#and i ran out of storage like seven times

[yourlocalenbyreblogs]

go watch ramshackle its so good im. hfjdksk

without lighting under cut

#ash cant draw #digital art #art #my art #fanart #ramshackle #skipp ramshackle #vinnie ramshackle #ramshackle vinnie #stone ramshackle #ramshackle stone #ramshackle skipp #ramshackle fanart #this took me days im ngl #and i ran out of storage like seven times #anyways i love them

[roosterforme]

The Deployment Diaries Part 25 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley takes you to the cemetery where his parents are buried. It's bittersweet, but he gets to introduce you to them as their future daughter-in-law.

Warnings: Smut, angst, fluff and swearing

Length: 4600 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots! Check my masterlist in my profile for the reading order!

You didn't think you would ever stop smiling. You were shocked and surprised and happier than you could have ever imagined.

Covered in dust and surrounded by boxes, you sat straddling Bradley's thighs as he sat back against the wall of the storage unit, mirroring your grin with his own as his hands caressed your back. 

"Roo," you whispered, pressing your lips to his over and over again and running your fingers through his hair. "You're my fiancé."

He smiled against your lips. "Say that again, Sweetheart." His arms tightened around your waist, pulling you snug against him as his hands crept under your shirt. He nipped your lips, always so needy for you.

"You're my fiancé! We're going to get married," you told him, and the words sounded so surreal. 

"Keep saying it," he told you, running his fingers along your lower back. 

"I'm going to be your wife!" 

Bradley ran his lips along your neck and moaned. "That's the sexiest thing I have ever heard." He kissed his way up your neck to your mouth. "I'll never get tired of hearing that."

You giggled and held his face in your hands. You couldn't stop looking at the beautiful ring. Your beautiful ring. It had once belonged to Carole Bradshaw, a woman who lived in your mind like a legend, or some sort of mythical princess. 

But Bradley never took his eyes off you. "That ring fits you perfectly."

You smiled. "It really does."

"And it looks perfect on your hand."

"I love it."

Bradley smiled and caressed your legs through your yoga pants. "She made me promise to keep it. I didn't want to. I wanted to bury her with it, but she wouldn't let me. She told me I would need it for my wife someday. I can't believe she was right. I've been trying to get here to pick up the ring for months, Baby Girl. And I couldn't wait another minute to give it to you."

You curled up against his chest and breathed him in. "This was perfect, Roo. This was so fucking perfect."

"Should we call you parents?" he asked softly. 

"Yes!" you gasped, scrambling to get your phone out of your pocket. "They are going to be as shocked as I am!"

Bradley just chuckled as you unlocked your phone. "Nah. I already talked to your dad about it."

Your hand froze over your phone screen as you looked up at him. "You did?! When?"

"When we went to visit them for Christmas."

"Are you serious? That was like seven months ago! You've been thinking about this for seven months?" You were so shocked, you set your phone down and gaped at him. He nodded and gazed at you with those lovesick puppy eyes. 

"I've been thinking about it longer than that. I've been thinking about it since the beginning."

"The beginning?" you whispered. But you knew deep inside he had always been yours, as long as you wanted him. 

"Yes, Baby Girl," he replied and rolled you onto your back on the dusty floor. You smiled as he settled between your legs, and you made out with him for what seemed like a very long time. 

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

Bradley couldn't stop kissing you. He kissed your left hand and the ring on your finger while he drove. You finally managed to call your parents, and he couldn't stop laughing as your mom and dad both screamed Congratulations into the phone. You had to cut your mom short, as she was already asking about wedding planning when Bradley pulled up to the entrance of the cemetery. 

As far as he was concerned, he would marry you today, covered in dust from the storage unit. The details did not matter much to him, and he let you know that as you hung up the phone with the promise of calling your parents back soon.

"We don't need to plan anything fancy if you don't want to, Sweetheart. We can go to Maryland when you're ready and get married there. Just don't make me wait too long, okay?" he asked softly as he parked the horrible rental car near the gravesites. 

Bradley took your hand after you grabbed your backpack off of the back seat, and he led you silently down a winding path to where his parents were buried. Once you saw both headstones and read them, you wrapped your arms around his waist and squeezed him tight. 

"Thank you for bringing me here," you whispered against his neck. 

Bradley kissed your messy hair. "I'm sure they are absolutely shocked at the moment that I brought my future wife to meet them," he said with a chuckle. 

"I doubt they are shocked, Roo. You're the most lovable person I've ever known," you replied with a kiss to his lips. Then you turned away from him and went to sit in the grass, facing both headstones with your backpack in your lap. Bradley watched you rummage around for a few seconds before you pulled out two envelopes and some silk flowers. 

"What are you doing?" he asked, sitting down next to you. 

You handed him two bundles of red and yellow flowers tied with white ribbons. "I have flowers for them. Artificial ones, but I figured they would last longer. And I wrote them each a note." You set your backpack to your other side, and Bradley felt tears in his eyes. The engagement ring caught a ray of sunlight and glittered as you showed him envelopes that had Carole and Nick written in your handwriting. 

Bradley pulled you onto his lap and held you, most likely smashing the silk flowers. "Thank you," he whispered, kissing your hair over and over.

"For what?" you asked softly. 

"For being you. I don't know, Baby Girl," he said as he let some tears fall into your hair. "You make everything better and easier."

He held you for a while until his breathing evened out again, and then he situated you on his lap, so you were facing the headstones again. "Mom, Dad, meet your future daughter-in-law."

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

You sat with Bradley and talked to and about his parents for a long time. You learned a lot more about them as Bradley spoke, and he answered all of your questions as well as he could. When Bradley's stomach started growling, you set the notes down under the bouquets and you both stood. On the walk back to the car, Bradley asked you what you had written in the notes.

"I just told them how much I love you and let them know I'll take care of you," you said with a smile. 

You ordered sandwiches from a deli while Bradley went next door to buy some sturdy shipping boxes and packing tape. Then you made your way back to the storage unit in the afternoon heat to eat and start packing things up. 

Bradley sorted through everything with you, standing behind you with his arms wrapped around your waist. You held up items and he told you keep or donate, placing kisses on your neck and shoulders as you went. 

"More Hawaiian shirts!" you squealed when you came to the box he pushed aside earlier. "Definitely all keepers. Let's take them home in the suitcase so nothing happens to them."

"I agree," he said, taking them and neatly folding them. "We'll take them and some of the photos back with us. Everything else we can ask Brenda to mail to us."

"And all of that hideous furniture that belonged to your grandparents can get donated. Sorry, not sorry." Bradley was delighted that you agreed with him about that. 

Once the rental car was loaded up with everything you wanted to keep, including Carole's wedding dress which was packed neatly in a box, Bradley drove you to the hotel. 

Once inside the elevator, you climbed into his arms and started kissing him. He carried you blindly down the hallway with his lips on yours, fighting with the key card and the suitcase once he located the correct room. 

"I want to have sex with my husband-to-be," you whispered as he set you down and literally threw your bags into the room. You watched him throw the suitcase inside and said, "Damn, Roo. You're worse than the TSA."

But his lips were on yours again as he scooped you up. "Gonna carry you over the threshold, and then I'll give you anything you want, Sweetheart."

You giggled. "I don't think the threshold thing matters until we are actually married," you whispered before peppering kisses along his neck. 

"No harm in practicing," he groaned, carrying you swiftly inside and kicking the door closed. He set you down once more and started undressing you, your discarded clothing ending up all over the floor. "Now tell me what you want, Sweetheart. I'll give you anything you want. Always."

Moaning for him, you pulled him into the bathroom and rubbed your naked body all over him. "Get undressed, Roo," you whispered. You did your best to keep kissing him while he was peeling his clothing off, but then you broke away to turn the shower on.

He came up behind you, wrapping his arms around you as he whispered, "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me." 

You coaxed him into the shower with you. "Well, I'm not going anywhere, Roo," you said with a smile, holding up your hand with the ring. "So I guess I'll just keep on happening to you over and over again."

He grabbed your hips and pulled you hard against him. "That's all I want," he murmured against your cheek and your neck as the water washed away all the dust and grime from both of your bodies. His lips connected with yours as he took your left hand in his right one, running his thumb across your ring. "I was made to be with you, Baby Girl." You moaned and pulled his lips back to yours. "It just makes so much sense," he told you between kisses. 

You could feel his hard length against the soft skin of your belly, and you caressed him as he made love to your mouth with his. He pushed you back against the wall, teasing your breasts with his hands before letting them trail up into your messy hair.

"I love you, Roo," you told him, earning a look of adoration. His chocolatey brown eyes explored your face as you ran your hand along the scars on his neck and cheek. Then you turned to face the tiled wall, pressing your butt back against him. Bradley leaned into you, smashing your breasts to the cold tile. He took both of your hands, pressed your palms flat against the wall, and placed kiss after sweet kiss to the ring on your left hand.

"Roo," you moaned as you turned your head to watch his lips connect with your hand and wrist, his mustache brushing against the diamonds. 

He covered your left hand with his, fingers splayed with yours, pressing you against the wall. His right hand glided over your wet body, touching you as the steamy water cascaded over you both. 

"Roo, please," you hissed when his fingers found your clit. Your head tipped back against his shoulder. 

His fingers dipped inside you. "You're so wet for me, Baby Girl." 

"You always make me like this," you whined, rocking your hips back against him. He always did this to you, made you needy beyond belief. You'd never given yourself so completely to a man before him. You never wanted anyone else. 

His mouth worked against your neck. "I'm gonna be such a good husband to you. Always take care of you. Always give you what you want," he promised, nudging your legs apart with his knee, his right hand reaching down to tease your pussy from behind before thrusting into you.

Bradley fucked you with the promise of tomorrow on his lips. He made you come as he gripped your left hand and the ring he had just given you. And then he came with your name on his delicious tongue and his hand caressing yours.

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

Bradley could not stop touching your hand where you were wearing your ring. That ring had always provided him so much comfort in his life when he was a kid, and it was doing that and more for him now too. Every time he kissed your fingers, you giggled. 

"Let's get married tomorrow," he kept saying, and you smiled at him every time. 

"Do you really want to?" you asked him while he was in a delirious state of bliss as you washed his hair in the shower post sex. "I mean... we could?"

He opened his eyes and looked at you as he shook his head. "No way. You deserve to have your parents there. Hell, I want your parents there, Sweetheart."

"You're right," you agreed, kneading his scalp just like you always did, making him groan. "But our layover on Sunday is in Vegas... just saying... I wouldn't be opposed to Elvis marrying us. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches and champagne?" 

"You're a fucking dream. You know that, right? Like, better than anyone else who exists. So much better than everyone else, it's not even fair."

When you smiled up at him like you were doing right now, he knew he would do anything for you. For his fucking wife to be. So he dried you off, wrapped you in a fluffy robe and carried you to bed. 

"Are you hungry?" he asked you as he pulled on clean underwear and jeans.

"Kind of. Why are you getting dressed?" you asked, reaching out to him with grabby hands. "I thought we were going to cuddle."

"We will," he promised, kissing your nose. "But I'm going to pick up a pizza unless you want something different. I'm starving, and I'll need energy to make love to my fiancée all night."

You giggled and let yourself topple back against the pillows, the robe riding up your thighs. "Pizza sounds yummy," you said, watching him as he paused with his shirt half buttoned. Now he was distracted by your pretty pussy on display for him.

He grinned at you as he put one knee on the bed. "Pizza can wait a little longer," he whispered as he crawled up the bed and pushed the robe up to your waist. "This looks yummier. And I am starving." You bit your lip and eased your legs further apart for him, and he immediately buried his face in your wetness. 

Bradley ate your pussy, his mustache glistening as he licked and sucked. Your hands were in his damp hair, tugging him to the exact spot you needed him. "Oh, Bradley," you whined, moving your hips back and forth so his nose bumped your clit over and over again. He grabbed the backs of your thighs and spread you open further. 

"So pretty," he whispered, kissing you all around your thighs and lower belly. He shoved two fingers inside you, and you cried out. "God, I love this pussy," he said before licking broad, lingering stripes across your clit. You were crying out in earnest now, squeezing around his index and middle fingers. "Can't wait to call you my wife." 

After that, you just lay on the bed, moaning his name, completely fucked out, diamond ring sparkling in the lamplight. He gently kissed your legs before leaning over your body to kiss your lips. He felt your tongue dart out to taste yourself on him. 

He moaned against your lips. "I'll be back soon with some food, Baby Girl. You need anything else while I'm out?" 

You shook your head, your eyes still closed. A smile danced along your lips as you whispered, "Just come right back. I still want you to snuggle with me."

"I will," he promised before placing loud, sloppy kisses all over your face and neck. You were still laughing as he closed the hotel room door behind him. 

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

After Bradley left, you sprawled out across the bed on your stomach, staring at your ring. "It's beautiful," you whispered. You let your mind drift, thinking about where you might want to marry Rooster and who you would invite. The guest list would be quite short. No more than twenty people, unless Bradley would want to invite his extended cousins. You hadn't been kidding; you would marry Bradley tomorrow if he said that was what he truly wanted. 

You closed your eyes, and it wasn't hard to imagine Nick buying this ring for Carole. You thought about everything you had learned about them. You only knew their love through Bradley, but you loved him so much, you knew they must have been wonderful too. You felt tears in your eyes. You let yourself feel sad that you would never get to have in-laws. You'd never get to know Nick and Carole except through their son. 

You wiped away some tears just as Bradley arrived back with a pizza box in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. He ran over to the bed. "What's wrong?" he asked, setting everything on the floor. 

More tears fell as you shook your head, "I was just thinking about your parents. I wish I could have met them." You sniffed as he collected you into his arms. 

"I thought maybe you already changed your mind about marrying me," he whispered against your ear with a chuckle. 

"No!" you told him as you swiped at more tears. "Never."

"Let's snuggle and eat some pizza. And I'll tell you more about Carole and Nick," Bradley told you as he got situated on the bed with you sitting back against his chest. "I like talking about them when I miss them. It helps."

So you relaxed back against his body as you nibbled on a slice of pizza, the vibrations of his raspy voice soothing you. And then you shared the bottle of chilled champagne that Bradley bought, pressing your lips to his between sips with more frequency until you told him you needed him again. 

He loved you all night long, just grinning every time you reached for him again. "Whatever you want, Baby Girl," became his motto, and you decided you could certainly get used to this. You could certainly get used to having him as your husband. 

You were both pretty exhausted by the time you got to Brenda's house the following afternoon. Bradley had his hand at the small of your back, smoothing the fabric of your pretty sundress while he introduced you as his fiancée. 

When Brenda shrieked and pulled you in for a hug, you laughed and let her squeeze you. She examined Carole's ring on your finger and hugged you again. Bradley smiled and introduced you to everyone else as well, all of whom were lovely and so happy for you. 

Brenda served dinner and drinks, and it made you feel good to meet some of the people who had known Bradley his entire life. And then Brenda promised to mail the shipping boxes to you on Monday. When Bradley tried to give her cash to pay for it, she insisted it would be an early wedding gift from her. 

On Sunday, you asked Bradley if you could stop at the cemetery again. You ended up stretched out in the grass with him, sharing even more of your secrets and learning more of his. That's how it always was with Bradley. Everything came so naturally, you couldn't believe you tried to fight this feeling in the beginning. But you seemed to have no fight left in you when it came to him now. You loved being with him. You loved how he made you feel. 

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

After the long flights back to San Diego on Sunday evening, Bradley was happy to be back home with you. Bob had dropped Tramp off after dinnertime, so the pup was already waiting for you both.

"Mommy and daddy are getting married," he told Tramp over and over as the dog licked both of your faces. "Gonna get you some human siblings soon, too."

You kissed Bradley's lips, and he watched you take your engagement ring off of your finger as you walked to the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" he asked, setting Tramp down and following you. 

"Getting ready for bed, Roo. It's late, and tomorrow's your first day back at work," you reminded him.

"But why are you taking your ring off?" he asked, wrapping his arms around you from behind.

You just grinned at him as you set it on your nightstand. "So we can give everyone a proper surprise tomorrow night. Let's get everyone to meet us at the Hard Deck to celebrate your first day back at work since your injury." You turned in his arms and rested your cheek against his chest.

Bradley smiled and kissed the top of your head. "And then we can tell them we're getting married? Surprise them all?"

"Mmhmm," you hummed, wrapping your arms around his waist. "We can celebrate both of those things."

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

As soon as Bradley got to sit in his F/A-18 the following morning, he sighed in relief. The past month of being grounded had been unbearable at times. You were the only thing that got him through it. He ran his gloved hands over all of the controls, preparing for a clean take off. 

And when he wore his flight suit home and saw your eyes light up when he walked in the front door, he pulled you against him for a kiss. You were wearing your ring again which made him simultaneously lovesick and horny. He kissed your hand and ran his thumb over the diamonds as you started to undress him. 

"Everyone meeting us at the Hard Deck later?" you asked as your hand met the bare skin of his chest. 

"Yeah. How about Cam and Maria?"

"They'll be there, ready to celebrate your healed injuries." 

"Excellent," Bradley whispered as you led him to the couch. "Now let me celebrate you."

He sat down with his flight suit and underwear around his ankles, socks and boots still on, and watched you undress in front of him. With each bit of your uniform you dropped to the floor, Bradley grew harder. As you straddled his thighs and teased yourself with the tip of him, his cock jumped in your hand. 

"Someone's eager," you whispered, slipping your wet pussy down around him. 

"Always eager for you." He held your hips and ass in his big palms as you rode him, your tits brushing his tongue and mustache every time you slid along his length. 

Bradley pulled your nipple into his mouth and teased you with his tongue. You moaned and held his head to your breasts. "You feel so fucking good, Baby Girl," he whispered, grinding his hips up to meet yours and teasing your other nipple. "Always so good."

You rode him until you came, squeezing his cock and drawing out his own orgasm. Then Bradley watched you pull your underwear on, and the idea of that cream pie inside you was going to stay with him for the rest of the night. 

"I'm going to make you Marry Me Rooster for dinner," you said with a laugh as you slipped your bra into place. "Seems appropriate now." 

He smiled as he stood and started to collect his flight suit. "Yeah, I'm gonna marry you. I was hooked by the first time you made that for me."

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

You and Bradley arrived at the Hard Deck right after dinner. "You ready?" he asked, and you nodded with a smile. You jumped down from the Bronco and he took your left hand in his right one, leading you across the parking lot.

"I'm so excited," you told him, and you both shared the kind of smile that you knew would be stuck on your face for the rest of the night. 

"Nat's gonna cry," Bradley told you as you walked across the deck and through the doors into the noisy bar. "And so will Mav."

"You really think so?" you asked him and you both strolled toward the pool table where most of your friends had gathered.

"There he is! Lieutenant Commander Rooster," Jake called out to Bradley. "And his face finally looks normal again. Not good or anything, but normal."

"Thanks a lot, Bagman," Bradley replied, but his smile was still stuck on his face. 

"You had a good first day back?" Bob asked as he snacked on some peanuts. But Phoenix was eyeing you and Bradley with suspicion, her eyes even darting to where he was rubbing the pad of his thumb along your ring. Her gaze flew up to meet yours. She knew the two of you had gone away for the weekend, and now she was smiling too. 

