#you knew what I needed but everything was more important

[mayakern]

Things are bad right now.

As many of you know, way back in 2020 we weren’t sure if our business was gonna make it. Our factory was already on break for Lunar New Year–a month-long holiday for many businesses in the area–and with the announcement of COVID19, everything shut down indefinitely. We knew immediately we were in for a bad time. Despite our fears, our sales grew so far beyond anything we ever expected, to the point where we had to hire two employees just to keep up with demand! 

Unfortunately, even after our factory reopened, our problems were not over. Their quality drastically declined almost immediately, to the point that a significant amount of our  fabric would literally fall apart in transit between the factory and our office. Because of this, we discovered that our sales rep had no idea what she was doing and knew nothing about the factory she was representing, so when we told her the fabric was garbage her response was “👍 factory said it’s good!” At the beginning, only roughly 10% of our new product was defective and we were able to sell the affected items with a reasonable discount. By the end of our relationship with that factory, 40% of our midi skirts and 70% of our miniskirts were defective, some affected so severely that they practically fell apart when touched. And still, our rep said everything was fine and there were no problems and the fabric composition had not changed.

So in 2022 we changed factories. We hired Ash to handle this since I was way too busy managing fulfillment to do the amount of research and communication necessary to find us a factory that met our criteria. Finding clothing factories that can make clothing over a size 2-3X is significantly more difficult than one that can’t because it often requires larger and more expensive machinery. But Ash did it: she got us set up with a new factory that has excellent certifications for both their labor practices and their methods for textile production, that delivers consistent, high quality sewing on well made fabric that can be printed without suffering loss in detail–and she was armored with the knowledge for what makes a quality garment so she could check them if they tried to screw us on quality. Their minimum orders were way higher than our previous factory’s, so we decided to focus on ordering more units of fewer designs. We ordered way too much our first round–some of those designs were in stock until the 2024 blowout sale! But it worked out, and slowly we had a warehouse full of stuff to sell.

Fast forward to 2024, business is slowing down between the economy being bad and what seemed to be a general skirt fatigue amongst our customers. We tried expanding into shirts, which would’ve been successful if our minimums were lower. In the late spring we realized we were in trouble if we didn’t make drastic changes and we ultimately decided to end in-house fulfillment and transfer to a third party fulfillment center that would support domestic shipping in Canada and eventually the UK, EU, and Australia. In order to make that transition affordable we drastically discounted everything and that sale was super successful! We were able to begin shipping from the fulfillment center with an almost clean slate, even if it did mean having to close the store for almost two months and thereby missing out on two very important months of sales.

Unfortunately, we were stupid. We continued to order new designs on an every other month schedule instead of switching to an every month schedule, forgetting that having a backstock in a variety of designs is what previously helped us float between orders and now we quite literally didn’t have enough inventory to match the sales we made for last year’s holiday sale.

That brings us to now.

We’re a little stuck. We have a round of skirts in production (yay!) but they won’t get here until February (boo!). To get back on that monthly cycle we would need to order the next round of skirts right now, but we can’t pay for production until that next round of skirts gets here; if the current sale goes well, it’s paying payroll, not production. We are currently in the very difficult, horrible situation of not having enough money for next month’s payroll unless we are somehow able to make significant sales with our very sparse inventory.

We’re scrappy and we do our best to adapt to disasters and I’m sure we’ll find a way to adapt to this one as well, it’ll just take us some time to get there. Basically we’re going to be okay eventually–hopefully later this year–but in the meantime if we seem frantic, now you know why. 

If you’re been considering trying out our viscose shirts but haven’t been able to justify paying full price, they’re on clearance PLUS half off right now! That’s $9-$15 for the viscose tops, and other tops on clearance are $20-$45. Some of the shirts we’re having a LOT of trouble selling are now priced below cost to help us recoup some of the money we spent making them.

Any amount of support helps right now. Sharing posts, telling your friends, buying a $9 shirt–all of it helps. If our clothing isn’t your thing, we also have a Patreon you can support for as little as $1 a month. https://www.patreon.com/mayakern

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a great rest of your day and that 2025 is a brighter, kinder year for us all.

[burrowdarling]

He Really Knows Me

Summary: It’s your first time meeting Joe’s siblings. With your nerves evident, Joe gives you something to calm them. I also just had to listen to Call It What You Want - Taylor Swift

Pairings: boyfriend!Joe Burrow x girlfriend!reader

Warnings: A bit of talk about sex, otherwise just some fluffy boyfriend Joey

Note: Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoy this request from this anon, I thought the idea was absolutely adorable. I'm excited to have some more frequent content out for you all. As always, my ask box and messages are always open to requests or to chat! 

Word Count: 1.3k

Check out my Masterlist here!

Taglist: @burrowbarbie @definitelynotdomanique @one-sweet-gubler @plushkhiii @enchantedinfinity @iosivb9 @hellsingalucard18 Feel free to comment or message me if you'd like to be added to the list!

To say you were nervous was an understatement - tonight would be the night that you were meeting Joe’s brothers along with their wives for the first time. The two of you have been dating for a few months now, deciding it was time to take things a step further. You knew how important family was to Joe and were excited at the opportunity to meet those close to him. You’d heard loads about them already, excited for the chance to get to know them. To keep things casual and low pressure for you, Joe decided to invite everyone over for dinner at his place. Joe knew you felt safe there, being able to step away for a breather with ease if needed. 

You’d like to think you were a fairly confident person, believing that was part of the reason you were with Joe in the first place. The one thing that could knock you off kilter was a lack of control. You were serious about Joe, wanting to make a good first impression with his family and hoping that they would like you.

Joe had offered for you to come get ready at his place while he got a workout in at the gym, knowing you couldn’t say no to getting ready in his bathroom. It was something you were jealous of, wishing you had this type of lighting back at your place. Being in his space offered you a sense of relief, feeling like . You had music playing off your phone speaker, your makeup products were strewn out across the counter, and your hair tools at the ready. You heard the faint sound of shuffling downstairs, signalling Joe had finished his workout. You paid no mind to it, focusing on perfecting your look. 

You were in your own little world, dancing off your nerves when you just about jumped out of your skin.

“Jesus Joe, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” you said with a hand pressed to your chest trying to catch your breath. He only chuckled at you, slightly shaking his head at your comment. 

Your temper simmered once you took in his appearance. He was leaned against the door frame, hair tousled with sweat as his sleeveless shirt hung off of his torso. The holes for the sleeves were ripped so low, you could see a preview of his abs creating a spark inside you to have your hands on him. His cloth shorts were hung low on his hip and his whole demeanor had you wanting to drop to your knees before him.

“Not my intention, sweetheart, though I was enjoying your little show. It looks like I was giving you one right back based on the drool on your chin” Joe said with a smirk. You reached for your chin, falling for his joke which only made him laugh harder, causing you to give him a glare.

“You can’t expect me not to look when you come up here like that” you said as you gestured to him at a loss for any further words.

“Look as much as you like, but I’d much rather your touch. I just came to wash up before dinner, baby. I’ll take my distraction elsewhere, don’t worry your pretty head” he said moving off the door to drop a kiss to your head. He walked to the shower, turning the handle and starting to strip. It took everything in you not to watch him from the mirror and keep your focus on getting ready. You watched his silhouette through the steamy glass door, admiring his profile. You’d have time to have him later, it would help to ease your mind.

“Do you think they’re gonna like me?” you asked out of nowhere. Your voice wavered more than you expected, needing to speak up over the shower.

“They’re gonna love you because I do, there’s nothing to stress about I promise,” Joe said as his cutt of the shower. He stepped out and wrapped a towel low on his waist, walking over to meet you. “You did great with my parents, this will be a cakewalk in comparison. You’re so sweet, amazing, and funny, I’m going to have to hope they don’t like you more than me”.

He leaned down, ghosting his wet forehead above yours causing you to giggle when droplets from his hair fell to your nose and cheeks. 

“I can’t get my face wet, I just finished my makeup” you said as you gently pushed him away, letting your hands linger on his wet chest.

“You’re right, I’d much rather get something else wet instead” he spoke as he turned out of the bathroom, bracing for your reaction preemptively.

“JOSEPH! Get your mind out of the gutter” you yelled out as his laughter carried into the bathroom from his bedroom.

Once you felt that your look was perfected, you took one last look in the bathroom mirror before making your way into the bedroom. You expected Joe to be downstairs, but were surprised to see him sitting on the edge of his bed with a small gift wrapped box in his hands.

“What’s that for?” you questioned, pointing to the gift in his hands.

“It’s for you, I was gonna wait to give it to you, but this seems as good a time as any” Joe said as he patted the spot next to him.

You sat down, joining him as you felt a fresh wave of nerves course through you. Joe placed the small box in your hands as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder and pulled you into him. His smell offered a sense of comfort, remembering there was nothing to be worried about, this was your Joey.

You pulled the bow loose and slipped it from the box, you unwrapped the small bit of paper and removed the top from the box. A small gasp came from your lips as you took in the small piece of jewelry in front of you. It was small ‘J’ strung on a delicate gold chain, bringing a well of tears to your eyes.

You turned to face Joe, his eyes already on you as he reached up to wipe a stray tear from your cheek before it caused a streak in your makeup. Your mind was reeling, overcome with an influx of emotions and adoration for the man beside you. He always knew exactly what to do and when, having a knack for his small gestures having a big impact on you.

“Joey, I absolutely love it. Will you put it on me?” you asked, getting a soft nod in response as he moved his finger in a circular motion for you to turn away from him.

He stepped behind you, placing the delicate chain across the top of your chest as he brought the two ends together to clasp them. He softly released the ends, letting it fall naturally onto your chest. The dainty ‘J’ stood out against your skin, his initial looking nice around your neck. You looked up and turned your head to meet his gaze over your shoulder, the look of pure love in his eyes was unmistakable. 

“I’m not gonna lie, I got the idea from that taylor song you listen to all the time. I knew you were feeling some nerves about tonight so I wanted to give you something as a way to let you know I’m always there. Thank you for all that you do for me, you’re truly amazing and I have no idea what I’d do without you.”

“I swear you always know the right things to say and do, you never cease to surprise me” you said with a smile from ear to ear.

You placed your hands to his cheeks as you pulled him in for a passionate kiss, feeling things began to heat up rather quickly. You felt him pull back as he rested his forehead against your properly. 

“Now as much as I’d like to have you with this new addition, it’ll have to be later. We got dinner to eat and you have people who want to meet you.”

[ravenstargames]

✦ LOST IN LIMBO — 2024 WRAP-UP + 2025 MILESTONES

And here we are, after the holidays! Another year has come to an end and this one was simply incredible. You can anticipate what our most important milestone was for 2024, but there has been a lot going on this past year that maybe we all have forgotten. So let's see what these four friends have accomplished this year, and what's coming for a 2025 that already looks promising!

Good news is that we achieved every goal we set up for this year! Isn't that awesome?! We published our first demo, hosted our very first casting call (and it was nuts!) and so much more! Let's see it :3

✦ OUR STUDIO, RAVENSTAR GAMES, WAS OFFICIALLY FOUNDED ON JULY!

Let me tell y'all that when you finish college, keep studying because it turns out the job market is absolutely devastated and cannibalized, and then have an existential crisis, the last thing you think about is saying "fuck it we ball" and open a studio. I mean, we are literally four people with no stable jobs (well, Kayden is an exception) and with no previous experience making a game entirely by ourselves.

So this was a huge step for us. A scary one. A terrifying one, and still is. But we've survived so far, so let's hope we can still do just that—survive at least long enough to start living. Calling this our job would be a dream come true, but there's still a long road ahead until that!

✦ WE SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED LOST IN LIMBO ON KICKSTARTER!

And you were right if you thought this was our most important milestone of the year!

Honestly, I low-key thought we weren't gonna make it. As I said—four people with no budget, paying for what we couldn't do ourselves with what our grandmas give us on Christmas—what were the chances anyone would be interested in helping us fund our game?

But we still had to do it, because making it this far and not risking not being funded would be madness. So there we were, opening Photoshop with tears in our eyes, watching our mediocre bank accounts get obliterated and working on the Kickstarter graphics with nothing but glitter and Jesus.

Also, we were asking for a lot of money and it was our first project. We've seen firsthand a lot of projects fail, a lot of people being scammed, and a lot of projects not going like the audience and devs wanted. So I thought we were a bit doomed.

Well, turns out there are people who believe in us and our project, so I was proved wrong. Maybe our graphics were really cool in the end, huh? I worked my ass off on those! /silly

So 980 people donated almost 60k euros and on September 27th, Lost in Limbo became officially a thing. Which is wild. I don't think I believe it still, honestly.

Of course, not everything went smoothly! As first timers we made a lot of mistakes, but we knew we were going to mess up something. Sometimes it was us, sometimes it was Backerkit or Kickstarter...Truth is watching a million YouTube tutorials, reading articles or learning about other devs' journeys doesn't make you ready to run a Kickstarter. There's some stuff you can only learn while running it!

So we ordered our merch, had our 🎉first delay🎉 because we made a mistake with our pins, and managed to deliver our digital goodies to our backers without blowing up (almost) anything.

✦ WE FUNDED OUR VERY OWN SOUNDTRACK!

And it'll consist of 19 original tracks by our wonderful composer Tomás Palazzi! 💜

✦ WE RELEASED OUR FIRST DEMO!

And overall, people seem to enjoy it! In fact, we recently reached +10k downloads and +71k views on itch! T^T

Of course, getting our demo out there was nerve-wracking, but we received a lot of love, and that includes wonderful and constructive feedback from a lot of folks who love our project and want it to succeed in its best form. Incredible content creators played our demo, reviewed it—and we've met amazing and stunningly creative people in the process!

However, as with anything you publish for others to see, not everyone is going to like it, and I think as a team we needed to also be exposed to that. There have been negative reviews that have helped us improve, and some others that have made us realize that our game, just like any other, isn't for everyone, and that's okay—our game isn't perfect and it won't ever be, and that's okay. As creators and creatives, accepting the critiques that help us improve is as important as letting go of the ones that contribute nothing, and to accept there are some things we don't want to change.

Of course there have been nasty or rude reviews, (most of them private) and albeit there were very few of them, but that was guaranteed. We try to have a few laughs at those!

✦ WE CREATED OUR OWN DISCORD SERVER!

And it's brimming with life!? We are almost 400 members and I may be biased, but it's full of amazing, supportive, and incredibly creative people. It feels so strange to see people talk daily about your game, about your characters—theorize, laugh, ask stuff...I can only hope our members feel at home as much as we do, because even if we can't interact with everyone all the time, just reading y'all makes us extremely happy :')

✦ WE STARTED WORKING ON OUR EXTENDED DEMO!

And it's going great! The script is doing better than expected, even if I'm editing more stuff than I originally planned. Implementing feedback we received during our survey is helping me improve the pace, storytelling and dynamism of the script. I'm an overthinker so I know I'm most likely editing / adding more stuff than I planned, but so is the way of the west.

Raquel has (as you all know) been working on the reworked sprites, and for now there's 4/7 done! 💜 We also have finished one of the new backgrounds and one is close to being done. That's 2/3!

Also, thanks to y'all buying extra stuff via Backerkit, we've managed to raise a bit more money and have been able to commission Airyn for help on the extended demo, as well as Allie (our editor) and the wonderful, the Ren'py Jesus, Feniks, to help us with our programming adventures! So technically we didn't reach our second stretch goal (outsourcing) but the extra coins have allowed us to hire some help!

That's all for 2024! Phew! Now, our plans for 2025 are quite simple (me when I lie).

First of all we want to ship our Kickstarter merch (more on that on a Kickstarter update coming soon!)

Finish production for our Kickstarter artbook

Release our Extended Demo

For now, we are aiming for a June 2025 release of the prologue, and the first chapter of every route will follow soon after.

Open our Patreon!

We have to think about this thoroughly, plan it, and make sure we can offer quality stuff worthy of your support. Some of you have asked a lot about a Patreon but we want to make sure we make it right!

On a personal note—this year I have been working on my OCD, as last year, and booked with two therapists. My therapist (the one who diagnosed me last year), and a different one specialized in OCD. This year has been full of highs and lows, but I'm in a much better headspace than I was last year, to the point of my meds being lowered! ✌️

I also enrolled for my PhD program like a month ago, and I got accepted after a lot of college shenanigans that almost became my villain arc. So this year is going to be funny for me!

Every member of the team has had their personal issues to deal with this year. Mental health, family, etc. It hasn't been an easy year for us, but I'm happy to say we've been there for each other.

And I think that's all! Overall it has been an insane year. Very productive, very nerve-wracking, and incredibly awesome. We can only hope this year is as good as 2024 if not even better, both for us as people and for our game. We hope your 2024 has been good, and we also hope you are excited to make 2025 a year you can be proud of; but most importantly, a year in which you can take care of yourself, be at peace with who you are, discover new things about yourself, and crave a path to the future you want to live!

Talk to you all soon! 💜

[majinael]

Kaiser, how we know him in the manga, absolutely does not know how to love and would never end up in a relationship or at least, a healthy one, so, I'll write here one of my most important works (that I'll probably refer to in a lot of my future writings), helping you guys understanding what I think is the most realistic way he could love anyone.

★TW : mentions of mental abuse, depression.

★1k words

✾ You absolutely fell in love first and stayed even after seeing him fail and witnessing the worst sides of him with your own eyes.

✾ Kaiser would eventually notice something special in you, something he didn’t see at first. As time passed, he couldn’t help being drawn to you because you saw through his facade—the ego, the arrogance—and treated him with both blunt honesty and quiet compassion.

✾ He desired you, though not in a romantic way at first. To him, you were someone he needed around, someone he didn’t want anyone else to have, almost as if you were an object to be kept.

✾ One day, you found enough courage to confess your feelings to him. To Kaiser, it was an opportunity to keep you tethered to him, to have control over you. He accepted, assuming you were the type to be so stupidly in love that you’d let anything slide—and you did.

✾ Even then, he tried to “love” you, though selfishly. He didn’t want you to leave, even if he didn’t truly know how to put you first or care for you in a way that wasn’t about his own gratification.

✾ You stayed because you saw glimpses of the person he could be, because you believed he deserved to be loved, and because you were far too attached to walk away.

✾ Over the years, however, the emotional weight of loving someone so broken—someone who was unwilling to change no matter how many arguments or breaks you endured—began to take its toll. His jealousy, his possessiveness, and his inability to communicate left you exhausted.

✾ “Why do you always forgive me, even when I don’t deserve it?” he asked one night, his frustration laced with disbelief. He thought you might have finally given up on him. You just smiled sadly and replied, “Because someone has to.”

✾ Eventually, your love alone wasn’t enough to hold you together. You left—not out of anger, but out of self-preservation. You were on the brink of losing yourself entirely.

✾ At first, Kaiser wasn’t overly concerned and was mostly in denial. He convinced himself you’d come back, just as you always had. When hours turned into days, he believed you felt the same need for him as he did for you. But as the days turned into weeks, the silence began to gnaw at him.

✾ He spiraled, masking his pain with his usual bravado—if not more exaggerated than ever. Yet when he was alone, he was consumed by thoughts of you being with someone else. The idea drove him mad, and for the first time, he felt true, raw heartbreak. He realized your leaving wasn’t an act of abandonment but a final act of love—giving him what he thought he wanted most from you towards the end: freedom.

✾ Kaiser wasn’t used to losing or feeling such despair paired with a complete loss of control. Refusing to accept the end, he did everything in his power to win you back—grand gestures, heartfelt confessions, and promises he’d never made to anyone before.

✾ Of course, you were deeply hurt and hesitant. “Words don’t mean much, Kaiser. You need to show me,” you said firmly.

✾ He offered you everything—luxury, security, anything money could buy—but you demanded something far more valuable: his willingness to change.

✾ One of your conditions for reconciliation was therapy, something Kaiser initially scoffed at. “You think talking to some stranger is going to fix me?” he said, incredulous, thinking he knew everything about psychology already.

✾ But he agreed, not just out of desperation but also because when he saw your tearful, pleading eyes filled with hope that this time it could change, he couldn’t refuse. For the first time, he understood that this was something he had to do—not even for you, but for himself.

✾ The sessions were slow and grueling, forcing him to confront parts of himself he’d buried for years—his insecurities, his fears, and his warped view of love.

✾ Over time, after almost two years, he began to heal. He learned to express his feelings in healthier ways, to apologize without deflecting, and to listen instead of always trying to be right. Winning you back wasn’t a quick process. It took years of effort, of proving he had changed—not just for you, but for himself.

✾ During this time, you were together but not entirely as close as most couples might be. You still needed proof that he had truly changed, even though you frequently told him, “I’m proud of you.”

✾ When you finally accepted him again, it was under the condition that he continued to grow. This time, he was willing to meet you halfway and love you in a way that didn’t destroy you. “You stayed when I didn’t deserve it,” he said one night. “Now it’s my turn to stay, no matter how long it takes to make things right.”

✾ You were the first person—the only person—who cared for him so deeply, who showed him what selfless, innocent, and unconditional love looked like.

✾ And, in turn, Kaiser became someone capable of deep, selfless love himself. He cherished you not as a possession but as an equal partner.

✾ The scars of your past together never fully faded, but they served as reminders of how far you had come. “You taught me how to love,” he told you one day, his voice softer than you’d ever heard it. “And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving I deserve it.”

✾ For the first time, he said the words he never thought he could mean, the words he never expected to truly feel: “I love you.”

MK:"Someone beautiful, smart, and full of love."

[opheliachoi99]

ᜊ 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 ᜊ

FEATURING : Itoshi Sae, Michael Kaiser, Oliver Aiku, and Itoshi Rin

ABOUT : Them as your long distance fiancé, which will unexpectedly becomes your husband in near time. In which you kept your pain, because you couldn't have the right time to tell them about you and your baby.

Note : These are short scenarios for each characters, I was inspired by the song "When She Cries" by Restless Heart. Enjoy reading!

=͟͟͞͞➳❥ Itoshi Sae

— You breathed heavily, as you felt nauseous all of a sudden. Timing, your fiancé Sae called. "Hello? Honey! How are you? Currently in Barcelona Airport, I was gonna surprise you that I was coming home, but I couldn't seem to decide what to bring, so gotta tell you instead! How's our new house in London—? H-hello? Baby? Are you there?" You couldn't respond as you were already in the bathroom puking on the toilet.

"Honey! Hello? Are you okay? Hello?" He kept bugging but you were already in the urge to grab a pregnancy test and took it quickly "Honey, this isn't funny. I hear some rattling in the background, what are you doing?"

You gasped as you saw the results. "Positive." You sternly spoke "Positive? What do you mean pos— oh. Oh. My. Gosh. BABY! PLEASE REST! I'LL BE HOME 6 HOURS IN TIME, PLEASE BARE WITH ME!" You suddenly cried because you couldn't bare the pain you're feeling right now.

Shit. Don't tell me she's..

— Timeskip —

Sae came home just in time, he was carrying a lot of stuff, but he dropped everything except a bottle of water and some pills.

"BABY I'M HERE! I KNEW I HAD TO TRAVEL BACK TO YOU FOR A CERTAIN REASON! I just had a feeling.." There you laid on the corner of the bed, still feeling nauseous.

"Sae, b-baby, I'm.." You stuttered. "Shh.. I know, I'm here. I got water, and some pills to reduce the nausea you're feeling."

He knelt down towards your belly level "So you're coming soon huh? Better take care of your mom here, she's getting dizzy and sick, I don't want that you know" You slightly chuckle "Love, you're so weird." You stated.

"Oh, if I'm weird, I wonder how the little one will be- I'll be teaching this little buddy how to play soccer the moment they come out- but- what if it's a girl— EVEN BETTER!" He ran around the room like a kid full of excitement, this wasn't his typical way of acting, but he was way too excited to be a father. You suddenly cried, "Baby, hey, why are you crying? I'm here now!" He gently sat next you "I-" You sniffled "I thought I was going to suffer alone.. I thought you wouldn't come back.. I thought I would end up being a single moth—"

"Shh" Sae placed his index finger on your lips, signaling you to no longer continue "Honey, I'm here. You're not suffering alone, You won't be taking care of this baby alone. I've been out of the country because of my career, but now, I can set aside my soccer career. Taking care of you and the baby is much more important, don't worry. I've cancelled all my schedules, I'm free the whole year. If I needed to go back to Spain, I'll make sure you'll come along this time. At least I can keep an eye on you" He pecked your forehead as reassurance.

"I will never leave you, so don't cry, it hurts seeing you cry and suffering with pregnancy. I love you okay?" He kissed you once again and you nodded as you felt reassured everything was alright.

=͟͟͞͞➳❥ Michael Kaiser

— You and Kaiser were happily talking with each other through the phone, as you were sipping tea in your balcony floor, admiring the view from there as you talked with the love of your life.

"Once our final game is done meine liebe, I'll come home straight to you and we'll binge watch your favourite series the whole night, how does that sound? Hmm?" His voice muttered from the other end of the phone "I'd love that schatz, I'll be wait—" "Baby? Liebe? Hello? You were saying?" Kaiser's eyes widen as he heard vomit noises from the end of your line "Baby? Are you okay? Hello?" Your voice echoed the bathroom as you cried, you hated the feeling when you puke, it was the worst "Liebe? Are you vomiting?" Kaiser was already too worried "Baby I think I'm—" You continuously vomited. "Ahh!! Where's the pregnancy test?" You yelled.

"Preg— PREGNANCY TEST?!?! SCHATZ DON'T TELL ME.. Fuck." He ended the call immediately.

You didn't noticed he ended the call because you were too stunned from what you saw right in front of you.

"P-positive? No way.. It can't be.. He's still away for three months.." You felt nauseous once again and went back to the toilet seat to puke.

— Timeskip —

"Shit, shit, shit" Kaiser cussed as he was packing stuff in his luggage. "Michael? Where are you off to?" Ness barged in without notice "I'm going back to Germany." Kaiser coldly spoke "Huh? But our training has not completed yet- besides, what's the rush? You told your fiancé that you'll be back after three months."

