she grabs her jacket and I laugh. 

“Thanks.” I answer, stepping closer and waiting next to her as she searches for Pia’s jacket, clearly struggling to find it. 

“But I’m sure that I’m never gonna stand underneath a mistletoe so..” I trail off, her smile grows a little bit bigger as she looks up. 

“I wouldn't be so sure about that.” She says, I follow her look and see there's a mistletoe hanging above us. 

Like in some cheesy Christmas movie. 

“Who did this?” I ask and smile. 

“I’m pretty sure some of them.” she says, nodding towards the door to the other room. 

“Why would they do this?” 

“Because then I would finally have an excuse to kiss you.” Feli whispers, stepping closer. 

She takes my hand in hers and as she realizes that I’m not pulling back or trying to stop her, she knows, without me saying it, that she has my full consent. 

Her eyes flicker to my lips but within seconds they're back at my eyes as we both lean in. 

I close my eyes, and then finally, after what feels like hours, I feel her lips touching mine. 

Slowly, gentle and a little bit shy, she kisses me. 

I’m not sure how to describe what it feels like to kiss her, but its defiantly the best feeling in the world. 

It's like the silence around us explodes and a world of colors appears before my closed eyes. 

Like nothing else matters right now. 

Like we’re the only two people left on earth in this moment. 

Like every thought in my brain is cut out and replaced with her. 

With the feelings of her lips on mine. 

When we pull apart, gasping for air, I try to tell you what I feel right now, how I feel about her, my brain fails to string any words together, so I just lean my forehead against hers. 

Our hands are still clasped together, and honestly I don't want to let go of her. 

“Felicitas.” I say, because my brain is still not working, but also because I like the way her name sounds. 

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her back, hoping that my kiss will tell her what I’m feeling. Because I’m not able to find the right words to say it. 

Her hand finds my cheek and as she softly rubs her thumb over my cheek bone I feel my knees getting weak. 

I never knew that my body would react that way to a kiss. 

“I’m....you’re....just wow.” Feli says as we brake apart, clearly not being able to form a normal sentence too. 

“Yeah.” I answer and she nods, knowing what I mean. 

“I have no idea what to say.” 

“What about, Y/N I’m completely and hopelessly in love with you since I meet you two years ago for the first time.” My first instinct is to take a step back, as I hear Pia’s voice, but Feli quickly wraps an arm around me like she wants to protect me from everything that could possible happen. 

Pia, Pauli, Jo and Merle are leaning in the door, each of them with a big smile on their face. 

And I’m pretty sure that one of them, put the mistletoe here. 

“You guys were this.” Feli says, like she exactly knows what I was thinking. 

“Yes, because I’m tired of hearing you talking every day about how much you’re in love with Y7N.” Pia says and adds a “Sorry buddy.”

“Yeah and I hate it when you get completely lost every time you notice Feli watching you when we have goalkeeper training.” Merle says. And yeah maybe she's right with the fact that my brain gets completely empty every time I see her watching us train. 

“Could you go away, so I can ask her to go out with me, without everyone listing, please?” Feli begs and somehow they go and leave us alone. 

“Y/N, would you-” 

“Yes.” I cut her off, a big smile on my face. 

“You don't even know what I was going to ask.” she laughs and I feel my cheeks getting red. 

“What were you going to ask?” 

“Date...I mean do you want to go on a date...with me.” she says, it’s really cute to see her so nervous. 

“I would love to.” 

The smile on her face gets bigger, I lover her smile. 

“We should go, before they come back and annoy us even more.” she suggests and I nod. 

“Hey, Feli.” I say as she's about to turn around. 

“Yes?” 

“You know, we’re still standing underneath a mistletoe.” 

She understands what I want and puts her hand in my neck, pulling me closer. 

We kiss again, but this time, there are more feelings involved. Her hand in my neck, pulling me against her, the feeling of her soft lips against mine. 

I know that I never want to stop kissing her, never ever in my life.

“Do you want a ride home?” she asks, as we brake apart, but only a couple of inches. 

“Yes.” 

We put on our coats and she gives me a smile, 

As we walk out of the room, our last four remaining team mates stand there, looking at us expectantly. 

“You guy are waiting for something?” Feli asks, having her usual coolness again. 

“Did you ask her?” Pia answers. 

“About her plans for Christmas? No not yet.” Feli answers, even though she knows what Pia meant. 

“Anyway, I’m going home, you wanna come too?” she adds. 

Pia nods and we go outside, towards the parking loot. 

The others following us, Merle pulls me aside. 

“Do you may wanna tell me anything?” 

“She asked me to go on a date with her.” I say. 

“What did you answer?”

“Yes, obviously.” 

Merle throws her fist in the air and I roll my eyes, but smile. I like that she's so happy for me. 

“Jo had the idea with the mistletoe.” Merle explains as were almost at the parking lot. 

“Yeah, we thought about something like that.” 

“Good luck on your date, tell me if you need anything.” Merle says as we stop at her car, she gives me a hug and I thank her. 

In the one year of playing together in Wolfsburg and two years in the National team, she became one of my best friends. And she is or was one of the only people who knew about my crush on Feli. 

Since Pia and Feli live together, they also drove her together. 

Pia gets into the backseat while I sit next to Feli in the passenger seat. 

As they drop my off at my apartment, Feli gets out of the car too and brings me to the door. 

“Good night, Y/N.” she says, softly grabbing my hand. 

“Good night, Felicitas.” I say and notice her smiling because normally no one uses her full name. 

She leans forward and kisses my cheek, and as she gives me one last smile and turns away to walk back to her car, I feel like I’m going to faint. 

Yes we’re not a couple. 

And we didn't talk about what we feel for each other. 

We didn't even had our first date yet. 

But I feel like....no actually I know that this is the beginning of something great. 

Something wonderful, magical. 

This is the beginning of us. 

The beginning of Y/N and Feli. 

The beginning of our Love story. 

[kvetchlandia]

Moisei Nappelbaum     Anna Akhmatova, Moscow     1929

No foreign sky protected me, no stranger's wing shielded my face. I stand as witness to the common lot, survivor of that time, that place.

Instead of a Preface

    In the terrible years of the Yezhov terror I spent seventeen months waiting in line outside the prison in Leningrad. One day somebody in the crowd identified me. Standing behind me was a woman, with lips blue from the cold, who had, of course, never heard me called by name before. Now she started out of the torpor common to us all and asked me in a whisper (everyone whispered there):     "Can you describe this?"     And I said: "I can."     Then something like a smile passed fleetingly over what had once been her face.

Dedication

Such grief might make the mountains stoop, reverse the waters where they flow, but cannot burst these ponderous bolts that block us from the prison cells crowded with mortal woe. . . . For some the wind can freshly blow, for some the sunlight fade at ease, but we, made partners in our dread, hear but the grating of the keys, and heavy-booted soldiers' tread. As if for early mass, we rose and each day walked the wilderness, trudging through silent street and square, to congregate, less live than dead. The sun declined, the Neva blurred, and hope sang always from afar. Whose sentence is decreed? . . . That moan, that sudden spurt of woman's tears, shows one distinguished from the rest, as if they'd knocked her to the ground and wrenched the heart out of her breast, then let her go, reeling, alone. Where are they now, my nameless friends from those two years I spent in hell? What specters mock them now, amid the fury of Siberian snows, or in the blighted circle of the moon? To them I cry, Hail and Farewell!

Prologue

That was a time when only the dead could smile, delivered from their wars, and the sign, the soul, of Leningrad dangled outside its prison-house; and the regiments of the condemned, herded in the railroad-yards, shrank from the engine's whistle-song whose burden went, "Away, pariahs!" The stars of death stood over us. And Russia, guiltless, beloved, writhed under the crunch of bloodstained boots, under the wheels of Black Marias.

I

At dawn they came and took you away. You were my dead: I walked behind. In the dark room children cried, the holy candle gasped for air. Your lips were chill from the ikon's kiss, sweat bloomed on your brow–those deathly flowers! Like the wives of Peter's troopers in Red Square I'll stand and howl under the Kremlin towers.

II

Quietly flows the quiet Don; into my house slips the yellow moon.

It leaps the sill, with its cap askew, and balks at a shadow, that yellow moon.

This woman is sick to her marrow-bone, this woman is utterly alone,

with husband dead, with son away in jail. Pray for me. Pray.

III

Not, not mine: it's somebody else's wound. I could never have borne it. So take the thing that happened, hide it, stick it in the ground. Whisk the lamps away . . .                                         Night.

IV

They should have shown you–mocker, delight of your friends, hearts' thief, naughtiest girl of Pushkin's town– this picture of your fated years, as under the glowering wall you stand, shabby, three hundredth in the line, clutching a parcel in your hand, and the New Year's ice scorched by your tears. See there the prison poplar bending! No sound. No sound. Yet how many innocent lives are ending . . .

V

For seventeen months I have cried aloud, calling you back to your lair. I hurled myself at the hangman's foot. You are my son, changed into nightmare. Confusion occupies the world, and I am powerless to tell somebody brute from something human, or on what day the word spells, "Kill!" Nothing is left but dusty flowers, the tinkling thurible, and tracks that lead to nowhere. Night of stone, whose bright enormous star stares me straight in the eyes, promising death, ah soon!

VI

The weeks fly out of mind, I doubt that it occurred: how into your prison, child, the white nights, blazing, stared; and still, as I draw breath, they fix their buzzard eyes on what the high cross shows, this body of your death.

VII

The Sentence

The word dropped like a stone on my still living breast. Confess: I was prepared, am somehow ready for the test.

So much to do today: kill memory, kill pain, turn heart into a stone, and yet prepare to live again.

Not quite. Hot summer's feast brings rumors of carouse. How long have I foreseen this brilliant day, this empty house?

VIII

To Death

You will come in any case–so why not now? How long I wait and wait. The bad times fall. I have put out the light and opened the door for you, because you are simple and magical. Assume, then, any form that suits your wish, take aim, and blast at me with poisoned shot, or strangle me like an efficient mugger, or else infect me–typhus be my lot– or spring out of the fairytale you wrote, the one we're sick of hearing, day and night, where the blue hatband marches up the stairs, led by the janitor, pale with fright. It's all the same to me. The Yenisei swirls the North Star shines, as it will shine forever; and the blue lustre of my loved one's eyes is clouded over by the final horror.

IX

Already madness lifts its wing to cover half my soul. That taste of opiate wine! Lure of the dark valley!

Now everything is clear. I admit my defeat. The tongue of my ravings in my ear is the tongue of a stranger.

No use to fall down on my knees and beg for mercy's sake. Nothing I counted mine, out of my life, is mine to take:

not my son's terrible eyes, not the elaborate stone flower of grief, not the day of the storm, not the trial of the visiting hour,

not the dear coolness of his hands, not the lime trees' agitated shade, not the thin cricket-sound of consolation's parting word.

X

Crucifixion

"Do not weep for me, Mother, when I am in my grave."

I

A choir of angels glorified the hour, the vault of heaven was dissolved in fire. "Father, why hast Thou forsaken me? Mother, I beg you, do not weep for me. . . ."

II

Mary Magdalene beat her breasts and sobbed, His dear disciple, stone-faced, stared. His mother stood apart. No other looked into her secret eyes. No one dared.

Epilogue

I

I have learned how faces fall to bone, how under the eyelids terror lurks how suffering inscribes on cheeks the hard lines of its cuneiform texts, how glossy black or ash-fair locks turn overnight to tarnished silver, how smiles fade on submissive lips, and fear quavers in a dry titter. And I pray not for myself alone . . . for all who stood outside the jail, in bitter cold or summer's blaze, with me under that blind red wall.

II

Remembrance hour returns with the turning year. I see, I hear, I touch you drawing near:

the one we tried to help to the sentry's booth, and who no longer walks this precious earth,

and that one who would toss her pretty mane and say, "It's just like coming home again."

I want to name the names of all that host, but they snatched up the list, and now it's lost.

I've woven them a garment that's prepared out of poor words, those that I overheard,

and will hold fast to every word and glance all of my days, even in new mischance,

and if a gag should blind my tortured mouth, through which a hundred million people shout,

then let them pray for me, as I do pray for them, this eve of my remembrance day.

And if my country ever should assent to casting in my name a monument,

I should be proud to have my memory graced, but only if the monument be placed

not near the seas on which my eyes first opened– my last link with the sea has long been broken–

nor in the Tsar's garden near the sacred stump, where a grieved shadow hunts my body's warmth,

but here, here I endured three hundred hours in line before the implacable iron bars.

Because even in blissful death I fear to lose the clangor of the Black Marias,

to lose the banging of that odious gate and the old crone howling like a wounded beast.

And from my motionless bronze-lidded sockets may the melting snow, like teardrops, slowly trickle,

and a prison dove coo somewhere, over and over, as the ships sail softly down the flowing Neva.

-- Anna Akhmatova, “Requiem”  written over a long period of time between 1935 and 1961

[xoxoemynn]

5, 12, 18 for the fic writer asks??

YAY THANK YOU!

5. first sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP From the Big WIP aka my Afterlight Boys! This is where, if he were in one of his shows, someone would point out there’s always a rainbow after a storm, and only bright and magical things ahead, and they’d burst into song and dance as the stage lit up in color and the audience gasped and cheered and clapped.

12. a trope you’re really into right now MAKE IT ACHE!!! I don't care how, I need Ed and Stede DESPERATE and HURTING and YEARNING and DEVOID OF ALL HOPE. I need them to CRY. I need them to push each other away. And then I need them to cry more and kiss the tears away. idk if that's really a "right now" so much as an "always" but... yes. Pain.

18. if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic Okay I had to search for this, because I lost a lot of my deleted snippets when my computer died since I kept so many on Scrivener and did not back up appropriately. 😭 But here's an earlier version of a scene from Here's to the Night. I reworked it because the tone was getting more melancholy than the fic called for. Behind a cut because I couldn't just pick a single paragraph and it's long.

Ed licked the remnants of the chip off his thumb and then leaned in close to Stede. “Why’d you and your wife split up?”

Stede shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I guess you could say we were incompatible.”

“You mean that you’re gay.”

All the air left Stede’s lungs. He didn’t know why this felt like crossing such a line. He’d been flirting with Ed on the company phone line all night and had made an excuse for him to come up just so he could spend more time with him, alone, on a holiday traditionally spent with couples.

But hearing the word out loud, and describing him, made Stede like he was caught talking too loudly in the library by the strict librarian. He just barely resisted the urge to look over his shoulder to make sure nobody heard.

“Stede, mate, you okay?”

Stede shook his head. “No, you’re right. I just…” He let out a soft half-laugh. “I’ve never actually said it before. I knew it. Have known it. And by the end I think even my ex-wife knew it, although she never said anything. I just… wow. Wowie wow wow.”

“Do you want to say it now?” Ed asked quietly. “Just for the hell of it?”

“I’m gay,” Stede said. The words sounded loud in the empty office, so loud Stede was semi-surprised they didn’t echo throughout the hallways. He smiled. “I’m gay.”

“Congrats, mate.” Ed clapped his shoulder. “Felt good, didn’t it?”

“Felt weird,” Stede admitted. “Like it wasn’t even really me saying it. But also I felt… more me? Does that even make sense?”

“Completely,” Ed said. “And maybe now you can start living your real life.”

“What, just because I’ve said out loud what I’ve always known?” Stede scoffed.

“Listen, I get it,” Ed said quietly. “Obviously. It’s not like things have been easy for us of late.”

Stede’s throat tightened, and he shook his head. “No.”

“Do you want to tell me, or do you want me to guess?” Ed asked.

“I… I thought it was just something you grew out of,” Stede said. “I went to an all-boys’ boarding school, and it was just what you did. But while all my classmates did… I didn’t. I figured I just needed to try harder. I dated girls all through uni, and it still never felt right.”

“And…”

Stede sighed. “I pulled a classic Stede Bonnet move and ran away. Moved to New York. I thought when I was off on my own I could finally explore who I was without being surrounded by all the relics of my old life.”

Ed nodded. “And how’d that go?”

“Great. I loved it. Made me want to travel more, see everything the world had to offer. And I even dated a few men. Really nice ones, too. Not right, but it felt closer.” He looked down at his hands. “And then it was the eighties.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah,” Stede said. “So, I moved back home, met Mary, convinced her I was the man of her dreams. We were married before she was able to come to her senses.”

Ed rested his hand on Stede’s knee. “I’m sorry, mate.”

Stede shook his head. “It’s fine. I was lying to myself, to Mary, to my family. It had to all come crashing down eventually."

[ryuzatodraws-archive]

while waiting for my ipad to juice up I wrote something. again.

tag: fluff, the copiiia dads with their plushia kid and a special couple in the end

It sounds like squeaks, small annoyed chirps of sea otters maybe. A young sea otter calling for its mother perhaps. Accompanied by what may be described as squeaks from a plush toy before hurried footsteps start to approach. The squeaking subsided.

‘’Oh no no Bambino it’s ok, you’re all right love’’ Copia kisses Plushia’s head repeatedly. It seems like the little plush boy must have rolled himself off the bed and is confused over where he is.

Plushia coos softly while holding onto Copia. Finally a familiar face. He nuzzles into his chest, squeaking in comfort.

Another hurried footstep across the hall as Terzo peeks his head in. His shirt a mess as he puts on a sleeve. ‘’Is he all right? Is he ok?’’ He frantically moves towards the two of them, inspecting the tiny thing.

Plushia squeaks back at him happily with puppy eyes.

‘’Ah thank Satanas…you got both your old man panicking here’’. He kisses his forehead softly.

Copia breathes out a sigh of relief as he pats him slowly, bringing him along to the living room. Ever since the dreaded incident that happened to their tiny sentient boy they have been on high alert. Every squeak, thud and cry will send the two fathers to spring on their feet. Copia has even brought the crib closer to their bed just so he can watch Plushia sleep safely and soundly.

‘’I was so worried Terzo … I know I am being a mother eagle by keep watching him but…what if when I did and one day he…he’’ Copia couldn’t muster out the rest of the sentence, his eyes glossy as he remembered back the first time he saw that Plushia wasn’t moving. The panic that rose in his chest. How his heart wanted to jump out of his throat.

Terzo wraps his arms around the other, kissing his cheek and reassuring him. ‘’It won’t happen again Tesoro, I promise. And even if it did we know who to turn to, si?’’ He scrunches his nose at  Plushia, smiling at his little boy.

Copia nods again, relief. They finally made their way into the living room as they sit on the sofa cozily. It’s another cold night as it starts to snow. The fire crackles steadily as commercials play from the tv.

‘’I’ll get us some drinks , and some choccy milk for the good boy hm?’’ Terzo hops off again, looking at Plushia.

The soft boy nods excitedly for his favorite milk before turning to  Copia, smiling. ‘’Papa!’’

Copia gasped. He did it, he finally done it.

‘’You said your first word!”

There’s a collective sound of happy laughter coming from the small house that night with more squeaking and giggles. Lucilla keeps watch at the windows as she holds Aether’s arm, keeping herself warm in the snow.

‘’Come on love let’s get inside. Don’t want to get you and the baby cold.’’ Aether’s tail wags happily before intertwining around the other’s waist.

‘’Alright alright. Already playing the worried dad?’’ Lucilla giggles, as she picks up a few more pinecones before stuffing it into her pocket.

‘’Well! I gotta start sooner or later right?’’ He leans in , kissing her head softly. ‘’Besides, I wanna make you my famous hot cocoa anyway’’.

Her eyes lit up hearing that ‘’let’s get inside then!’’.

‘’Well if it’s that easy then I should have mention it much sooner!’’ He picks her up in his arms before trotting back inside the ministry, leaving a trail of their footsteps in the snow.  

[ohtomatotome]

His Own Private Camgirl

—----------

Marius Von Hagen x MC Rosa (Tears of Themis) - Established Relationship

Word Count: 4,004

Rating: E 

Tags: Masturbation; Toys; Voyeurism/Exhibitionism

Trigger Warnings: None

Part of Kinktober and #VisionsofTemptation2022 (prompts from @xxsycamore )

Kinktober Prompt used: Phone Sex (Day 3)

Author’s Note: This story decided it wanted to be based in “reality” rather than fantasy. We all know the ways erotica can defy physics, the male refractory rate, and the body’s flexibility. This little story isn’t like that. Sorry. It delivers a dose of reality, and the not-so-charitable emotions Marius might have when he’s uncomfortable with Rosa taking the lead in a romantic encounter.