"Yeah. Being grounded sucked," Bradley said loudly, and now Cam and Maria were heading over as well. "The only good part was," Bradley announced, kissing your cheek, "Getting to spend so much time with my wife-to-be."

You laughed and held up your hand, and a chorus of cheers erupted in your own private corner of the bar. "It's about damn time!" Phoenix yelled, jumping up and down and spilling her drink everywhere.

You felt yourself being hugged and congratulated, and you watched as Maverick appeared and pulled Bradley into a hug as well. He had been right, there were tears in Mav's eyes as well as Phoenix's. 

Jake pulled you in for a tight hug, and now you were crying a little bit too. "Congratulations, Angel. I knew he'd love you forever," he whispered in your ear. Then he pulled back and loudly told you, "It's probably a good thing you didn't go out with me. I would have ruined you for Bradshaw."

You scoffed and rolled your eyes at the cocky grin on his face. "Thanks for being sweet, Jake," you said, earning a kiss on your cheek.

Bradley shared a hug with Jake before Nat tearfully wrapped her arms around his waist. "Bradley, can I be your best maid? Or woman of honor? I don't know what it's called, but I love you so much, Soul Sister."

"Of course, Nat," he told her, smiling at you as you got hugs from Cam and Maria. 

Then Penny announced, "Champagne for everyone!" and the bar erupted in a loud toast. Bradley held you snug against him, running his hands along your back and kissing you while everyone cheered. 

He never stopped touching you, even as you sipped on identical beer bottles and showed your ring off to everyone who asked to see it. He never stopped kissing you for more than a minute, seemingly unable to be away from you right now. And that was okay with you, because you wanted him by your side. 

"Any wedding plans yet?" Maverick asked, thumping Bradley on the shoulder. 

"Not yet," you replied. "But hopefully this year?"

Bradley looked at you with narrowed eyes. "Definitely this year. And I already have some very strong opinions about the honeymoon," he whispered, just for you. "How about two weeks, Hawaii, me and you and nonstop sex?" 

You blushed and pressed your lips together as his mustache brushed your neck. "You just want an excuse to wear all of your shirts in their natural habitat."

"No. I want an excuse to be undressed with my wife for as many days as possible. Now let me play you a song, and then we can go home so I can love you."

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Thank you so much for reading this series!! I have loved this crazy ride! More B&BG content is now posted with Suddenly and Unexpectedly!

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#bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster x you #rooster bradshaw x female reader #rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley rooster x reader #top gun fanfiction #rooster fanfic #rooster x female reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader

[swifty-fox]

Sci-Fi Horror AU

idk kinda word vomited this tonight after trying a new strain. I will be continuing it into a full story but not sure when

Entry Log 2043

-DateStamp: 14th July 5399

-Location: DeepSpace Sector G8677-65HG-76789_I

-Personnel File: Maj. J.C. Egan (Zoot Suit) 

Recording_

“This is Major John Egan, callsign ZootSuit, aboard the vessel M’lle ZigZag. Today is the dawn of my final day of exploration, putting an end to a sixteen-month foray into DeepSpace. Initial findings reveal little of note. A few developing stars and planets; an asteroid belt; and a total of six planets, two of which I will be recommending for a second more thorough exploration of due to planets possibly location being within the ‘Goldilocks Zone.’ I look forward to whiskey, solid food and to breathe air that isn’t recycled from a fucking can. I can’t wait to fuck my husband-”

John pauses.

“Ah, computer erase the last seven words. Reasoning: Irrelevant to mission. I will be entering Hyperspace within the hour, once I hit proper trajectory to slingshot around the primary sun.”

He taps the record button to end the log, carefully labeling the file and placing it in a folder with the few thousand other logs he’d recorded over the last year and a half. A verified library of data, observations and the occasional love-letter. A year and a half of research; one of the longest expeditions ever undertaken by any pilot. Considered bold by some and risky by far more. Deep space played with people's minds, the long stretches of isolation broken up only by Hypersleep creating the perfect recipe for a light case of mental instability.John had trained for this, ran through thousands of psychological tests and millions of scenarios. There was not a person in the universe more capable of this task. 

John rubs his jaw, feeling the scratchy beard and spins out of his pilot's chair, leaving the computer to guide the craft. 

Moving about the cramped space of the craft, built to maximize storage space; and to minimize comfort in his opinion, he begins securing anything not already safely battened down. He shaves in the cubicle sized bathroom, splashes water across his face and ignores the swirling flickers of color and light around the edges of his sight. Jaw smooth save for the now carefully trimmed mustache - just how Gale liked- he makes his way to the tail of the spacecraft to run an inventory check on his samples. Moon rocks and space dust and asteroid dirt. Anything the computer pinged or John spotted in his long hours gazing out into the empty void of space. 

He checks a few straps, making sure they’re tension tight before hitting the override on the artificial gravity. He holds the intentionally placed handle as he slowly lifts from the metal walkway. Giving himself several seconds to adjust he uses the similarly placed handles along the wall to pull himself back over to the pilot's chair. A second check on the navigation systems; the mathematical calculations for his trip around the sun and through hyperspace. Much of the process was left up to the computer these days, but John hadn’t survived twenty one missions - one of the highest in the force save for a handful - by not being thorough. 

Finding nothing out of the ordinary he switches all the lights off until his world is lit only by the approaching Red Giant, bathing everything a warm red. System lights blink soothingly as he takes a moment to take in the vast wonder in front of him. Years now it had been, and it still never failed to leave him breathless.

“Computer, begin countdown to Hyperspace entry, one minute. Beginning LCHS procedure, eta one minute.”

John pulls himself to the economically sized bunk, slotting into the space that barely left room for him to stretch and roll over, strapping himself down. 

“32…31…Thirty Second To HyperJump’’  the computer announces.

Bucky presses two fingers to his lips and then to the photograph taped above his bed. Folded so many times the crease lines were white and soft to the touch, Gale’s face gazed back at him. Caught unawares he was smiling soft and curving, glancing somewhere behind the camera. Laughing at something John had said, trying to pretend that he wasn’t. His cheek was rested in one elegant hand, gold ring glinting in the sunlight; a carbon match to the one on John’s own finger. 

“Be seeing you soon Buck.” John adjusts himself against the organic synthetic fibers of the mattress below him.

Fifteen seconds the computer chirps warningly. John always thought she got a little testy in those last few moments, as if scolding an unruly child. 

John reaches for the pouch beside his temple, withdrawing the last pill from the sheathe. Soft baby blue and the size of a quarter, he’d been issued exactly sixty-five of them upon the start of his expedition. Enough to get him all the way to the furthest reaches of the known galaxy in the shortest amount of time. Seven more consecutive jumps than had been previously attempted. Anything more than thirty and Federal Law was a minimum six months rest and recuperation before attempting further jumps. Risks for brain bleeds, heart attacks and Z-Sum sleep went up with every extra jump. John had stopped only once, stretching to forty five jumps before stopping at the nearest C-Class Planet Simulator outpost to rest. It had been his last chance to speak to Gale before he exited the reach of all communications. Eight months since he had seen that smile in any medium other than this photo. 

A quiet, tense conversation. Buck hadn’t wanted him to go; knew better than to stop him. 

“You’ll be careful out there John?” Buck was the only one to never call him Bucky. To the public he was Egan, Major if they were being formal. In private it was John, always John. His husband was strange like that. 

“More careful than a cat in a rainstorm.” 

Buck hums and squints his eyes at him. Stress sat in heavy lines at the corners of his lips, between his brows and around his temples. It had been eight months since John had kissed that mouth, tasted Gale’s sweet noises on his tongue. 

“You have enough LCHS’s to get through? None of them are compromised?” 

“Buck.” John sighs, “Come on.” 

Gale runs a hand through his hair, sucks his bottom lip between his teeth “I know you know what you’re doing...” His deep voice rumbled through the comms, staticky and pale in comparison to the in person thing.

“It’s just your job.” John finishes, grinning at Bucks self-amused shrug. “I checked them all twice. No leakage, no discoloration.” 

“I love you.” 

It never failed to make John’s spine tingle, hearing those words spoken so easily and effortlessly. The Gale he had gone to flight school with was a reserved quiet thing; John was better off trying to space-walk without a suit than pull an ounce of vulnerability from the other man. The years had softened him - John had softened him. 

“I love you too sweetheart. I’ll see you in eight months.”

Ten seconds. 

John startles, the pill slipping from his fingers and drifting in the gloom. He curses and reaches for it, straining against the straps holding him down. His steady beating heart kicks into panic mode. 

For centuries mankind had struggled to break out of the tiny confines of their miniscule corner of the universe. Confined by things like time-space and the limits of the human life span versus the distance needed to travel to discover anything new. They’d languished away certain of it was their destiny to never walk amongst the stars. Until HyperSpace had been discovered. The miniscule pocket between the folded pages of space-time. A way to jump through matter from one corner of the galaxy to another - and further. It blew the doors wide open on space exploration. They could go anywhere, journey past the point of creation they could find it. 

The only thing holding them back was the side effects of HyperSpace. It didn’t seem to pair so well with the cranial contents of human beings. The tendency to turn ones brain to pure soup was a drawback that left researchers, scientists and theorists all stumped. SMall jumps were manageable, with migraines and dizziness a much more risk-acceptable outcome. But in order for them to make any real progress they would need to find a solution,

LCHS. Lysergic Cerebral Hibernation Synthesizer.

The miracle drug and the solution to their dilemma. Developed initially from LSD the drug soothed the more vulnerable edges of one's brain and put the subject in such a deep sleep it took a reversal injection to bring one back to the waking world. It was used recreationally now as well; a way of opening one's mind to the world beyond the physical dimensions. Where light and color and feeling weren’t senses but physical states of being. It kept their pilots down for the jump; kept them asleep to the journey home. 

Without it. Well. Nobody had made a waking Hyperjump in as long as John could remember, at least had done it and lived. 

Five seconds.

John hisses through clenched teeth, straining for that little blue pill, technology his husband had dedicated his life to. Logically they both knew it was unlikely Gale had made the exact LCHS’s that sustained John, but he knew the other man pretended he did either way. The level of care put into each new batch as if it was made for his beloved specially. 

Three seconds.

John risks freeing one of his shoulders from the straps so he can get better reach. “Come on” he hisses. Closes his fingers around the dosage.

Two seconds.

John lays back, shoves his shoulder back into the strap so quickly the velcro scrapes his skin raw. He lifts the pill to his mouth, pressing past his lips.

One second.

_

_

_

Entering Hyperspace. 

Gale. John thinks.

His brain turns to mush.

#swiftywrites #2buck #buck x bucky #clegan. #mota #master of the air

[redhairedwolfwitch]

Away From Her Goalie - Clàudia Pina x Reader

A/n: next part in the Score A Goalie universe... enjoy! next one will take a while, it requires research:)

///

The UWCL final in Eindhoven was here. Barcelona versus Wolfsburg. Clàudia on the pitch, you watching from the stands. You hadn’t felt so anxious about a match since the Copa De La Reina final, Atleti against Real Madrid, a match that went from 2-0 up to Real Madrid to Atleti bringing it to 2-2, through extra time and into penalties. Atleti came out on top and you were unashamed to admit that you had shed tears of joy over Atleti’s victory.

You had spent your time after the league finished organising the stuff you had brought to Barcelona back in January, trying to fit what you needed for your plans after the final.

Both sets of plans, as Clàudia planned to help you with your move, before the two of you went on a small holiday to serve as a break for you before you were thrown into training for the NWSL with NJ/NY Gotham FC, a club in need of a strong goalie to maintain their position at number 1 in the table.

It was hard, but you no longer had your apartment in Madrid, moving your things into storage that you did want to keep, but selling a lot. Clàudia was keeping some of your stuff for your return to Barcelona, the plans being after the NWSL season was done in November, you would be able to visit whilst Atleti and Gotham sorted out the post-NWSL training you could do before the winter transfer window in January.

But your career wasn’t the focus right now, as you sat in the stands of the Philips Stadium, in Eindhoven, waiting. Pina was on the bench but the stadium energy was electric.

Wolfsburg may have scored two goals first, but you couldn’t help but think about the Copa De La Reina final, Atleti were two goals down before bringing it up to 2-2, taking it to penalties after extra time where Atleti won.

You did not want it to go to penalties.

The second half was different and you could feel it, Patri sending the ball into the net to take it to 2-1, then two minutes later, Patri sent the ball in again, the score going to 2-2. Rolfö eventually making it 3-2 but later shots were going wide.

Pina was finally subbed on for Mariona in the 79th minute, while Ana was subbed on for Caro at the same time.

You grimaced as Wilms fouled Pina, but it wasn’t long after that Wilms was subbed off. A clash between Bronze and Popp had all the attention on the sidelines however, as Ingrid and Alexia prepared to be subbed onto the pitch at the 89th minute. 7 minutes of stoppage time were added, your stomach twisting as you leaned forwards in your seat, watching carefully.

Popp and Paredes ended up with yellow cards after a collision almost looked like it would turn into a fight on the pitch, Alexia and Ingrid having been subbed on minutes before the seven minutes of stoppage time arrived. Tackles flew in with players dropping like flies and you couldn’t stop grimacing.

Eventually the minutes ran out, Barcelona being crowned champions of Europe as Queen’s We Are The Champions played across the stadium, the team swaying and Pina rocking the trophy like it was a baby.

She spotted you in the stands, grinning and waving as you waved back, jumping up and down in celebration.

///

The UWCL final was a flashbulb memory in your mind, and your fiancee’s as you sorted out your suitcases, the flight across the Atlantic amounting to more than 8 hours in the air, with Patri driving you two to the Barcelona airport.

“I will miss you, but I will miss your pancakes more.” Patri declared as she watched you travel with double the amount of suitcases as Pina, but the reasoning made sense.

You were moving countries for your career, your fiancee was helping you settle in first, but you were allowed a break before going head on into the NWSL.

A break that you were spending with Pina, visiting someone you hadn’t seen in almost a year. Jenni Hermoso, who currently resides in Mexico to play for Pachuca in the Liga MX Femenil.

Arriving at JFK airport, Pina pulled up her hood, whilst you dug through your backpack, eventually finding a pair of sunglasses and putting them on to obscure your face.

“Where do we go?”

“I was emailed instructions… we need to get the subway to…” you paused, looking between your suitcases, to your large backpack balanced on one of them, to Pina’s luggage, “we’re taking suitcases on the subway… great start.”

“So we go from central station and get a connecting train to New Jersey…” You went over the instructions, passing Pina your sunglasses as you found your hat, almost amused at the Atleti logo on it but you were pretty sure someone had recognised you both whilst on the subway already.

///

“This should be it. The club arranged something close to the subway so I could get around without a car.” You explained, putting the key in the lock and almost celebrating when it turned and opened the door.

Wheeling all the suitcases inside, you headed over to the windows as you heard your fiancee speak, “es pequeño,” as she locked the door behind you both.

“Un poco,” agreeing with her, but it was a studio apartment with a tiny kitchen and windows that let in a lot of natural light, the view of the city presenting the hustle and bustle of New Jersey as you gazed out at the busy road full of cars.

“It feels very… New York, New Jersey… I don’t see a bat signal though.” You joked, peeking through the blinds like you were looking for a way to summon Batman.

“Gotham.” Pina rolled her eyes playfully as she snickered at your joke, walking over to the window to have a look.

“Suppose I should unpack something. Can’t leave it all until I’m back from Mexico and you’re on a flight… back to Barcelona.” Meeting your fiancee’s sad gaze, you held back your emotions as she reached for your hand.

“What am I doing? Moving nearly forty thousand miles away from you for a few months in the hopes my goalkeeper career isn’t just sitting on a bench until I retire then get stuck trying to become a goalkeeper coach? I’m sorry, you deserve better.”

“No. I deserve you. We deserve each other, and we both deserve play time, but I want you too.” Pina declared, her hand cupping your cheek as your face softened from where it was scrunched up in sadness, trying to hold the tears back.

“I want you too, and I want to play minutes. You are the only person who has put me first in a long time. You’re it for me, mi vida, our souls are together, even when our bodies are so far apart. I want to come back to you, marry you, and never leave you again, unless you don’t want that-”

“I choose you, remember? And our bodies are not apart yet.” Pina smirked, leaning in to press her lips against yours, before pulling away as you smiled.

“You’re right. In fact, I think our bodies could be a little closer.”

///

It took a little while to get your stuff unpacked, the two of you heading back out to travel from Hoboken and ending up in Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan.

“I’m sorry you’re missing Ibiza this year.” You apologised over dinner/lunch (the timezone difference threw you two off), but your fiancee shook her head, pointing out that she was getting to spend time with her fiancee, in a new city before heading to another new city for a few days and seeing Jenni again after so long.

“I missed you in New York last winter.” Pina rationalised, smiling at you, before avoiding eye contact with whoever was behind you as the two of you were recognised.

“When do Atleti and Gotham announce your loan? People are recognising us from Barcelona.”

///

The flight to Mexico was nowhere near as long as the Transatlantic flight from Barcelona, the two of you bringing a lot less luggage too as you both looked to find Jenni and whoever she had brought with her to pick you both up from arrivals.

“¡Hola mis bebés!” Jenni cheered, pulling you both into a hug when she spotted the two of you approaching.

///

Your time in Mexico came and went, revealing the engagement to Jenni and how you were going to be on loan to NJ/NY Gotham until the end of the 2023 NWSL season. Jenni’s reaction included how you did not ask for her blessing, before she was congratulating you both and hugging you for taking a big step in your goalkeeping career.

Now you were staring out of your tiny studio apartment’s windows, watching the sun rise and trying to hype yourself up on your first day with Gotham.

///

Atleti and Gotham posted their posts first. Atleti revealed you had been sent on loan to NJ/NY Gotham for the rest of the 2023 NWSL season with good luck.

Gotham was a little more excited for you, using a photo array of shadows to tease your arrival, the shadows even resembled Batman before the final reveal of you in the Gotham goalie kit, the shadows made to look like the Bat Signal through the use of the spotlights during the photography session.

You were the next one to post, announcing your loan with a repost of the photo of you in the Gotham kit, with Bat Signal shining onto the dark background behind you, followed by photos of New York and New Jersey you had saved from when you and Pina were exploring around the two states.

Your previous posts consisted of photos of you and Pina hanging out with Jenni in Mexico, throwing people off online who thought everyone would be going to Ibiza, whilst leaving fans speculating as your engagement rings were spotted in one of the photos.

‘Sorry I’m not Batman, but I’m here to protect Gotham.’ Your caption was cheesy, especially with the bat emojis that Pina copied into her comment, along with a heart and flame emoji reminding you of the early days in your relationship.

///

#woso x reader #woso imagine #claudia pina x reader #claudia pina imagine #barcelona femeni x reader #barcelona femeni imagines #barcelona femeni imagine #atletico madrid x reader #atletico madrid imagine #atletico madrid imagines #woso imagines #claudia pina imagines

[http-sheep]

lonely

father figure!Miguel O'Hara & reader summary: You're his dead fiancé's daughter. You just lost your mother and now Miguel's drifting away. Contains: Mentions of death, bad parenting(kinda?), neglect, mental illness, angst. not proof read. WC: 942

part 2

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾

Five years ago, your mother fell in love.

When your mother first told you about Miguel, you had already decided you didn’t like him. 