"Correction, my wife. And she needs me, soccer can wait. Tell Ego, I'm heading out, I'll make it all up, but cannot promise as well. For now, my liebe needs me." Kaiser seriously stated as he finishes packing.

"I'll be going now, tell Yoichi he's in charge now, ciao!"

"I- but-" Kaiser didn't let Ness finish and he slams the door from behind. Ness sighed "It's like he's having a baby or something-" He just shrugged and went off to tell everyone what happened.

— Timeskip —

Kaiser arrived just in time. He unloaded his luggages and extra stuff from the back of his car "Gosh, I hope these stuff will help her.."

He arrived towards your room, he sees you resting peacefully in bed. He caressed your cheeks and kissed your forehead "I'm home meine liebe." He scanned around the room, and saw your leftover tea outside the balcony, and he took it and closed the unclosed sliding door from the balcony.

He surveilled the bathroom as he saw what a mess it was, and he saw a pregnancy test lying on the bathroom counter "Fuck, it's positive?! YAHOO!!" His loud voice woke you up.

"Micha?" You swore you heard a familiar voice. "Liebe!" Your ears rang as you heard it clearly.

You jumped from startledness as Kaiser came out the bathroom with the pregnancy test in his hand. "SCHATZ?!? WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!?" He jumped for joy as he immediately pounced himself in bed with you kissing you non-stop.

You suddenly cried. "Liebe, why are you crying? I'm here!"

You suddenly laughed "Micha.. It's just that, I thought you would come back much more later.. I did not expect you to come home so early.. I'm overwhelmed.." You spoke lightly.

"Oh my süßer Schatz, I can already sense, wait no, I felt you were in need, especially you're carrying our mini us. It's unacceptable if you're suffering alone" His words made your tears fall "Aww Micha.."

"Now now, you want ice cream? As soon as I landed, that was the first thing I bought for you" He proudly said, which made you laugh "That's the pretty smile I wanted to see, now I'll go get it okay? I'm sure little one wants one too hmm?" He spoke to your belly. He kissed your tummy and your lips "Ich liebe dich, schatz. Remember that. I'll go grab the ice cream and extra snacks and we'll watch the series? Like I promised" He winked at you as he left the room to grab the food he mentioned.

You simply laughed, too lucky to have loving fiancé, or should I say, husband, and a father of your future child.

=͟͟͞͞➳❥ Oliver Aiku

— You were cooking ramen for your dinner, as a way to stop your stress over your fiancé Oliver Aiku. He was quite a pain in the ass, but, despite your fiery anger towards him, deep inside you were wishing he would show actions as a proper fiancé.

As you were cooking, tears started to flow. Mood swings suddenly hit you out of the blue. You wiped your tears, turned off the stove and went to the dining room to eat. You were thinking your menstruation was coming up, so you didn't bother to worry.

You were alone, as usual. Aiku has been very busy with his soccer career, and he's always either with Shidou or Sendou. You didn't mind because both were also your friends and constantly updates you wherever they are when Aiku couldn't.

Sendou sent a voice message using Aiku's number saying; "Hey Mrs. Aiku~ your fiancé is at it again, so many people interviewing your bae, what a busy man he is, don't worry, his fangirls won't be able to approach him because I lead them to me and Shidou instead! And damn they're hot!"

You simply let out a small chuckle as you were listening to their update, but at the same time you sighed, wishing Aiku himself would update you instead.

You left your phone open as you went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

— Timeskip —

You came out the bathroom looking fresh as you just came out from showering. You were about to grab your novel to read when your phone rang, it was Aiku's number, you prayed it was Aiku who was calling this time, but sighed as you saw Shidou instead. "What now?" You let out a tone of annoyance "Hey bae! Just wanted to call on behalf of your hubby, he asked how were you?" Shidou spoke.

"Eh? He could've just told me directly- is he really that bus—" You paused for a bit, as you swore you felt a painful twist in your stomach "Really that what?" Shidou asked "I said is he really that busy to the point he couldn't ask me direct—" You paused again.

"Bae, if you keep on pausing on a wrong timing for fun- stop it, it's not funny" He sassily rolled his eyes "Wait- I need to go to the bathroom real quick.." You went to the bathroom and leaned your phone near the mirror, still on video call with Shidou.

"Uhm- bae? You good— oh my goodness-" You vomited and cried "I'm not feeling well Ryu.. I don't feel good.." You vomited once again "Oh shit- SENDOU!! CALL AIKU IMMEDIATELY! HIS WIFEY IS PUKING RAINBOWS AND SHIT-" Shidou panicked.

You cared less on what's happening on call, you couldn't think straight because your stomach really hurt and the nauseous feeling is taking over, you suddenly cried because of the pain your feeling right now "Shit, must've been the ramen that I ate.." You gaslighted yourself "Bae! When was the last time you had your period?"

You paused for a moment..

"NO! IT CAN'T BE!" You yelled as it echoed around the bathroom as you intensely find a pregnant test somewhere in the room.

"Bingo! Shit, this can't be." You groaned as you took the test.

Silence took over the atmosphere "Uh- Bae? Hello? Sendou! She's quiet!" Shidou panicked again. "Huh? Hello? Our beloved Mrs. Aiku! You good there?" Sendou asked from the end of the line.

You suddenly let out a sharp scream "DAMN WOMAN- CALM DOWN!" Shidou yelled back.

"I'M FUCKING PREGNANT.. IT'S POSITIVE!" You cried "Well shit, I'm telling Aiku, if he ain't listening I'm going to smack the shit out of 'em" Sendou spoke as Shidou ended the call.

You sat there in the bathroom floor spacing out, you soon started crying, knowing that Oliver wouldn't be able to be by your side during your pregnancy days. You sighed and suddenly felt nauseous once again and felt to urge to vomit once more.

— Timeskip —

The front door has been slammed open, with running feet speeding up the stairs.

"My beloved!" Aiku barged in the room, looking for an nauseous fiancé. He checked the bathroom and saw how messy it was, and the smell of vomit was still a bit humid.

"Shit. Where is she?" He scanned every corner of the room until he spotted you spacing out on the couch of the balcony, your eyes being lifeless looking. He soon felt guilt all over him.

He slowly opened the sliding door leading outside the balcony "Baby? I-I'm sorry... I'm here now.." Silence. Silence was the only reply he got from you. "Is it true? It's positive? I-I'm going to be a father?" Still silence.

He sadly sighed and knelt down to see your eyes "My love? Please, talk to me.."

Your eyes soon teared up "You're the one to talk." You replied coldly. "Baby, I'm at fault here I know, I just wanted to clarify if I'm gonna be a fath—"

"WHO SAID YOUR GOING TO BE A FATHER? AFTER HOW YOU TREATED ME?" Aiku went silent. "You asked me to marry you and I said yes, and this is the treatment that I received?!! I feel the mockery Oliver.." You cried.

Oliver gulped "I'm sorry okay? I've been so busy, relying that I finally got a soon-to-be wife, but I forgot to give time.." Your tears continuously flowing.

"Hey baby, don't cry, it's not healthy for the baby.. I don't want to harm you and our child.. You want me here? I'll do it. I'll sacrifice my soccer career. I'll be a proper husband and a father." He stated.

"All you do is talk. Not a single action shown." You replied with a weak tone, tears still flowing.

A few seconds you felt surprised because Aiku is now carrying you in bridal style "Hey! Put me down!" You demanded "You said wanted some action, I'll show you what I just said, I mean it. Again, I'm sorry my baby, can you forgive me?" He asked in a pleading tone.

"Make me." He suddenly kissed you, a soft and warm kiss, which melted your heart. He pecked your cheeks, nose, and forehead after "Now can you forgive me?" You chuckled. "Fine, but I'm still mad at you. I only ate ramen for dinner just so you know." Aiku's eyes widened.

"Am I hearing it right? Ramen?! I don't think so, that's not healthy for the baby. I'll make you soup, it's much more healthier" He demanded "Pfft- since when can you cook?" "Pardon me? I can cook, I just couldn't show you because I was too busy, now I'm here, you'll know" He winked.

You couldn't help but to giggle over his cheesy expression.

A few minutes passed he came with the soup as promised "Here my love, served warm and tasty~" He said as he sat next to you on the bed. He soon fed you spoonful of the soup "Mmm! Tasty indeed! Wow honey, you do cook! Cook for me some time please!" You praised "From now on I'll cook for you everyday!" "Promise?"

"Promise."

— Timeskip —

Shidou and Sendou arrived with extra foods and drinks, "You almost lost the keys- we could've been locked outside-" Sendou said "Eh- they're here anyway, they can open up for us" Shidou replied.

"What if they're asleep-" Sendou added as he placed the paper bags filled with foods and drinks. "Nah they're still up, LOVEBIRDS WE'RE HERE!" Shidou yelled.

"Oh for crying out loud Shidou keep it down!" Sendou spoke sternly as they went up the stairs.

"I told you they're still— awake.." Shidou lowered his voice as he approached your room "See what I mean-" Sendou stated.

You and Aiku were comfortably sleeping in bed cuddling and Aiku continuously caressing your hair. Aiku slowly opened his eyes and spotted his friends and did the "shh" expression, as a sign to keep it down.

Both gave him a thumbs up and Shidou quickly took a pic of you two peacefully resting and swiftly went back downstairs.

Aiku had enough of his friends mischief, he checked up on you and saw you calmly resting, a smile plastered on his face.

"I'm never hurting your precious soul again.." He whispered and gently gave you a peck on the forehead, and he gently went back to sleep.

=͟͟͞͞➳❥ Itoshi Rin

— You finally rested as you've just finished your spring cleaning. You let out a sigh, opening your phone with no notifications from him.

"As usual, no update from him.." You closed your phone and decided to read a novel to pass the time.

The novel you read made your tears drop as you relate to the main character of the story, having a cold and airy fiancé is quite hard.

You closed the novel and stared at the ceiling blankly. You thought of something on how to get Rin's attention. But you suddenly remembered, he still has that caring and loving side. Suddenly your phone popped up an notification, it said;

Rin : [ Hello love, I'll be coming home later in the evening, what do you want for a souvenir? ]

You let out a small chuckle, you seemed so contented and happy from a single notification from him.

Your brows suddenly furrowed, as you felt nauseous and weird, you tried to brush it off with a smile. But as you were replying, that uneasy feeling came back again.

You felt the urge to vomit so you quickly went to the bathroom and threw your phone to the bed, but as you threw your phone out of impatience, you accidentally pressed the call button.

But, Rin immediately answered it. Which was a miracle, but he wasn't the type to really ignore you, he proposed to you for a reason, he loves you.

"Hello? Darling? Uhm- your camera seems to be facing the ceiling-" Rin felt confused "So- uhm- about my question- you kept typing, I expected a long message but—" He paused as he heard a vomit from the end of your line "Honey?!" His tone suddenly changed "Hello?!?" He kept calling your name but no response, instead he keeps hearing you vomit from a distance.

"Shit, never knew this time would be coming.." He said as he ended the call.

On the other hand, you tried to gasp for air. You couldn't help but sob "What is going on with me?!" You cried.

You spaced out for a bit and vomited again.

You went back to bed to see your phone laying on the spot, you noticed some notifications, so you continued messaging Rin without knowing what happened before.

You : [ Anything Rin! I'll accept anything! Thank you for asking! Your presence is what I need the most tho :( ]

After messaging Rin, you decided to take a nap.

— Timeskip —

Rin finally arrived, barging in as if someone was chasing him. "Darling?!! I'm home!" He yelled as he placed all his stuff down and running up the stairs panting.

"HONEY!"

"AHH-" You gasped as you immediately sat up from your slumber "Rin?! What happened?!" You worriedly asked.

Rin ran towards you with a worried face "Are you okay? I brought everything you need" You suddenly felt overwhelmed as his actions were different so suddenly. "H-huh? Rin? Is everything okay?" You seemed confused.

"Oh my gosh" He grabbed a pregnancy test from his pocket "Here take this." He said as he assisted you all the way to the bathroom "What is this? H-hey!" He shuts the door for you.

A few minutes passed as he was walking back and forth from the bedroom, waiting for you to come out, when you did, he immediately checked up on you "So?"

You gulped "I-I'm.." You cried "Shh.. Hey.. Tell me" He sweeps a stray tuft of hair off your face so he could see you clearly. "I'm pregnant.." He went silent for a moment and gave you some space.

You were scared, so you silently cried.

"WOOHOO!! I'M FINALLY GOING TO BE A FATHER! I'M TELLING NII-CHAN!!" He happily yelled as he hugged you tightly.

"Why are you crying? Hey, I'm happy.. Finally.. I'm sorry if I couldn't be here in time.." He kissed your cheek.

You cried even more now, your a crying mess "I just wanted you here!! I'm so lonely in this huge mansion.." He suddenly chuckled "I'm sorry, you know there's a reason why I'm always away right?" You nodded. "I missed you a lot too, I'm just- not good at expressing on what I feel. I'm sorry.."

You went silent for a moment. "I'm sorry for not knowing that.. Why don't let's help each other hmm?" You suggested.

"That's a good suggestion darling, great timing. I won't be away for awhile, so I'll be here doing husband and father duties." He coldly stated, but you felt the care in his tone at the same time.

"I love that!"

"I love you." He said as he cupped your cheeks to kiss you warmly.

[claramelooo]

CRIMSON REVERIE

The news came out that the world didn't believe!!! I really loved this chapter, it is my 'xodó' until now.

Please, read it <3

MINORS DO NOT MUST INTERACT

Summary: During a camp you discover what your destination is.

Hey! Now i've a Masterlist

Dawn

The campus was abuzz with preparations for the traditional Camping Week, an old town celebration that mixed folklore, outdoor activities, and a touch of emotional torture—especially for the teachers.

You were in the library, trying to convince Yelena to join the camping organization committee, but she seemed more interested in planning ways to avoid sleeping outdoors.

"Camping? Sleeping on the ground? Eating canned food? Please," she said, rolling her eyes dramatically. "That’s horror movie stuff. And I’m not going to be the first blonde to die, thank you.

"You’re not even a natural blonde," Kate retorted with a grin.

"Which is precisely why I need to protect my artificial hair," Yelena replied, pointing to her locks as if they were a war trophy.

Bucky, flipping through a survival magazine, finally joined the conversation.

"I think it’ll be fun. Campfires, scary stories, fresh air..."

"And bugs, punctured air mattresses, and grumpy teachers," you added, though your excitement was evident.

"Well, maybe the grumpy teachers will make it more fun," Kate said with a mischievous look.

You knew exactly who she was talking about.

Meanwhile, the teachers were gathered in a room discussing the camping details, and the energy there was entirely different.

"Let me get this straight," Agatha began, adjusting the brooch on her outfit. "You want me to spend two nights in a tent, surrounded by noisy students and mosquitoes? Who invented this, and how can I curse them?"

"It’s tradition," Rio responded, always calm and just a little too enthusiastic. "And it’s important for bonding with the students."

"Bonding?" Agatha shot back, crossing her arms. "I prefer chains. More effective."

Bruce, in charge of logistics, raised his hands in surrender. "We’re not going to survive this if we start with negativity. Let’s organize everything properly and..."

"Sleep on the ground. Eat bad food. Have a nervous breakdown," Carol interjected, tossing her bag into the corner of the room.

And then there was Wanda, sitting silently, her expression unreadable. While the others complained, she was already formulating a plan. The camp would be hell for everyone, of course, but it would also be the perfect opportunity to test someone—you.

Somehow, Wanda would make it worth her while.

The arrival at the site was chaotic, as expected. Students stumbled with backpacks, teachers were visibly annoyed, and Yelena was trying to find a cell signal to post her outrage online.

"I can’t believe you talked me into this," she said, looking around in despair.

"Oh, stop complaining. Look how beautiful it is!" Kate said, pointing to the shimmering lake and tall trees.

"Beautiful? I’m sure this is where they filmed the first Friday the 13th. There—bet that’s where Jason killed his first blonde," Yelena said nervously, glancing at the forest.

"What are you talking about? Everyone knows the blonde is the 'final girl'," Kate countered, raising both eyebrows.

"And that the real killer was Jason’s mom, not him. Haven’t you seen Scream?" Bucky muttered, dropping his camping bag wherever.

You laughed, but your eyes involuntarily drifted to Wanda. She looked far too elegant for the setting, as if she’d stepped out of a magazine, even in a simple coat. Her gaze met yours, and a shiver ran through you.

Principal Cowell climbed onto a makeshift wooden platform in the center of the camp, clapping his hands for attention. His white tank top and tiny shorts, revealing his incredibly pale and nearly blinding legs, didn’t match the overly serious tone he attempted to adopt.

"Attention, children, and older children disguised as teachers!" he began, spreading his arms as if about to deliver a divine revelation.

Yelena, standing beside you, let out such a loud sigh that Kate had to stifle a laugh.

"This camp," continued the principal, "is not just about fun. It’s not just about pitching tents or eating marshmallows. This is a rite of passage! An opportunity to reconnect with nature, with the ancestors of this town, and, above all, with yourselves."

"Is he serious?" Yelena asked, leaning closer to you.

"Serious enough to make my breakfast want to come back up," you replied, trying not to laugh.

Cowell either didn’t notice—or completely ignored—the chorus of mocking whispers and bored looks as he went on.

"As the leader of this illustrious institution, it is my duty to ensure that each of you leaves here with more than just mosquito bites and sleepless nights. I want you to leave transformed, enlightened, and…" He hesitated, looking at the surrounding trees. "…with all trash properly picked up, please, no littering!"

"And we thought he was going to recite Shakespeare," Bucky muttered, tossing a rock on the ground with a bored sigh.

"Now," Cowell said, raising a finger as if about to announce something grandiose, "we’ll uphold the traditions established by our founders. Boys and girls in separate areas. Oh, and for our LGBTQIA+ students… I humbly ask that you choose not to hook up tonight. Please."

A stunned silence fell over the camp, followed by a wave of stifled laughter and incredulous looks.

"He didn’t just say that…" Kate said, covering her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Oh, but he did," Yelena replied, laughing openly.

The teachers around were clearly divided. Rio shook his head with an expression of pure exasperation. Agatha raised an eyebrow at Wanda as if to say, Is this guy for real? Carol crossed her arms, clearly debating whether to laugh or intervene.

Wanda, however, seemed oblivious to the situation, her eyes fixed on you in the crowd. When you noticed, she looked away, but there was a glint in her eyes you couldn’t interpret.

"Now, spread out, grab your tents, and start setting up camp!" Cowell concluded enthusiastically, awkwardly jumping off the platform.

"This is going to be the best disaster of my life," you said, shaking your head, already imagining the scenes to come.

[...]

The camp was bustling with activity, students tripping over tent stakes and teachers growing increasingly irritated. You were struggling to make sense of the tent manual, which seemed like it had been translated from another language by an intern.

That’s when you heard a familiar voice.

“Well, look who’s decided to play adventurer today!”

You looked up to see Darcy Lewis, a university senior known for being the most sociable and quick-witted person on campus. She was wearing a wide grin and carrying a hammer to help other students.

“Need some help, freshman?” Darcy asked, tilting her head playfully.

“If I said no, I’d be lying,” you admitted, setting the manual aside. “This manual is worse than an algebra test.”

Darcy laughed and crouched down beside you, picking up the stakes and beginning to organize them efficiently. You chatted as you worked, sharing inside jokes and laughing at the disastrous situations happening around the camp.

The smile you gave Darcy was sincere, warm, and laden with something even you couldn’t quite identify. Ever since you arrived at the university, she had been your guide, showing you everything from the bathrooms to the dorms. And when you found out Darcy would be your roommate, something in your mind sparked—expectations that wouldn’t stop growing.

Darcy always had this relaxed demeanor, like nothing in the world could throw her off balance. As you worked alongside her, you felt the weight of her presence like an anchor amidst the chaos of university life. She was different—not just because she seemed to master everything with irritating ease, but because, somehow, she made you feel comfortable. Seen.

You remembered the first time you met her. She had shown up in the dorm hallway with an easy smile and a box of donuts, saying, "Welcome to hell! I hope you like coffee because no one survives here without it."

From that moment, it was hard not to get attached. Darcy was always the first to offer help, whether it was explaining tough physics concepts or just listening to you vent about endless assignments. She had this way of making any place feel a little brighter, safer.

Now, as she adjusted the tent stakes, your mind wandered to all the little moments you’d shared. Late-night dorm room talks, stifled laughter so as not to wake others, the way she encouraged you without making you feel dependent on her.

But there was more than just admiration there, and you knew it. It was the way your heart raced a little faster when she leaned in too close to explain something, or how you held your breath whenever she casually tossed her hair back, oblivious to the effect it had on you.

As you tightened a loose rope, you glanced at her, trying to disguise the lingering look. Darcy was focused, the tip of her tongue poking out slightly as she worked, her face softened by an expression of calm concentration. She was beautiful—not just in an obvious way, but in a way that came from confidence, intelligence, and the ability to make you feel significant in a crowd.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Darcy suddenly asked, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“Like what?” You tried to sound casual, but you could feel the warmth rising to your face.

“Like… I don’t know, like you just remembered something really good.” Darcy raised an eyebrow, curious but with that playful smile only she had.

You opened your mouth to answer but closed it again, realizing you didn’t have a good excuse. Finally, you shrugged. “Maybe I did. Or maybe I’m just having fun.”

Darcy laughed, shaking her head. “Well, it’s good to see someone is because most people here look like they want to dig a hole and hide until Monday.”

You laughed together, and something about the sound of her laughter made your chest tighten in the best way, as if, for a moment, nothing else mattered.

But that feeling was also terrifying. Because deep down, you knew Darcy would probably never look at you the same way. To her, you were just a funny, slightly clumsy girl who needed help every now and then.

Still, what could you do? Ignore the way she made you feel alive? Pretend you didn’t want more of these moments? It was pointless, and you knew it.

Wanda knew it too.

Wanda watched from a distance, her arms crossed as she pretended to listen to Carol and Agatha discussing the evening’s logistics. Her eyes, however, were fixed on you and Darcy, leaning close together as you set up the tent.

Something burned inside her—a mixture of anger and a discomfort she hated admitting was jealousy. Every smile you gave Darcy seemed brighter than any Wanda had ever received from you. It wasn’t fair. And the worst part was the way Darcy reciprocated, so effortlessly casual and relaxed, as if winning your attention was easy.

“Who the hell is this girl?” Wanda thought, narrowing her eyes.

She tried to shake off the feeling, but the unease grew like a knot in her stomach. What did Darcy have that made you look at her like that? The thought tormented Wanda, and she wasn’t the kind to tolerate uncertainties.

With a cold determination, she closed her eyes for a moment, letting her powers extend. Darcy’s mind was easy to access; she lacked the natural barriers some people built. Wanda slipped in effortlessly, sifting carefully as though flipping through a book.

What she found made her lips curl into a cold smile. Darcy felt nothing but fraternal affection for you—a genuine friendship, without any romantic undertones or desire. It was a relief, but also an insult.

Wanda’s expression remained serene, but her crimson eyes glinted with an intensity that betrayed her calm exterior. Darcy was speaking animatedly with someone, laughing at something, but Wanda saw only how that laugh seemed misplaced. Forced.

“She tries so hard,” Wanda murmured, a faint smile curving her lips. “But it’s not enough, is it? Poor Darcy…”

"You’re nothing special to her, are you?" Wanda murmured to herself, a red glow flickering in her eyes for a brief moment.

For an instant, the Scarlet Witch—her darker, more primal side—nearly took over. "Then she doesn’t need to be here anymore," murmured the voice in her mind. But Wanda took a deep breath and stepped back. It wasn’t necessary. Darcy was insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Even so, Wanda couldn’t resist the urge to leave her mark. She planted a subtle thought in Darcy’s mind, something that would make her hesitate if she got too close to you. A small shadow of doubt—not enough to harm the girl, but sufficient to keep her distant, allowing Wanda to feel in control once more.

The witch crossed her arms, her fingers drumming lightly as she scrutinized every gesture, every nuance. Darcy was an unfinished canvas, an attempt at grandeur that failed to capture the depth needed to be truly remarkable.

Inside her, a darker part stirred. The Scarlet Witch, primal and possessive, whispered insidiously, urging her to remove any threat to her position. “She’s nothing. An insignificant obstacle. Get rid of her. Y/n wouldn’t even notice.”

Wanda inhaled deeply, steadying herself. No. It wasn’t necessary. Darcy was no real threat, just an inconvenient distraction. Still, Wanda understood the power of doubt and how a tiny fracture could spread until it consumed everything.

She raised her hand, her fingers dancing lightly in the air as if weaving invisible threads. Her lips moved in an almost imperceptible whisper, and a subtle breeze swept past Darcy, like a gentle touch on her consciousness.

"Always the helper, never the helped."

The thought seemed to emerge from nowhere, nesting in Darcy’s mind like an imperceptible seed. She furrowed her brow slightly, as if something had brushed against her awareness, but quickly shook her head, trying to ignore the feeling.

"Little Darcy, a sidekick in her own life, isn’t she? Just... ordinary."

Wanda let the spell do its work—subtle, almost undetectable. It wasn’t enough to destroy Darcy, but it was enough to plant that shadow. A thought that would surface on the loneliest nights, when she looked in the mirror and wondered who she could have been.

Satisfied, Wanda stepped back, a slight smile of triumph on her lips. It wasn’t just power that defined her—it was control. And as she watched Darcy cast a distracted glance of insecurity at her reflection, Wanda knew she was in command once again.

When Wanda opened her eyes, she was calmer, but anger still simmered beneath the surface. She couldn’t bear the thought of you dedicating any part of yourself to someone else, even if it was just friendship.

As Darcy stood and laughed loudly at something you said, Wanda clenched her fists at her sides. The red of her powers glimmered briefly in her palms before fading away.

"This is only the beginning," Wanda thought. She couldn’t allow anything—or anyone—to come between the two of you.

Wanda turned toward the lake, her eyes fixed on the horizon as she wrestled with the conflicting feelings inside her. The sorceress within her constantly whispered, urging for more control, more dominance, but Wanda wasn’t ready to fully give in—not yet.