—----------

Rosa closed the curtains on the full moon over an unfamiliar cityscape and stretched her arms above her head. The long term out-of-town assignment for Themis Law Firm meant an extended hotel stay for her and Artem. She picked up her phone, wistfully longing to hear her boyfriend’s voice before going to sleep. As if she summoned him, his caller ID blinked on the screen: King.

Marius was calling to say goodnight. Pretty soon the couple’s exchange turned sappy. 

Rosa sighed, “I miss you so much. I wish you were here right now so I could get a hug from you.” 

“If I were there beside you, I’d do a lot more than just hug you. First I’d start with a kiss on the forehead, then on the nose, then the cheek, then … can you guess where next?” 

She shifted on the bed, hugging herself as if it were his arms. “The lips?” 

His cocky laugh made her eyes crinkle.“Heh heh! That’s exactly where I WANT you to think I’d go next, but instead I would lean towards your ears and kiss you there light enough to make you squirm and then bite your earlobe to make you squeal!” 

A muffled “Mhph!” came from her end of the line. Her reaction was enough to make him smirk. 

Marius went on, “I could continue describing ALLLLLLL the things I’d do to you, but how about you tell me a few things you’d do to me?”

Rosa hesitated, “.....um, I would, um….” and then faltered into silence.

He wasn’t going to let that slide. “Aw, have you gotten shy all of sudden, jie jie? C’mon. Just one thing.”

“N-no.” Her stubborn pout could practically be felt through the phone.

Marius got ready to put on his best puppy-dog face and voice, but she continued, “If I get started, I might not stop. My room is next to Mr. Wing’s, and well … you know I get kind of high-pitched when I touch myself, and how could I NOT get hands-on if I started describing all the ways I miss you right now?”

It was Marius’s turn to be silent, dumb-founded at her frank honesty. Did she even realize how sexy she could be without even trying? He actually was getting a little hard at her few breathy, needy sentences just now. 

Well, her admission was a nice surprise! Part of him wanted to push her a little more to see how far she would be willing to go, but the other half of him did NOT want Artem hearing a single one of her delicious sighs or gasps traveling through the hotel wall. 

He took pity on her reluctance. “Yes, I do know. I love being the only man who knows what you sound like. So how about we take a rain check?”

He could hear a relieved sigh come through as he offered an alternative, “The next time I’m out on a business trip, we’ll try this again.”

—----

Two months later:

It was the crack of dawn and Marius was awake, checking the time zone difference between him and Stellis. Rosa would be home from work now, probably looking in the cupboard for dinner ingredients.

Marius texted: [ Good Morning from up east! Are you home yet? ]

Rose texted back: [ Yep! Good evening from downtown Stellis. How was your first day of meetings? ]

Marius dialed her number. “I figured I’d rather tell you about it than type it out.”

A soft smile bloomed on Rosa’s face. “It’s just as well, because I was hoping to hear the sound of your voice tonight.”

Marius grinned and launched into a recap of yesterday’s business doings. 

After a minute Rosa exclaimed, “Oh pigeon feathers, Mr Wing is calling me. I need to take this. I’ll call you right back.”

Damn that Artem! Marius jabbed at the red END button on the screen to hang up.

He was just about to sprinkle the seeds of desire to remind her of their mutual rain check, when that goody-two-shoes had to stick his pointy nose into their night!

Tossing the phone onto his bed, Marius decided to brush his teeth and take his vitamins while waiting for her to ring back. He was a little shocked that he had finished those tasks and even made himself a cup of morning coffee without hearing her ringtone yet. 

He looked at the screen notifications and saw he had a text waiting from her: [ Sorry about that. Is there still time for you to chat before your busy day starts? If so, give me a call. ]

She was so sweet and considerate, and here he had reacted with nothing but childish poutiness.

He dialed her back and was surprised to see that she answered with the video call feature. 

Her cheerful face filled the screen as she said, “I figured this would be better for what I had planned for the call.”

What she had planned? She had something planned? 

He nodded and grinned, “Yeah, it’s much better to see your cute face when I say something that makes you roll your eyes at me. And don’t worry about time. I still have at least another 2 hours before my first meeting.”

“Oh good. Are you sitting down? Or … maybe you want to lie down?”

Marius’s face went slack with concern. “---What?” Oh my god, what sort of awful news does she have to share? “What happened? Are you okay?” Panic was wreathing his words.

An amused giggle was his answer as he saw the scenery on the screen wobble and skim past. He recognized her ceiling, then her desk surface, heard a frustrated “tch” as the screen was covered by her hand. Marius didn’t know whether to be alarmed that she hadn’t answered his questions or give in to his wild guesses of what she was attempting to do right now. Was she trying to set up a little peep show for him? He had always wanted to suggest that some day. He couldn’t help but tease her as he heard more sounds of plastic sliding.

“Did you buy a cheap hands-free phone stand? You should have asked me, babe. You know, Pax makes really nice–”

“MARIUS VON HAGEN! Just – just shush. Okay?”

“Okay…” He smiled as her hand started to move away and his hopes soared, then frowned when it was replaced by something like a piece of cardboard and his view when dark again.

Rosa cleared her throat, “Do you remember two months ago when I was away on a trip for a Themis case, and you called me late at night? And we…began to flirt?”

He did his best not to laugh at her description of that conversation. After all, she might still be able to see him on another tablet display somewhere. Instead he schooled his face into a sexy smirk and nodded. “I would describe that exchange a little differently. But, yes, of course I recall. We decided to take a rain check.”

“Mh-hm. I’m cashing that check tonight. That’s why I wanted you to be sitting or somewhere you can prop your phone up without needing to use your hands. Because, um, you know…”

Marius suddenly understood he was getting his wish! He fumbled while picking up the phone as he answered, “Right! Give me a second.”

A glance around the suite told him he could rig up the perfect display area on the coffee table in front of the sofa. His hands worked as his mind raced with giddiness at what was happening. He had only imagined they would have verbal phone sex. But oh man, that Rosa! She elevated it to another level! Selfishly the phrase “my own private camgirl” floated to the surface of his mind. As he sat down, the fluffy hotel bathrobe pooled on either side of him; he untied the belt and opened the front all the way to his boxers. Nodding at the phone with visible excitement on his features, he asked, “Can you see me?”

“Yes.” There was obvious restrained laughter in that single syllable.

“You still have your screen covered. I can’t see you.”

“That’s correct. Oh, sweetie, don’t pout like that. You’ll get premature wrinkles.” A sprinkling of mischievous giggles followed.

What was she playing at? He was determined not to be indignant, but this was starting to feel a little unfair…he wasn’t used to being on the losing side. It was always him that planned the fun stuff, and it was always him that surprised her. She had turned the tables on him today. What an uncomfortable feeling to be along for the ride instead of being in the driver's seat. He had a difficult time hiding his vexation.

Rosa hummed a small happy noise, then asked, “Do you want to see what I’m wearing?”

Little crystal bells chimed in Marius’s head that would have otherwise sounded like alarms blaring ‘it’s a trap!’ if he hadn’t been thinking with the wrong head. He nodded, “Of course I do.”

“Good. I picked this out with you in mind.”

The camera was uncovered and he could see Rosa kneeling on her bed, legs wide apart. The black mesh and deep purple satin looked sinful against her creamy light skin. She was wearing a matching set of teddy, panties, garters, and thigh-high hose. That was as much as he could see in the 6 seconds before she waved at him gleefully and the screen went black again.

“Wha-?”

“Did you liiiiiiiike it?” The teasing lilt drove him a little mad.

His words worked their way through clenched teeth, “Yes. Very much. Now would you stop playing around? Uncover your camera and let me look at my hot girlfriend.”

He could hear her clapping. Oh! “I’m so glad to hear that! It really makes me feel sexy, you know? Don’t worry, you’ll see more of it later, and less it, too.” Giggles spilled over before she continued, “But first I want you to imagine there are no cameras, okay?”

Marius narrowed his eyes with suspicion. “What do you mean? And why?”

“Well, it was really a turn-on hearing you through the phone on that earlier trip, describing how you would touch me. It was like having you whisper in my ear. So … I have the ear buds in right now, to emulate that. Part of me wanted to do just the audio only tonight because of that special feeling. But … I also wanted to give you a visual treat.”

He drew in a deep breath, “If that’s the case, then why do you cover–”

“--Ahem,” Rosa interrupted, “I wasn’t finished!” 

She paused to make sure he wasn’t going to try steamrolling the conversation. He stayed quiet, but there was a defined pout on his lips.

“Here’s why. I know your, um … stamina isn’t the greatest. And it takes me a while to warm up. So … if you saw me, you might finish before I’m even ready.  With you just getting the audio, and with me getting both audio and video, I have a chance to build up that extra arousal while you stay simmering….um, does that make sense?”

It did, and Marius hated to admit it. But he couldn’t help but love that she was trying to work out a compromise that would make them both happy. Except … he wasn’t happy about seeing a black screen when he knew a top-tier babe clad in lingerie was just on the other side. 

“Yeah. Yeah it does. That’s really thoughtful, Rosa. I just wish I could’ve had more than a glimpse of you.”

There was evident amusement in her voice, “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll get the full view later in the call IF you can make me cum by whispering in my ear. Makes a nice reward, right?” There it was again, that naughty voice teasing him where he was weakest.

Marius dropped his head back against the couch cushion and grunted a frustrated sigh, “You must have learned a thing or two while sitting in on my business meetings, because you’re really driving a hard bargain, you know that?”

More giggles. “Yep! So, do we have a deal, Mr Von Hagen?”

“Jie Jie … just another little tiny peek again to get me started? Please?”

“Nope, not until the condition is met. I’m ready any time you want to start with the phone sex, hun.”

Marius combed his fingers through his hair, as if the motion could push aside his annoyance and make room in his head for the right mood and thoughts. 

“First … I would pull you onto my lap so you’re facing away from me, with your legs straddling either side of me, just like you are kneeling now. I’d glide my hands up your side and down to your legs and all the way up again, appreciating your figure, before I reach around to the front and pull you flush against my chest.”

He slid a hand into his boxers to play with himself as he continued, “My mouth would be right over your shoulder so I could nibble on your ear and neck while my hands roamed underneath the fabric. I’d spend a good long time squeezing and kneading your perfect breasts. Oh god, they fit so well into my hands. Then I’d pinch your nipples until you squirmed on my lap.”

He heard a small gasp followed by a sigh coming from Rosa’s end. 

With his confidence building, he went on in a more sultry tone, “One hand would pull your chin to the side so I could suck on your neck in that spot that makes your knees turn to jelly. The other hand would side down to your panties, rubbing you on the outside of the fabric. Are your panties already wet?”

“Soaked.” The word was practically a moan. “K-keep going.” her voice sounded small and pinched, as if she was breathless.

Marius grinned, suddenly enjoying his part in this performance. He couldn’t help it, his hand gripped his shaft and started pumping up and down slowly. He licked his lips and went on, “I pull your panties to the side. With my left hand I spread your lips apart, and my right index finger slides inside you to cover it with your sweetness. Then I glide it upwards over your clit.” 

He paused to hear what her reaction might be. Silence.

“Babe, rub your clit right now and let me hear you. Pretend that’s my finger making you shudder.”

From the phone he heard the rustle of her shifting on the mattress and then a high-pitched squeal he knew very well. It hadn’t taken long for his shaft to become rigid. He had stopped rubbing the head in hopes of slowing his arousal, and was now just playing with his testicles for distraction.

“Good girl. Keep touching yourself and doing the things I say.”

“Mm-hmm…”

“I press on your clit a little harder.”

Raspy breathing, then, “Ah. Fuhhhck. Ahhhnnnghh.” More fabric rustling and puffy little moans come over the line.

He loved hearing her voice like this. Marius's fist moved faster on his dick, his other hand pulling the base downward to keep the skin taut. He closed his eyes as he slipped into the rhythm. Her sounds were urging him onward. A low groan starts to tumble from his lips.

“Marius. Marius! Pace yourself. If you orgasm right now, I’m ending this call and you’ll never see this outfit again.” She sounded angry. Actually angry!

His eyes snapped open, but the screen was still dark. Nevertheless, he could picture her stern eyes and downwards-turned mouth. And that stubborn chin. Dammit, he knew she meant business.

“Alright. Alright. You just sounded so sexy, I got carried away. I won’t jerk myself that fast. Let’s keep going.”

“No. First you sit on your hands. Don’t touch yourself again until I say so.”

His jaw dropped. What? What in the hell? Was she bossing him around?

“Jie jie….. Jie jie, please?” 

He was putting on his best pleading voice and using the saddest puppy dog eyes, they worked every time.

“No.” The single syllable came with finality and authority. No hesitation whatsoever. He could tell she wasn’t going to budge.

He raised his hands in surrender and slid them under his thighs. But inside his mind he was fuming.

“See? No hands, no touching.”

He looked mournfully down at his erect penis, hot, bright red, a bead of precum glistening at the tip, straining for relief, aching with the need to sheath inside Rosa’s tight wet–

“Marius?”

His forlorn face turned up the phone but the screen was still dark.  The frustration at being led around by the nose like this was chipping away at his confidence. Had she ever been this controlling in the bedroom? He couldn't recall her acting like this before. It didn’t feel … natural. But he was still going along with it. Why? He mentally shook his head to clear the feeling and get back to the action. 

“Right, sorry.” 

Where had he left off? Oh yeah, about to move on to fingering her.

Inhaling deeply, he attempted to return to that sexy mood he had built earlier, “With one finger still rubbing your clit, my other hand slides to your pussy. I know you’re ready for at least two fingers. I sink them inside you and get them coated with your juices. Then I start pumping them in and out slowly.”

He had expected to hear a moan or something, but all that was coming from her side was heavy breathing. He paused.

“Rosa? Are you doing what I’m saying? Are your fingers inside you yet?”

“Oh. Um, no, it’s easier to use a toy for what you’re describing, so I was just getting that ready. Sorry. Hang on.”

He felt like he had completely lost control of this situation. Or maybe he never had it to begin with. A toy? What was wrong with her own fingers? Mounting annoyance was visible on his face, and he hoped she could see it. But no audible reaction confirmed that she had noticed at all as she gave a breathless “Okay!” And then in a lower purring voice, she prompted him, “Fuck me with your fingers, hun. Just the way I like it.”

And just like that, at her command his mind was back in the zone.

“I start out slow, watching your face melt into bliss. In. And out. In. And out.”

He could hear a wet squelching sound from her side as he kept the tempo steady. He nodded approvingly, finally grinning again.

“That’s right, nice and slow, until you start to get impatient. Do you want me to speed it up, babe?”

“Y-yes. Yes-s-s-s-sss…” A high-pitched gasp followed.

“I put more pressure on your clit while I fuck you harder and faster. I love how your body trembles on my lap.”

“More, mmm…more. Hnngh!”

The wet noises were increasing in rhythm and so was her gasping. In his excitement Marius leaned forward, forgetting to sit on his hands. His knuckles were grasping his knees as he stared at the darkened screen as if he could actually see her through the barrier.

“I add a third finger, and thrust as far as I can go, stretching you wide. And then I curl my fingers up to brush that sweet spot over and over and over and–”

A guttural moan spilled through the phone, louder than any other noise she had made that night. Marius heard the bed creaking and then her voice again, “I … I came. Oh mmm…. Good job, babe. Oh my god…” A sigh of weary bliss is heard after a few seconds. 

Marius sat back, pleased with himself. He rearranged the robe and shorts so he can begin jerking off. He eagerly awaited for the screen to show his lovely girlfriend. Ten seconds went by. Twenty. He heard water running in the background.

“Rosa?”

Her voice sounded like it was coming from farther away, “I’m just cleaning myself up a little. Legs are slightly wobbly and making it difficult to get around, heh. I’ll be back in a sec.”

“No, don’t clean up. You’re just going to get all wet again.” His cheeky tone and smirk were brimming with confidence.

Her answer was just as challenging and plucky, “Oh? Sound rather sure of yourself there. Let’s see if you can make good on that promise.” 

He blinked rapidly as his view was flooded with light. She had uncovered her camera and taken it off the stand, holding it in her hand so her face filled the screen. The surface of her neck and cheeks were flushed scarlet and her eyes were glossy with lust.

She winked at him, “You were such a good boy with keeping your hands to yourself like I asked. AND you got me to cum. You deserve a special reward.”

Marius’s brain was doing little somersaults trying to make her sexy words FEEL good, but they still nipped at him in all the wrong places, rubbing his nerves raw. He ignored her “good boy” praise as much as he could while focusing on the pleasure to come next.

“Yeah? And what’s that?”

“As I describe what I’m doing to you, I’ll move the phone to that spot so you can get a close-up. And if you want to see a part of me or have me do something particular, all you need to do is ask. I’ll do and say whatever you want tonight, hun.” 

She blew him a kiss and smiled. 

There was a hint of shyness in her eyes and he realized that maybe she wasn’t nearly as self-assured in tonight’s performance as she let on with all that brave talk from before. Perhaps she had kept the camera covered because she needed the allusion of being hidden so she could really let herself go? Marius’s more generous side took hold of this possibility and ran with it. Giving her the benefit of the doubt lessened the annoyance he had felt at her taking charge like she had. He wasn’t used to being condescended to like that, especially not from her. Yeah, maybe she had just been putting on an act and needed the privacy to keep up her courage. That had to be it.

He nodded to himself as if to convince his worries away, and then began stroking his dick leisurely as he threw Rosa a cocky look. “So you’re my own private cam girl is what you’re saying?”

—----

After he had climaxed – which didn’t take long – Rosa suggested they take their phones to the bed and lie down so it looks like the other person’s face is right there on the pillow next to them. He wished her good night and sweet dreams while she wished him a good morning. Cute little mumblings and screen kisses followed until he had to go.

He smiled at how such a lewd call could end  sweetly, but he also knew that was exactly how the two of them were. Sometimes they couldn’t keep their hands out of the other one’s pants, and sometimes they would blush as simply holding hands. He loved that about her, about them as a couple. 

He had never experienced all-encompassing love like this before. Rosa accepted everything about him. What a gift. He could never earn that, never repay her. But that’s what love was, right? Freely giving something to your special someone what they don’t deserve, and accepting all they are without making them feel worse about those weird ugly things they already are ashamed of. 

In that case, maybe he ought to ask her sometime about that bossines she was exhibiting earlier, and see if that’s something she was afraid to show him. Was that one of her sides that she thought was ‘weird’ and didn’t want to risk letting it out?

[mochegato]

Even the Losers

Chapter 15

Chapter 1     Chapter 14

Possible trigger warning.  I mention that sexual assault and worse has happened during some akuma attacks.  I don’t describe anything or say who it happened to (it didn’t happen to anyone we know) but wanted to warn readers that it is brought up.

This room really was a ridiculous room, Marinette decided.  The dining table was large enough to seat twenty.  Who needed a casual dining table that large?  Honestly.  Not to mention, a dining table that large meant there was more than enough room for Alfred to join them, but he never did.

And bringing the food out on silver trays. Did they do that just because she was here?  She kind of hoped it was because the idea of doing it everyday…  She looked over to Adrien to roll her eyes at the opulence, but he just went with it like it was completely expected.  Marinette shook her head.  Damn rich people.  She looked up just in time to catch Duke’s eyes.  He looked at the silver trays with a pointed look and rolled his eyes. Marinette giggled and nodded back.

“I forgot to ask the other day,” Dick started with a disarming smile.  “How did you two meet and when?”

And there it was again.  A perfectly normal question.  A very common question.  A question they would expect to be asked.  But there was something off in the way he asked it.  Something that just triggered her senses.  She could feel a difference in it, like its very existence disrupted the peace of the dinner.

Adrien looked over at her with a broad smile and nodded to her, letting her know she was supposed to answer it.  She plastered on a friendly smile.  “We met in school, actually.”

“Oh? Maternelle or older?”  Dick smiled again, his face perfectly emulating interest in his sister’s friend.  Markov would never be able to tell the difference.  But Marinette could.  He was fishing.  She just didn’t know what he was fishing for.

“Older,” she answered curtly.

Dick seemed to get the message that she was not happy and backed off, metaphorically and literally, leaning away from them in his chair.  His smooth smile morphed into a mock frown.  “Oh that’s a shame.  I was hoping for stories or pictures of baby Marinette.”

“Oh, baby Mari was adorable,” Adrien gushed, with a teasing grin to Marinette.

Tim quirked his head to the side.  “I thought you said you two didn’t meet until you were older.”

Adrien’s grin widened.  “We didn’t.  Not until we were in collège and she yelled at me for something I didn’t do.”