"Hola, chiqui. I’m Miguel.” You had to crane your neck to look up at him.

"I'm not chiqui," you spat with narrowed eyes, not bothering to hide your disdain with his existence. It wasn’t like he was mean or anything. In fact, he was quite the opposite.

No, it was the way he was looking at your mother like she hung the moon and how comfortable he was in her space - it was all wrong. He was trying to settle in a place that was already taken. 

Your place.

A little voice told you that he was trying to steal her away from you. That if she started to love him more, she would forget about you. And then you’d be alone. Your mother was the only family you had, and it was supposed to stay that way. Just you and her.

For the first few months, you would glare daggers at him if he tried to talk or stand too close to you.

But he was persistent in getting you to like him, and eventually he succeeded.

"Oye, princesa," Miguel greeted after picking you up from school and got hit with the silent treatment. Again.

Miguel let out a sigh. "Vale, vale," he muttered to himself before pulling into the parking lot of the ice cream parlor.

He tried again when you were sitting down with your ice cream.

"You know... I love your mamá and you, sí? I'd never take her away from you. Never." He ran a hand through his hair. "I want to take care of both of you. I'm going to get a nice, big house for us. Gonna make sure you go to a nice college..."

In the midst of his rambling, you looked up from your ice cream, studying him. And you found sincerity. It was the first time you considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe there was enough room for your mom and Miguel in your heart.

And overtime, he had carved a place for himself in your life. He became family, in every sense except blood. Miguel wasn't your father, but he acted like one during the five years you've known him. Doing all the things you wished your biological father had done.

You never had a father growing up, but you imagined this is what other kids must have felt like. Loved.

—-

And one year ago you lost your mother. 

When your mother died, that's when he started to become absent. At first it was subtle. During your conversations, his eyes would glaze over and he would give one word answers, like his mind was somewhere else. He would leave and you wouldn't see him for days. So you learned to wake up from a dead sleep at the quiet click of the front door unlocking. You were desperate.

Days stretched into weeks. Weeks into months.

Grief and loneliness followed you around like a storm cloud. Your friends slowly drifted away from your dark and gloomy aura until no one was left. It's been six months since you've had any sort of contact.

Six months ago you lost Miguel. In a fit of desperation to know he isn’t just laying dead in a gutter, you dig for answers. You find it in your phone, in the cloud storage that you both shared. That’s when you find the pictures, and videos. The proof that he was alive tasted like ash on your tongue.

Your hands shake as you uncover the hundreds of pictures and videos of Miguel with a woman who looks just like your mother and a little girl who isn’t you. The first one is dated seven months ago.

"What the fuck."

As you scroll through all the pictures of them smiling, you feel like you're suffocating. Tears blur your vision and roll down your cheeks, but you force yourself to scroll through them. That little girl is his daughter in another universe. His and your mother’s.

So this is where he went.

"Good job, princesa," he says in one of the clips as he helps her with her math homework. Just like he used to with you.

You sink to the floor and retch up the meager contents of your stomach. Your mind is a maelstrom of anguish, betrayal, hurt, and most of all - loneliness.

"It's not fair," you croak, pulling yourself up. It's not fair that you get to play house while I'm stuck here with no one.

And you were nowhere to be found in any of those clips. Your mother was family, this random child was family and yet... he could care less if you were in this universe or that one.. Maybe you weren’t in that universe. Maybe it didn’t matter.

Maybe you never mattered. You're not blood - that means you’re not family, right?

You sense yourself straying into dangerous territory. The isolation, betrayal, grief - they're all festering in your head, telling you to give up. That no one would even notice. In a moment of clarity, you realize just how unwell you are. Physically, you're malnourished after barely feeding yourself. Your skin is waxy and your hair is limp.

"I can’t do this," you whimper, over and over as you pack a suitcase. You leave the house in a daze and the sun blinds you at first after rotting in that lifeless house for so long. Your feet take you to the train station.

You don’t know where you’re going, you just know you can’t stay another second in that dead home.

#miguel o'hara #angst #astv #across the spiderverse #spiderman #fanfic #reader insert #miguel x reader #platonic

[gyunglitter]

➷ prologue ➷

-“oh, the way he makes me feel that love isn’t real -– cupid is so dumb”

or

unlike you, your brother’s best friend just doesn’t know when to quit

word count: 1,205

warnings: not too many, just hints of angst and a SINGULAR curse word (for now lmao), i hate editing sooo this is VERY unedited lmao

tags: brother’s-best-friend!beomgyu x reader, ??? to ???, angst, fluff(??), beomgyu is the cool boy-next-door, reader is an independent girlboss (or trying to be, at the least), beomgyu’s gonna be GROVELING, simp!gyu, pathetic pining from both sides lol, maybe some cringe from reader (she was a teenage girl in love, have some empathy plz😭)

notes: super excited for this story! inspired by my personal love life (except for the fact that no one’s groveling for me, just the first half of the story🥴) but we believe in happy endings here!! enjoy a story of pining and crying and groveling<3

–> masterlist <–

Shit. You were so late.

It wasn’t necessarily your fault. Okay, maybe it was. After getting off your flight, you had made the irrational decision to stall your return home by stopping by your childhood best friend’s grad party, as she had also graduated from college at the same time as you. (Thank instagram for providing you with that information.) And so what, you got caught up and now you’re twenty minutes late to the dinner your parents were putting together for you–it’s for your graduation, it’s not like they can start without you anyway. 

At least, that was the reassurance you kept repeating to yourself as you begged your uber to speed up the rest of the way to your childhood home.

Unlike the last time you had stepped foot in your family’s home, you were now twenty-one—a real adult—with your bachelor’s and a promising full-time job. Just like you had promised yourself when you were eighteen and moving out almost four years ago: you’d grown up.

There were a few promises you weren’t able to keep, but you’d rather not think about that as you rang the doorbell to your old house.

“Y/n! You’re finally here!” The shrill that came out of your mother was nothing but joyful, as she ran from her side of the doorframe to hug you tightly. “Where have you been? Dinner was supposed to start at seven!”

You patted her on the back, laughing sheepishly. “Sorry, traffic was terrible,” you lied, wincing at yourself. You’d made sure to wash your teeth in your friend’s bathroom before leaving and sprayed a ton of perfume on yourself in the uber before coming over to the door to hopefully drown out the smell of your previous engagement, but that didn’t stop you from fearing your mother’s strange intuition.

Luckily for you, she’d bought it, probably too caught up in the excitement of you being home after so long. You didn’t come home to visit since you had left abroad for school. If your parents ever wanted to see you, they would fly out instead, sometimes bringing your older brother and making the visit a family vacation instead. There were a few times you could’ve gone home and made it easier for your family to see you, but you always came up with an excuse. You’d gone to great lengths to not step foot in this house. Until now, of course.

You stepped inside, taking off your shoes as your mother asked you a ton of questions regarding your food storage, laundry, and how much the uber was. All the usual things she asked you when she got the chance. It made you laugh a bit, before going to deny it.

“Eomma, you have nothing to worry about! My well being and financial state are fine at the moment,” you reassured her.

This didn’t work, as she continued to rant about her concerns. Oh well, you tried.

You looked down to put on a pair of house slippers, when you noticed an additional pair of shoes sitting by the others. It wasn’t a pair that you recognized, but your heart stuttered a little at the possibility of who the shoes could belong to. You hoped it was one of your uncles you hadn’t seen since you were a kid. Or maybe a grandparent! Hell, you hoped it was your weird-possibly-dead next door neighbor–anybody other than the first name that popped in your head.

Your mother sighed at you, “Honestly, Y/n, it’s been years since you came home! I worry–”

“Is that Y/n?!”

Your head shooting up, you couldn’t stop the grin on your face from growing when you saw your older brother, Soobin, after over a year. He didn’t make it to the last few visits because of work, and it made you miss him dearly. Who would’ve guessed?

“Oppa!” You cried, running over to your brother that already had his arms open for you. Hugging him tightly, you laughed a bit. “Jeez, oppa, what happened to your lankiness? You have muscles now!”

Soobin snorted at that, squeezing you tighter in his arms. “It’s called the gym, ever heard of it? Now that you’ve graduated, you’ll finally have time to go! Congrats, by the way.”

You smiled in thanks. Your brother and parents hadn’t been able to make it to your graduation since it had been a bit of a last second decision–you weren’t too sure when your graduation was supposed to be since you figured you still had a few more credits to go. But you ended up getting cleared after a bit of deliberation, shocking your family as they hadn’t made plans to fly out yet. It was you who had decided that instead of them coming out, you would come home to celebrate and stay for the next couple of months before your job needed you. Your family agreed without hesitation, they had been trying to get you to come home ever since you’d left. And here you were now, after what felt like a lifetime.

“It’s good to have you home, Y/n,” your father shouted, coming from the kitchen.

You grinned at your father and went to hug him as well. He had on an apron, looking like he had just finished making some dessert judging by the chocolate smudges on the front. Unlike the last time you had seen him (which had been about six months ago), he had quite a few more patches of gray hair. But his smile was the same.

“It’s good to be back, appa,” you replied, and it wasn’t a lie.

Looking around the home, you realized not much had changed. Sure, there were a couple new photos hung up and there was some new furniture fitted in, but everything felt the same. Even the sounds of the house were the same: the TV playing some sports game your dad wanted to catch, your mom scolding Soobin as he whined, and the beeping of the oven from the kitchen. Though it had been so long since you last stepped foot in here, you felt like if you closed your eyes, you could be taken back to when you were eighteen. At first, you didn’t mind the thought of that.

Until he came back.

“Hey, little Y/n.”

The smile you had on your face immediately dropped at that voice. That damned voice. 

You could recognize all of the old nostalgic sounds from around the house easily. But none of it compared to the deep tone that sounded behind you. You remember when the pitch had still been higher and louder, before mellowing out to the smooth baritone you had spent your teen years adoring. You swooned when you would hear it around you, and dreamt of when it would be spoken for you.

But that was when you were eighteen. And, with your greatest effort over the years, you were no longer eighteen.

“Beomgyu…I should’ve known those shoes up front were yours.”

–> next <–

#tomorrow x tomorrow #txt #beomgyu #choi beomgyu #beomgyu imagines #beomgyu x reader #choi beomgyu x reader #beomgyu fluff #beomgyu angst #choi soobin #soobin #stupid cupid

[aguamarinee]

➪ 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Maki × reader

➪ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fluff, crack

➪ 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: Y/n and Maki have been trying to set up two of their friends for dates, but so far all of their tries proved unsuccessful. Luckily for them, there comes a perfect opportunity to try again. But the events don't turn out exactly the way they want them to... and this time they have to get involved, way too deep for their liking.

➪ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭: ,,Seven minutes in heaven? With you? I didn't sign up for this."

➪ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 6,7k (I went so overboard with the plot man T_T)

"—What?! You're kidding!" Maki freaked out quite loudly in the school cafeteria, earning some weird looks pointed towards our table when it was just the two of us sitting there.

It didn't help that in the heat of the moment he stood up and lightly slapped his tray down onto the table — he almost knocked over his milkshake but I caught it at the last minute before it could spill out everywhere.

All I could do was sigh and give him a judging look, thankfully he got the message and sat back down quietly, and I handed him back his precious drink.

"Yeah... I wish I was, but I'm not." I continued, toning down my voice and leaning closer to him to resume the story. "I swear I hinted pretty damn aggressively to her that she should wait at the courtyard after school. I mean I had no idea how much, but I told her nonetheless. That was what we talked about all day! And we had two empty classes to talk because the teacher was absent..." I sighed again and took a bite out of my sandwich, so while I'm spilling the news to Maki during the lunch break, I get to eat something as well.

"Anyway, that was until you messaged me about the exact time." I gestured towards him, he nodded, confirming while listening intently. "And by then we were having our last class which was different, but I tried to catch her in the corridor. I almost missed my lesson since I couldn't find her, so I just messaged her instead. I told her to wait for me, so I can keep her company while you and your friend arrive. She saw my message and answered as well, during the lesson. But when I ran to the courtyard 5 minutes after we were dismissed, she wasn't there!" I whisper-shouted to Maki, getting a bit too into my story. I took another big bite out of my sandwich and waited for him to talk.

At first, he just lightly facepalmed and let out a quiet groan.

"Then I don't understand— it was so obvious! No offense but your friend can be a bit absent-minded sometimes..." He trailed off, then started to eat his lunch too. I just shrugged at his remark, still munching, motioning him to continue. "It's true that we got there like 15 minutes after classes were over, but we had P.E. for last and you know how that goes." He rolled his eyes. "Also, our team lost the impromptu basketball game so we had to sweep out the gym and gather all the lost footballs, volleyballs, basketballs, and other supplies, then take them back to the storage room. That's why we were a bit late, but after we got the packing done, damn, I was rushing to the changing room so fast, dragging my friend with me." He laughed a bit and sipped on his milkshake.

I acknowledged this silently while continuing to eat, nodding along and smiling at his silly side of the story.

"I wanted to give a heads up that we're running late but I left my phone in the locker so I figured whatever, and just tugged my friend with me through the corridors so we don't waste more time. But as I saw from afar that neither you nor your friend was there, I got pretty confused. And slightly alerted." Maki looked me in the eyes a bit sharply, expecting me to continue again and explain my situation further. I swallowed my drink and began talking yet again.

"Well — 10 minutes earlier —, seeing that she wasn't there I went into panic mode too and immediately messaged her, thinking that she got lost or got caught up by something — I don't know, I was short on time." I smiled sheepishly at him. "But she wasn't answering and wasn't online, so I opted to try and call her. I started pacing around the courtyard while dialing her number, but I was worried that you guys can arrive anytime and it would be incredibly awkward to see only me standing there, waiting anxiously. So after a minute, I ran off to her classroom, to check there. Although I told her clearly where to go, I thought I should see, just in case. Then I ran to our shared classroom. Then ran to our shared lockers, but still no luck. So I grabbed my coat and went to the school's gate for a last effort, but of course, no luck there either. Between running around I was trying to call her nonstop but she never picked up, not even once! And that was my last straw; I couldn't reach you or her, so I just went to the bus stop and traveled home... I don't know, at that point, I really didn't feel like doing anything." I chuckled lowly and shrugged my shoulders again.

"Right, I saw the messages and two missed calls after I went back to my locker and I felt bad, but it's not like I knew that things were going South this much. But really, it just came out to be the worst-case scenario this time. We suck at being good wingmen, aren't we?" He laughed too, between small bites.

We haven't got much time left from our lunch break so it was time to get to the end of the story.

"...But I'm curious," I said after a minute of eating in silence. "When you saw that none of us were there at the courtyard, what did you do? How did you play it off? Did you just tell your friend to forget about it or what?" I asked and locked eyes with him once again, with a hint of mischief.

"To be honest I tried playing it off cool, but I have no idea if I succeeded or not. We just walked around the courtyard a bit, in a big circle while talking about everyday stuff. I lied that I just wanted to have a nice chat with him — which wasn't suspicious at all..." He dragged the last word out and rolled his eyes playfully.

"—Good thing you didn't start holding his hand or something, to guide him around the courtyard as if you're on a date." I cut him off laughing, already imagining the scene. Maki gave me a look but continued after a few seconds, elegantly ignoring my previous remark. "But yeah, in the end, it seemed like he got over it. Pretty sure he found it strange but it didn't come out as embarrassing as downright telling him that I set him up with a girl and it backfired." We both snorted at this then sighed quietly, finally finishing our lunch.

After a couple of last gulps from our drinks we stood up, took our trays to the disposer, and walked out of the cafeteria side-by-side.

"Do we know what happened to your friend though? She's okay, right?" Maki stole a glance at me while we were walking back to our classrooms, ready for our last class of the day.

"Yeah, in the evening she called me back. She told me she suddenly needed to run off because something important came up, so she couldn't wait. I guess we were just incredibly unlucky." I looked at him and hit his shoulder playfully while grinning.

Although it wasn't as funny 24 hours ago — running around and planning this whole thing in the morning —, as talking about it now, but our idea backfired so much that it was truly laughable.

It wasn't our first try though, we attempted to set up our friends countless times in breaks too — pushing them towards each other accidentally, or making them sit at the same table at lunch and other things like that.

But this was our very first bigger 'operation' on getting them to talk.

I have no idea when did we start doing this, or why did me and Maki think that this is a good idea, but it seemed fun.

And we both agreed on the fact that they should date, so why not?

But after this unlucky experience, I guess we need to think even bigger...

What though? How though?

Drag them into a double date—?

"Y/n!" I heard Maki calling my name from further away in an excited tone.

Oops, seems like I fell behind while thinking hard about our next step.

I ran up to him, meanwhile, I heard the first signal of the bell and took a mental note that it was almost time for our last class to start.

"What's up?" I raised my eyebrows, wondering why was he acting very chipper and happy all of a sudden.

"I just remembered something very good and useful, for our next plan." He was grinning widely, his eyes almost disappearing because of his signature smile, creating small crescent shapes.

This is the first time I'm noticing something about his smile...

"Yo, did you just get your braces taken off?"

I asked with a similar grin while turning to him, but at that exact moment the bell started ringing and both of us dashed into our classrooms without another word.

...Something very good and useful, my ass.

This party is neither very good nor useful for our plan at this moment.

I hope you're rushing Maki, because I'm about to die of boredom.

I thought we agreed on a fixed appointment when we would all get here!

But of course, the boys had to be late — almost 30 minutes by now.

I suddenly heard a light buzz and I snatched my phone from the coffee table without thinking.

I was pretty invested in the conversation with my friends, but even more invested in my master match-maker plan with Maki.

As I had the phone in my hand the screen lit up and I saw Maki's incoming message.

» The eagle has landed. We're coming at 3 o'clock, through the garage. «

I stopped drinking my alcohol-free minty mojito while rereading his text, because I needed a few moments to myself, trying to understand his written words.

What the heck, Maki...

But when I looked to my right — where the second entrance took place, straight from the garage — I caught a glimpse of his green jacket and he sent me a subtle wink, signaling.

That means the operation is starting.

His friend didn't see us and headed to the kitchen immediately to get a punch or a cocktail for himself, Maki following close behind.

My friend didn't catch our small spark of interaction either as she kept drinking her own light piña colada, happily chatting with her other friends.

The house was lively, to say the least. This made me excited too about what was to come, but this was the moment I relaxed completely since finally the two of them arrived.

People from our school were everywhere in high spirits and a bit tipsy from the small selection of colorful alcoholic beverages.

Although, weirdly enough I didn't see anyone else come in after Maki...

Where are his other eight friends though?

Because I know all of them have been invited.

Compared to a real nightclub the lights were pretty ordinary and weren't as hard on the eyes, but for a normal family's home, there were sure some funky lamps and ceiling lighting, top lights hanging down to illuminate us.

For a moment with the small flickerings above us, it also felt like the lights were illuminating our whole night extending into the future, predicting how will this crazy evening end.

I kept looking through the crowd that was gathering in the spacious living room, a part of it lingering towards the balcony, and also more people were coming out from the kitchen; catching up, introducing each other, or starting to mingle to the soft music.

But no matter how eagerly I searched for our other friends that I knew were invited, I couldn't find them in the tremendous number of my schoolmates.

They're probably not here yet... It's possible that they're coming even later, I guess?

Although I don't think everyone is coming — I doubt that Yudai or Fuma is bothered enough about a simple party when their finals are at stake.