For now, Darcy was safe. But Wanda knew that if she had to, she wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever was necessary to ensure you stayed exactly where she wanted.

The campfire crackled, sparks shooting up into the star-speckled dark sky. The sweet aroma of toasted marshmallows mingled with the fresh night air. Students were scattered around, sitting on makeshift logs or blankets. Laughter echoed as everyone settled in for an evening of stories and fun.

Rio, with her contagious smile and an out-of-tune guitar, was leading the group in a singalong, struggling to keep up with the chaotic voices of the students.

“Come on, guys! Louder! You sound like zombies!” she exclaimed, laughing as she strummed simple chords.

“Louder and more off-key…” Agatha grumbled from the other side of the fire, rolling her eyes dramatically. She sat with a cup of coffee—seemingly conjured from nowhere—wearing an expression of pure boredom.

“You’re killing the vibe, Agatha,” Rio teased, strumming a chord for comedic effect. “Be happy for once in your life!”

Agatha raised an eyebrow, replying in her trademark sarcastic tone, “Oh, sorry. My happiness is stuck in the same place as your ability to play the guitar.”

The fire exploded with laughter.

“That’s so mean!” you laughed, pointing at Agatha. “I think you just lost your chance to be the night’s favorite.”

“As if I care about being the favorite,” Agatha retorted, though a small smile played on her lips.

Meanwhile, Yelena and Kate were trying to balance marshmallows on improvised sticks, with Kate complaining that hers was burning.

“That’s how it tastes best!” Yelena argued, biting into a marshmallow charred black with enthusiasm.

“That’s pure ash!” Kate said, horrified.

“Gourmet ash.”

Across the fire, Wanda sat with a rigid posture, watching the scene with a mixture of fascination and discomfort. The firelight danced in her eyes, making the green orbs almost ethereal. You noticed that, even amidst the chaos, her gaze always seemed to find you.

“Time for ghost stories!” one of the students shouted, excited.

Rio clapped her hands. “Great idea! Who’s starting?”

A skinny student raised his hand with a mischievous grin. “I have a story about Professor Harkness. They say she’s been spotted wandering around at midnight, talking to cats and—”

Agatha raised her hand, cutting him off with a sweet but threatening smile. “Finish that sentence, and I promise you’ll have the lowest grade of your life.”

More laughter erupted as the student gave an exaggerated bow.

Bruce, sitting a bit farther away and cleaning his glasses, finally chimed in: “Why not a science story? Something truly terrifying?”

“Terrifying? Like your physics lectures?” Yelena quipped, earning another round of laughter from the group.

As everyone laughed and shared stories, you noticed Wanda had a faint smile on her lips—something rare and precious. When Rio began strumming another lighthearted tune, you saw Wanda relax slightly, though she still seemed distant.

“Hey, Wanda,” Agatha called, her tone teasing. “Aren’t you going to tell a story? Something about witches and sorcery, perhaps?”

Wanda narrowed her eyes at Agatha, but there was something playful in her gaze. “I think I can do that,” she replied, to everyone’s surprise.

Wanda crossed her legs gracefully, the firelight casting dramatic shadows on her face. Her voice was soft but carried a weight that held everyone’s attention. She gave you a long, deliberate look—somewhere between predatory and curious—before she began.

“Once upon a time… there was a sweet, lonely girl.”

The group fell silent, the sounds of the forest around them fading into the background.

“She lived in a small village, isolated from the world. She was known for her beauty and kindness—a rare combination that made everyone around her admire her. But the girl didn’t want everyone’s attention. Her heart was set on just one person: the crown prince of the kingdom.”

Wanda paused, letting the suspense linger. Her eyes met yours, sending a shiver down your spine.

"The prince was everything she dreamed of—strong, charismatic, and kind… at least in her eyes. One day, the prince hosted a grand ball, and the girl decided she would do anything to win his heart. But there was one problem."

"Let me guess," Kate interrupted. "She didn’t have a dress, and then a fairy godmother shows up?"

"That’s another story," Wanda replied with an enigmatic smile. "In this one, instead of a fairy godmother, a witch appeared."

The silence returned, even heavier this time.

"The witch saw the girl crying by a lake, her tears sparkling like diamonds in the moonlight. She approached—gentle and seductive—promising to help her. ‘I will grant you eternal beauty, irresistible charm, and the chance to win the prince’s heart,’ the witch said."

Wanda leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to an almost-whisper. "The girl, naive and desperate, accepted the pact without question. And that night, she danced with the prince at the ball. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, nor his hands. She felt she had finally achieved her dream. But there was a price."

Agatha scoffed, clearly skeptical. "There always is."

Wanda ignored the jab and continued, "The next morning, the girl woke up in a dark cabin, bound by chains of silver that shimmered like candlelight. The witch was there, smiling. ‘You wanted the prince, and I gave you one night. Now, your strength, your youth, and your beauty belong to me.’"

Rio let out a dramatic sigh. "How tragic! Poor girl."

"But that’s not the scariest part," Wanda said, her eyes locking onto yours again, as if the story were meant only for you. "The girl never stopped dreaming of the prince, even as the witch drained her life little by little. Because the witch’s true power wasn’t just stealing her beauty—it was making her long for something she could never have. And every time the girl wished, the witch grew stronger."

Your heart raced. You knew it was just a story, but the way Wanda told it—the intensity in her gaze—made it feel far too real.

"And what happened to the girl?" someone finally asked, breaking the heavy silence.

Wanda smiled—a cold, victorious smile directed at you. "She’s still there, in the cabin, staring into the mirror and wishing. Because some prisons don’t have walls, only unreachable desires."

The fire crackled, as if emphasizing the story’s end. Wanda leaned back in her seat, her eyes never leaving yours, while an uncomfortable silence hung over the group.

Agatha finally broke the moment. "Well, that was… absolutely depressing. Thanks for that, Wanda."

Rio tried to lighten the mood by playing a cheerful melody on her guitar, but you still felt the weight of Wanda’s gaze. She seemed to be daring you to react, to retreat, or to do something she could manipulate.

But you didn’t step back. And, for a brief moment, you were certain you saw the corner of Wanda’s mouth lift into an almost imperceptible smile.

The forest was cloaked in an almost absolute silence, broken only by the sound of your quick steps crushing dried leaves. Wanda’s story still lingered in your mind, like a persistent echo, and you felt like you needed air, space—anything to escape the weight of that intense gaze.

You walked away from the campfire, wandering aimlessly, the faint starlight barely illuminating the path between the tall trees. The air was cold and heavy with moisture, but it was better than being under Wanda’s watchful eyes.

“Hiding, darling?” Her voice came from behind you, low and almost seductive.

You spun around quickly, your heart racing. Wanda was there, just a few meters away, arms crossed, her hair gleaming under the moonlight. How she always managed to look so flawless, even in the middle of the forest, was a mystery you couldn’t comprehend.

“I… I just needed some air,” you finally replied. “And what was that story?” you asked, trying to sound firm, but the tension in your voice was obvious.

Her smile was slow, predatory. “It’s what’s going to happen to you,” she said, stepping forward, her eyes locked on yours. “Or do you think I haven’t noticed your ridiculous crush on that insignificant girl?”

Your stomach twisted, and you instinctively stepped back. “What? What are you talking about? Darcy is just my friend!”

“Oh, please.” Wanda laughed, but there was no humor in her voice. “I don’t need to read your mind to see how you look at her. That silly smile, the fleeting glances—it’s pathetic.”

You felt your face heat with embarrassment and anger. “You can’t talk to me like that! What do you even know about me?”

“More than you’d like me to,” she murmured, her eyes glowing with a faint red light.

The tension between you grew with every passing second, like a taut string about to snap. Wanda stepped closer again, and this time, you didn’t back away.

“Why do you care?” you demanded, your voice defiant. “Why are you so obsessed with who I like or don’t like?”

Wanda’s smile vanished, and something darker overtook her expression. “Because you’re mine,” she said simply, as if it were an undeniable truth.

Before you could respond, the air around Wanda began to shimmer with red energy. Her eyes turned fully scarlet, and tendrils of pure magic emerged from her back, writhing in the air like hungry serpents.

“Let’s see how far you can go.”

She rose into the sky with a swift motion, her silhouette stark against the darkness of the forest, like a vengeful goddess. There was no choice. Instinct took over, and you started running, your feet stumbling over uneven ground as branches closed in around you like living traps.

“You can run,” Wanda mocked, her voice seeming to come from every direction, “but you can’t escape.”

The magical tendrils lashed around you, toppling trees and ripping chunks from the ground. You leaped over fallen trunks and pushed through thorny bushes, your heart pounding with growing terror.

Suddenly, one of the tendrils struck beside you, tearing a chunk of earth and causing you to stumble. You fell, rolling through the dirt, and when you looked up, Wanda was there, hovering above you like a goddess of destruction, her face illuminated by a scarlet glow.

“Get up,” she ordered, her voice low and laced with authority. “Prove that you’re not as weak as you seem.”

Your body trembled, but something within you refused to give up. Slowly, you rose to your feet, your eyes locked on hers. For the first time, you realized that beneath all her fury and power, there was something else—a desperate need for control, for you.

And you decided it wouldn’t be so easy to give in.

The ground beneath your feet seemed to pulse, as if the forest were alive, reacting to Wanda’s oppressive presence. You ran, the sound of your own breathing drowned out by the eerie whispers of the trees around you. The shadows stretched, invisible hands trying to grab you as you dodged twisted branches that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“Do you really think you can escape me?” Wanda’s voice echoed through the forest, almost soft but full of menace. “You belong to me. And I don’t lose what’s mine.”

You tripped over a root that seemed to move deliberately to trip you, falling to your knees. Panic rose, but so did a spark of defiance. Looking back, you saw Wanda floating above the ground, the red tendrils glowing like whips of pure energy. Her eyes were entirely scarlet, her expression a mix of rage and… something you couldn’t identify.

“Is that what you call a fight?” Wanda taunted, her voice sharp as a blade.

“That’s cheating!” you shouted, trying to buy time as you got to your feet.

Wanda laughed, a low and dangerous sound that sent shivers down your spine. “Darling, what made you think this would ever be fair?”

With a wave of her hand, the trees around you came alive. Grotesque faces appeared on the trunks, mouths open in silent screams, as branches extended like arms, trying to grab you.

You ran again, dodging a branch that almost caught your ankle. “You’re insane!” you shouted, but your voice trembled more from adrenaline than fear.

“Insane?” Wanda repeated, her voice seeming to come from everywhere. “Perhaps. But at least I’m honest about what I want. You, on the other hand, keep pretending you don’t feel anything. That you don’t feel me. That you don’t dream about this every day too.”

Her words hit you like invisible blows, each sharper than the last. Your heart raced, your lungs burned as you kept running, but those sentences echoed within you, cutting deep.

The dreams. She knew about them? About the images that haunted you—of the two of you as a family, laughing together, complete. A future you’d never dare to admit you wanted.

The confusion was overwhelming because, despite everything, there was something about Wanda that was impossible to ignore. An irresistible force pulling you in, like gravity, even as she hunted you like prey.

Your mind screamed to resist, but her magnetism was undeniable—engulfing, dangerous. And in that moment, you wondered if running was truly an option or merely a futile attempt to escape something that had always been destined to happen.

“I am not yours!” you shouted, more to yourself than to her.

“Oh, but you are,” Wanda replied, her voice now closer. “And you know it. I can feel it in the way you try to resist. It’s adorable, but futile.”

You stumbled down a slope, sliding clumsily as the uneven ground struck sparks of pain through your body with each impact. When you finally stopped at the base of a grotesque tree, its twisted branches like arms ready to grasp, you tried to stand—but it was already too late.

Wanda was there. Hovering over you like a vision of absolute power, her feet floating inches above the ground as the force of her magic made the surrounding trees shudder and groan.

“Tired already, darling?” she taunted, her voice silky yet laced with an implicit threat. Slowly, her feet touched the ground, every movement deliberate and purposeful. “I could do this all night.”

You gasped, your body trembling but refusing to yield. Your eyes met hers—burning red—and there was something defiant in your own gaze. “Why are you doing this? Why me?”

For a fleeting moment, something shifted in Wanda’s face. The dark intensity faltered, and a deeper emotion surfaced—but only for an instant. “Because you challenge me. Because you were made for me. For love… or for death.”

She raised a hand, and immediately the earth around you began to move, as if it were alive. Roots and branches emerged to bind you, wrapping around your arms and legs, pinning you down against your will.

“Now,” Wanda continued, her voice low and carrying a calm menace. “Let’s see if you can admit it before I decide what to do with you.”

The battle was no longer just physical. It was a war of wills, an unbearable tension growing with each passing second. The air around you felt electrified, pulsating as if the very environment awaited the inevitable explosion.

The branches of the grotesque tree seemed to come alive, gripping you with relentless force and lifting you off the ground. You screamed, but the struggle was futile. Like a puppet on invisible strings, you were dragged closer to Wanda, who stood still, motionless, like a statue of pure power.

She didn’t smile, but the look she fixed on you was more devastating than any expression. Her gaze scanned every detail—the scratches on your face, the thin cuts on your arms—absorbing each fragment of your vulnerability.

With deliberate gentleness, Wanda lifted you into the skies with her—only the moon and stars bore witness to the tension between you. Her presence was overwhelming, and every movement seemed charged with absolute control, like a predator savoring the imminent victory. When you finally stopped before her, there was something almost tender in her expression.

“Let me see,” she commanded, her cold fingers brushing against the bruised skin of your face.

You tried to pull away, but the pain was too real, and her touch, as possessive as it was, carried an unexpected hint of care. Before you could react, she tilted her head and pressed her lips to one of the scratches on your face. The pain disappeared instantly, replaced by a warm, inexplicable sensation.

“You—” Your voice faltered, caught between shock and something you didn’t want to name.

Without hesitation, Wanda repeated the gesture on another bruise, then another. Each kiss was a confusing mix of relief and an overwhelming pulse that made your heart race. It was as if she was imprinting something on you, an invisible yet permanent mark.

“Why are you doing this?” you managed to ask, but your voice came out as a whisper.

Wanda paused, her blazing eyes meeting yours as if she could see not just this life, but all the lives you had shared. For an instant, it seemed she was about to confess something that transcended words, something that defied the very fabric of fate. Vulnerability flickered in her features, fleeting as the reflection of a comet, before disappearing under the unyielding firmness of her expression.

“Because you are mine,” she said finally, her voice low but laden with conviction that spanned eras and realities.

As if it were the only truth she knew.

Those words weren’t just a declaration; they were a primordial truth of the universe, a force that tethered the stars to the sky and kept the delicate threads between multiverses connected.

Your mind reeled, unable to grasp the weight of her confession. The relentless chase, the raw violence, the unexpected tenderness—all pieces of a puzzle that formed something greater than any destiny. The way she looked at you, as if every part of you was a long-lost secret, spoke louder than a thousand words ever could.

It wasn’t just possession, nor obsession. It was something as eternal as time, as life, as death. And suddenly, you understood. It wasn’t Wanda who bound you; it was destiny itself.

Dr. Wanda Maximoff, brilliant and dangerous, wasn’t just a woman. She was a force larger than this world, larger than any other. In her presence, you felt a visceral truth: in some inexplicable way, you were part of her. You were her other half, a soul her magic had recognized from time immemorial, as if both of you belonged to a cycle that could never be broken.

As this truth took shape in your mind, your eyes fixed on the dark horizon of the forest, where the night seemed to breathe in unison with the two of you.

“Maybe—” your voice came out soft, hesitant, but laden with silent certainty. “Maybe what the princess wanted all along wasn’t the prince…”

You paused, the silence now filled with the sound of distant crickets and the wind dancing through the trees. But most of all, it was the glow in Wanda’s eyes that stood out—capturing the reflection of the stars and something deeper, more intimate. She didn’t look away; instead, she held your gaze, as though she was waiting—or dreading—the end of your sentence.

You turned to her, and the emotion began to swell. The knot in your throat threatened to choke the words, but you knew you had to say them. Your eyes, glistening, met hers, which shone with the intensity of someone who finally sees a secret unveiled. With an almost imperceptible smile on your lips, you finished, in a whisper that felt sacred:

“…Maybe all along.” Your voice broke, a tear trailing down the corner of your eye. “All the princess ever wanted and needed… was the witch.”

Wanda blinked rapidly, but she couldn’t stop the tears that slipped down her cheeks. The strength she had held so tightly seemed to crumble, and her breath hitched at the sound of your words. The depth of the moment was overwhelming, and the smile that curved her lips was both a confession and a surrender.

Your heart raced, not out of fear, but from sheer energy. It was as if the entire multiverse had stopped to witness this moment. Compelled by a force you didn’t understand but couldn’t deny, you surged forward—your right hand tangling in Wanda’s auburn hair, feeling the soft strands between your fingers, while the other found the nape of her neck, warm and pulsating with the life that seemed to radiate directly from her magic.

Your lips crashed into hers in a kiss as fierce as it was inevitable, like two primordial forces colliding at the epicenter of a storm. For a brief moment, Wanda was still, perhaps surprised by the intensity of the gesture, but that lasted only a second. Once she surrendered to the moment, she took control as though it was hers by right.

Her lips moved against yours with a blend of possessiveness and precision, as though every motion had been rehearsed through the ages. You tried to match her rhythm, but Wanda allowed no hesitation. Her hand slid up your back, dragging her fingers firmly, almost as if mapping every inch of you. The other hand gripped your waist, pulling you closer, so close there was no room for air between you.

Your tongue met hers, and the shock of the contact was like an electric explosion. Wanda was not gentle but intense, like a flame burning without seeking permission. Every movement was deep, every action calculated to claim. She tasted you as if memorizing every detail, every flavor. You tried to respond with the same hunger, but she wouldn’t let you lead. She controlled the pace—sometimes slow and deliberate, sometimes voracious and relentless.

Your fingers tightened in her hair, pulling slightly, and it elicited a low sound, almost a growl, from Wanda. She pressed you even closer, your back arching into her. Her heat was nearly suffocating, the vibrant energy radiating from her body enveloping you completely, like a current pulling you into a whirlpool of pure desire.

Your mouths parted briefly, just enough to catch your breath. But before you could recover, Wanda captured your lips again, this time with even greater intensity, as if determined to etch this moment into the present and every timeline.

The magic surrounding her reacted to the kiss as if it had a will of its own. The air vibrated, the trees pulsed, and the sky above Westview lit up with a scarlet glow. It was as if the universe itself reflected the power of what was happening between you—a collision of souls that transcended barriers and realities.

When you finally broke apart, both of you were breathless, your faces so close your foreheads touched. Wanda's eyes glowed intensely, red as embers, and your own eyes mirrored something between awe and desire.

“God—” Wanda whispered, her voice rough and laden with something indefinable. Her hands still held you firmly, as if afraid you might vanish. “Tell me you feel it too.”

You could only nod, speechless, because all that remained was the certainty that this kiss had changed everything. It wasn’t just a physical act; it was a fusion of two existences destined to collide—a moment where chaos and order became one pulsating entity. And you knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that you could never escape her—and, secretly, you never wanted to.

You opened your eyes just in time to see the universe react. It was as if every dimension felt the echo of that moment—a wave of pure magic and emotion spreading, connecting lives and stories in a single brilliant point.

Wanda, now with a smile that blended triumph with something dangerously close to tenderness, cupped your face with both hands. Her eyes still burned with chaos magic, but there was something human there too—a soft glow, a trace of vulnerability. “Now,” she whispered, as if speaking to herself. “Now I’m complete. Thanks to you, my soulmate.”

The weight of her words echoed within you like an ancient melody, a song you had always known by heart, even without ever hearing it. And as the multiverse seemed to bow in reverence to this moment, you realized that no matter how confused you were, there was no denying it. You weren’t just two souls. You were a constant, a truth that transcended lives and destinies.

The walk back to the camp was wrapped in a heavy, almost suffocating silence. You trailed a few steps behind Wanda, still feeling the ghostly sensation of the branches that had held you and her touch, which burned more than it healed.

Wanda walked with her head high, but her clenched jaw and tight fists betrayed something beneath her controlled exterior. The silence wasn’t just hers; you didn’t know what to say either. Every possible word felt inadequate in the wake of what had just happened.

When the lights of the camp finally appeared through the trees, it was a bitter relief. The distant sound of other students’ voices and the warm glow of campfires provided a stark contrast to the weight of the walk.

As you both emerged from the last line of trees and approached the center of the camp, one of the students ran toward you, his eyes wide and his face lit with almost childlike excitement.

“Come quick!” he exclaimed, pointing toward the sky. “There’s a meteor shower—red meteors!”

You glanced at Wanda, who froze immediately. She lifted her eyes to the sky, her lips pressed into a thin line. Something in her expression—a mix of worry and something almost… amused—made your stomach churn.

Raising your eyes to the sky, you saw what the student was describing. Bright red streaks crossed the night, like shooting stars, but different. More intense, more alive. There was something supernatural about their beauty, something that didn’t feel like it belonged to the natural world.

“These… aren’t meteors, are they?” you asked in a low tone, meant only for Wanda.

She didn't reply immediately, keeping her gaze fixed on the sky, but the tension in her shoulders was hard to miss. Finally, she tilted her head slightly toward you, her voice a low murmur: "No. They're... remnants. Fragments of my power."

Her answer hit you like a punch. It was obvious, really, but hearing it out loud made it feel far more real. Those streaks in the sky, so beautiful and surreal, were the echoes of something infinitely more dangerous.

“They won’t get hurt, will they?” you asked, the concern slipping out involuntarily.

Wanda finally tore her gaze from the sky to meet yours. There was something almost proud in her eyes, as if she appreciated the question. But her response was firm. “No. It’s only a reflection. They’ll feel nothing but awe.”

The student ran back to the group, shouting excitedly for more people to look at the sky. Animated conversations and laughter began to fill the camp as everyone marveled at the supposed "meteor shower."

You stayed by Wanda’s side, feeling the weight of the secret you now shared. Every red streak in the sky was a reminder of who she was—and what she was capable of.

Finally, Wanda broke the silence between you. “It’s curious,” she said softly, her eyes still on the sky. “They look at this as something magical, enchanting. They have no idea it’s something so... ordinary to me.”

“Ordinary?” you repeated, incredulous. You could hardly believe what you were hearing. It wasn’t just the tone in Wanda’s voice but what it implied—her apparent indifference to the power she wielded like a second skin, something you could only imagine and, even then, fear.

She could have killed you. As if you were nothing. A mere flick of her hand would have been enough to reduce you to eternal silence, to oblivion. But that wasn’t what she did. No, instead, she chose something infinitely more complex. More confusing. More cruel and tender all at once.

She kissed your wounds, not with pity but with reverence. Every scratch on your skin was treated as something worthy of care, something deserving of attention. Where the heat of her power could have left ashes, Wanda chose to leave solace.

You wondered why she did it. Why someone so powerful—so capable of destruction, so distant in her essence—would choose to bow to tenderness for someone so small, so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. You were no weapon, no threat, and certainly no equal to her.

Wanda gave a slight smile—almost sad, but with a hint of arrogance. “Yes. Power is... just that. A tool. Beautiful, maybe, but dangerous. Like fire.”

You stared at her for a long moment, trying to grasp the complexity hidden behind those words. But before you could respond, Wanda took a step forward, heading toward the circle of students gathered to admire the sky.

She was an imposing figure but strangely human under that light. For a moment, you wondered how the others saw her. As someone brilliant, respectable... but never as the Wanda you had met in that forest.

As she walked away, you found yourself frozen, unable to decide whether to follow her or keep some distance. Because, somehow, you knew: that night had changed everything.

The night finally quieted after curfew. The lively chatter of the students gave way to the subtle sound of wind rustling through the trees and the occasional crack of branches. You were in your tent, lying down, but sleep didn’t come easily. Your mind was still processing the walk, the hunt, the "meteors."

Eventually, exhaustion won, and sleep came without warning. And with it, once again, the dream.

You were in a vast field bathed in a soft golden light, and a little girl ran ahead of you. Her steps were as light as a deer’s, her melodious laughter filling the space. You tried to catch up, calling out, but your voice seemed muffled, unable to bridge the distance between you.

The girl suddenly stopped, spinning around to face you. Her hair shone in the sunlight, and the face that had been a blurry smudge was now clear. But it was her eyes that froze you in place. A deep, vibrant green, full of life and mystery. The same eyes you had stared into before.

“Do you know who I am?” the girl asked, her tone sweet but laden with something older, wiser.

Before you could answer, the field began to collapse around you, as if the world were dissolving into a vortex of red light and darkness. You tried to scream but woke with a start, your heart pounding wildly, your chest heaving.

The dream left you shaken but resolute. There was no more room for doubt or waiting. You needed to confront Wanda. You needed to understand what was happening.

Moving quickly and still disoriented, you got up and left the tent, your bare feet sinking into the cold earth. But before you could take another step, something caught your attention.

A light.

Red and pulsing, like a beating heart. It hovered in the air not far away, glowing with a supernatural brilliance. It was impossible to tell where it came from, but there was something about it that held you captive, made it impossible to ignore.

You took a hesitant step toward the light, and it pulsed again, as if calling to you. Your chest tightened, but even so, you continued. It was as if an invisible force was pulling you, something stronger than logic or fear.

“Wanda?” you whispered, unsure if you even wanted an answer.

The light didn’t respond but began to move, slowly, as if guiding you.

The camp around you seemed deserted, the tents motionless under the pale moonlight. With each step, the red light drew you deeper into the forest, and though there was something terrifying about the path, there was also a strange familiarity.

You felt compelled to follow. Somehow, you knew this was tied to the girl in the dream. To the green eyes. To Wanda.

And then, the light stopped.

It hovered between two ancient, gnarled trees, like guardians of a portal. Its glow intensified, and you noticed that, beyond the red, there was now a golden hue surrounding it, like an aura.

You hesitated, your heart pounding against your ribs. Every instinct in your body screamed that stepping through that invisible portal would change everything.

