#zoes writing slump

[universitypenguin]

Summary: Princess conducts interviews with witnesses in Fredericksburg to learn more about the disappearance of Li Wei and Zoe Chapman. Meanwhile, Lloyd confronts Tate Corbin about what he saw the night Julia went missing, but the answers only lead to more questions.

Word Count: 5,064

Masterlist

Author’s Note: I’d like to dedicate this chapter to @nomadstucky. Without her, I never would’ve been able to dig my way out of this latest writing slump. Her feedback was critical to getting this chapter moving in the right direction when I was going off the rails creatively. Thank you so much!

Warnings: Allusions to domestic violence, discussion of murder and other criminal behavior. Minor use of foul language. Only appropriate for 18+ readers. No minors.

Chapter XXIII

The cabins were in good repair. Seeing them in person disrupted the mental image you’d formed of the Chapman Bible Camp. It wasn’t the neglected place of crumbling disrepair you’d imagined it to be. Words like charming and neat came to mind, rather than decrepit and gloomy. The cottages were arranged around an ellipse shaped quad in uniform fashion, like spokes on a wheel. Their vibrant colors were reminiscent of the famous bathing boxes at Brighton Beach. Each one was painted a different shade of the rainbow and trimmed in a contrasting hue. The yellow cabin had purple trim, the green cabin fuchsia pink, and so on.

Instead of the Adirondack style commonly found in rural Virginia, the cabins boasted steep, angled roofs and front-facing gables adorned with whimsical gingerbread bargeboards. The whole aesthetic was so unabashedly Queen Anne that the cabins could’ve blended in with the homes on San Francisco’s famous Postcard Row. They seemed both too sophisticated and too cute for these primitive woods.

After her husband passed away, Mrs. Chapman had sold the bible camp. It was now in the hands of a musician who’d turned the tabernacle into a concert hall and rented out the cabins on Airbnb. Zach was fetching the keys from the owner while you waited on the porch of the converted tabernacle.

Standing here, you wondered if this visit was a fool’s errand. This morning Lloyd had called to tell you he’d be leaving the search party this afternoon to cover Roth’s interview with Tate Corbin. After hanging up, you’d itched for something productive to do. The abduction had injected a fresh sense of urgency into the investigation, but you’d agreed to keep your distance from Harmony because Lloyd was worried that Shun Nguyen would return to familiar surroundings. It was a reasonable assumption, one you didn’t have a counter argument for.

Still, you’d itched with a need to do something, so you’d turned to the mystery surrounding Li Wei and Zoe Chapman. Now that you were actually here you couldn’t shake the feeling that you’d drifted off course. The place to look for fresh leads was forty miles north of here, yet this was where you’d come.

What breakthroughs did you expect to generate digging into a case that was almost twenty-five years old? You were about as far from a lead as Pluto was from the sun.

Gravel crunched as Zach came up the walk behind you.

“I got the keys,” he said.

“The place looks better than I expected. More charm, less gloom.”

“Like a fucking rainbow in the woods,” Zach said, inserting the key in the lock.

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s creepy, though.”

“Creepy?” you asked.

“The place feels off. Too pretty for its history, like Gettysburg without a war memorial.”

- - - - -

Zach went to explore the camp and forest while you waited in the concert hall for your witnesses. Twenty minutes later, the first of two former employees arrived.

Mrs. Koep was a petite fair-skinned woman with thin lips and a broad face. She wore a white button down with a silk scarf draped around her neck and carried a pink Michael Kors purse. Her handshake was firm when she introduced herself as the camp’s former groundskeeper. Right behind her, the other ex-employee Mrs. Brittenridge entered the hall. Mrs. Brittenridge was the opposite of Mrs. Koep. The former administrative assistant and camp nurse was tall and thin. In contrast to Mrs. Koep’s carefully coiffed appearance, Mrs. Brittenridge wore a plaid button down with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, straight leg jeans, and scuffed suede boots. Her dark brown hair, worn in a shaggy bob, gleamed with red highlights that complimented her olive complexion.

If they hadn’t introduced themselves, you’d have figured Mrs. Brittenridge for the groundskeeper and Mrs. Koep for the nurse. You sat down together in the pews. The two women took the second row while you sat in the first, angling yourself to face them.

“Thank you for coming,” you said.

“Of course,” Mrs. Brittenridge replied.

“Why did you want to meet us here?” Mrs. Koep asked.

“My colleague, Zach, is exploring the grounds, and I thought the familiar setting might help jog your memories.”

Mrs. Koep’s chin lifted. “My memory is just fine.”

Mrs. Brittenridge shot the blonde woman a tired side-eye, but didn’t comment.

“Rolling Stone magazine said your law firm is investigating the murders in Harmony,” Mrs. Koep said. “Is that true?”

“I’m afraid I can’t comment about ongoing cases.”

She scowled.

“We’re glad someone’s looking into Li Wei and Zoe’s disappearance again, and we’re happy to help anyway we can,” Mrs. Brittenridge said.

“I was hoping you could fill in some blanks surrounding Li Wei’s disappearance. What was she doing just before she disappeared?”

Mrs. Koep answered first. “She was supposed to take the campers on a nature hike before lunch, but never showed up. I learned she was missing when Mr. Chapman came to the potting shed and asked if I’d seen her.”

“The last time I saw her was that morning,” Mrs. Brittenridge said. “She came into the office to fill up her water bottle.”

“What time was that?” you asked.

“Eight-thirty,” Mrs. Brittenridge said.

You turned to the other woman. “And you, Mrs. Koep?”

“I caught a glimpse of her around nine. She was heading into the woods.”

“And Zoe?”

They debated whether Zoe had been with Li Wei that morning or not, but neither one could say for sure. With some more questioning the women decided their last official sighting of the little girl had been on Friday afternoon.

“What about Li Wei’s personal life?” you asked.

Mrs. Koep scoffed. “Non-existent. Her social life fell off a cliff after Zoe was born - some people even compared her to Boo Radley.”

By the icy glare she shot at Mrs. Brittenridge, you could guess who ‘some people’ had been.

“Betty, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“You were right, though! She was a recluse! She was bored and lonely. All of her friends had gone off to college and left her behind.”

“She had Zoe, and her parents. You were there for her, too,” Mrs. Brittenridge said.

“It wasn’t enough,” Mrs. Koep said, wringing her hands. “Her mother should’ve pushed her to date, to get out and socialize. She practically was Boo Radley in the end.”

Mrs. Brittenridge sighed. An uncomfortable silence settled, and you waited to see if they’d continue. When they didn’t you pivoted to the main line of questioning you hoped this visit would shed light on.

“Who was Zoe’s father?”

Mrs. Brittenridge stiffened. Beside her, Mrs. Koep’s expression transformed from distraught to frosty. Neither of them answered. You retreated to a less aggressive position, realizing the delicacy of the subject called for coaxing, not pushing.

“Mrs. Koep, you worked here the longest. Since 1982, if the records are correct. Were you close with Li Wei?”

“Yes. She used to follow me around everywhere, always wanting to play in the dirt when I was planting flowers. I had kids who were a few years older than her, so I didn’t mind.”

“Did she ever confide in you about Zoe’s father?”

“Li Wei was a quiet girl,” Mrs. Koep said.

“She was quieter after she had Zoe,” Mrs. Brittenridge interjected.

You weren’t getting any useful information from the direct approach. Despite their obvious dislike of one another, the women were working in concert to dodge your questions.

A strategic retreat was in order.

“Do you have any theories about what happened to Li Wei and Zoe?”

Mrs. Brittenridge lowered her gaze, but Mrs. Koep offered a theory immediately. “I always assumed it was an accident of some kind. There’s a lot of abandoned mining shafts in the area.”

Mrs. Brittenridge’s lips compressed into a flat line.

You smiled at the former groundskeeper. “Mrs. Koep, would you mind taking my colleague, Zack, around? It would be nice to get the perspective of someone who knows the area.”

��Of course.”

“Mrs. Brittenridge, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d love to see where the administrative building was.”

“There’s not much to see. The new owners tore it down.”

“Any familiar spots would be great,” you said.

You led them out of the tabernacle and Mrs. Koep headed east to where Zach was inspecting the tree line, while Mrs. Brittenridge turned west. She walked to a picnic table hidden behind a grove of trees and sat down on one side. You took the place opposite her.

“This is where I used to take my breaks.”

“It’s a pleasant spot.”

“It’s private. You wanted to get me alone, so go ahead. Ask,” Mrs. Brittenridge invited.

“Do you know who Zoe’s father was?”

“No. Li Wei and I were friendly, but we didn’t have a relationship where she’d be comfortable sharing such personal information.”

“Would Mrs. Koep know?”

“Maybe. Betty was like an aunt to her. I always assumed she’d confided in her, but I’m not sure.”

“How long did you and Betty work together?”

“Seven years.”

“Were you full or part time at the camp?”

“Full time, May through August. I was a school nurse at Monroe High.”

“Li Wei graduated from Monroe, didn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“What was she like as a student?”

Mrs. Brittenridge considered the question before answering. “She was very smart, especially in English and exceptional in art. She wasn’t the most outgoing person, but always had friends.”

“You’d say she was well liked?”

“Absolutely,” Mrs. Brittenridge said. “She wasn't exactly shy, just reserved. The kind who thought before speaking.”

“Was she much of a partier?”

“Not in high school.”

You raised an eyebrow. “And after?”

“Sometimes when you’ve led a sheltered life, a little freedom goes to your head.”

“Got it. One more question. Why don’t you and Betty get along?”

“I had a cell phone in 1992.”

“Mmmhhh.”

“You’re too young to understand, aren’t you?”

“Probably.”

“Back in the early nineties, only drug dealers had cell phones, or at least that’s what people thought. I had one, which immediately roused her suspicions. To add insult to injury, I set up a website for the camp in 1996, then persuaded the Chapmans to put in a computer station so the kids could email their parents instead of writing letters. You’d have thought I suggested we convert to Satanism.”

You ran through your follow up questions and then walked Mrs. Brittenridge to her car, thanking her again for coming.

Then you headed down the curving path, around the oval lawn, past the cabins, to the garden shed. Zach was waiting outside.

“How’d the tour go?” you asked.

“I don’t think she likes me,” he said.

“Welcome to the club.”

Zach smirked. “Oh? Your charm met its kryptonite?”

You sneered at him, ignored his silent laughter, and stepped over the threshold into the plywood floored shed. The only source of light was a rectangular skylight on the roof.

Mrs. Koep was standing on the far side of the shed with her back to you. Her hands rested on a high table constructed from two-by-fours and MDF board. She stared at the garden tools that hung from the pegboard behind the table. Despite her chic clothing, she looked far more at home in this spartan surrounding with its crude furnishings than she had in the concert hall.

“I missed this place,” Mrs. Koep said, breaking the silence. “It’s weird to miss somewhere that smells like manure and gasoline, but I did.”

Mrs. Koep turned around and leaned against the table, crossing her arms over her chest. It was time for the confrontation.

“You knew Li Wei better than anyone,” you said.

“I like to think so.”

“Do you really believe she and Zoe fell into an abandoned mining shaft?”

“No, I don’t. But that’s what I want to believe, so I do.”

“Is it easier that way?” you asked.

“Being in denial for twenty years isn’t easy, it’s a survival mechanism.”

“What exactly were you in denial about, Mrs. Koep?”

It was stuffy and warm in the shed, but she rubbed her arms as if trying to generate heat.

“At first, you let yourself believe something irrational. Then… when reality breaks through the facade… you make yourself believe it because you can’t accept the truth.”

“You know something about Li Wei’s disappearance that you’re not telling me.”

“You’re very blunt for someone so young.”

“Thank you.”

“I wish I’d been that way when I was twenty-five. It would’ve spared me a divorce.”

This time you didn’t respond, just nodded.

“Li Wei didn’t give me the name of Zoe’s father. She said he was from up North - I think she meant D.C. - and that he’d been in a fraternity. They weren’t in a relationship or anything like that. Zoe was the product of a one night stand.”

“Did he know about Zoe?”

“I’m not sure but I think she would’ve told him. Whatever the case was, he wasn't in the picture. Li Wei was dating someone else.”

Excitement surged in your blood. That hadn’t been in the file. “Really? When did she start seeing him?”

Mrs. Koep squeezed her arms, gripping them until her knuckles turned white.

“Some time in March.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police?”

“Because I was afraid her parents wouldn’t approve. I didn’t want to start any trouble for her.”

You nodded. “And you’re sure the relationship began in March?”

“Pretty sure. I always came up early to start on the flower beds. He drove a motorcycle - not a Harley, it was a sporty thing, like the one Tom Cruise rode in Top Gun. I saw it parked in front of her cottage a few times.”

“Did you ever see her boyfriend?”

“A couple times, from a distance,” Mrs. Koep said.

“Can you describe him?”

“Caucasian, early twenties, with dark blond hair. I guess he was about six feet tall, give or take. He looked a bit like David Beckham.”

“You spoke to her about him?”

Mrs. Koep nodded. “I warned her that if I’d seen her sneaking around with him it was only a matter of time before one of her parents caught on.”

“What did she say?”

“She told me it hadn’t been serious and that they’d broken up.”

You swiped open your phone and pulled up an image of Julia Xiarong.

“Have you seen this woman before?”

She studied the photo carefully. “I don’t think so. Who is she?”

“She was related to Li Wei. A friend of hers said she’d been looking into her family history in 2002 and uncovered records of an adopted cousin.”

“How did she know they were cousins?”

“There was a family mystery about her uncle. He fought in the Chinese Civil War and fled to Taiwan in the 1940s. No one ever heard from him again. She found his death certificate and learned that he’d had a daughter who died in childbirth, which led her to Li Wei’s adoption records.”

“Was there proof Li Wei was related to her?” Mrs. Koep asked.

“If you mean a DNA test, I don’t believe so. Her friend said she came to Fredericksburg in March 2002 and tried to get in touch with Mrs. Chapman. I don’t know if they connected or not.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered if they did,” Mrs. Koep said. “Mrs. Chapman had Alzheimers. She’d lost everything but her long-term memories by the end of 2001. Her sister came up from Arizona to take care of her. She stayed on for a year until it was time to move Mrs. Chapman into a memory care unit, then sold the camp.”

“Is it possible she met with Mrs. Chapman’s sister?”

“Maybe.”

“Do you have a number for the sister?” you asked.

“In my address book. I’ll send it to you.”

“Thank you.”

Mrs. Koep squinted at Julia’s picture. “She’s dead isn’t she?”

You cringed internally, realizing your mistake. Detective Roth was going to have your head.

“I do recognize her. She was in the Rolling Stone article.” Mrs. Koep’s eyes narrowed. “You found Li Wei and Zoe’s bodies, didn’t you?”

“I can’t share any information about the investigation.”

You braced yourself for her to unsheathe her claws, but instead of lashing out, she opened her tiny pink purse and handed you a card. It was an old-fashioned calling card with her name, phone numbers and email address.

“When you can release their bodies, please call me. They deserve a proper funeral.”

“That’s very thoughtful. Especially after all this time.”

“It’s the only thing left. I can’t do anything else for them now.”

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I’m sure talking about this wasn’t easy.”

“I wish I could’ve been more helpful,” she said.

“On the contrary. You were very helpful.”

Mrs. Koep looked confused. When you didn’t elaborate, she sighed. “Alright then. Is that everything?”

“Yes. Zach can walk you to your car.”

You watched from the doorway of the shed as the pair walked down the ellipse shaped path towards the tabernacle and the parking lot beyond it. When they were far enough away, you took out your phone and dialed Annabeth Greene.

She answered on the fourth ring.

“Hey, how’s it going? Have you made any progress on your case? The one with the cousins?”

“That’s why I’m calling. Do you remember running Li Wei and Julia’s DNA samples?”

“Of course I do. It’s the most interesting thing I’ve cracked in months.”

“What about Zoe’s?”

“The little girl?” Annabeth asked.

“Yeah.”

“I thought I already sent you an analysis of her DNA.”

“You did, but I was wondering if there would be any way to identify her father?”

Annabeth sucked in a long breath. “Ugh. Look, I can try, but I’m not optimistic. A lot of genetic libraries have closed the loop holes that allowed us to use ancestry DNA to identify suspects for law enforcement.”

“I’m not law enforcement.”

“You’re as bad as Lloyd.”

“Can you do it?”

“If I loosen my definition of ethics,” Annabeth said.

“You’re the best. I owe you.”

“Uh-uh. Lloyd owes me. It’s going to be something good, too. Expensive. You tell him that.”

“Will do.”

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

In a semi-private alcove within the vast common room of Fairfax Fields Assisted Living facility, Lloyd faced down his prime suspect. Tate Corbin didn’t look eighty-three. His face was wrinkled but his posture was impeccable. Also, he seemed to be made of Teflon, because nothing stuck to him. It wasn’t charm that formed the protective coating that resisted Lloyd’s best interrogation tactics. Just the opposite - the Teflon shield surrounding Corbin was constructed of impertinence.

None of his usual tricks were working, and that pissed Lloyd off. He was good at two things in the interrogation room: getting a rise out of someone and building a sense of despair that made them unravel. Corbin was immune to both tactics.

First, there was no getting a rise out of Corbin. The man existed in a perpetual state of annoyance; the only dependent variable was the subject of his ire. Second, Lloyd didn’t have any actual evidence and therefore wasn’t equipped to build a sense of despair.

He wished he’d brought you along. If he had, he probably wouldn’t be sitting here listening to Corbin monologue about his various hatreds. Mr. Corbin hated scarlet macaws, because his neighbor had one and it wouldn’t shut up. He hated New Jersey and their subpar roads that were always under construction.

Trying to forge a connection, Lloyd empathized with that sentiment and inadvertently triggered a cascade of grievances.

The architecture of FedEx Field was hideous and the Washington Commanders had been on the downhill slide ever since they’d let Kirk Cousins sign with the Vikings. Tate claimed to despise Roger Goodell, Jerry Jones, and the entire NFL organization. And he loathed the football commentators on TV, too. They didn’t know shit about football. He preferred to watch the games on mute these days. Lloyd really, really didn’t want to agree with Tate Corbin… but he was right about a lot of things, especially the Commanders letting Kirk Cousins go. However, he wisely kept his agreement to himself and sat back, waiting for Corbin to run out of steam.