...They'll get the key events in picture or video form anyway, provided by Nicholas and Harua.

Scanning the whole room again — and still finding nothing — I resumed the talking and put my phone back on the glass table.

I guess we're good to sit here until the music gets louder, after that — as we're not planning on taking part in the dance party — we'll just go upstairs to one of the bedrooms and play the game.

Which is supposed to be the big sensation of the party, at least in my and Maki's book — because that's where our mission starts.

Spin the Bottle and from then, Seven Minutes in Heaven.

And we plan on pairing up our friends with... A little bit of cheating but that doesn't matter.

Or, technically it's not even cheating, we're just changing the rules a tad bit. It's fine. It'll be worth it.

I hope.

"—Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!"

Suddenly a random mic went off loudly in the building, the speakers blasting the sounds through our ears.

As I looked to the front I noticed none other than Nicholas, being the owner of the booming voice, holding the microphone with a way too excited grin.

He was standing on a small podium and beside him Yuma was turning up the amplifier's volume which caused the sudden surprise and earache for everyone.

Way to announce their arrival...

And my prediction was on point; everyone came except for the two oldest who were probably at their homes and studying their asses off even at this hour for their finals.

Although, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

At least they won't see much of the stuff that'll happen here tonight, but at the same time I'm scared nobody will be able to hold back Nicholas—

"How y'all doing? DJ Nicholas is in the house!" After a bit of silence, the crowd started to hype him up and I hid my face in my hands, feeling incredibly embarrassed to call him my friend at this moment.

Someone stop him, please.

As I looked at the others Yuma and Taki were trying really hard to keep it together, while Harua was already filming the very first cringe event of the night. Euijoo and Jo just seemed lost and confused beside them.

A bit further away I noticed Maki and his friend exiting from the kitchen with their drinks, Maki joined Taki and Yuma and told them something, then signaled my way.

Taki immediately noticed me and waved, which also meant it was about time I take my friend and leave the living room and Nicholas' newly made chaos.

As I kept looking at them, waiting for them to go up the stairs Yuma noticed me too. He smiled in his signature way with his snaggletooth showing, then Harua made eye contact with me for a moment as a greeting, not giving up on filming the older.

I have to give it to Nicholas, he's hyping up the crowd well and the real party is finally starting.

I don't know if it was intentional or he's just being extra and bored, but this means we're able to sneak away with the others.

I caught a glimpse of Maki already going towards the stairs' direction, beckoning the boys to follow him and having to drag away Jo and Euijoo from the show.

But he purposefully left out Harua because we need the cringe content and occasional blackmail material for Nicholas... Usually, he's the one who has his camera on 24/7 and has tons of embarrassing pictures and videos saved. I mean the rest of us doesn't have that many files combined, as he has alone.

Which is scary. But at least we're getting back at him a little bit.

Trust me, he deserves it.

"Hey, do you want to go upstairs? I'm not feeling the party vibe right now so maybe we can get away for a little? It feels a bit too crowded right now." I turned to my friend and I paid attention to express my words carefully so only she was able to hear them.

She pondered over my offer, taking another sip from her drink then shrugged her shoulders and stood up.

I copied her moves and set my sight on the staircase not too far from us.

We sneakily made our way around the big 'L' shaped leather couch we were sitting on and carefully pushed through the already dancing crowd.

Damn Nicho, you could have waited a little bit with the music though.

As we got closer to the first row of people that were in front of the DJ counter, I caught Nicholas' eyes and stuck out my tongue to greet him in my own way.

His grin grew wider and he quietly laughed while still mixing the music.

I nodded my head in the second floor's direction, signaling that all of us will be there if he would grow tired of being the in-house DJ.

And while we were at it I said hi to Harua as well, with words this time, giggling at the fact that he was still recording.

Finally, as we went up the stairs we came across a couple of rooms and as we looked through the aisle of doors one of them towards the back was left open and light came out from inside.

I guess we've found the others, nice.

I hope they haven't started the game yet.

"Yo, check this out, Y/n!" Taki bumped my hip playfully and suddenly his phone came into my vision.

"Harua sent the video into the group chat and Fuma just answered!" He said between giggles. "But I think Yudai is also with him since they saw it at the same time. They're probably having a break right now if they checked their phones."

As I looked at the device and read through the short conversation in the chatroom I chuckled as well, a smile forming on my features.

I happily laughed with Taki, a bit further away from the others.

We were still waiting for Harua to join us, especially since we ordered him to steal some snacks from the kitchen.

Our group was seated in a semi-circle on the bedroom floor, everyone still chatting and joking, not prepared for the upcoming game.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Maki eyeing me, but I didn't think much about it. I ushered Taki a bit closer to the others but remained next to him, still talking.

He was playing with an empty wine bottle in his hand that he picked up when he arrived — and it will be our helper for the game.

Because, well without any kind of bottle it would be pretty hard to play Spin the Bottle.

Shortly enough Harua arrived with chips and some sweets and he informed us that Nicholas will be present soon too.

I guess he doesn't want to miss the real sensation of our night... And the real chance to take those embarrassing pictures and videos.

We settled into a nice circle with everyone — in the meantime a couple of other girls joined as well after they noticed me and my friend were missing, but I didn't mind — as long as a lot of us gathered up, the fun is just increasing.

"The more, the merrier." Taki whispered to me with a grin and plopped the empty wine bottle into the middle of the circle.

As I looked through our group of friends everyone was comfortably seated beside each other, and I started counting them for the sake of the game, and when it came to Maki we made eye contact immediately and I was sure we were thinking the same thing.

"—Wait, we're odd." Maki interrupted the chit-chat as I was preparing to say the same thing. "We have to be even because later on we'll make pairs." He said with a serious face.

"Well, Nicholas is coming too." Harua chimed in.

"Oh please, we'll complete at least three rounds until he escapes from the party down there." Yuma rolled his eyes with a snort, dismissing Harua's answer.

"Then I'll join too, so we'll be even. And the only game master left is Taki then." I said with a small sigh, getting slightly impatient.

"Are you sure? I can join too, instead. You don't have to if you don't want to." Taki leaned closer, his brows furrowed in a slightly concerned expression.

"It's fine, it's better if you're the game master anyway." I smiled at him then caught Maki's eyes again, nodding.

"Okay, cool. Now, we can start the game. Bring on the first spin—!"

"Wait, how does this work exactly?" Maki's friend interrupted at the last minute, catching him off-guard.

The others just looked at him with a confused expression.

"You guys said that later we'll make pairs. And as far as I remember, you don't need pairs for the traditional version of the game." My friend joined, backing up his statement. "Or at least, I think that's what he meant."

I bumped Taki's shoulder and sent him a meaningful glance that he, as the only remaining game master — and the third person who knew in detail about my plan with Maki — should explain and refresh the rules.

"Okay, then allow me to explain!" Taki announced eagerly. "We're combining two games; Spin the Bottle and Seven Minutes in Heaven. First, we'll spin the bottle and when that stops on somebody, the others — with the game master's guidance — get to decide that person's partner for the next seven minutes, in that closet." Taki pointed to the corner of the room where a seemingly spacious wardrobe stood, emptied out — as many clothes were thrown on the bed — equipped with double doors. "That's all. Everyone ready?" As he finished, there were some groans and whistles heard, meaning that some people were more excited than others.

Before we started I exchanged one last subtle wink with Maki as he was sitting beside his friend, my friend beside his in a good mood and the other girls scattered around, a lot of them sitting close to Jo or Yuma and the small snack bar Harua set up before.

I purposefully settled opposite Maki and our two friends whom we set up, so I can keep my eye on them from afar and occasionally tease them.

...Also to keep Taki in check, because you never know with him.

"How much time is left?" I whispered to Euijoo because he was the one who had set the timer on his phone for this round's seven minutes.

"They have less than a minute." He responded and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Do you think anything happened?" One of the girl's friends asked.

"I think Jo is just trying to survive in the corner." Yuma laughed and after his remark the whole group let out a snort, approving of his words and some of them already imagining the comical scene.

"...She's been crushing on Jo for years now, but she always said that he's just her hallway crush." Said the same girl who asked the question.

They were a group of four in my class that I wasn't so familiar with, and one out of these girls got chosen as Jo's partner for this round — mainly by her friends but Taki allowed it so as a result he got a slight glare from Jo before he went into the closet.

And now as their time was coming to an end suddenly everyone started guessing and whispering, trying to listen in if something was going on or not.

"Hallway crush? Does she have different types of crushes? For every occasion?" Yuma asked in disbelief.

"Well not every single occasion, but to say another example, your friend, Nicholas, he's her P.E. crush." She shrugged her shoulders with a smile.

"What? How does—" Yuma raised his voice as he grew more interested in the topic but luckily Euijoo's phone cut him off.

"Okay, times up!" Taki shouted to them, then stood up and opened the wardrobe's double doors, dismissing the previous conversation.

Jo immediately stepped out with a slightly worried expression. The girl a couple of seconds after him, with relaxed, even confident strides as she sat back beside her friends.

Nobody said anything, Taki was chuckling lowly, trying to keep it together just like the others.

Jo averted his eyes and walked back in a robotic manner to sit back down beside Harua.

He said nothing but his ears peeked out from his shorter hair and they were a bit reddish, differing from his natural skin tone.

Yeah, something definitely happened.

Although Harua kept on giggling as well, he patted Jo's shoulder in a comforting manner to make him feel better.

"Hey, Jo..." Suddenly Maki spoke up, making eye contact with the said boy. "Not to be like that, but there's a lipstick mark on your left cheek." He informed him as discreetly as he could, without laughing loudly but he almost lost it at the end.

As I looked at Jo I noticed the mark that Maki was talking about and I had to use my hand to tone down my laugh.

He just looks so lost and embarrassed. Sorry, Jo.

We'll make it up after this night... Somehow.

"Thanks." The tall boy muttered in a low voice, barely audible to the others and suddenly stood up and excused himself to go to the bathroom.

"I think we broke Jo." Euijoo said after the friendly banter and laughter died down.

"...You got a photo though, right Harua?"

"Let the guy live, Yuma! Or I'll make sure that you'll be the next candidate." Taki threatened the older with a smile, but there was a naughty glint in his eyes.

"Bring it on!" Yuma retorted enthusiastically with a big grin, his snaggletooth showing again.

"Oh-oh, Y/n." Taki's teasing tone woke me up from my daydream and as I looked at him I noticed the bottle's mouth was pointed towards me.

"Now you wish you've stayed as a game master, don't you?" My friend asked me with a playful smile.

"Your time will come too. Very soon!" I replied with the same attitude.

"Now, now. Let us choose your dear partner for the seven minutes." Taki continued teasing, then turned to the others to start deciding my fate.

Challenge accepted.

Honestly, I didn't think I'll have to participate in the game for real — I mean there was a slim chance for the bottle to stop on me.

And I planned on reclaiming my position as game master after Nicholas shows up, but that didn't happen yet, so I guess I'll have to take up this challenge.

"—Right! It's decided then! Y/n's partner will be Maki!" Taki announced happily and I snapped my head in his way, then in my friend's way.

Challenge not accepted. Challenge declined.

As I saw her laughing with Maki's friend and I felt a weird feeling in my stomach that I couldn't explain right now.

I knew immediately something was going on, but when Maki stood up and looked at me expectantly to accept our penalty I needed a moment to calm down and stand up without staggering.

"Well, I guess we got set up this time." He laughed in a carefree way.

"Yeah, and I guess I know exactly who set us up." I gave him a lopsided smile as we walked to the wardrobe.

You know... Now that I'm looking at it up close, it doesn't look that big.

Ok, maybe it won't be as comfortable but this is Maki we're talking about, he's been my friend for ages!

There's nothing weird about this, besides, it's only seven minutes, like come on... You can do this Y/n.

We won't end up like poor Jo over there.

....Right?

"Okay! The seven minutes are starting now! Have fun, kids! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Taki closed the double doors on us with a sudden movement and we were left in the dark.

This is so weird already, it's just the two of us here, but at the same time, I know everyone is eavesdropping just a door away.

I couldn't see much, but I was sure Maki stood opposite of me leaning into the corner because I felt his presence quite closely.

If both of us would move just a bit, then our bodies and faces would be touching for sure.

Should I start a conversation? We're going to be here for seven minutes... Why am I acting all weird and embarrassed, this is Maki I'm locked in with!

"...Man, I want to get out already." I heard Maki whisper, his voice came from even closer than I had anticipated. I could almost feel his breath and a small sigh on my face.

"Same." I answered, trying to move my head a little bit to the side. "But we have to wait seven minutes for that." I said nonchalantly.

"And if I kiss you?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

You do what—?

I suffered in silence after I choked on my breath, hearing his quiet words.

"I mean, maybe the sooner we kiss, the earlier they're letting us out. It's worth a try."

He was speaking in such a casual tone that I didn't know how to react properly.

I was relieved he couldn't see me at this moment otherwise, the heat creeping up my neck and cheeks would have debunked my feelings.

It's not like I don't find Maki handsome or attractive, but I've never thought about him in this way...

And I'm sure he would say the same.

But what is his plan?

"I don't think it works like that, Maki..." I whispered back a bit firmly, trying to dismiss his hasty idea.

But before I could knock some sense into him I felt his hands softly sneak onto my sides, one of them stopping at my hips and the other reaching for my waist.

"Maki, what are you doing?" I whisper-shrieked and as I was panicking about where to put my hands, they bumped his chest; I was lightly trying to push him away.

Not that there's much space where I could push him off, but still.

My cheeks were getting dangerously hot so I had to do something.

"Just trust me, I'm sure they'll let us out!" I heard his words directly beside my ears, and I felt goosebumps traveling up my exposed arms because of his low whisper.

"They didn't let out the others either, what makes you think they will do it for us?" I was getting slightly frustrated by his actions.

He was holding me so tenderly and I swear I saw the way his eyes sparkled in the dark.

And it proved really dangerous for my heart at this moment.

"We're not supposed to interact with the others in these seven minutes, we're supposed to concentrate on each other only." I spoke softly and unintentionally moved my head closer to his to emphasize my words, and that's when I felt our noses touch.

My heart skipped a beat and I released a small gasp of air.

In the meantime, my hands stopped pushing him away and they just lay comfortably and peacefully on his chest.

He didn't respond right away and as I heard him take a bigger breath, his hands attached themselves more firmly to my sides.

"I am concentrating on us right now. I want to get us out. Will you let me?" His hand moved to my chin from my hip and he lightly tilted my face. And I still felt our noses touching softly.

I didn't imagine being close to him is like this... But I don't hate it that much.

Aren't we friends though?

Aren't we supposed to watch our friends kiss, rather than ourselves?

....Did they really set us up?

I can't believe we didn't notice it sooner.

"Y/n, you're not paying attention." I heard Maki's soft low voice once again, but his lips slightly touched mine as he spoke.

The sudden butterfly touch and the friction his plush, pillow-like lips caused made me try to move my head to the side, but his hand on my chin kept it still, besides there wasn't much room to move at all.

My breath hitched but Maki seemed to elegantly ignore that and connected our lips finally.

I quickly shut my eyes, even if it was dark and my actions didn't change much about my sight, it was reflex.

My mind felt numb but at the same time, thousands of questions circulated through it within seconds.

This is not my first kiss and I know this is not Maki's first kiss either, but then why does it feel special?

I'm not in love with him, we're just doing this because of the game.

But this feels... nice?

Does he think it's nice too?

I had no idea for how many minutes have we been here, but I prayed that this won't be the end of our seven minutes.

Because that would mean the doors opening and the others seeing... This.

And I didn't want that.

I wanted this to stay in between us, our first and last shared kiss staying between only our lips... And not passing it onto other people's mouths, to talk about and create gossip.

The kiss was slow, and soft, neither of us was rushing things.

It went on much longer than I had expected it to, but — sadly or not — not longer than I would've liked to.

It's still weird that I'm enjoying this, but we won't talk about it after this, and won't mention it to the others either.

I was sure that we were taking this to the grave as well as any sudden spark of sympathy or romantic feelings.

As our long kiss ended I noticed that instead of Maki's chest — beyond my knowledge —, now I was comfortably holding his shoulders, and his hand that held my chin at first, now is caressing my cheek.

I opened my eyes but obviously, all I saw was darkness.

Maybe a tiny line of light seeped into the inner part of the closet since the doors didn't align perfectly but it was at our feet, it reached neither of our faces.

Nevertheless, I still desperately tried to search for Maki's eyes and guess his expression, and how he felt.

I knew that his face was in front of mine, so close yet so far from more intimate acts—

"Guys, you can let us out already! We kissed!"

...Damn you, Hirota Riki.

Damn you, and your big mouth.

As he raised his voice, alerting the others of our situation despite my irritated thoughts on the inside, on the outside my body became still, like a statue, and for the umpteenth time this night I choked on a gasp of air in disbelief and surprise.

"...Good, now go on! You guys still have 3 minutes left! Hahaha!" I heard numerous voices from outside, but mainly Taki's as the only game master.

Now my friend's last words before Maki got chosen as my partner hit even harder.

If only I'd stayed as a game master, really.

...Or Nicholas got his partying ass here sooner.

Damn everyone, I'm never going to a house party with my schoolmates again!

And I can already imagine Yuma, Taki, Harua, or the others typing away on their phone to that ominous group chat they have, sharing this exact moment with the two oldest.

It was embarrassing enough the first time when Yudai found out that I said he used to be my senior crush, barely after the first time I had met him.

I didn't dare to look him in the eye for a month!

And I'm still heavily blaming Taki's loud ass because of that!

Now I won't dare to look into his or Fuma's eyes until I die.

I will never hear the end of this—

"Huh? They're not letting us out! Why not?" Maki's frustrated whisper shook me up from the sea of my cringe memories.

"Told you, dummy." Instead of resting my hands on his shoulders further, I pulled them away and folded them in from of my chest.

It's not like he saw me, and it's not like the feeling was unpleasant for my palms... But I did it anyway.

Maki sighed louder this time and I felt him tap the door a few times but it was clear that someone was keeping it close from the other side.

Yup, we're definitely not getting out sooner.

He lowered his hand, feeling defeated but his other one was still gently placed on my cheek.

But he did raise or turn his head because I no longer felt his quiet breaths fanning my cheek.

"You don't regret that kiss though, do you?" As heard his cheeky tone, I knew that he was smiling.

Do I?

"Because I definitely don't." He said after I stayed quiet.

"No, I don't regret it either." I answered finally with a small, bashful smile, still somewhat relieved that he can't see me.

"...But do you know what I do regret?"

Maki hummed in a curious tone, his hand on my cheek alerting me about our situation once again as he continued caressing it and my blush deepened.

"Not kissing you first." I sighed and casually let out a careless laugh because of how absurd this whole scene is and what I'm about to tell him. "I... Kind of wanted to kiss you first. After we got locked in here, and when you suggested... Well, I'd be lying if I'd say that it wasn't in my head."

His warm palm stayed where it was but I felt him move again, and now his other hand supported the wardrobe's wall behind me, trapping me in a way and expressing his interest.

"And isn't it possible anymore? Only I kissed you, but you didn't kiss me yet. We still have some time left." His soft words made my brain and my body slow down, but on the contrary, my heartbeat quickened once again.

I guess that's how it's done.