But before you could decide, a soft yet unmistakably firm voice echoed around you.

“You really are brave, aren’t you?”

You turned quickly, and there she was. Wanda, emerging from the shadows as if she had been there all along. The look in her eyes was intense, almost disarming.

“Did you come here to understand,” she asked, her arms crossed, her tone devoid of mockery. “Or to run again?”

You took a deep breath, forcing yourself to meet her gaze. "I want to know the truth. About you. About me. About… all of this."

Wanda tilted her head slightly, the corner of her lips curving into a smile that seemed more melancholic than satisfied. "Then come," she said, gesturing to the red glow pulsing between the trees. "I'll show you what you want to know."

The walk to the cabin was silent. Wanda led, and the red light that had guided you before now seemed absorbed into her figure, pulsing from her fingers, as a natural extension of her presence. The forest grew denser, but you hardly noticed the trees or the uneven ground.

Your thoughts were consumed by what she would say, by what you were about to discover.

Finally, you arrived.

The cabin was small, with old wooden walls and a chimney that looked long since extinguished. It was nothing like the teachers' cabins at the camp, which were practical and modern. This one seemed pulled from a dark fairy tale, a relic from another time. There was something comforting yet unsettling about the place.

Wanda opened the door with a flick of her hand, and you stepped inside, hesitating. The interior was simple but cozy. A fireplace occupied the main wall, with some worn armchairs scattered around.

Bookshelves filled the walls, and a small table was covered with candles, crystals, and notebooks.

She closed the door behind you and sighed deeply before turning to face you.

"You deserve answers," Wanda said, her voice low but firm. She gestured to one of the armchairs, indicating that you sit.

You obeyed, trying to appear calmer than you truly felt. Wanda remained standing, pacing the room as if organizing her thoughts.

"My full name is Wanda Maximoff," she began, her eyes fixed on the fireplace as if speaking was easier without facing you. "I am… or was… an Avenger. One of a group of heroes who tried to save the world countless times. Some would call it heroism, but for me, it was always more complicated."

She turned to you, her eyes burning with something between pain and determination.

"Inside me, there is something I can't always control. The Scarlet Witch. An ancient and immense power, linked to chaos magic. It’s not just a power; it’s almost… an entity. She is part of me, but also something beyond. Something dangerous."

You swallowed hard but remained silent, absorbing every word.

"I've lost so much because of this power," Wanda continued. "My brother, Pietro. He died fighting for something greater than the both of us. Then came Vision…" Her voice faltered, and she took a deep breath before continuing.

"Vision was… is… someone I loved deeply. He was a synthezoid, a creation, but had more humanity in him than many of us. He was destroyed, and I… I created a reality to try and bring him back. But it was a mistake. A mistake that hurt people."

She stepped closer, her eyes locked on yours now.

"The boys… Billy and Tommy. My sons." Her voice trembled with emotion. "They were real to me, even though they came from an illusion I created. I loved every moment of that, and losing them… it was like losing a part of myself."

Wanda sat down in the chair opposite yours, her posture tired.

"After that, I went in search of answers. I explored the multiverses. I created different worlds, different versions of myself and everyone I knew. Some were beautiful, others… terrifying. But in all of them, there was one constant: the chaos inside me."

She paused, and you noticed she was studying you.

"And then, there is you," she said, her tone shifting, softening. "You're not like anyone I've ever met. There's something in you that… challenges me, calls to me. As if it was inevitable that our lives would cross."

Your heart sped up, but Wanda continued before you could respond.

"And Seline," she said, the name echoing in the air like something sacred. "The little girl from your dreams. She is real, in a sense that transcends what you know as reality. She is a possibility, a piece of something greater. A connection between us, between what I was, what I am, and what we can be."

You felt your throat dry, but managed to ask, your voice weak: "We… who? Are you saying that…?"

Wanda smiled, but it was a smile full of mystery. "The two of us are connected. I don't know exactly how or why. But I know that Seline is proof that we've lived this many times."

The silence that followed was heavy, yet full of possibilities. You knew there was much more to understand, but you also knew that somehow, you were no longer alone on this journey. Wanda was there, with all her strength, pain, and intensity, and strangely, that gave you courage.

"Now," Wanda said, leaning forward, her eyes glowing intensely. "If you're ready to accept this, we can make it all happen. Together." Her eyes glowed red.

You felt like you didn't know how to breathe. "But… Vision, the boys. You already have a life here. How could I fit in? You're Professor Wanda Maximoff in this universe, married with children." Tears shimmered in your eyes.

Wanda remained silent for a moment, watching the tears glisten in your eyes. She seemed to be battling something, as if every word she was about to say required more than she had to offer.

"Do you think it's easy for me, too?" she finally said, her voice low but filled with an emotion that felt almost overwhelming. "Do you think I don't feel the same? That I don't wonder where you fit, or how I could give up the life I've already built for something I can't even explain yet?"

You tried to hold her gaze, but the intensity in her red eyes was almost unbearable. "Then why insist? Why continue with this if everything is so complicated?"

"Because you're here!" Wanda almost shouted, her control faltering for a moment. The scarlet glow around her pulsed, and the furniture in the cabin shook lightly. "Because even with all of this, even with Vision, with the boys, with the responsibilities, you're here. And every part of me tells me that you've always been."

The silence that followed was filled only with the rapid beat of your heart. You didn't know what to say. You didn't know how to respond to her intensity, but you also couldn't ignore the way her words seemed to awaken something deep within you.

"You speak of Seline as if she's an answer," you said finally, your voice stronger now. "But what about us? And everything this means?"

Wanda took a step closer, the red energy around her softening but still present. "We are the starting point. We always were. Seline is just the reflection of that, the proof that there’s something greater than these lives we’ve lived apart. Something that transcends time, universes."

"But Vision…" you began, but Wanda raised her hand, gently interrupting you.

"Vision knows what I am," she said, and there was an unmistakable sadness in her voice. "He always knew. I created him, but he’s not my destiny. He is kindness, stability. But you… you are chaos, like me. And maybe that’s the right thing."

You took a deep breath, trying to process it all. "So… what do we do now?"

Wanda smiled, but this time it was a softer smile, almost melancholic. "Now, we figure out how to make this work. But I can't promise it will be easy, and I can't promise we’ll come out of this without scars."

You didn’t say anything, just looked out the window—finally sighing as you saw the sun rising horizontally among the trees.

The dawn arrived like a whispered promise, the first touch of light painting the sky in golden and crimson hues. You and Wanda stood side by side, at the threshold of the cabin, watching the silent spectacle. The world seemed to breathe again, and even with the weight of the unknown hanging over you, there was something reassuring in the way the sun broke the darkness, persistent and unwavering.

The cool breeze touched your face, but Wanda's presence at your side was even more tangible. Her fingers brushed yours, a hesitant touch, as if testing the strength of this bond that now seemed impossible to ignore. Wanda turned her face to you, her eyes still carrying the echoes of the vibrant red that always seemed to dance in the depths of her soul.

"This is what we are," she said softly, her voice blending with the gentle sound of the leaves dancing in the wind. "Like the sun and the night. Always in a cycle, always chasing each other. But when we find balance, for a brief moment, we create something beautiful."

You looked at her, the first rays of sunlight illuminating the contours of her face, softening the intensity that so often defined her. "And when there’s no balance? When everything is just chaos?"

Wanda smiled, a small smile, filled with painful wisdom. "Chaos is also a way to create. It destroys, but it also makes room for something new to be born."

Her words weighed on you, as if they carried more than just a simple meaning. Maybe she was talking about the two of you, or perhaps she was referring to something much larger, something you still couldn’t fully comprehend.

The sun was now fully visible, spreading its light across the world like an artist on their canvas. And as you watched that spectacle, you realized that despite all the darkness, there was beauty in the dawn.

Just as there was beauty in standing beside Wanda, even when everything seemed so terribly complicated.

"Do you think we can make it?" you asked, your voice low, but filled with a vulnerability you didn’t try to hide.

"I think we already are," Wanda answered, her gaze firm and filled with a certainty you didn’t know whether to comfort her or yourself.

And so, at the threshold between night and day, between hope and fear, you and Wanda found something that seemed undeniably real. Perhaps it was just a moment, perhaps the beginning of something much larger. But for now, that was enough.

~*~

Wanted: powerful goddess witch to throw me against the wall and impegnate me.

Tag list <3

@vyvvycg @rosekjsses @3liyuh @trindad2k

@indentity0018 @beggingonmykneesforher

@idkwhatever580 @valentine585

@reginassecretlover @trying-to-do-good

@imjustvibingsworld @mbxoxo @jazzyxqzl @eternallyconfuzed @ctrlaltedits @sheriffhaughtearp

@lesbiansweet @i-luv-w1men @sheriffswan-blog @htinha157 @syssmin @wandasslut3000 @fuzzygiantlamphorse

[kikidoul]

── BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND.

໒꒰ྀི ^ ⸝⸝ ^ ꒱ྀིა박성훈 x fem! reader content established relationship non-idol au older brother's best friend trope reader is jay's younger sister ᥫ᭡ warning explicit sexual content unprotected sex (stay safe!) petnames used kissing pussy eating fingering begging squirting overstimulation sunghoon being a tease and wear glasses (important trust) jay cockblocking (not sorry). . .!? 1111— mlist.

note. another reupload from yours truly. currently writing part two so it will be posted soon, hopefully...

You have met your older brother’s friends a couple of times, having known them since you were young. They were a loud and chaotic group, if one were to ask for your opinion on them. But among them, there was someone who piqued your interest. Sunghoon isn't as talkative as the others. He mostly keeps to himself but you have seen him cracking jokes or making fun of your brother; Jay, resulting in the two bickering back and forth. It’s a common sight to hear them argue about the smallest things, much to everyone’s amusement. 

You knew it was wrong to have feelings for your brother’s friend but you couldn’t help it. Not when Sunghoon was nothing but kind and caring towards you. His features were simply another plus point and everything about him simply makes you swoon. You had to walk around your brother, hiding your relationship with Sunghoon from him. You know how overprotective Jay can be when it comes to you. The last thing you want is to end Sunghoon and Jay’s friendship. You knew how the two are practically glued to the hips, always coming as a pair.

“Ngh, Hoonie, fuck, hah, m-more,” you whined, your back arching off the bed. 

Your legs were slung over your boyfriend’s broad shoulders. Your left hand was covering your mouth; a feeble attempt of muffling your moans while the other gripped onto his abyssal-like hair. You couldn’t help but bucked your hips forward, craving more. It was a miracle you had survived this long before meeting Sunghoon and you came to learn that he was amazing with his mouth and fingers. 

Your boyfriend hums, moving his long, thick fingers in a scissor-like movement, opening and preparing you for what’s to come. Your eyes rolled up at a harsh suck of your clit, his tongue delving deeper. In the span of what felt like years when it was actually an hour, he had managed to make you cum a total of two times. The first was done by his fingers while the second was done by his tongue. Currently, he was pushing you over your comfort zone, hoping you could cum a third time. 

As they always say, third times the charm, right?

You squirmed about on the drenched sheets, gripping onto the pillow for dear life. Breathy moans flowed from your lips, like water falling from a water tap. 

“Fuck!” 

You gasped, thighs buckling as Sunghoon swirls the overly stimulated bud with his tongue. You felt it, the fire in your abdomen and how heat was spreading under your skin. Throwing all caution out of the window with the only thing in your mind was chasing your impending climax, you frantically jerked your hips forward. Your boyfriend got the hint, allowing you to fuck his tongue and it didn’t took you long to reach your climax. 

As compared to the orgasms you had before, this was more powerful and it took a deep toll on your body. You weren’t sure what happened as you laid on the bed, loosening your grip on Sunghoon’s hair, eyes closing to take a much-needed breather. 

“Woah, that was hot. I didn’t know you had it in you.” 

You opened your eyes, only to pause at the lewd scene before you. The frames of his glasses were coated in a thin layer of your juices. Some were dripping as it trailed down the frames, landing on the sheets. Your breath caught in your throat as Sunghoon licked his lips, his chin was glistening underneath the ceiling light. You wanted to apologize but he waved you off, knowing what you wanted to say. 

“You don’t have to apologize, princess,” he grins, moving closer until your noses graze against one another. “But I believe I should get a reward for making you squirt for the first time, right?” 

You light-heartedly rolled your eyes, choosing not to reply and kissed him instead. Sunghoon grinned into the kiss, parting your lips with his tongue, allowing you to taste yourself. He positioned himself in between your legs, one hand trailing down to fondle with your hardened peaks. You moaned into his mouth, the sound doing wonders to his body and mind. Wanting to hear more, Sunghoon broke the kiss. He aligned his cock to your needy, neglected and sensitive dripping entrance. 

“Look at you, I didn’t even have to use lube,” he breathed out, unable to tear his eyes away from the erotic sight of watching his cock disappearing inch by inch, getting swallowed by your greedy clit. 

“Oh god.. Hoonie,” you whined, throwing your head back, your gummy and velvety walls sucking him in, making him groan at the feeling. 

By the time he was buried deep in you, you felt like you were floating on a cloud. Sunghoon started thrusting, hips snapping against yours as he massaged your inner thighs—wanting you to relax and enjoy yourself. The bed moved along with your movements, the bedframe hitting the wall at equal intervals. At this rate, you’ve long forgotten that your brother had arrived home after a hectic day of back-to-back classes. Which was why none of you were prepared for the unexpected moment of Jay opening the door without knocking. 

“Hey sis, could you—Wait, what the fuck!?” He asks, raising his head from his phone, only for him to shriek at the top of his lungs. 

Both of you whirled your heads to his direction and your reactions were immediate. Sunghoon scrambled to move away from you while you pulled the sheets up, covering your body from your brother’s poor eyes. Jay had shielded his eyes with one hand, back facing the both of you. 

“Uh, it’s not what it looks like,” your boyfriend chirps in and you mentally face-palmed. 

“Not what it looks like? Pray tell me, then what does it look like because I can’t believe I saw my best friend fucking my sister. Oh my God, please God, help me,” Jay exclaimed. 

The two of you shared a look and you shrugged your shoulders, having gotten used to your brother’s dramatic antics. 

“Come down to the living room and we’re going to talk about this. And you better not be fucking or I will kill you with my bare hands, is that understood?” Jay directed the threat to his best friend, who nervously gulped. 

“Yes, sir.” 

When Jay left after closing the door along with him muttering about how he needs to bleach his eyes, you ran a hand through your hair. “Well, I guess we’re going to die under the hands of my brother.”

“...Please don’t say that. I’m actually scared of my life now.” 

[naughtyneganjdm]

Threads of Desire: A Christmas to Remember - Chapter 5

Summary: Upset about the conversation that he had with Maggie, Negan shows up at Y/N's house hoping to convince her to quit her job and a lot of their feelings come to light.

Characters: Negan Smith, the reader (OC), Daryl Dixon, etc.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61111030/chapters/158656765

Warnings: Swearing, Cheating, Angst, Smut, Heavy Touching, Unprotected P in V, etc.

Notes: Real sorry about taking a break on this. The holiday season is nuts, but I'll do my best to put up the rest of the story as soon as I can.

It had been a long time since Y/N had been this exhausted. Sure, it had been a rough few days, but this was not what she was accustomed to. Maybe it was from all the stress of everything going on. Stress was something she had grown used to, but never at these levels. When she got home today, she just crashed. She laid down on the couch and that was it. She didn’t even eat. All she remembered was walking in the door, tossing her stuff aside and falling onto the couch. Next thing she knew, she was out cold and didn’t even wake up until she heard what she thought to be the sound of someone knocking on her door.

Groaning out, she lifted her head and looked back over her shoulder at the door. Whoever was there was impatient. Laid out on her stomach, she realized that she had been sleeping face first with her head buried into the throw pillow that was at the end of the couch. All around her, the apartment was pitch black except for the small glow of the automatic light that turned on in the dark in her kitchen and the light coming from her clock.

More than anything, her body wanted to go back to bed. It needed the rest and it longed for it. Everything had been brutal on her body lately. From the lack of sleep to the destruction of her mental health. It wasn’t doing her any favors.

That wasn’t going to happen with the continued knocking though. It wasn’t just a light knock, it was an emotional knock. Which told her whoever was at the other side of the door thought they had some important reason to be there.

Pulling herself up into a seated position on the couch had an involuntary groan escaping her. Sleeping on the couch was not the best of ideas. Everything hurt. Curling her fingers around the edge of the cushion, she tried to coach herself into standing up. Sighing, she managed to gather enough strength to stand. A rushing sensation went to her head and she needed to take a minute until she was steady on her feet. Moving across the apartment, she turned on the light switch and winced at the bright lights flooding her vision.

Hearing another loud sequence of knocks had her looking to the time again. It was two in the morning. What the hell was so important that someone had to be here? And who the fuck was it?

A sense of anger was flooding her veins. It was probably over the fact that she was tired and that she had been woken up from her deep sleep, but she couldn’t control that tired rage. Heading for the door, she unlocked it and then irately pulled it open, “What the hell do you want?”

Exhaling loudly, she felt her throat tensing up with the familiar hazel eyes locking with hers. That was a time where she should have held in her emotions again. Clasping tightly to the door, she gazed over Negan. He was completely disheveled wearing his pajama pants, a bulky winter coat and a pair of boots. What he was wearing was completely mismatched and it looked like he had thrown it on quickly. His hair was messy and he looked extremely fatigued himself.

Straightening up her posture, she noticed that Negan was breathing heavily as he stood before her. His shoulders were slouched and he looked incredibly upset. Stepping into the hallway, she looked both ways realizing that he was alone.

“Negan?” she breathed out, her eyes locking with his in a state of panic. It struck her in that moment what it could have been. Coming to her home, dressed like this? Emotionally banging at her door like he had been. “What are you doing here? Is Jordyn okay? Is something wrong?”

“Jordyn is fine. She’s alright!” Negan was quick to calm her, holding his hands up in the air. By the expression over her tired features, Negan could tell that he had her worried over his daughter and that was the last thing he wanted. Fear obviously ate away at her because she had no idea why he would show up at her apartment at this time of night. “She’s back at the house sleeping in her bed. I checked on her before I came over here.”

“You left her alone?” she wondered, her fingers curling around the handle of the doorknob. She was perplexed why he was there so late. “She’s still a baby Negan. She shouldn’t be left alone. What were you thinking?”

“She’s not alone,” Negan assured her trying to ease her worries. Reconsidering it, Negan tipped his head to the side and huffed. “Maggie is there. I mean they are both sleeping, but I’ll be back before anyone can get in trouble. You know that I have the security cameras in my home linked to my phone. If anyone gets up and starts moving around, I’ll know.”

“Leaving her with Maggie is pretty much the same thing as leaving her alone,” she frowned, hating the idea that Jordyn was at home alone with Maggie. Leaning her shoulder against the doorframe, she knew she just wanted to get to the point. There was a tension in her head that likely came from the lack of sleep. “What are you doing here Negan?”

“I uh…” Negan paused, looking down the hallway of her apartment building. His face scrunched up and he shrugged his shoulders. “We really need to fucking talk. I want to talk to you.”

“And this couldn’t wait until tomorrow? Or you couldn’t just call me?” she wondered, her hand sliding down the length of the door. In the past? She was desperate for Negan’s attention. Now that she had it, she wasn’t so sure that she wanted it. It was only making things more complicated.

“Would you have answered?” Negan asked, a muscle in his jaw flexing expressing to her that he was stressed. After all the years she had spent around Negan? She easily learned what he was thinking or feeling by his expressions. Taking a moment to consider things, she stepped aside and motioned him into her apartment. Giving her a weak smile, Negan entered and started to pull off his jacket once he did. Under the jacket he was wearing an old rock band t-shirt. Holding out her hand, she requested him to give her his jacket so she could hang it for him. Turning toward him, she saw that he was taking off his boots so he didn’t get her apartment messy. After he finished, she realized that he was gazing over her body. By the way his thick eyebrows furrowed, she knew that he was perplexed. “When did you get home?”

“Hours ago. I was just exhausted,” she admitted knowing that he was referring to the fact she was still wearing the dress that Guy had requested her to wear earlier. “I just laid down and I crashed.”

Nervously flattening out the material of the dress against her body, she pointed toward her bedroom and yawned again, “Can you wait here so I can go change? Unless this is urgent.”

“No, I can wait,” Negan responded with a quick nod, pushing his hands into the pockets of his pajama pants. Standing before him a moment longer, she didn’t even know what this was about. Part of her wished that she did so it didn’t make her feel so awkward being around him. 

“Can you?” she turned away from Negan, pointing toward the zipper for help. Hearing him moving behind her, she knew she could have managed to get it down herself, but having Negan’s help was just easier. Closing her eyes, she felt the warmth of Negan’s fingers dragging across her shoulder. Tugging at the zipper had the material parting with her looking over her shoulder. Giving her a small nod, Negan backstepped trying to give her some space. “Thank you.”

Heading toward her bedroom, she pushed the door open when she entered. Working the material of the dress down her body, she knew that she wanted to be careful with this. Earlier she had caught a glimpse at how much this dress cost and she didn’t want to ruin it. Especially since Guy Vixen himself had bought it for her as a gift of some kind.  

Walking toward her closet, she glanced over at the partially opened bedroom door to see Negan standing at the back of the couch. The way that he was standing was in such a fashion that he could watch her change. His weight was balanced on his hand that was braced on the couch. When their eyes locked, he let out a panicked sound. Pulling his hand away from the couch had him falling forward to the point she no longer saw him but heard the sound of him hitting the ground.

“Jesus!” she moved out of her room, holding the dress to her chest in attempts to cover up in some way. Not that it mattered considering he had already seen her naked earlier. When she got into the room, Negan was already pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. Immediately nodding, Negan scrambled to his feet and brushed his fingers nervously through his messy hair. Already he was incredibly red from being embarrassed. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, yeah. I’m perfect. Fucking great,” Negan assured her, his voice raspier than it normally was. Forcing himself to look away from her, Negan growled under his breath and a slew of curse words followed. “Totally meant to do that.”

“Right,” she couldn’t help but laugh with the prominent vein at the side of his neck bulging. This was a time where she could have teased him that she caught him watching her change, but he was already upset enough as it was. She didn’t want to push her luck. “I’m going to finish changing. And then I’ll be back. Try not to knock anything over this time, okay?”

A fake laugh was forced from Negan’s throat with him moving around the couch to sit down. Burying his head in his hands, she could tell that Negan was talking to himself but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. Shaking her head, she moved back to her bedroom and was quick to hang up the dress. Throwing on a quick pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, she knew that she wasn’t out to impress. It was two in the morning. He would be fine if she was in pajamas since he was in his too. When she was done, she headed back into the living room to join Negan.

“Can I get you anything?” she offered, moving around to her Christmas tree to turn the lights on. The living room area lit up with all the things she had decorated making a weak smile tug at Negan’s features when he was surrounded by the glow. Preferring that to the actual lights, she moved over toward the switch to turn the main light off. There were enough decorations for them to be able to see one another underneath the glow of them. “Water? Hot chocolate? Some ice for that fall?”

“Fuck me, you’re not gonna let that go are you?” Negan scoffed, his nose wrinkling in frustration when she started to laugh. “It was a miscalculation of where to balance my body weight. I’m tired. I’m fucking sorry.”

“Yeah, okay,” she made it obvious that she didn’t believe him. And he knew that his lie was a shitty one. Really, she didn’t want to make things weird. Pointing out that she caught him staring at her changing was not going to enhance their friendship. Moving around the coffee table that was in front of the couch, she took a seat at the opposite end of it. Getting comfortable, she tucked her leg underneath her so she could face him. “So, what are you doing here at two in the morning? What couldn’t wait?”

“Did you have sex with Guy?” Negan stammered causing her to choke at the immediate question he so simply blurt out. That was not a question that he was embarrassed of. It was one that he was obviously worried about because his eyes seemed upset. “Tonight, when Maggie came over, we were talking about you. This whole job thing. She also stressed to me that she thinks Guy is only doing what he is because he wants to have sex with you.”

“I didn’t realize my sex life was so important to yours and Maggie’s relationship,” she chimed in, smirking at her smartass remark. Negan however was not impressed with what she had just said. Rolling her eyes, she tipped her head to the side and knew that Negan wanted a genuine answer from her. “I did not have sex with Guy. If you would have asked Maggie that question, you would have known that I left before Maggie and Guy did today. He dismissed me when they were still finishing something.”

Relief flooded throughout Negan’s body and it blew her away how easily she could tell that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, “That’s why you came all the way out here in your pajamas? To ask me if I had sex with Guy Vixen?”

“No. Well, yes. But…no?” even Negan didn’t seem to know the answer to that question. His face twisted with frustration, his fingers sinking nervously into his messy hair while he tried to slick it back. Gathering his thoughts, Negan swallowed down hard and considered what the best thing to say next was. Shaking his head, he inhaled loudly with his back becoming straighter with the way he was sitting. “I think you should quit your job.”

“And why is that?” she breathed out, biting down at her bottom lip as Negan turned his body to now face her at the opposite end of the couch. This was something that seemed to be weighing heavy on him and she didn’t know how to approach the conversation. “I thought you said this was a good thing. That I should take advantage of what was happening.”

“Well I changed my mind,” Negan asserted, holding his hand up to silence her from reminding him of what he had said to her earlier. “I don’t think Guy is doing this out of purity. I don’t think he cares to see your talents. He just wants to fuck you. And I think him taking advantage of you while holding the promise of the job you want over your head…”

“Do you think I would sleep with someone in order to get the job that I wanted?” she wondered, reaching for the throw pillow that was between the two of them to hold it in her arms.

“I don’t know,” Negan was honest with her, his jaw flexing. There was a sense of worry that flooded his veins that she would get mad at him for saying that. “You are really depressed and upset. If someone offered you everything you wanted just by asking for sex from you…I think most people would take that deal. Don’t you?”

“I think that’s a very debatable topic,” she suggested, throwing one of her hands up in the air and it had Negan shifting uncomfortably. “I can handle Guy Vixen, Negan. You don’t have to worry about me. I know he wants to have sex with me, but I won’t act on it. I’m not someone who will have sex with my boss to get the job that I want.”