There was a rant against the commissioner of baseball, which didn’t have enough context for Lloyd to figure out whether Corbin hated the office or the individual who currently occupied it. Without a segue, the topic shifted to how social media addictions were the younger generation’s smoking. As much as he hated social media, Tate also had plenty to say about the mass media, and he didn’t hesitate to bend Lloyd’s ear about it.

Tate had been talking for almost ten minutes straight before Lloyd found an opening to put the conversation back on track.

“I hate dogwood trees,” Corbin said.

“You had a disagreement with Shun Nguyen about a dogwood tree, didn’t you?”

“Eh?”

“Dogwood trees,” Lloyd repeated, louder.

Corbin turned up the volume on his hearing aides. “Yeah, I did. That damn tree was growing over the fence and he wouldn’t trim it! Claimed he didn’t have the time!”

“We need to talk about his girlfriend’s death.”

Tate turned his head. His eyes shifted to the window. Uncharacteristically, he didn’t offer a comment.

“I’m here to talk about Julia’s death and the missing women,” Lloyd said.

“Always back to that, huh?”

“The investigation has been re-opened.”

“It’s old news. What’s there to talk about?” Corbin asked.

“You were convinced that Shun Nguyen killed Julia, is that right?”

“Damn right. They were always scrapping. I told her straight out that he’d kill her someday, but she didn’t listen.”

“Were you familiar with any of Dr. Nguyen’s other victims?”

Tate’s initial chattiness had waned. He shrugged. “The whole town heard about them. Heck, most of the country did.”

“Tell me about it.”

Mr. Corbin ran his tongue around his teeth. An expression of disgust, like he’d just bitten into something rotten, flashed across his features. The silence lengthened between them and Lloyd decided to prod.

“Did you know Stacey Moore?”

“Her grandfather and I golfed at the same course. We never played together or anything, but we’d see each other at the bar sometimes. I suppose you already know Maya Sutton interned for my accountant.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’ve done your homework. Everything I’ve told you was in the files, so you tell me - what’s the point of this? What are you getting at?”

Lloyd uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.

“In 2002 you claimed you saw a man walking across Nguyen's lawn on the night Julia went missing. I think you were lying.”

Tate straightened, his scowl darkening. “Lying about what?”

“You didn’t see a man. You made it up.”

“Why would I do that?”

“To throw the police off your scent.”

Realization dawned, and then Tate chuckled. “You think I’m the killer?”

“You hated Shun and Julia.”

“And the others?”

“You’re not much of a people person, Mr. Corbin. That can be very frustrating. You couldn’t join them, you couldn’t beat them, so what does that leave? You kill them.”

“That’s pretty twisted logic,” Tate said.

“Six women are still missing and we have the bodies of three others, so yeah. The whole thing is pretty twisted.”

“I’m not much of a people person, Mr. Hansen, but I’m not a killer.”

“Can you prove that?”

Tate snorted. “Actually, I can. You see, you’re not the first person to accuse me.”

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

“Peter Shaw, a reporter out of D.C. - obnoxious bastard.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“He tried to accuse me of being the killer in a story for some hipster magazine ten years ago. The editor called before they ran the story, trying to verify the facts.”

“What facts?”

“About my whereabouts during the times those other women went missing. Stacey Moore was the first, in June of ‘99. A few months later Maya Sutton disappeared. The next summer it happened again. Two more victims.”

“Do you remember their names?” Lloyd asked.

“Peyton Quirk and Kayla Ballesta.”

“They disappeared in the summer, too?”

Lloyd knew the answers to the questions he was asking, but he wanted to see if Tate did.

“Peyton disappeared in July and Kayla went missing during the first week of September.”

Lloyd pretended to make a note on his pad.

Tate continued down the list. “He took Lucy Lund in May 2001. Stephanie Young went missing in September.”

“You’re very familiar with the case, Mr. Corbin.”

“Of course I am. I was at Nguyen’s trial every single day, both times. Which is why I was able to track down the tickets and photos from my summer vacations in 1999 and 2001. There are three ex-merchant marines, guys I served with in the sixties, who can vouch for me. We’ve done a biennial fishing trip in Maine for the last thirty years.”

“Their names?” Lloyd asked.

He took them down, along with the phone numbers the old man rattled off from memory.

“You’re grasping at straws if you think I’m your guy,” Corbin said.

Lloyd had a sinking feeling he’d just grasped at said straws and they’d slid through his fingers. He clicked his pen and sat back, studying Tate carefully.

His body language was open and relaxed. He didn’t seem rattled by Lloyd’s prodding, which made him think the man was being honest. Of course he would check with the merchant marines to be certain but Lloyd suspected his alibi would check out. It was a shame Peter Shaw didn’t share information from his unpublished articles, because it would’ve saved Lloyd a trip.

“I didn’t lie, you know. I saw someone walking across Nguyen’s yard that night,” Tate said.

Lloyd noticed the way Tate’s left hand shifted to cover his right wrist when he said ‘someone.’

It was a subtle gesture of self-protection, the kind of thing you or Zach would be able to discern the meaning of. He couldn’t read the emotions on Tate’s face. Discomfort? Fear? Or was he gloating over some withheld piece of information? Being caught out of his depth was irritating. Lloyd switched tactics, dropping the confrontational strategy.

Corbin had a propensity to interject whenever he felt something was being misconstrued, so Lloyd phrased his next words as a statement instead of a question.

“You saw someone that night and recognized them.”

“No, I didn’t. I mean, I didn’t recognize them for sure. Not at the time.”

“But later, you figured out who it was,” Lloyd said.

“It was just a guess.”

“A name?”

Mr. Corbin adjusted the leg of his trousers, smoothing out a crease. “Guess isn’t really the appropriate word. Maybe you’d call it a… hypothesis?”

Lloyd wanted to grab Tate by the collar of his polo shirt and shake the answer out of him. Instead, he smiled, trying to school his features into a neutral expression.

“About a month afterwards, I had an epiphany, of sorts and the puzzle pieces just snapped together. There was a neighbor boy. He was college age but still lived with his parents. A big, strapping kid, just like the figure I saw.”

“Why do you think it was him?” Lloyd asked.

“I woke up that night because their dog was barking. I got up to see what was going on, but by the time I reached the window the dog had shut up.”

“Which house did these neighbors live in?”

“The one adjacent to Nguyen’s property.”

“Left or right?”

“Right,” Tate said.

Lloyd jotted down a note. “Anything else?”

“Like I said, I wasn’t sure if it was the kid or not. But he fit the general description of the person I’d seen, and that dog didn’t bark much. I figure that’s why the dog started barking - he’d smelled his owner.”

“Was he coming or going from the house?”

“Assuming it was him, he would’ve been returning to his house.”

“By cutting through Nguyen’s yard?”

“His parents had a security camera pointed at the front door,” Tate said. “I asked his father about their setup after things went down. I was thinking of getting myself a security system and he told me they only had the one camera for the front door.”

“And?” Lloyd prompted.

“Given the camera at the front door, he would’ve had to sneak in through the back. Nguyen’s yard wasn’t fenced. The easiest path would have been to cut through Nguyen’s front yard, go around the back of their house, and jump the fence into the next yard.”

“You never mentioned this to the police,” Lloyd said.

“Dealing with ‘em left a bad taste in my mouth. They’re idiots, the whole lot. Look at who they’ve got locked up now! One of their own evidence clerks! While I happen to think they’ve got the wrong man, I'm sure glad that fellow is off the streets.”

“Yeah?”

Corbin’s face scrunched. “With Leo McKenzie in the slammer Harmony’s DUI rate is about to go into free fall, if you catch my drift.”

“You didn’t think it mattered if you said anything or not.”

Tate grunted in acknowledgement.

“You seem to have this whole case figured out,” Lloyd said.

That earned him a smile. The old man leaned in, lowering his voice. “Want to know what else I think?”

Lloyd mimicked the posture, inclining his head.

“I’ve got a theory about why they never found any remains.”

“Really?”

“Copper Ridge Quarry.”

“I’m not familiar,” Lloyd said.

“It’s an abandoned mine, closed down in the 60s. Toxic waste. Acidic runoff. That’s where the bodies went.”

This interview was burning up more leads than it was generating. Perhaps he didn’t need to check out Corbin’s alibi after all, Lloyd realized. Tate definitely wasn’t their guy. The coroner’s findings on Julia and Li Wei pointed towards the other end of the pH spectrum, away from acid.

Even so, he played along, raising an eyebrow. “Acid.”

“It’s so strong it’s off the pH scale, into the negative numbers.”

“Interesting.”

“It’s more than interesting. Acid dissolves everything. No bodies, no evidence. Take my word for it - look into Copper Ridge Quarry and you’ll find your killer.”

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

Next - Chapter XXIV

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[pinkfluffybunnyy]

i heard from the heavens

summary: (Y/N) saves Sasha from the brink of death, and Armin crumbles into a million shards in her embrace.

(part of the sidelines series, oneshot, alternate universe - canon divergence, hurt/comfort, fluff & angst, possible medical inaccuracies {i dont work in the paramedic field so im not 100% sure on proper procedures and protocols, i just used what little knowledge i do have lmao}, gender-neutral hange zoe, listened to 'hold my hand' by lady gaga whilst writing this lol)

content warnings: guns, gunshots wounds, blood, near death experiences, needles, medications, medical jargon, mentions of hurting children

Jean burst through the door, his face drained of all colour.

“(Y/N), we need you now! Sasha’s been shot! ”

Her heart stopped for a second before she regained composure, her body feeling as if it had been drained of all blood.

“Get me the crash trolley!” she yelled at Artemis, who frantically ran to the back room.

(Y/N) shot up like a whippet, bounding into the back of the airship, Mikasa and Armin following behind her.

The scene before was something from a horror film.

Sasha laid on the floor in a pool of her own blood, Connie bent over her, holding her face, desperately trying to keep her awake. There was a crowd of men in the corner, shouting and screaming, kicking and hitting. It took a second for (Y/N) to see what they were exuding all their energy on, the crowd parting for a fraction of a second to reveal two children huddled into the corner, one holding a gun.

“Stop it, now! ” (Y/N) roared at them. “They’re children, just arrest them, for fuck sake!” Her blood boiled at the sight of a hoard of grown men beating children, whether they were killers or not.

It’s not their fault that they’re brainwashed, trained to be killers of an enemy they didn’t even know.

She crouched down next to Sasha, gently cupping her face.

“My my, Sasha, what have you gotten yourself into?” (Y/N) half-joked, trying to keep the brunette from panicking. Sasha let out a small breath in response.

Not a good sign.

(Y/N) began assessing the wound, looking for the entry point. Artemis barged in with the red metal trolley, immediately throwing gauze onto the floor for (Y/N). (Y/N) pulled on a pair of gloves before attempting to take a better look at the wound.

“Get me some towels!” she commanded, Jean instantly scrambling to oblige her command. When he returned, she took them from his hands, gently blotting at the excess blood. 

Abdominal gunshot wounds were critical, she had to act as quickly as possible.

“Help me sit her up.” (Y/N) said, Artemis coming to Sasha’s other side to help her sit up with her back against the wall.

“You’re gonna be okay, alright honey? We’re gonna fix you up.” (Y/N) soothed. Artemis held Sasha steady as (Y/N) applied an occlusive dressing, wrapping it tight around her with some bandages. 

“Jean, take over from Artemis.” He nodded in response and crouched next to Sasha, holding her up against the wall.

Mikasa and Armin were a sobbing mess, watching the scene unfold before them through bleary vision. Connie slumped to the floor, completely silent in his grief.

“Artemis, I need a tourniquet, cannula, a bag of 10mg IV morphine and a bag of 0.9% isotonic IV fluids.” (Y/N) took a pair of scissors and cut the sleeve on Sasha’s shirt, granting her access to the skin on the inside of her elbow. Artemis practically threw her the tourniquet, (Y/N) wrapping it just above her elbow before prodding at the skin, desperately searching for an adequate vein. Sasha was blessed with good veins, blue protruding from her paling skin, and (Y/N) thanked whatever gods may be out there. She pushed the cannula into her arm, Sasha hissing at the sensation.  “I know darling, I’m sorry, I just need to give you some painkillers and some fluids.” she soothed, completely focused on attaching the IV bags to her cannula.

“Radio.” she requested, Artemis pulling the radio from her pocket and handing it to (Y/N).

“Calling Trost hospital, I have a medical emergency, over.” she spoke into the radio, her eyes flicking over the Brunette as she pulled a torch from her pocket. “Sasha, I’m going to shine this torch in your eyes, just keep looking ahead for me as best you can, okay honey?” Sasha nodded weakly in reply.

“Patient status? Over.” a voice buzzed back from the radio.

“Nineteen year old Eldian female with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, occlusive gauze applied, 10 mg/ml of IV morphine and 0.9% isotonic fluids administered. Normal observations shall now commence, over.”

“Ambulance will be prepared upon arrival, over.” the radio answered.

“Roger.” (Y/N) replied into the small, plastic device.

Artemis dashed off to get an OBS machine, Sasha relaxing against the wall. 

“It’s too loud in here…” she murmured weakly.

“I know darling, it’s going to be okay.” (Y/N) soothed, offering the brunette a soft smile.

Artemis ran back in with an OBS machine, hooking up the wires to Sasha’s arms and hands. The machine whirred as the blood pressure cuff swelled with air, causing Sasha to wince. (Y/N)’s eyes flickered over the screen, breathing a sigh upon seeing the results.

She held the radio to her lips. “Figures. Heart rate is 34, SATS 85, blood pressure is 75 over 40. Over”

“Is that good?!” Connie asked, his voice laced with hope.

“The best we can ask for.” (Y/N) confirmed, stroking Sasha’s hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. A heavy collective sigh was released by those in the room.

“Roger. Let us know of any status changes. Over.”

“Roger, out.” (Y/N) replied before breathing a heavy sigh.

Commander Hange pushed open the door, taking in the scene displayed in front of them. “We have 30 minutes until landing. How is she?” they asked, striding over to where Sasha was sat on the floor.

“Stable.” (Y/N) replied, looking up to the brunette. “We have an ambulance prepared for her upon landing.”

They simply nodded in response and retreated back into the front of the airship.

“Jean!” a voice called, causing everyone to turn their attention towards the source.

“These two got aboard using Lobov’s vertical manoeuvre gear. I’m going to toss them overboard. No objections, right?”

(Y/N)’s heart seared with rage, eyes widening at how the redhead could even begin to comprehend such a deplorable suggestion. “You have to be fucking kidding me?!” she roared. 

Jean slammed his fists against the wall, resting his forehead against the wood, lips pulled back in a grimace.

“Is throwing some kids off an airship… going to end this bloodshed?” he murmured, his voice strained, laced with frustration and pain.

(Y/N) looked away, unable to take in the scene before her. She instead focused all her energy on Sasha. Artemis brought her a damp towel, (Y/N) wiping it over Sasha’s face, cleaning the blood from her skin. Sasha smiled slightly at the comforting sensation, her eyes closed, head laid back against the wall.

(Y/N) smiled back at her. “Sasha, keep your eyes open for me honey. Can’t have you going to sleep yet.”

“I feel… like I’m floating…” Sasha whispered, her eyes glazed over in bliss. (Y/N)’s heart stopped for a second, her eyes flickering to the OBS machine before returning to the brunette. “Morphine does that to you…” she chuckled lightly, hoping that it was in fact the morphine causing her serene state and not her body failing on her.

The next 30 minutes felt like a lifetime. Time dragged itself along, seconds feeling like years. When they finally landed, Artemis and (Y/N) transferred Sasha onto a hospital bed with the help of the paramedics. As the paramedics rushed Sasha into the ambulance, (Y/N) gave the doctor a run down on Sasha’s current condition and her state of injuries. She went to follow the doctor towards the ambulance, however he stopped her, holding a hand out in front of her.

“(Y/N), get some rest. You’re covered in blood, you’re exhausted, and I’m sure you haven’t eaten nearly as much as you need to. I’ll take it from here.”

She scoffed lightly, going to push past the man stood in front of her. “I’m fine-”

“(Y/N).” he commanded, grabbing her arm. “Go. Home.”

She huffed a sigh, looking at the ground beneath her. “What is it you always say to us?”  She pursed her lips before replying. “You can’t properly take care of your patients if you don’t take care of yourself first, I know, I know.”

“Yes. And that applies to you as well.” He gave her a kind smile, releasing her arm.

She returned his smile. “Thank you, Nate. Please keep me updated if anything changes.”

“I will.” he said before turning to join the paramedics in the ambulance.

Just as she was about to turn around and walk away, she shouted back at him. “And if you don’t give her the best care possible, I’ll come back and I’ll beat your arse!” she shouted with a giggle.

Nate just laughed and waved her off before shutting the ambulance doors behind him.

She stood for a second, watching the vehicle speed away before breathing a weighted sigh, rubbing her face with her still gloved hand, wiping semi-dried crimson on her face. She pulled her hand back and grimaced. “That’s a hygiene violation right there.” she chuckled to herself before pulling the gloves off her dainty hands and pocketing them.

All of a sudden she was encased with a tight embrace, the force nearly knocking her to the ground. She looked up to see Connie, clutching her petite frame with a death grip, tears flooding from his eyes.

“Thank you so much!” he wailed, and (Y/N) smiled, gently returning his embrace.

“Don’t thank me, Connie. It’s what I’m here for.” she soothed.

The pair stood like that for a while, Connie wailing into her shoulder, soaking her tunic with his tears, (Y/N) returning his embrace and rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort his overwhelming emotions.

She laid on her bed, still in her blood-covered tunic, her hair a dishevelled mess, heavy bags hanging under her eyes. Breathing a sigh, a knock at the door stirred her from her daydreams, a golden halo and aquamarine eyes greeting her as the door opened. 

She smiled, “Hi, Armin.” Her voice was weak and strained.

“Hello, angel.” he whispered, walking over to her. Her heart skipped a beat at the pet name.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, placing her hand on his thigh as he sat beside her.

“...As okay as I can be.” he replied with a sad smile, brushing her hair from her forehead, gently cupping her cheek in his palm.

She knew that look. The sorrow in his eyes.

She knew the toll the war was taking him. Knew how much it obliterated his heart to have to crush an entire port to smithereens, killing hundreds of innocents he didn’t even know in the name of freedom. She knew it killed him as well, rotting him from the inside out.