His forehead touched mine as he hung his head a little to reach my height and that's where I saw my chance.

I put both of my palms on his warm, tender cheeks that were always stretched in the happiest smile, and at first, I pressed a butterfly kiss on his nose, then onto the corner of his mouth, slightly kissing his adorable dimples when I felt him grinning between my actions and finally I found his lips again and planted a longer kiss onto them.

I didn't dare to keep it as long as our first one, while feeling comfortable in Maki's and the closet's embrace I was starting to think that we don't have much time left.

Seven minutes seemed a lot in the beginning and when the others said that we have three minutes left, I relaxed that there wasn't much left.

But now am I getting paranoid or what?

Or is it my sense of time that is off?

Like three minutes are such a short amount of time, and as much as we talked or stood in silence it should really be over by now——

"Rise and shine, lovebirds! Time's up!" The doors slung open, revealing Taki's wide grin along with Yuma's eager expression and Nicholas' teasing glance behind his phone's camera.

Wait, since when is Nicholas here?

And why is he holding his phone like that?

"Say cheese, guys!" He said in a playful and upbeat tone and we heard him snapping pictures while Maki's arm was supporting the closet behind me, his other hand on my left cheek and both of my palms rested on his cheeks. But our heads were turned to the side, looking at the others in shock.

"Scheisse." Maki cursed under his breath at the sudden interaction, but he didn't let go of me.

If this photo is for the group chat...

...Oh Nicholas, you won't be going to live the next sunrise.

We'll make sure of that.

➪ 𝐀/𝐍.: This came out much longer than I wanted to but I'm not mad at the extra details and scenes! However, it really proves that I can't write short scenarios lol. (Also #SaveJo.)

➪ 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 【𝐌 𝐀 𝐒 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝐋 𝐈 𝐒 𝐓】 !

#&team #&team imagines #andteam #&team x reader #&team scenarios #&team drabbles #&team maki #hirota riki #andteam maki #Spotify #&team fluff #&team fanfic #&team oneshot

[moonxnite]

Master of Puppets || Daryl Dixon.

Daryl Dixon x Reader (The Walking Dead x Fem!Reader)

Author’s Note: Inspired by the one and only, Eddie Munson, this fic is dedicated to the wise rockstar and his solo. I took his solo in Stranger Things vol 2 and mixed it with the Walking Dead bc both go hard and I think the song fits well into the aesthetic of the show, especially with Daryl Dixon. I altered the episode based on my own liking and through my own imagination, hope you like it!

Word Count: I have absolutely no idea.

Summary: When the walkers ambushed the beloved community, Alexandra, it created the impossible. Carl sought helped from The Saviors to lure the herd into the quarry, ultimately making both communities unite. Being denied to help, Y/n worked with Dwight to make the most metal performance ever in history.

Warnings: Cussing? Mentions of death, near death experience, angst.

Everyone in Alexandria was terrified over their new fate. Between The Saviors and the herd of walkers roaming around Alexandria, it made it impossibly difficult to keep the community functioning properly.

Food supplies began to diminish impeccably fast and the ideal of protection was long gone. The Saviors expected pick up nearly every two weeks and with the walkers ambushing inside Alexandria, destroyed all crops and invaded the storage room. Food was practically nonexistent and rations were made to be adjusted every so often.

Rick attempted to mask his anxiety, but you knew how deeply afraid he was. He desperately tried to remain calm and he succeeded until he was alone. His emotions ran high and his thoughts got the best of him. Being the leader he was, Rick continued to display a brave face for his family, something he always did and will continue to do. All members of the community were tasked with certain positions, some looking for temporary shelter, others going on hunts/food scavenging, and some who worked to lure the walkers away. You had the task to help Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Carl, and Carol to kill the walkers near the entrance of the community. Using the cars and motorcycles was an excellent call as it distracted the walkers away.

It took nearly seven hours to remove the walkers from the premises of Alexandria. Still, very few remained, but it was quite easy to kill and depose. The gates were knocked down and the fields were ruined. While the walkers were pretty far off from the community, it still wasn’t safe to return. Everyone continued to lay down plans for shifts and contributions.

Little by little, the walls of Alexandria were being built. Some walls were repaired while others had to be redone. You, Aaron, and Eugene (alongside others) worked on the walls as Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and Carol continued protect the premises and kill whatever walker managed to get inside. It was a constant hassle between time and effort but as every moment continued to pass, Alexandria managed to become its semi original self.

Eventually, it called for a debate for prioritization between the Alexandrians and The Saviors. Some argued to hunt food for the community while others pointed out that the lack of resources for the Saviors would cause harm for the community. You explained to Rick that while “feeding” the Saviors first seemed reasonable, the lives of Alexandrians were at stake.

“The Saviors have conquered how many communities?” You argued, “They have access to various resources and one less wouldn’t hurt. We’re all malnourished Rick come on” You said. Spencer, however, claimed that the Saviors would kill members as a consequences for disappointment

“I just need some time to think.” Rick began “Carl and Enid are out this week, if we’re lucky, we could split it even. So far, we just need to wait and stick to what we planned.”

“Rick, no. I get that our jobs is to make sure Alexandria is safe but we need to put our people first, The Saviors will never be satisfied, maybe if we send out more people on hunts we can come back with more food. Then it would make sense to split but we barely have a box filled with canned food. If we just-”

“Y/n enough, we’ll figure out a plan just like what we always do, but for now just stick to your job and that is-”

“To rebuild the walls of Alexandria and to lure the walkers away.” You sighed “I know”

You walked away from Rick, not wanting to stressed one another even further you considered dropping the subject. Upon both of your knowledge, Carl hid behind the wall and listen to your conversation. His return from the run with Enid was unsuccessful and he didn’t have the heart to update his father. Carl came up with a plan, one that he knew was too risky but he didn’t have a choice, he was going to ask The Saviors for help.

Next Day

You and Daryl worked together to kill walkers, you both had traveled far away from the community site and were located deep into the woods. Grunts and groans echoed as you tended each walker. Blood splattering onto your clothes and sweat running down your backs, it was a disgusting sight to see and feel. Clothes sticking onto your skin as the sun blazed down your face. Walkers continued to swarm around you but it was easily handled. Using with his crossbow, Daryl worked fast to retrieve his arrows once again. You had a wide selection of weapons up your sleeve. Between knifes and guns, you worked well with your Hello Kitty knife. It was an odd weapon, one that was given to you by an old friend, but it was pink and resourceful so you always used it.

Daryl always made fun of your knife, laughed whenever he saw it. You even got into a dumb argument once after he continued to tease you but stopped when you explained that a close friend had gifted it to you on your birthday. It was months before the apocalypse emerged and since then, it had always been a weapon you cherished. Regardless of how many weapons you own and kept, it was your go to. Still, Daryl continues to display a smirk whenever he saw it.

With patience and hard work, all the walkers were put down. Smiling and panting, Daryl was caught off guard when you hugged him as a celebratory win.

“We did it! Yay” You smiled as you begun to crouch down your knees

“Yeah” He grumbled

“Are we done for today or should we continue to keep moving forward?” You asked, wiping your Hello Kitty knife with a cloth

“Wer’ pretty far from Alexandria and its gettin’ dark” He starts “I think we should look for some shelter and stay for the night. We can go back tomorrow.”

“Okay, lets go”

Back at Alexandria

During your shift with Daryl, Rick and Michonne were out gathering weapons from an abandoned town. Meanwhile, Carl and Enid were scheduled to go out on another hunt. Carl debated whether to attend The Saviors premises that day, it was between getting it over with or putting everyones lives at stake. He attempted to talk Enid out of her shift as they begun to prepare to head out.

“Why don’t you want me to go?” Enid asked

“It’s not safe”

“Safe? We’re never safe” Enid argued

“I had plans to go to Negan today.” He confessed

Enid looked at him in disbelief, she didn’t know what to say other than agree to go with him. She knew how Carl’s mind worked and came to understand that whatever she tried to say, he’d ignore her and would continue to follow his plans. She didn’t want him to go through it alone so she asked to join him, reluctantly he agreed.

“What exactly do you have planned?” She questioned

“I know Alexandria is still not safe but we need help. Y/n and Daryl are always out to prevent the walkers from invading the community and its been long enough since the incident happened. I know that by going to Negan could make him go easier on us. I think it would say a lot if we go to him instead of waiting for him to come to us.” Carl hoped his plan would work but he had a deep feeling Negan would be furious. He needed to come up with another plan in case things went south and form a compromise just to be safe.

That Night

You and Daryl spent a night at a cabin. It was ten minutes away from where you came across the small herd and seemed pretty safe to spend the night. The tension was loud. You could feel it radiating and bouncing across the walls. However, nothing happened and you cursed underneath your breath as you were afraid to make a move.

You had the talk of expressing your feelings for one another, but nothing seemed to occur. Living with constant fear was a blockage on the soon to be relationship. It was reassuring that Daryl looked after you but you didn’t want to stay friends, you wanted to be more and make things official. Initially, the confidence of having the conversation once again appeared the night before Alexandria fell. From there, it seemed like it was inappropriate to ask about you two. You just had to wait a little longer.

Throughout the night, Daryl made a small fire and cooked a squirrel that he spotted on a tree. Poor little thing.

You see, adjusting to the wild life was definitely not easy, at least for you. Daryl quickly adjusted and had no fear or sympathy against killing animals for survival. It took you almost an entire year to get slightly used to killing creatures. It was easier but you still didn’t like doing it. However, the meal was good as much as it pained you to admit it, Daryl was an excellent cook.

That morning, both parties packed their belongings to return back to home. Feeling a bit anxious for no apparent reason, you swallowed your anxiety and head out the door to return home. There was a small sense that something was going on, you had no idea what but something felt wrong. You had hoped and prayed that your family and friends were safe and sound.

The walk to Alexandria was anything but fun, it was so hot. The mosquitoes started a war and your arm was sore after swinging your hands to prevent them from biting your exposed skin. Water ran low and so did the snacks you and Daryl packed. You wanted to cry out of exhaustion and irritation but soon enough the misery would end.

With every close step, Daryl can make out the lined up cars on the entrance of Alexandria. It didn’t take a genius to know who they were. Fear and anxiety ran coldly throughout Daryl’s veins. His eyes sparking with fear and his mouth ran dry. Beside him, you were too oblivious to make out what he saw, busy swinging your arms to protect your skin. Caught off guard, Daryl grabbed your arm and crouched down, making both of your faces extremely close. Any movement would create a kiss you desperately wanted to happen.

Looking deep into your eyes, Daryl’s throat got caught as he realized how close you both were. The heavy breathing was all you could hear, nothing was said or done for what seemed like eternity. If only something pushed either of you, maybe what you desired would come true. It didn’t seem like the perfect time but it seemed right.

Reaching back into reality, Daryl cleared his throat causing you pull away from your thoughts. He got up from his crouching position, still holding your arm, you did the same. Still maintaining eye contact, it was hard to acknowledge the outside world.

All you wanted to do was stare at this man for eternity.

He wanted the same thing as you.

Daryl was the first one to look away and it slightly shattered your heart. You looked toward Daryl’s gaze, immediately understanding his sudden movements. As you looked across the field, you noticed that all the vehicles were empty. It was a clear indication that all of Negan’s crew were inside Alexandria and it made your nerves spiral. Your heart was beating fast and cold sweat began to form all across your body. Daryl sensed your anxiety and traveled his hand from your arm to your palm, instantly locking fingers. This bittersweet moment was enough to make your heart melt under the wrong circumstances.

“They came back” He says

“They weren’t due for at least another week.” You panted

“Come on” He begins to run, never letting your hand go.

Both continued to run, if not, sprinted towards the gate of Alexandria. Fear was sensed and delivered up until they reached their home. Afraid of seeing an innocent person get punished, you regretted having the conversation with Rick. You wished you hadn’t made him decide what to do. You just lost two family members and you couldn’t bare another loss. If anything happened to anyone, it would be on you.

Walking slowly into the entrance, you spotted a large group, a divided crowd between Rick and Negan. Both men standing in front of each other not tempting to lose their guard. No one seemed injured or dead.

Good.

You saw as Michonne was standing next to Rick. Carol, Gabriel, Eugene, Rosita, Ezekiel, and just about everyone else stood behind Rick.

All but Carl.

You and Daryl both intervened by walking towards them. Not letting each other’s hands go, you walked slowly and felt all eyes on you. Alexandria and The Saviors took a moment to digest a new sight before re-entering their disagreement.

“What a sight for sore eyes!” Negan says as he spotted you, “Y/n, just the person I’ve been waiting to see.”

“What’s going on?” You asked Rick

“The Saviors just arrived, not sure what they’re here exactly.” Rick says “If this is about the pickup, we still have a week left.”

“We heard you’re having a little trouble and your boy here asked for help” Negan says as he swung his bat onto his shoulder

“Carl? No. He went out with Enid to scavenge food.” He said

“Are you calling me a liar? Why else would I be here with my crew?” Negan interjected

“We don’t need your help, we need you to get the hell outta here” Rick snaps as he realized his son lied about attending the nearest shops. Carl knew that once The Saviors left, he would be given a lecture by his father.

“I’m gonna make you a deal here Rick and I want you to listen very carefully.” Negan smiles “We’ll give you the week off but until then, I expect you to have double the food, double the weapons, and resources. I’m being gracious by giving you almost three weeks here.”

“Why’s that? What do you want?” He threatens

“I’m simply being a good samaritan, you gotta at least give me a little bit of credit here.” Negan replies as he slowly walks towards Rick and places an arm around his neck, “You either want help in luring the walkers or you want to starve your people and make me at least kill three more.”

“Why do you give a shit?” All Rick could see was red. Negan acted like he actually cared about the Alexandrians when he killed two, he hated Rick so why bother?

“Well sweet ol’ Carl showed up at The Sanctuary and since I actually like the kid, I thought why not?”

It was difficult for Rick to change his mind about the offer. Rick never trusted Negan and he never will, however, the lives of the Alexandrians was far more important than his hate game. The members of the community hesitated as they knew what this meant, being in debt under The Saviors was far scarier than anyone would imagine.

Negan and Simon accompanied Daryl and Rick into the storage room to form a proper layout of their plan. No one knew how long they would take or if one would be pronounced dead. The rest would continue to stay out in the fields and wait, no one moved and no one made a sound. It was a competition of who can keep their guard through intimidation and fear. The Alexandrians and The Saviors keep eye contact until their leaders returned back.

45 minutes later

The four men came out of the storage room, Negan and Simon smiled with full stupidity as they walked towards their people. Rick and Daryl followed behind and made their way towards you and Carl. The tension radiated off into the atmosphere as both communities stood on opposite ends.

“So here is what we’re going to do.” Negan yelled to The Saviors “We’re going to help Alexandria, we came up with a plan to use the vehicles to form a large herd. That herd will be taken down to the quarry.”

“That’s, no!“ You interfered, “Do you realize how dumb that is?”

“Sweetheart, I’m afraid I didn’t ask for your opinion.” Negan snapped

“Hey! Watch it” Daryl growled

“My apologies” He replied back

“I get that the whole point is to lure them away but how is leading them to the quarry even safe? It’s still pretty close to Alexandria and if they got out, we’ll have a herd invasion once again.” You explained

“It’s only temporary, until we can rebuild Alexandria and make it safer and stronger, we’ll lure them even farther away. This is only temporary.” Rick interjected

“Are you sure this could work? What if they got out before we rebuilt it? What happens then?” You asked

“We’re gonna have shifts to monitor the herd, Aaron spotted a couple of trucks and we could use that to barricade em.” Daryl places a hand to your lower back to ease your stress and it seemed to work.

“If the herd manages to overrun the barricade, then we’ll lure them away if we have to, we’ll adjust our plans to make sure we’re okay. We’re on this together and with additional help, it’ll make it easier” Rick motions as Negan waves off of the mention, placing his bat onto his shoulder with a smirk.

“Okay let’s do it” You agreed

The plan would be executed within one hour. You devised a plan to help with the task only for Daryl to shut you down.

That hurt.

Daryl continued to shut your pleas and threatened to lock you in a room. He wanted to keep you safe and far away from the plan.

Daryl gave you two options: Stay in Alexandria or stay inside a locked room in Alexandria

You knew there was no other choice to obey him. His authority was hot but it still pissed you off. You wanted to help you’re family in the way that you can, you also wanted to be in the action. Staying behind seemed boring and being bored made you unproductive and whiny.

You walked with your arms crossed, kicking the pebbles from the floor, you frowned like a baby. Looking across the field, you spotted Carl and Enid and the perfect plan was formed.

You were so dead.

“Carl, you mentioned Ron had a guitar?” You said as you walked up to the pair

“Yeah I think so, why?” Carl asked

“Enid, do you still have that Metallica album?”

“Why?”

“I just need a couple of things, don’t mention this to anyone!” You warned, “Especially Daryl.”

“What exactly are you planning?” Carl question

“The most metal performance ever” You grinned

3 Minutes Later

You sped walk into Ron’s room to prevent a scene. If you were caught, you hoped it wouldn’t be by Daryl. However, the sudden adrenaline rush flowed throughout your body and you were excited to play Master of Puppets.

You were a rock kid back in high school, better yet, led a band starting sophomore year. Your band Hellfire volunteered to play for musicals, school events, dances, and parties. Hellfire was a success as you were recognized by an agent and Hellfire had the opportunity to go big.

Key word: Had

The night everything and every life was destroyed, your band had played a cover by Metallica. The crowd cheered as you shredded the guitar and the drums roared through the walls.

It was epic.

The crowed sung and dance all within those four hours, cheering as they bobbed their heads. It was a night you felt everything went right for once. Your band was so loud, the way it always had been.

It was so loud you couldn’t make out the cries and screams. You thought people were cheering.

All that time, you thought the crowd went crazy for you.

But it wasn’t for you.

The room was swarmed with walkers. The herd made its way inside and attacked and you didn’t even notice it. Didn’t notice the way they grabbed those people.

Those poor people were killed.

All because of you.

You noticed when your drummer was pulled from the stage, the music was distorted and you finally understood. The rest of your bandmates were snatched and so you did what you always did.

You ran.

“Jesus christ!” You flinched

Dwight’s scream was something you could never ever forget. His high pitched scream had frightened you but also caused you to laugh. His presence wasn’t something you expected, you were slightly confused as he stood above the seat of Ron’s old drum collection. Putting the pieces together you assumed he used to play before hell broke loose.

“You play?” You were stunned and impressed

“Used to back in senior year” He replied back. Dwight clenched the drumsticks as he reminisced his passed and you felt sorry for him. He sighed and lightly played, soft enough so no one would hear.

“You know Metallica?”

“Everyone knows Metallica”

“Master of Puppets?” You had high hopes. If he knew how to play, he could help you.

“Yep.”

This is going to be fun.

You gave Dwight an insight to your masterplan but it took a lot of convincing. He feared to go behind Negan’s back because he was expected to leave with The Saviors. You promised him he wouldn’t be punished as you persuaded him it would help both communities with a front hand.

“Look if you get in trouble don’t worry! I’ll take the blame.” You sighed, “Think of this as a tour because I’m sure you wanted to play in front of a large crowd!”

“But what if-”

“We could really help them. If they fall behind or if someone gets hurt then the herd can be attracted by the sound and leave them alone. Come on play hero.”