“Okay,” Negan sucked in a sharp breath of air, his thick eyebrows furrowed. A nervous expression flooded his features before he licked his lips nervously again. “It’s really not that simple though. I just…I don’t think you should be working for Maggie anymore.”

“Oh?” that one was a surprise to her. Truthfully? She didn’t know what to say to that. “And why is that?”

“It doesn’t matter why,” Negan thought back to the conversation that he had earlier with Maggie. Ever since they had it, he wasn’t able to put his brain to rest. There were some things he didn’t feel like he had to tell Y/N in order to get her away from that job. “I’ve been thinking about things with my career. And there is this person that has been coming to me a lot about a job. I kept telling him that I had to think about it. I didn’t know if I wanted to get back into the movies. But, I was thinking that if you want, I can take the job under the stipulation that if I sign on they have to hire you as the lead in the costume department. Or whatever job you want. I don’t even know if you want to focus on costuming. Whatever you want though, we can be a packaged deal.”

“Wait,” she waved her hands about to get him to stop rambling on about things. “You’re offering me a job now working in the film business?”

“I’m offering you a job in the film business if I’m able to sign onto something with the stipulation I bring you with me,” Negan stated, giving her a firm nod that had her muttering something under her breath. “It’s what you were asking me for the other day. A way into the film industry. So you can get away from Maggie and Vixen. A new chance at a life you always wanted.”

“You can offer me that today, but you couldn’t do that the other day?” she spoke up, her chest aching hearing what Negan was attempting to offer her. The other night at the event the college was holding he was pretty insistent that it was impossible for him to get her a job. “What changed in two days Negan?”

“I was looking at my options and I decided I agreed with you. You deserve to have a life doing something that you love,” Negan responded, his hand lifting to press in over the center of his chest. There was a sincerity in his eyes where she knew he was being honest with his answer, but she was still confused as to where this sudden job had come up now, but not before. “I care about you and I don’t want you suffering over something that you hate.”

“I thought you hadn’t worked with me in over four years. You had no idea what my work ethics were like,” she reminded him of the things that he had said to her and it made him cringe. Since she was so drunk that night he was kind of hoping that she didn’t remember the things that he had said to her when they were bickering. “What’s changed?”

“Me,” Negan blurt out, the lines in his forehead growing with him throwing his hands up in the air. How could he explain to her that he learned so much in the last few days? Things that she never needed to hear. Things that he felt horrible about himself for. Being in love with someone blinded him to the way things really were. At least someone he thought he loved. “I’ve changed. I’ve had time to think about things since the other night. And I’m willing to throw myself out there if it gives you a chance at happiness. I really don’t fucking like what Guy is doing to you. You’re being sexually harassed and with Maggie? I realize the things you were saying to me are true. I think she’s really fucking awful for you.”

Hearing that made a nervous smile tug at her lips, “What’s with the sudden negativity about Maggie? If I remember correctly, you were stressing to me that I should open up to her about things. You thought she would be a good friend and help me.”

“Well it finds out I’m an asshole,” he reasoned with her and it had her adjusting on the couch, lowering down the pillow that she was holding onto. That was a strange thing for him to say. “Maggie’s a terrible friend. And so am I. So I’m trying to make things right.”

“Where is this coming from?” her heart was pounding away inside of her chest as Negan forced himself to look away from her. Again his Adam’s apple bounced in his throat and he sighed loudly.

“You opened my eyes to a lot of things. And I started talking to Maggie and I realized…a lot,” Negan huffed, lifting his hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose again. Squeezing his eyes shut, Negan didn’t know what he should and should not say. Right now he was incredibly disappointed in himself. How he had grown so blind to things was awful and he didn’t understand it. “I don’t want you hurt by Guy and I don’t want you hurt by Maggie. You deserve better than that. And I’ve let it go on for far too fucking long.”

“And you don’t care to elaborate?” she pushed for details, and it looked like he wanted to tell her. But he paused, his lips parting and he shook his head.

“I just want to take care of you the way you took care of me,” Negan admitted, reaching out to grab a firm hold of her knee to give it a squeeze. “You made my life better and you didn’t need to. I want to make your life better and I owe it to you. We share a daughter together. I don’t care if you’re not the person that gave birth to her. You’re the only mother Jordyn has ever known. And I want fucking better for you.”

“That’s very nice of you,” she started, her hand lowering to place it in over Negan’s. Giving it a tiny squeeze, she considered what he was offering her and she shook her head. “Right now? I want to give this a shot and see what happens with Guy. If I feel uncomfortable, I’ll let you know.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Negan exclaimed, his hand becoming tense beneath hers. “I don’t think Maggie is ever gonna let you come out on top. And I realize now that sounds fucking sexual, but you get what I’m saying.”

That was the Negan that she was used to. It felt like in the last few years Maggie had neutered the naughty, cheesy side of Negan that he once was. So to hear him talking like that again made her smirk. That was the kind of guy he was. Always turning everything sexual even if it was unintentional.

“I know that,” she agreed with Negan, her eyes locked on his when she gave him a weak smile. Even though things seemed more relaxed between them, she didn’t see this as a time to completely unleash her feelings about Maggie. “Did the two of you fight?”

“We…” Negan paused, clicking his tongue at the top of his mouth. This was where he could have lied to her, but there was no reason to. She was his friend. She was honest with him, so he should have been honest with her. “Yes. We fought. And I didn’t like the things she was saying and insinuating about me nor you.”

“Ah, so you finally discovered the side of Maggie you turned a blind eye to,” she mused sighing loudly. There was a time when she thought Maggie was a good person to and it hurt like hell when she realized she was wrong. Especially since she considered Maggie part of her family growing up. When she said that, Negan seemed extremely upset. His whole body language showed it and so did his big eyes. “I was wondering how long she could keep you blind to it.”

“I don’t know what to say to that,” Negan admitted, taking his time to consider everything that happened during his talk with Maggie. “She’s not the woman I convinced myself that I was in love with. Because I was dating her, I applied certain qualities to her that other people I loved had. And I’m not sure she has those qualities at all. Which fucking sucks.”  

“Yeah, it hurts when you realize the people that you love aren’t who you thought they were,” she pulled her hand away and slid back further into the corner of the couch.

A loud exhale escaped Negan’s throat with his eyebrows scrunching up, “Fuck that surprisingly hurt. That was directed at me.”

“Was it?” she watched him slouch forward on the couch and he let out a tense breath. There was that chance it was directed at Maggie. Considering Maggie was her best friend. Someone that Y/N had grown up believing cared about her. But she knew better than that now. In reality though, it was directed at Negan. He was someone that she saw as perfect. Someone she admired and was head over heels in love with. How easily Negan picked up on the fact it was directed at him surprised her since he had been blind to things so long. “Who said I loved you?”

“You love me,” he spoke up, still keeping his head down. A chill flooded down her spine and she stayed silent. “And I love you. It’s a very pure love between us. I just never realized you were in love with me and that makes me a fucking moron.”

“So now I’m in love with you?” she realized that she sounded like a bitch right now, but she wasn’t denying it. What was the point in lying? She never did that with Negan. Sometimes she just didn’t tell him everything. And that made things easier. It helped her avoid lying to him about things.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Negan spoke faintly, his breathing growing louder when he finally gathered enough strength to look to her again. “I wish you would have told me.”

“Negan, I tried every way possible to let you know how I felt. I don’t know what else you expected me to do,” she cussed to herself realizing that she did just admit to him that she did indeed love him. Obviously, the first two years it was just a crush and a friendship. Something that she would never act upon since he was married. But after that? She couldn’t imagine that she didn’t do everything possible to let him know how she felt. She just never straight out said the words. “You just didn’t feel it back.”

“But that’s not true,” Negan corrected her with a firm shake of his head. “You were my favorite person to be around. Even before Lucille died. I looked forward to every fucking moment we spent together because I loved talking to you. There was no one I felt like I could completely be myself with when it came to you.”

“I would love to think all of that was true, but your actions and your words don’t coincide,” she declared, having a hard time not focusing on everything that went wrong in the last four years. “I thought you loved me, but you didn’t. There was something in the way you looked at me that last year when I was your student teacher and I think it’s like what you said. I was attributing certain factors to you because I loved you so much that I just wanted to believe you.”

“I’m not lying to you,” Negan seemed frustrated that she wasn’t listening to him in the way he wanted her to. “I loved spending time with you. Even before I lost Lucille. Think of all the hours outside of class we spent talking. It was inappropriate then, especially with the age gap between us. And I knew it, but I liked you so much.”

“You liked your ego being stroked,” she recalled what it was like in the time that they were talking back then. “Anyone with half a brain could see I had the biggest crush on you. And the fact you were giving me attention? I was so immature. I loved it.”

“Come on,” Negan grumbled under his breath, holding his hand out to try to get her to stare out at him. “You’re selling our relationship short. Even Lucille knew that we were close. And Lucille loved you. You know that. We both did.”

“Now that’s a different kind of love. Lucille looked at me like I was a kid and I feel like she latched onto me because she knew I had no one. The woman wanted to take me under her wing and it didn’t hurt that your daughter always had a comfort with me,” she thought back to the way things were with Lucille when she had been around her. “You’re talking about a love that is completely different than the one that we are talking about here.”

“I’ve always been very open with you about things,” Negan started, the lines in his forehead growing deeper as he spoke, “you know that I cheated on Lucille when we were together. It was so fucked up that I did. It’s not like I didn’t love her because I did. She was everything to me. But I was so arrogant and stupid…”

Negan had to take a moment to pause and he let out a scoff, “I hated the man that I was when I did that to Lucille. You know how hard we tried to have Jordyn. For so fucking long. She was our little miracle baby and once we had her? I felt like the luckiest man in the world. She was everything we fought so hard to have. I promised to never be that man again that hurt her.”

“Which is amazing. I know Lucille was the love of your life and I think she deserved that,” she didn’t understand where this was headed, but she could tell that talking about his late wife had Negan emotional. “Where is this going?”

“I’m trying to prove a point here,” Negan stressed to her, his body tensing up. “I never thought of cheating on my wife again. Because my life was perfect. But you? You’re the only person that made me consider it again. Maybe I did like the way you inflated my ego. And yeah, maybe I did know you had a crush on me back then.”

“Oh fuck off,” she laughed at what he just told her, standing up from the couch in disgust moving across the room to pace.

“Why do you never believe the shit that I say?” Negan snapped at her, a deep rumble of a growl escaping his throat. “You don’t remember that time that the two of us were sitting in the front row of my class with me sitting beside you?”

“We did that all the time,” she chuckled with him trying to draw forth some kind of memory between them that she didn’t think existed.

“You touched my hand and it was just innocent, but the way you touched me? It made me feel things that I shouldn’t have. I asked you that night if you had a boyfriend while stroking the back of your fucking hand because I was considering fucking you right then and there. Because you touching me made me…hard,” Negan continued on, finding his heart hammering inside of his chest with the way she stopped to stare down at him. “You made me feel good about myself with the way that you liked me and looked up to me. I loved spending time with you. But then I realized what an asshole I was and I left immediately. The next day I brought Lucille and Jordyn around so I could remind myself that things were perfect.”

Rolling her eyes, she turned away from him and couldn’t contain the amused sound that she made, “If that were fucking true, it’s been six years since Lucille died. You didn’t try to kiss me once. You never tried to have sex with me. You never even spoke of feeling that way toward me.”

“I’ve been thinking about that and maybe I shut that feeling down because of how I felt about you in that moment when Lucille was alive,” Negan reasoned, but sounded like he was trying to make sense of things himself. “You were the only person that ever made me think like that and…”

“I don’t…I don’t want to hear any more of it,” she cut him off from even going any further in that direction. “So having a relationship with me was bad because I gave you a boner by touching your hand when you were married?”

“Well now that you say it like that, yeah of fucking course it sounds stupid,” Negan stood up from the couch himself trying to appeal to her, but she held her hand out to stop him. “I don’t understand why you find that so fucking hard to believe.”

“Because it was Maggie your hard cock found its way into, not me!” she snapped at him causing him to swallow down hard with his expressive eyebrows furrowing. “It was Maggie you were showing up at my apartment for with my favorite fucking flowers. You shattered my fucking heart that day Negan. How do you not fucking see that? And then you kept fucking hurting me. Fucking Maggie with me in the apartment consistently forcing me to hear that shit? And then walking around naked all the time. How do you not realize that was you fucking tormenting me?”

A broken breath escaped Negan’s throat and he threw his hands up in the air trying to come up with something to say, but he was falling short, “You can say whatever you want, but your actions speak louder than your words. I would have done anything for you. And when you showed up at that fucking apartment that day, I thought it was me you were there for. I thought it was me you were coming to admit your feelings for and you were there for fucking Maggie. So feed me all the bullshit you want, but I know it’s not true.”

“I’m sorry,” Negan apologized, his voice broken with him shaking his head.

“For what? Liking someone else? Do you know how fucking pathetic I would have to be to expect you to apologize to me for loving Maggie?” she shook her head refusing to accept that apology. “You didn’t want me. And I wasn’t the person you liked spending the most time with because if I was? You wouldn’t have stopped doing it after you got with Maggie. We would have still been spending time together. Instead? We acted like divorced parents that hated each other only seeing each other here and there when I came to pick up Jordyn.”

Swallowing down hard, Negan lowered his head and it looked like there was a massive amount of guilt that was eating away at him, “I am the luckiest girl in the world because you allowed me to be in Jordyn’s life and I love that little girl like she is my own. And I will always treat her like she is because she means everything to me. Even when I feel like allowing this world to swallow me whole, I remember that I’m still here because I love her. She’s the thing that keeps me going every day. But I’m also the dumbest woman in the world because I’ve been in love with a man for eight years and he never felt the same way about me. Now he’s feeding me some kind of bullshit because he feels guilty about the way he treated me.”

“I wasn’t thinking right, okay?” Negan finally spoke, his eyes damp and his voice rasp when he dropped his hands down at his hips. “I had lost Lucille and I was a fucking mess. I hadn’t been with anyone since Lucille and when Maggie started throwing herself at me…”

Dramatically dropping her head back, she released an amused laugh. It seemed to infuriate Negan when she headed over back to her side of the couch to drop down on top of it, “If you would have made your move, it would have been you that I fell for. But it was Maggie that was laying it on thick. It was Maggie that kissed me first. It was Maggie that…”

“Fucked you purposely on the couch in our living room knowing that I would be coming home? Yeah. You’re right,” she blurt out, frustration flooding her veins when she just let that information drop. “You know she promised me that night when you came here with the flowers that she wouldn’t let it go any further. When I walked in on the two of you having sex, it was a real fucking shock.”

“Then why remain loyal to her this whole fucking time?” Negan hissed, throwing his hand up in the air with the vein at the side of his neck bulging. “You should have fucking told me the kind of person that she was! I didn’t know who she was.”

“You know what the better question is?” she stood up from the couch, stepping before him to shove into the center of his chest to get him to stumble back giving her a shocked expression. “Why the fuck did I put up with you the whole time? Maggie, I have an excuse. Maggie’s father asked me to watch over her and keep her safe because he was worried his daughter would fail at life. But you? You’re the one that fucked Maggie. It wasn’t my responsibility to let you know the person she was.”

“No, you just waited four years to tell me,” Negan scoffed in response, his nose wrinkling with a firm shake of his head.

“You know what? I’ll give you the floor,” she dramatically waved her hands about, drawing his breathing to grow louder. “Why don’t you tell me what it is that Maggie did to have you be a pathetic fucking puppy dog toward her with those flowers. What was it Maggie did that had you fucking her in my apartment? And what made you think it wouldn’t hurt me? Because if I had a crush on you and you knew it in those first two years, why wouldn’t I have it when you fucked Maggie?”

“There was nothing to love with me. I was a mess. You saw me at my absolute worst. You had to take care of my daughter when I couldn’t. I was a fucking mess, why would you ever want to love someone like me when you had to endure the kind of person I was?” Negan countered visibly upset, but she uncomfortably scoffed under her breath.

“Because I loved you,” she sighed, her chest aching at the thought. “You made a promise to Lucille that you would live life for her because she couldn’t and you had a beautiful daughter. I wasn’t going to allow you to break that promise and I wasn’t going to let something happen to you or Jordyn because you lost the person you loved more than anything. It wasn’t fair that the world took Lucille away from you, so I understood why you were the way you were. Which is obviously me answering my own question as to why I put up with you for so long. That and because I love your daughter.”

“You love her, but not me?” Negan didn’t like what he was hearing causing her to shake her head again in frustration.

“You want to hear that I love you for what reason Negan? So it makes you feel better again and I’ll be that one person that makes you consider cheating again? Yeah Negan, I love you too because I’m a very pathetic girl,” she confessed placing her hand in over the center of her chest. “So why don’t you tell me what it was that Maggie did to make you want her and not me? When did she kiss you and you realized that you wanted to be with her? What did she do to make you have sex with her in the home she shared with me? Maybe I can take some pointers for the next man I fall in love with. That way I don’t lose out and make the same mistake I made last time.”

“Stop,” Negan requested, his jaw flexing with them obviously emotional from this discussion. “You can’t be mad at me for not making the first move. I didn’t make the first move with Maggie either. I didn’t do anything wrong. You’re acting like you were honest with me about things and you weren’t. If you would have said something…”

“I know men are stupid Negan, but come on…” she frowned, giving a glare before moving back to drop down on the couch again finding herself exhausted with this conversation. “This whole I never made the first move thing is bullshit.”

“I feel like I owe you this massive apology, but…” Negan’s hand was shaking when he pointed toward himself, but she held her hand up to silence him. An apology was not something that she wanted from Negan.

Unhurriedly Negan moved back to his spot on the couch and dropped down. Sliding down on the couch, the two of them sat there together in silence for a while. It took a while for her heart to calm down with how hard it was pounding with the adrenaline rush this whole thing gave her.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” Negan finally broke the silence, his breathing growing louder. After their fight, his chest hurt fucking bad and he knew that was the guilt of everything. “Ever since we talked the night at the event, I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re all I think about.”

“It was the tits,” she spoke quietly making Negan snort and then start to laugh. Looking to her, they both laughed at how bluntly she said it. He thought she was joking, but she was being serious in a cheeky way. “I promise you Negan, it was nothing more than that. I cover them up most of the time, I finally let them out and it has both you and Guy Vixen foaming at the mouth.”

“It’s not your tits,” Negan forced his laugh down, trying to look away from her since this was a serious moment that he was trying to approach. “Yes, you have nice breasts, but what happened earlier at the store…”

“Was a mistake,” she finished his sentence, reaching out to grab at Negan’s arm to get him to look at her. “You were emotional, you were trying to make me feel better. I was at that event. Everyone that came up to you stressed to me how much you loved Maggie. I never heard the end of it. If I was Maggie? I would have fallen in love with you so much more hearing how much you loved me. Unfortunately, I’m me. And it was her these things were about. Not me.”

“Yeah, but I’m starting to think that I don’t even know the real Maggie,” Negan declared, visible confusion flooding into his features with his admission. “And I’m not even sure I fucking know who I am. So there is that.”

“I don’t know what to say to that Negan,” she professed, her heart sinking at what he said knowing that a while ago she would have loved to hear that. “Nothing I say to that is going to make this situation any better.”

“Why…” Negan began, scoffing to himself knowing that this would likely go nowhere. “Why didn’t you try to kiss me though? If you would have kissed me before Maggie did, I know things would have worked themselves out between us.”

“Because I was worried that after Lucille passed away it would have been wrong for me to kiss you because it would have been me putting a nail in the friendship I had with her,” she had thought for a moment what to say, but when she did say this it was so emotionless that it had Negan looking her with an arch of his eyebrow.

“You’re mocking me,” Negan recognized that she was using the thing he said earlier against him.

“Little bit,” she tipped her head to the side understanding that it wasn’t the nicest of things to do in the moment. Even with her smart ass attitude, he was still waiting for an answer. “I don’t know Negan. Why didn’t you just kiss me?”

“In my mind I had to be thinking I was your professor,” Negan kept up with that defense provoking her to groan loudly. “It would have been a conflict of interests and I could have gotten in trouble.”

“Maybe I just wanted to know that I was worth the risk,” she suggested, rubbing her hands out over her thighs hating that they were bickering about the past again. “It’s nice to play a game of what if Negan, but you really fell in love with Maggie. She was what you wanted.”

“I think I fell in love with Maggie’s version of you,” Negan countered, drawing her to give him a look that showed she had no idea what he was saying. “Maggie listened to you talk about me for four years. She knew what you told her about me. She knew what I liked. She listened to someone who loved me talk about me. And she kissed me first. Like a typical fucking male, I thought with my dick. And I continued to let my dick think things out for way too long.”

“What does it matter now?” she truly wondered, a tense laugh escaping her throat. This was all nice to hear, but it didn’t change shit and it sure as hell didn’t make things better. “It doesn’t change what happened.”

“What we did together in that dressing room…” Negan focused on what happened earlier at the store with her trying on the dress. It was something she wanted to avoid talking about, but he was still locked in on it.

“We didn’t even kiss Negan. It was a moment of tension that will never happen again,” she promised him, swallowing down hard. Truthfully? When she closed her eyes she could still picture the way everything felt. “If we kissed, then maybe, but we didn’t.”

Thinking about what she said, Negan slid in toward the middle couch cushion and bit down on his bottom lip, “Then maybe we should kiss once. We never kissed. I don’t know how I would feel if I kissed you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she alerted him with a long exhale realizing that she was already hooked on Negan. The last thing she needed right now was something else like that. Something that would pull her further into him. Especially when he could never be hers. “It’s only going to complicate things more.”

“But maybe when we kiss we will realize that there is nothing there,” Negan thought aloud, shrugging his shoulders simply. “It could be for the best. That way we really know and don’t have to lay awake at night wondering about the what ifs.”

“Negan…” she whispered his name, her throat going dry with him pressing in closer to her. After the way they had been bickering, she couldn’t see this working itself out.

“Please?” Negan begged of her, his hand lifting to sweep his fingers in over the side of her face. For so long this was the kind of attention she wanted from Negan, but in the moment she knew that it felt wrong. Yet she didn’t push him away. Just his touch alone had her eyes fluttering to a close. Having the roughness of his fingertips caressing at her skin had her breath hitching in her throat. Palming down over the side of her face, Negan allowed his thumb to drag faintly across her bottom lip. The slightest of whimpers escaped her throat eliciting a chill to flood his body. It was so quiet, but since the room was too it was easy to hear. He hadn’t even kissed her yet and he had her trembling before him. It took his breath away. Pressing in closer, Negan closed the distance between them. The warmth of his breath lingered over her and he was keen to pay attention to her reactions. Considering what he was putting on the line, he wanted to pay special attention in the moment. Sweeping his fingers down over her jawline toward her neck, Negan captured her jaw between his thumb and index finger. It had her lips parting with her breathing growing broken. Part of him wondered if she would stop him from doing this, but she hadn’t. And he was thankful for that. Faintly brushing his lips over hers, he took his time to allow her the chance to refuse. Their lips barely touched. It was when his eyes closed that he finally brought their lips together in a passionate sweep. It was one that lingered, innocent at first. Her hand settled at the center of his chest with her fingers stretching upward. Gradually the kiss grew stronger. It was just supposed to be one simple kiss, but with her lips parting he took advantage by brushing his tongue delicately against hers. One kiss turned to many with her fingers curling loosely around the back of his neck. Pressing a final kiss at her bottom lip left them both breathless. Lazily, his eyes fluttered to an open with them still so close to one another. “How do you feel?”

His eyes were locked on her, enamored with the way she responded to him kissing her. Slowly her eyes opened, her pupils dilated showing that the kiss had undoubtedly had its effects on her, “I don’t know,” she knew she couldn’t say what she truly felt. With him still touching her face, it wasn’t helping. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Then maybe we should do it again,” Negan commented with his thumb stroking down over the soft fleshy part of her throat. Stealing another fervent kiss from her lips, Negan brought them close together. One kiss turned to another with their breathing growing broken and labored. This time when Negan’s tongue swept against hers, she eagerly returned the gesture. Everything about this was intoxicating having her desperately wanting more from him.

“Shit,” she stood up from the couch, panting when she pulled away from Negan’s kisses. Moving toward the corner of the room gave her that chance to put some distance between them. It felt like everything was spinning with how intense things started to get between them. Finally looking to him again, she gave him a nod, but it was hard looking him in the eye. “Well we kissed and I think we can both agree that you should probably be headed home.”

Taking a moment to think about what she was saying, Negan gave her a single nod. Getting up from the couch, he approached her and felt his heartbeat leaping in his chest, “I guess we’ll talk again soon?”

“Sure,” she realized that he was going to hug her goodbye and she allowed him that. Squeezing her firmly in his arms, Negan buried his head against the side of her neck and sighed loudly. Chills flooded down her spine and she tried to keep her head on straight.

“I’ll just go then…” Negan spoke, leaning back ever so slightly to look down upon her. “If that’s what you want from me.”

Staying silent, she knew it was for the best. Kissing him was addicting and she didn’t want to stop. With a wicked smirk, Negan stepped back acting as if he was going to leave. Reaching for his wrist had him chuckling. Cupping his face in her hands, she hungrily pulled him back to her having his lips crashing down upon hers. The force of him stepping forward had her back pressing against the wall. Dropping his hands, he caressed them in over her hips giving them a firm squeeze. Kiss after kiss took her breath away, her body growing limp with her falling in against his chest.

Gasping out, she felt Negan’s hands palming down over the backs of her thighs. Hooking his arms under her knees, he lifted her up from the ground and braced her weight against the wall. Closing the distance between them had her heart hammering inside of her chest. Every part of her felt like it was on fire with Negan’s lips upon hers once more. Kissing her with all the passion and desire that had been building up between them over the last few days.