Armin’s grief was quiet and reticent, silent and all consuming. He didn’t shout or scream, he wrapped it up within himself and saved it for when he was alone, decaying in his organs until there was nothing left.

She sat up, pulling him into a tight embrace, her hand flying to the back of his head to stroke his blonde locks gently. She heard his breath hitch as he snaked his arms around her waist.

“I know…” she soothed. “I know, and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Armin. I know you never asked for this burden.”

He nuzzled his face into her neck, tears burning his eyes. She rubbed soft circles into his back with her other hand, placing a soft kiss atop the crown of his scalp.

“I can’t do this anymore, (Y/N)…” he whispered, his breathing quickening in pace as he tried to control his emotions.

“I know, darling. I know. But I’m here, I’m with you. I’ll always be with you…”

There they sat, perched atop her bed, a god of destruction and death clutching onto a goddess of love and healing. The juxtaposition was almost laughable, but that made it all the more soul crushing. Opposites coming together and bleeding into each other, singing a bittersweet symphony of equity and harmony, balancing each other on the precipice of a steep cliff.

“This won’t be forever, Armin. It’s just now. And we’ll get through it together.”

Her words earned a harsh sob from the blonde as he let go, his emotions overwhelming and consuming him. She just sat there, holding him as he crumbled into dust before her.

“Let it all out, angel. It’s okay.” She rested her cheek on his head. “I know you’re scared, I know you’re in pain. But everything will be okay. Even heaven has clouds of grey sometimes.”

[excavatinglizard]

February Reads

Hello you’re now getting a slightly chaotic rundown of all the books I read this month. Enjoy.

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta: YA sapphic dystopian mecha. The plot was chaotic and these children did murder without blinking an eye. The internal conflict was good though and it was an engaging read. I enjoyed the character interactions. Needed another round of edits though. Got me out of my reading slump.

Godslayers by Zoe Hana Mikuta: Gearbreakers 2, electric boogaloo. More chaos. Less interesting character interactions. Someone does brain surgery on herself??? Characters randomly killed off. Main characters would have major injuries that were never addressed again despite being interesting opportunities for character development.

What Moves the Dead by T. kingfisher: I rediscover novellas, this is horror that hit the things I’m most afraid of. Good writing and interesting. Some good ol’ pronoun fuckery as a bonus.

What Feasts at Night by T Kingfisher: (what moves the dead 2) more novellas!! Less scary for me specifically but still good. I’m attached to these characters now.

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey: Queer librarian cowboys in a dystopian future. Another novella. Nothing to say here, it was fun but I wasn’t at all invested in the romance.

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee: I REALLY liked Yoon Ha Lee’s first two Machineries of Empire books, but unfortunately between this and Revenant Gun, this just cemented that I don’t think I’ll be reading more of his stuff

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas: Yes yes yes yes yes. Exactly the kind of weird, descriptive, dreamlike story I adore. Towards the end I was laughing a little as I saw what seemed to be Handmaids Tale influences (I can never escape it). A lot of people dislike this book but it really worked for me because I’m more than happy for things to never be explained. This isn’t a book about a mystery, it’s a book about the institutions we’ve built.

The Seep by Chana Porter: not what it says on the back. Got better when I just accepted that it was a story about grief, not alien takeover. There were some very interesting parts, some slightly goofy parts. I feel like it should have either been a little longer or really gone for novella style. I enjoyed it overall! I need a new genre now just called ‘body horror acceptance’. If you liked Annihilation you will appreciate this, though it’s much more character based.

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Ch.3 With a Little Help from My Friends

Alya splashed water on her face and took a deep breath. Sending a silent thanks to Past Alya for deciding against wearing makeup. "It's okay. You're okay. This is for your best friend. She needs a little normal after hiding several life altering secrets from everyone... Again."

Making sure her afro was still in perfect condition Alya gave her reflection the I'm-watching-you gesture for good measure. Before walking back to their booth.

Rose, Zoe and Alix threw back their shots while Marinette cradled hers.

"So why couldn't Mylène come again?" Marinette asked.

"Something something mayoral duties," Alix supplied while refilling her glass.

"I'm sure she would've been here if she could!" Rose held her glass out for Alix to refill.

"Are you sure you should be drinking?" Zoe asked.

Rose stuck her tongue out. "I'm fine! One night out won't kill me, Jules."

Zoe snorted but held her hands up in surrender.

Marinette suddenly downed her shot and also held it out for a refill. "How are things with Juleka?"

"Amazing as always," Rose grinned dreamily. "You'd think she'd get tired of writing songs about me but nope!"

Alix perked up. "There's a new song?"

"Not for you!" Rose preened. "This one's just for the two of us."

"Aww."

Zoe chuckled into her drink as Alix slumped back down.

Rose grinning innocently. "We're even thinking of getting marr...ied..."

Marinette raised a finger at them "No. We're not doing that. We're not walking on eggshells around Marinette," she stated as her eyes reddened. "I've had my cry... Like, five times."

Alya nodded. "It's true. Marinette is an ugly crier." She was pleased with the chuckle that surprised out of Marinette.

Who wiped at her eyes as she took a steadying breath. "Okay, let's have it then."

The others glanced at each other before Zoe began.

"When do you see the kids?"

Alya gave her a glare from behind Marinette's head.

Zoe gestured in a well-what-did-you-expect sort of way.

"Ow." Marinette grabbed her shot and threw it back. "I can visit them this weekend. Ugh, that sounds awful. Hate that."

"It's weird that the court didn't settle on joint custody," Rose thought aloud.

"...Yup! Super weird!" Marinette grinned forcefully.

Alya bumped her shoulder.

"Alright, fine! Adrien wanted the kids with him and I... Have a business to run." Marinette shrugged with her hands.

Zoe grimaced. "Oh that sucks."

Marinette shook her head. "Adrien was already doing most of the parenting. I dug my heels in pretty hard but... He had a point." She stared into her empty glass. "Guess that's why I agreed to it in the end."

Alya bit the inside of her cheek. Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it.

"See, this is why I only date women," Zoe joked weakly.

"Objection!" Rose stood up to her full five foot four hight. "I've met the women you've dated! They weren't anything to write home about."

"This is why I don't date," Alix muttered as she refilled everyone's glasses.

"That is not why you don't date!" Marinette countered.

"I don't know what y'all are on about. I've only ever had great dating experiences," Alya interjected.

"I don't want to hear it from someone who's still friends with her exes."

"I'm still friends with my ex! We write letters every month!"

"We know, Rose."

"That's weird for entirely separate reasons."

"Also, we're all friends with our exes here."

"I retract the statement."

"LOL."

"Did you just say 'LOL' out loud?"

"I did and I'll do it again!"

"LOL. Lmao, even."

"I'm surrounded by teenagers."

"It helps that you're the size of one."

"I'll make you the size of one!"

"Girls, girls! No fighting. There'll be plenty of time for that later."

"Wh- Why did she say it like that? Why did you say it like that?"

"So, Alix, how's the protest art going?"

"Don't ignore me!"

"Well it's pissed off a lot of people."

"All according to plan then! Zoe?"

"I'm this close to getting boarding schools outlawed."

"Woohoo!"

"Yeah! Stick it to the man!"

"Alix, she's a millionaire."

"Shhhh. Lemme have this."

"What about you Alya?"

"The life of an intrepid reporter isn't as glamorous as it's made out to be-"

"Wait. When was this glamorized?"

"-but it does have it's moments."

As the night wore on Marinette relaxed into their banter. Her smile appearing less forced. Comebacks more natural.

Just for tonight Alya forgot about what Marinette told her. Just for tonight they weren't Paris' protectors but old friends catching up amid their busy lives.

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

"Girrrls, they wanna have fu-un!"

"Ok, Rose, let's get you home." Zoe gently grabbed her friend by the shoulders and steered her towards the metro.

"No," Rose giggled. "I already have a girlfriend," she slurred. "She's...way prettier than you."

"Oh, you owe me big-time Juleka," Zoe muttered.

"That's her!" Rose exclaimed. "That's my girlfriend!"

"Aww, c'mon! The night's still young!" Alix protested again. "We could hit up our old stomping grounds?"

"The night may be young but we're not," Marinette pointed out. Massaging a kink out of her arm.

"Speak for yourselves!" Alix ran a hand through her pink hair with a sigh. "But, yeah. Just don't let it be another six months before we all go out again! Looking at you millionaire people!"

Zoe gave a thumbs up without turning around.

"Just wanna! Just wan-na-a!"

Marinette giggled before realizing Alix was staring at her. "Oh. Oh! Right, millionaire. That means me too!"

Alya snorted as Alix rolled her eyes.

"Sure, we'll do this again soon."

"I'll hold you to that!" Alix said as she stopped to eye a barren patch of wall.

"Good luck!" Marinette called.

"Don't get caught!" Alya added.

... Alya and Marinette turned a corner into an alley. And after a flash of pink and orange light Ladybug and Rena Rouge leapt over the city rooftops.

"Thanks for this," Marinette said. "You were right. I did need that."

"I usually am..." Alya spun her flute as everything she wanted to say suddenly left her.

Marinette using the phone function of her yo-yo while muttering something about fabrics.

"...C'mon." Alya reached out, grabbed Marinette's hand, and pulled her towards her apartment.

"Huh?"

"You're not staying in that big empty mansion all by yourself," Alya stated.

"Well, actually the second mansion also has a-"

"Nope!" Alya cut her off as they jumped over a street. "You're gonna stay up late, working on some new design. Avoiding all of... this" -she gestured vaguely at Marinette- "and when you finally do go to bed it's gonna hit you all at once! So no. You're sleeping over and you're gonna like it!"

Marinette felt her eyes water as Alya's grip on her hand tightened. "O-okay..."

[oh-mydarling]

Hi! I’m not sure if you take requests. But if so, would you mind writing this one: Cordelia has a daughter and marries Wilhemina, making Wilhemina the daughters stepmother. Could you write something about the three of them becoming a little family? Daughter!reader is in teen years. Thank you!

Let Me Drown

A/N: Thank you thank you thank you to whoever sent me this request for dragging me out of a months long slump!!! I'm not sure if this is the direction you wanted for the fic but I hope you enjoy it! <3

Something in you should probably have known not to go to Madison for advice. You were no stranger to the front page scandals that greeted you whenever you entered a shop, nor her biting attitude or destructive way of life, but you had ended up desperate. 

It was a few months ago that you took the first step down that path, one of chaos and anger but a new state of calm you were a stranger to. Madison had taught you the only way to conquer your emotions was to drown them and burn them like the witches before you, dragging you out the the empty shed at the back of the greenhouse where she gave you the first taste of substances. 

Now, you were a seasoned professional. 

You’d had a fight with Madison and it was sour. A mess of bitter words and slaps and angry tears that she sneered at. It was true you were like sisters; she looked out for you like no other but your fights were detrimental. Zoe had turned and walked back in the other direction when she heard your raised voices at the end of the hall, advising all the younger witches to steer clear. 

When she finally stormed out, you were left standing in the centre of the room, panting from the exertion of shouting. Your lungs burned and your eyes stung with fiery tears that streamed down your face, your least favourite part of your anger. You hated looking weak. 

You were burning with anger, your fingertips buzzing with the electricity of your emotions, and you could think of no other way to calm down. 

You had been reckless in your anger, though, storming down the stairs and past your mother making tea in the kitchen, ignoring her calls to you as you fled the house. 

“I — I need to see what that was about,” Cordelia sighed, putting her mug down and making her way towards the door.

Wilhemina outstretched her arm, using her cane to block the door from her wife, “she was practically on fire, let her calm down a little first.” She advised, voice warm and steady. She still wasn’t used to offering parenting advice, feeling firmly out of place in your mother daughter relationship, but she knew she helped balance her wife, and in this moment it felt necessary. 

You had her anger, despite the lack of biological connection. You were prone to spitting flames, setting fire to the world around you, whereas Cordelia was most often the one who burned in the ruins of other’s misplaced emotions. The redhead knew the sensation you were feeling, and knew that your mother bursting in would simply add fuel to the fire. 

Cordelia knew she was right. 

The supreme huffed, slumping in the chair next to her wife, looking over at her with pleading eyes, “please tell me she’s gonna be okay.” It was a useless request, of course, Wilhemina knew no more than she did, yet when she said it, the blonde somehow believed it. She clung to her word like the truth and her anxiety eased instantly, despite the sight of you storming past replaying in her mind. 

You were slumped against the back wall of the shed, having tugged out the bottle of vodka you hid under the cabinet in there. You were more than a few sips in, steady tears streaming down your face. You hated that you had such poor control of your emotions, and you hated more that this was the only way you felt you could cope. 

You were too stuck in your head to hear the footsteps across the path, or the quiet talking. 

Cordelia had asked Wilhemina to come with her, something the redhead had initially refused. The witch knew the understanding that had developed between the two of you and she wasn’t sure that she’d be able to manage whatever was going on without her help, so both women were walking across the garden, hushed discussion about you and what could possibly have happened for you to be in such a state. 

The door swung open and you looked up, not as startled as you perhaps should have been, though the tears fell harder when your mother popped her head around the door. 

“Oh love” she sighed, the way you knew she was disappointed but her love would override that for now. She stepped into the shed, opening the door wider so that you saw your stepmum standing there with a blank expression. You loved her but she did scare you a little. Even now you could never read her expression. 

You let out a gentle sob and your mum sat down next to you, taking the bottle out of your hand and passing it up to Mina before she scooped you up and pressed you against her, rocking you as you cried. 

You missed the look the women shared, concern etched on their faces. You clung to your mum like a small child, crying into her chest while she ran her fingers through your hair, “I’ve got you darling, it’s okay,” she cooed, biting her lip anxiously as her mind ran through all of the possibilities. 

When your tears had subsided and you slumped against her, she sniffed and moved to sit up, “come on love, let’s get more comfortable.” She helped you up and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, tucking you into her side as you left the shed, Mina squeezing your shoulder but stepping back to give you space with your mum. 

She followed you into the house, crossing the kitchen to pour away the bottle of vodka in the sink, lingering in the kitchen, unsure of her place in this situation. 

You had got half way up the stairs when you realised you weren’t being followed, turning to your mum with furrowed eyebrows, “where’s Mina?” You asked, causing her to look behind you both. 

“Mina!” She called out to the kitchen, “Come with us!” 

You both waited on the stairs until you saw her at the bottom, climbing up to join you both in the master bedroom. When you entered the room, your mum ushered you in, helping you to sit back against the pillows where you could smell your mothers and instantly calm down. 

Wilhemina entered moments later, perching at the end of the bed while Cordelia propped herself up on the pillows next to you, pulling you to lay down with your head in her lap so she could play with your hair. 

You looked up at the redhead and she offered you a slight smile, one of comfort and understanding, easing the sinking feeling in your stomach as Delia braced you all for a conversation. 

“Darling what could possibly have happened to get you in this state?” She asked, watching over you with concern as Mina reached out to wrap a hand around your ankle, comforting you while giving you space. 

“I just had a fight with Madison. She winds me up so badly I can’t handle it.” You grumbled, tired eyes from crying falling shut despite your mother’s wish to discuss the events of the day. 

“Honey, you can’t blow up like this and go and drink your sorrows away. Especially at your age. It’s not acceptable,” she scolded, maintaining a gentle voice. 

“Yeah I know.” 

The last thing you needed was a lecture. You knew it was bad, but you couldn’t handle your emotions. You felt things too deeply for the depths of your body, you couldn’t help but drown. 

“I know exactly where this behaviour is coming from. You’re banned from spending time one on one with Madison, and you’re grounded for two months, okay?” You sat up in outrage, prepared to explode, “you can’t cut me off from the only person that treats me like a person!” 

“I can and I will. Madison is teaching you bad things, I’m not going to sit by and let it happen.”

You laughed bitterly, “great talk, mum” 

You got up to leave the room, slamming the door behind you, and Cordelia sighed heavily, dropping her head into her hands, “what else was I supposed to do?” She asked desperately, looking to her wife for answers she didn’t have. 

You were sat in the common room curled into one of the couches, closing your eyes and trying to calm down, but the clicking of heels immediately raised your heart rate, “Listen, I’m sorry we fought. I didn’t mean everything I said,”

Madison was stood at the end of the sofa, looking almost guilty. 

You sat up to respond, “you’re an asshole. But I’m sorry too.”

She laughed, “yeah I can agree, but you love it,” Causing you to roll your eyes. 

Now that you were back on good terms, she walked back out of the room and you settled back down, enjoying a quiet moment. 

A while later you were still fuming from what your mother had said, banning you from Madison and grounding you without even trying to talk to you first. You were winding yourself up again, and decided to seek refuge with the one person who saw you for you. 

You wandered up the stairs and knocked at the door, unsteady on your feet under the intoxication. You waited for permission to enter then opened the door, causing Wilhemina to look up at you from her desk,, “oh - hello,” she greeted, a little unsure of why you were there. “Mina,” you huffed, a combination of alcohol and anger and sadness taking over you, “I hate today.”

She smiled a knowing smile, gesturing for you to close the door, before she directed you to sit down opposite her. 

“I think we need to talk, don’t we,” she sighed, already relaxing you; at least she was actually willing to have a conversation, instead of instantly enforcing punishment. 

You curled up in the chair opposite her, quietly chewing your nail while she carried on working; she didn’t want to stop and pressure you right away into talking. 

“Why does mum not want me to spend time with Madison?”

Mina simply raised an eyebrow, “Do I really need to answer that question?”

You huffed. “I just don’t get it. Yeah she’s not the best influence but she’s my closest friend here, she looks out for me.”

“So does your mother.”

You rolled your eyes at that.

“Listen, dear, your mum only wants the best for you. It is very out of character for you to be found in the shed drinking straight vodka, this is clearly behaviour picked up from Madison, something Cordelia wants to nip in the bud.”

“She only taught me that as a way to cope.” You grumbled, looking at the floor in front of the desk. You hated sounding weak, but you knew she’d understand in ways Cordelia just couldn’t, as much as she adored you. 

Wilhemina sighed, shutting her laptop. She stood up from her spot at the desk and walked around to the other side, supporting herself on the desk so she could perch just in front of you, “Darling, what is it you’re trying to cope with?” She asked in a voice softer than you’d ever known her to use. 

“I’m just angry. And sad.” You swiped at a stray tear, avoiding her observation. 