“I didn’t yell at you,” Marinette objected in mock offense, slapping his arm. “I informed you that you were a contemptible dirtbag in a harsh tone.”

Jason barked a laugh.  “Right, big difference.”

Marinette whirled on him, her serious expression contradicted by her lips trying to quirk up at the corners at his teasing.  “There is!  It was a quietly harsh tone.  There was no yelling.”  She turned back to Adrien.  “And I apologized for that.”

“Yeah, like years later and not because you wanted to,” he rolled his eyes.

“Only because I couldn’t really talk to you for, like, ever after that,” she groused playfully.  She pushed her food around on her plate with a pout.

“Apologies are hard,” Cass nodded in agreement.

Marinette beamed at her.  “Yes.  Thank you, Cass.  See,” she motioned to Cass so Adrien would look, “Cass has my back.  She agrees.”

“With what?” Duke laughed.

“Your input is not needed!” Marinette chastised him, trying hard not to laugh.  But when Duke cracked up and started laughing hard enough to have him gasping for breath, so did Marinette.

“Okay but…” Tim started after they’d had enough time to recover.

“Oh, right!” Adrien shook his head.  “There was an akuma that de-aged people.  A mom sad her son was going off to university, so her power was to turn everyone into toddlers again.  Marinette got hit pushing me out of the way of the beam. She turned into the cutest, pudgiest, little toddler you’ve ever seen.”  

Marinette batted his hands away when he leaned over to pinch her cheeks.  He chuckled at Marinette’s pout.  “I hated that one.  I felt so helpless,” she moaned.

“I loved it,” Adrien smiled.  “I got to see all of you guys as babies.  Most of you guys knew each other since childhood so you knew what each other looked like.  Alya and I were the odd ones out.  Plus, no pain.”  He looked back to the rest of the family.  “That was rare; an akuma that didn’t cause massive amounts of pain or trauma.”

“Were they that bad?” Duke asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer he was going to get back.  He had purposefully not looked too hard into akumas precisely because he was afraid of the answer.

Marinette stared intently at her plate in thought, trying to condense the experience into light, dinner topic worthy descriptions because she desperately did not want to discuss akumas tonight… or ever again. The very thought caused shivers down her spine.  “They were… most weren’t… didn’t affect…”  Her words got cut off as her body froze with realization.  Her face scrunched up in pain and she gasped after not having breathed for the last few seconds.  She suddenly pushed away from the table and stood up.  “I think… I need to leave.”

Bruce stood up at the same time and reached out for her. “Marinette are you okay?”  His concern amped up when Cass stood up as well and frowned with concern.

Adrien got to her quicker, gently laying his hands on her arms.  “Hey, we don’t have to talk about it.  We can talk about something else.  You talked with M. Fox this morning, right?  We can talk about that.”

Marinette shook her head.  “I can’t…” she couldn’t finish her sentence, her breath was becoming more ragged the longer she stood there.

“Way to go, Timmy,” Jason groused.

“I didn’t do this!” Tim objected motioning toward Marinette and standing up too.  He wasn’t exactly sure what standing up was supposed to accomplish. She didn’t know him and definitely wouldn’t be comfortable with him trying to comfort her.  It was more of a show of support.  Whatever was going on, he didn’t want to stay sitting like it was nothing.

She looked toward Bruce, her eyes slightly glazed over.  “You… you knew.  You knew about what happened when I was fourteen… and fifteen… and sixteen.  You said you checked in on me frequently, so there’s no way you didn’t know.  You knew and you just… rather than admit I was…”  She looked down at the floor, her face scrunching further as she tried to reconcile the new information.  She backed away more and shook her head, no longer really hearing anything in the room, including Adrien’s loud gasp of realization.  “I… I can’t… be here.  I have to… I need time to…”  

She turned and rushed through the door before anyone could stop her.  She could feel herself shutting down and she needed to stop it.  She knew she needed to stop letting herself turn numb.  She gritted her teeth as her frustration with herself increased.  Why couldn’t she just react normally?  Nobody else on her team did this.  None of their friends reacted this way anymore.  What was wrong with her that she did?

And she had to do it there, in front of everyone. She had to do it in front of him.  Why couldn’t she hold it together for one freaking dinner?  She’s gone through worse.  Why couldn’t she just have DEALT with it, like an adult?  Now she probably ruined the start of their relationship. He was probably going to hate her. He didn’t want to know about that stuff. He didn’t want to deal with those kinds of problems.  Those were her issues, not his.  

He wanted a daughter for the press, not a hot mess of insecurities and anxiety.  He wanted a happy, light, cheery child.  That’s why he sent her away, so that’s who she would become.  That’s probably why Dick was trying to ask all those questions, so they could know just what kind of a broken, messed up, embarrassment of a disaster they were taking on with her.  They needed to know what to prepare for when the press started getting involved.

Back in the dining room, Jason had gone from laughing, to confused, to concerned, to fucking pissed in a matter of seconds.  “What did she go through?” Jason asked through gritted teeth.

Adrien glared at Bruce waiting for him to answer the question.  Bruce looked down dejectedly and Adrien scoffed.  He didn’t bother ripping his glare away from Bruce when he answered for him. “She means Hawkmoth.  She means M. Wayne knew what Hawkmoth was doing and let her stay there when he could have pulled her out at any time.  She means he let her stay and get tormented rather than admit she was his daughter.”

“That is not why I didn’t pull her out of Paris,” Bruce insisted weakly.

“I thought the damage done by Hawkmoth was all reversed,” Duke offered.

“Oh, the physical damage was reversed, but the psychological wasn’t.  The memories weren’t.  Hawkmoth used people’s negative emotions to turn them into monsters, AS YOU KNOW,” he snarled at Bruce.  “For years, if you had a bad day, if you got sad, if you grieved, you could end up killing or torturing or raping someone, maybe someone you cared about, maybe someone you loved, maybe more than one.  

“Didn’t even have to be something big it could just be… my best friend got akumatized because my father said he couldn’t throw me a party for my birthday.  A kid Marinette babysat got akumatized because her mother took away a toy that wasn’t hers, it was Marinette’s actually, so she felt responsible for getting Manon akumatized.  Marinette’s best friends, five of them at once, got akumatized because she didn’t want to tell them something private.  Like that didn’t wrack her with guilt for years.  It didn’t take much to turn you into a nightmare.  In fact, one little kid got akumatized several times because he had a nightmare.  All it took was one moment of feeling down.  If you were lucky, really lucky, you just… stopped feeling… anything.”

Everyone was silent for a few minutes.  Adrien’s glare never wavered the entire time. Finally Dick spoke up softly. “And was Marinette… lucky.”

Adrien sneered at Bruce, “Oh, Marinette was very lucky.  She only got tortured a few times… per month.  She only lost a few limbs.  She only got targeted most of the time.  She only died four or five times, that she remembers, the actual number is significantly higher.  All despite my father targeting her specifically.  You know, nothing worth too much concern. She only watched the people she loved get tortured, screaming for her in agony before they died painful deaths a handful of times.  She only sometimes still goes completely numb rather than feel things.  Not even just bad things, good things too.  If it’s too much, she shuts down so she doesn’t expose herself, so Hawkmoth can’t get her, because we needed her.  It’s automatic.  It’s subconscious.  It’s been five years and she still has to fight the instant reaction.”  

Bruce finally spoke up apprehensively.  God, he really, really didn’t want to know the answer to his next question, but at the same time, he needed to know.  “You mentioned akumas could kill, torture, rape… You said Marinette had been tortured and killed.  Was she ever…”

Adrien’s face scrunched up in anger and frustration. “You don’t get to ask that,” he screamed.  “You didn’t care then, you don’t get to pretend like you care now.  You want an answer to your question, you’ll have to ask her yourself, if you have the balls for it.  Personally, I don’t think you do.  So use your imagination.  I guarantee anything you can imagine, can’t even come close to the things she had to live through.”

He looked down for a moment to try to collect himself.  When he looked back up it was an icy, coldness that made Tim collapse back into his chair.  “So now you need to stop lying to her that you always loved her, you cared at all.”

Damian growled and lunged forward in his chair. “You can’t tell him what he feels. You don’t get to say how he treats one of his children.  You aren’t a part of this family.”

Adrien turned his icy glare to Damian.  “And she is?  Holding her at arm’s length?  Keeping her at a distance?  Not letting her get too close?  Randomly freezing up around her.  Keeping family secrets from her.  Clamming up as soon as she’s nearby.  Sending each other secret looks over her head when you think she won’t see.  She’s not stupid.  She sees what you’re doing, what you’re all doing, she’s just too nice to point it out, too hopeful you’ll actually accept her one day.”  He turned to look at Damian with disgust.  “I might not be a part of this thing you call a family, but I am a part of hers.”  Damian only put up a semblance of a fight when Cass pulled him back down into his chair with a disappointed look.

“You kept in contact to make yourself feel better not because you cared.  Because if you did?  If you did, there’s no way you let her stay in Paris when it would have been so easy for you to do something.  There’s no way you let her get hurt and killed over and over again just so you didn’t have to admit you were related to her.  Nobody who gives even the slightest fuck about anybody, a stranger let alone family, your child, would willingly let them go through that.  Lets them live knowing that crying about a stubbed toe could make them into a killer.

“You could have done something, anything and yet you did nothing.  You didn’t even try.  She wouldn’t have accepted.  She… she was the only reason some of us survived and she knew that.  She was our hope.  She saved us and protected us.  Repeatedly. At her own expense.  Without her…” he looked away.  When he spoke again, his voice was considerably quieter and colder.

“And she knew it.  And she took it all on herself.  She didn’t even tell most people, anyone but me and one other friend really, what she went through and not even all of it.  There’s still things I know she saw but she won’t tell me about. Her own parents didn’t know because she didn’t want them to become akumas, which they’d done before over minor things.  So she dealt with it on her own.  My father barely ever let me out so I couldn’t be there for her almost ever. So she had nobody.  She made sure she didn’t.  Because she didn’t want to be the cause of more suffering.

“So she wouldn’t have taken you up on any offers anyway because she’d never abandon the people she cares about.”  He looked back up to level Bruce with an icy glare that made him lose his breath.  “Guess she gets that from her mother.”

He started to walk away but turned back to the family as he got to the door.  “You know, Marinette and I are a lot alike.  You can do anything you want to us and we’ll probably apologize to you for inconveniencing you.  But you hurt someone we care about?  Not even Hell is far enough away for you to hide in.

“So she’ll forgive you.  That’s who she is.  She will.  Hell, she’ll probably come crawling back in a day or two to apologize to you for the scene she created.  For making you feel uncomfortable.  But I won’t ever forget what you did, what you didn’t do, what you subjected her to. No matter what else you ever do for her, you will not be forgiven.” He stepped closer to Bruce, the ice in his eyes turning darker.  “And if you ever treat her like that again, they’ll never find your body.”

Damian scowled and jumped up.  “Are you threatening my father?”

Adrien didn’t look at him when he responded, continuing to glare at Bruce with a dark, warped look that even made Damian raise an eyebrow.  “I am.” He didn’t even bother slamming the door as he stormed out.  As soon as he passed the threshold, he took off sprinting after Marinette.  She didn’t have the car keys so she was walking… in Gotham… while she was a target.  He cursed and picked up his speed to get to the car.

“B?” Dick asked cautiously.

“No.  No, no, no.” He shook his head violently and looked down, trying to steady his ragged breathing.  “I asked her parents.  I checked. They said she was fine.  They said it was okay.”  He looked up at Dick with haunted eyes.  “I checked.  I made sure.”

“Well you didn’t fucking check well enough did you?” Jason growled.  “You never asked her.”  He threw his napkin on the table and stalked out after Adrien to help comfort Marinette.  Duke looked between them for a moment before sprinting after Jason.

The rest of the family looked down at their plates, except Bruce who wasn’t looking at anything.  He pushed away from the table and stumbled back to his room, a sudden wave of nausea slamming into his body.  Dick opened his mouth a few times only to snap it shut again mutely.  Cass frowned but continued eating slowly. This was new information, but it didn’t change who Marinette was to her.  It was the same Marinette from earlier in the day.  But now she knew more.  Maybe they could bond over childhood trauma like she and Stephanie had.

Damian furrowed his brow and scowled at his food, unable to determine how to interpret the new information and blame Marinette for it. She had done it to herself, clearly. She had allowed herself to stay in that situation.  Obviously it was her own fault she suffered through that… like he had.  Not knowing who to be mad at, he shoved away from the table and went down to the cave to train.

Tim blankly watched him go.  This… this was unsalvageable.  This was… they’d let her down in so many ways.  Him with the gala.  Dick with the questioning Adrien.  Damian with the accusing her and insulting Adrien.  The entire family with the keeping secrets.  And Bruce with the… everything.  How were they supposed to bring this back?  They were worse than his family, his previous family.  The Drakes just ignored him.  They were actively destroying her.  

He took a deep breath and pushed away from the table too.  He would go down to the cave but Damian was already there.  He wanted to patrol, to actually protect someone, like he hadn’t protected her.  He stood up and made his way to the grandfather clock.  Fuck Demon Spawn.  Let him try to fight him right now.  Tim wasn’t in the mood and wouldn’t hold back.  Heaven help any rogues out tonight.

Chapter 16

Tags:

@maribat-bdbwm @jayjayspixiepop @redscarlet95 @alice-hazelwood @deathssilentapproach-blog @unoriginalmess @alyssadeliv @emotionalsupportginger @frieddonutsweets @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks @toodaloo-kangaroo @colorfulmongerpsychicranch @iloontjeboontje @wolf-for-life @maribatserver @aespades @prettylittlebutterflie @imarivers8  @ certainmuffinbagelcalzone @ritacrow-blog @unoriginalmess @demonicbusiness @kking13 @lady-bee-fechin @blur-of-colours @kittenmywaythrulife @kashlyn @loysydark

[andvys]

I don’t wanna be your friend

You never believed in love or at least you didn’t believe in it when it came to you, you didn’t think you were worth being loved and you didn’t think you deserve it not after everything that you have done to survive.

After all you have been through could you still believe that there is something good in this world like love?

You had no faith in that but that changed when you came to Jackson and you met the pretty green eyed girl. Ellie Williams. She made you feel like you were worth being loved, like you actually deserve feeling like this even if it’s just platonically (that’s what you thought it was, at least from her side). She made you forget about all the bad things that you’ve been through. There was no weight on your shoulders when you were with Ellie.

You never thought you’d experience these types of feelings. You’ve read a lot of romance novels and as interesting as they are you always thought they were a little too cliche, the way people fall in love with each other or the way one talks about the other. You used to cringe at them but now you feel like one of the characters of the many books you’ve read that have fallen in love with someone and would take forever to confess their feelings to their crush. You’re annoyed at yourself and your feelings, why does it have to be Ellie? She’s your best friend and you’re pretty convinced she’s not into you and you would never ruin your friendship with her because of your stupid feelings, you’d rather stay miserable forever and love her from afar than ruin any chances at having her in your life.

But what you don’t know is that Ellie feels the same way about you. She loves you and she loved you right from the start, when she first saw you she felt like time stopped and she was staring at you in awe. Your pretty (e/c) eyes trained on her and a shy smile appeared on your face, Jesse was showing you around in Jackson, he was talking your ear off or at least that’s what it looked like to Ellie. Ellie being so in trance with your beauty, she didn’t realize you and Jesse were walking towards her. Jesse was trying to catch her attention but she was still staring at you. To her you were the most beautiful girl she has ever seen in her life and it made her nervous, was that what love at first sight feels like? Ellie was pretty convinced that it was.

“Hello, earth to Ellie” Jesse waved his hand in front of her face, she realized she was shamelessly staring at you while Jesse was trying to catch her attention for at least a whole minute. She noticed your flushed cheeks, you were looking down, probably nervous because of her staring. She thought you looked adorable with that blush on your face.

“Oh sorry guys, how’s it going?” She was really trying to act cool in front of you even though she felt anything but cool in that moment. Jesse noticed her checking you out and smirked to himself “Ellie this is (y/n), (y/n) this is Ellie. (Y/n) arrived here yesterday, I was just showing her around, we’re about halfway done but I have to go see Tommy, maybe you could show her the rest?”

Ellie knew what Jesse was doing, he did not have to go meet Tommy he was teasing her because he catched her staring at you. He was going to pay for this, later.

“Umm sure, yeah I can do that”, Jesse winked at Ellie which made her glare at him.

“Alright I better get going, don’t want to make Tommy wait, it was nice meeting you (y/n), I better see you around!”. You smiled at him, you liked Jesse he seemed like he was going to be a good friend. “Sure and thanks for the tour!”. And with that Jesse was gone and Ellie was left alone with you.

“Alright, shall we?” She was trying to avoid your eyes, she was embarrassed about Jesse and you catching her staring and checking you out earlier.

You were quite, she glanced at you and noticed that you were the one doing the staring now.

Ellie smirked to herself, “(y/n)?”.

“Oh yeah, let’s go”, you gave her a sweet smile, one that made Ellie feel weak in the knees.

Catching herself staring at you again, she tried to play it cool and act like she didn’t just do that again. “Yeah let’s go”.

This was the beginning of your beautiful friendship. Everything you did, you did together.

You were always assigned for patrols together. You’d hang out together as much as you could. She’d play guitar and sing for you. You’d write poems for her and she would make cute little drawings of you.

You had regular movie nights that’d turn into sleepovers because Ellie always (purposely) choose scary movies to watch, ones that made you feel so scared that you’d always end up cuddled in Ellie’s arms. You felt safe wrapped in her arms and Ellie loved having you cling to her.

She’d lovingly look down on you and admire your beautiful face. She was so in love with you.

Whenever you would sleep over you’d be the first to wake up, you’d trace her tattoo and count the many freckles on her face and lovingly watch her sleep. The love you felt for this girl was out of this world, you would do anything for her.

And she would do anything for you.

Everyone else could see how much you two loved each other everyone except for the both of you it seemed.

All Ellie wanted to do was just grab your face, kiss you and confess her undying love for you but she was pretty convinced that you didn’t like her this way. Sure you would cuddle and sleep in her arms but that’s just what best friends do right?

Ellie was pretty sure she would die alone because she just wants you but you probably don’t want her or do you? She has never seen you flirt with anyone. She has never seen you be interested in someone. You were always with her, you gave her all of your attention and you’d always make sure she has eaten enough. You’d bring her gifts back whenever you weren’t on patrol together. Is that really what best friends do? Or is there a slight chance that you could feel the same about Ellie as she feels about you?

She decides to take a chance and confess her feelings for you.

Ellie grabs her coat and leaves her shed, on the way to your house she thinks about how she’s going to do it. How do you tell your best friend that you have fallen in love with them?

She arrived at your house way quicker than she wanted to. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on your door. With a racing heart she waited for you to open the door.

You open the door and your face immediately lights up seeing her standing there. Ellie looked nervous “hey el, come in. I actually just wanted to come over.” You smiled at her. Ellie walked in, your smile making her feel a little less nervous.

She sat down on your sofa, you sat down next to her.

“I actually wanted to talk to you about something” she took your hand in hers. You realized she was anxious about something and that made you worry for the girl. You noticed whatever she was about to tell you made her feel scared about your reaction. “What’s going on El? You know you can talk to me”.

“I love you, (y/n).” She blurted out. This is not how she wanted to do it. She mentally slapped herself. But she was way too nervous to actually form any sentences. This was the only way to do it.

“I love you too, Ellie” you were a little confused as to why she was telling you this, you constantly told each other how much you loved each other.

“No (y/n)... I.. not like this, I love you like I am in love with you and I’ve been in love with you forever.”

You stared at her, your big (e/c) eyes looking into her beautiful green eyes. You were shocked not knowing what to say, how? Ellie is in love with you? Like you are in love with her? This can’t be real. It’s just to good to be true.

The silence was killing Ellie. She immediately regretted confessing her love for you, she felt like she messed everything up. “Please say something”. You stayed quiet, too shocked about her confession. Was this actually happening?

“Shit (y/n)... I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said anything” Ellie got up wanting to leave your house as quickly as possible.

You got out of your trance like state and grabbed Ellie’s hand turning her around “I’m in love with you too Ellie” pressing your lips against hers she let out a gasp, wide eyed watching you she realized she’s not kissing you back, closing her eyes she grabbed your face and pulled you closer, passionately kissing you. This was all she ever dreamed off, no it was even better than that.

Pulling away from the kiss you looked into each other’s eyes and smiled at each other, going in for another kiss. Your hands caressing her waist, you pulled her even closer, if that was even possible.