Wincing, she tipped her head back when Negan’s kisses tampered off down over her chin and across her jawline. Sinking her fingers into his messy, dark hair she knew that she should have let him leave but this all felt way too good to let go of. For years she longed for this kind of interaction and now that she was getting it she felt like she was drunk off his kisses.

His mouth left a hot, wet trail against the side of her neck when he eagerly returned to meet her lips in a fiery kiss. What started off innocent was growing into something hungry and passionate. Something that she never thought existed between the two of them. How easily Negan took her breath away was scary. Negan held her in the palm of his hand and she knew it. An involuntary moan escaped her lips with the sensation of Negan’s hips lightly bucking up against hers. In return he rewarded her with a throaty moan. Tipping his head back, his eyelids were heavy as he tried to make sure that she was comfortable with where this was going. Another roll of his hips had her head tipping back. Repeatedly, his hips bucked up against hers with his mouth stealing kiss after kiss from her lips.

“Fuck,” Negan hissed at the liquid warmth that was flooding his body. Sucking at her bottom lip had her mewling out and he pressed his forehead to hers. Every part of him felt like it was on fire. The way she caressed at the back of his neck had chills running down his spine. Carefully bringing her in against his chest, Negan turned on his heel taking his time to carry her over toward the couch. Dropping down on top of it, Negan fell in over her but made sure to brace his weight so he didn’t hurt her. Hovering his lips in over hers had her caressing down over the side of his neck toward the center of his chest. A smile tugged at his lips hearing the anxious sound that she made with him over her. “Don’t be nervous.”

Lowering himself between her thighs, Negan kept his weight braced on his right arm while his left caressed down over the side of her body and up again. Teasing his lips just over hers, Negan’s eyelids grew heavy when the warmth of her mouth radiated against his. It had her purring out and it sent a chill right through his body. There was a rush flooding his veins. This wasn’t where he expected the kiss to go, but here they were.

Feather like kisses pressed over her lips with him taking his time to get comfortable with her. With each kiss, the passion and hunger grew with them exploring each other. Making out with Negan on the couch was not something she expected and she was surprised they let it get this far. But right now she was feeling butterflies in her stomach. Having him pampering her with kisses was addictive and it was hard to pull herself away from it. There was an electricity between them that both of them could feel the longer they kissed.

Grunting, Negan lowered his head to look down with him hooking his arm underneath her knee. Getting her to loosely wrap her leg around his waist drew out the most delicious moan from his lips and it had her panting. Palming down over the side of his face had Negan leaning into her touch, his lips parting and his eyes coming to a tight close.

By the time his long eyelashes fluttered to an open, she felt lost in him. The way he stared down at her showed a sense of affection. Licking his lips, Negan dragged his thumb across her bottom lip and sighed. Kissing at the pad of his thumb had a tiny smile tugging at his handsome features, “You are so beautiful.”

Nuzzling his nose in against hers showed tenderness in the way he was desperate to be near. Stroking down over the side of his neck, she liked listening to the way that he was breathing. At this moment? They were just taking the time to cherish the warmth of their bodies near. Hooking her fingers into his messy hair, she caressed at his scalp and liked the tiny kisses that he was pressing at the side of her face. A lump grew in her throat with the feeling of Negan caressing down in over her thigh and then up over her side. Having her arch up into him like she did only made him smile further.  

“Do you trust me?” Negan slurred, kissing softly at her bottom lip allowing it to linger in that moment.

Maybe she should have said no, but instead she just nodded. Adjusting his weight made her panic when he got on his knees above her. Reaching for the bottom of his shirt, Negan took his time pulling it up the lengths of his abdomen. Getting it over his head, he dropped it beside the couch on the floor. How she looked at him fueled him. Maggie had never looked at him like that. Reaching for her hands, Negan brought them toward his torso urging her to touch him. Tension was evident in her body, but it was from her being nervous. Flattening her palms against the center of Negan’s abdomen, she did as he wanted. Sliding her hands up his slender torso toward his chest and then down again. Just touching him had Negan sucking in a sharp breath of air, tipping his head back and pressing in closer to her. Teasing her fingers through the dark curls of hair that covered his flesh had a thick rumble of a sound falling from his throat. Forcing himself to watch her, Negan could see the awe in her eyes. Instead of rushing things, she learned the lines of his body. Learning what he liked while also enjoying the moment herself.  

Lifting up, her eyes stayed locked with his at first when she started to pepper affectionate kisses at the center of his torso. Every caress of her lips over his flesh was delicate with her still touching him. His heartrate was undoubtedly high with him curling his fingers around the back of her neck. Lowering her stare, she kissed at the lines over his hips following the v-line toward the top of his pants. Biting down on his bottom lip, Negan sighed loudly. It felt good having someone pampering him and admiring him like this.

Dropping his hands down, his fingers tugged at the material of her shirt getting it partially up her body. Stopping at the area right under her arms, he gave her a tip of his head when she looked up at him. Lifting her arms allowed him to pull it from her body and drop her shirt along with his. Underneath she was not wearing a bra and he knew that. Hell, he watched her change. The way her breasts bounced with the movement made him groan.

Motioning her to lay back again, Negan laid in over her permitting the warmth of their bodies to press together. That alone felt better than he could have ever imagined. It had her frozen beneath him with him dragging his bottom lip over hers. Lazily dragging his lips over her top lip had her purring out and he loved it. They should have said more, but they didn’t. The roughness of Negan’s fingertips caressed down over her side and it felt like her heart was going to pound out of her chest. After a while Negan’s fingers dragged down further, teasing in over the waistband of her pajama pants. Locking his eyes with hers, Negan pushed at the material having her a tremoring mess beneath him.

“It’s okay,” he hushed her, lifting his hips enough to get the material of her pajama pants tugged down to her thighs. With them getting locked up there, he balanced his weight enough for him to use one of his hands to get them pushed even further down her legs. Laying back in over her, Negan reached behind him to push at his pajama pants getting them down over his ass toward his thighs. Swallowing down hard, Negan’s muscles tensed with the sensation of their bodies pressed together. The way she shuddered had him breathless with his fingers tracing down over the side of her face. “You take my breath away.”

Attempting to look between them, Negan stopped her by curling his finger in underneath her chin. Hushing her, he urged her to tip her head back against the pillow, “Keep your eyes on mine. I don’t want you looking anywhere else.”

Every part of her felt like it was on fire with the warmth of his naked body lying in over her. This felt more passionate and sincere in the moment. Less sexual even though the two of them were both naked. There was a vulnerability between the both of them that Negan was enchanted by.

“No one looks at me the way you do,” Negan whispered, starting to pepper kisses against her bottom lip. How he had been blind to it this whole time was something he couldn’t wrap his mind around. “I should have seen it all along.”

Closing her eyes when Negan’s kisses tampered off over the side of her neck had it feeling like the room was spinning around them. Quiet whispers surrounded her with Negan praising her, saying all the things that someone would want to hear. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she buried her nose against the side of his neck.

Turning his head, Negan brought their lips back together. Reaching for one of her arms, he lowered it down on the couch with his fingers hooking firmly with hers. Truthfully they could have spent an eternity like that, just kissing with them pressed up against one another.

“Do you still want me?” Negan wondered, his words vibrating against her flesh having her whimper at the feeling of it. His fingers squeezed firmly with hers and he wanted her to answer honestly. “After everything, is there a chance that you still want to be with me?”

“I don’t know,” she spoke quietly, unsure of how she was feeling or how things were. More than anything she wanted Negan, but she didn’t know how it would work. “I know how you make me feel.”

“How do I make you feel?” Negan wanted to hear her answer, wetting his lips. There was desperation in her eyes with his mouth hanging just in over hers.

“Like my heart is beating wildly yet capable of stopping at the same time,” she stammered drawing him to smile with a tiny nod. That probably sounded stupid and she knew it. “No one makes me feel like you do.”

“Okay,” Negan licked his lips adjusting his body over hers and releasing her hand. “That’s all I need to know.”

Wiggling his hips a bit more got the material of his pants down to the bottom of his thighs. Dragging his hand down over her side toward her ribcage and then over her breast had her panting. Circling her nipple with his thumb, he worked to bring it to a hard bud and growled.

“Do you have any condoms?” Negan questioned and it had her shaking beneath him. There was a sense of shock in her eyes with his eyebrows bouncing up.

“I…I don’t,” she responded, her head tipping back with Negan’s thumb tracing over her jawline, down over the length of her neck and toward her collarbone. “I don’t really have time to bring men back here for sex.”

“We can work with that,” Negan slurred, reaching down between them, his raspy moan following when she assumed that he was touching himself. Nuzzling his nose in against hers, he adjusted himself over her. Curling his arm around her waist, he brought her closer to him and it had the warmth of his body near hers. Licking his lips, he reached between them again to curl his fingers around the base of his cock. Teasing the swollen tip over the length of her sex had her cooing out. Dragging a line down her body with the tip and then up toward her clit had her bouncing up toward him. “You are so fucking perfect.”

Repeatedly he teased her with the same motion, until he brought his fingertips up toward his lips. Licking at them, he lowered them down again touching himself. By the time a bit of pressure was being pushed at her entrance, she heard the sound of what she thought was another knock at her door. Closing her eyes, she assumed that it was just her mind letting things stir with the thick tip of Negan’s cock prodding at her warmth.

“Look at me,” he demanded and she obeyed. His lips hovered over hers with him working just the tip through the tight ring of muscle having the both of them moan in unison. Pulling out had her whimpering before he repeated the same movement causing them both to be a panting mess. Another knock at the door drew both of their attention this time with Negan looking to the door. “Just ignore it. It’s late.”

Nodding her head, she winced when he got just a bit more inside of her this time. He was starting off small, getting her used to him. Pressing her hand against his lower abdomen had him swallowing down hard. Even though he knew better, there was a sense of innocence to her. Lifting, she watched him pull his hips back letting her gaze upon his rigid manhood that took her breath away. Again, the way she looked at him turned him on more than he could have ever imagined. She did stare at him with awe and affection. In her eyes? He was perfection and he could see that. Cuddling in close to her, Negan got comfortable between her thighs and helped lead the tip back to her ready opening. Pushing forward had her crying out and he nipped at her chin. At this point it was only the tip that had entered her a few times but knowing that it was Negan had her body craving so much more.

“You feel so good,” Negan slurred, doing his best to brace himself pushing his hips just a bit more forward. This time allowing his body to enter hers further. Dropping her head back, she cried out with Negan kissing down over the side of her neck. There was a stretching sensation with her body parting to his girthy length. “So wet and tight…”

And there it was again, the returning knock, “I’m going to kill myself if that’s Maggie.”

“It can’t be Maggie, the alert didn’t go off on my phone,” Negan breathed against the side of her neck having a sense of realization flood through her mind. Firmly bracing her hand over the center of Negan’s abdomen, she pulled her hips up and away from him having him moaning out. “Did I hurt you? We didn’t even get half of it in yet.”

“You’re still with Maggie,” she reminded him having a flood of guilt rushing through her veins. By his expression, she could tell in that moment the only person that mattered to was her. Working her pants back up over her body, she knew that every part of her was screaming at her to continue, but she couldn’t let that go. “You’re still with Maggie and we just started to have sex.”

“Barely,” Negan stammered, his chest rising and falling heavily with his unsteady breathing. Grunting, Negan looked down to see his cock twitch with the ache that it had with not being allowed to continue. “I think I want to leave Maggie. I want to be with you…”

“You don’t know that,” she frowned, standing up from the couch leaving him to fall back against it. Dragging his hands down over the front of his face, Negan groaned and she wished he would have pulled his pants back up. Seeing him laid stretched out on her couch almost completely naked with a raging hard on was not helping the situation. “I should have never let things get that far. It makes me just as bad as her if not worse. You’re hers. And I would have had sex with you, I started to…”

Wincing, Negan reached down to squeeze at his rigid length and lifted his head to look at it. Growling, he reached for his pants and arched his hips to pull them up over his body which she was thankful for, “Maggie is in your home right now. Sleeping in your bed and I’m here with you…”

“I don’t like the way I feel when I’m with Maggie,” Negan explained to her, the muscle in his jaw flexing when he brushed his fingers throughout his hair shakily. “I like the way I feel when I’m with you. The way you look at me, the way you touch me…the electricity between us…”

“The other day people were coming up to me talking about how much you loved Maggie. How can you change your opinion of her in two days?” she had a hard time believing that with her reaching down to grab her shirt to pull it back on.

“Because my eyes were opened to how things really are. I was blind to things,” Negan stood up from the couch, attempting to approach her, but she held up her hands to stop him from coming near. With how her body felt? She knew that she needed to keep some distance between the two of them. “Please, okay? All I think about is you.”

“You’re still with Maggie,” she stressed to Negan the words that hurt, but were still so undeniably true. Right now that didn’t seem to bother Negan, but she knew eventually it would. “You’re hers. And she is yours. This? What we’re doing. It’s wrong.”

“How could it be fucking wrong when we both want it?” Negan wondered, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat. “Isn’t this what you want? What you’ve always wanted?”

“To have an affair with you while you’re still with Maggie?” she snorted, causing Negan to frown and fold his arms out in front of his chest. “There are some things that need to be worked out before we could ever be something. You were very anti cheating and now…”

“I just…” Negan started only to hear the knocking turn to rapid, continuous hits that was having the door shaking. “What the fuck?”

Heading for the door, Negan reached for the knob and pulled it open angrily, “Whatever the fuck you want I promise we don’t want it…”

It was in that moment Negan came face to face with Daryl who was holding a few bags in his hands staring out at Negan with his cold, blue eyed stare. They both knew each other and they knew each other well. Especially since they were both a big part of Y/N’s life. And neither one liked each other all that much.

“Daryl,” she breathed out his name with a shirtless Negan standing before him at the door. Looking to the clock on the wall, she shook her head and sighed. Why was everyone suddenly showing up so damn late? “What are you doing here?”

“I figured you didn’t eat since you weren’t texting me back,” Daryl lifted the bags that he was holding giving them a small wiggle. “Since neither of us sleep much, I figured I would stop by like you did the other night and bring you something to eat.”

“At three in the morning?” Negan scoffed with Daryl pushing through into the apartment toward the kitchen area. There wasn’t a care in the world that Daryl had right now interrupting the two of them. And he was making that clear. Which infuriated Negan who stood at the door tense as can be. “Excuse me, we were in the middle of something here.”

“Were you?” Daryl simply asked looking between the two of them. Setting some of the things out on her counter, Daryl brought his fingers up to his lips to suck at them. Shrugging his shoulders, he took note of the fact that Negan was half naked. But he didn’t say anything. Just acted like everything was completely normal. “What are you doing here anyway? Don’t you have a child at home? Jordyn is too young to be left alone.”

“Maggie is there,” Negan answered with Daryl smirking and moving back around the counter toward them in the living room.

“Like I said, leaving her alone isn’t smart,” Daryl gazed upon Negan who was still breathing loudly, his eyes locking with Y/N who was standing a good distance away from the both of them trying to catch her breath. Bringing his attention back to Negan, Daryl circled his finger around Negan’s torso area. “What happened to your shirt?”

“I lost it,” Negan snorted with a roll of his eyes heading over toward his shirt that was still on the floor. Snatching it, Negan haphazardly tugged it back on. Displeasure flooded Negan’s features with his hands settling in at his hips. By his body language, he was angry and he wasn’t hiding it.

“Do you need something cold for that?” Daryl slurred getting Negan’s eyebrows to furrow and his head to tip to the side. Pointing toward the evident tent in Negan’s pajama pants had red flooding into Negan’s face. Reaching for the pillow that was on the couch, Negan placed it in front of himself. “Don’t you have to leave?”

“Daryl,” she snapped at her friend causing him to dramatically shrug and move back toward the kitchen. Daryl was going out of his way to be a shit to get Negan even more upset about things.

“He’s right,” Negan swallowed down hard looking upon her with a saddened expression. “I shouldn’t have left Jordyn alone. But the two of us need to talk. About…us…”

“Sounds serious,” Daryl spoke up with a mouthful of something getting an immediate glare from Negan having Negan’s dimples becoming extremely prominent. It looked like Negan wanted to kill Daryl in that moment. Daryl was playing oblivious to things, but she knew he was just doing it to be an ass to get under Negan’s skin.

“Daryl!” she repeated his name with Daryl throwing his hands up in the air again.

“We’ll talk later,” Negan stepped forward, lowering down to press a quick kiss against the side of her face. Even him doing that felt wrong. There was a sense of affection in the way that he kissed her face that shouldn’t have been there if he was with Maggie. “I’m sorry.”

“It was nice seeing you,” Daryl called out, wiggling his fingers about. It had Negan stopping and looking back over his shoulder at Daryl with his cold hazel eyed stare. By now? She was surprised Daryl hadn’t started a fight. Tossing the pillow back onto the couch, Negan reached for his boots and stumbled to pull them back on. By the time he got his jacket on, Negan headed for the door, but stopped. It looked like he was considering saying something else, but he just shook his head and left, leaving her alone with Daryl. Once she knew they were finally alone, she looked to Daryl shooting him a glare herself with the way he acted. “What?! I was being nice!”

Heading over toward the couch, she dropped down on top of it and buried her head into her hand, “Personally? I think you should be thanking me. Cus I stopped whatever sex the two of you were about to have. And you would have regretted it if I didn’t.”

“I know,” she agreed with Daryl who looked surprised when he dropped down on the couch beside her. “You’re absolutely right.”

“I am?” Daryl replied showing her that he didn’t even think she would agree with his comment. “You’re not angry?”

“At myself. Not you,” she confessed, her breathing still uneven with her body aching in the worst of ways. Huffing out, she felt Daryl’s hand placing in over her head and she gave him an awkward glance. “What the hell?”

“Just making sure you don’t have a fever or nothin’,” Daryl explained, pulling his hand back and rubbing at his thighs. “Since I just stopped you from having sex with the man of your dreams. He was walking around with a raging boner. I thought you’d be furious.”

“I’m not,” there was a warmth that flooded into her face with how embarrassed she was over this whole thing. Right now she was upset and it was probably a good thing that Daryl showed up, but she didn’t really want to admit what happened or talk to Daryl about it. “It shouldn’t have happened anyways.”

“You okay?” Daryl’s nose wrinkled, scoffing in the process. “I really thought you’d be throwing things at me.”

“Daryl…” she repeated his name, forcing herself to look away from him. Truthfully? Her body was screaming. More than anything it wanted Negan, it wanted to keep having sex with Negan. But her mind kept thinking about Maggie. Maggie went after Negan knowing that she was head over heels in love with him, but Negan wasn’t dating her. She started having sex with Negan knowing that he was dating Maggie. And she was furious with Maggie for cheating on Negan with Guy. “I don’t know why I let things get that far.”

“Cus you were always obsessed with that asshole,” Daryl scoffed, getting comfortable and stretching out his legs while he sat beside her on the couch. “The guy smiles and he just has you in the palm of his hand.”

“It’s a little more than that,” she reasoned with her friend, standing up from the couch and feeling her legs tremoring beneath her. Moving over toward the kitchen area, she grabbed herself a water. Looking out, she could see that Daryl’s head was turned watching her.

“Was it everything you ever hoped for?” Daryl felt like he was mocking her in that moment, but she couldn’t blame him. “Was his cock glorious and the moment you knew that he wanted to fuck you, you just creamed your panties.”

“Christ,” she muttered after taking a long sip of the water that she grabbed herself. Looking at the bags, she tipped her head to the side when she saw one of the things that was in them. Pulling out the box, she lifted it and saw Daryl grimace once he realized she grabbed the box of condoms that were there. “What were you planning?”

“I was horny and thought you might be again,” Daryl got up from the couch, shoving his hands into his pockets. Giving her a shrug, he bit down on his bottom lip and moved closer to the kitchen area of her apartment. After she tossed the box on the counter, he assumed that she wouldn’t be interested in that at all tonight. “Guess I was right.”

Bracing his hand on the counter, Daryl noticed the silence that was between them and cleared his throat. Heading over toward the corner of the kitchen, she rest herself back against it and she looked disappointed in herself.

“I really wanted him to have a small penis,” Daryl blurt out provoking her to spit out her water after she had taken another sip of it. Involuntarily she laughed with how dramatically Daryl said that. “All that arrogance and being blessed with a big dick. It’s not right.”

“What are you complaining about? It’s not like you are a lacking. At all,” she reminded Daryl who simply tipped his head from side to side. “And it’s not about dick size with Negan. I wouldn’t have cared what size it was.”

“You’d be disappointed if he had a baby penis,” Daryl insisted, leaning forward eliciting another laugh from her again. “I’m right. You know that.”

“Can we talk about something other than Negan and his penis?” she asked of Daryl having him shrug dramatically and then reach for the bag of food that he brought for them to start opening it up. “Thank you for coming over with food.”

“Well, someone has to feed you,” Daryl pointed out, dropping what looked to be noodles into his mouth and chewing loudly. Gazing around her apartment, Daryl grunted noticing that she had gone a bit overboard with the decorations. “You’re barely home. Why do you have so many lights?”

“It helps relax me,” she suggested, liking the setting that it gave her apartment. It felt more magical than just being the bare, plain apartment that she was used to.

“Being here reminds me we don’t spend a lotta time at your apartment,” Daryl swallowed down what he had in his mouth and turned to face her again. Through the years they knew each other, it was mostly his place that they were always at. Unless she had Jordyn, then it would be occasionally spent at her place. “Why is that?”

“Because I want to escape my life most of the time,” she noted, setting her water bottle down and moving across the room to the side of the counter opposite of him. “Being at your apartment gives me a different environment.”

“So…” Daryl went to reach for more of the noodles and she swatted at his hand. Grabbing a fork, she handed it over to him making him roll his eyes. Using the fork like she wanted of him, he tipped his head back and dramatically ate the mouthful of food that he grabbed. “Do you wanna go back to my apartment and have sex?”

“Daryl!” she raised her voice with his blue eyes getting big like he didn’t understand where all the excitement was coming from. “I don’t think I should be having sex right now. My body needs to chill out. And I would love to relax instead with you. We can eat, sit down and watch some movies.”

“Boring,” Daryl frowned with her reaching out to shove into his shoulder. A muted laugh escaped him as he moved around the counter to get himself a plate from her cabinets and one for her as well. “I can do that. As long as I get to pick the movie. I ain’t watching no romance films. Or any of those cheesy Christmas movies.”

“Deal,” she agreed, thankful that Daryl was there, but was still ill at ease.

Part of her wondered if Daryl was more upset with her than he was allowing her to see. Truthfully? She told him about what happened at work and how she was tired, but she left out the Negan parts. And she felt like there was a reason for that. Now he knew something was going on between her and Negan.  Yet he was more so joking about it. Daryl and her had always been friends. Well, a little bit more than friends, but nothing beyond that.

Right now she didn’t want to overthink things though. Daryl seemed fine and after all the stress she had been dealing with over the last few days, she just wanted to relax. Spending the rest of her night hanging out with Daryl watching movies sounded better than anything else she could have considered. And that was the honest truth. Really she just needed time to let her emotions die down so she could think clearly. Before she fucked her life up completely and became someone she hardly even knew.

----

Tags: @slutlanna976​ @fuckthis-and-fuckthat @jennydehavilland @pixelb4rbie @ibelongtonegan

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[libellule-ao3]

Distorted Mirrors

OS written and shared for @tamayula-hl 😊

OS | Rating: T | Sebastian x MC (Sakurako) | approx. 1900 words.

A/N: Upon reading her HC [Link] about the relationship between Sebastian and Sakurako, I was immediately struck by the circumstances of Sebastian’s first marriage proposal. This passage encompassed everything I love to explore: angst, the complexity of toxic relationships, tortured characters, and Sebastian’s duality. The section written from his POV was the first piece I drafted about this pairing, but I needed more time to better understand Sakurako before daring to explore her perspective, which is nevertheless essential to this fanfiction. This OS is, above all, a tribute to the depth @tamayula-hl brings to her characters & their dynamics.

As always, I hope it resonates with you, despite any potential missteps or errors on my part (ESL writer). 🤞

Summary:

As Sebastian desperately tries to keep Sakurako by his side, even resorting to manipulating her feelings and forcing her into an impossible choice, she questions their future, torn between her love for him and the realisation of their relationship’s toxicity.

Sebastian

Something was wrong.

He could feel it in the way Sakurako’s gaze fled his, in the distance that grew between them or in the silences that stretched like shadows at dusk, filled with unspoken words.

Their love seemed to fade little by little, to become a kind of mirage, and this thought took his breath away, leaving him suspended on the edge of emptiness. Since the catacombs, since Solomon’s death and losing Anne, who refused to forgive him, everything that had once been solid in his life was now in ruins.

Even Ominis had grown somewhat distant, tired of his excesses.

Sakurako, for her part, had picked up the pieces of what was left of him, reassembling them into something fragile but real. She had become the glue that held the shattered fragments of his being together, and he couldn’t lose her. Not after everything they’d been through.

The panic that surged inside him at this threat was cold and implacable, a terror that only grew with each moment he saw her slipping further away. He knew their bond was imperfect, born of helplessness and despair, nourished by loneliness and grief. And yet it was impossible to let go. She was his reason for living, the only thread holding him back from the precipice.

Ominis had said it was an addiction, a desperate need, but in his eyes, it was love. His only love. Should this embrace prove more toxic than a constrictor snake’s, then so be it!And so an idea came to him.

A desperate plan, dictated by his visceral fear: seal their fate in front of everyone in the Great Hall. A public scene that would leave no room for escape, trapping Sakurako under the weight of hundreds of stares. She hated being the centre of attention and would never have the strength to say "no" in such a situation. That was precisely why he had chosen this moment, this place. It was cruel, perhaps, but he couldn’t lose her — not after everything they had endured.

When the day came, Sebastian felt the little suede case in his pocket, a weight reminding him at every moment of the importance of what he was about to do. The Great Hall was noisy, full of life, laughter and cross-talk, but to him it all seemed strangely distant, as if he were observing the scene through a pane of glass. His eyes finally found Sakurako entering the Great Hall with Poppy Sweeting, who was no doubt telling her some new anecdote about magical creatures. She looked so far away, out of reach, and this distance rekindled his fear like a bright flame.