“And would you like to talk about these feelings?” She asked, unsure of how to approach this without your mother. 

“No,” you sighed, “I just want a hug.” You mumbled, looking up at her expectantly. 

Wilhemina was taken aback, not used to the way you would turn to her for support the same way you did with Cordelia, but of course she opened her arms to you, one of the few people she let close enough to hear the way her heart beat beneath the purple. 

You got up from the chair and stood in front of her, looping your arms around her waist and laying your head on her chest. One arm wrapped around your back, the other supporting herself against the desk. Silence shrouded you both, no words necessary for the exchange of understanding between you, a subtle confidence that you were never alone as long as Wilhemina remained in your life. 

Hours later, you were laid on your bed, watching Netflix on your laptop to try and drift off, hoping the day would end sooner rather than later. Before long, your mother entered the room quietly, unsure if you were asleep, and greeted you with a soft smile when you made eye contact. 

She silently crossed the floor and perched at the end of the bed, closing your laptop and moving it off your lap so that she could talk with you. 

“Mina told me about your conversation in the office,” she started, “I’m proud of you for going to her. I’m glad you resolved some things,” she smiled, squeezing your leg in comfort. 

“She gets me I guess,” you mumbled, still frustrated with the supreme for her eagerness to punish you instead of try to understand. 

“Y/n, I came here to apologise. I was wrong to ban you from seeing Madison. You can continue your friendship as long as this doesn’t continue, but you will still be grounded for the time being,” she reasoned, causing you to smile.

“I can still be friends with her?”

“As long as you promise you will not copy her behaviours and you will check in with Mina or myself whenever you find it hard to manage your emotions.”

You smiled, relieved she was easing her punishment. 

“Thank you,” you sat up, reaching across the bed to hug her. 

She rubbed your back, holding you close, “please promise me you’ll talk to one of us,” she begged, wrought with worry for you after the state you had been found in. 

“I promise, mumma” 

“That’s my girl.”

@loverofallthingssarah​ @lanawinters-ily​ @imstacysmomtm​ @goodegrrrl​ @twistedpoeticjustice​ @max-the-d0g @billiedeansbitch​ @lovelypeasantjellyfish​ @isle-of-earle​ @cordeliass​

[witchygirlgray333]

Some Youtuber recommendations

Not sure if anyone's interested but I always love to find new favourite Youtubers and I'm constantly watching Youtube so here's some of my favourites (and if I remember I'll write a brief description of the content they post). Please let me know if you have any other recommendations!

Spill sesh (I love when I actually know about things happening so I can contribute to conversations and these are short videos about current celebrity drama and things like that)

Wood Dweller

Grav3yardgirl - She posts loads of fun content about crazy purchases

Izzzyzzz

Mother the mountain farm - Vlogs of 2 sisters living together in the Australian countryside and running a homestead farm, they do lots of DIY's and it's so inspiring seeing them run the farm, building things such as shelters for the animals, spending lots of time adventuring and spending time with their animals (my favourites are the goats), sewing clothes and lots more

TED-ED - Short informative videos posted regularly posting about loads of different topics

Lady of Faewood - Witchy and fantasy themed DIYs and makeup

Ilymation - Animated story time videos

Zoe sugg - Vlogs about her life, motherhood and family, makeup and beauty, running a successful business and spending time with her friends

Hannah lee dugan - Living in the woods, DIY's, home improvement, teaching herself new skills and her adventures travelling and living in the middle of nowhere

Alyssa Nicole - Vlogs about her pets, witchcraft, reading etc

Hello kitty and friends - Short episodes of the Hello Kitty and friends youtube show, they're so cute and they make my day, they also post cute DIY's

Samantha Jo - Fun vlogs and she has such a funny sense of humour, lots of relatable content and she has the cutest doggo called Dunken

Darling desi - Cosy wholesome videos, major autumn cottagecore vibes

Paperworms cat - Journal flip throughs

Lindsey Kaba - Journalling videos and flip throughs, she has such a fun and creative journalling style and it matches my style so well, so motivating and inspiring and always helps me when I'm in a journalling slump or just need some cheering up

Mindful witch - Spooky / halloween / witchcraft hauls, alt fashion and living a mindful and magical lifestyle

Sierra ann - Vlogs, self improvement, her videos are so fun and I love how open and real she is in her videos

James welsh - Skincare advice

Chloe bunny - Another favourite, her videos are so comforting and relaxing and she does vlogs, book hauls, reading vlogs and more

ANJA - vlogs of her trying new things and living an amazing exciting life and experiencing cool things such as her videos 'I flew to NYC for the love of my life', 'living alone with a nudist in the woods', 'i moved to berlin baby' and 'no phone, 7 countries, 1 month'. I'm chronically ill and on bed rest and I lowkey live vicariously through her videos hehe

Hitomi Mochizuki - Sisterhood, yoga, spirituality, wellness, self love, self improvement

Jaiden animations - Animated videos telling fun stories and vlog style videos such as 'the time when psychics read my future' and 'my childhood stories' and 'my dog stories'

Sophia K - Book videos such as reading vlogs and book hauls

Coco day - Reading / university / lifestyle / art vlogs

Cecilia Blomdahl - Interesting videos about her life on Svalbaard which is an island close to the north pole and she has an adorable dog called Grimm. It's so interesting and fun to watch someone living such a totally different life to me and learning about things such as life in the artic, the midnight sun, polar night etc and there's some beautiful content such as when she's watching the northern lights!

Remi clog - Cleaning motivation, relatable videos about motherhood, living with ADHD and maintaining a clean home

Sky life - Learning about different spiritual practices, wellness, alternative lifestyles etc, such as her video 'learning ancient magic with the modern day cleopatra' and 'I tried ketamine meditation therapy'. She gives me lots of ideas for things to add to my life bucket list and it's so interesting to learn about so many things

Cate van luven - Journal flip throughs, journal with me, journaling supplies haul and they have a really similar journaling style to me so I love watching their video for inspo for my journalling, art and grimoire

Werallgonnadie - Vlogs about starting to learn ballet in your 20's which I love (I'm not particularly interested atm in learning ballet but I love that she posts vlogs about learning ballet for the first time as an adult, shopping, clips from her ballet lessons, coquette hauls, advice, grwm etc)

Karissa love - Witchy videos and vlogs, poetry, self love, makeup

Haley pham - Reading vlogs and other book related content, daily life vlogs, book hauls etc

Dakota Warren - Dark acadamia vibes, book content, vlogs, fashion, hauls etc

Alwyn Oak - Such cosy videos about her witchcraft and these videos always make me feel better, motivate me and help me to connect with my inner child. I look up to her so much and I aim to make my everyday life more like hers. Her videos include her altar, vlogs, exploring the forest near her home which she calls the enchanted woods (she's made a map of it and has named different part of the woods that she connects to and this kind of thing brings me so much happiness, my inner child loved doing these kind of things and her content reminds me to take time to connect with my inner child and enjoy every little part of everyday), DIYs and arts and crafts, books, home makeovers, nature, going on adventures, celebrating the sabbats, recipes and so much more

Lilymaexo - Relatable teen girl content, mainly vlogs

Skalababy - Productive and motivational vlogs of her daily life

Leena norms - Being more eco friendly, making her own clothing, trying new hobbies, books and advice

Brittany Broski - Funny, stupid videos that never fail to make me feel better

Mint Faery - One of my all- time favourites, witchy vlogs, witchy advice and informative videos, showing their beautiful altar, spells and rituals, everyday magic, storytimes, hauls and unboxings, chronic illness witch content

Madi's nursing journey - Nursing vlogs (I'm not even interested in becoming a nurse but I love her vlogs so much)

Fawn child - Vlogs and book videos such as reading vlogs and book hauls

Keelin Moncrieff - Vlogs of being a young mum, self improvement and self care, books, realistic and relatable videos, advice etc

Rachel Maksy - DIY's, cosy cottagecore / wholesome vibes fashion, trying new hobbies such as her video 'I found an old knitting machine in my basement', historical videos (I'm not quite sure how to call them but I love them) such as her video 'I found an 1800's book of etiquette' or 'I tried some old Hollywood eyebrows'. She posts really cosy autumnal videos and she has a really fun sense of humour.

Rattus rattus - One of my top favourite youtubers, alt fashion, DIYs (including ones you can do on a budget), vlogs, thrift hauls and lots more, such a perfect youtuber to subscribe to especially if you're a halloween lover!

Luna Seranova - Witchy videos (vlogs, informational videos, books, divine feminity and seggs magic, hauls and unboxings, makeup and grwms)

Danelle Hallan - True crime videos handled in a polite and respectful manner

Zhirelle - Motivational yet realistic vlogs of a college art student navigating life

Emmie - I love her videos so much, she posts lots of book videos, weekly vlogs which include reading, studying, her adorable kitten Calcifer and general lifestyle things

Drama Kween - Short videos discussing current topics such as celebrities, social media people, bad tiktok trends, tv shows and films etc

Stephanie Harlowe - True crime videos, she handles the topics in such a respectful way and in my opinion she gives non-biased information

Throneofpages - Reading vlogs and other book related videos

Perfectpaperbacks - Reading vlogs and other book related videos

Didn't realise how long this would be... oops!

[ardentlytess]

✨the tag game✨

tagged by: @talays-portkey thank you so much!!<3

THREE SHIPS 🚢 i have so many, but the top three that live in my brain rent free most often would have to be: puentalay from vice versa, wangxian from mdzs/the untamed, & sangwoo/jaeyoung from semantic error (with akktheo from enchanté as a close close close fourth)!

FIRST SHIP 🚢 i'm honestly pretty sure the first ship i was every properly invested in was percabeth from percy jackson & the olympians, followed by peeta & katniss from the hunger games, closely followed by suki from avatar: the last airbender & myself. what can i say. past me had taste.

LAST SONG 🎧 it was one step closer by intersection (AKA, fruits basket's second ending theme)! i tend to listen to a lot of anime openings/endings while studying in particular so i'm cycling through one of my usual playlists right now!

LAST MOVIE 🍿 i actually very rarely watch movies so i had to think a bit for this one, but i'm relatively certain that it was your name engraved herein. very heartbreaking. very beautiful. very very very real. the ending broke me as a human being, especially paired with the quote the director gave about the reality of missing the "train of happiness."

CURRENTLY READING 📖 i am currently reading girls of paper & fire by natasha ngan! to be honest, it's been a pretty difficult read for me emotionally given the subject matter, but it's a sapphic fantasy novel set in an asian-inspired, caste-based fantasy world that follows a young girl who's abducted & forced to become a concubine to the king, only to find herself falling for a fellow courtesan while juggling her own goals of survival, justice, & revenge. i'm just about to finish this one, though, so after i do, i'm probably going to pick up either hell followed with us by andrew joseph white (a queer sci-fi/dystopian novel that follows a trans mc who's slowly mutating into a deadly monster— also has autistic rep) or godslayers by zoe hana mikuta (the second book in a sapphic sci-fi/dystopian series about mechas carrying out the will of a tyrannical capital city & gearbreakers who are the only ones willing to bring them down)!

CURRENTLY WATCHING 👀 i've been in a weird kind of slump lately, so of everything currently airing i'm only really keeping up with my school president, moonlight chicken, & bokura no micro na shuumatsu— & even with these, i'm very rarely watching them on the days they actually come out, even though i'm enjoying all of them so far! i am, however, also doing an impromptu, completely unofficial vice versa rewatch that was definitely not supposed to be a full rewatch & was just supposed to be a quick little flip through to get some quotes for a set i'm working on but turned into a full rewatch because i simply couldn't resist. 10/10. highly recommend. puentalay will never not transcend a slump for me.

CURRENTLY CONSUMING 👄 this one's maybe slightly strange but strawberries dipped in ice water!! ice water just makes strawberries (& every fruit, honestly) taste so much better. also trying (& failing) to focus on a pchem lecture. considering i'm writing this up instead, i'd say it's not going too swimmingly. 

CURRENTLY CRAVING 🫦 hmmmmm honestly i've been craving milk tea for weeks now & tteokbokki even longer! will hopefully be treating myself with one or the other once this round of midterms is over & done with!

ONWARD TAGS 🏷️ i'm tagging: @i-got-the-feels @pannakorn @puentalay @oswlld @icouldhyperfixatehim @stormyoceans @chinzhilla @chinzillas @gooseras @hidden-joy @laowen @intolove & anyone else who'd like to do it! i'm not entirely sure who has/hasn't been tagged yet &/or who's interested so definitely don't feel obligated! just sending lots of good vibes & love to you all<3

[youre-ackermine]

J'ai publié 1 317 fois en 2022

C'est 1 317 billets de plus qu'en 2021 !

58 billets créés (4%)

1 259 billets reblogués (96%)

Les blogs que j'ai le plus reblogués :

@levmada

@botheringlevi

@happybird16

@wortverlust

@rinseveryday

J'ai étiqueté 679 billets en 2022

Seulement 48% de mes billets ne comportaient pas de tag

#levi ackerman - 297 billets

#handsome heichou - 198 billets

#💚💚💚 - 167 billets

#i love them so much - 135 billets

#levihan - 133 billets

#hange zoe - 129 billets

#i love him so much - 99 billets

#levi x hange - 70 billets

#💜💜💜 - 56 billets

#💚💜💞 - 53 billets

Longest Tag: 113 characters

#i wanna be this gurl so much but i can't imagine myself here bc of my flat chest 😭😭😭 but hair  like mine so ok

Mes billets vedette en 2022 :

n°5

Right now, I'm checking my notes for the second smut fanfic I'll write & preparing my playlist 😉

Fanfic Levi x Hange modern AU smut 😈😈

Tea Russian Earl Grey [black tea + bergamot + lemon - absolutely No sugar]

What are YOU doing right now ?

@erinthelfdoll @lucysarah-c @ladycheesington @happybird16 @nuri148

Also anyone who want to join 😉

47 notes - publié le 26 novembre 2022

n°4

Sunday walk a LeviHan headcanon

LeviHan fanart by @ashh-ketchup / Thank you so much Ash 💖

With permission of the artist / Please do not repost

Happy Birhtday Jay @jayteacups !! 🎂

✨Back home after a walk, Levi looks into Hange's honey-brown eyes, runs his fingers tenderly through their messy hair & puts one of their locks behind their ear

✨Hange sits on the couch, exhausted by the walk. Levi goes to the kitchen to put the flowers they picked in a vase, then comes back with a cup of hot tea for them. He takes off their shoes & starts a foot massage for them to relax

✨After Levi's gone, Hange puts on the sweater he left on the armrest of their sofa. They wrap themself in his warmth & scent, because the evening's chilly & take their cat on their lap for a cuddling session

✨Later, remembering they won't see Levi before next week-end, Hange rushes to the fridge, grabs something inside, drags themself painfully to the couch & slumps in it ; they end up eating a whole chocolate chips & vanilla ice cream pot out of sadness

✨As Hange's going to bed, head down & dragging their feet, their phone rings : Levi wishes them good night in his deep & soft voice & tells them 'I love you Hange' before hanging up the phone. Hange's gonna sleep well & dream about him, that's for sure 💖

51 notes - publié le 6 novembre 2022

n°3

Levi Ackerman, Humanity's Strongest

You have been through so much, but yet you stand strong in the face of adversity until the end

"Mais, je ne me plaindrai pas. J'ai reçu la vie comme une blessure, et j'ai défendu au suicide de guérir la cicatrice. Je veux que le Créateur en contemple, à chaque heure de son éternité, la crevasse béante. C'est le châtiment que je lui inflige."

Lautréamont - "Les Chants de Maldoror" - 1869

Voir l'intégralité du billet

57 notes - publié le 17 novembre 2022

n°2

Here's a little drabble for Rei's 'Happy Birthday Levi' 'event ! Thank you so much @levi-supreme for letting me join in & I hope you will appreciate this little text 🍭 I chose to follow the event's theme very literaly 🙂

🎂 Happy Birthday, Levi 🎂

**********************************

Theme: 'Sweet like sugar' - Count: 733 words

Pairing: Levi x Fem!Hange - Modern AU - 'No Name' - SFW

**********************************

His heart seemed to be throbbing in his throat as he heard Hange’s voice coming from the corridor over the hubbub of the concert hall. He wondered what was wrong with him these days; he felt so oddly different. Something had changed and he didn’t know what.

No Name was becoming more and more famous within their high school and even outside. They already had several shows booked and they were playing their third tonight.

« Levi! You’re already there! » Hange and Mike finally entered the dressing-room, laughing like dorks as usual. He mumbled a vague hello, turning to them. Mike whispered a polite good evening and took his drumsticks, then joined his girlfriend in the corridor. « Still eating candy, Four-Eyes? You’re gonna get sick and stain your white shirt, tch… » Levi replied, wrinkling his nose in disapproval. Teasing him, Hange stepped forward and he felt her warm and sugary breath on his face. « You know I need that before going on stage! Calms me down, you see? And makes stage fright go away » she said in a bright smile.

Coming closer to him, licking a huge lollipop with an exaggeratedly greedy air, she offered « Want some, Shorty? » Levi froze. He was fascinated by her glistening lips covered with sugar. Blushing with embarrassment, he abruptly turned his gaze away. Mike stuck his head through the half-open door to tell them it was time to play, giving Levi the opportunity to recover. Hange put her lollipop aside for later and grabbed her guitar.

So far, their performance was amazing. The concert hall was crowded but they recognized their friends among the wild audience. Many were jumping, dancing and fangirls were shouting Levi’s or Hange’s names, making them smile back seductively.  Song after song, they were getting more confident and connected, and flirted playfully with the audience. But all good things coming to an end, it was time for the last song. They had decided beforehand to play Levi’s mother favourite song to close the gig.

Levi’s deep and soft voice begun to intone « She floats like a swan, grace on the water, lips like sugar, lips like sugar ». Enthralled, the fangirls shouted his name, but, called on by the word ‘sugar’, all he had in mind was Hange’s lips. He shook his head to let the vision go away…  Then the lyrics went « She’ll ask and you’ll give her » and Hange came by his side to get closer to add her voice to his. They both leaned to the mic, their faces so close to each other he could feel her breath on his face again and they sang the chorus together « Lips like sugar, sugar kisses »… Levi couldn’t help staring at Hange’s soft sugary lips and froze once again, mesmerized. The world blurred around him and nothing else remained except Hange’s fascinating lips moving as she sang.