She gently stroked your cheek with her thumb and smiled into the kiss.

You pulled away from her and opened your eyes and looked at her with loving eyes, seeing her look at you just the same. “This kiss was even better than how it’s described in the books”.

“You’re such a dork”. She laughed at you and kissed your forehead. “Yeah but I’m your dork”.

You hugged her, laying your head on her chest.

She held you tight, “yeah you’re my dork, I love you”.

“And I love you, El”.

She felt so happy to hear you saying those words knowing they aren’t meant in a platonic way. She was happy she took a chance and decided to confess her feelings for you. Hearing you say you’re in love with her, is the best feeling in the world. Knowing that the girl she’s in love with, is in love with her too could make her cry happy tears. She could finally kiss you and be able to call you her girl.

She’s yours and you are hers.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Waking Comfort (Bela Dimitrescu/Reader)

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language, brief violence (in a flashback), implied/referenced trauma (unspecified) Warnings: N/A Summary: Unable to sleep on a cold day, Bela Dimitrescu tries to find comfort in her favorite servant... only to end up being the one doing the comforting. Notes: This is super self indulgent, because my dreams have been murdering me recently. Reader is a selective mute/partially nonverbal, implied neurodivergent (unspecified), gender neutral but written with a non-binary person in mind, with non-specific past trauma. Basically this is somewhat of a self-insert fic but I've smudged some lines to make it more relatable for other people.

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

In the early hours of the day, when the sun had yet to reach its peak, a cold quiet fell over Castle Dimitrescu. Most inhabitants were of a nocturnal persuasion, and lay sleeping soundly at this hour. Those few that thrived in the sun moved softly, with caution, daring not to awaken their masters. Oh, if only they knew that one Lady of the house was awake, prowling the corridors with marked intent. What a chill it would send down their spines- what lovely fear would permeate the household.

Ah, but that was not what Bela Dimitrescu desired, at least not for now. No, what she needed was something she would never admit out loud. It was a “base” need, one that all humans felt, and so she feared that it was beneath her. There was only one person that she could trust for this: A servant, experienced in all matters needed of them, level-headed, compassionate… and, most importantly, selectively mute.

Over the past year, Bela had found herself growing closer to you, much to her own surprise. The two of you had started to bond through reading, after you had helped her reorganize a mess in the library (left by none other than Lady Daniela). Since then, you had proven to be a valuable ally, always finding creative solutions to the family’s problems. From jury-rigging a set of climbing gear for repairs, to proof-reading all formal letters, there was hardly any part of Bela’s life that you hadn’t assisted with. All while only ever saying two or three sentences- short ones, at that.

Neither of you would ever forget the first (and only) time you spoke out loud. A would-be hunter had infiltrated the estate, through a damaged skylight (which you later repaired), intending to prove his worth by killing the nobility inside. By the time Bela arrived, after being notified by a terrified maiden, she found the situation had already been aptly handled. There you had stood, clutching an ornate, bloodied cane like a club. In front of you had been the unconscious hunter.

“You could have been hurt!” Bela had snapped, unable to stop herself, glad that her sisters hadn’t arrived yet. Then you had glanced at the man, then her, then back to the man. Something uncharacteristically dark had danced in your eyes.

“He said he was going to save me… from you. Called me defenseless,” you had snarled, poking the man with your cane as you did. “Rude.” Before Bela even had a chance to react, her sisters had appeared, disappointed to find the fight already over. They had fought over who would get to kill the hunter, and somewhere in that chaos you had slipped away without another word.

That day had replayed itself in Bela’s mind hundreds of times in her mind. Though she would not readily admit it, that had been the day that her casual affection for you had started to turn into something more serious. These days she didn’t even know how to describe your relationship- after all, you had never told her how you felt. But you had held her, closely, fingers running through her hair while she fought off memories from someone else’s life. Held her in your arms, as she held you, staving off the cold like it was all you had ever known.

This was what she wanted. Your touch, your comfort. All that stood in her way was a familiar question: Where were you? Master of your environment, schedule constantly in flux, you were rarely where anyone expected you to be, especially when you were prone to taking on whatever tasks others hadn’t had time to finish. So Bela searches, quickly, around places the day-shift tends to gather. She’s careful not to be seen, even though she knows the maidens aren’t likely to gossip where her family might hear. In the end she catches a hint of your scent near the servants’ quarters, and curses herself for not checking there sooner.

Your room is one of the only single-occupancy rooms in this wing. Only senior staff were allowed within these places, most of them rotating out as they “lost their usefulness”. The fact that you had slept in the same bed every night for six months was a testament to your skill. It’s the kind of thought that brings Bela some semblance of warmth in her chest. Still, the thought alone is not enough, so she slowly eases your door open.

Her ears strain against the silence, listening for the pattern of your breathing, or the telltale murmurs that would announce your awakening. Instead, the first things she hears are little gasps, then the shifting of fabric. Dreams of some sort have you turning and tossing, lungs getting hungry in their pursuit of air. It’s not immediately clear whether or not you are enjoying the dream. Were these good gasps, like those that Daniela often cooed about when she praised her maiden? Or were these the same kind that sometimes haunted Bela herself?...

A whimper cuts through the air, and suddenly Bela loses all patience. Practically running, she crosses the room in an instant, concern etched into her brow. One hand cautiously reaches for your blanket, pulling it back enough for her to slide in next to you. It’s a risk, one that could make you wake up with a panic, but it’s one she’s willing to take. After all, she had asked you about this sort of thing before. Though you couldn’t form full sentences, you had experience “miming” things, and Bela was quite clever with her “yes or no” questions.

When she carefully wraps an arm around your waist, she does so with confidence. Beneath her touch you stiffen, back going as tense as possible, but you stop shaking. A few more gasps leave you, and Bela wonders whether or not she should wake you up. Less than a minute later the decision is made for her. All the sudden your gasping turns to a sharp exclamation, body jerking hard, eyes snapping open. Tension coils through your muscles, driving your already overstimulated brain overboard.

Before Bela can even try to comfort you, you sit up, quickly turning so your legs dangle off the edge of the bed. Muffled sobs pass your lips as you hold your face in your hands. Memories struggle against each other behind your eyes, blocking out every other sensation. Your jaw is clenched, hard, and you struggle to breathe between shakes. A hand touches your back, but quickly moves when you flinch in response. It takes a minute for you to even process who else is with you. Once you do, some of the tension bleeds from your body.

“If you’d rather be alone right now, I understand,” Bela says, quietly, as soon as she thinks you’ll be able to understand her. For a moment you can’t bring yourself to respond, and you can feel her side of the mattress shifting, like she’s getting ready to leave. Panic springs up in your chest again, so you quickly reach a hand out in her direction. Thankfully she knows what to expect at this point, easily finding your hand in the dark, gently taking it within her own. “One squeeze for yes, two for no?”

You squeeze, once.

“Do you want me to hold you?” Bela asks, trying to hide the hopefulness in her voice. It makes you pause, considering, even though you’re still overwhelmed by your sensory inputs. In the end you squeeze her hand twice. “No worries, my dear. Don’t be tempted to push yourself just for my sake.” Somehow she always knew how to read you like an open book. Even with the… difficulty of communicating with you. Not that she had ever complained, or even thought about it. Knowing you, and caring for you, made any effort feel as easy as breathing.

A few minutes pass without another word being said. Sometimes Bela gives your hand a little squeeze, just to check in, and you always return it. Soon enough your brain starts to relax, loosening its vice-like grip on your motor controls. Once again you can ease the tension in your muscles. Then you find yourself rubbing your thumb against Bela’s hand, moving in soft circular motions, head turning so you can smile at her. Even if it’s too dark for you to see much, you know that her eyes see you just fine.

“Feeling any better?” She asks, donning a smile of her own. One squeeze. “Is there anything more I can do to help?” A pause, then one squeeze. Now that your limbs don’t feel as staticky, there’s only one thing on your mind: Cuddling. You’re moving before you know it, briefly letting go of Bela’s hand so you can get closer to her, pressing your face into her neck and giving her a soft kiss. Then you’re falling against the bed, on your side, looking up at your partner with a grin. It doesn’t take her long to get the message, shifting back onto her side so she can hold you for real this time. One of your hands goes to rest on her back, to serve as your translator for the rest of the night. “I love you,” Bela says, without even thinking.

She freezes up afterwards, realizing that this is the first time she’s ever said the words out loud to you. For a moment she’s scared, a feeling alien to her, but she refuses to back down. It pays off a few seconds later, incredibly so, when you return the words the best way you can: One squeeze.

[yeoandmoon]

( 23:35 ) best friend!yeosang x f!reader x best friend!wooyoung

dom!yeo, implied? switch!woo, sub!reader, fingering, mirror sex, yeosang is bossy, praising, mentions of stress & implied body image issues

you swore your five senses were full of the two men who surrounded you.

wooyoung, whose gentle touch and teasing words made you blush and squirm, currently had you on his lap. your legs were spread and your panties hooked around your left ankle, but neither wooyoung or yeosang seemed to care. wooyoung had two fingers thrusting in and out of your hole, and yeosang could barely rip his eyes away from the image in the mirror.

not that you wanted either of your best friends to look away, of course.

you weren’t entirely sure how you ended up in this predicament; wooyoung and yeosang had shown up to marathon its always sunny with you, but you were too busy having a meltdown over your greek mythology class. your meltdown soon spiraled into other problems; your insecurities about yourself being a big factor.

you were so busy pacing your room and ranting that you had missed the look the two men shared before wooyoung approached you, his newly dyed black hair curled to frame his face. “do you trust me, y/n?” he asked, gently stopping you.

“w-what?” your eyes were wide, “of course i trust you, woo.” you scoffed, glancing at yeosang.

yeosang was seated on your desk, and you tried not to let your eyes linger too long on his bare arms. you were surprised to see him nod to you, as if telling you to go along with what the younger boy had planned. you frowned slightly, but nodded; that didn’t surprise yeosang. he knew you’d go on.

you looked back at wooyoung, and realized wooyoung had moved you both to your bed. he sat down, gently guiding you between his legs, “we think you need a break, doll.”

your breath hitched at the name. you felt your chest get warm and you tried to ignore the wetness you could feel start to form in your panties.

before you could answer, yeosang was behind you. he gently pushed you closer into wooyoung, his hand on the small of your back, “think you could do that, beloved? take a break?”

you nodded before you could even think about what was going on. you let yeosang manhandle you into wooyoung’s lap, gently maneuvering you two in front of the cheap ikea mirror you had next to your wardrobe.

“are you okay with this?” wooyoung whispered to you, his hands lingering on the waistband of your bike shorts.

he had barely finished his sentence before you nodded, “y-yes please, woo.” you reply, louder than you anticipated.

you blush as yeosang chuckles, “our beloved is eager.” he states, his eyes raking down your body, “touch her.” he says, his eyes glancing at wooyoung.

you gasp when you feel wooyoung’s fingers on your clit, your hips bucking up into his hand. you could feel him push your hips back down as he begins to kiss your neck. “we just want you to feel good, y/n.”

he moves his hand away from you to peel your shorts off, chuckling when you eagerly kick the shorts to a corner of the room. wooyoung gently runs his finger over your clothed slit, resting his head on your shoulder.

“look at yourself, y/n.” yeosang says softly, moving to sit next to you and wooyoung.

you look up as yeosang instructed, your eyes glancing briefly at your face before zeroing in on the way wooyoung’s fingers gently moved over your clit. “more, please.” you whimper, looking over at yeosang.

yeosang raises an eyebrow, “oh? baby wants some more?” he hums, glancing down at the growing wet patch in your panties.

you let out a cry, “please! i want more!”

yeosang lets out a low growl when you whine, making you spread your legs more, “so needy, huh woo? should we give her more?”

wooyoung kisses your shoulder, “she’s being good. i think she just wants to ride my fingers, isn’t that right doll?” he watches you through the mirror, his eyes locking with yours.

you nod, the feeling of lightheadedness still lingering. you watch yourself through the mirror, watching as wooyoung gently lifts your hips so he could tug your panties down. he whispers praises to you as you tremble in his arms.

yeosang gently reaches out, cupping your cheek and tilting your head to look at him, “you’re doing really well, beloved.” he tells you, his thumb gently tracing over your cheek. he grins when you let out a small mewl at the name, “you’re always so good for us.”

wooyoung plunged a finger into you as yeosang continued to praise you, making you gasp. he gently thrusted his finger into your hole, his free hand splayed out on your exposed tummy where your shirt had ridden up. wooyoung lets out a giggle, “she’s so wet, yeo.” he tells the other man.

your face flushes in embarrassment as you let out a whine, blindly reaching for one of them, “yeosangie… please.” you feel his hand grip yours as wooyoung adds another finger into your hole.

he leans forward, his face inches from yours, “tell us what you want, beloved.” he glances down at your lips.

you let out a cry as wooyoung’s fingers began to move faster, “i-i want to- fuck!”

you feel wooyoung giggle again, his lips pressed to your shoulder.

yeosang raises an eyebrow, “oh? you need to tell us what you want. we can’t giv-“

“i want to come, yeo!” you practically yell, your thighs shaking around wooyoung’s hand.

theres a ringing in your ears as you feel wooyoung say something against your skin, your eyes locked on yeosang who’s silent despite you giving him what he wanted. wooyoung’s fingers begin to move faster, his palm coming up to rub your clit and making you let out another loud cry.

all you can feel and hear and see and smell is your two best friends. you feel wooyoung’s lips and his hands and his soft hair. you hear his giggles, and yeosang’s orders. you look to your right, into the mirror, and you see both of them watching you with a look of love and want. all you can smell yeosang’s cologne; it practically drowns you. you want more. you need more.

you tug at yeosang’s hand, pulling the small man forward. you move your hand to his own cheek as you kiss him hard, pulling him closer. you feel him moan against your lips before kissing you back while his hand circles your wrist.

“come.” he whispers against your lips, before pulling you into another bruising kiss.

you feel what you can only describe as a supernova go off inside you when you come. you gasp, arching your back as you grip wooyoung’s arm around your tummy tightly. yeosang kisses you harder, swallowing your moans and whimpers.

“pretty, pretty y/n.” he whispers into the kiss, his hands cradling your face softly, “you’re so good for us, beloved.”

[angry-geese]

Risotto Nero x Reader

Warnings: 18+ NSFW towards the end. Pretty vanilla. Lots of fluff. Fem!reader

Notes: Risotto lives au because I am in denial about Vento Aureo's ending. Reader got pregnant around the ending of VA, she escapes the mafia. This takes place six years after the events of VA

sorry for posting so much of this guy but i have rice man brainrot

Lucky was not something you ever considered yourself to be.

Few ever lived long enough to leave. Even fewer managed to stay out of the life long.

Maybe Don Giovanna took pity on you. Or maybe it was just that: luck. 

You were certain of one thing: fleeing Italy was the best thing you'd ever done.

Half of Passione would consider you a traitor. The other half wanted you dead out of spite. Your line of work left a long list of enemies. Those you couldn’t pay off or intimidate, you killed. Tying up loose ends was a gruesome- but necessary- part of the job.

Your family never questioned where you went for all those years. It was an unspoken rule to not mention it. You were considered a dead man the moment you joined. Long ago they stopped expecting their daughter to be alive, waiting for the day Passione would send you back in pieces.

Your daughter was born six months after you arrived home.

Years passed and you slowly realized that hitmen would never come, no strange men ever appeared outside your home, the shadows in the corner of your room were only that: shadows. Your family was safe, or appeared as such.

It felt natural to settle into family life. You took a job working at a local bookstore. Your mother would watch Maria- named after Risotto’s cousin- while you worked. Your father grew old and frail, eventually passing from his age. It was sad but expected, and quickly glossed over by the rest of your life.

She's grown to look quite like him, with her silver hair and skin deepened by the Mediterranean sun. It makes you wonder if she'll grow to be nearly as tall. 

Despite the domesticity of it all, there was a fear that never quite left you. A knife you never slept without, locks you couldn't help but triple check at night, hiding spaces you'd check out of paranoia that someone was there.

You never lied to your daughter about who her father was. Not that you told the entire truth, just the parts a five-year-old could understand: he loves her, but he’s not around anymore.

A knock at the door makes you jump.

Not wanting the sauce for dinner to scald, you leave it. If its anyone important, they’ll come in.

Six years is a long time. Maybe not in the grand scheme of things. But in five- families build, kids go from children to teens leave the bubbles their parents stuck them in. All these life changing events take place.

Risotto can’t deny the anxiety that gnaws at him. Your house vaguely resembles the little Italian villa you two owned. Though that one was long destroyed, burned down when you fled. Seeing the lush garden- planted with all the little flowers you like, with step stones painted rather messily as if done by a child- makes something deep in his chest ache.

One of the last things Risotto expects to open the door is a little girl. A girl that looks a lot like you.

Its as if he’s paralyzed. She’s about five- you would have been pregnant around the time you disappeared. He can’t say he wasn’t warned. Its not that you were ever unfaithful, its just that no matter how many times he’s tried to steel himself for this day, he can’t.

“Papa?”

You were careful when describing him to her. He wasn’t much for photos. At the time neither were you. In Passione you had to be invisible, someone who wouldn’t leave a trace. Discretion was necessary, the only other option was death. Maybe having a child made you sentimental. You wanted more to remember him by than some old clothes and a wedding photo.

Having a child, while not technically against any rules within Passione, was a death sentence. It was one more thing they could hold against you, something they could hurt you with. Risotto’s line of work meant limiting that at all costs if you wanted to live to see the end of the year.

But he’s no longer one of the cogs in Passione’s machine. He’s just a man, and he can love you- the two of you- as such.

He gathers her up in his arms, holding her close. She smells like a perfume you used to wear, he notes. The thought of you being so close makes his heart race.

When you hear the door open, but no one enter, your mind goes to the worst. You rush to the door, kitchen knife in hand. But it’s no hitman sent to tie off a loose end. It’s something that hurts much worse.

Neither of you know how to respond. He’s relatively unchanged, though there’s a noticeable limp when he walks, and his shoulder that now aches when it rains. You’ve grown- gotten used to living as a civilian- but you have not turned soft. He notices a few grays, your scars have faded, smile lines dot at the corners of your mouth. Strong, sturdy, beautiful. All the things his nonna used to call him. It was still you.

"Stay for dinner, please." You cling to his shirt like he’ll disappear again.

He nods, unable to refuse.

Somehow you convince him to stay for a drink. Then another. Somehow you convince him to spend the night. Because after all these years he finds it difficult to leave and now he doesn't want the moment to end.

Risotto grabs hungrily at the fleshy parts of your hips. Your arms stay wrapped around his neck, giving him silent permission to continue. He tugs at the waistband of your shorts. You lift your hips enough for him to slide them off. Risotto hums approvingly as he realizes you have nothing on underneath. He cages you in his arms, sliding one under your shirt to palm at your breast, working your nipples into stiff peaks. To hide the blush that creeps up your cheeks, you bury your face in his shirt. He sucks at the pulse point in your neck, making you gasp particularly loudly.

He slides a finger up your slit, his large hand coming down to rest on your thigh. Your core throbs at the thought of what he plans on doing to you. You’re not wet- not just yet- but you feel the slick beginning to collect. 

“Stop teasing!” You bury your face further into the crook of his neck.

“I’m just taking my time, amore.”

He brings his other hand down to toy at your clit. To stifle a moan, you nip at his shoulder. Just how he remembered. You jolt as he brushes his thumb across the bundle of nerves, tracing softly along your thigh.

"More, please." You palm at his growing bulge.

"Not yet."

It's hardly enough, but he’d drag this out all night if you’d let him. His other hand traces down your stomach, resting on your thigh. You widen your legs a little further, giving him room to settle between them. He marks your neck- then your stomach- with little nips and bites. After a particularly loud whine, he moves up to nip at your ear, making your entire body shudder.

You're embarrassed, red in the face and needy, pupils blown wide and lips bitten red. His teeth graze across your thigh, fingers digging in hard enough to leave bruises. You card your hands through his hair, a grunt of satisfaction leaving him. He pushes your legs just a bit further apart.

He sucks at your clit, lapping like a housecat. You grind against him, desperate for more friction. You've long stopped caring about the noise you’re making. He licks like a man starved. Aside from your own whimpers and pleading, you hear the huffs of a man who is very content with what he's doing. He's knuckle deep, the lower half of his face shiny with your slick, fingers scissoring inside of you. After a moment he adds a third, rubbing against your g-spot. The stretch stings, but isn't necessarily painful. 