“Okay I’m in.”

You and Dwight had to leave fast without anyone noticing. Dwight’s fear continued to grow and grow as he walked past his friends but ignored the stares. A few people laughed as they saw you both carrying the instruments to the truck and some demanded answers as to why it was necessary. Dwight explained he wanted “your” collection as a way to forgive you on the late delivery.

Getting out of there was hard. Dwight drove the truck away to a close proximity but you had to sneak your way out of Alexandria. If people grew suspicious over the instruments it would’ve been worse if you went with Dwight as he left. You pulled an Enid and climbed the walls far away from the houses and with luck, you jumped over and ran inside the truck. Dwight took off and the plan was settled.

An Hour Later

“Where the hell is Dwight?!” Negan yelled across the crowd as he strolled along with his bat

“Has anyone seen Y/n?” Daryl asked

“Maybe Y/n went out for a hunt with Carl and Enid” Rick suggested “They must’ve left 15 minutes ago”

“Nah she would’ve said somethim’ and I told her not to leave dammit!” Daryl yelled

“Hey! Hey! There isn’t anytime to argue. We need to leave now if we want to come back before the sun sets.” Rick grabbed Daryl’s shoulders to prevent him from searching all across Alexandria. “Listen Daryl, I know how important she is but if we don’t lure those walkers just like what we planned we’re going to take longer to make Alexandria home again.”

Daryl wouldn’t budge, he feared that Dwight might’ve done something to you. The Saviors who witnessed you two addressed to Negan about Dwight leaving with instruments and took off but he didn’t take you. That seemed to have calmed Daryl’s nerves but some part of him believed it was more than that. It made sense if you left with Carl and Enid for a hunt if Dwight left earlier than you. Still, Daryl planned to give you an talk, preferably a yell for not listening to him. Negan was unimpressed, his jaw clenched for the man who took off for a pair of drums. He couldn’t wait to return back to the sanctuary to give Dwight a whole new face.

The Saviors and Alexandria all left in various vehicles. It would be a night to remember for both communities as they gather hand in hand for a misson. If Rick was once told he would be working alongside Negan, he would’ve shot the person who told him.

The drive lasted over two hours, groups separated from each other to widen the herd and it seemed to be working. Daryl’s herd was the largest as his motorcycle created a large sum of noise. The roaring from his bike was a beautiful to him and it made him feel powerful. He looked powerful as he slowly rode his bike while a large herd was following him. His face was nothing but sour when he thought of you. Part of him was anxious since he didn’t hear from you but another part of him was really pissed off for leaving.

Within hours of slowly transporting the walkers, no one saw you and Dwight setting up at the cliff near the bottom of the quarry. No one noticed each other until the sound of roaring caught your attention. You were nervous for multiple reasons. However, you were glad you weren’t where the walkers would be, just right above them. Before arriving at the quarry, you and Dwight spotted some fireworks at the gas station nearby. It was a random but it seemed like destiny. The louder you were the better.

“Here take this” You extended an item to Dwight

“Sunglasses really?”

“What? Oh come on they look cool! Here’s mine.” You said as you placed them on

“Whatever” He grumbled. You smiled when he did the same

You spotted The Saviors and Alexandria from around the corner. Seeing as they bought the walkers, each vehicle drove fast from one side of the quarry to the other. It took a couple of minutes before all the cars and bikes to safely travel to the other side. Aaron and Eugene began barricading one side of the quarry.

It was time.

Dwight held onto his drumsticks and you began to insert the cord into to speaker. Looking at each other for a brief moment, you took a deep breath as Dwight hit the drumsticks together.

“Hellfire, this is for you.” You whispered

Your fingers danced with each cord as the song began to play. You immediately felt all eyes on you. The song was enough to make you smile as you began to remember your favorite moments with your band. Each finger naturally glided with every cord and it was like you never stopped playing. Dwight begun hitting each part of the drum set as it was his own way of singing.

End of passion play

Crumbling away

I’m your source of self-destruction

“Holy shit!” Negan cheered as he viewed the pair through the binoculars

Veins that pump with fear

Sucking darkest clear

Leading on your death’s construction

You and Dwight were hypnotized by the music.The melody blasted all across the field which enabled a whole new herd to emerge from the forest and fall into the pit. The clouds darkened into a deep shade of gray and the lightening roared as it sung with the song. The floor vibrated as the drums spoked and the guitar screamed.

Taste me, you will see

More is all you need

Dedicated to

How I’m killing you

Hundreds, maybe thousands of walkers all fell inside the quarry. The groans and the moans rang your ears as you continued to play. The yelling was all but faint and you knew that Daryl was the one to scream at you to get out of there. You and Dwight didn’t care within that moment as your were too busy playing.

Come crawling faster (faster)

Obey your master (master)

Your life burns faster (faster)

You looked over at Dwight and saw as he bobbed his head with every hit he made. He was smiling as he followed the music. You crouched as you held the guitar against your hips. Body flowing as you danced along. You hair hitting every direction of your face as the wind became stronger and aggressive.

Obey your

Master

Master

Where’s the dream that I’ve been after?

Master

Master

You were fully concentrated to the song but from the corner of your eye, you spotted the walkers underneath you. The cliff from where you and Dwight were was enough to give you a view of the entire field.

Daryl attempted to reached the hill to stop you but Rick held him back. All Rick could do was convince him no to go, that your plan was working to lure the walkers inside. The rest of the members all watched you as you played, seemingly impressed by your performance, Eugene and Aaron continued to work to form a barricade on both sides of the entrance.

Promised only lies

Laughter

Laughter

All I hear or see is laughter

Laughter

Laughter

Laughing at my cries

A part of your gut was telling you to stop. Looking across the field, more walkers fell into the quarry and you began to worry if it was enough to hold them. Finally, you decided to shorten the song so you and Dwight could leave on time.

“Dwight! We have to leave in about a minute.” You screamed and were surprised he even heard you, “You still have those fireworks?”

He nodded and pulled out a lighter out of his pocket. He quickly scrambled around his bag and pulled out the items. Lighting the stems, he threw the fireworks below the cliff and let it hit the ground. Dwight returned back to the drum sets and begun playing once again.

It was finally your time to shine

You crouched even further as you fingers touched the cords when you began to shred the guitar. You bobbed you head slightly as your left hand held its necks and your fingers fondled with the strings. The fireworks exploded, killing some walkers during the process. The sight was beautiful to see as the cloudy sky reflected gold and red lights.

You looked up at the sky to catch your breath and you could feel your fingers giving out. You pushed through and continued shredding, already making your body sore.

Once the melody began to slow down, you signaled Dwight that it was time. Your attention was brought by the walkers who groaned and begun to climb up the hill.

You both stopped playing and placed the items down. While the song continued to play, Dwight grabbed your hand and led you across the other side of the hill. The people across the quarry and noticed you two leaving, causing them to get in their vehicles to meet you on the other side.

“This way!” Dwight yelled

You and Dwight ran down the hill as fast as you possibly could. When reaching at the edge, you both came to a halt when discovering that the pathway towards down the quarry was destroyed. You both didn’t have a choice but to jump across and you feared that it wouldn’t work out. You looked at Dwight with a concerned expression and all he did was give you a polite smile and squeezed your hand.

“It’s okay, you can do this. All we need to do is jump and then we can go back home.” He hoped

Nodding to agree, Dwight jumped across first. His landing was perfect and he waited for you to jump. Looking back, you saw the walkers attempting to make their way with you. They were close, so close they almost grabbed you. Shots began to rang when Dwight pulled out his gun to shoot the walkers behind you. He was buying you some time but accidentally shot you in the midriff as you ran across the cliff. Once you landed, you felt pain radiating across your body. You were shot and you sprained your ankle as you made it over.

“Y/n! Fuck! I’m so sorry!” Dwight yelped, “I didn’t mean to shoot you! Fuck! Let’s get you over the other side.”

“Hey” You choked “I’m okay.”

The sound of the gunfire was enough to grab everyone’s attention and it was enough to break Daryl’s heart. He quickly hopped onto his bike and made himself over to you. The Saviors and Alexandria begun to lit the quarry on fire to slow the walkers down. The smell was unbearable as it fried the decayed.

The pain continued to grow and all you could do was cry. It was a breaking point that you entered. Dwight had pulled you alongside with him. Your arm was swung over him as you limped to safety. You were losing so much blood and Dwight pulled you into a bridal-style motion and carried you across the field.

Daryl sprinted across you when he saw how bad it was. Dwight slowly placed you onto the ground and stepped back so Daryl could hold you. You felt pressure on your abdomen and noticed it was Daryl who tried to stop the bleeding. Your eyes landed onto his and you noticed he was crying. You couldn’t make out his screams because you were giving up.

“Why n the hell would you do that?” He screamed

You cried. He never once yelled at you like that but it was the memories that came rushing back. You knew that you deserved to be yelled at but it was still enough to clench your heart. Daryl began to regret it and waited until you said something.

“It’s bad right?” You asked “It’s not his fault Daryl, I pushed him into it.”

Daryl looked at Dwight and all he could see was immense guilt. He called him over and directed him to go get help.

“I didn’t run away this time, right?” You faintly smiled. “It was so loud, we were so loud.”

“It was a whole damn concert.” He sniffled. His tears kept flowing and his hands were painted red. Your breathing became hitched and you were becoming pale.

“It was my fault Daryl. All those people, Hellfire…everything was my fault” You cried “I didn’t mean to. If I knew what was behind those doors it never would’ve happened.”

Daryl had no clue what you were referring to. He was too busy trying to stop the bleeding.

“We were amazing, all of us. God I miss them all so much.” You sobbed uncontrollably

Eyes clouded with tears and lungs burning to breathe, you felt yourself pulling away. You didn’t run but you felt yourself slipping. You gasped and wheezed as Daryl continued to apply pressure. He attempted to stop the bleeding but to no avail, blood squirted out from your abdomen.

“Daryl…I’m so scared. I don’t wanna go yet. I wanna stay with you.” You cried “I love you Daryl.” You smiled softly

“Y/n no, just hold on. Rick’s coming, they’re coming. Dontcha dare close your eyes. Y/n! God dammit!” He screamed and cried.

Breathing into darkness, you were gone.

One Week Later

Alexandria was home again. Daryl and Rick went out looking for food to compensate The Saviors. Though, a part of Rick still hated Negan but he decided to execute his plans when he least expected it.

Two days into the hunt, they found a large truck filled with food and toiletries. It seemed like a miracle was given to them, one that they needed after the incident. Both Rick and Daryl decided to hide the resources and continue to scavenge food for The Saviors. This miracle was one that couldn’t be given away so if they needed to find expired food so that The Saviors can get off their backs, then so be it.

When the pair returned back to Alexandria, they were ambushed with news.

You had woken up.

After you drifted off, Daryl took you back to Alexandria and you were in surgery for six hours. Everyone waited outside, some were crying while others prayed you would make it out alive. During those six hours, everyone talked about how enchanting your and Dwight’s performance was. Negan decided not to punish him, being too impressed by the show, he allowed him to stay in Alexandria until you had woken up.

Luckily for Daryl, it would be that day.

He stumbled back when Tara had given him the news. He wasted no time to sprint to the infirmary room to see you. He panted as he ran and pushed people who got in his way. Following behind him were Rick and Dwight.

Running inside, Daryl pushed the doors open and led himself inside your room. Heart beating fast while the palm of his hands began to sweat. He slowly crept forward and met those beautiful eyes he was dying to see.

“Hi Doll.”

#Spotify #stranger things #eddie munson #daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #negan x reader #the walking dead imagine #the walking dead fluff #the walking dead angst #daryl dixon angst #rick grimes #rick grimes x reader #stranger things x reader #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon x y/n #metallica #master of puppets #carl grimes #negan smith #the walking dead #rock #daryl dixon x you #twd #twd daryl dixon

[ricky-tiki-tah]

Glamrock Freddy Through The Ball Pit Part 1

(These aren’t particularly chapters, but each post is numbered and tagged ‘#gfttbp au fic’ so it’s easier to get to them)

“Disassemble Freddy!” Vanny screeched, her wide crazed red eyes zeroing in on the bear.

“Gregory, run!” Freddy called out, giving the boy a soft push in the direction he needed to go before taking off towards the many employee hallways to lose the staff bots. “I’ll distract them!”

Gregory gave a determined nod and continued on his way.

Freddy ran as fast as he was able, finding a nearly empty storage room to barricade himself in, tumbling staff bots as he went.

That was a mistake.

It appeared that the staff bots weren’t working alone. The spare endoskeletons had joined in the hunt and started to bang on the door Freddy had hurriedly closed. He looked around in case there was anything helpful in the room.

There, a crowbar! After a moment’s contemplation, Freddy jumped away from the door, racing towards the opposite side of the room, past the abandoned ball pit that seemed to be the only other thing in the room.

He didn’t make it. The staff bots swarmed him and the much stronger endos started tearing into his outer shell.

The bots ripped him apart, pieces flying everywhere. Freddy had barely enough time to hope Gregory would make it out of the pizzaplex safely before one of the bots tore out something he needed to function, and everything went black.

It was the housing for Freddy’s AI coding. The ending that had ripped it out, tossing the bits of metal and wires aside to continue wreaking havoc on the animatronic bear.

No one noticed that the small bit of Freddy that made him who he was landed in the ball pit.

(>*v*<)

Michael was playing hide and seek. Or more accurately, he was hiding in the Fazbear Diner’s ball pit, laying in wait for his little brother, planning to jump out and scare the nearly seven year old.

“Ouch!” Something poked his leg, and Michael put a hand down to feel around for whatever the thing was. It wasn’t safe to leave pokey things where little kids played.

After waving through the colorful plastic balls for a long moment, Mike’s hand closed around something small and slightly rubbery. Confused he surfaced and pulled the thing up to look at it.

The small object appeared to be some sort of charm, missing its chain. It was a light blue, rubbery plastic, lightning bolt. It looked cool.

Michael completely forgot his previous mission of scaring Evan and instead went searching for something to string through the small circle at the top of the pendant. He planned to wear it, declaring in his mind that it was something a cool rockstar would wear.

It wasn’t long before he found a bit of balloon ribbon and had strung the pendant around his neck. He planned to switch the ribbon out for a bit of twine when he went home later that evening.

Speaking of going home…

“Mikey, let’s go! Daddy says we’re leaving!” Elizabeth called out, running past him to join their father and little brother at the entrance.

“Comin’!”

(>*v*<)

Freddy didn’t think he would wake up. Not that the animatronics really slept, but they did rest occasionally. This felt different. Like he was under water or behind a curtain. He couldn’t quite see anything clearly yet, but he heared one voice very clearly.

“Now I look like a superstar!”

He wondered where the voice came from. It sounded excited, and Freddy realized he was excited for the voice as well, despite not knowing who it belonged to. Everyone deserved to be a superstar.

Freddy blinked and everything got a tiny bit clearer. Just enough that he could make out vague shapes around him, but not enough to understand where he was.

“Wait until I show my friends!” The voice squealed and Freddy smiled softly before everything fell dark again.

(>*v*<)

Over time, though Freddy was unsure how much time, he was able to see much clearer, and what he saw greatly shocked and confused the poor bear.

He wasn’t in any sort of machine, be it endoskeleton or computer. He actually appeared to be riding along in a young boy’s head.

He couldn’t do much about this fact, unable to actually move on his own or even speak aloud. He did learn however, over the course of a day or so after the world finally cleared up, that the boy seemed to be able to hear him, at least a small amount. Pausing as if considering Freddy’s commentary at some points.

Freddy learned that the boy’s name was Michael and that he was thirteen years old. He has shaggy brown hair, grey-blue eyes, and a bright smile that lights up his brown, freckle covered face. Michael also has two younger siblings, Elizabeth and Evan. They live with their father, and visit a diner that he owns nearly every day.

Freddy also learns that Michael has three friends. The strange part, he thinks, is that each of them have a mask depicting much older versions of his friends, and even himself.

It’s with these three friends that Freddy finds himself most vocal, quietly scolding when the four boys pick on younger children at school or even Michael’s own brother. He doesn’t know why they do so, but he intends to make Michael aware that it is unkind.

(>*v*<)

Mike is fairly certain he’s going insane.

He keeps hearing a voice at the back of his mind, asking random questions, noting something he might have missed in schoolwork, and even scolding him for his actions. He wonders if his conscience woke up and gained a voice.

It’s very strange, he thinks, to have a proud voice say ‘well done, Superstar!’ after he’s completed a task, but he smiles at the praise nonetheless.

Lizzie keeps looking at him strangely when he suddenly starts grinning like a loon after washing the dishes. He’s not sure how to explain that the voice in his head is proud of him for doing something so simple as his chores without looking like a nutcase so he stays quiet. It’s not like she needs to know anyway.

Instead, Mike plots his surprise for Evan’s birthday at the end of the week.

#gfttbp au fic #fnaf #glammike au #michael afton #glamrock freddy #glammike #fnaf gregory #fnaf vanny #evan afton #elizabeth afton #william afton

[abstractnaturaldisaster]

Steddie Flower Shop / Tattoo Parlor AU

Alright, buckle up! The angst is over. I hope y’all like the getting together part. Two more parts and then the main plot of this AU is done.

Part One I Part Two I Part Three I Part Four I Part Five I Part Six I Part Seven I Also on AO3!

***

Eddie woke up early and made coffee that could probably raise the dead. His sleep was fitful and he couldn’t stop thinking about how much he’d fucked up. Of course it was also the day before Valentine’s Day so Eddie truly had an order list a mile long. He pulled his hair up into a bun and got to work on the bouquets that he could bust out without thinking. His mind wandered the whole time trying to figure out what to do about Steve. When Eddie had put together the last dozen red rose-baby’s breath-greenery combination and drained the remaining dregs of the coffee pot, he had at least decided on a course of action. Steve hadn’t picked up his bouquet the day before and it was still sitting on the edge of the workbench in one of the buckets of water.  If Eddie was honest with himself; he had kind of phoned it. He really hadn’t been sure if Steve was going to show up and he didn’t have time to waste the week of Valentine’s. He picked up the bouquet and started working to add dimension and interest. He pulled in purple hyacinth, helenium, and broom. He wove in ivy to fill out the sides of the bouquet and fiddled with the flowers until he was happy with the final product. Eddie wrapped the arrangement in butcher paper, checked the time, and decided it was as good a time as ever to head over to Steve’s.

“Steve?” Eddie asked nervously once he made it across the street. No one answered him for a minute but he heard some hushed whispering in the back. He shifted his weight between his feet and rocked from his heels to his toes until Robin slammed open the back door.

“You better be here to apologize and you better do it quick because Steve is in no mood.” Robin said as she walked past Eddie. 

Eddie had never thought Robin was particularly intimidating until this exact moment. He had the urge to turn tail and run but Chrissy would be back at the shop by now and would never let him live it down if he came back holding this frankly ridiculous amount of flowers. Eddie walked to the back room where Robin had left Steve. Eddie had never been in there before. It was mostly a storage room with a small table and chairs that Eddie imagined Robin and Steve used for breaks and when they didn’t want to be out in the front of the tattoo studio. It’s just as homey as the rest of the shop with its mismatched furniture and plants. Steve had hung several bunches of flowers upside down from the ceiling to add to the garden witch vibes the whole shop had.