It lasted a few confusing seconds, but it was enough for him to feel his heart beating faster and louder and his face violently blushing. He sang the song to the end as if he was in a dream, wrapped in cotton, removed from any sensations other than Hange’s presence near him, singing the chorus with him again and again. Suddenly, it was over and they waved the audience goodbye as they went off stage to get to the dressing-room, Levi still feeling dizzy and uncomfortable.

Sensing what was going on around him, Mike pretended to be thirsty and headed out towards the bar, leaving Levi and Hange alone. « You look so weird today, Levi! What’s wrong? » she asked, licking her lollipop again. « You want a hug or something?» she offered, coming closer, so close now he blushed and mumbled « I… the last song, it… ». But he couldn’t utter a word anymore. Staring at her lips, he imagined their sugary taste and how soft they should be against his own lips. « Levi, what are you looking at? » she said. He couldn’t wait longer and, putting his hand on Hange’s waist, pulled her into him, bringing his lips close to hers. She leaned towards him and they finally shared a soft kiss, sweet as honey. They both closed their eyes as for the first time they tasted each other’s lips. « Lips like sugar, sugar kisses ».

Voir l'intégralité du billet

60 notes - publié le 30 novembre 2022

Mon billet n°1 en 2022

HANGE & HIMENO

Hange & Himeno fanart

ARTIST @flaryangel on Twitter

!!! PLEASE DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT CREDIT !!!

151 notes - publié le 25 novembre 2022

Obtenez votre année 2022 en revue sur Tumblr →

[discoidal]

Zoe what’s ur writing process like I’m in such a SLUMP

my writing process consists of me constantly monologuing in my head and taking note of the words/phrases/sentences that can be used for later! and a lot of the time i just Fuck Around like thats the entire process really. i hope you get out of your slump soon mizz jasmine !

[featuredfander]

Prince: You don't help him! Anxiety: At least I try! Prince: All you do is make him sad, Anxiety! Anxiety: I could do worse! Do you want me to do worse? ---- That's your prompt! Hope you like it. (Angsty stuff is my favourite if that's okay) ~ This is "yep-another-fander" (that is my sideblog)

Anxiety had been out of hand lately, and he knew it. Everyone knew it. He wasn’t trying to hurt Thomas- he would never hurt him if he had the power to choose. He cared about Thomas. Sure, some of the social stuff was his fault. He just needed to make sure that Thomas wasn’t setting himself up for failure; it was his job.

He couldn’t control everything. Sometimes, when things got too much on him, he had to let some of it out, through Thomas. On mild days, he could keep most of it in; these were Thomas’s good days. They were scarce.

Most days, Anxiety was inundated with thoughts and intruders in his mind. Questions and fears and self-hatred came straight to him before any of the others. He had learned over the years to keep it in, to stop it from spreading to the others; he figured that himself being in a lot of pain was still better than everybody experience a little.

However, when the really bad stuff came, it often came in groups. There was a string of days or weeks (one time it was over a month) where Anxiety had to hold everything in, every day, all day. Those were the hardest.

Those were Thomas’s bad days. The others felt it when he was having a bad day- once the pain got past Anxiety, it went to everyone. The others didn’t know Anx’s situation. They didn’t know he cared about Thomas at all. They thought that he was doing all this for pleasure- that he was never really hurting in the first place.

He didn’t try telling them otherwise. They wouldn’t believe.

During the clumps of bad days, they all got mad at him, but in different ways. Logic ignored him completely. Dad was just disappointed in him constantly. But Roman? Roman got mad. He was the most protective of them all, and also the most stubborn. He never even considered that Anxiety was struggling at all.

As Thomas aged, Anxiety got better at controlling even the bad days. What used to be the days where Thomas wouldn’t leave the house were now days where he was only slightly self-conscious. This was better for everyone except Anxiety, but he didn’t mind. “The greater good,” he would tell himself over and over in the quiet of his room. Logan and Patton were the greater good. Roman was the greater good. Thomas was the greater good.

“The greater good,” he would tell himself each time he couldn’t leave his room for fear that the pain would escape.

“The greater good,” he would tell himself each time he forced himself not to laugh at Patton’s jokes.

“The greater good,” he would tell himself each night he couldn’t sleep because of the fear and the pain.

He knew it would end in a few days. It always did; he would pass on to easier times.

Until he didn’t.

His bad streak had been continuing for a month now. It was a few days away from the longest one yet, and Thomas was only barely starting to feel it. Anxiety was almost proud of himself; he had held it all in. He was trying. He really did care about Thomas, even if the others could never see it.

The streak continued for another week. He found himself starved and exhausted, but most of all, afraid. Afraid to leave the room. Afraid to see the others. Afraid to look in a mirror. Afraid to do anything that would have changed his routine for the past month and let out the pain. He was doing so good. He couldn’t give up now.

“The greater good,” he whispered as he fought sleep off for the fourth night in a row.

“The greater good,” he whispered as he ignored his growling stomach.

“The greater good,” he whispered as he fell to the ground, weary and weak.

He slept for a whole day. He could’ve gone longer, but he was interrupted by a pounding at his door. He hurried to open it, and found an angry looking Roman standing in the hallway.

“Roman. Wha-”

“No. No witty remark, no petty name. No smirking. I’m not messing around this time. I’m sure you already know, I’m sure you’re proud.”

“Proud? What? I don’t- what-”

“Don’t play dumb. You know what you’ve done. This was Thomas’s worst day in years. He didn’t leave the house, Anxiety. I thought you stopped being like this. I actually thought you cared, even a little, about him. About all of us.” Roman’s voice sounded choked, like he’d been crying.

“No. No no no no no. I was doing so good. I thought I held it in. I tried to hold it in. I tried to help. I thought I was helping.” Anxiety whispered, wide-eyed. He was talking to himself now, completely disregarding Prince, who heard every word.

“Help? You don’t help him!”

Anxiety remembered his presence. He turned towards this trait he knew, this trait he thought trusted him. The trait he thought he had been getting along with. He was angry now. At Roman, at the others. At himself. At the pain, most of all. He wanted to defend himself. “At least I try!”

Prince looked at him like he was something that had just crawled out of the gutter. “All you do is make him sad, Anxiety!”

“I could do worse!” Anxiety snapped. At that moment, he knew there was no holding back. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to. “Do you want me to do worse?”

Prince looked hurt. He looked disgusted. But the emotion Anxiety recognized most in his eyes was fear. He tried to cover it. He didn’t know what Anxiety was capable of, but he figured that it was bad. Anxiety knew what he was doing. He was trying to act brave.

“What can you do? You can’t hurt us.”

Anxiety’s nostrils flared. “You think I can’t hurt you? Tell me you’re kidding. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten Thomas killed yet, simply because you’re just so stupid. All of you. You don’t understand! You think I create this pain? I hold it back, Roman! I’m not a monster! I hold back all this pain, and this- Thomas having a bad day- is me letting it through. I’m not doing it on purpose! I never was.”

Roman looked taken aback. It took him a second to respond. “You’re lying.”

“What?” Anxiety whirled to face him.

“I’m not stupid! You’re lying. You don’t hold back pain. You create it. That’s what Anxiety does.”

Anxiety’s hands were trembling. “You know what? You’re right. I don’t hold back pain. From now on, that is. You think you don’t need me? Fine. See how much you like my job- all of you.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. You say that, and I’m still not afraid. Listen, I have to go help Logan and Patton get Thomas back to normal. I just came here to tell you to cut it out.”

“Just get out.”

“Whatever.” He left the door wide open. “Leave Thomas alone!” The royal trait added as he walked down the hall. Anxiety slammed the door in response.

He knew he wouldn’t believe him. They would never believe his words.

He had to show them. They had to feel what he felt if they had any chance of understanding.

He would make them understand.

Anxiety let go what little control he had left. The others would feel it soon enough.

He stopped absorbing the pain from then on. He became a shell wandering the house without a purpose. He figured, why punish Thomas any more than he was already? Thomas had done nothing wrong. It was the others who had to learn.

Anxiety didn’t know if they knew exactly what was happening. He did know that they felt it.

Patton stopped telling jokes. He walked around groggily, as if he couldn’t find the energy to care about anything.

Logan lost his edge. He was slower in everything he did, and he spent most of his time staring into the distance and not speaking.

Roman became frighteningly like Anxiety. His hair was constantly disheveled, and he barely ever left his room. He hadn’t gone on a quest in a long time. He hadn’t left the house in a long time.

Thomas’s anxiety peaked. He stayed in his house most days and found himself afraid to talk to even his closest friends. He barely uploaded videos, afraid that his content would not be good enough. Afraid that he would be judged.

Anxiety stood in the center, observing. He wasn’t affected by any of this; he was used to the pain. Now that everyone was absorbing the blows, he felt it significantly less.

By the time they all figured out how things had been before, Anxiety had become rooted where he was- in the middle of the madness, observing. Like a king watching peasants being thrown into the lions’ den. They all tried to approach him, to beg for forgiveness for not seeing what it was like. To ask him to go back to normal. To ask him for help.

He never listened. He walked away before they could speak. If they wouldn’t notice him then, he wouldn’t notice them now.

Anxiety stayed rooted in the eye of the storm. Everyone around him was learning and changing and hurting. Every day he had the power to take it all back, to absorb the pain.

He liked it too much in the center. He said they would learn, that he would make them understand.

He did.

On that day, the day he let go, Roman had essentially told him that all he did was drag everyone down. Now he knew what he meant.

He did.

And he enjoyed every second of it.

[shwazzberryswriting]

Improvising

Pairing: Hendery x Original Female Character|Reader

Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Romantic Comedy, Friends to Lovers

Summary: Hendery and his comedy improv partner attend a wedding together

Word count: 6.2k+

Rating/Warnings: Mature / Explicit Sexual Content; Smut, Kissing, Nipple Play, Nipple Licking, Creampie, Vaginal Fingering, Penis in Vagina Sex

*Part 8 of my "The NCT Frat House Series"*

Author’s Note: Knowing that Hendery was going to pursue comedy before changing career paths to become an idol, I was inspired to write a romantic comedy for my favorite Disney Prince (I mean, "romcom" my version comes with a lot more smut than most romcoms). Apologies in advance for any errors, I proofread and try my best to catch errors, but I don't always catch everything.

GIF Credit: wkhs-archive

“Is this seat taken?” Zoe looked to her left to see a familiar handsome face staring at her. His sharp cheekbones were highlighted well under the dim lighting of the table at the end of the banquet.

“It’s for my purse,” she replied, setting her pink silk clutch onto the white chair to her left. His dark eyebrows furrowed as he gave a sigh, the intensity from his brown eyes was letting her know he was frustrated.

“Surely, you can afford to give up your purse’s seat for me?” he asked, resting his hand on the back of her chair.

“The seat to my right is free,” she replied, resting her arms onto her knees, slumping over, averting his gaze.

“But what of the one to your left?”

“It’s for my purse.”

“Come on, you can’t repeat the same phrase,” Hendery said with a sigh, dropping his character. He picked up her clutch and sat down in the chair they’d been arguing over.

“Can we leave?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She sat up straight, resting against her chair, the cheap polyester from the seat cover itching her back. “We’ve spent two hours doing improv. You’re not tired of it?”

“Are you kidding me?” he said with a wide grin. “This place is a goldmine for situation ideas. When will we get an opportunity to try this out at an actual wedding?”

“It feels like relatives from both of my parents’ sides are throwing a wedding every 3 weeks,” she replied. “It’s not that special.”

“But this is the only one you’ve shown up to,” he reminded her. “So let’s take advantage of it. I wanted to go to the bar to try out a scene.”

“Let’s wait until my uncle Luis is done heckling the bartender first,” she said, throwing her hand up to touch his arm and stop him from moving. Uncle Luis was eager to catch the NBA Finals but the bartender couldn’t find the remote to the TV.

“He’s a character,” Hendery said with an amused tone. She looked over to see his eyes focused on the bar at the north end of the banquet, his mouth hanging open with a smile. “He seems sort of shady. Man’s got 3 smartphones and a flip phone. What purpose does each phone serve?”

“I try to know as little about my family as possible,” she replied. “Do you want to do our final scene?”

“Final? You want to leave after just one more improv run?”

“Everyone keeps wanting to talk to me about you,” she replied, giving a heavy, tired sigh. “What’s going to happen when I start getting invitations to do couple things with my cousins and their significant others?”

“New improv opportunities,” he replied, his eyes growing big for a few seconds.

“No,” she shot the idea down. She’d already regretted bringing him to her cousin’s wedding as her date. “What would I get out of our relationship?”

“The security of not having your aunts and cousins asking you if you’re still single.”

He had to keep reminding her why she brought him along to the unavoidable wedding of her second cousin. Her mom was obsessed with Emmy’s wedding. Zoe and Emmy were born 3 months apart, so they were used as a means for their mothers to compete against each other. It had been that way for as long as Zoe could remember.

Her mom had bribed her with $1000 to attend the wedding, so that she could compare notes for her own future wedding. It was one of those things where Zoe’s mom was more invested than she was. All she could do was put up with it in begrudging defeat.

Having a fake boyfriend was entirely Zoe’s idea. Even her mom thought that Hendery was her boyfriend. When the money was transferred to her bank account, she’d gotten a text from Emmy, stating how excited she was to see that Zoe had finally RSVP. She immediately followed it up with the dreaded, “So are you seeing anyone?”

Emmy was getting married. Zoe’s last boyfriend had been a 1 week fling during a bout of FOMO around Valentine’s Day just a few months ago. The fact that she was only 3 months younger than Emmy set Zoe off into a crisis.

Her insecurities got to the best of her, and she turned to her improv partner for advice. Hendery didn’t seem as interested in the money as he was in getting an opportunity to try out his comedy ideas. He had suggested they use the wedding as a place to try out some improv exercises together, and once the idea struck he was convinced it was a brilliant idea. What Zoe hadn’t anticipated was for her family to fall over each other to meet Hendery.

“Let me get you a drink,” Hendery said as he stood and held out his free hand to her. His left hand was holding her clutch.

“My mom’s going to corner you and pressure you to propose to me,” she said as she took hold of his hand. “That’ll be the perfect way for her to upstage Auntie Fa on Emmy’s big day.”

“Zoe-Bell!” one of her cousins shouted as she threw her arms around both hers’ and Hendery’s necks, knocking her head against theirs. “Take a selfie with me, bitch! Your princely boyfriend looks so good in that white suit, babe! Where do you pick up such cute boys?”

“Hendery, I don’t think you’ve met my cousin, Jan,” Zoe said when Jan let her go. The blend of wine and tequila wafted into her nose as Jan laughed, throwing her arms around Zoe’s shoulders. “Jan this is Hendery.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hendery said as Jan rested her head onto Zoe’s shoulder and reached her hand over to tap Hendery on the cheek. He smiled politely at the affection. “I’m her boyfriend. And Zoe’s my…”

He turned to look at her expectantly. She felt her face turn hot.

“We’re dating,” she turned to Jan, raising a shoulder into a small shrug.

“Gosh, you’re so cute together,” Jan said with a chuckle. “Zoe, everyone’s calling Hendery a prince. Prince Hendery. Gosh, Hendery, even your name is princely.”

“Have you ever done improv?” Hendery asked, his hold on Zoe’s hand loosening.

“We’re about to leave,” Zoe said, her grip around Hendery’s hand tightened. He wasn’t going to make a comedy routine out of her drunk cousin teasing her. “I’ll catch up with you on Facebook, Jan.”

“You’re never even on there!” Jan shouted when Zoe had freed herself from Jan’s embrace.

“You don’t even go there to lurk?” Hendery asked as he threw his arm over her shoulder. “Look at us, we do look cute together.”

He stopped them as they stood next to the bar, their reflection staring back at them from the wall behind the bar. There was no denying that she looked comfortable in Hendery’s arm. His smile was sweet and kind, and when he wasn’t cracking jokes or pulling funny faces, he looked very handsome. Her body felt secure resting against his, too.

Hendery was perhaps the person she trusted most, and they were at a function in which she was related to roughly half the people at the wedding. They’d joined their university improv troupe “FEI” (an anagram for “Far East Improv”) at the same time during their sophomore year. They learned how comedy theatre operated together, becoming good friends through the years.

“Are you still on the model high?” she couldn’t help teasing, catching him tightening his jaw and tilting his head in the direction of the light from the lamp to their left.

Hendery had been a volunteer during the university’s Spring Fashion Week, doing a runway show for his friend, Ten. Despite giving Hendery shit for modeling like Zoolander, she couldn’t deny that Hendery knew how to serve good face on the catwalk and at photo shoots with his handsome features. She could tell he was enjoying himself at the wedding due to everyone complimenting his princely features and cute name.

“Take some pictures, and send it to Ten,” Hendery said as he let her go. He rested his back against the bar counter, throwing his hands into the front pockets of his pants. “He wants ideas for his Fall line.”

“I don’t know why I do these things,” she said, taking Hendery’s phone out from her clutch and taking half a dozen photos with slightly adjusted angles. “Good?”

“Thanks,” he said as she handed the phone to him. He seemed satisfied after a few moments, letting her put his phone back into her clutch. “What can I get you?”

“Cosmopolitan.”

“OK, Carrie Bradshaw.”

“I’m a Samantha.”

“No, you’re not. You’re definitely Carrie. You’re hiding your money problems in your shoe collection, and you were hung up on that dude in your History class, a total Mr. Big. I told you he wanted nothing more than-”

“-I should have never told you to watch that show with me,” she cut him off as she saw her Uncle Luis turn around slightly. She didn’t need her shady uncle to listen in on her personal struggles. During a small comedy tour with FEI their previous summer, Hendery and Zoe watched Sex and the City on her laptop together. It had been their number one pastime. “You’re a Miranda.”

“I’d be lucky to land myself a Steve,” he replied, handing her a pink Cosmopolitan. He drank his own Cosmopolitan. “This is like drinking candy.”

“How are you, Zoe?” Uncle Luis spoke up as he took out a thick, brown cigar wrapped up in clear plastic. He pulled out another one and offered it to Hendery. “You smoke, son?”

“Thanks,” Hendery said with a bright gleam in his eyes, taking the cigar and placing it in his mouth.

“You look like a cartoon character,” she said as she pulled the cigar out of his mouth and pushed it against the counter back to Uncle Luis. “Thanks, Uncle Luis but my mom would kill me if she found out that my boyfriend is a smoker. He doesn’t even smoke.”