He’s had to stretch you out plenty of times. The man is huge- that applies to more than just his stature. As he begins pumping those fingers in you, you dig your nails into his scalp. The coil in your stomach tightens far sooner than you expected. He grunts when your thighs close around his head, back arched off the bed. 

The coil in your stomach snaps. He lingers for just a moment after, until the overstimulation becomes too much and you push him away. He makes a show of licking his fingers, pulling them from his mouth with a pop.

He settles in next to you, your hips pulled flush to his. You feel something hard press into your thigh.

He’s got six years of lost time to make up, after all, he’s only just getting started.

[bbangsoonie]

creker academy

member: eric genre: fluff (ft some angst), fantasy au word count: 6,182 synopsis: after finally triggering your hidden powers, fate lands you at creker academy, a special boarding school meant for shapeshifters. there, you learn how to control your abilities and that opposites do indeed attract.

The day you found out that you were adopted was the day your life fell apart. The secret was hidden from you until your uncle coldly drew the line at your parents’ funeral. He told you that he had no intention of taking responsibility for his brother’s actions and that you were no longer a part of the family.

That was how you ended up living alone in a tiny half-basement studio. You barely managed to afford the deposit and rent with the consolation money you received from the funeral.

Every day, Hyunjoon would come knocking at your door and every day, you would turn him away. It had only been a month since you became independent and the scar of losing your parents was still fresh. You were also too ashamed to face your friends. You didn’t want their pity and so you hid away in isolation.

On the night of your birthday, the pain became too unbearable. Although you aged another year, you were still only a teenager. Granted, you were in your last year of high school but you were still a minor. Having to fend for yourself in this harsh world was too much for you to handle.

As you cried yourself to sleep, you could feel a cold coming. The heat from your headache spread to the rest of your body and you felt yourself burning up.

After you bought some medicine from the pharmacy, you slipped into a deep slumber. Your dreams were wildly vivid. You dreamt of an enchanted forest that enticed you to take refuge in its comfort. There, animals of all species ran free and in harmony. It promised you acceptance and a home.

“It’s time you learn of your identity,” a soft voice spoke.

As soon as the whisper tickled your ears, the entire forest was up in flames. Strangely, you weren’t struck with fear. Rather, you felt empowered.

“Y/n, you need to learn how to control yourself,” the voice warned.

It was only then that you started to panic. The flames were engulfing everything in sight and all the animals were running for their lives.

“Y/n, you have to wake up. Now,” the voice commanded.

With that, your eyes shot open. To your horror, the scene in your dreams reflected the view in front of you. Your house was on fire and you were slowly getting cornered by the heat. Frightened, you look to the door only to see it consumed by the blaze.

“Trust your instincts, Y/n,” the voice in your head cooed. “Let your body take control.”

Bewildered, you had no idea what that meant. All you knew was that you had to get out of there. You squeezed your eyes shut, hoping to think of a solution. When you reopened them, the room seemed to be a lot bigger than normal. At that moment, you saw the window cracked open. It was your only hope.

Your body felt different when you stood up.

“Why am I so short all of a sudden?” you wondered.

You looked down and almost screamed when you saw paws instead of your feet. Except a meow came out of your throat instead.

You didn’t have time to freak out about it. Feeling something hot graze your tail, you jumped up and landed on the window sill. Your innate desire for survival kicked in and you squeezed through the opening to escape.

Once you felt fresh air in your lungs again, you ran. And ran. And ran. You didn’t know why or where you were going, but something in you told you to run. Your legs kept sprinting until they reached the forest that appeared in your dream. They came to a slow stop when you realized where you were.

“What is this place?” you pondered.

“This is the border between our world and the human world,” a woman in white suddenly emerged from the trees. “You are now about to cross into our territory.”

It was the same voice from your dream. Trying to grasp the situation, you opened your mouth to ask a million questions. But again, a meow replaced your voice.

“It’ll be easier for you to transition back once you're on our grounds,” she assured. She bent down and gestured for you to jump into her arms.

Not seeing any other option, you hesitantly took her offer. With you safely in her embrace, she passed through a translucent wall that revealed what looked like a huge campus. Your jaw dropped as you observed your surroundings. There were students walking around the magical place. You saw a girl tending the garden and gasped when her hands hovered above the flowers to revive them.

The woman brought you to an office you presumed to be hers and placed you in front of a mirror. Your shriek came out as a cute yelp and she chuckled.

“I-I’m a cat!” you thought.

“There’s an outfit you can change into once you return to your human form,” she pointed at the black dress neatly prepared on the table.

The second she finished her sentence, you felt a bare sensation. Looking down, you screeched at your naked body. Embarrassed and horrified, you quickly clothed yourself with the dress.

“W-What’s going on?” you asked, relieved to finally hear your own voice again.

“I’m sure you felt different from others your whole life?” she asked. It sounded more like a statement rather than a question.

She wasn’t wrong. All your life, you never felt like you fitted in anywhere. Maybe your body knew you were adopted before your mind did and ostracized itself. Or maybe you truly were different. You had weird talents that other kids thought were freaky, making you hide them and become introverted. For instance, you were suspiciously good at starting fires from scratch at summer camp and didn’t feel any pain when your shirt accidentally caught on fire.

“I know this must be shocking to you but you’re special, Y/n. We’ve been waiting for you. Waiting for you to trigger your powers to bring you here,” she smiled.

“My what?” you gaped.

“Your powers. What you just did back at your old house and right now. You’re a shapeshifter, Y/n. A shapeshifter with the element of fire,” she explained.

“I’m a what now?” you scoffed in disbelief.

“Creker Academy is a school and home for students just like you. It’s a place meant to train you how to control your powers. Without our guidance, you’ll lead down a path of self-destruction.”

Baffled by her words, you stared in silence. There was no way any of this was true. Surely this had to be a dream.

“This isn’t a prank or a dream, Y/n. You’ve finally found where you belong,” she clarified.

Belong. You had never felt like you really belonged anywhere. But now, someone was telling you that you belonged with them. That they wanted you there. That they had been waiting for you.

“I understand you must feel overwhelmed. But there are procedures to follow so I’m afraid you will have to begin your tour first. A fellow student will be arriving soon to show you around.”

As if on cue, a boy around your age knocked on the door and came in after receiving the woman’s permission to enter.

“Hello, Headmaster,” he bowed.

“Eric, this is Y/n. Y/n, this is Eric. He will be helping you adjust here,” she introduced.

Eric was bright eyed and eager to meet a new friend. You, on the other hand, were quite reserved and uncomfortable in your new environment.

He was excitedly pointing out the purpose of each room you passed by and rambled on about the social norms of the boarding school. You learned that on top of academics, there were classes on virtues and physical training. And of course, classes that taught you how to properly use and contain your powers.

The use of magic was strictly prohibited inside any and all buildings. Students could practice their skills outside but were forbidden from any acts that could potentially put someone or something at risk. That was the one rule that was rigidly enforced and obeyed.

“So what animal and element are you?” he curiously pried. “I’m a dog with the element of water.”

“I’m… apparently a cat,” you felt ridiculous saying it aloud. “And control fire.”

“Ah, you’re a member of the fire element,” he nodded. “What that means is that your element rivals with mine. Some people see fire elements as hotheaded, impulsive, and extreme. Water elements are sometimes emotional, sensitive, and antisocial. But those are all just stereotypes, of course. Not everyone fits into the standard. I, for one, am very outgoing. And your animal obviously plays a role in your personality. I guess the dog in me overpowers the water.”

You had moved on from the indoor portion of the tour to the outside part. He was showing you the garden you had passed by earlier. It was full of flowers that wouldn’t be in bloom this season in the normal world.

“I’m a strong believer in that there are good traits about each element. For example, fire elements are passionate, inspirational, and expressive. They’re arguably the most fun people you’ll ever meet. Water elements are empathetic, imaginative, and loving. But again, all this is relative and doesn’t accurately describe each person,” he reminded. “The only reason there’s still a stupid feud is because some people love sticking to the status quo and labeling others.”

“What are the other elements? Air and earth?”

“Yup! Air elements are independent, talkative, fickle, and nonconformists. Most likely social butterflies. Earth elements are disciplined, loyal, organized, and judgemental. Oftentimes the leader.”

Eric greeted a male student who was passing by with two other boys. He exchanged smiles with the three of them who offered you a kind nod of acknowledgement.

“That was Sangyeon. He’s a bear. On his left is Jacob, a rabbit. The one on the right is Younghoon, who’s also a dog like me. They’re all earth elements,” he disclosed. “Sangyeon is the class representative of our grade. Definitely fits the leader stereotype.”

You couldn’t get over how thrilled he was to be your tour guide. He was filling you in on even the little details of the social life at the academy. He told you about how transfer students were rare and that it was his first time seeing a new student.

His vibrancy contrasted your somber aura. If he noticed, he didn’t comment on it. He was having too much fun getting to know you.

“Oh! That’s Hyunjae and Juyeon,” Eric suddenly pointed at a pair of boys on a morning run. He waved at the two who waved back before speeding up.

“The one with brown hair is Hyunjae, a wolf and fire element. His real name is Jaehyun but he changed it to Hyunjae once he got to Creker Academy. Juyeon’s the one with black hair and is a cat like you. Except he’s a water element like me,” he grinned. “They’re my best friends. Oh, and this guy named Sunwoo who’s a raccoon with the element of fire. As you can see, water and fire elements can get along fine and well. So don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise.”

By the time he was done showing you around, a bell rang and students began to convene inside. Eric explained that the bell was signaling the beginning of classes and brought you to his homeroom.

“Breakfast is buffet style and self served. It’s up to you to wake up and come down to eat. The cafeteria remains open for an hour until that bell rings and we have to get to class,” he said you entered.

Looking around for an empty seat, his face lit up when he spotted one. He sat at his desk and tapped on the one behind him to let you know that it was yours to take.

You still hadn’t processed all that’s happened since dawn. Everything felt like a haze. Nevertheless, you found yourself paying attention when the teacher walked in. He scanned the room to find a new face and smiled when he made eye contact with you.

“Alright, guys. I’m happy to announce that we have a new student that will be joining us starting today,” he beckoned for you to come up to the front of the classroom.

You wanted to shrivel up and crawl into a hole. Feeling your classmates gazes on you, you gulped and began to sweat. You were never a fan of attention. You quickly introduced yourself before rushing back to your seat, eliciting giggles from a few students. Your cheeks heated up and you felt that burning tingle again.

The awkwardness made you transform back into a cat, making your classmates gasp. Their intensified stares made the tips of your fur ignite, alarming the teacher who tried to calm you down.

“Well I guess she’s a fire cat,” a girl snickered.

Eric shot her a glare before leaning in to ask if you wanted him to put the fire out with his water. Not knowing what else to do, you nodded and the next thing you knew, you were drenched.

So much for your first day.

You ran out of the room before you could change back into a human. You fled but didn’t know where to go. You grew anxious, desperately hoping you wouldn’t end up flashing anyone.

“Hey!” someone called out. You turned around to see a male approaching you. Panicking, you dove into a bush.

“You’re the newbie, right?” he asked, taking something out of his bag. He dug out a large t-shirt and a pair of shorts and placed them in front of you. “I usually carry around a spare outfit in case of emergencies. I hope you don’t mind the fit.”

You were still in your animal form so you peaked your head out to look at him.

“My name’s Chanhee. Air element penguin,” he squatted down to meet your eyes. “Everyone’s first day is rough. You’re not the only one who’s had incidents like this so try not to feel so bad about it.”

He stood to go back to class, leaving you to change in privacy once you returned to your normal body. Your hair was still wet as you dragged yourself back to the headmaster’s office.

The headmaster looked at you with pity when you walked in looking worn out. You didn’t have to tell her for her to know what happened.

“How about I show you to your dorm?” she warmly suggested. Anything was better than returning to the classroom.

Due to your late enrollment, you were assigned a single room as opposed to the traditional double rooms. You were glad you didn’t have to go through the process of meeting and getting used to a roommate. It was a small but cozy space and the closet was filled with clothes.

You realized all of your belongings were probably burned down in your old home. Now you really didn’t have anything to go back to.

Before the headmaster left to allow you to settle in, she insisted that you join your classmates for lunch later. You wanted to say that you just wanted to stay in your room but her stern look had you close your mouth.

So you begrudgingly made your way to the cafeteria and gawked at the amount of students packed inside. Feeling them stare at you, you tried to ignore their whispers as you grabbed a tray of food. To your relief, you saw Eric motioning you over and went to go sit down next to him.

His group of friends was fairly large. You saw the boys he had named earlier that day and were surprised to see Chanhee again.

“Hi! I’m Changmin,” one enthusiastically waved. “I’m an air squirrel.”

“Haknyeon, air pig,” another raised his hand.

“My animal is a hamster and my element is water. You can call me Kevin,” the last one smiled.

After shyly exchanging greetings with everyone, you poked at the rice on your plate. The food was undeniably better than the food served at your old school. However, thinking about your old school made your stomach drop as you thought of the friends you left behind. You were sure Hyunjoon was worried sick about you.

“Do you hate water? And have you always hated water? I would assume you don’t like it very much as a cat and fire element,” Changmin looked at you with sparkling eyes that displayed his curiosity.

“Yeah I actually never learned how to swim. I guess that explains why. I never had a reason when my friends asked me about it,” you mused. In hindsight, your unreasonable hatred and fear of water made sense.

“Interesting, interesting,” he nodded.

Like that, the next couple of months flew by. You were put on an intensive program to catch up with your peers and received one-on-one tutoring to help you learn how to shapeshift at will. You could now easily turn into a cat but still had trouble returning to your human form.

To your dismay, you were denied communication with the outside world. The headmaster was very much against risking having the academy and everyone’s identities exposed. Which meant that you weren’t allowed to contact anyone from your previous life.

One good thing was that you were no longer the hot topic of the school. People’s interest in you died down when you didn’t reciprocate theirs.

You grew close to Eric and his group of friends. They were an interesting bunch. Each of them were uniquely chaotic.

Eric was the exact opposite of you. Literally. As a water element dog, his personality contrasted your fiery cat. Everything from your food tastes to fashion style were different. Yet, you felt the most comfortable with him. He brought light into your life and made adjusting to your new school easier.

You were also always at odds with Juyeon. Although you were both cats, he was everything you weren’t. He was sweet but you just didn’t match on so many things. This meant for a very awkward but pleasant friendship.

You got along best with Chanhee. His air side complemented your fire and he quickly became your closest friend. He was both sassy and caring and you appreciated his endless concern and support for you.

Changmin was a wild card. He and Sunwoo wrecked havoc everywhere they went as Younghoon and Haknyeon incited them while Kevin and Jacob were trying their best to prevent them from destroying the campus. Sangyeon and Hyunjae, who were usually busy with student council matters, were the only ones who could calm everyone down but sometimes chose to enjoy the mayhem.

“Did you guys hear the rumors?” Sunwoo bursted through the classroom door panting. “The headmaster is considering an overnight field trip for the seniors!”

Jaws dropped and gasps spread throughout the students. The room was immediately in a buzz as everyone was shocked and excited at the possibility of leaving the sealed territory. It had been 5 years since students were allowed a trip in the outside world.

The homeroom teacher came in and hushed everyone to quiet down. He couldn’t hide the smile that forced its way onto his face after seeing how happy his students looked.

“Is it true we might get a senior trip?” Haknyeon impatiently asked.

“I cannot comment on that. An official announcement will be made later today,” the teacher said.

“That’s not a no!” Younghoon squealed.

True to his words, the headmaster’s voice was heard over the PA system before the dismissal bell. She congratulated the seniors on their hard work and announced that they would be given the opportunity to sign up to spend 3 days and 2 nights on a cruise.

The entire floor of students erupted into cheers and you heard footsteps run across as they barged into classrooms to find their friends and rejoice together. Changmin came into your classroom dragging Kevin and Juyeon behind him.

“Guys, I can’t believe it! It’s been forever since I last saw humans,” Changmin gushed.

“The whole point of us going on a private boat is to ensure that we don’t have any run-ins with humans,” Kevin reminded.

“Yeah but I’m sure we’d pass by them on our way there,” Changmin rolled his eyes.

Sangyeon, Hyunjae, and Jacob strolled in, greeting your group of friends with a nod of acknowledgment. They waited as the rest of you gathered your stuff to leave together.

“Everyone’s going, right? Y/n, you too?” Eric asked.

“Umm,” you hesitated as you looked at their expectant eyes. “I honestly don’t know if it’d be a good idea… I’m still not in complete control over my powers.”

“Aw but Y/n! You can’t miss out on this once in a lifetime trip with all of us!” Sunwoo whined.

“Yeah, it’ll be your last time leaving campus before graduating! Plus, it’ll be your first and last major bonding experience with our class,” Younghoon pouted.

“I know how hard fire can be to control. If you want, I can stay with you and try to help you detect signs of distress before it manifests itself,” Hyunjae offered.

“And I‘ll be next to you to put out any accidents!” Eric beamed.

“You know I always have extra clothes in my bag,” Chanhee added.

You couldn’t say no to the 11 pairs of pleading eyes. They all so desperately wanted you to go with them that it warmed your heart. It hadn’t even been long since you first met them but they always treated you like you were with them from the start.

So you added your name to the list of students and that was how you ended up dragging your suitcase to the giant cruise ship. Haknyeon was bouncing in excitement next to you as the throng of high schoolers slowly made their way inside.

Room assignments were the same as back at the academy, which meant that you were in a single by yourself again. Changmin expressed his envy as Chanhee happily pulled him into their shared room.

Once you were unpacked, you headed to the deck and admired the seascape. The ship was already sailing into the vast ocean and the endless horizon felt so freeing. Leaning on the handrails, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath. The salty smell brought back memories of visiting the beach with your parents.

You felt someone join you but didn’t open your eyes. You could tell by their footsteps that it was Eric.

“Enjoying the change in environment?” he asked.

“Makes me a bit nostalgic,” you said as you opened your eyes.

The wind was strong and the waves were violently crashing into the sides of the boat. With the sun glistening in the water’s reflection, you squinted a bit to appreciate the scenery in front of you.

“Isn’t the view so pretty?” you sighed in content. You didn’t notice that he wasn’t looking at the sea. Instead, he was staring at you.

“Yeah. Extremely pretty,” he found himself saying with a soft smile.

To Eric’s slight annoyance, Sunwoo came and tactlessly interrupted the moment to tell you two to meet everyone else at the pool. He was raving about the jacuzzi next to it and eagerly tugged at Eric’s sleeve to hurry him up.

Younghoon was already shoving Hyunjae’s head underwater when you arrived. Jacob waved at you from the chaise lounge and you sat down next to him. Giggling, you watched Sangyeon climb on top of both of them as Juyeon egged him on. Changmin and Chanhee were relaxing in the jacuzzi while Kevin and Haknyeon were piling food on their plates at the snack bar.

Eric was thrown into the pool thanks to Sunwoo’s push and he emerged to the surface screaming and laughing. Using his powers to add more pressure, he splashed Sunwoo with water, who ran off shrieking.

“Do you not like the water as well?” you turned around to face Jacob.

“I don’t necessarily dislike it but I don’t really like it either,” he shrugged. “I don’t mind jumping in if the guys tell me to join.”

“Do you hate the water or are you afraid of it?” Haknyeon asked as he and Kevin took a seat next to you.

“I guess both?” you answered.

“You know, contrary to popular belief, I’m actually not that fond of large bodies of water either,” Kevin said as he offered Jacob a bite of his pizza. “Pretty weird for a water element, huh?”

“Hey, hey, we don’t stick to stereotypes. We are all individuals with personalities and preferences unique to our own character,” Jacob chided.

“Oh how I love confirmation biases,” Haknyeon joked.

You had to admit it was pretty interesting to see how each person matched and defied their element and animal characteristics. It was like taking a personality test and fervently agreeing with the parts that were true and blatantly ignoring the parts that weren’t.

The rest of the day was spent fooling around and playing games. There was never a dull moment with the boys. They were always in high spirits and full of energy.

Even at dinner, your table was the loudest one. Juyeon had been sneakily stealing a few bites of fish off of Haknyeon’s plate, who took great offense when he finally noticed. Meanwhile, Eric was bargaining with Younghoon for his chicken. At the mention of chicken, Hyunjae joined in on the negotiation of the last piece of meat.

So far, you haven't had a risky moment with either your element or animal. You were in complete control and didn’t need guidance—although Chanhee remained by your side just in case. When you made it back to your room to call it a night, you were relieved and proud that the trip was going smoothly without any hiccups.