“Hi,” Eddie said, self-consciously pushing the flowers out for Steve to take. Steve looked at him for a minute. His eyes were red-rimmed and he had dark circles Eddie had never seen before. “Uhm, these are for you. I, er, missed you coming by yesterday.” Eddie finished weakly.

“I didn’t, figured you were probably busy, or whatever,” Steve answered.

“Oh, yeah it’s been a lot this week. But I always want to see you,” Eddie admitted.

“What?”

“I, uhm, maybe I should back up. I’m sorry I ran out the other day. I didn’t have the most stable upbringing and some of what you were saying made me nervous that you looked down on me for not having money, I guess. Which I totally should have explained and not just like shut down and run away. But like, I never had enough to afford a, err, ‘actual’ tattoo. And I know that I totally fucked up and you can tell me to turn around and never come back but I think you’re really special, and that drawing you did kind of took my breath away, dude.”

“Dude,” Steve smirked.

“Sorry, I don’t do this often or like ever, I kind of don’t know what to do with you honestly. I’ve never– that is to say, I’m definitely not good enough for you, man.”

“Man? I think that might be worse.” Steve laughed a little.

“I’m ruining this. I’ll just, uh, go. Sorry, again.” Eddie left the bouquet he was still holding on the table and starts to head out, rubbing the back of his neck a little nervously.

“No, Eds, come back,” Steve said. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“What’d you mean it like, Steve?”

“Oh, well, I don’t think you can call your Valentine ‘man,’ Eddie.”

“My what?”

“Oh, sorry you haven’t asked yet. I’ll wait.” Steve grinned.

Eddie could have passed out. He was pretty sure that Steve was going to tell him to leave, not patiently wait for Eddie to get his shit together and ask him out.

“Right, yes, I’m getting to that.” Eddie smiled back. He looked back up at the ceiling and realized all the bunches of flowers were the arrangements he’d given Steve. “Wait, you kept these?” Eddie gestured at the bouquets.

“Of course, I did, Eddie.” Steve answered. “I mean, I had sort of meant to only keep the first one. To celebrate opening. But then Robin noticed the green carnations in the next bouquet and said that was like a sign you might, uhm, like guys, or whatever, so I kept that one, and I dunno, it just kind of became a thing.” Steve was blushing and looked down at his hands.

“Oh, baby, that’s so cute, fuck.” Eddie went to sit next to Steve and placed his hand face up on the table for Steve to take. Steve reached out and linked his fingers with Eddie’s. If Eddie had thought he was going to pass out earlier, he was certain he was experiencing cardiac arrest now. His heart was pounding in his throat and he was sure his hands were clammy and gross. “You won’t be able to keep this up, you know?”

“Why’s that,” Steve asked.

“There’s nowhere near enough room to save all the bouquets I plan on giving you, sweetheart.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh big time. Now that I have this? I’m not letting go,” Eddie gestured to their linked hands. “Not until you want me too.”

“Oh,” Steve gasped. “For the record, I do think maybe I was a little too harsh on you. I’m pretty used to guys like you giving guys like me shit for tattooing flowers.”

“That’d be pretty hypocritical of me, Stevie, as I also work in flowers.” 

“Well you still have this whole, like, look. I probably bring your street cred down at least several notches.”

“I don’t care about that, hun. I live above a flower shop for god’s sake, there’s not a lot of street cred left in these old bones.” Eddie croaked out the last part doing his best imitation of Mr. De Lucas.

“You’re such a shit.” Steve elbowed Eddie in the side.

“You like me though,” Eddie said. “Even worse, you like like me.”

“Questioning that the longer this conversation goes on.” 

“Rude. You wanna know a secret, Steve-o?” Eddie jumped onto the table to get closer to the flowers hanging from the ceiling.

“Hey! Get down. This is dangerous.” Steve couldn’t hide his laugh but he grabbed at Eddie’s belt.

“Hold on! I gotta show you something,” Eddie said. He moved closer to the first set of flowers he ever gave Steve. “Robin was on to something you know. I am not only a florist but I am a huge flower nerd and read all sorts of books about the languages of flowers. So this one was for luck opening your store. Daffodils are for new beginnings, Allium for prosperity, Laurel for success, and Hollyhock for ambition,” Eddie recited as he pointed out each of the flowers.

“But you didn’t even like me back then,” Steve said, a little awe struck.

“I might not have liked you but I did want to fuck you, big boy,” Eddie said with a wink.

“You’re actually the worst. I take everything nice I’ve ever said back.” 

“Never,” Eddie said as he moved on to the second set of flowers he gave to Steve. “So, Robin was basically right about this one. Chrissy gave me so much shit for thinking you were straight but that seemed easier than being rejected. So lavender, green carnations, pansies, buttercups, all historical references to being gay. I figured if you understood what they meant you’d tell me early on if you didn’t like me that way.”

Steve walked around the table to meet Eddie by the third bouquet. He reached back up to hold onto his waist. Eddie was already getting way too used to having Steve’s hands on him.

“Next was my friendship offering and like maybe a little bit of a hint that I was kind of into you. The oak leaf geranium is for true friendship and feverfew is for warmth of affection. But you hadn’t given me shit about the gay flowers so I was also a little hopeful, hence the cyclamen. And the lilacs.”

“What do lilacs mean?” Steve asked.

Eddie flushed bright red. “Uhm, this was way too early and like still is but, uhm, they represent the first feeling of love.”

“So what was the next one for?” 

“Well the victorians believed that the brighter the bouquet the more passionate the underlying relationship so I wanted to give you something bright and happy but it’s also like a ‘I’m very into you please like me back’ vibe?”

“Are you asking me, or telling me, Eddie?”

“Oh, telling, absolutely,” Eddie answered. “Also, Chrissy gave me so much shit about this one because it is probably worth like three times what you paid for.”

“Eddie!” Steve yelled and slapped his thigh.

“Listen. I was going big or going home, Steve. Now will you let me tell you about it?” 

Steve nodded and gestured for Eddie to continue.

“Good boy,” Eddie noticed Steve tense a little at the diminutive. He set that aside to explore later. “Okay so this is a ranunculus and its symbolizes radiant charm. The roses all mean different things based on the color. Orange is for fascination, purple for enchantment, and red, as cheesy as it is, is for love. I also couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make fun of myself so this one,” Eddie points at a gorgeous orange flower, “is for impetuous love, I mean, I was moving way too fast and I didn’t even know if you liked me back, Steve.”

“I don’t offer to tattoo just anybody, Eds.” Steve was blushing again. “So are you gonna ask me, then?” Steve asked as Eddie hopped down from the table.

“Steve Reginald Harrington, will you do me the honor of being my Valentine?” Eddie asked and dipped into a deep bow holding his hand out.

“You’re ridiculous and that is absolutely not my middle name,” Steve answered.

“Not an answer, babe.”

“Of course, you absolute buffoon,” Steve agreed. Eddie took Steve’s hand and kissed the back of it, bringing Steve into a hug.

“Mean. And, uhm, would you mind being my day-after-Valentine’s-Day Valentine? It’s just like super busy at the shop tomorrow and I don’t want us to be interrupted.” Eddie added.

“Oh, you have plans for me?”

“Obviously, big boy,” Eddie answered.

“I accept,” Steve said. “Also, I may or may not have scheduled my week so I can be out tomorrow if you want a delivery van buddy.”

“Do I? Of course, Stevie!” Eddie was very excited about having someone to keep him company driving through all of Chicago tomorrow. Eddie looked at the clock in the back of the room and noticed the time. “Oh fuck it’s so late. Shit. Steve. I actually have to go. I’m so sorry.” Eddie gave Steve a quick peck on the cheek and rushed out of the shop.

“You are actually ridiculous, why do I like you?” Steve called back as Eddie ran across the street.

Eddie flipped Steve off in response. Eddie got back into the flower shop and both Robin and Chrissy were sitting at the workbench.

“Did you fix it?” Robin asked.

“Yes, but no time for details, I have to pack the van and I’m so fucking behind,” Eddie rushed to grab the order slips for the morning deliveries.

“Dude, we packed the van for you,” Chrissy said as she grabbed Eddie by the shoulders. “Calm the fuck down or I’m going to have to drive your god forsaken van.”

“Hey! Not nice! But also, you’re the best, I love you, BYE!!” Eddie yelled as he hightailed it into the van. He caught Steve looking out the window of his studio and flashed him a big grin and blew Steve a kiss. Steve made a big gesture of catching the kiss and sent Eddie back heart hands. Jesus. Eddie was in love with a fucking dork and he had never been happier.

***

Part Nine available here!

I’m still literally overwhelmed with y’all’s support. Thanks for reading!

Also if y’all know shit about flowers I know these are unrealistic to find all at the same time but Eddie has mad hothouse connections and he’s also a little bit magic.

Taglist: @a-little-unsteddie @maya-custodios-dionach @eboyawstenn @swimmingbirdrunningrock @sadcanadianwinter @thehumblefigtree @throwbackthrowaway @micheledawn1975 @blisschaoss @vecnuthy @grimmfitzz @spectrum-spectre @croatoan-like-its-hot @momotonescreaming @beckkthewreck @korixae @citrus-owl @baron-zemo-trash @sleepdeprivedflower @nuagedemots @lololol-1234 @books-and-current-obsessions @acrolius @mightbeasleep @vi-an-te @gregre369 @i-must-potato @vampireinthesun  @steveisabicon @child-of-cthulhu @whimsicalwitchm @aceflavouredyougurt @that-bi-gremlin99 @oxidantdreamboat @goodolefashionedloverboi @notaqueenakhaleesi @briceslayed @raisedbylibrarians @bejeweledbaby @avacrebs @magpiemuseum @majesticenbypancake  @r0semaryyy @nerdsconquerall @lifeisnotsobadonceyoustopcaring @shiyshy2004 @zerokrox-blog @straight4joekeery

#my fic #steddie #steve harrington #stranger things #steve x eddie #eddie munson #steddie fic #tattoo artist steve #florist eddie #tattoo parlor / flowership AU

[hyp-fixator]

Yo.. Me and @yamodii-official wrote a lil somethin with Skydrone and Varcity (all of Yam's part will be in the chat text!)

TW! gun mention, blood, swearing, implied abuse (of sorts, I think)

"see the problem with glock is that he's stupider than the other children" he was only seven when he heard that "he is a liability because he's slow!" he was 16 then "you're only likeable when your drunk" 23 now here he was. standing above someone who'd treated him with the same respect as a bug. like someone without a shred of smarts. like an idiot. and now. Blackrock, Lost Temple, everyone had something to fear. he grabbed skydrone by his horns and brought him up to his face. making sky's eyes meet his. "can't dance your way out of this one eh?" he threw him down. sky let out a yelp similar to an injured dog as he hit the cold hard floor. Glockno- Varcity kicked sky straight in the ribs and then got down low "you go back to that shit hole and tell them i'm still kicking, capich?"

Coughing up his deep indigo blood onto the frigid, miserable stone beneath him, Skydrone looked up into the obsidian eyes of malice. Tearing his lazy gaze from the figure above, he searched for an exit. Legs aching with cramps from running from this monster, his eyes locked on the fuzzy wall, light seeping through the hallway turning off, painting it a cold marble white. It was multiple meters away from his current crippled position, but it was a spark of hope in this dimly lit concrete box of a storage facility. Massaging his now swollen ribcage, Sky rose himself to his knees, leaning on his scarred arm as he glared daggers up at Varcity. "And what kind of authority do you think you hold over me in order to demand something so foolish?" His injured grin leaked a smeared stream of his blood as he continued, "You're acting like a child on a deranged playground, claiming to own others and demanding them to follow orders that could kill them. You know nothing about the circumstances over at Blackrock, and deserve no knowledge about it's current status. You left. cut out of the circle. You aren't going to get any information, especially out of me, moron." Skydrone grinned. It's been awhile since he got caught, let alone beat up. It wasn't a good experience, but an exhilarating one after so much monotonous and successful work. Varcity's face twitched with irritation. A tough grimace shot across his face before his arm shot forwards, grabbing the tie of Sky and stopping an inch close before he ended up bashing Skydrone's skull in with his own forehead. Barking out the order again, Varcity's voice stabbed with irritation, the shiteating grin growing on Sky's face as he placed a calm hand on Varcity's face, pushing away the bulldog-man. "Ouugh. Looks like I struck a nerve, beastman?" Blast-injured arm sneaking behind his neck as he touched his bovine legs down on the cold concrete, a click resonated in the room, Sky dropping to the ground and scampering towards the light.

The bowtie lays in Varcity's rough grip.

it took him two seconds to react "too slow, try again" subspace would've said but Varcity was out for blood "GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT" he roared "How DARE you call me a fucking DOG!?" he spat as he chased sky down those narrow, cold halls. gods, it had been a while since he ran, much less chased someone. he could remember those days. the small division in Blackrock that took children and shaped them into the perfect soldiers. they put trackers in them, made them train until they bled and formed the second best things after a biograft. "and time, Glock, you've failed" he blinked no, he wasn't there. he was chasing that fucking twink. and that's when he pulled out his glocks.

Hearing the loading click of those guns, forever engrained into his mind, Sky's eyes darted behind him. he knew damn well the slow fuck would resort to shooting him dead. A good spy never stops studying their opponent, afterall. Focusing his weak steps one after the other, he dashed towards the door, glancing behind himself and looking directly into the barrel of the gun pointed at his head. It didn't take much to summon a gear, but in such a difficult area, it's like opening an umbrella indoors. Turning around and jogging backwards Skydrone held his right arm infront of him. In a split second, the gun explodes. Cobalt Blue metal erupts from the barrel of the glock, knocking back Varcity as the drone wedges itself into the freezing ground. Jolting forwards from the eruption and the sudden stop, Varcity bashes his head against this massive platform, his own blood spraying from his now broken nose. Skydrone makes the last push to the fire exit door, slamming his body into the side and easing the door open, holding his left arm open to call back his drone. Shrinking back to pocket sized, the remnants of the glock drops to the ground as the drone whizzes back to it's owner through the small crack of the fire exit door, clicking shut instantly after.

"Fucking DAMMIT!" he screamed the orange copper tasteing ooze stained his shirt and seeped into his gloves Varcity slowly rose from the ground, letting his nose bleed as he picked up what remained of his glock. "no good soldier loses their gear" those cursed rules were ingraved in his mind, like the deep scar on his left arm, where fur would never grow again. he had clawed out the tracker with his bar claws, yet nothing hurt more than this. this bloody nose, this broken gear this- "failure" Varcity spun around to find himself in a memory "that drone fuck did this" he muttered as he entered an all to familier light blue room.

so many children, all in the same grey uniform. the only way to tell them apart was hair and horns. and thats how he found himself. alone. struggling to do even the simplest of test and puzzles. and of course, there was subspace "Glock, we dont accept failiure. just because you have your brute strength doesn't mean you don't need to use your brain" Glock just nodded his head and tried again the scene faded he was in his room. one wall was a flowing lava waterfall straight from the banlands everything else was just standered things, bed, nightstand, desk and chair, rug, shelves, and a trunk Varcity sat on the floor beside the bed where Glock sat "fuckin smartass skydrone" glock muttered as he placed a bag of ice on his thigh "maybe if you weren't so heavy and slow, you could've dodged that" Varcity wanted to say something, anything but before he could even breath,someone was pulling him out of the rubble.

#A lot of this is Varcity lore and not exactly Skydrone food #But it was still fun to mess around with -em #Our aus/stories aren't fully entertwined either so things will be different from Varcity's story and Skydrone's #Anyways I hope y'all like it!! #phighting #phighting! #phighting roblox #Phighting writing #phighting oc #writing #collab story #phighting ocs #not my oc #ocs

[wouldyoustilllovemeifiwasawyrm]

Brightblooms in the Well

Linktober 2023 Day 27: Light/Sparkle/Bright As soon as the idea popped into his head, he knew he had to act upon it before Zelda stopped him. He closed the gap between himself and his princess, cupping her face with nectar-soaked hands, pulling her into a kiss. A small gasp escaped her as she realized what he’d done. Her own hands flew to her cheeks as she pulled away, her fingertips brushing the glowing handprints he’d left. “Link!”

The evening sun begins to dip below the tree line of the western woods. Fireflies flicker to life along the well-trod path up the hill between Bolson’s model homes. Fresh, small footprints remain in the dirt, pressed in from the afternoon’s drizzle. A set running in, a much fresher set running back out toward Hateno.

No smoke rose from the chimney of their cottage this evening. Her golden horse nickered at him from the stall. Link clicked his tongue, leading Spot by the reins over to his own trough and stall box. He patted both horses on the nose, offering them each half an apple. Their soft lips tickled the palms of his hands.

Though he listened for signs of activity within the house, he heard none.

Curiously, Link climbed up onto the ledge beside the window, peering inside. No fire lit in the hearth. Not even a candle beside Zelda’s desk.

He furrowed his brows, trying to make out any sign of her in the darkness. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d returned home after a day of teaching and fell asleep. He squinted, just barely ascertaining the perfectly tucked sheets still intact on their bed.

No Zelda.

He frowned, trying to recall if anyone had said anything regarding her whereabouts to him on his way back to the house after working the fields with Reeve. Nothing came to mind. Quite the opposite, even. Clavia remarked that Zelda appeared in a rush to get home when the children finally ran out of the schoolhouse doors.

He walked along the raised pathway down the side of their home. There was still one place to check before he needed to worry. He peeked his head into the small storage room in the back of the cottage. Nope. Not in there. Though, as his eyes passed over the small tomato plant beside it, he noticed only the orange and yellow fruits remained. He doubted the children picked them, as most of them claimed to hate raw tomatoes and would only eat them when cooked onto something else. Zelda, on the other hand, ate them raw like apples.

With a hop, Link descended onto the stone step and back to the ground. He hefted himself over the edge of the well, slid down the ladder, and landed with a soft thud on the wooden dock beneath.

A blonde head turned quickly, her eyes wide in surprise. Ink stained her right cheek.

“You’re back early.” Zelda observed, incorrectly.

“It’s after seven.” Link informed her.

“Is it?” Zelda quickly checked the small timepiece on her desk, a gift from Robbie. A failed version of a miniature Sheikah Slate, not useful for much of anything except to tell the time. In blue symbols, the time shone across her features. “Oh, so it is. I’m sorry. I had intended to start making supper at five.”

“S’alright.” Link assured her. After checking that the book in front of her had a different color cover than her diary, he approached. “What have you been studying?”

Zelda held up a small, greenish-blue bud. “Brightblooms. I’ve been trying to discern what makes them glow.”

Link took the bud from her hand, examining it curiously. “And what have you found?”

Zelda heaved a heavy sigh, shrugging her shoulders. “Very little, I’m afraid. I’ve discovered that it is the nectar within the flower that supplies the light. See, here, the translucent skin of the petals. But as for what exactly within the nectar causes the luminescence, I have no idea. I thought perhaps it was a similar substance to that as is within fireflies, but I’m not sure.”

While Link had passed by brightblooms dozens of times, using them frequently in his explorations of dark caves, he hadn’t thought much about the why. He smiled. Of course, Zelda, in her inexhaustible curiosity, wanted to know what made them glow.