“But I do like free things,” Hendery said, raising his eyebrows gently. She warned him with her eyes, opening them wide for a moment. It was not time for him to start up a routine. “Say, Uncle Luis, you think these coasters are free for us to bring home?”

“They’re cardboard, we can take as many as we want,” Zoe said, picking up a stack and shoving them into his jacket pocket. “Satisfied? You’ve got some.”

“What about this empty martini glass?” Hendery asked after draining the contents of his drink. “Zoe, surely these glasses are free? $10 for a drink? It’s because we’re purchasing the glasses, too.”

“It’s an open bar, you didn’t pay for shit,” she replied. Her eyes darted to Uncle Luis. He seemed to find their bickering typical, and boring, turning his attention back to the TV behind where the bartender stood. “Let’s go home.”

“Let me set your drink down,” he announced loudly, taking her drink from her hands.

“Don’t you dare-” she began frantically, reaching over to take the drink out of his hands, but Hendery’s hold loosened and the small bit of Cosmopolitan spilled out as the glass fell over Uncle Luis’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, sir!” Hendery shouted as the liquid landed right on Uncle Luis’s lap.

Uncle Luis threw his arm up in the air as he screamed, the contents from his tumbler flying straight into Hendery and Zoe’s faces. It was a mess as Hendery and Zoe shouted at the cold liquid hitting them like a Three Stooges routine. The guests nearby all turned around to look at the ruckus. Hendery took his jacket off and began dabbing Zoe’s face and hair with it.

She heard people calling out her name, but felt Hendery wrap his arm around her shoulders as he threw his jacket over her, as if she was a pop star hiding from the media. It was ridiculous and her face was hot as she heard more voices calling out to her, but she felt grateful as she heard Hendery speaking loudly. His hold around her made her feel safe once more.

“No, it’s OK, Jan!” Hendery said as she felt and heard Hendery opening a door. “Just tell Zoe’s mom we’re off to the restrooms to clean up! No, seriously, guys! We’re good.”

“Thanks,” she said softly as she removed Hendery’s jacket from over her head. “Ugh, of course Uncle Luis was drinking scotch. Come on.”

She led him toward the suite where the bridal team had prepared toward the back at the west end of the venue. The bathroom in the suite was guaranteed to be clean since guests were using the restrooms at the front of the banquet hall.

“Are we allowed to be in here?” Hendery asked when Zoe swiped her card to unlock the suite.

“My mom helped with the costuming for the performances,” she replied. “She asked me to put her makeup back into her bag earlier. Don’t worry, all the performances are over. People just want to drink and dance now. No one should be coming in here.”

“Sorry about what just happened,” he said, undoing his tie and slipping it off as she led them toward the back of the large suite. They had to walk their way around a maze of rumpled clothing, wigs, and beauty products. “I didn’t anticipate your uncle throwing his drink in our face.”

“It’s what we deserve,” she said, shutting the bathroom door behind her, flicking the bathroom lights on. “We made a joke out of this ceremony, so we became the biggest joke.”

He chuckled as he began to unbutton his dress shirt. She took off her necklace and earrings before turning to grab a pack of makeup wipes. They were relatively silent as they cleaned up. Hendery stepped aside and picked up a bath towel to dry off his face and arms as Zoe washed her face and neck in the sink.

“Leave it,” Hendery said as Zoe began to wash the collar of his dress shirt. It had been sitting on the counter beside her bath towel.

“Ten’s going to lose his shit,” she said as Hendery took the shirt from her hands and began rinsing the suds out. Ten had lent out some of his designs for them to wear to the wedding. She felt guilty that they managed to get both his suit and dress dirty.

“Don’t worry,” Hendery said with a reassuring grin. “Ten will see it as an opportunity to create a newer, better suit.”

He was wringing the water out of the shirt while she was trying to dry off the front of her top as she rested her back against the counter. The silk fabric clung to her skin and the pale pink color contrasted rather erotically against her cold, hard nipples. She tried her best to cover her front with the towel she was using, but her face was flushed with heat whether Hendery noticed or not. They froze and looked at each other as they heard voices in the suite and the familiar clicking of the heavy suite door opening and closing.

Zoe scanned around the bathroom, and saw some cardboard coasters sitting on the counter next to the soap dispenser. They’d fallen out of Hendery’s jacket when they’d tossed it onto the large countertop space. Tossing her towel aside, she grabbed a few of the coasters and began stuffing them in the cracks of the door.

“What are you doing?” Hendery hissed as he remained rooted beside the sink.

She hushed him as she rested her body against the bathroom door, quietly turning the lock. She pressed her ear to the door, and heard at least 3 different voices talking. Jan’s loud slurring was prominent. The voices were talking casually, and after a couple minutes she heard someone proclaim that they found Emmy’s purse before the voices became fainter. The resounding click of the suite door closing confirmed they were alone in the bathroom once more.

“I was scared someone would try to break the door down,” she said at last, turning away from the door. “I mean, who wants to use the dirty bathrooms out front?”

She jumped into his arms as they heard the suite door open. The same cousins were now singing a Lizzo song at the top of their lungs. Their voices rang into the bathroom in an odd echo. Hendery threw his arms around her body as he slipped down to sit on the toilet. He grunted as she pressed her body up against his, trying not to slip off his lap.

“-was hiding her stash in the blue wig!” a voice exclaimed when the singing stopped.

“Should we do this in my car?” another voice responded.

“Let me roll us a couple joints, and then we can head out to the parking lot,” a third voice replied.

Zoe rolled her eyes as she realized that her cousins were toking up. Hoping they’d be quick and not use the bathroom, she turned her head over to apologize to Hendery. His face looked tense, and his eyes were shut. She realized his whole body was rigid, and he was breathing very slowly.

“Hendery?” she whispered into his ear. “You OK?”

His legs began to tremble, making her bounce in his lap, and he shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly into his ear, afraid that her stoner cousins could hear her hushed whispers.

His only response was a couple awkward head jerks she interpreted as him attempting to tell her that he was OK but in reality he wasn’t. Wanting to ask him what was hurting or upsetting him, she squeezed his arm before turning her head to look at the door. Her stoner cousins had started laughing and singing again. She wrinkled her nose as the stench of marijuana infiltrated the bathroom.

“Reminds me of the Motel 6 in Reno,” she couldn’t help whispering into his ear, wrapping her arms around his neck. His whole body shook slightly as a smile appeared, and he opened his eyes. He gave a quiet, dry guffaw, making her smile.

“That place was haunted, I prefer this,” he whispered into her ear as he placed a hand on her neck to bring her ear closer to his lips.

The sensation of his hand warming up her neck sent a shiver down her back. His breath tickling her ear caused her stomach to bubble with heat. Zoe realized that the hard thing pressing against her butt was his hardening cock, and she took a sharp inhale of breath.

She turned her head toward Hendery’s face and her lips almost collided into his as their foreheads touched. Shutting her eyes in surprise, she felt his breath hit the right side of her lips. They breathed heavily together, and she moved to press her lips against his.

His hand on her neck moved up to run into her hair, touching the back of her head. Their lips moved together as they kissed open mouthed. His saliva tasted sweet like fruit punch mixed in with a hint of vodka bitterness. She dove her tongue into his mouth to taste him better. The suite door slamming loudly made her jump. They broke their kiss and he groaned as his cock twitched against her ass.

Save for his twitching cock, they remained still as they listened for voices or noises of people moving. Her heart was beating quickly. At first, it was adrenaline from fear of being found in the suite bathroom. But when she felt Hendery’s lips on her neck, she rolled her eyes back as she shut her eyes. His warm lips on her neck, moving up to her jawline, sent hot blood rushing through her body, making her nipples ache as the heat contrasted with the cold, wet feel of her silk top.

“Don’t kiss me like that,” she breathed, her voice trembling. His body tensed as he froze, his lips leaving her cheek. “It turns me on too much.”

She gave a loud moan as she felt his lips on her neck, the heat he gave her body sent her into a blind lust as her whole body lit up in heat. His mouth sucked on her skin, and she felt a hand grope her breast. She raked a hand through his hair as he licked her neck. His lips found hers and she moaned into his mouth as his hand found its way under her top, his warm hand giving her cold breast goosebumps.

“I’m a pervert, I’m sorry,” he panted against her ear before sucking onto her earlobe for a second. “I’ve been staring at your tits all day.” She moaned as she felt his fingers squeeze her nipple before flicking it back and forth with the pad of his middle finger. “Why aren’t you wearing a bra? Such easy access.”

His finger pushed the thin pink strap off her left shoulder before it trailed down to push the fabric of her top down to reveal her breast. She gave a soft inhale of breath as his fingers fondled her nipple. She rested her hand on his wrist and their eyes locked as she gave a gentle nod of her head, letting him know that she enjoyed it. His cheeks were flushed, and she wondered if her cheeks were as pink as his.

“The neckline and back plunge down too much for a bra,” she replied, her groin so hot with heat she could feel her slick heat move around her core. She squeezed her thighs together, hoping to save her panties from getting wet.

“I thought you’d say it was to make sure my dick got no rest today,” he said before dipping down to lick her nipple. She moaned, and grabbed onto his hair with both of her hands.

“You are a pervert,” she said before moaning again. Hendery had grazed his teeth against her nipple before giving it a flat, wet lick.

“You’re so pretty,” he said as he rested his forehead against hers.

“Only perverts say that after they lick pretty tits,” she accused him before planting a chaste kiss against his lips, resting a hand on his chin. “You’re my cute, handsome pervert, though.”

He smiled before kissing her neck, sending a sharp heat into her body once more. She placed both hands on his cheeks to direct him to kiss her on the lips. Her tongue pushed into his and she explored the feel of his teeth and the roof of his mouth. Their bodies shifted around as she stood up to hike up her dress.

“No bra, but you wore a thong and a fucking garter belt?” Hendery asked as he kept the skirt of the dress hiked up around her waist, bunching the fabric into his left fist.

She was standing before him, and she gave soft chuckles as his free hand groped the inside of her right thigh, digging beneath the garter straps. His hand slid up against her core, and she furrowed her eyebrows as she knew with certainty that her panties were soaked.

“Can I play with your body?” she asked, reaching over to knead his shoulders. They were muscular and firm. “Your skin feels so nice, all sweaty and smooth.”

“I wore boxers, no stockings or garter belts,” he said, his hand releasing her dress. Both of his hands were under her dress as he kneaded her ass, making her core flare up in heat again. “I don’t think you’ll have as much fun with my body.”

“Bet?” she asked, looking down at him as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

“Loser drives us home,” he said. “Whoever moans first is the loser.”

“Have fun losing,” she whispered against his lips before kissing him. He gave a gentle laugh against her lips.

She planted butterfly kisses along his neck, smirking to herself as she heard him swallowing his moans by making loud gulping noises. Her hands reached to grab his undershirt and lifted it off of him as her lips left his body. He pulled the right strap to her dress off her shoulder. She bit her bottom lip as Hendery grabbed both of her breasts and clamped his mouth on her right nipple, sucking hard. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, and she gave a soft laugh as he released her breast with a loud pop.

“You lose,” he said breathlessly, a half grin appearing.

“I laughed, I didn’t moan,” she replied, straddling his thigh, and thrust herself against him. “Your thigh is so strong.” She gave a loud exhale of breath, ridding herself of a moan as she felt him shift his thigh from side to side gently.

Closing her eyes, she heard him groan with his mouth shut. She had to shut her own mouth as the friction of her clit rubbing against him sent a vibrating heat up her back. They had the same idea as she grabbed his cheeks and they kissed, burying their moans into each other’s mouths. A couple garter clips snapped loudly as Hendery’s hand reached under her garter belt to tug her panties down.

“What the fu-” he began, pulling her skirt up to get a view of what was going on. She stood up.

“Hold on,” she said with a soft giggle, unclipping the garter clips from her stockings.

He breathed loudly through his mouth as he watched her pull her panties off. He stood and lifted her to sit on the sink counter, hooking one arm under her knee. His other hand slid up against her slit, and she took a deep inhale as his gaze locked with hers. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, furrowing her eyebrows as she felt his finger slide down to press against her entrance.

“So wet already,” he said as he flicked his finger up. She threw her hand over her mouth to muffle the moan that almost escaped. His eyes lit up as he gave her a bright smile. “Almost got you.”

He gave her a teasing smirk as his hand reached for the inside of her thighs, sliding his fingers along her skin, the back of his knuckles brushing past her warm core a few times. She wrapped her hand around his wrist as his knuckles teased her clit and pulled his hand up. Directing his thumb into her mouth, she licked the pad of his thumb before wrapping her mouth around it.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she swirled her tongue around his thumb before sucking on it, being careful not to moan as she bobbed her head gently. She made sure to swipe her tongue against the pad of his thumb a couple times. Her ego inflated as his mouth hung open, his own eyebrows furrowing as his eyes were glued to her mouth. Her hand reached out and touched his erection, silently telling him if it was his cock that was in her mouth he would have definitely lost the bet.

“Why now?” he breathed out as he slowly removed his thumb from her mouth. She made sure to lick up against the pad of his thumb, keeping her eyes heavily lidded to tease him.

“I don’t know, weddings are wild,” she replied, running a hand down the side of his body before reaching to caress his back.

She’d always found Hendery attractive, but kept her primal desires in check when there didn’t seem to be any romantic sparks between them early on in their friendship. Whatever was going on, she was too horny to care what anything meant outside of their current situation.

“I should have asked you out last summer,” he said, placing his hand on her hip. “That’s what I mean. Why did I wait until now to do something?”

“So much for asking me out,” she couldn’t help saying as her hands unzipped his pants and reached under his silk boxers to stroke his cock.

He gave a sharp moan as she squeezed his cock and continued to stroke him, making him jerk his hips toward her. Her chest felt heavy as her fingers felt the girth of his cock. It was thicker than she’d imagined, and her insides ached as she imagined what his cock would feel like inside of her. She grinned, raising her eyebrows for a second.

“Got you.”

“What the fuck,” he breathed out.

He grabbed her by the back of her neck and kissed her, their tongues mixing their saliva together as they fought to claim each other’s mouths. Her hands stroked his cock and massaged his balls as he unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants. Their kiss broke as she let go of his cock, and he groaned, giving a frustrated sigh.

She whimpered softly as his arm under her knee pulled her closer, aligning his cock against her entrance. With his free hand, he guided his cock inside of her, and their eyes locked as he pushed in deeper. She shut her eyes as heat spread throughout her body, his cock pulling her walls apart. He groaned as he tugged his pants and boxers down slightly with his free hand.

“Hendery, yes,” she whispered as she felt him begin a gentle thrusting. She moaned, and breathed out his name as she felt his mouth sucking on her neck. “Don’t stop.”

“You’re going to make me come,” he panted out when he came up for air. He kissed her before standing up straighter to change the angle in which he would fuck her, his arm shifting so he hooked her ankle over his shoulder. His hands kneaded her hips. “Bet I can make you come first.”

“Do it,” she dared him, bucking her hips gently.

She shut her mouth to muffle her moan as he thrust deep into her, starting a sharp push, building up speed quickly. She panted his name, begging him not to stop as his cock felt thicker in their current position. Two fingers rubbed her clit and she cried out his name in weak sobs. Her leg over his shoulder was feeling numb, but it paled in comparison to the way his cock lit up her body.

As she was on the edge of an orgasm, her pussy walls clamped around nothing. She saw the panic in his eyes as he withdrew from her, and he groaned as he came onto her thigh. The hot seed lit up her skin, and she breathed heavily as she watched him reach over to grab one of the bath towels from the towel rack.

“Don’t worry,” she said as she watched Hendery quickly wipe his come off her thigh before it could stain her dress. “Ten will see this as an opportunity to create a better dress.”

He chuckled as he looked away from her thighs, and she joined in on the gentle laugh.

“This isn’t a hook-up,” he said as he threw the towel into the sink, “right?”

“Of course not,” she said, sliding off the counter. She stood beside him and grabbed his hand with both hers. “I’ve liked you for a long time, but I guess I thought you didn’t see me as more than a friend, so I just…”

“Didn’t do anything,” he finished the sentence. “Yeah, we’re both idiots there.”

“Our sex is really hot, though,” she said as he turned around to press their bodies together, “right?”

“So fucking hot,” he agreed, bunching the skirt of her dress into his hands. “What the fuck?”

He laughed as she felt his hand touch her left ass cheek. A sharp sensation hit her - something pulling against her skin - and he grinned as he held a coaster in his hand. She didn’t understand so she furrowed her eyebrows, looking at him quizzically.

“You had this stuck to your ass,” he said before laughing.

“Jackass,” she said shoving him slightly, her cheeks hurting as she smiled and laughed with him.

“Look at the red round spot,” he said as he pulled her body up against his, and lifted the back of her skirt. Turning her head over her shoulder she looked in the mirror and saw the circular indentation on her ass cheek and groaned. Hendery laughed as she buried her face into his chest.

“Ow!” she yelped as she felt him squeeze her ass cheek. “Do it again.” He grunted as she pushed him up against the door and stroked his cock. She gave an approving nod and chuckled as he pinched her ass again. “You lost again, I didn’t even get to come yet.”

“I shouldn’t make bets with you,” he said before leaning down to kiss her neck. She shut her eyes and slowed her stroking. Hendery was growing hard again.

He sat on the toilet seat and stroked his cock. She hiked up the dress again, and turned her back to him. He entered her from behind as she sat down on his lap. His hands were on her hips and she rested her hands on her knees to balance herself. He dove deep into her, his cock hitting her sweet spot as she thrust against him.

“You can come inside of me,” she panted before giving out a lewd, low moan. She began pushing against him faster as she felt her orgasm nearing. Her insides were shaking and wanting to constrict. Every push lit up her nerves sharply.

“Fuck,” he grunted, and his thrusts slowed. His fingers dug into her hips as he came.

“You’re so hot,” she said in a stage whisper, shutting her eyes as she felt his come heat up her insides.

“This is hotter,” he said lazily, and she felt his hand reach over and his thumb flicked her clit. She gave a soft whimper as her nerves lit up in wild heat at his touch. “Do you want to come on me?”

“Yes,” she replied, spreading her legs open to give him more access.