Perhaps you spoke too early.

In one of the rooms down the hall, a girls’ night had turned awry. One of the girls, a water element, began crying and started a waterflow that got out of hand. The more she panicked and tried to stop it, the higher the water rose. It quickly seeped into the hallway and into other rooms.

With her friends screaming at her to make it stop, it only escalated with a loud whoosh as the door broke open from the pressure. Now in full panic mode, the girls shrieked and realized that the place was flooding from the inside out.

They trudged through the rising water to flee, banging on doors on their way out. Doors swung open as students woke up from the commotion.

By the time Juyeon finally managed to wake Eric up from his deep sleep, the water was nearly up to the bed. The roommates freaked out, wondering what the heck was going on. Juyeon quickly grabbed his bag and hurried Eric to leave.

On their way out, however, they saw that your door was still closed.

“Shit, Y/n can’t swim,” Eric gasped.

“The water’s not that deep yet. Let’s get her out while it’s still walkable,” Juyeon said as he threw his bag down and started walking towards your room.

Meanwhile, you were still sound asleep. You were startled awake by the pounding. When you registered the situation, the fear made you shift into a cat before you could get up and unlock the door. You anxiously glanced at the closed door as the water began to climb up your body.

Outside, Eric felt a pit form in his stomach. Getting worried, he decided to break your door open. With the help of Juyeon, he barely slammed the heavy wood down by mustering up all the strength he had.

“Y/n!” he yelled when he finally saw you.

You were struggling to keep your head above the water and it was getting harder by the second to not breathe in the liquid. He rushed to pick you up and kept you afloat even when he stumbled. The waves were now reaching his chest.

Juyeon transformed into his cat form to swim as Eric trekked through the hall. You were clinging onto him and Eric was holding onto you tightly as well. You could feel him pant and his heart beat fast. Tucked under his arm, you looked up to see beads of sweat falling from his forehead.

Your own heart skipped a beat at the sight. You could tell how much he cared for you. He made you feel wanted. Needed. Important.

You two were polar opposites but still complemented each other so well. He was the optimism you lacked and you were his rock. You kept him grounded and he made you laugh.

When you finally escaped to the deck, Juyeon stepped away to change back into a human and put on clothes. Your friends crowded around you, Younghoon drying you off with a towel and Chanhee placing a clean outfit next to you.

“Alright, everyone, settle down,” the headmaster called out, turning heads. “I’m glad you’re all safely out but it’ll take some time to drain the water. Please calmly stay in groups until we sort everything out.”

Thanks to your months of training, you were now able to sense when your transformation was about to occur. You grabbed the clothes with your mouth and ran off before you could flash anyone. You sheepishly returned wearing one of Chanhee’s pajama shirts and with water still dripping from your hair.

“Y/n!” Sunwoo dramatically whined, jumping you for a hug. Displeased, Eric peeled him off of you and handed you another towel.

“Thanks, Eric,” you smiled. “For… everything.”

“No problem,” he grinned as he ruffled your head.

“Thank God these two got you out safe and sound,” Sangyeon sighed in relief. You apologized for worrying everyone, to which Hyunjae insisted that you had no reason to feel sorry.

Luckily, the next day was not as eventful. A dinner party was prepared for the last night on the cruise and you got to dress up and have fun. You enjoyed a relaxing time in the ballroom with music playing from the speakers and the boys embarrassing themselves on the dance floor.

You giggled as you watched Changmin ask his crush for a dance after Chanhee quite literally pushed his friend to approach her. It was sweet to see both of them all shy in each other’s arms.

Juyeon nudged Eric and nodded in your direction to ask if he was going to ask you to dance as well. When Eric pretended not to know what he was talking about, Sunwoo joined in to tease him.

“Come on, bro. We all know you like her. Just hurry up and make a move already,” Sunwoo snickered.

“Ooh are we talking about Y/n?” Hyunjae came after eavesdropping.

“I hate you guys,” Eric rolled his eyes as he tried to hide his blush.

Learning from Chanhee, Sunwoo shoved his best friend towards you and fled after he bumped into you. Shooting him a glare, Eric silently swore at him with his eyes. He cringed before turning around to face you.

He felt his breath being stolen away when his eyes met yours. You were absolutely stunning. The glimmer of the chandelier shining on your enhanced your features and he found himself lost in your orbs.

From a few tables away, Kevin and Jacob had joined the other three guys to fanboy over the interaction. Juyeon whispered “he’s totally whipped” to Sunwoo who failed to hold back his laughter. Eric, however, didn’t even notice. He was too busy gaping at you.

“Uhh is there something on my face?” you asked, bringing your palm to your cheek. You were slightly self conscious at his intense staring.

“Beauty,” he blurted. Trying to play it cool, he acted confident and ignored the burst of laughter from his friends. You felt your face heat up at his comment and awkwardly coughed as you looked away.

“Y-You look great too,” you stuttered.

On his way to pour himself some more punch, Chanhee loudly told you to just dance with Eric. He passed by and continued to walk towards the drinks without a care as to how flustered he left you two. Your friends were practically doubling over in laughter at this point.

So Eric boldly held your hand and gently guided you to the dance floor. Feeling your body heat up, he applied his cooling powers on you to prevent you from igniting flames.

“I guess we could say there’s a spark between us,” he joked.

The rest of the night flew by in a blur. You hadn’t felt so carefree in so long. For the first time in a while, you weren’t hung up on the past or worried about the future. You simply appreciated the moment as you were living it.

You never expected things to turn out the way it did. With the death of your parents, you lost a lot of things. But your new friends made you feel complete again. They healed you in ways you couldn’t have imagined.

The revelation of your true identity also brought you peace. You no longer felt like the odd one out. Your own powers didn’t scare you and you felt safe learning about them at the boarding school.

However, you began to doubt all of that the second you docked back on land. You were chatting with Eric about his favorite ramen brand when an all-too-familiar voice made you freeze.

“Y/n..?” he carefully called out. He slowly came up to see if it really was you and gasped when he saw that it was.

Eric didn’t know why he suddenly felt uneasy. Maybe it was because an unknown male had made a reappearance in your life or maybe it was because he recognized the way he was looking at you. It was the same way he looked at you as well.

Chanhee, now protective and defensive, slightly pushed you to the back to ask who he was.

“It’s okay, Chanhee. He’s my friend,” you assured, stepping forward.

Juyeon scowled, not liking that you were interacting with people from the human world. It was borderline going against the rules.

“Hey, Hyunjoon. Long time no see,” you timidly greeted.

“Are you kidding me? You disappeared after a fire burned down your house and that’s all you have to say to me?” Hyunjoon fumed.

You winced at the pain evident in his voice. It had hurt you to ignore your best friend and there hadn’t been a day where you didn’t miss him. Guilt-ridden, you were unable to meet his eyes. He took you by surprise by pulling you in for a hug.

“We thought of the worst, Y/n,” he murmured. “I forgive you for going M.I.A. on me. It’s okay. Everything’s fine as long as you’re here.”

You choked back tears but couldn’t stop one from falling down your cheek. You heard the headmaster gathering the students to get on the bus back home and knew that you didn’t have much time before you had to leave him again. Sangyeon patted you on the shoulder and ran ahead to ask the headmaster for leniency.

“I-I have to go soon,” you stammered as you broke away from his embrace.

“Go where? You’re not coming back home?” Hyunjoon asked.

“I… have a new home now,” you gulped. “I can’t tell you where and I can’t promise that I’ll be able to see you again. But I’ve missed you. I still do.”

“Are you safe?” he whispered after staying silent for a bit. “Are you happy?”

You took a glimpse of your group of friends that was unconvincingly pretending to not listen to the conversation. It almost made you chuckle despite the situation.

“Yeah,” you trailed off. “I’m doing well, Hyunjoon. And I hope the same for you. I’m sorry.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” he forced a smile as he hugged you one last time. “Bye, Y/n.”

“Bye, Hyunjoon.”

It pained you to see him watch you walk away. Your heart broke with each step you took. On the ride back to the forest, you stared out the window. Eric, sitting next to you, softly squeezed your hand to offer you some comfort.

“I made the right choice, right?” you asked, leaning on his shoulder.

“Do you regret it?” he cautiously asked.

You thought about it. You definitely missed Hyunjoon and all of your other old friends. You also definitely felt bad that you left them behind without a word and still couldn’t provide an explanation. But at the same time, you’ve grown to love your new school and new friends. You no longer had to be on edge without even knowing the reason why. Creker Academy made you feel confident. The boys made you feel accepted. Eric made you feel loved.

“No,” you answered with certainty. “Not at all.”

a/n: for the eric to my sunwoo, @sohnhorizon​

[missmonsters2]

Between the Lines || XI

PAIRING: Steve Rogers & Fem!Reader (Platonic) / Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader / Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader / Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader x Wanda Maximoff

Summary: Vampire AU. Life has changed drastically since the 1600s. Things are always on the move, and you’ve been very careful to not get on SHIELDs radar. Living on the down-low owning a café, you’re content to live out a quiet existence. That is until the Avengers enter your life.

[Set after the New York Invasion, in CAWS, and goes up to AoU. Canon divergent after.]

Warnings: This series will contain smut(**), poly-relationship, and dark themes.

Note: Hiatus is over hopefully and we’re on the last arc! Shit is gon’ happen so strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride 👏🏻👏🏻

PART I || PART II || PART III || PART IV || PART V || PART VI || PART VII || PART VIII || PART IX || PART X

PART XI of XX

Count: 5,532

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Hot. 

Your body felt hot, and there was something deliciously thick going down your throat.

Blood. 

You could taste it so very clearly. 

You could feel your body healing, the bullet holes mending themselves until there was nothing left, and your body in pristine condition. 

Thumping.

You could hear a pounding in your ears and then a soft, breathy moan. 

You wanted to be closer. 

Your hand presses against the wall as your other hand presses the warmth closer to you.

God, you could get lost in this forever as you swallow a mouthful of blood. 

"Ah..."

The sound is both melodic and also a warning bell to you. 

You need to stop.

You have to stop.

Your hand presses against the wall harshly as you feel it break as you curl your hand in an attempt to pull yourself away. 

The tight grip of Wanda's legs around your waist starts to loosen as you pull your mouth away from her neck. She's still holding you close, and you don't move your head too far from her neck. 

The thumping of her heart feels weaker, and you purse your lips, disappointed with yourself. You clean the drip of blood trailing down her throat, ignoring the way Wanda's breath still hitches before your lick at the bite wounds at her neck. 

Soon enough, the bite marks begin to disappear, leaving Wanda's neck bare and unblemished, but a slight red overtone stain from her blood. 

When you pull back enough to see her face, Wanda looks drowsy.

"I'm sorry," you swallow. "I went overboard."

Wanda shakes her head lightly, feeling dizzy from just the motion. 

"It's fine," she says, "I didn't mind."

Wanda tries to stand up, but it's too much as her legs give way, and she falls. You catch her before her knees hit the ground. 

You purse your lips before you hook your arm under the back of Wanda's legs, pulling her up to carry her.

Wanda rests her head against your shoulder as you carry her out. When the door opens, you're met with everyone waiting outside to see if you were okay.

You see Natasha standing there, looking at the two of you, and you feel like you've been punched in the stomach. But you don't get much time to dwell on it when Pietro comes up to you, worry all over his face when he looks at his sister.

He squints his eyes at you, and it doesn't faze you as you are to blame for her state.

"She's okay," you tell him quietly. "She just needs some rest and lots of fluids."

"I'll get her some juice. We should be landing soon, so I'll whip up something for her to help," David offers as he takes off. 

Pietro looks like he wants to take Wanda from your arms, but you cock your brow at him.

"You'll drop her in your state if you try to carry her," you tell him, looking at his bullet wound specifically and how he was hunched over slightly. 

Pietro scowls but relents as he follows you to the room next door as you set Wanda down gently. Your hand moves to gently get her to let go of your jacket, and you set the blanket over her.

As you get up to leave, Pietro stops you.

He presses his lips together, frowning initially before he lets out a sigh. "Thank you."

You merely nod, patting his shoulder gently before you leave him alone with his sister. 

When you leave, you're on a one-track mission to talk to Natasha, but before you can even reach her, Maria intercepts. It seemed Fury was looking for you to get some details regarding the mission and had some questions. 

You scrunch your nose as you look at Natasha. 

"We can talk later," Natasha says quietly so only you can hear as she nods. 

You sigh, looking at her forlornly before you follow Maria.

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There's a wave of peace when you arrive back in New York. You never thought you would feel this way about a place. A part of you thinks that maybe it's not the place, but the fact that you're here with all the people you care about.

Your family.

Talking with Fury had taken longer than you wanted, giving you no chance to speak with Natasha. 

Everyone heads back to the Stark Tower. At first, you were going to follow along with them, but Natasha holds your hand, drawing you back while shaking her head.

"Let's head back to your place," Natasha says quietly.

You gulp.

"Okay."

You feel it must be a good sign still with Natasha holding your hand as she leads you away to her car, though she's quiet the entire ride, making no move to talk. So, you also sit quietly as you watch the scenery out the window. 

Natasha walks herself straight to your bathroom when she enters your home. You feel grimy yourself and head to a different washroom yourself to clean up. 

You finish before Natasha, and you head over to the kitchen to make her a drink. Unsure of what Natasha wanted to say or how she would react, you didn't think it would hurt to try to bribe her with a drink. It has turned quite late into the night, so you decide to make her a tea instead of coffee.

You go to sit on the sofa, quietly putting soft music in the background in an attempt to soothe yourself as you idly feel the soft fabric underneath your fingers. 

Soon enough, you hear the water turn off in the washroom, and Natasha comes out, fresh and clean, with a towel around her neck as she dries her hair. 

Warmth spreads over your chest as Natasha comes to sit on the sofa, right next to you. You hand her the drink, and she quirks her brow at you with a slight curve in her lip as she takes it.

Humming after she takes a sip, she sets the drink down, towel discarded to the side as she looks at you. 

You purse your lips.

"I--"

You're cut off when Natasha launches herself at you, her lips hitting yours roughly as she slides her fingers across your jaws. 

Surprise takes over you as you automatically reach over to wrap your arms around Natasha's waist. She bites your lower lip, rather hard, and you wonder if this is a punishment. 

When she pulls back, the two of you are a little breathless. 

"Are you...upset?" You ask slowly, scrunching your brow and licking your bottom lip to soothe the pain Natasha inflicted.

Natasha leans back, settling to rest her head between your shoulder and neck as she sighs deeply and heavily. 

"Yes, and no," she answers after moments of silence. Your arms are still wrapped around her as your fingers slide down her arm. You place your hand gently atop of Natasha's. 

You don't say anything because it seems like Natasha is still putting her thoughts together. 

"I'm not mad," Natasha decides. "I know that what you did was out of necessity. You were severely injured, and the only person who could help you was Wanda."

You could sense the lingering at the end of her sentence. 

"But...I don't know. Seeing you with her, so...lost within her...it was different. I understand it, I really do, and on top of that, Wanda is a beautiful girl," Natasha sighs.

You nod, knowing Natasha could feel it. 

"I'm not mad," Natasha repeats.

"Then?" You lick your bottom lip.

Natasha turns her hand around to lace her fingers with yours, pursing her lips, annoyed by how she's unable to describe how she feels.

"I don't know."

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You were miffed.

With David specifically.

The offender was aware since you've ignored him for a couple days now and haven't looked once in his direction.

You stood with everyone at the Stark Towers as they talked casually. The place is currently being repaired right now after all the damage done by Ultron, but it was still standing for the most part.

Tony talked about how he wanted to build a new compound for the Avengers and was considering either selling the Stark Tower or just taking it back for his company. 

You were standing at the side, between Steve and Natasha, as you tap your foot idly. 

David stood across from you, staring at you while you pointedly didn't look at him, mouth pressed in a firm line. 

A part of you wanted to be rational.

It's not like you were unaware of the circumstances. Drink from Wanda or risk killing everyone on the helicarrier, and also killing yourself in the process. 

And by God knows, no one would've been able to stop you.  

But...you were still so angry.

David knew the consequences of this, and he took it, and you could not blame him for it.

"You can't ignore me forever," David says quietly, moving his mouth so quickly, no one can hear but you. 

You don't say anything.

"Ignoring me isn't going to solve anything, and you know it," David continues on. "We need to talk now, and I'll make a scene if I have to."

You pause for a moment, eyes flittering over to Wanda, who is standing next to David along with Pietro. She's got her brow raised as if she could hear the conversation between the two of you. You don't doubt the possibility that she could.

You look at David, who is staring at you challengingly. Making a scene would be awkward, but you felt childish, wanting to ignore David a little more.

So, you called his bluff. 

And he proved you wrong. 

David barrels into you, tackling you into the empty space as everyone gasps, tensing as they want to break up the fight but knowing they physically would be unable to do so. 

"Stop being so stubborn!" David yells at you, atop of you, and you bare your teeth at him.

Being older brings advantages; David knows that as you flip him over, toppling him underneath you.

"You know exactly why I'm pissed at you!" You snarl at him.

David goes limp in your hold, sighing as he does so.

"I know," he says quietly, "and I'm sorry, but there wasn't any other choice."

Hearing David apologize to you even though you knew it wasn't really his fault made you grimace.  

God, you were such an ass sometimes. 

You sigh, loosening your grip on David as you stand up, pulling him up with you. 

"What...the hell was that?" Tony says, staring in disbelief at you two. 

"Just a disagreement," you mutter as you rotate your shoulder to relocate it back into place. 

Natasha purses her lip at you as you walk back up to her.

You shrug at her, not really wanting to get into it again.

"We've got some things we have to discuss first, we'll meet up with you guys later," David announces, pulling you with him as you frown.

Everyone just blinks at the two of you exist the room, and head to the rooftop. Once up there, you feel a slight breeze and can smell how fall is approaching. 

"Are you done being pissed at me?" David asks as the two of you look over the railing at the city. 

You exhale heavily through your nose.

"I know it's not your fault," you tell David, "but I would have preferred it more if you took me and jumped off the helicarrier and have our bodies be obliterated when we hit the ground."

"I'll keep that in mind the next time we encounter this problem," David smiles wryly.

"You put me in a horribly awkward situation, David, nevermind the consequences of it," you sighed, pressing your temples with your hand before rubbing your face. 

"How did Natasha take it?" David asked. 

You shrug. "She didn't really take it any way at all. She said she doesn't know how she felt about it. She's neither upset nor okay with it, but she understands."

"That must be better than her being pissed at you," David shrugs. 

"I don't know," you say, "I know how to deal with pissed, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do when even she doesn't know how she feels."

"And Wanda?" David probes.

You tense up immediately at her name, David catching it immediately.

"That bad or that good?" 

You turn to glare at him.

"Sorry."

You turn back to the city skyline. 

"I don't know," you tell him honestly, blinking slowly. "She looks incredibly so much like Tatyana, and yet, I know distinctly it's not her. She's both familiar and new to me. A part of me understands I'm the only link to explaining her family's past, but I feel like I need to keep my distance as well, even though I can't now."

"Why? Did you feel something for her?" David asks.

"A little too much,"  you wryly admit. "It was terrifying, honestly."

"But?" David probes some more.

You look at him. "But I am in love with Natasha."

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You and David stay on the rooftop for a while just to enjoy the quiet while you can before you head back to have the real serious talk.

When you come down, you see that everyone had still stayed in the room, loitering as if they weren't waiting for the two of you to go back.  

Natasha looks at you, and you nod, telling her that you and David were okay. David looks at Natasha and gives her his dashing smile that she returns in small. 

"We need to talk," you say in a sobering tone, looking at Wanda, while you make a move to grab Natasha's hand. 

Wanda stares at you, not saying anything as she tilts her head.

"About what?" Pietro cuts in, looking at you with a frown. 

"Пьетро," Wanda says, accent thick as she grabs his arm to calm him down. "About what?" Wanda asks as she turns her head back to you. 

You look around the room as if to tell everyone else this is a private matter.

"Oh no," Tony says, leaning against a counter. "We're all in this together now. Share with the class."

Steve was the only other person in the room, and he nodded his head firmly at you in more of a supportive way than Tony. 

You let out a long sigh as you turn back to Wanda.

"It's about...what happened when I fed on you," you say slowly and rather awkwardly, feeling Natasha's hand tighten around yours. 

Wanda licks her lips. 

"You've probably figured out by now that I know an ancestor of your guys'," you say.

"That woman I've seen in your head..." Wanda brings up, and you grimace.

"Yeah, her," you confirm. 