He made his way towards her, ignoring the intrigued looks, the silent disapproval of Ominis and the whispers as he passed. When he stopped in front of her, he dropped to his knees and all the hubbub in the room died down; the conversations suspended in palpable anticipation. Poppy slipped discreetly away, leaving Sakurako facing him, exposed to all eyes. He saw her swallow, her gaze shifting from him to the jewellery box he was taking out, then to the dozens of curious faces around them.

“Sakurako,” he said, his voice sounding louder than he’d intended.He gave her the most charming smile in his repertoire as he opened the box to reveal a beautiful engagement ring.

“I know I’m not perfect, that I’ve made mistakes, but I love you more than anything, and I can’t imagine my life without you. So let me ask you–”

His hands trembled with emotion. His eyes sought hers, begging for an answer, but all he saw was surprise, hesitation, a thinly veiled fear...

She wanted to flee... It was as plain as the nose on her face.

Sebastian chose to ignore this. He couldn’t back down now.

“–Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

The question wasn’t really a question. It was a plea. A disguised injunction. A trap set with which she could only escape by daring to face the silent judgement of all those witnesses.

She smiled, but it was a vulnerable smile, more fragile than a fairy wing, ready to break at any moment. Yet he clung to it like a castaway to a plank.A soft, barely audible “Yes” came from her, requiring him to strain his ear to catch it.

Relief flooded through him, accompanied by a thunder of applause, cheers and festive whistles, eliminating everything in its path, chasing away all shadows and doubts to make way for an overwhelming sense of victory. He slipped the ring onto her finger and rose to kiss her, ignoring the trembling of her lips, the restraint of her tongue and the rigidity of her body against his.

It didn’t matter.

Sakurako was his, and she would never leave.

A little voice inside him, which sounded strangely like Ominis’s, reminded him a heart captured through cunning is not truly won. But Sebastian refused to listen.

As long as Sakurako remained by his side, he would do anything to convince himself that everything would be all right.

Sakurako

Sakurako knew something was wrong.

It wasn’t something she could name straight away, but it persisted, heavy and insistent, in the burning heat of Sebastian’s gaze.

She could see it in the way his eyes locked onto her, as if he had been memorising every detail, like a man etching in his mind a shoreline doomed to disappear beneath the waves.

She could hear it in the silence after his laugh had died down.

She perceived it from his smiles that flickered too quickly, an unease settling in their wake.Sebastian had always been intense. That intensity had been part of what had drawn her to him in the first place – the fierce, burning love that had threatened to consume him completely. The relentless need to protect those he loved, even if it meant ignoring their boundaries – or trampling everything in his path.

But lately, that flame had been extinguished, its light replaced by a dark, oppressive pressure. It was something she couldn’t explain, but she could feel it, suffocating in the silence.

Sakurako loved him. She didn’t doubt it, just as she didn’t doubt the ache that gripped her chest – a weight that felt as much as freedom as captivity.

She loved him with a strength that left no room for anything else. And yet, sometimes, a cruel thought made its way into her heart:

Did Sebastian really love her, or just his idea of her?

Was she just a figure of attachment shaped by the absences of Anne, Solomon, and all that he had lost?

Their love was anything but light.

The witch sometimes compared it to a vine that wrapped itself around the two of them, holding them up even though it threatened to strangle them. Together, they held on, but at what price?

Sakurako lived with the quiet certainty that one day Sebastian would see the truth. He would look at her and realise that his love was born out of nothing but grief. A desperate attempt to fill the void.

And when that day would come, she feared his gaze might burn her just as intensely, but this time with resentment. Then in her worst nightmares, his voice echoed with dreaded words:

“It’s all your fault.”

Words she feared all the more because they were true. If she hadn’t helped Sebastian, none of this would have happened.

As she began to imagine her life after Hogwarts, a decision took shape, a choice so devastating it tore at her heart: she had to leave him.

It was not a resolution taken lightly. On the contrary, it was a carefully considered necessity.

Love should never feel like a prison. Nor be tainted by insecurity.

So Sakurako wrote him a letter. It was less complicated this way. Face to face, she would waver, as she always did when he was close to her. In this message, she expressed her love for him, reminded him of their wounds, and their need for time to heal, to rebuild... one without the other.

She waited until the following Saturday to give it to him, a day devoid of classes when it would be easier to avoid any confrontation while waiting for him to digest the news. But Sebastian, it seemed, had his own plans.

A few days later, as she entered the Great Hall with Poppy for dinner, the atmosphere changed. The steady hum of conversation faded, replaced by murmurs and a tangible sense of anticipation. That’s when she saw him approaching in long strides. Each of his steps struck the stone, the sharp cluck of his shoes asserting his unyielding presence in the crowded room. His face showed determination, and his aura dominated the space. Her heart compressed in her chest as she guessed what he was about to do before he even reached her.

“Sebastian, no! Not here... Please… Not like this…” she screamed in her mind.

But the words wouldn’t come out. They were stuck in her throat, and she felt trapped by a hundred stares. Slowly, he knelt down in front of her and took a small box out of his pocket.

“Sakurako,” he began, “I know I’m not perfect, that I’ve made mistakes, but I love you more than anything else in the world, and I can’t imagine my life without you. So, let me ask you–”

The Earth turned upside down. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her hands were clammy and trembling. Her instincts were screaming at her to say no, to stop before it was too late. But she was frozen, trapped by the unbearable weight of all those stares.All those expectant faces, those smiles filled with envy, preventing her from catching her breath.

To refuse here and now was to condemn Sebastian to public humiliation. He knew that.

An affront she didn’t have the strength to inflict on him. He knew that, too.

Her panicked gaze swept around the Great Hall, like a condemned prisoner looking for a miracle. But wherever her eyes landed, she was met only with envious faces or faces eager to hear her acceptance, adorned with a naïve smile that knew nothing of the storm inside her. Every whisper, every glance seemed to tighten the invisible chains that imprisoned her. Silent witnesses to her surrender, unaware that every second they were forging the bars of a cage she had never chosen.

He looked at her, his features taut with a fragile balance of hope and despair. The cold possessiveness in his brown eyes was a shadow she couldn’t ignore.

Saying “no” would break him. Saying “yes” meant surrendering to a gilded cage.

Her lips almost parted of their own accord, betraying a “yes” she desperately wanted to stifle. Three little letters that left a taste of ash in her mouth. Glowing, he stood up, slipping the ring onto her finger with a trembling, practically feverish hand.When he kissed her, the warmth of his lips contrasted cruelly with the coldness of the stone in her stomach. She remained motionless, unable to respond to his passion, while in the back of her mind, church bells announced, not their union, but his triumph.

Her conscience whispered that she had just made a terrible mistake. And her heart clung to the hope that perhaps, in time, they could learn to love each other as they deserved.

But Sakurako knew it wouldn’t be easy. With Sebastian, nothing ever was.

Masterlist

[project-sekai-news]

The Pegasus - An Interview

Welcome back to PJSK News! I'm your host, Tenma Saki, and because Hoshino couldn't be here today, I have brought a special guest! Special guest, how about you introduce yourself?

Good evening, everyone! I am Tenma Tsukasa, a world star! Many of you know me by my stage name, the Pegasus!!! Saki here is actually my little sister!

Hehe, Onii-chan, no headpats on camera! Anyway.. I have all the interview questions right here! Are you ready?

More than ready! Shoot!

Okay! First question: Tumblr user @sillystringstar asked: "Dear, Pegasus, why the horse name?"

That's an easy one! My surname, Tenma, means 'pegasus!' Therefore, I thought it only fitting to use that as my stage name!

I knew that one! Hehe, then I could use that as my pen name whenever I write articles! ..On second thought, that might be a little confusing.

Let's see, the next question is.. by @ithappenedonroute66 !! "If you are a star, then are you the sun and going to explode in the far future?"

E-er, you see, I'm not that kind of star! I'm a great and talented performer kind of star! BUT! I will explode in a blaze of glory in the future! You'll see, Saki, and uh.. it-happens-route-6!

I'll be waiting! ... user @agoist asked, "Why did you make that young girl cry by yelling “Dance and Sing” at her?"

Wh-where'd you here that from?! Ahem, I mean, the problem is solved! The girl was looking for her mom, is all! With Rui's help, the girl found her mom safe and sound, so you needn't worry about anything!

We're just going to ignore the fact that I blabbed.. next question, by @crime-soncloud! "Pegasus, what are your thoughts on the work of this news network, and what do you feel should be reported on more?"

This is a brilliant news network, run by my dear sister Saki and her friends! I try my best to listen to every single one of their reports! ..Though I haven't listened to the one about Akito yet! I've been a bit busy lately...

As for what should be reported on! I believe everything Saki and her friends report on needs their full attention! That being said, I recommend other Sekai's! So far, PJSK News has only reported on evnets happening around Shibuya Sekai, so if they could branch off to other Sekai's, I think that would be very cool!

Ooh, good idea! I'll talk to Ichi about that! Uh - also, the Akito going to jail one isn't that big of an event, haha..! There's no need for you to watch it!

Oh, really? Well, whatever you say, Saki!

Hehe, great! This next one is by.. @ova-kakyoin !! "what is your favorite part of performing? other than people smiling and having fun watching of course."

Hmm.. I'd say getting to know my fellow actors better! You mustn't only care for your audience! The wellbeing of the people you're performing with is also very important!

Well said! Okay.. user @sanri0add1ct asked, "dear Pegasus, why do you call your lunch a luncheon?"

Ah! 'Tis a name only fit for the glorious lunch eaten by the Pegasus!

You always put so much care into the lunches you make for yourself and me! Thank you, Onii-chan!

Anything for you, Saki! What's the next question?

Mm.. @25jpeg is wondering, "dear Pegasus what's your deal with Kamishiro?"

Ah, Rui! Hmm.. I'm not too sure what you mean by that!

Of course you know what they mean! Hm, like.. how he's always teasing you! Or.. oh! I heard from Toya that he sometimes sees the teachers chasing you two around the school~! Ooh, or maybe when you were rehearsing Ro -

Wait a minute! Where did you hear this?!

Well, I picked up the teasing one by myself, and like I said, Toya told me about how the teachers chase you two...

Ugh.. to think my wonderful fans would take our relationship like this..

Time for me to clear things up! ..Everyone, Rui is not bullying me!

...Huh..?

There! Now people won't think Rui is being mean! Rui is my great friend!

Onii-chan... hm. Don't worry everyone, he'll realize his feelings soon enough!

..My feelings..?

Anyway, next question~! @calleigator asked, "Mr. Pegasus Tenma, what are your thoughts on the ongoing apple pie thefts and what are you going to do about it?"

The apple pie thefts? Ah, I remember you and Hoshino reporting on this! I hope the thief will stop stealing apple pies and instead be a good citizen and pay for everything that they stole!

That's a lot of money to pay considering how many pies they stole...

But stealing is no good! As the Pegasus and a world star, I should be setting a good example for all the young children out there! Everyone, if you're listening, don't steal!

Aw, you're such a good influence! That's my brother for you!

Haha! You're a great sister too, Saki!

Ahem.. "Dearest Pegasus, your light shines brighter than any other. What do you plan to do about those who melt in your presence?" - asked by @monkie-see-monkie-do!

Melt in my presence..? Ah, I see, they melt because of my greatness! Well, my marvelous fan, if you melt in my presence, no need to panic! My light revives as well as melts!

Ooh, great answer! This next question is the last one, by @closegamecamo !! "Pegasus, what are your thoughts on those fake insects at stores?"

Fake insects..? Ugh, why would you ask me that.. er, I don't even remember what they look like!

That's fine! I brought one here with me just in case!

You wha - aaAAAAAAGGH!!

Haha, Onii-chan! It's just a caterpi - ahh, he fell down!

Eek! T-Tenma-senpai..? Is he okay?

Don't worry about it, Kohane! He'll be fine.. probably..

ONII-CHAN! The interview's still going!

..urk...

Ah, maybe it's a good time to stop..

Bye everyone! I hope your questions were answered by the great and glorious star, Tenma Tsukasa, the Pegasus! Let's keep this little incident between us, 'kay? Bye bye~!

..ugh.. aah, wait! Farewell, my wonderful fa - !

[bumblesimagines]

Imagine:

Comforting Tara after night terrors

Request: Yes or No

Pronouns: He/Him/His, M!Reader

CW/TW: Typical Scream warnings, mentions of massacres, survivors guilt, PTSD and PTSD-induced nightmares, soft angst, loss of a parent

~~~

Bundled up beneath a thick blanket and listening to the sound of raindrops pelting against the glass window, (Y/N) felt himself being slowly lured into the embrace of sleep. There was a subtle weight in his chest, an anxiety about closing his eyes and reliving the memories he so desperately tried to keep buried in the form of vicious nightmares.

Nearly a full year had passed since the murders in Woodsboro, since his father chose to sacrifice himself to save the lives of the Carpenter sisters. Even though (Y/N) knew his father died doing exactly what he spent his whole life doing, the pain barely eased. Grief was a tricky thing to navigate. Sometimes, he wanted to break everything in sight until his palms were raw and bleeding. Sometimes, he did break things: glasses, mirrors, phones, lamps, snapping things until his mother cradled him in her arms through her own tears.

Other times he stared at the ceiling, his body slumped in his bed but his mind drifted along in a sea of numbness without a single thought, emotion, or desire cracking through. Time passed him by quicker during those days. He'd blink and suddenly the clock would read 5 PM instead of 9 AM, his memory left with gaps as he tried recalling what he had done throughout the day. It never made him feel any better.

A gentle buzz came from the nightstand and he grew still, half-lidded eyes dragging away from the window to gaze at his charging phone. He reached out, albeit reluctantly, and picked it up, eyes screwing shut when the screen lit up and almost blinded him. (Y/N) gave a heavy sigh and rolled over onto his back, the rustling of the covers lost to the noise outside.

Tara Can you come over? Tara I need you.

He blinked the bleariness from his eyes and forced himself to sit up, his back hunching uncomfortably as he reread the messages until his tired mind finally processed them and prompted him to slip out of bed to get dressed. He changed into casual clothing because he'd be damned if he'd go out into the dirty streets of New York in his favorite pajamas, and stumbled a bit as he wiggled sockless feet into his sneakers before shoving his phone in his coat pocket. He glanced at the clock. 11:39 PM. It didn't matter. Tara needed him.

He quietly moved through the penthouse on light feet he'd perfected through the years of sneaking out (or attempting to), his eyes locking onto the doors when he reached the end of the hallway, only for his nose to crinkle at the sight of his mother still awake and on the couch with her laptop resting over her thighs. He stopped and took in a deep breath before stepping out into the large living room, bracing himself for whatever unpredictable chat his mother wrapped him up in.

Gale barely looked up from the screen as she spoke, blue eyes half hidden through a squint. "Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"Tara's place."

At that, she stopped typing and raised her gaze to look at him, her perfectly plucked brows shooting up so high they nearly met her hairline. Gale lifted her reading glasses onto the top of her head and folded her arms across her chest, her face morphing into a look he knew well. "I don't know if you've noticed, sweetheart, but it's raining. I'm sure it can wait 'til morning." 

(Y/N) rolled from his toes to his heels and shrugged casually, hoping the way he slowly inched toward the doors wasn't noticeable. "It's important. She said she needed me." He offered an explanation, which hardly ever helped his case when it came to Gale.

"In what way, exactly?" She asked, subtle amusement finding its way into her tone and making him cringe. Sometimes she felt less like a mother and more like a begrudged aunt far out of her depth. Parenthood was Dewy's idea, (Y/N) had learned that when he was a child.

"Mooom." (Y/N) groaned and heat erupted across his face that definitely wouldn't help him. "It's not like that, I swear." 

"Well, most people your age are already pretty sexually active, so you can't blame me for asking." She mimicked his shrug and resumed her typing, speaking casually as if she hadn't just insinuated he'd be willing to walk through pouring rain just to hook up with his girlfriend of a couple months. "It's expected, sweetheart. Girls and guys are going to be throwing themselves at you now that you're off to college. You're my kid, after all."

(Y/N) blew an exasperated raspberry and rolled his eyes at the seriousness in her tone despite the way his lips threatened to twitch up. "I'm just going to check on her, that's all. Nothing else, I promise. Sam would kill me." He assured her and flashed one of the charming smiles he'd inherited from her, one hand curling around the cool metal of the door handle. 

Gale hummed. "Take condoms, just in ca-"

"Mom!"

The streets of New York City were still bustling despite the late hour, with many older residents walking to or from work while the younger residents walked the streets in search of a new bar or club to spend part of the night in. The rain stopped for no one so no one stopped for the rain; New York never failed to live up to its name of the city that never sleeps. Maybe that was why his mother loved it so much.

He hailed a taxi to escape the rain and slumped back in the backseat with his head lolled to the side to watch the city lights pass by in a blur, laughter and chatter and music coming and going as they traveled through busy streets and less populated areas alike until they stopped in front of Tara's apartment complex. It was somewhat run down and in an alright area but the rent was cheap and it was close enough to Blackmore that Sam felt comfortable enough letting her go to school alone. 

Thanking the driver and handing over the money, he tugged his hoodie over his head and stepped out into the chilly air, listening to the squealing of tires and the occasional splash of someone stepping on a puddle as he contemplated how exactly he was going to get to Tara without alerting Sam and listening through another lecture. He hardly blamed her for growing overprotective- her mother had accidentally fallen pregnant with her after all- but it really complicated things for him when he simply wanted to spend time with his girlfriend. 

Taking a deep breath and stepping into the alleyway, his eyes tracked the fire escape until he spotted familiar curtains shielded behind a closed window. "Alright.. let's do this." He muttered, releasing the breath through his teeth and reaching up to pull own the cold ladder of the fire escape. The things he did for those he cared about.. he never expected it'd lead to climbing onto a fire escape close to midnight in the rain.

The rickety fire escape trembled under his weight and shook lightly with each step, squealing and groaning despite his best attempts at moving quietly to avoid rousing the neighbors. He winced at each little noise and quietly grumbled under his breath until he reached Tara's window and gave a few small knocks, hoping and praying Sam and their new roommate had already gone to bed. His shoulders sagged with relief when a light flickered behind the curtains, the smile on his face fading when he took in her appearance.

Her eyes were red and puffy and streaks of tearstains went down her flushed cheeks. A nightmare, no doubt, one of many that plagued them nearly every night. He'd seen the look plenty of times before on his parents; a look of pure exhaustion, fear, anger, and even sometimes guilt. Her pulled-back hair looked messy as if she'd spent at least an hour tossing and turning, and her fingers subtly trembled while she flipped the locks on her window to open it. 

(Y/N) ducked inside, keeping one hand on the windowsill to avoid stumbling and making noise before he pushed the window back down. Tara swayed forward but caught herself, hands growing clammy whilst she waited for him to shed his drenched coat. "Hey-" She threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in the nape of his neck, a shaky and shallow sigh escaping her lips. "It's okay, Tara, I'm here."

Her arms only tightened around and she sniffled, his skin growing wet from the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I-I had a dream.. about Wes and- and Amber. I couldn't- I couldn't save him in time, (Y/N). He- He needed me and.. and I couldn't-" 

"It's not your fault." (Y/N) cooed softly, running his hand along the top of her head as her body began to tremble and shake with each choked sob. His eyes flickered toward her door and lingered at the bottom, ears waiting to pick up the creaking of someone walking but finding none. Good. Sam and the roommate were probably asleep, tuckered out from their days, and oblivious to the world. "What Amber and Ricky did is not on you."

"But there had to have been signs." Tara peeled back to look at him, her brows knitting together in frustration. "Amber was my best friend, (Y/N). How could I not have seen that something was wrong? I didn't even- I didn't even know she had a boyfriend or that she was a Stab fanatic- there are always signs. And I was so blind and now Wes and Liv and-"

"Tara, hey, come on." His hands cupped her face and he delicately brushed his thumbs over the corner of her eyes to wipe away the dripping tears. She sniffled again and averted her eyes shamefully but he gave her a gentle nudge to bring her eyes back to his. "It's not your fault."

"But Dewey-"

"It's not your fault or Sam's fault, if anything, the hospital and police were at fault for not taking it more seriously. You should've been guarded more securely and- and those assholes should've been caught sooner." (Y/N) curled his arms around her and stepped forward, gently pushing her toward the bed and taking a seat. Tara nuzzled into his side and slumped against him, her eyes beginning to droop. "None of this is any of our faults, Tara. We don't pick what bad things happen to us, and I know your friends wouldn't want you to blame yourself for what happened to them." 

"I know," Tara mumbled, her body slowly growing limp in his hold.

"Get some rest. I know you need it."

[harunade]

moots . zhang hao

pairing: camboy!zhang hao x camgirl!reader

synopsys: the drought in your wallet made you start being a camgirl. not only did you never expect it do go so well, you never expected a camboy to donate a large sum of money to you and ask you to collab.

wc: ~1.2k

warnings: mdni!! no smut, fingering, not that much written smut lmao.. simp zhanghao lowkey

a/n: slightly modified version of my anon’s ask!! This is very different frim my usual type of writing so i hope you will love it :’)) if this gets love i might post a part2 :)) stay tuned!!

Nobody particularly knew about your side hustle of being a camgirl, but you didn’t have the heart to tell anyone either. It had started off with you needing some extra cash, and your friend sarcastically suggesting it.

“Your body is tea, Y/n. If i were you i would definitely post that ass online and get my money up” it was supposed to have come as only a joke from Heejin, the friend that has been with you through your ups and downs, but you actually started considering it.

You could vividly remember opening the erotic site and signing up. “that should be good” you murmured as you created your account. lovelyyn it read.

—

For the next few days, you started at your blank account with 0 followers. Creating it was supposed to be the hard part, right? Well, no, you actually had to post on it as well. Nobody was going to donate to a ghost.

With hair rolls in your hair, you got ready to post your first picture on said account. Your makeup was flawless, and it accentuated your features. The red lipstick that sat boldly on your plump lips matched perfectly the lingerie set that you planned on wearing.

The flash snapped in your mirror, capturing a picture of you. A very teasing one, at that. You were in a sitting position, your thighs exposed and red lace barely covering the rest of your body. Your face wasn’t that visible, but that was okay. You didn’t want anyone to know it was you, yet.

Uploaded!

—

The next morning you naturally woke up before your 8 am alarm. Although you had classes to attend soon, there was something else on your mind that kept you from sleeping any longer.

Hurriedly opening your laptop, you opened the site and checked your stats.

10 followers 12 likes and 3 comments

“That’s not too bad for my first day” you thought to yourself. Deciding to read the comments, all of the complimented you and suggested that you would go live

Unbeknownst to you, going live was definitely better than posting pictures. That way, people can comment in real time, you can talk to them and they can donate! That was certainly next on your to do list.

—

It felt as if the planets had aligned for this very moment, because you had a very rough day at uni. Everything that could have gone wrong did in fact go wrong. That meant that your car ran out of gas in the middle of the road, you were late to the first class which just happened to be the most important one, and you forgot to pack a lunch, so you starved all day. But you decided to make the most out of this unfortunate series of events. Yes, you were stressed, but that stress had to be relieved somehow, right?

“Going live in 30 minutes!!! Join & see me play with myself xxx “ you wrote and posted on your account.

You had 30 minutes to get ready. You could already see notifications popping on your phone and laptop, so you took it as a good sign.

“Would it be weird if i wore the same thing twice?” you wondered as you slipped in your red lingerie once again. Even your make up was similar to the one from the previous day, but nobody would notice it anyway.

—

“hii guys” you shily waved at the camera. While people were still joining the livestream, you checked yourself in the camera. The slightly lower resolution your laptop made you stick out even more, because of the contrast of colours and what else.

Shortly after, you got to work. Your camera was adjusted slightly, so it could fit your whole figure that laid in your undone bed. As soon as you shoved two of your fingers in your pussy, the donations started coming in. The rage varied. Someone would done $1, someone else $5 and someone even gave you $20. This sure wasn’t hard!

Things were going smoothly until you glanced at the chat. So far, messages were calling you beautiful or suggested that you changed the angle. Now, they were full of something else

@/ilovemarklee: omg hes here!!!

@/orbittillidie: i cant believe it TT

@/randomuserjwnsn: HES ASKING TO COLLAB???

You were a little confused to say the least. Who was asking to what? You stopped your actions mid way, and although the sense of loss was present, your curiosity took over. “What are you guys even talking about?” you chucked as you scrolled up and read comments you had missed. Then you saw it.

@/sheloveshao: wanna collab, pretty? ;)

You were intrigued by this person’s appearance. You weren’t that familiar with this website yet. Sure, you browsed once or twice (or thrice..) before, but never really memorised anyone’s username. You only had one guy that you like and that was about it.

—

After the live ended, you checked the balance. You were pretty confident, donations kept coming in, so you must have made at least $100. Even if it was a little less, that would be okay. You only needed $50 to assure gas for the next 2 weeks. “$324” ????? You couldn’t believe your eyes. When did it even get to that point? You had to see it for yourself.

Donation list:

@/ilovehaechan sent $10

@/loonaforever sent $1

@/sheloveshao sent $200

“What?? This is insane” who was this guy? and how could he afford to send you so much money?

After scrolling in his account, your mouth was left hanging open. He had a community of 100 thousand followers… and he was fine as hell. Not only was he very beautiful and fit, he was very familiar to you. Oh. He was the guy you liked. And he sent you basically this month’s rent? What was going on..?

After pondering for a bit, you decided to message him. The worse he could say is no, right?

@/lovelyyn: hi there :) saw you commenting on my livestream earlier && your donation. thank you so so much!!

@/sheloveshao: don’t mention it dear. are you new here? don’t think i’ve seen you before

@/lovelyyn: yeah actually!! this was my first livestream:’) started yesterday

@/sheloveshao: i see~~ maybe we can collab one day ;)

@/lovelyyn: well.. i definitely wouldn’t oppose! keep in touch?

@/sheloveshao: you know it

After the conversation ended, your cheeks were burning with heat. This guy had a way of talking that shot right through you. You were sure you would spend the next hours binge watching his account. Said and done, you weren’t surprise to see he was like a Greek god, and possibly one of the most beautiful men you’ve ever seen.

This arose a question in you. Will you actually collab with him? What would that even mean?

[dimensionhoppinghybrids]

Dave gave a nod, and hummed, giving a moment for him to think.

"it was." He admits. "Imagine having a god that is your companion. I could do anything gor you, solve all your issues with a snap..." Dave said softly. "But at the same time," he offered. "What would it offer you when I'm not there to make times easier? Its why I've done what i can to help and support, but not do everything on my own." He offered. His tail swished, trying to put his thoughts to words.

"What i can say about your futures. You will overcome great hardships, and many challenges. I know of a few in particular. But I don't know the whole story. But id like too. I only really knew two of you, but that doesn't mean I'm unwilling to learn more about all of you. For instance, Beast. I never met you before, hut i can tell you have a weight on your shoulders. I know a little. Maybe, on why. You are a survivor. But i hope that you can rely on those in this group to help you when you need it." He offered.

"Sebille. I don't know your story either, but i can make educated guesses of my own. I don't fault your thorns. I don't fault your attitude. But i hope to see that there is more to you." He offered.

"Lohse. Of you I've only heard bard tales.your story goes far, even in the future. I've neve heard you sing, but i genuinely hope too." He offered, then smiled at Fane and Ifan.

"I knew little of you both. I think by your own designs. I only heard stories. Specifically of the lone wolves and of your kind Fane. But that's all they were at the time. Stories, even if true but ahain, that doesn't mean im not willing to learn more." He offered.

"Now,my good people. We are trying to find a sanctuary. Im more than happy to keep you safe until we find it." Dave offered kindly to the lost people as he turned around, letting the others get a chance to talk and think.

Because now there was an important decision to make. Would Dave stay, lr would he go?

This is why he'd been reluctant to reveal this so soon.

Dave gives an appreciative nod. He could just dispell the curse of flames. But there was more to it.

He had heard mention of these pigs, abd how at least one of them had been returned to a human form.

So Dave stepped forward and he reached out with his magic, finding the weave of spells that held them together in the forms they held.

He gently reached out like he was plucking errant threads off a tapestry, and he slowly pulled, stretched the web.

It felt like a green and oily thing. Full of biting and angry spiders. But he was deft in his control, then snipped the strings away in one fell swoop.

What the others of course saw were his eyes, mane and tail glowing, a heat haze of mana suffusing his surroundings, purifying the very ground and air he occupied, then heard a loud crack as the curses broke.

Not only did he stop the fire from eternally burning them, but he also turned them back to human.

Yes, there was that statue he remembered in the sanctuary that was in this swamp.

But Dave didn't feel like he could just leave them as they were, suffering like that.

It was the age old tale of responsibility, power, and wisely using it.

"There." Dave offered with a smile. "I hope you all feel better." He said, then a damned lizard skeleton appeared.

She was about to say something, but Dave out of reflex, punched her.

Right on the noggin.

It wasn't even out of anger, it was just pure reflex.

Her skull did not survive. So the undead creature, free of its bondage, simply collapsed.

"Oops. Was i not supposed to do that?" He asked.

[queenjunothegreat]

Tumblr fix your shit or I swear to god I'm gonna lose it (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)

ANYWAYS!!!!! Here is the link to the long-awaited Hallmark fic! I have been informed that chapter one is sad but I PINKY PROMISE things get better ASAP. Anywho, on with the important shit.

May I present Where the Love Light Gleams Chapter One: When You Pine for the Sunshine of a Friendly Gaze

Jason squeezed his eyes shut. “Okay, fine. We’ll handle it. How do you want to do this? Trying to do everything over the phone is going to be a bigger pain than either of us are willing to deal with.” Thalia went quiet for a moment before she very hesitantly said, “What if we… went back?” Jason’s eyebrows shot up, even if he knew Thalia couldn’t see it. “You mean back to California?” “Sure. I mean, I don’t see why not.” Jason sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “Look, Thalia, I don’t think you know what you’re signing yourself up for. Wills and estates are a nightmare to deal with and– “We could spend Christmas together.” Jason’s teeth clicked shut at her interruption. Silence hung heavy between them before he broke it. “I don’t like Christmas.” *-*-* After the sudden death of his mother, Jason agrees to travel across the country to spend Christmas with his estranged sister who hates the holiday as much as he does. Things manage to go worse than he could have ever imagined when he finds himself stranded in Oklahoma in the middle of the night, but maybe that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Jason Grace was having a bad day. He’d woken up with a feeling of dread that he couldn’t explain as anything other than mounting dread for the fast-approaching holidays and a desperate desire to do anything other than walk into the office. Things hadn’t gone much better from there, first with him pouring hot coffee all over his hand instead of in his cup and then nearly missing his train and stepping in a mysterious puddle just inside the subway station. Then, of course, he’d had to smile and grimace through all of his coworkers gushing about their Thanksgiving plans for the next day before they noticed him and awkwardly cleared their throats, asking him if he was planning on spending the day with his father. He hadn’t managed to get much of anything done all day, despite the looming deadlines, but he figured he was still more productive than everyone else in his department. But somehow, all of that still didn’t manage to be the shittiest thing that happened to him that day. No, that illustrious title went to a phone call.

Jason sucked his teeth and gripped his phone a little tighter. “So, she’s really dead?”

Thalia clucked her tongue a couple times like she always did when she was uncomfortable. “Yep. Doctor called and let me know this morning.”

Jason heaved a deep, heavy sigh and buried his face in his free hand. “Alright. I’ll call up Octavian. He deals with estates, and he owes me a favor so–”

“No,” Thalia cut him off sharply. “We can handle it. I don’t want lawyers getting involved. I don’t like lawyers.”

Jason took in a quick huff of air through his nose to calm his temper. “I’m a lawyer,” he reminded her in a slightly clipped tone. Had it been a few years earlier, Thalia would have blustered about how obviously he didn’t count, but now she just remained silent. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Okay, fine. We’ll handle it. How do you want to do this? Trying to do everything over the phone is going to be a bigger pain than either of us are willing to deal with.”

 Thalia went quiet for a moment before she very hesitantly said, “What if we… went back?”

Jason’s eyebrows shot up, even if he knew Thalia couldn’t see it. “You mean back to California?”

“Sure. I mean, I don’t see why not.”

Jason didn’t bother to tell her exactly why he was so surprised. She didn’t need to know how she’d left a twelve-year-old boy devastated when she’d shouted at their mother that there was nothing in California worth staying for and stormed out the front door for the very last time. It had been fifteen years since that day, but considering he hadn’t been in the same state as his sister in four years, he didn’t really think much had changed. 

Jason sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “Look, Thalia, I don’t think you know what you’re signing yourself up for. Wills and estates are a nightmare to deal with and–

“We could spend Christmas together.”

Jason’s teeth clicked shut at her interruption. Silence hung heavy between them before he broke it. “I don’t like Christmas.”

“That’s because it sucks,” Thalia scoffed. “I can count on one hand the number of not-shitty ones I’ve had, and I don’t remember when the last one was. I think maybe it was the year I turned twenty and we were in Milwaukee for a show.”

Jason remembered his last good Christmas. He was eleven years old and his big sister had given a pair of Superman pajamas that he wore until his mom threw them out years later because she was sick of looking at them in their ratty state. He didn’t tell her that either. “Then why the hell would we do that?”

“I dunno. It’s December,” Thalia said, and Jason could almost see the casual lazy shrug that accompanied the suggestion. “Families celebrate Christmas together.”

“Are we a family?”

The words were out of Jason’s mouth before he could bite his tongue, and he grimaced. “Sorry, I– That was uncalled for.”

“You’re not wrong,” Thalia said quietly. “I don’t know if we even are a family any more, Jason. But we are family, so… maybe we can be a family again?”

Jason frowned down at his desk, brows furrowed deeply. “I– I’ll think about it, okay? I don’t even know if I can get the time off at this short notice.”

“You’re the managing partner’s son,” she pointed out derisively. 

“Yeah, well, you’ve met the guy,” Jason pointed out. “Look, I said I’ll think about it, and that’s the best I can promise you right now. I can’t just drop everything and move across the country for a month. I have a real job.” The last bit was an unnecessary dig, but it felt pretty good, so he didn’t take it back.

Surprisingly, Thalia didn’t rise to the bait. She just sighed, and Jason couldn’t help but notice that she sounded tired. “Okay,” she said eventually. “Okay, just… Just think about it. Let me know one way or another. We’ll figure something out if we can’t do this.”

“Okay, I’ll call you back soon,” Jason promised, his tone equally gentle. 

She hummed softly. “Jay?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you. I hope you know that.”

Jason squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, unwilling to admit just how much those three words made him want to burst into tears. “Yeah, no, I– I know, Lia. I love you, too.”

“Okay, I’ll, um,” Thalia cut herself off by awkwardly clearing her throat. “I’ll let you get back to your big important lawyer job. Talk to you later. Bye, Jason.”

“Bye, Thalia.”

The line went dead and Jason slumped over on his desk burrowing down into his arms. His mom was dead. It was the day before Thanksgiving, and his mom was dead. He wondered how normal people would feel about that. He was pretty sure he was supposed to be at least a little upset, not feel like an invisible noose had fallen from his neck. It had been months since he’d last talked to her over the phone. It had been years since he’d seen her in person. He remembered trying to surprise her for Mother’s Day the year he’d graduated from law school. He’d shown up on her front door with flowers and a pearl necklace just like the ones in movies she’d always yearned for when he was growing up. She’d answered the door with a scowl on her face, smelling of cigarette smoke and soured whiskey and demanded to know what he wanted from her. Things hadn’t gone much better from there, even when he’d presented his offerings. After that, Jason had moved to New York and never made an effort to go visit her since. Not that she’d exactly made the effort to extend an invitation, either.

He wondered if his father knew she was dead. If he knew, did he care? Doubtful. Thalia had always been more like their father than she wanted to admit. He cut ties and walked out on anyone and anything he deemed less than deserving of his time and attention, just like she did. Which left Jason to be like their mom. Left behind, bitter and hurt and waiting for someone who’d never bother to come back.

He shook his head and stood from his desk. He had briefs that he still needed to write, but he knew he wasn’t going to get any more work done today. He sent a quick message to his department head that he was feeling ill, so he wanted to know if he could head home early. She responded with nothing more than a thumbs up emoji, so he packed his things without a second thought. It wasn’t like he didn’t have the necessary off time built up to skip out a few hours early. Truth be told, he hadn’t taken a vacation in the four years that he’d been working there, so between that and the two week bereavement leave he was due, he could easily arrange to go to California for a month. He just… didn’t want to. He didn’t want to go back to that awful house. He didn’t want to share awkward meals with Thalia while they discussed divvying up their dead mother’s estate. He didn’t want to sit in front of a half-assed fake tree and exchange gifts with Thalia that neither of them gave a shit about. 

But he’d have to do something. His mother was dead, and he’d need to do something. But that would just have to wait. That would have to wait until Jason ate enough Chinese food to make himself sick, drank an entire bottle of sauvignon blanc, tortured himself with a marathon of his mother’s favorite movies, and had a good, long crying session. My mother is dead, Jason thought to himself once again as he stepped outside into the cold afternoon. 

He marveled at how little that mattered.

*-*-*

Jason was sitting in front of his TV, eating reheated leftovers from the office Thanksgiving party two days earlier as brightly colored floats and balloons rolled across the screen. He hadn’t actually woken up early enough to watch it live, but through the marvels of the modern age, he’d found a channel streaming it all day long. So, naturally, he’d sat himself down to partake in this national tradition that was older than his grandfather. 

He hated the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

But, well, he didn’t exactly have any other plans, and this made him feel a little less like a lonely, half-orphaned sad sack. He figured most people in his position would be connecting with family on a day like this, his father lived in New York City as well, after all. And if there was one thing that was certain, it was that his father would be having the finest Thanksgiving party imaginable. He had a large family, a whole Rolodex of important clients, and an image to maintain, after all. Right about now, his penthouse apartment was probably dressed to the nines with a feast fit for kings weighing down his dining table. His whole family would be there. 

Except Jason. 

The first year Jason had moved to New York and joined his father’s firm, he’d been eager to partake in the festivities. His mom hadn’t really put any kind of effort into holidays after Thalia left home, and he’d been alone for all seven years of college, but this was going to be his big chance. He’d mentioned it to his father after a department meeting, and he’d been told that one of the secretaries would email him the details of the event. The email never came, but Jason had held out hope that maybe it was just a clerical error, and he’d patiently waited for a Christmas invite. Then New Years came and went, and he quit asking. Despite what some people thought, he could take a hint.

Jason shoved another forkful of food into his mouth and grimaced. He hated turkey, and the half-congealed gravy wasn’t helping much. He wondered what his coworkers were doing at that moment. Most of them were probably with their families, though he’d overheard a few of them discussing arrangements for a friendly get-together for those who didn’t have families in town. Jason hadn’t been invited to that, either, because, well, he had family in town, didn’t he? They didn’t need to invite him to Friends-giving.

As much as he wanted to deny it, he was lonely. He didn’t have friends, not really. There were a few people at work who offered him smiles and friendly conversation, and a few people from school who occasionally sent him a message, but nothing else. He didn’t go out, he didn’t take classes. He just came home every day after work and worked until his eyes ached for sleep, went to bed, then woke up and did the same thing the next day. 

As he slouched there in his recliner, dwelling on all the ways his life sucked, the camera panned over to some celebrity he couldn't be bothered to remember the name of, standing on the back of a float designed to look like a gingerbread village. She gave the camera a blinding smile while all the various gingerbread people around her waved. Then, the float rolled to a stop and she stepped forward to the microphone. There was the sound of bells and humming before she opened her mouth and began to sing.

I'll be home for Christmas 

You can plan on me

Please have snow and mistletoe 

And presents by the tree

Jason stared at the TV with something that bordered a little closer to offense than he would have liked to admit. His mind skipped down a handful of streets to that glittering penthouse he wasn’t invited to, and his phone was in his hand and pressed to his ear before he really knew what he was doing. It rang a few times before finally picking up. 

“Jason?”

“Hey, Thalia. Yeah, it's me,” he said. He couldn't blame her for being confused. The two of them didn't exactly make a habit of calling one another on holidays. He heard a bunch of background clatter, and his brows knit. “Are you… at a party?”

“No,” Thalia said, a little too quickly. “Well, I mean, not really. Some of the Hunters and I met up at Phoebe's place. That's all.”

“Oh.” Jason sucked his teeth and added another person to his list of people having a better day than him. He dismissed the thought and pressed on. “Hey, were you serious about going out to California?”

“Yes!” Thalia almost shouted the word down the line, then she cleared her throat, obviously embarrassed at her eagerness. “I mean, uh, yeah. I was serious. Do you want to?”

“Sure,” Jason shrugged. “Like you said, getting the time off won't actually be all that hard. How soon can you get there? It's gonna take a while for us to get everything taken care of.”

“Um, how about the sixth? We're doing a show out in Denver on the second, and then we're off until after New Years. Does that work?”

Jason ran through the basic plan he'd outlined in his head. If he knew his mom, she likely didn’t have a will or anything drawn up. That could potentially make things messier, but he doubted he or Thalia would be all that interested in disputing any rulings the court made. He shrugged. “Yeah, that should be fine. Hopefully.”

“Yeah. I, um, yeah.” Jason could hear the big beaming smile Thalia wore when she said her next words. “Thanks, Jason. This really– It means a lot, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Jason said with a gentle smile. “I love you, Lia.”

“I love you, too, Jay. And, um, happy Thanksgiving.”

“Happy Thanksgiving. See you on the sixth.”

“See you.”

Jason hung up the phone and let out a soft sigh, eyes sparkling. He was going to go home. He was going to see his sister for the first time in years. He was going to celebrate Christmas with his family.

*-*-*

Then he froze, and his face paled in horror. He was going to have to go home. He was going to have to see his sister for the first time in years. He was going to have to celebrate Christmas with his family.

He glowered at the TV and the celebrity lady who was once again smiling and waving at the camera. “This is all your fault.”

Leo Valdez was many, many things. He was a mechanical genius. He was the textbook definition of a plucky orphan. He was an amazing cook. He was the best adopted brother Piper McLean could have ever asked for, and they both knew it. He was smart, he was talented, and above all else, he was incredibly humble.

But at the moment, he was most importantly the only mechanic in Crooked Hollow Bend, Oklahoma, and there wasn’t another one for almost a hundred miles. 

He’d been minding his own business, idly flipping through a car magazine when the shop phone went off, which was odd partially because most everyone in town just waltzed right on in when they wanted their car fixed, but mostly because it was well past half the town’s bedtime. Still, he figured that talking to whoever was on the other end of the line would be more entertaining than his magazine, even if they were just a prank caller or a very confused old lady with a very wrong number.

“Valdez Automotive. How can I help you?”

“Hey, Valdez, it’s me.”

Leo narrowed his eyes, trying to place the voice. “Stoll?”

“Yeah.”

“Connor or Travis?”

“If I say Travis, what will you do?”

“Hang up.”

“Oh, good. Then it’s Connor.”

Leo snorted and rolled his eyes. “Alright then. What do you want?”

“You willing to take a look at a car tonight?”

“Why the hell do you need me to look at a car tonight?” Leo asked, gobsmacked. “Can’t you just wait until tomorrow, dude? It’s, like, ten.”

“It’s not for me. Travis and I were driving home when we saw this dude stuck on the side of the road. He’s fine, but his car’s in rough shape.”

Leo’s brow furrowed. “Who is it?”

“No idea. He said he’s driving from New York to California.”

“Hmm…” Leo glanced over at his empty schedule and shrugged. “Yeah, alright. Tell him to limp it in and I’ll take a look at it. He’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow for it to be fixed, though.”

“Yeah, about that. He’s not limping this thing anywhere. Travis and I are gonna be towing it in with our truck.”

Leo let out a low whistle. “Yikes. He’ll definitely have to wait until tomorrow for me to fix it, then. You want me to call Piper? She’s for sure got a room open, but she might have to get it ready.”

It rang a few times before she picked up, her voice thick and gravely with sleep, “You’d better have a damn good reason for calling me at this time of night, I swear to god.”

“Yeah, if you wouldn’t mind. We’ll get this guy’s car hitched up and drag it in. See you in thirty.”

”See you.” With that, Connor hung up, and Leo called Piper. 

“Hello to you, too,” Leo scoffed. “And I do have a good reason, thank you very much.”

“Leo, I’ve told you before, finding a chip shaped like a video game character isn’t half as cool as you think it is, and nobody is gonna buy it on Ebay.”

“First of all, fuck you, I could have made bank on that Sonic chip if you hadn’t eaten it,” Leo huffed. “Second of all, I was just calling to let you know that you’re going to be having a guest soon, so you might want to get ready.”

Leo heard Piper shifting around, likely sitting up in bed, finally paying proper attention to him. “What? A guest? Really?”

“Yeah. Connor just called me and said he’s on the way in with some guy from New York whose car broke down. He’ll be stuck in town, and he can’t sleep in his car, so he’s gonna need a place to stay tonight.”

Piper made a soft, sympathetic noise. “Poor guy. I wonder if he was on his way to visit family for Christmas.”

Leo hiked an eyebrow, even if she couldn’t see it, and smirked. “Pipes, it’s, like, the second. I think it might be a little early for Christmas traveling. I know you’re a little freak when it comes to the holidays, but not everyone is.”

“Connor didn’t specifically say he was by himself, but he also didn’t mention anyone.”

Piper blew a very loud, wet-sounding raspberry down the line. “Whatever. I’ll see about getting a room ready. Do you know if he’s traveling alone?”

“Mkay. I’ll get something set up for him. You’re still coming tomorrow, right?”

“Duh. I’m pretty sure you’d skin me if I bailed on you.”

“I for sure would,” she said with syrupy sweetness. “Anyway, gotta go. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Leo hung up the phone and got to his feet, making sure to stretch all of the stiffness out of his arms and legs before he made his way through the kitchen and out to the garage. Running a mechanic’s shop out of his house had its fair share of challenges (expanding the dinky little two-car garage and getting it properly tricked out with everything needed to run a proper garage had been a nightmarish eight months) but it meant he got to just hang out in his livingroom in his pajamas when he wasn’t working, so he figured it was worth the hassle. Besides, he never had more than two cars in the shop at a time, so it’s not like he was exactly pressed for space. He quickly got changed into his coveralls, and started moving stuff out of the way so he could properly work on whatever it was that the Stolls had dragged in.

Not too long after he was done, there was a short honk from outside, and he opened the garage door to see the Stolls sitting in his driveway, a sparkly dark blue Audi tethered to the back of their pickup truck. Leo tipped his head back and groaned, readying himself for a real pain in the ass. 

Leo bounded over and put his arms through the open passenger window of the truck and put on his most winning smile and best customer service voice. “Alright, dude. Let’s see what we– Wait a minute.” He scowled at the truck occupants. “What did you two do with the guy?”

“He’s in his car,” Connor (Probably) reported. “We offered to let him ride up here with us, but he said he’d rather stay back there.”

Leo frowned before he shrugged and went to the other car. The guy inside was sitting in  the front seat, forehead pressed to the steering wheel. Leo couldn’t see his face (or anything but his broad shoulders and fluffy blonde hair) but he’d recognize that defeated slump anywhere, even on a complete stranger. He cleared his throat, and tapped on the window.

Immediately, everything about the mystery man changed. His spine straightened, his shoulders pulled back, and his chin got a confidently charming tilt to it. The whole display reminded Leo of a marionette being jerked to life with the strings of its puppeteer, and he felt a shiver, unrelated to the cold, go racing down his back. The guy quickly got out of his car, straightening his charcoal peacoat as he went, then offered Leo a polite smile and a handshake. “You must be Leo Valdez. The mechanic?”

“Uh, yeah,” Leo said hesitantly, shaking the man’s hand. “That’s me.”

“Jason Grace,” he said, his smile still perfectly poised and uncomfortably approachable. “Sorry about the late call. Thank you so much for taking the time to see me. I can assure you that I will happily compensate you for the inconvenience.”

“Yeah, dude, it’s no problem.” Leo felt like he’d been spun around one too many times. There weren’t a lot of people in town who made the effort to talk with that level of detached professionalism, and even fewer who bothered to do it with Leo. He shook his head and gave Jason a blinding smile. “Alright, dude, let’s see what we’re working with.” Jason blinked at him for a moment and Leo just arched his eyebrows. “Do you maybe wanna try starting it?”

Jason jolted like he’d been hit with a taser before his cheeks went pink. “Right. Yeah. I can do that.” He sat back down in the driver’s seat and pressed the ignition button. The car revved to life in an instant, then immediately started making the most awful grinding sound Leo had ever heard. Before he could clap his hands over his ears or make any kind of signal to kill the engine, Jason turned the car back off with a wince. “And that’s what made me decide to pull over.”

“Yeah, I can see why you were stuck,” Leo agreed with a nod. “Alright, I’ll see about getting you unhitched while you get your stuff out of the trunk. I’m not gonna be able to fix this until tomorrow, and you’re gonna need a place to stay for the night.

Without waiting for a reply, Leo started unhitching Jason’s car from the truck. When he was done, he trotted back up to the front to hand over the straps they’d tied up Jason’s car with, which Travis (Probably) tossed in the back seat before looking at Leo eyebrow hiked up near his hairline. “You think you can fix it?”

Connor (Probably) snorted and grinned. “Good luck, man.”

“Obviously,” he scoffed. Then he winced. “It’s definitely not going to be easy, though. Sounds like a transmission issue. I hate transmissions. And Audis. I don’t know who designed them like that, but they need to be shot. Twice. Or more. I’ll tell you when I finish dealing with the transmission.”

“Thanks. Lemme know if you guys find any more lost travelers, yeah?”

“You got it. See you.”

“See you.” Leo waved at the Stolls as they drove away before he turned back to Jason. He was once again in that same miserable slump he’d been in before, this time leaning against the car. Leo bit his lip and gently said, “Hey, man. You alright?”

“Well, I haven’t slept in over thirty-six hours, I’m stranded in an unfamiliar town because my car decided to break down in the middle of nowhere, and my mom’s dead, so I decided to drive across the country to divvy up her estate with my sister who I haven’t seen in years while we both try to pretend that we don’t hate Christmas, but other than that I’m just great,” Jason snapped. Leo sucked his teeth for just a moment before Jason stiffened and turned to Leo with a horrified expression. “I’m so sorry. That was wildly inappropriate.”

Leo gave him a half-hearted smile. “It’s cool, man. It does sound like you need some sleep though.”

“Yes. Please,” Jason agreed, rubbing a hand over his face. “One of the gentlemen from before mentioned something about a hotel?”

“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to call the Stolls gentlemen, but they were right about there being a place in town for you to stay,” Leo grinned. “Come on, I’ll give you a lift.” 

[myheartxmyman]

[dykedvonte]

Honestly I see Jimmy's refusal to put Curly out of his misery less about his weird feelings of envy or his delusions but the fact Curly is all but stated to be a shield to Jimmy from his actions and people seeing the worst in him.

The only characters that Jimmy really interacts with one on one before the crash are Curly and Anya, two individuals he has wildly different relationships with. It's likely that Curly really did most of the talking between them as the pilots and the rest of the crew as staff. They didn't know of Jimmy's more reprehensible behaviors cause they never really had the chance to and Jimmy is subconsciously aware. If they had disliked him more than Anya would have told Swansea earlier or even Daisuke when things got really bad.

It's why he takes the immediate opportunity to blame Curly; He's the shield. He's saved Jimmy's ass more times than he can count and more times than Jimmy would ever admit. Even when he can't really do it anymore, he mentally shields himself from his own faults by putting Curly between them. Letting Curly die puts too much on him because he doesn't know how to function without a safety net.

In the end Curly only lives because Jimmy needs the idea that Curly will inevitably make things better to stay alive, meaning Curly has to live, no matter how much it pains him to do so.