She moaned and gasped as she felt him withdraw from her. Their fluids slid out from her, coating his fingers and her folds, spilling out and staining their clothes, making a mess of their thighs. Her body lit up in hot pleasure as he used two fingers to fuck her and rubbed her clit with his thumb. Her cunt clamped down on his fingers as she came.

“Keep riding my fingers,” he whispered against her neck as he continued to finger fuck her.

She thrust haphazardly as she let him overstimulate her, moaning out his name as his kisses on her neck sent shivers up her back. After she moaned his name against his ear, and she began flicking her tongue against his earlobe lazily, he withdrew his fingers from her, and gave one final lick against her neck.

They cleaned up silently and efficiently, though they both still looked completely fucked out when they were ready to leave the bathroom. Hendery’s dress shirt was damp at the collar, his pants were rumpled and the obvious wet spots were where they’d tried washing off their come. Her dress was in a similar state, but he threw his jacket over her shoulders to keep her partially covered.

“Back to the frat house or to your flat?” he asked her as they exited the suite together, his arm over her shoulders while she had her arms wrapped around his waist.

“Are you kidding me? My place,” she replied. “I don’t want Ten to see our clothes in this state.”

She wasn’t in the mood to run into any of his other seemingly endless number of frat brothers from the NCT Fraternity either. There were more than a handful of stories she’d heard about close encounters. She didn’t want to become another statistic in the NCT frat bros walking in on people getting busy epidemic.

“Good point,” he said with a laugh. He squeezed her shoulder and she rested her head against his chest, embracing the safety his hold provided her.

As they approached the front entrance, Zoe was congratulating herself for not running into anyone when she saw Jan and a couple of the bridesmaids returning from the parking lot. They seemed to be coming back from another toke session. She threw a hand over her cheek as she realized her cousins were taking pictures and videos of them.

“You two are so cute!” one of the bridesmaids said.

“Stop taking pictures!” Zoe whined. “Please? We’re going home.”

“We never got our selfies!” Jan exclaimed, rushing over to them.

“You really want a picture of me with my boyfriend?” she asked in exasperation. Hendery squeezed her and they shared a smile as their eyes locked.

“Call me your boyfriend again,” he said softly.

“Seriously, where can I get a guy like Hendery?” Jan demanded, bringing their attention back to her cousins as they looked away from each other.

Hoping her cousins were too drunk and high to notice the stench of sex on them, Zoe gave a loud sigh of relief when she was alone with Hendery. They finally reached her car, which was parked near the entrance to the venue. Handing her keys to Hendery, she gloated about not having to drive. They had 2 hours before they’d make it back home.

“I can’t wait to be invited to the summer cookout,” Hendery said as he drove them out of the parking lot, a shit eating grin on his face.

----

Thank you, always, for reading!

[folklorefairyy]

* my all time faves!

celebration post !

this list could be so much longer and there are some amazing moots i have that i havent included or haven’t had the chance to read for (namely bucky since that list is so big dhdhd) and so check out the moots tagged on my celebration post and go check out all their works because they are genuinely amazing)

i might do another of these one day so that i can get more fics on but just know if you’re a moot and i havent included a fic of yours i love your work and i love you and i just think ur amazing

➱ Bucky Barnes

wakanda by @buckybarnesdiaries *

Steve gives you Bucky's dog tags for a reason.

froot loops by @burninmatches // more than just destruction *

bucky helps you during a tough time and maybe your relationship is not just mentor and student.

drunk in love by @burninmatches

you got infected by the love serum and now you’ve fallen in love with one of your closests friends, peter parker. what happens to your boyfriend, bucky barnes?

as long as i’m here, no one can hurt you by @blackberrybucky *

bucky holds you through the sadness

i’d never hurt you by @cap-n-stuff *

bucky x short!civilian!fem!reader who meet in Bucharest with reader as a tourist and as Bucky’s getting his plums reader trips and catches her - a relationship ensues yet the fairytale comes crashing down when Bucky is framed for the UN bombing and Steve and Sam come to get him

innocence by @extremelyblackandwhite

bucky barnes, recently retired avenger, is hired as a bodyguard for an innocent upcoming actress.

warm by @revengingbarnes *

“The fire alarm in our building went off and you rushed out without a coat. Wanna share my blanket?”

period. by @greyslytherin

Bucky Barnes taking care of the reader while she’s on her period

bucky having a nightmare by @cap-n-stuff

imagine bucky having a nightmare and walking into the readers room with a blanket and waking her up asking to be the small spoon

➱ Peter Maximoff

the coolest twinkie by @amourtentiaa *

where the reader discovers they have a mutation and is lowkey panicking and Peter is just there like “BUT THIS IS AWESOME!” and just generally full of encouragement while trying to calm you tf down

adventures in parenting 101: nightmares by @milkytheholy

peter maximoff x reader being new parents and raising a kid in the mansion

ivy by @sunflowergirl522 *

Your mutation is controlling and growing plants. Peter spots you one day while he’s running and makes it his mission to get close to you. You then use flowers to tell him what you think of him without actually saying it.

(just check out zoe’s full peter maximoff masterlist because she’s bloody incredible at writing peter and i need to read more of them!!)

bad behaviour by @free-pool-trash *

Peter x Reader where they’re in the sitcom reality and Billy and/or Tommy get in trouble in school so they ask them to pretend to be their parents so Wanda and Vision don’t find out

convenience store by @quicksilverownsmysoul

you work at the local convenience store, everyday the same, that is until someone speeds by. Someone brings a little more excitement to your life than you bargained for

➱ Pietro Maximoff

the other half by @burninmatches

You and Pietro have been walking through the fine line past friends and before… something else. Perhaps a handful of moments, though the domestic bliss of sharing food to the boiling feelings under your skin, would change everything. 

double sided recipe card by @vanillann *

where the reader tries to cook sokovian food for him because he’s homesick

kiss of life by @dem-obscure-imagines

You are an Avenger with the power to heal. However, you didn’t expect to catch feelings for the man you brought back from the dead.

➱ Peter Parker

sweater weather by @beskar-tano *

You spend a cozy evening by the bonfire with the Avengers and your boyfriend, Peter Parker.

the ship by @itsapeterthing *

you and your best friend and teammate, peter parker, go to a costume party only to discover that everyone believes that you and peter’s alternate super-hero identities are dating.

stuck in my brain by @felicityparkers

whatever music that is stuck in your head is stuck in your soulmate’s head too.

i have them too by @tom-holland-is-spiderman

A headcanon of Peter Parker comforting the reader with stretch marks and they get ashamed of them so they hide their body from Peter making him feel sad.

by the elevator by @peterbenjiparker * (there are two parts to this and the second is linked on the op)

You break your hand after punching the elevator door. But luckily the cute boy is there to help out. You thought you would never see him again but you both keep running into each other by the same elevator.

➱ Thor Odinson

totally not a date by @superficialstark *

in which you go on a double date with tony and pepper expecting steve to show up as a mate date and instead being met with thor who you can’t help but be charmed by

but i just wanna hear your voice by @blackberrybucky

thor comes back after they defeat thanos and tries to make things right with you.

➱ Wanda Maximoff

of taunts and tickles by @beskar-tano *

Wanda spent the past few days trying to cheer you up and bring you out of your dreadful slump. After trying almost everything, she resorted to her last hopeful idea: a tickle fight.

➱ Natasha Romanoff

my girl by @beskar-tano

Natasha surprises you with a romantic date by the lake, surrounded by the beautiful scenery as fall takes its toll on the changing leaves. 

➱ i’d love for you guys to suggest some fics for steve, sam and loki because i apparently don’t know of any in this dodgy brain of mine (she’s not working as i make this dhdhd) - you can also send some in for any i’ve not got too many fics on so far!

i havent written or read for star wars in so long (dw i am still a sw account and i love my sw moots ive just been on a marvel kick and haven’t had time to read many moots fics recently so they’re all piling up lol) and so i don’t think i could come up with a comprehensive enough list given the fact that there’s so many amazing fics coming out each day!

so instead i thought i’d direct you to some accounts that have some phenomenal work that i instantly fall in love with each time!!

➱ @etherealsanakin

poe dameron, anakin skywalker

➱ @xwing-baby

din djarin, poe dameron, star wars oc

➱ @dindjarindiaries

din djarin

➱ @sunsetkenobi

obi-wan kenobi, anakin skywalker, boba fett, din djarin, padmé amidala, rey, luke skywalker

➱ @artiza-n

anakin skywalker, marvel! (namely bucky)

➱ @beskar-tano

anakin skywalker, obi-wan kenobi, boba fett, din djarin, luke skywalker, fennec shand, poe dameron

➱ @anakinswhore

anakin skywalker

➱ @anakinlove

anakin skywalker

➱ @betweentwopines

din djarin, anakin skywalker, padmé amidala etc.

these are just some accounts that i have read regularly or some moots who post for these characters (and i need to get around reading for) but there’s so many more incredible writers for sw on here, some that i’m moots with too, that can self plug here if they want!! (my brain isn’t working today so i can’t think of everyone)

[themarauderstheoutsidersandpeggy]

Could you do some angsty James potter headcanons please

the night his mother dies

he's absolutely inconsolable

it's barely been a month since his marriage to Lily and he's lost some of the only other people that are important to him in his life

He gets the news about his mum first

His face is completely expressionless first

He keeps rereading the letter, as if the scripted, 'we regret to inform you that your mother, Euphemia Potter, has passed away," would rearrange itself into a different sentence

it says he's not allowed to see her because dragon pox is highly contagious

Lily comes over to see what he's reading, expecting some letter from work or a bill from the way that James is reading it

She gasps and he finally breaks out of his trance, the letter falling from his fingers and landing on the floor by their feet

He looks at her with panic alight in his eyes, chest beginning to heave with sobs that haven't reached his throat yet

Lily can barely get an, 'I'm so sorry' out before James is sprinting to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him and locking it as he folds over the toilet

He throws up six times, each time yielding less and less actual content from his insides

Lily is knocking on the door and she knows she could spell it open but she doesn't wanna overstep

She hears the wretching sounds stop, and then there's silence for a few seconds

which does not seem good to her

she finally opens the door for herself and sees him hunched over on the floor, head sandwiched between his knees, arms over his neck, rocking back and forth

honestly she doesn't know what to say

obviously she's comforting to him but this

this is worse than anything he's ever been through

he's such a mummy's boy and Lily doesn't know what to do

she tries to get him to come to bed, but eventually gives in to just running a hand through his hair as he lays in her lap on the tile of the bathroom

she falls asleep slumped against the wall

she wakes up sometime in the middle of the night and he's gone, she panics but then hears the door open and she stumbles out of the bathroom

she catches him in the doorway, one arm in his coat and frozen in his step when he realizes that she's awake

"James? Where are you going?"

He hasn't spoken since he got the news, but he finally opens his mouth, throat dry and aching

"I don't know. Just out. Gotta get out."

"Can I please come with you?"

"No I," his voice starts to break and he wipes furiously at his eyes, "I just wanna be alone for now."

"Okay. Please, please just be safe, okay? I know you feel lost without her, but I'd feel lost without you. I need you to come back, please promise me you'll do that."

he's barely able to get a soft, "I promise" out before he's out the door, leaving lily alone with her own grief

sorry for this it hurt me to write and i'm sure it'll hurt you to read but i promise i'll write you something soft soon

Taglist: @knowledgeisthebomb @moonyswolf @astertist @accio–zoe @wutheringweasley @crispyfrenchfriescrisis @set-phasers-to-cuddle @thecurlyhairedwinchester @snazzy-posts @huffle-homie24601 @celestialdiamandis @queen678900 @gryffindor-girl420 @ilostcount-helpme @Dedellis @ellie-emb @nervous-shawn @fcavalerro @dorcasmeadoweslupin @chloe-geoghegan1 @lostnliterature @remusfreakinglupin @marvelouspottering @fcavalerro @xmoonylupinx @swansong321 @xinyourdreamsx @spideymood @marauders-trash-forever @khaleesiclifford @thisismysecrethappyplace @gabiatthedisco @writing-red @stardust.and.glitter @sly-vixen-up2nogood @biatheintrovert @mamarhee @spiderman-n @wonder-worlds @honeymalfoy @dumbass-sandwich @emliy-antognoli @raavkans @maraudersandco @lilaccoveredteapot @potterhead-of-ilvermorny @spencer-is-too-perfect @blackpinkdolan @my-babies-are-ash @whysoseriouspadfoot @i-padfootblack-things @mysticalsandwichseeker @yallgotkik @lilmissmoony @keey-lime-pi @elenawhatonearthisthis @margotblackburn @chrisstabme @itsanarttodie @siriusly-sad @addibug1014-blog @galaxyoffangirls @just4muggles @everything-s-comin-up-aces @sedanleystanley @starryeyedsupernova @mcu-potter-pirate @mublood-blog @svtwit @parkersingfinitywar @onthebroadway @the17resa @thefullbullpen99 @snoploop @johnnycadeissocute @all-thegayships @briisasinamonroll @lady-of-lies @ardentmuse @blueivysuniverse @dark-night-sky99 @ilovetvshowsblog @s0cial-retard @savethehoneeybees @luna-xxxxx @bvmakk @deathofthethrones @humblemei @myfriendsaremypowers @broken-and-alone12 @fandomnerdsarecool @stardust.and.glitter @hopewithadashofglitter @lazydiabetic @killerbumblebee @angeld82300 @alisoncdariel @brungun @marvelismylifffe @iluvmesomemarvelndc @beutiflybybri @stephie-senpai @heartbeats-wildly @em-aesthe @godisreal @vibhati123 @miracleoflove @classypursefarmphysique @cncno @itsshelbygates @majesticavenger @jellyfishwriter @ikbrenda @righttide @marvelousmarauderstrash @hero-ically @itshelaodinsdottirbitch @behindthebook @sewarner @themarauders-headcanons @bloomingonmay @songforhema @rose-aesthete @blueberrytiger01 @i-want-my-name-back @lumonva @unfortunatekiwitrash @smilexcaptainx @oldschool-hoee @kiwi-nonspecificgender @shymagicsworld

[the-queen-of-hell-666]

God Damnit Ransom

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x Fem!Reader

Words: 800+

Summary: Ransom did something stupid and it landed him in the ER. Right where the Reader works.

Warnings: not really any warnings, just a bit of yelling, some cursing, the reader annoyed by Ransom’s behavior, the usual.

a/n: I am running out of ideas. So I wrote this because I thought it was a funny idea. If you have ideas please request them. Ask me for a request. Please! Anyway I hope you like this!

You were working a late shift at the ER. A football game was held in the stadium a few blocks away from the hospital and apparently, someone got tackled and then another person tackled that person. Then the dog pile tripped others but there were a few sprains a few broken bones, and the ER was packed.

You and your co-workers rushed around getting people IVs, stitching up cuts, popping peoples’ shoulders and their noses back in place, and so much more. Man, people are idiots. 

Speaking of idiots, you were sitting behind the desk when the front doors opened. You looked up and saw Ransom walking in. He was gripping his shoulder and he was in his swim trunks and soaking wet. He had two of his friends following him. They were laughing their asses off as Ransom walked up to the front desk. 

“Oh, god. What’d you do now?” You asked, pulling up a brand new patient form. 

“Well, let me explain-” Ransom started to explain, but one of his friends cut him off.

“We went cliff diving and this dumbass decided to try and do a backflip off the cliff. He fucked it up and smacked the water, and his shoulder popped out of the socket.” His friend explained, then started laughing again. 

“God damnit, Ransom.” You groaned and grabbed a clipboard and a pen. “Hey, Zoe. I’m going to take my idiot of a boyfriend to go scan his shoulder.” You told your co-worker, and she nodded and you grabbed Ransom by his ear. 

“Ow, ow, ow. Y/n, please let go.” Ransom groaned, as you dragged him to an empty examination room and threw him onto the medical bed. You sat on the chair in front of the bed and filled out the patient form with Ransom’s information. “Umm… babe, can I get something to help with the pain-”

“Shut it.” You hissed and continued to fill out the form. You finished and then put on some latex gloves and walked up to him. “Move your hands.” You said, and he complied so you could get a better look at his shoulder. You moved his shoulder to the side a bit and he winced, and you looked at the bruises littering his arm. “Oh, my. Ransom, I need to take an x-ray for this.” You stated, shifting his arm to the side. 

“Wait, I need an x-ray?” He asked as you threw away your gloves. 

“Yeah, I’m going to go fill out a form for you. You wait here.” You said and walked out of the room with the clipboard. About twenty minutes, you came back in with Dalton, the x-ray tech. “Ran, this is Dalton he is going to take you to get your x-rays done.” You explained, and Ransom looked confused and a little disappointed.

“Are you going to come with?” He asked, and you shook your head. 

“No, sorry. I have to fill out some paperwork.” You stated, and kissed him on the cheek then patted Dalton on the shoulder and left.

A few hours later, it was about midnight and you were writing up reports from earlier that night. Your eyes were slowly closing when Zoe walked up to you and smacked the counter. You jumped and your eyes snapped open. She handed you a cup of coffee.

“Here, wake up juice.” She said, and you smiled and took a sip of the hot brew. She sat in the seat next to you and held up a napkin.

“What’s that?” You asked and took it from her.

“It’s the phone number from one of Ransom’s friends.” She smiled and took a sip of her coffee. You scoffed and tossed the napkin at her.

“You’re horrible.” You rolled your eyes, “Which one?” 

“From Clay.” She smirked.

“Clay is one of the most basic white guy names ever.” You scoffed and stirred a packet of sugar in your coffee.

“Yeah, but did you see that ass. Yum.” She said dreamingly, and you laughed as Ransom walked out from the back with Dalton. Ransom’s shoulder was in a sling. Dalton handed you his file then walked off. You opened it and read what was really wrong with his shoulder. 

“A fractured collarbone?! Seriously, Ransom?!” You exclaimed and slapped the folder closed. “What did you do? Slam a baseball bat into your neck?!” You asked. 

“No. I pulled something in the gym but didn’t tell you and still went cliff diving.” He explained and hung his head in embarrassment. 

“You fucking idiot.” You groaned and decided to clock out early. “Zoe, you got things here?” You asked as you packed your things. 

“Yeah, you go home take care of him.” She said, and you hugged her and walked back out to the lobby. You walked up to Ransom and linked arms with him. 