"Wait, what?" Pietro says, swerving back to look at his sister. "She knows someone in our family tree, and you didn't say anything?"

"I didn't know for sure," Wanda shrugs. 

"How did you know her? Was that why you were looking for us?" Pietro asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. 

"Her name was Tatyana. She was..." you clear your throat. "She was...my lover. But yes, she was partly why I was looking for the two of you. But the truth is, every time there is a new descendant, I always look for them. Although somewhere along the way, I lost track because your great-great-grandfather decided to have multiple children in secret."

"So, we actually have a big family we don't know about?" Pietro scrunches his eyebrows together.

You shake your head. "No, you two are the sole surviving people left in your family. Everyone else has rather lived short lives or died due to an accident or illness."

Pietro continues to stare at you suspiciously but moves on. "You say this Tatyana woman was our ancestor, but how did we come to be if she was your lover."

"Tatyana had a life before me," you shrug. "She never really talked about it, but she was in an arranged marriage when she was younger and had a child. Of course, her husband took on a second wife since it was common back in the day. It wasn't the life she wanted, and she had never been inclined to children. Leaving was easy for her."

"She was...a witch," Wanda says slowly as if to confirm with you.

"Yes," you nodded stiffly. "Her...powers is genetic."

"But I didn't have any powers when I was born. I was given it through the scepter," Wanda argued. 

You lick your lips. "Over the years, your bloodline was diluted. The powers are genetic, but with Tatyana, but since no one in the family ever married another witch or warlock, the powers became weaker and weaker every time until there was basically nothing. In this day and age, you would be so lucky to even find a true witch or warlock by blood because they're all in hiding, though the stake burning has stopped."

"Then...the scepter..." Wanda pondered.

"You may not have had obvious powers, but you probably experienced smaller things as a child. A feeling you couldn't ignore, a dream that came true, something buzzing at your fingertips, but you just couldn't explain it. The scepter unlocked that gene within you. It jumpstarted the powers you had inside all along," you theorize. 

Wanda looked at you in shock, confirming that she experienced those things in her youth. 

"Why didn't I get the same gift as Wanda then if I have the gene too?" Pietro asked.

You shrug. "I'm only guessing. I've never actually seen any males in your family tree display any inkling of a gift. I'm assuming the scepter had more of play in powers for you."

Pietro hums, looking at his sister before shrugging and moving on. 

"Well, a great history lesson. You slept with my ancestor, is that what you wanted to tell us?" Pietro cocked his brow with a smirk, and you roll your eyes.

"No, I wish it were just that," you sigh inaudibly, feeling your stomach drop as you looked back at Wanda.

"The day I fed from you...did you feel anything happen to your body after?"

Wanda cocked her brow at you, and you felt your cheeks warm and forced it down before it could physically show on your face.

"I mean, like, a burning...no, I mean...did you feel any pain afterward?" You stumbled over your words, not even daring to look at Natasha as you kept holding her hand. "Specifically, did any of your bones hurt?"

Wanda stares at you a moment longer before nodding slowly. "I did," she says. "I felt something here like it was on fire...I assumed it was because too much blood was taken." She points to her sternum.

You pursed your lips, feeling suspicion rise higher inside.

You turn to Tony. "Do you have an x-ray machine here?"

"I do," Tony raises one of his brows. 

"Why do you need an x-ray?" Pietro asked, mildly alarmed.

You didn't answer as Tony led everyone out of the room into the medical bay area where there were multiple body x-ray scanning machines, though many of the devices but two were crushed when Ultron attacked the tower. 

You had to let go of Natasha's hand as you walk up to Wanda, who is looking at your own sternum for a moment before looking back at you.

"I need to confirm if what I believe is true," you tell her softly, asking her to get onto the machine.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Wanda says with a slight raise of her brow and a tiny quirk in her lips like she knows you're hiding something underneath. 

You purse your lips, not really wanting everyone to see what is in your body, but you know it's only fair if you're asking Wanda.

"Alright," you agree with a nod. 

"Are you serious?" David blinks in disbelief, and Natasha turns to him with curious eyes. 

You shrug.

"It was bound to come out at some point...I wanted to show Nat sometime anyways," you look over at your girlfriend with a smile, feeling slightly guilty about hiding things still. 

Both you and Wanda get onto the machine while Tony operates it to get a CT scan of the bones. 

The scan is over relatively quickly, doing the front and back as you both make it out of the room to join the crowd around the monitor. 

The images slowly load.

"Jesus Christ," Steve exclaims under his breath.

"What the fuck," Tony squints his eyes as if he doesn't believe what he's seeing. 

Though both pictures showed up, yours drew all the attention.

Marks and drawings were engraved into your bones everywhere on the front and back of your ribs like they were tattoos. 

"What are these?" Natasha asked as she leans in to take a closer look at the images. 

"They're searings from a priest," you tell them, turning your attention to Natasha.

"Leo?" She asks quietly. 

You nod your head, blinking languidly as you look at her face.

"What's it for?" Steve asked, squinting his eyes slightly.

You stand straighter as you readjust your jacket.  

"They're markings that allow me to go into the sun without being burnt alive," you say, watching as everyone just blink at you. "David has the same ones, though not done by the same priest."

"So, something does happen if you go into the sun!" Tony exclaims as if he was right all along.

"...Yes, but I don't sparkle. It's quite the opposite. It burns and rips at the flesh and smells exactly like what you think it would smell like," you tell him. Tony made a gagging face at the thought. 

"Wait, what is that?" Pietro says as he looked at Wanda's image, finding a scrawling in red burned into her sternum.

Everyone draws their attention over before looking back at yours.

You had an identical one in the same place. 

The searings on your rib were in black, while the one on your sternum was red in color.

"Oh, shit," David says, breaking the silence. "We activated the second part of your curse."

"Curse? What curse? What did you do to my sister?" Pietro pushes past everyone until he's standing in front of you, gripping the lapels of your jacket. 

"Пьетро!" Wanda calls after him, putting her hand on his arm to pull him back, but he doesn't budge.

You swallow.

"As I said," you put your hands around Pietro's, forcing him to let go. "I was involved with Tatyana, your ancestor, and it didn't end well."

"She cursed you because of a quarrel or a breakup?" Pietro snorted as if he didn't believe you.

You quirked your brow at him. "No, she cursed me because I killed her."

"You killed her?" Tony says in incredulity. "You killed your girlfriend." 

"I had to," you shift uncomfortably, the guilt rising up as Natasha moves to hold your hand. "She turned. Upset with how villages were hunting witches along with other horrible things, she was trying to create vampires using her magic to destroy the villages. She was murdering innocent people, and nothing I said reached her anymore. When I begged her to stop, she didn't. I did what I had to."

"Jesus fucking Christ," Tony blinked. "You know, I'm surprised you didn't become a villain; your origin story would've been so good."

You roll your eyes.

"What was the curse, and what does that have to do with my sister?" Pietro demanded.

"The curse was that I could never feed from a human being other than her. But because you are descendants from her, you share the same blood, which creates somewhat of a loophole." You sigh, pressing your lips together as you look at Wanda. "The reason I was actually looking for the two of you is that I always keep track of the descendants of Tatyana's. I do that so I know who I cannot ever risk of drinking their blood, even if you donated blood by chance, I wouldn't take your blood bag."

You look at Natasha, "I'm sorry, but I didn't tell you everything that night," you say softly. 

Natasha bit her tongue, "You said that you didn't want to find a cure to this curse...but you've actually had already tried to find one, haven't you?

You nodded, biting your bottom lip.

"Yes...Leo and I spent years trying to find the cure at first. At one point, I encountered one of Tatyana's grandchildren. I could smell the same blood of Tatyana's in her. At that time, I was living off of animal blood," you sighed. "I don't know, something came over me, and I jumped at her. I realized that I could drink from her...but that's when I realized the second part of this curse." 

You looked at Wanda apologetically. "I inflict this curse back on them."

"What?" Pietro bellowed.

"What happened to Tatyana's granddaughter?" Steve asked with arms crossed as he processed the information.

"Another vampire tried to feed on her and she died instantly," you frowned. "When Leo and I realized the intricacies of this, I stopped looking for the cure because it was clear there wasn't one without Tatyana being the one to remove it. On top of that, it kept my bloodlust in check. I had to be more conscious about it unless I wanted to die."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Natasha asked quietly. 

"Because I'm not proud of it. Worse than killing Tatyana because I had to was awful. But then I went and tried to remove her curse," you frowned slightly. "I'm not like you, Nat. You deal with your ledger every day proudly and without hesitation."

You look away, ashamed of what you're admitting. "I couldn't. I wanted to get rid of the curse because even though it was what I deserved, it was just a daily reminder of Tatyana, and I didn't want to remember what I had done to her."

Fingers grip your chin, pulling you back, and you face Natasha.

"Hey, you are the bravest person I know," she says softly, and the words linger like she wants to say something else, but there's a crowd here. "We'll talk more later."

Natasha lifts your fingers to her lips and presses a soft kiss to them. The action brings a deep pit feeling in your stomach, and you feel something threatening to spill over, but you swallow it because now isn't the time. 

"So, what do we do now?" Pietro asks, bringing everyone back to the matter at hand.

You look solemnly at Pietro. "There's nothing I can do. I have to keep feeding from her regularly. Otherwise, she'll die."

"Why?" Pietro demanded, stress clear on his face. 

"This curse is a catch 22 situation. On the one hand, Wanda is the only person I can feed from. But on the other hand, now I'm the only vampire who can feed on her. If any other vampire tries to feed on her, it will react badly with my venom and kill her. If I don't regularly feed on her and inject new venom, her cells will slowly deteriorate and kill her. My venom is both a poison and a cure for her." Your expression was grim, and you looked over to Wanda, but the girl seemed to have no reaction at all to what you were saying, so you were unable to gauge how she was feeling. 

"And what?" Pietro pressed. "You'll do this to her forever? Because there's no fucking cure?"

You didn't really have an answer to that because it's not like you've encountered this situation. The last descendant you drank from died due to another vampire getting to her. You were sure as hell not going to let that happen this time, but you had a feeling Wanda could handle her own if someone tried to attack her. 

"No," you decided, exhaling softly. "I'm...going to try to find the cure again. If it was just me, that's one thing, but you're right; I can't let Wanda be affected forever too."

Natasha squeezed your hand, and you turned slightly to look at her, finding her giving you a small smile.

"How are you going to find a cure? I thought the only cure to this was if Tatyana reversed what she did, and she's no longer here," Steve asked.

You lick your lips as you lock eyes with David.

"It's been a while, but we're going to find Leo's descendent."

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

The day comes to a quiet end, and you find yourself looking out the window. The city is still bustling, and it's a reminder that New York is a city that never sleeps, and you kind of miss the atmosphere out in the countryside where Clint lived.

Natasha left with David to help him try to track down Leo's descendent. Though, you know it will be relatively easy.

Steve had pulled you aside after asking you seriously if you wanted him to stay to help you with this matter, but you shook your head.

"You need to find Bucky," you tell him. "He's out there, waiting for you unconsciously, I bet."

Steve seems like he wants to stay still, but you smile as you pat his broad shoulder.

"David found a tip on Bucky for you, so you need to go because it's not looking hot for him," you pass him a folded piece of paper.

"What if you need me?" Steve frowned.

"You'll be the first I'll call, solider," you wink.

"I better be," he smiles back, pulling you into a hug before he left. 

A part of you wonders how things will play out like how you saw when you touched Tony's hand. Regardless, if you could get Tony to think the Accords was a horrible idea, then things would change.

But changing Tony's mind or trying to influence him was like trying to move a mountain.

"Hey."

You turn to see Wanda standing at the door, far from you. When you turn, she takes it as a sign to enter the room and approach you.

"Hey," you reply, feeling your body going stiff, the conversation with David fresh in your mind. 

Wanda stands next to you before turning her head to look at the view outside.

"The view is very different than what I'm used to," she tells you quietly. 

"Better or worse?" You ask in return.

"Both. On the one hand, this is not the view of my homeland, but I suppose this is better than watching my country collapse."

You purse your lips at that, feeling sympathy for the girl before you.

"They will rebuild," you tell her softly, "and when you return, it will be a beautiful view once more."

Wanda gives you a small smile as she turns to face you. No one says anything, and the quiet settles over the two of you as you stare at each other. 

"I feel like you were meant to be in my life, and I'm meant to be in yours," Wanda tells you, blinking as if she's unsure if she should be saying so. 

"You feel something for me," Wanda states, and you immediately rush to deny it.

"Don't," Wanda warns you, and you press your lips together to hold the words back. "You do, and you can't lie to me about it. I...I feel confused around you. You and Natasha. I don't know what to make of any of it."

"There's so much history tied between us...I worry that your feelings are because of my ancestor--because you mistake me for her."

"I don't," you tell her immediately, not wanting her to feel like she was some replacement. "I admit you two are similar...in more ways than you know...but I know that you're not her."

"How?" Wanda smiles sardonically.

"Easiest explanation? Scent. Vampires are extremely sensitive to scent, and you have your own distinct smell. Long explanation? There's no one that could ever replace Tatyana to me, and I don't want anyone to. You are your own person, just as Natasha is. In my heart, Natasha is something new and cannot also ever be replaced," you say, wanting Wanda to understand, but also to draw a line. 

"And me?" Wanda pushes. "Where do you want me to stand in your heart?"

You clench your jaw, just about to answer when Natasha and David enter the room.

"We've found the descendent. He lives in Texas," David tells you. 

You take a step back from Wanda, clearing your throat quietly as you nod. 

Your girlfriend stares at you, her eyes shifting to Wanda for a microsecond before she looks back at you as if Natasha could tell she just walked into a tense moment.

"Good," you say. "We'll leave tomorrow morning. Everyone should get some rest."

You walk towards Natasha, grabbing her hand as you lead her out the room, only looking back once at Wanda, who stood there with her arms crossed over her chest as she looks at you with an expression you find yourself unable to decipher.

Nor forget.

PART XII

[shanitani]

CHAPTER 3: BAD B*TCHES

table of contents

👩🏽‍💻: lol did y’all miss me? im still on hiatus for maybe a good two weeks until summer srry<\3. but to make up for it I made this chapter hella long.

“Damn their water pressure is good.” You mumbled softly, turning off the faucet. The boy had a cleaner bathroom than you had expected, in comparison to the ones in America - he was almost cleaner than yourself. You wiped the fog from the glass admiring your damp face for a moment, fully indulging in the fact that you were really in Japan.  

You slipped on your pajamas, the bottoms hugged at the figure well and unfortunately so did the tank top Mitsuki put out for you. You had no problem wearing it around by yourself, but you had to take into account there was a boy you had never met before living there as well. It didn’t help that Midnight never gave you any descriptions about the boy as well, so it was obvious how high alert you were.

You grabbed your belongings, turning the music down to a soft hum in volume before turning off the bathroom light. The cold air hit your damp warm one before clearing your vision to see the teenage boy you had been wondering about the day you got your acceptance email. You both stared in awe, you took in his muscular arms due to training, the light ruffle of his blonde hair, his mouth fixated in a frown, and his piercing red eyes.

It wasn’t as if he wasn’t looking at you either, your skin glistening under harsh light, your hair lightly tied back with a hair tie, the familiar smell he smelt minutes before now more concentrated and easier to name. He dared not to look at your figure-hugging the waistband of the pajamas, trying to rip his glare away fast enough. He grunts, beginning the doorknob, “You better have had left my bathroom the way you saw it.”

You frowned furring your brows, “Duh I did. And hello to you too.” you scoffed looking down at your phone in an attempt to make the situation less awkward. The blonde boy let out a groaned out “hey” before opening his door, and closing it in the same breath. “Rude ass,” you mumbled under your breath before heading downstairs back to your room. 

“You met him?? TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED” Imani squealed putting her elbows on her crisscrossed legs looking in awe behind the screen. You smiled at her eagerness to know the boy, though you didn’t think he was all that. “Well he’s pretty muscular, um tall, he’s blonde and rude as fuck.” You rolled your eyes at your last sentence as you simultaneously put your belongings in your new backpack for tomorrow.

“Okayyy he could work! You gotta fierce Lil attitude too so it’ll work out fine.” Imani flashed you a smirk - knowing you couldn’t hit her from Japan. “Oh shut up Mani! you know if I was there I’d slap your ass right now.” you pointed your middle finger towards the camera, giving her a nice view of your white acrylic nails. “Exactly why ima act out now rather than next year.” She huffed, turning off her led lights looking back at her best friend. “I’m gonna miss you tomorrow, school’s gonna be so boring.” You whined thinking about the worst scenario known to come. If they were anything like Bakugo, well you were going to be entirely fucked. “I will too. But stop making me sad about it! We gone see each other soon.” Mani kissed the phone foreshadowing a kiss to your cheek, you smiled doing the same motions as her before ending the call and rolling over to fall asleep.

“I better like these people, Nah they better like me....” you shut your eyes, anxious for your first day to start.

The next day came, as Mitsuki dropped you and Bakugou off. You expected him to at the least show you to where you needed to be - but instead he slung his backpack to the side , not giving you a glimpse of attention your way. “One day im gone beat his ass up.” you took a breathe trying to find the dorm rooms, only to be met with a man right in front of you.

“Hi, [L/N] nice to finally meet you.” The tired-looking man shook your hand motioning you into the dorms. “As you know we enroll all students into the dorms for their safety because of accidents that have happened in previous years.” you nodded looking at the huge building with high ceilings and pillars inside. The man showed you around to the necessities like the gym, commons room, the classrooms, and finally to your dorm room. “I forgot to mention, but you probably know me. I’m Aizawa, and I’ll be teaching you along with class 1A. Today we just want you to prepare your dorm room so you can sleep easy tomorrow - I won’t lie to you, it won’t be easy.” he shrugged giving you the keys to your dorm.

You thanked the man before opening the room, as said in the description - the rest of your belongings were stacked to the side of your room along with your mattress to the right of it and a desk to the left. “Might as well put on music.” you thought to yourself, scrolling through the millions of playlists before finally reaching the one you wanted. 

“Yeah, this will take a while.”

Putting on the comforter of the bed, and adding the last of your pictures on the wall; you flopped onto your bed feeling a slight headache arrive. You groaned wiping your forehead, looking out the window to see the sun almost come to a set. “How long do these children work? Seems like their school hours are a whole part-time job.” before you could laugh at your inner joke, you heard the loud door creak open before the kids voiced roamed the hallways.

You shifted uncomfortably on your bed, knowing that they knew you arrived. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to meet them. You just didn’t want to do the same cycle of meeting new friends again - it was a hassle and you were fine with the ones you had in America. You took a deep breath trying to regain your thoughts, “They won’t even know I’m here. It’s alright.” you repeated to yourself trying to make the anxiety slowly creep up disappear. 

“Yeah she’s here now stop asking me about her, you wanna talk to her go right there.” you heard the familiar huffed voice described as Bakugous. You could tell he pointed towards your dorm the way a teenage girl laughed, hearing the footsteps come closer and closer towards your room. “Shit.” you jumped off the bed, fixing your hair making sure to make a good impression no matter who it may be. That’s when the footsteps stopped, and a light knock was met at your door.

you opened the door to a girl squealing, “Hi!” a curly haired girl engulfed you into a hug making you step back giggling at her eagerness, “Hey! your hair smells nice.” you hugged her back, finally stepping back to get a look of her. Her hair was the same color as her skin - pink, that you could only assume was the cause of her quirk. However, she did have black features that made you believe she was Blasian. 

“Mina stop harassing the new girl! it’s only her first day. Hello I’m Momo!” A black haired girl came waving her hand at you, she looked beautiful - you were almost intimidated by her stunning features feeling a tad insecure once side by side. 

“Oh no worries!” you giggled sitting on the edge of your bed motioning for them to come in more. “How’s your first day been?” Mina sat at the other edge of your bed looking at you with huge eyes, “Honestly, kind of boring. also confusing since this place is huge. Way bigger than the schools in America” you motioned towards out your door foreshadowing the commons room.

“America? that’s where you’re from?” Momo chimed in walking towards your desk chair to sit down. You nodded, “Mhm, California.” Mina gasped - “California! You’re so lucky!” you laughed at her bubbly attitude that was a bit similar to your bestfriends at home. “Trust me you wouldn’t want to be there, I’m here for a reason aren’t I” you smirked nudging her shoulder slightly.

“ Wow, How long will you be staying?” “One year.” you shrugged looking off in your dorm window. “Well I hope you love it here, hopefully become a pro.” Momo smiled at you genuinely, and you couldn’t help but fall in love with her persona. Before you could speak again you heard a knock on your door and small murmurs behind your door, Momo opened the door slightly, only hearing a faint “Yall better not embarrass me. I’m serious” before she opened the door all the way to the boys.

“Shut the hell up Momo.” one yellow haired boy lightheartedly says before leaning on your wall and catching your eyes. “Hey! I’m sero and this is Denki. Nice to meet you.” Sero extended his hand to yours to shake, “Wassup Sero, Hi Denki.” you smiled at the other boy.

“Damn, so this is why Bakugo didn’t want to show you off huh.” Denki came closer to you, taking in your features. “Or he just don’t like me” you scoffed thinking about his arrogant characteristics from Sunday. “Well that’s good, less people to compete against.” Denki sat next to you on the edge of your bed fully focused onto you. You smiled taking observations to his flirtatious personality.

No matter Denki giving you his full and undivided attention, Sero caught your eye the moment he walked in the door. You looked Sero up and down, his outfit caught your full attention. He wore the UA uniform required yet paired with grey Jordans and a silver chain dangling from his neck, it was no understatement that he was a very attractive boy. “Why you standing there all quiet, Sero? you obviously came up here for something.” you jokingly stated - trying to start some conversation with the boy.

“Tried to see if you were really what all the hype was about.” He shrugged coming up near you to overpower your figure, your heart raced as he looked down upon you smirking, he knows he fine chile. “They were definitely right.” He smirked looking at you with low eyes.

“Y’all are the most flirtatious boys I know. Swear I can’t take yall no where.” Momo grabbed the two boys by their collard shirts making them groan in displeasure earning a laugh from you - only to make them groan in embarrassement. 

“Bye boys.” you wave them off as Momo literally kicked them out your dorm, before closing it in front of them. “I like you” you pointed to her, making her eyes widen, while her cheeks grew into a blush before smiling. “Now how did you make a better impression than me and I came here first.” Mina flopped onto your bed frowning. “Don’t worry girl I like you too.” you slapped her thigh in a friendly manner.

“Alright you two enough talking, get back to your dorms. You all have a long day tomorrow.” Aizawa yelled through the door with his usual tired voice before shuffling off to his room closing the door. “Guess I’ll see you tommorow [Y/N]!” Mina skipped off towards your door “Yes! see you tomorrow” Momo opened the door looking back once more “Bye boo’s!” you called out before the closed your door.

You turned on your led lights in substitute for the harsh lighting in your dorm, shuffling off into your bed. you looked off onto your wall looking at the pictures you stuck to them, “Damn, I miss you Imani” your hand grazed upon the picture of you and Imani sticking up the middle finger to a flashing camera with your phones in one hand and a red cup in the other - a party you both went to knowing damn well you weren’t supposed to be there.

You turned towards the other way of your bed shutting your eyes - anticipating for the long day ahead of you, and meeting the rest of your class tomorrow morning.

👩🏽‍💻: y’all fw y/n being bisexual orrr? or do y’all want scandals? tell me now😁

Tag list(send me an ask to be apart of it)

@quincywrites, @fandomsgotmefucked , @lokis-teseract , @racistareversa,@ladybakugouu, @melanin-baddie , @oookore , @bnhathotty, @bleach-your-panties , @shikamaruhairline, @dilfhwa ,@winxme

[jimlingss]

Hi hi. Just a random idea I thought I would share in the case it might interest you. But sort of like a parallel universe or time travel thing. There's a forest/meadow on earth that is suspended in another time or world. You happened upon it by chance and meet someone there not realising that your lives can only cross in this one place.

inch-resting.....

↳ Snow White and the Park Ranger

2.4k || 100% Light Fluff || Kim Seokjin

Once upon a time—

“Please, let me go!”

—you were birthed as Princess of a marvelous kingdom, as fair as your mother and beloved by all who breathes. But tragedy appeared when your mother passed. Your father remarried a woman and after he, too, passed, your step-mother became Queen.

She was consumed by her jealousy and banished you from the castle.

And now, you were fleeing.

“I beg of you!”

The leaves of the Enchanted Forest crunch beneath your quick steps. A twig snaps as a cry befalls your trembling lips. You continue running, grasping fistfuls of the yellow shirt of your dress as you weave between the grandiose trees cloaking the sky with their canopy. The darkness is thick, shadows that whisper with beasts lurking amongst the wooded thicket. 

But you are far more fearful of the Huntsman trailing after you.

He brandishes a sharp knife, gripping it at his shoulder. You turn at your shoulder to find him close and you shut your eyes as you brush past another tree. Someone save me! Please!

Bring me away from this!

As if the magic of the Enchanted Forest answers your desperate pleas — suddenly there is a man standing in front of you. 

You are unable to slow your steps and you run into his firm chest. Yet, luckily, his strong arms reach out and he grasps at your shoulders, so that the two of you don’t collide or fall. 

“Woah, woah, woah! Are you alright?”

You look up at your saviour. The person who has rescued you. 

And your breath is stolen away from your lips. You wonder if this is what your mother always described to you when she used to read those bedtime stories back when the castle was still your home. You wonder if this is it: love at first sight.

The man has plump, pink lips, sheepish eyes and a sharp nose. He is without a sword, white horse or silver armor. Rather, a flat hat the colour of sand on top of his dark hair. His clothing is strange as well, a shirt of the same shade with an emblem on the sleeve — perhaps his kingdom’s crest — and his long pants are much darker. 

But still, he is your prince. 

“Are you alright?”

“There is a Huntsman chasing after me!” You turn around, still within his embrace. But as your breath catches up, there is no Huntsman. Have you lost him in the forest?

“I don’t see anyone,” your prince says.

“He must’ve gone when he saw you here.”

You turn back to your prince as he steps away from you, gazing down at your dress. 

You feel shy. Your red cape is torn from being twisted by branches and your yellow skirt is dirtied from the mud. You never expected to encounter your prince in the Enchanted Forest. You always thought you’d meet him at a ball. But this dress, although dirtied and not as beautiful as the ballgowns the Evil Queen has, it was sewn by your mother. You cherish it deeply. 

“Are you cosplaying?” he asks. “Or filming something?”

“Pardon me?” Your brows lift, unable to understand him.

Your Prince frowns. “Are you here alone?”

“Why, of course, I am. I was trying to get away.”

“You said someone was chasing you? Who?”

“I already said, it was the Huntsman.” You sigh. “Oh, goodness, I do not know why he would do such a thing, but it was quite frightening. I had no choice but to flee as quickly as possible!”

“Al-….right then.” He takes a black rectangle from his pants and you watch inquisitively as he squeezes the side. You’re startled when a noise comes from it. Yet the prince speaks into the rectangle. “Hello? Can we get a medic? We have a lost and distressed...unstable female down just off of the granular trail by the Marshall Springs, west of the river. Hello?”

You’re startled once more when he suddenly hits the rectangle with his hand. “Hello? Can anyone hear? Goddammit, why is it not working?”

You wonder if this is a magical contacting device from his kingdom. Perhaps he’s calling his knights. “Is everything alright, my prince?”

He looks up at you. “Huh?” 

“I’m quite alright,” you reassure your handsome prince as a bashful smile comes across your features. “Now that you’re here.”

He’s silent for a few beats and then he sighs, placing the rectangle to hang off the top of his pants again. “Do you know what your name is?”

“It’s Y/N.” Your lashes flutter. “May I know yours?”

“I’m Seokjin, Park Ranger of Wood Buffalo National Park.” He points to the emblem on his sleeve. You’ve never heard of such a kingdom before, but it sounds absolutely splendid.

“Seokjin,” you murmur the name of your prince to seal it into memory.

“I’ll be able to help you. You don’t need to be scared,” he promises and you’re sure you must be dreaming. He is perfect. “Do you know how long you’ve been out here for?”

“Half a day, perhaps? I’ve been wandering the forest for quite some time.”

“What was your last memory?”

“Well, I was picking flowers and singing to the birds, but then I heard footsteps and I turned around and saw the Huntsman and started to flee. It was such a shame as I had to leave my daisies behind.”

You sigh softly, not noticing his incredulous expression and how he takes another step away from you. “Why won’t you take a seat, Miss Y/N. I’ll try my best to contact some help for you and get an assessment done.”

You’re not sure what he means but you nod, deciding to rest at a tree stump. Prince Seokjin tries to speak into his rectangle again, but there is little answer. It goes quiet as the beautiful forest sings, birds twiddling their song and the leaves rustle. 

Your prince breathes out and then he looks at you, mustering a smile.

“You must really like Snow White,” he comments passingly.

But you gasp. How does he know the nickname of what the Evil Queen calls you?

No one else knows. Could it be that he’s working for her?

You stand, careening back from him. Seokjin’s eyes widen. “Are you alright?”

“Stay back!” you shout. You can’t believe you were almost tricked!

“Miss—!”

You flee from him.

“Wait!”

You turn around, tears welling into your eyes as you look at him. You don’t notice the rippling effect in front of you, like an invisible wall only visible to the eye if close attention is paid. You don’t notice it until you step past the boundary line and Seokjin suddenly vanishes from sight.

You slow to a stop. What.

You step back and as if the world ripples, he appears again. Right on the spot you last saw him.

You step forward and he disappears. You step back and he reappears.

Seokjin’s mouth has drawn open. He’s as bewildered as you are. 

The magic of the Enchanted Forest is wondrous in ways you cannot and will not ever understand. Your mother once told you tales on how the trees are more ancient than mankind. That the fairies and elves, creatures and beasts, living inside have added to its mystic magic that have both answered pleas and punished wrongdoers when harm is done to the forest.

You are sure this is part of the Enchanted Forest’s magic too. 

When you cross a certain point of the area, Seokjin vanishes from your sight and you do from his and when he crosses, you vanish from his sight and you no longer see him as well. It’s as if it’s a doorway and this place crosses between both of your paths.

You quickly learn that Seokjin is no prince of any kingdom. He belongs to a different world entirely.

“...and they lived happily ever after. The end.” You close the storybook he’s given to you, stunned at how your entire life has been simplified in these measly drawings and short sentences. “I...have to live in a small cottage with seven small men?”

“They’re dwarves,” he says.

You look up at him. “And I’m given a poison apple by the Queen?”

“Well, you’re saved by a handsome prince who gives you true love’s kiss…?”

“This is awful!” You sob out and the book falls to the ground. “I don’t want to return!”

Seokjin is wide-eyed, not sure what to say.

“I don’t want to live in a house with, with, with—”

“Dwarves,” he finishes.

“—or be poisoned and brought to an endless sleep, waiting until a prince’s lips touches mine, so I can wake up and live in his kingdom as his!” Hopelessness makes tears well in your eyes.

You were waiting for someone to rescue you — your prince and one true love. But now that you know what will eventually happen, you’re heartbroken. You thought once you were banished from the castle, you could live a peaceful and happy life. But there was still so much waiting for you.

You never return home. Yes, you meet your true love and the Evil Queen dies. But all that misery for a happy ending? The end doesn’t justify the means. It was still frightening. You’ve been chased by the Huntsman already and that fear is enough to make you tremble now. You can’t imagine living with seven small strangers, being poisoned, and brought to a deep sleep while not knowing when you will wake up again.

“I won’t leave,” you decide, placing your foot down.

It seemed like no one could enter this place except for you and Seokjin. The Huntsman couldn’t come when he was right behind you, so you’ll be safe from the Evil Queen and her henchmen.

“What?” Seokjin looks at you, blinking.

“I’ll stay here.” 

He looks around the empty forest, appearing at a loss. His mouth opens, closes and then opens again. “I can’t in my good conscience leave a young woman to fend for herself.”

“Why not?” You tilt your head, unable to understand his concern. “I may not be able to defeat my evil step-mother and her magic, but I know the forest well enough and can still fend for myself.”

To prove it, your lips part and you start to sing. 

At once, the birds hop from their branches and fly over to your feet. The squirrels emerge from their homes, rabbits from their burrows and a doe peeks out from the thicket. Seokjin is startled, taking a step back at all the animals and forest creatures emerging. Perhaps if he did not truly believe you were Y/N, Princess of your kingdom, and also Snow White from his storybook, he does now.

The creatures scurry away in disappointment when you stop singing.

Seokjin appears surprised. “Your voice is lovely— but I know this place might be your….your…”

“Enchanted Forest.”

“It might be your Enchanted Forest, but it’s also the Wood Buffalo National Park. It could have bears, wolves and bison. It’s dangerous. Especially at night.” 

You look at Seokjin. Seokjin looks at you.

He ultimately sighs.

Throughout the next few days, Seokjin brings you supplies. He teaches you how to set something up called a tent and it’s absolutely wonderful to sleep in with the makeshift bed he calls a sleeping bag. He teaches you how to start a fire, brings you a chair that you can easily open up and a lantern for the night.

It starts to become a wonderful place, filled with knick-knacks such as the box that makes a fantastic drink called coffee to a bigger box that’s cold and holds in snacks he brings to you. He tells you these things can run on ‘solar power’ which is power from the sunshine. It’s magic.

Seokjin might not be a prince, but he is a kind man. 

You also learn his job is a noble one. He walks through the forest and protects the creatures and heroes that wander in it. And while you may be from vastly different worlds, if there’s one thing you both have in common, it’s how much you cherish and love nature.

“I would like it if you could possibly bring me a shield or perhaps tools of some sort. Any scrap materials that you have no need for.”

Seokjin frowns, seated next to you on the log as he roasts the sweet treat called a marshmallow. His face is warm and glowing by the light of the fire. The forest is quiet but it feels peaceful. You find it’s always peaceful when he’s by your side. “What are you going to do with it?”

“I think I’m going to train and defeat the queen.”

“What?”

You roast the white puff until it’s golden on all sides. “I’ve been thinking that while I want to stay here, I don’t know if it can hide forever. I am not truly free until the Evil Queen has been defeated and I do not want to wait until she poisons me.” Your gaze meets his. “I want to protect myself.”

For the weeks that follow, you fashion sheets of metal into shields and weapons. Seokjin brings you a bow and arrows, and shows you how to shoot. You practice without rest on apples that you collect from the tree by the boundary line. That fruit has become your one true nemesis.

The arrow spirals out and thunks straight into the middle of the apple. It smacks into the trunk of the tree.

“Nice shot!”

You set your bow down, smiling widely at Seokjin who’s been watching you fondly.

“What are you going to do after you defeat the queen?” he asks in a murmur later that evening whilst helping you prepare dinner. He’s been coming to visit you every day now, after his work he says. You’re thankful for it — his company is something you’ve grown to yearn for.

You hum pleasantly. “I don’t know. Perhaps I will return. Don’t you think a cottage would be pleasant here?”

Your face lifts to find his softened gaze. He looks away just as quickly, yet he still murmurs, “Maybe I could bring you supplies.”

The two of you shyly smile to yourselves.

Seokjin may not be a prince, but he might just be the one you love.

[ssa-sugar-tits]

queen of hearts // chapter eight

summary : y/n y/l/n was crushed when she found out about maeve donovan. heartbroken, she left her entire life behind. what happens when she becomes the most prolific serial killer the bau has ever seen?

prologue + series masterlist & taglist

content warnings : swearing, death penalty mention, angst, sexual implications

a/n : reader is a psychotic murderer. this is purely a work of fiction and if you or someone you know are experiencing homidical urges, seek professional help immediately.

-

You'd accepted that you were going to die. You'd made peace with the way things ended, with your decisions. The only way kept yourself sane in the cold cell was by remembering the good memories you had. Before Maeve. Before your first kill. You sang to yourself and longed for someone to be there but it didn't hurt anymore. No, you were at peace.

Then you were a week late and vomiting in your cell. Your head pounded and you were cramping up like fucking hell. Your cellmate, Diane, had been the first to consider the possibility.

"Y/N you've been here a few weeks."

Not glancing up from your journal, you responded.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I'm gonna be straight with you. You fuck anyone before getting locked up?"

Barely giving the crude implication any thought, you'd scoffed and laughed loudly and instinctively but then froze and looked at her as the words came to life. It took that conversation for you to go to the infirmary and be tested. That morning, you found out that Article 6 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states: "Sentence of death shall not be carried out on pregnant women."

You weren't going to die. The nausea somehow worsened at the news. Were you relieved or more terrified than before? Hell if you know. There were countless whispers and phone calls made-- no doubt in your mind that some of them went to the BAU. Now what you don't know is what happens next. Where to go from here. Of course you won't be released or get to see Spence again. It's over for you. But you wonder what'll happen to your child when you're gone. Would Spencer want to keep the child? Or would they be thrown into the hell people call foster care? For once since being imprisoned, you're scared. So goddamn scared. The thoughts keep you awake at night, they make you shiver and gasp with panic. Every night your silent sobs help you fall asleep eventually.

-

"Y/L/N. You have a visitor."

Who the hell would come to visit you? Your family wants nothing to do with you anymore and the only friends you've ever really had are the team. Hesitantly, you walk with the guard who called you. Each step feels heavier and heavier. You're not sure if your heart sinks or flutters when you see who it is but something inside of you wants to spring out of your chest.

It's Spencer.

Sitting down, you don't say a word. Neither does he. You just stare into each other's cold, empty eyes.

"Orange looks good on you." He whispers and tries to smile but his face fails him. You want to speak but your throat goes dry and your facial expression go blank.

"Say something Y/N. Anything." His golden brown and now tearing eyes search yours for an answer but you still don't falter. You can't.

"We need to talk about it. We need to talk about what happens next."

He triggers the response you've been trying to muster up the words for. The guard's hand grips her gun when you spit out an angry, hurt yell.

"Are you serious? 'What happens next'? I have this baby and then they kill me, plain and simple. You're a fucking genius, you know that. Don't try to play these games with me Spence, I don't need you to make me think I have some kind of control here." Your voice goes low and raspy. "Because I don't."

It's a sad sight when his eyes fill with tears and yours threaten to do the same. No one speaks, you sit in god awful silence until the guard eventually escorts you back to your cell. Not daring to look back at him, you know eyes are still piercing you with their gaze but you still don't fucking look back. Head hitting the cell wall, you shrink down to the floor and start to cry. You feel small and helpless. They're heavy and loud sobs and Diane covers her ears with her pillow, groaning with irritation. The cries come endlessly and burn your throat and sting at your eyes until you finally somehow run out of tears and screams after what seems like hours. Your head lays on the hard floor and you start to think. Maybe it doesn't have to end here. Maybe you can make a plan. Sniffling roughly, you take a look at the night shift guard standing watch. If this doesn't work, then oh-fucking-well. At least you tried.

"You're new, aren't you?" His head spins to look down at you and you bite your lip, unsure of what you're doing. He's timid but trying to remain showing the 'tough guard' facade. "It gets lonely in my cell, you know."

His demeanor changes immediately. "You're in here because you're a monster. Now settle down inmate." Fuck. That didn't go like you'd hoped. He's right about you but it still parts you inside to hear the word monster being used to describe you. You tilt your head curiously when the profiler in you sees it. Something in his dark eyes looks at you with intrigue and... despite his harsh words maybe even desire.

"If I'm such a monster why are you looking at me like that?" Smirking and wiping a salty tear off your cheek, you know it could work. You bring your hands up to the cold bars and rest your forehead against them. "You wanna tell me your name?"

The guard looks both ways before finally giving in,

"Wilson. Bryce Wilson."

You breathe out your next words.

"Well Bryce Wilson. I want to show you something."

You think, no- you beg to yourself.

Please, let this work.

-

7 MONTHS LATER - THIRD PERSON POV

-

Emily clicks through channels hoping to find a late night movie to watch, she's exhausted from a report on a particularly difficult case.

No way. Not a chance.

Her hands fly to her mouth and she bites furiously with anxiety at her nails when she sees Y/N's face on the screen. The remote falls from her other hand as she settles on watching the news story.

"Breaking news: Y/N Y/L/N, also known as the Queen of Hearts killer escaped from prison this evening. We've been told a guard by the name of Bryce Wilson has been arrested as an alleged accomplice. Sources say the guard was romantically involved with the killer and that she is 7 months pregnant. What we don't know is if Wilson is the father, do we Debra?" The red-haired anchor-woman beside him takes over. "Speculation is certainly out there Jeff. Tune in at 8 for any updates, you're watching Channel 2 news." Panic stricken, she scurries to dial the team and sees missed calls and chaotic texts from just about every team member. The one that catches her eye is from Hotch.

"I know you've all become aware of the situation regarding Y/N. Briefing room in an hour."

And off she, and the rest of the frantic team, went.

-