You two got home and you gave him his pain meds and put him to bed. The medicine made him drowsy and the alcohol he drank earlier put him to sleep quickly. You grabbed a bottle of merlot from the kitchen and walked into the lounge. You turned the TV on and took a large gulp of wine. You sighed as you slumped on the couch. God, damnit, Ransom.

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

Taglist: 

(Please join my taglist here)

@honeyel​

[wipethetape]

First

Cordelia Goode x Reader

A/N: a fluff i've decided to write to overcome my writing slump for months. please forgive me for my rusty writing. willing to accept feedback

Last week, Zoe and Madison persuaded Cordelia to rent an ice skating rink for the witches, in which they actually had a hard time talking her into it because Cordelia wants to include the younger ones, but Madison adamantly refuses to. You joined their conversation to stand with Madison (because her girlfriend, Zoe, snuck to your side and silently pleaded to help Madison) knowing the Supreme would allow it if there are more people who would want it that way.

She eventually agrees, and you're all supposed to go today. Cordelia keeps checking on the girls while you are waiting beside the car, leaning on the door. She made sure everyone brought everything they needed, and you made sure everyone was on board before getting inside.

While driving, you casually threw a glance on the passenger seat, and Cordelia was fidgeting her fingers while looking straight ahead on the road. The other girls in the back don't seem to notice it since they were all busy with each other, especially the girlfriends. You kept your attention on the wheels and would rather ask Cordelia what was bothering her later. You know she would gladly be thankful if you choose to ignore what you saw.

When you arrived, the girls hurriedly put their helmets and skates on before setting their foot on the rink. Laughs can already be heard from them when you just finished helping Cordelia fit and tie her shoes. You saw how she tried to let the other girls prepare for them not to see the later state the Supreme is in, struggling on how to put on the figure skates.

After assisting her, you tended to yourself and stood up when you were done. You noticed Cordelia wasn't moving from her seat so you stare at each other, then you offer your hand, which had confusion written on her face.

"Let me help you, Miss Cordelia."

Your eyes were inviting. The way you called her name with formality, she found it enticing. With your lips forming a curve that beams warmth, she takes your hand even if she feels embarrassed. You set your foot on the rink then slowly let her step on it as well.

"It seems like the Supreme isn't that much capable as what they projected you to be," your voice sounding a little louder than a whisper, with your teasing tone. You tighten your grip and make her touch the metal railing on her free hand so she can balance herself well.

"Your tone bothers me." Cordelia retorted, having the courage to gaze at you, knowing she would most probably crumble on your sight with the way you were holding her hand and assisting her.

You decided to ignore her remark because you knew how she was trying to redirect her frustrations at you. You instead instructed her to make small steps first so she can familiarize herself on how to skate.

"You're doing so well," you complimented. "Yes, slowly, great."

Cordelia felt like a child having someone older than her teaching her how to skate. She admits she has never tried this before, not even roller skating. Her mother never let her experience these things before, and she'd rather not too as well. That's why when Zoe and Madison tried to talk to her about it, she initially refused to.

You then asked her to glide, and she did without even falling. You don't know if it's because of her being the Supreme or she's generally skilled, but she learns pretty fast than you expected. Of course, she is the Supreme so it's a given that she's a fast learner, but it never crossed your mind that it would be this quick.

"Good. Now, we're going to learn how to stop. Remove your hand from the railings," you glided in front of her, "You can completely hold my hands if you don't feel comfortable not touching the railings," you encouraged. She obliged, grabbing your hand and gripping as if her life depended on it. You stifled a giggle on how you thought you can't run away from her hold even with multiple attempts.

"To stop, you need to bend your knees, turn the toes of your feet inwards, point your heels out, and push out on your heels. Try to steady after doing it, alright?" You said, gaining a nod from her.

You simply guided her and when you told her to stop, she almost succeeded but she lost her balance and dropped on the ice (butt first), causing you to wobble and almost fall but luckily didn't.

"Don't frown. It's normal to fall when you're skating. Even professionals still do every single time."

She lowered her head to hide the redness of her cheeks, "Your tone again. Don't laugh at me."

"I didn't," you smirked.

"No, you just did. You just suppressed it so I wouldn't feel that bad with you mocking me."

A small chuckle escaped since you couldn't stop it when Cordelia whined. You wonder if she would act the same way if she was brought to places to explore and discover hobbies when she was a teenager.

"That! Maybe this is why you insisted on helping me."

She raised her head and glared right at you. A grin made its way on your face, but soon vanished when your body moved on its own and you're now on eye level with Cordelia.

"You really used concilium on me? This is cheating, Miss Cordelia," you dramatically gasped, looking offended. Now it is Cordelia who is feeling smug after controlling your mind to make you fall on ice as well.

"You never get to tease me. And I can't possibly do your accusation. Now drop the act, Y/N."

"No, Miss Cordelia," stressing on the honorifics, "In fact, calling you Miss Cordelia brings me back to those times when you were asking me about helping you to court Misty. When I told you I was resigning as your assistant, you realized your heart belongs to m-"

"That's enough. Do you really want to travel past those memories?" Cordelia interrupted. With the way she looks at you, you can feel that she's also reminiscing about that day where she asked you to never leave her side. From that day, she courted you for months before asking your hand in marriage, in which you delightfully agreed. Zoe and Madison were the ones who arranged everything on the wedding according to the brides' suggestions, and Myrtle officiated your wedding.

You are still drowned in her eyes so Cordelia took the opportunity to squeeze her hands to your arms to help herself stand up and to remind you not to tease her again. You were immediately brought back to reality and saw her face above you when you gazed at her. You stood up, noticing the girls had already left the rink and were probably waiting in the car or went somewhere else.

"Those troublemakers. Madison probably forced them to leave the two of us alone and go bar hopping again."

Cordelia sighs. You lay your hand on her back and make gentle strokes. You are now sure why Zoe and Madison planned to only have the older witches go skating.

"Madison has always been that way, plus Zoe is the partner in crime. Coco loves to party, Mallory would join because of Coco, and Queenie hasn't joined them last time because she visited Misty. Let them be. We also got to enjoy our time after a long time, without interruptions from the students."

She looked partly swayed with what you told her. You held her hand and the both of you made your way back to the entrance to remove the gears and finally go home (she actually just used magic so you two could hurry home).

She leaned into your ear and whispered, "Don't think I forgot what you did earlier. You're still getting your punishment."

You smirked and you swear you saw how her pupils darkened when she mentioned it. She still never fails to amaze you in any way.

[futurewriter2000]

Little Secrets - pt. 2

A/N: I couldn't found a perfect gif. Okay?! But this is the closest I could get. Plus, I really have to go to the bathroom, so this is the quickest gif I could find. I also spent three days writing this because I had about thousands of scenes in my head but I had to write only one. I love it. Hope yall love it too <3

XX

All five of you have been sitting at the table; your father, James, Sirius, you and your mother, who had just brought some tea.

Sirius has been smiling at you. You had been smiling at him but not because you had pleasantly enjoyed his sudden appearance, though he was a quite fit young man, but because it was all so amusing.

"So you have a sister?" Sirius turned his head to James, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes..." James smiled awkwardly. "My younger sister, (Y/N)."

"That you had never mentioned." you grit your teeth a little and raised an eyebrow.

"Why haven't you, son?" asked your father, meanwhile your mother went to get Sirius some warm clothes.

"...it... didn't come in conversation..." James shrugged.

Both you and Sirius let out a laugh, exchanging a familiar look, as if the two of you were old friends already.

"Does anybody in Hogwarts know that you have a sister?" you asked, getting more stiff and angry, though you pretty much knew the answer. "I mean, some purebloods surely have to know." your tone started to get louder, causing James to sink in his chair. "Or was the fact that you have a Squib sister put shame to your popular reputation?" you stood up from your chair, glaring at your brother and seeing his friend stare at you with wide eyes.

You were a Squib?

You ignored his expression and made your way up-stairs, going off to bed. You didn't cry and you didn't yell. You weren't really sad to cry or angry to yell... you were just confused. That's all.

---

A few days passed and you didn't much talk to James. You avoided him, called a few friends and went into town with them. They were all mostly Muggles and you didn't mind that. You kept your secret life separate but you did tell them that your brother was keeping you as some sort of secret from his friends and the only explanation you had was that he was some sort of ashamed of you.

"That's rubbish, Pea."

That's what your friends called you. A nickname from the first day of school all those years ago, there was a little accident with peas at lunch. Everybody called you Pea since then. Everybody except your family.

"Than what other explanation is there?" you started to get frustrated, digging your head into your hands. "I just don't understand!"

"Why don't you just ask him?"

"I did. He's determined to avoid the topic." you drank your coffee and threw yourself back.

"And his friend?" she raised one of her eyebrows.

"Sirius."

"Sirius. What a name..." she started to tease you. "Is he cute?"

"He is." you smiled a bit. "Quite fit."

"Uff! What does he look like?"

"Well, he's tall, a bit shorter than Jamie but he's got a gorgeous face. Like if Aphrodite had a son with Kleopatra, he'd be the product of them."

"Hell, that good looking?" she rolled her eyes, thinking you were being your usual sarcastic self.

But you weren't. He was literally beautiful. "Okay, look. I am not in love with the guy. I just have eyes and my eyes love pretty things. He is one of those pretty things."

"Objectifying now, are we?" she continued to tease.

"You know what I meant."

"What about Alissa?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows and causing you to sink in your chair.

"What about Alissa?" you smiled sheepeshly.

"I saw the way she hugged you in front of school."

"Yeah but I don't know if she's into... you know..."

"Girls?"

"Yes! It's so hard to tell. I mean, she gives me so many signs-"

"There you go. She likes you."

"- but then she also ignores me at times. Like this hot-and-cold energy."

"Oh." your friend frowned at the sight and slumped her shoulders. "How about we go to a party tonight? You and me-"

"And?"

"Some friends." she grinned.

"Whiskey?" you grinned as well, feeling so much lighter at the proposition.

"There has to be whiskey. If not, we're leaving."

"Okay, let me just call mum. Tell her, I'm going to be a tad late." you winked at her and ran to the payphone at the back of the cafe. You spun the number and waited.

Your family loved the phone. Being a wizard, the communication usually fell through the letters but since you lived with one foot in the Muggle world, the discovery of the payphone has made you overly-excited as well as your parents. The communication was much faster and you could always call your home whenever you needed.

"Hello?" there was a foreign voice that only seemed to belong to one person in that house.

"Sirius? Is that you?"

"What kind of sorcery is this?!" he shouted into the phone. "Who is this!?"

"Sirius, it's (Y/N)."

"Oh! James' little secret sister."

"Yeah, that one." you rolled your eyes.

"Are you stuck in there?"

"Where?"

"In this tiny box? Do I have to call your mum to get you out?"

"Sirius, this is a phone."

"Oh! I've heard of those. It's a Muggle thing." he let out a laugh. "Foolish little thing. When you can just write something and poof it to someone's way."

"Well, I can't really poof it, can't I?" you smiled as you heard him gulp on the other side.

"Uh... sorry... I forgot."

"It's fine." you giggled, letting him know you are not offended from his reckless words. "Can you get mum anyway?"

"Why?"

"Because I have to tell her I'm going to come home late today."

"Oh." you could see him leaning on the wall and smirking at the idea. "Where are you off to?"

"Only a friend's house.

"A-ha." he doubted. "Friend's house." he continued to speak in a mocking tone. "Am I-"

"Oh, you've discovered the phone." you heard James in the background, laughing. "Who is it?"

"This thing is magnificent, Prongs. I can talk to her like she's here, though she's not in this tiny little box.... is she?" he whispered the last part, covering the phone.

"It's (y/n)? Is she still mad at me?" he leaned on the phone. "Stop being such a stubborn little arse and get over it!" he shouted, meanwhile you rolled your eyes.

"She says she's staying at a friend's house?" said Sirius.

"No, she's not." James laughed. "Her friend, Mandy, lives with her uncle who doesn't approve of (y/n) what-so-ever. She's going to a party."

"Am not!" you shouted through the phone, clearly lying. "I'm not going to Mandy's... I'm going to Zoe's."

"Zoe? I thought she goes to Greece during the summer."

"She's staying this summer. Broke a leg."

"Broke a leg my arse!" James shouted.

"Can we come too?" you heard Sirius through the phone.

"Maybe next time. I don't think I can manage James' face without punching it yet." you shrugged.

"Can I come then?"

"Oi! Don't be a prick."

"What?! It's a party!"

"Just tell mum I'm coming home late and that-" and with that the call got cut. You looked at it with surprise and then just shrugged. "They got the message."

---

You had come home, not drunk, not tipsy... just a little dazed. You wished you were wasted but a memory of you not being able to walk a few years ago due to some heavy home-made Scottish Whiskey, you had decided that getting wasted wasn't worth it.

You put your shoes away carefully and quietly before going to the kitchen. A simple walk home sobered you up. You could walk normally, feel lighter on your feet but wanting to collapse into your bed as soon as possible. Though you were starving, so the fridge was the first stop. Toast, mayo, baloney and cheese.

"Mmmmmm." you rolled your eyes back from the delicious flavor in your mouth, almost melting as it filled your stomach. When your eyes rolled back to the sandwich you felt like you saw a spark of light from the corner of your eye. You glanced back up and saw a familiar figure standing on the porch.

He was leaning over the fence, mind deep in thought, eyes far in the distance. Brushing your hands on your pants, you opened the door from the porch and peeked out.

"Peek a boo." you said casually but he didn't budge, only turned back calmly.

He gave you a soft smile and moved a little to give you space. "How was the party?" he said as he flickered the cigarette away, shutting up the grasshoppers.

"Eh." you shrugged, mimicking his position. "Wasn't really a party, more like a friendly gathering."

"Bummer."

"Not really." you laughed. "There were all these random people, Muggles as you call them and I knew three or four of them. People kept leaving and coming, random people that I know from school but never really hung out with them, you know?" you looked at him and he smiled, listening on. "And I did talk and flirt with this guy, who kept coming onto me but all the time I kept observing others and by the end of the night, when I came home, there was only one person on my mind and it wasn't that guy- that random, thought quite charming and nice guy- but it was this girl from school with pretty bluish-greenish-brownish eyes."

"All three colours?" he laughed.

"They change colour a lot, okay?" you laughed. "But it's not even the colour, more like the way she looks at me- like she's in love with me but I don't know if she's in love with me because one day she's all for it and another moment she's ignoring me. It's so frustrating."

"So you like girls?"

"More or so. I don't mind guys either."

"Which one do you prefer?" he asked from curiosity.

Though it wasn't one of your favorite questions to hear, you still replied casually. "It's not the matter of preference, more like the matter of which I fall in love with. Guys are simple. They think simple and there's no secret meaning behind their words. You know when they want to snog you or shag you or when they want something serious or not serious. Simple."

"And girls are not simple?" he laughed.

"Oh, girls are so complicated!" you groaned. "Not all of them of course. Not me." you laughed and he chuckled as well.

"Not you?"

"No. I don't like to complicate things just because of how my last girl did."

"Your ex?"

"Not really an ex. It was an odd situation but listen up to this." you started to get more comfortable. "She and me have been writing to each other- she was a tough nut to crack to be honest. I was breaking the ice with that girl for like a year and a half. She was hot and cold with me. I never knew what she meant. One day she was giving me hints she was into me, another times she was completely ignoring me."

"Is this the same girl you talked about before?"

"No-" you stopped, thinking back a little. "Though it is a similar situation, isn't it?" you asked him, meanwhile he laughed.

"I think so."

"Hm... I'll get back to that thought." you pinned the realisation down and continued with the story. "Okay, so she was finally starting to open up to me- also she was tall and dark and gorgeous green eyes, super hot- I can't leave that out."

"No, you can't."

"She was getting to open up, telling me stuff about her family, her friends, which classmates she hated and I was getting excited because LOOKIE THAT! SHE MIGHT TAKE A FANCY IN ME." you said over-excitedly, throwing your hands in the air before your face and your hands fell back down. "And then I see her hugging a boy in the hall and suddenly they're both dating."

"Oh, bummer!" He laughed. "She was straight."

"Oh, hell no." you laughed. "That girl was definitely not straight but her parents were, so-"

"Oh, makes sense."

"Perfectly good sense. She's studying to become a lawyer."

"A lawyer?"

"Yes, a lawyer."

"Bet her parents are happy."

"Over the moon, I suppose."

"And you?"

"Eh. I moved on from her a long time ago. To be honest, I just liked the chase." you let out another laugh and he rolled his eyes.

"Really?"

"I always love a little chase or runner dynamic."

"So you're the chaser?"

"Or the runner, depends which one I'm feeling. Today was more like a runner but when I play the runner, they really give up easily, you know?"

"I actually do know." he shook his head a bit, pulled out another cigarette and lit it up. "Does James know?"

"He does but not about... you know... them. He just knows about it."

"What do you mean?" he started to laugh again. You were funny. He liked funny girls and from the way you reacted to James' little secret, he thought you'd be just like the others but you were so simple and funny with a tad of mystery in your eyes.

"He only knows bits of it."

"Bits of it?" he quirked an eyebrow. "I thought the two of you tell each other everything."

"Clearly not." you rolled your eyes and dropped your head back. "I'm a secret."

"A pretty secret." he blurted out before he could help himself. Noticing what he had said as he had watched you drop your head back, your hair flowing in mid air and your eyes focused on the distance, he really couldn't keep it in. James kept you a secret. A pretty little secret and he never understood why. He had known him for so long and he hadn't mentioned you once in all those years. Did Peter know? Or Remus? Or did really nobody know that James Potter really had a younger sister, who had no magical abilities.

"You think I'm pretty?" you smirked, quirking an eyebrow yourself.

He let out an embarrassed laugh and looked away just before his eyes locked with yours again, the blue that is bright in the day, now dark, almost black in the night. "I have eyes, (y/n). It's just a mere observation."

"Oh." you laughed as well, jumping down from the fence and putting your hand on his shoulder. "Than as a mere observation, I can say that you are extremely hot." you put your hand on his cheek and tapped it a few times just before you made your way to your bed. "Goodnight, Sirius Black."

He watched you walk away with his cheeks burning red. Bold, daunting- you were. Similar in a way with how James acted but he had to admit that you seemed quite more of an adventure than James. It sounded ignorant to say that. You were new, something hidden, now on the surface where he can marvel at you. He felt just a little bit more excited than the day he met James. Such a thrill, knowing that he has all the summer getting to spend with you.