She slid her notebook toward him. Sketches and theories dotted the pages, which she flipped through as she spoke. “Fireflies produce a yellow light from inside a closed system. I believe it also has something to do with electrical signals that the firefly produces when it’s alive. Based on my observations, only living fireflies produce light. But that may not be the case at all. I’m afraid I don’t have the heart to squish one and observe whether the glow remains. I’ve only dissected ones which I’ve found already deceased.”

Link would offer to squish one for her and record the results, but that would defeat the purpose of her good-natured hesitation. He’d just tell her he squished it by accident.

“As you can see with this bud here, it also appears to be a closed system, emanating very little light.” Zelda continued. “But when the buds are struck, or else left to bloom on their own, they produce an abundance of light, but for a shorter duration. The ones I’ve planted down here will need to be replaced when their light eventually fades. They respond to physical stimuli, such as being struck, with quickly blooming and sticking to a surface.”

Link nodded, quite happy to listen to her talk science for as long as she wished.

Zelda produced another book, flipping through the pages until she reached a small sketch of a firefly. “This author speculates that the firefly produces light by the interaction of an enzyme with a kind of sugar located within the body of the insect. This book, in general, is about enzymes and their various uses. Fascinating material; you really ought to read it. It’s a perfect interaction of biology and chemistry.”

En-zime. Or, no, enzyme, with a Y. He quickly scanned the page, which had only a handful of words he recognized and several diagrams which he couldn’t hope to interpret. Lines and triangles and letters, arranged in some order that he was sure made sense to Zelda.

“As for the brightbloom, there is no mention of it in his book, and so I’m left to grapple with the mechanism with which it produces luminescence. I don’t believe it to be electrical.” She pursed her lips, tapping her fingertips on the wooden desk. “I’ve been comparing a bloom to these buds for, well, I suppose it must be several hours now. I had intended to discover something about the nature of the glow tonight. Symin and I were going to compare notes in the morning and discuss a lesson plan on bioluminescence for the children. But, it seems, that will have to wait, and I can only hope that Symin has made more progress on the subject than I.”

Link turned the bud over in his hands, examining it closely himself. The petals were very closely tucked together, with only the faintest glow emanating from within. If he struck the bud, or threw it against the wall, it would stick and bloom brightly. That much he’d observed firsthand. But what if he-?

In a moment of pure curiosity, he smashed the bud between his palms.

Blinding light burst in a sparking display and dripped between his fingers, sticky nectar splashing him in the face.

“Link!” Zelda cried, shielding her face from the splatter, specks of light landing on her hands and sleeves. “Hylia’s wings, why did you do that?!”

He could barely make out her exasperated expression from the light that shone around his eyes, obscuring everything in the darkness of the hidden study. “I wanted to know if it was air-reactive.” He answered honestly with a shrug.

“You- Well, Professor Link, what do you think?” Zelda asked.

“I think,” Link compared the split halves of the smushed bud in his palms, each of which glowed like a tiny, dripping star. “It might be.”

Zelda stood from her desk, pushing the little wooden chair back into its place tucked underneath. “I think that’s a very astute observation.” She took a small handkerchief from her pocket, and began trying to wipe away the nectar from his face—gently at first, then more aggressively as the stubborn nectar refused to budge. “Goddess, Link. This stuff will not come off!”

He winced as she dragged the handkerchief across his cheek rather forcefully, like she was trying to wipe his skin away.

She huffed, pulling the useless, now-glowing fabric away. “I think that only smeared it. I suppose we could just wait for it to stop glowing on its own, though there’s no telling how long that will take.” She folded the handkerchief carefully, keeping the glowing nectar from touching the surface of her desk. The palms of her hands also sported droplets of light, faraway celestial bodies blinking in and out as she moved. “Perhaps it’s water-soluble.”

“You want me to jump into the pool?” Link offered, already taking a step backward toward the edge of the platform.

Zelda pursed her lips. “I suppose that would be one way to remove the nectar, though a wet rag would probably be sufficient.”

“Aw, but that’s no fun.” Link teased. If this nectar really was water-soluble, which he hoped that it was, for his own sake, then there’d be no harm in… sharing it.

As soon as the idea popped into his head, he knew he had to act upon it before Zelda stopped him. He closed the gap between himself and his princess, cupping her face with nectar-soaked hands, pulling her into a kiss.

A small gasp escaped her as she realized what he’d done. Her own hands flew to her cheeks as she pulled away, her fingertips brushing the glowing handprints he’d left. “Link!”

Link laughed, the sound echoing off the stony walls of her study. “Now we match!”

“Oh, you cad!” She scolded. Though he couldn’t tell for sure beneath the glow on her face, he thought she might be blushing. Or maybe it was rage. Something in that range. “Give me that!” Zelda snatched the remaining brightbloom bud from his hands.

“Aw, come on, Zel. I was only jok-,“ Link started, cut off by Zelda’s very firm return of the kiss. Rather than her hands resting on his face, as was her typical habit, they roamed. Down his neck, up to his ears, tangled in his hair. All the while, the drip of nectar followed.

When she finally pulled away, a satisfied smirk on her lips, he could only imagine the state she’d left him in. “Well, what do you know? Maybe there are some similarities to fireflies after all. You certainly look like one now.”

Link would not be outdone. “Nah, a firefly is more like-,“ He grabbed Zelda’s ass, giving a playful squeeze. “-that.”

Zelda let out a small squeak of surprise, though she made no attempt to push him away. “You’re terrible, you know that?” Despite her admonishment, she soon returned the favor, grabbing his ass in return. “Just terrible.”

Link snickered, resting his forehead against Zelda’s. “You know, I bet this stuff washes off of skin much better than it does fabric.”

Zelda raised a brow. “Probably. Why does that matter?”

Another light-filled kiss brushed against her lips, leaving a celestial glow around her mouth. “Because,” Link whispered, trailing kisses toward her ear. “I want to cover you in it. And it would be a shame to ruin your nice blouse.”

#linktober 2023 #zelink #loz link #tears of the kingdom #loz zelda #loz fic #legend of zelda

[rachaelswrites]

Reckless

Wanda Maximoff x Sister!reader

Word Count: 726

Requested By: Anonymous

Heyo! Can you write something where the reader is injured in a fight and Wanda, her sister, saves her?

Warnings: Some language and mentions of injures (not descriptive)

“Shit,” you hissed as the bullet grazed the side of your head. You knew going out on this mission would be extremely risky but you thought you could handle it. FRIDAY hadn’t mentioned that on top of the two arms dealers the Avengers had been tracking, there would also be about five more lower level guys you had to deal with as well. You could handle two guys but seven? You should have backed down but you wanted to make the team proud and show them you can be an Avenger for real. Not just a sidekick.

As the gunfire rang in your ears and bullets passed by you, you found a small storage closet and hid to buy yourself time to think how to get out alive.

~~~~~

Back at the compound, your older sister Wanda was looking all over for you. It wasn’t rare that you were somewhere she couldn’t find you but normally, someone else had a clue about where you were off to but today, no one did. She didn’t go to FRIDAY often to check on you since she trusted you to be smart but she was getting worried. She went down to Tony’s lab and asked the AI if she knew where you went off to.

“FRIDAY, have you seen Y/n?” Wanda asked.

The computer took a second before responding, “Miss Y/n Maximoff left about two hours ago. She was headed to Texas.”

“What was she doing going there?”

“She is attempting to take down the Liontooth arms dealers. She has not checked in in about an hour.”

Wanda took a second to process what she was just told before she left the room and the compound entirely to go and hunt you down. Wanda knew how dangerous this group was and the fact that you went by yourself was something she couldn’t comprehend. You weren’t the kind of kid to go off and do something stupid like this. She was angry at you for leaving on a mission without telling anyone but also at herself for not realizing sooner what was going on.

~~~~~

You didn’t know how long you had been hiding in the closet but you still weren’t found. You could hear voices and footsteps right outside the door so you didn’t dare try to leave where you were. You decided to wait it out and just slip out once it was nightfall.

All of a sudden, there was a loud commotion and then silence. Even though something inside of you said it was safe for you to leave, you didn’t want to leave the room you were in. You kept listening to see if you could hear anything that would tell you what was on the other side of the door. At first, there was nothing but then, you heard your sister’s voice calling out for you.

“Y/n? Are you here Y/n?” she called. She was looking for you. After she was able to take down the dealers, her next thought was on you and if you were safe. She hadn’t seen any signs of you anywhere until a door burst open and you ran to her, nearly knocking her over.

“Y/n what were you thinking?” Wanda asked as she pulled you into a tight hug. She could already tell you were injured and in pain but she was just glad you were alive and in front of her.

“I’m sorry I thought I could do it,” you said, trying to not cry in front of her.

“Look at me,” Wanda said, taking a step away from you and cupping your face in her hands, “Please, don’t do that again. I was worried about you and now look at you. You’re hurt,” she gently moved her hand up to the side of your head where a bullet had grazed by your head.

“Can we just go?” you asked, “And you can save the lecture for the way back home?”

“Fine,” she said, starting to lead you out of the building, “But don’t think you can get away with this. What you did was reckless but I'm glad you’re okay.”

“And I’m glad you came and got me,” you said, looking up at her.

“Of course I did. You’re my little sister and it’s my job to protect you. No matter what it is.”

Taglist

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Marvel

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#x teen!reader #x sister!reader #wanda maximoff x sister!reader #wanda fanfic #wanda imagine #wanda mcu #wanda marvel #wanda maximoff #mcu imagine #marvel mcu #mcu #marvel fanfiction #marvel

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Midnight Blades {24}

Aemond Targaryen x princess!reader (Dark!themes) Summary: Your trip to the Temple takes a turn as the emotional turmoil triggers labour. Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, gore, birth, death WC: 2860

Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five || Part Six || Part Seven || Part Eight || Part Nine || Part Ten || Part Eleven || Part Twelve || Part Thirteen || Part Fourteen || Part Fifteen || Part Sixteen || Part Seventeen || Part Eighteen || Part Nineteen || Part Twenty || Part Twenty-One || Part Twenty-Two || Part Twenty-Three || Part Twenty-Four || Epilogue

The Temple of the Blood Witches was closed when you arrived, the acolytes having all left for the evening, but you held the skeleton key that opened the heavy doors. Your steps echoed along the stone of the foyer before you descended the damp stairwell that led to the apothecary storage rooms in the cellar. 

“Slow down,” Aemond warned as he followed you down after stopping first to light a torch. “I know you are in pain.”

“How do you know that?”

“You think I do not know my wife?” he scoffed, swapping the torch to his other hand so he could place one on the small of your back. “You have been flinching with every step. Wait here and I’ll find the medicine.”

“Stars forbid, you will probably find the water hemlock root instead.” He looked offended but you ignored it as you took another step. “I’m fi-” Your words died as you looked down in time to see the gush of water splatter at your feet.

“Shit,” Aemond cursed as he wrapped his arm around you and tried to turn you back up the stairs. “Let’s go.”

“No,” you spat as you fought against him. “Not without the pain relief. Unless you plan on knocking me out, I suggest we get moving.”

Aemond looked like he was ready to take you up on the offer but he sighed and pushed his fingers back through his long hair. “You are fucking infuriating.”

“Now is not the time for sweet talking, dear husband.”

The pain that had been growing steadily since you realised your fathers condition rapidly progressed after your waters broke. With each bend in the stairwell that led you deeper into the bowels of the Temple you could feel the contractions strengthening but you pushed it to the back of your mind and focused on what your father needed. 

The doors that lined the hall were once darkhouses, the cold and damp environment perfect for growing all manner of flora that could not thrive in the warmer climate above the surface. Some were still used for things such as the hallucinogenic fungi that aided with prophetic visions and helped lift the spirits of those feeling pain in the heart but most were turned to cool storage rooms over the centuries.

“Here,” you said as you handed Aemond the key and pointed to a specific door before leaning against the wall and suppressing the deep groan that was building. “Can you grab a jar from the cedarwood box? Not the redwood.”

Aemond took the keys without a word and hurried to the door, quickly unlocking it and slipping inside with the torch. You doubled over in the dark as you gritted your teeth and more liquid ran warm down your thighs. Your tongue bled as you bit it to keep silent and the coppery scent hit you as you slid down the cold floor, your skirts bunching up over your bent knees. 

“Got it,” Aemond called out, the torch filling the hall as he reappeared and found your hands between your legs.

“She’s crowning,” you whispered through tight lips as you felt her head breaching your canal. “Cloak.”

Aemond stabbed the torch into the wall sconce and shucked his cloak as he fell to his knees between your legs. Your fingers came away red in the fire light and they trembled as adrenaline flooded your entire body. 

“Wha-what do I do?” Aemond stammered as he saw the blood slick along your thighs and feared the worst. Aemond had been witness to Selaena’s birth but Grammy had been the one to deliver her, just like Aedira. He had not paid too much attention to anything other than your comfort and then the feeling of holding his newborn in his arms. 

“Feel…feel for the cord,” you panted as the pressure grew and Aemond gave a choked sound as her face appeared. “Unwind it if…it is around her…neck.”

Your head fell back against the stone wall with a thud but the pain was secondary as Aemond pushed your legs wider apart and checked for the umbilical cord. “I can’t see anything, there’s too much blood.”

“Aemond,” you murmured as your eyes started to drift shut. 

“My dear daughter.” Your eyes flew open wide as you saw your father standing to your left, his hand resting on your shoulder though you did not feel it. “You cannot rest just yet.”

“My little witchling.” Your mother appeared at your right just as you remembered her, and she crouched by your side as she touched your clammy brow. “You have done so well but your journey is not over yet, Mother of Queens. Push, darling.”

“I’m tired,” you whimpered before another shade appeared, then another. Grammy and Nate stood beside your mother and father. Each pair was a leader and their rightful heir for the titles you held. 

“I know, sweetheart,” your mother cooed gently, “but the living world needs you and that little girl.”

Grammy’s eyes faded to moonlight and her head tipped back as a hum of power filled the hall. “Three daughters, three Queens, the blessed trinity to unite the lands.”

Your mother patted your cheek as she said, “Remember, and live.” She slammed her palm into your chest and you felt as if you had been struck by lightning as the torch flared brightly and a gasp erupted from you. 

“-kill you myself!” Aemond shouted as he shook your shoulders and fell back on his heels as you startled awake. “By the gods, you’re alive…”

The whisper of Grammy’s words echoed in your head as a fresh contraction tightened your abdomen and you screamed as your fingernails dug into your knees that you gripped as you pushed. Aemond launched forward with his cloak as the pressure released with the torrent of hind waters and a shrill cry broke the air. 

You slumped against the wall as Aemond gathered the little girl wrapped in his cloak into his arms. He carefully shifted to your side so you could rest against him and look at the beautiful babe he held while you birthed the placenta.

“You scared me,” he whispered as he blinked a teary eye at you. “I can’t do this without you.”

“Guess the god of death spat me back out again,” you chuckled but it fell short at the glare he gave you. You reached out and caressed your babe’s soft cheek that was quickly gaining colour as you murmured, “I saw them all on the other side; Grammy, Nate, my mother…and my father. He’s gone, Aemond.”

Your husband pressed his lips to your forehead as he murmured his condolences, trusting the power in your blood to hold the innate knowledge despite being miles away from the palace. 

“I need you to cut it,” you said weakly as you saw the umbilical cord pale and the pulsing stop as the nutrient rich blood passed to your daughter. 

Aemond pulled the leather band from his hair with bloodied hands and tied it close to your daughter's stomach before he drew Midnight from your hip. He carefully folded the cord over the blade and sliced cleanly through it, letting the longer length fall to the floor between your legs.  

“Megaera,” he said, breaking the silence as he wrapped the cloak back around her. “What do you think?”

“Megaera,” you tested the name on your tongue and smiled. “It’s perfect.”

You should have been resting but royal custom dictated the funeral procession begin as soon as possible. A week was all you were allowed to recover from the blood loss and childbirth before the people gathered at dawn. 

The peak of Mount Vigor loomed ahead as you trailed the horse and wagon that carried the King, each step reviving the ache in your abdomen and between your legs. You would put your emotions aside, you would be unfeeling to the pain in your body and soul. You would hold your head high and make your father proud as you put one foot in front of the other and cradled your new babe in your arms. 

Aemond already had his arms full as Selaena begged to be carried as her legs tired with the climb. The six year old had her daddy wrapped around her fingers and it took little convincing for him to agree to carry her up the mountain. Unsatisfied with the view over his shoulder, she climbed atop them instead and tugged his crown from his head, messing the long silver strands of his hair.

“Careful, sweetheart, that’s sharp,” Aemond warned gently. 

Selaena ignored him and placed the Valyrian steel crown over her head, but it quickly slipped down to her shoulders. “I’m going to be King of Scythe one day, just like mother.”

You smiled and shook your head as Aemond corrected her, “Your mother is Queen.”

Selaena narrowed her eyes at the horse and wagon setting the pace of the procession before pointing a finger at the silk wrapped body of your father. “But Grandsire was King and now he’s dead so she’s the King.”

“Men are Kings, women are Queens,” Aedira said from where she followed, her arm looped through Viserys’ as the reserved teen silently offered his support. 

“That’s stupid,” Selaena huffed as she tugged the crown off and dropped it back on Aemond’s head a little off kilter. “When I am Queen I will change that.”

“Have you not been paying attention to your tutors?” Aemond asked softly. “There’s a line of succession passed down through the firstborn child.”

“But…” Selaena looked at her sister with tears in her eyes.

Aedira dropped her hold on Viserys and reached up for her sister’s hand. “I find the prospect of ruling one nation frightful, let alone two. My first declaration as Queen would be to place you upon the sister throne to my own.”

“What about Megaera?” you asked, intrigued by the proposition Aedira was navigating. “She might get jealous that she is left out.”

“The Dornish King had a son just last Fall, perhaps they will be a love match like you and father.”

Aemond choked on a laugh that he hid behind his hand. “Goodluck with that.”

“I haven’t even had the crown placed upon my head and they are plotting their own ascensions,” you said with a smile to your husband. “We might have to sleep in shifts lest a dagger finds its target.”

“I am an honourable fighter,” Aedira gasped in offence. “Cloak and dagger is not my style, I would challenge you to a duel.”

“That’s my girl,” Aemond chuffed proudly. “But I am the only one allowed to threaten your mother.”

“I would rather not be Queen anyway,” Aedira admitted as she looped her arm back through Viserys’ and rested her head on his shoulder. “Not if it means you and father are dead.”

“They could always abdicate,” Viserys said with his soft-spoken tone. “It’s rare, the last one being almost two centuries ago, but it has been done.”

The boy jogged your memory and you did remember reading that in the history books as a child. Some great-great-great-grandsire had ceded the throne to his son and become his advisor instead. It had been a peaceful rule from what you could recall, not a single war waged for the 60 years his son reigned. “I see you have spent your time in the royal library.”

“I find solace there.”

“I’m glad,” you said as you saw Aedira’s hand squeeze his with a smile. “Perhaps you will join us on our journey back to King’s Landing? Aedira seems more intent on learning the skill of the blade than the history of our nations.”

Viserys returned to his quiet, thoughtful state without giving an answer but you saw he took the offer to heart as he looked up to the weyr of dragons flying overhead. 

“Fighting is more practical,” Aedira commented. “What use is history, it’s all just stuff that's already happened.”

“It serves to avoid making the same mistakes as our predecessors,” Aegon said from behind the group where he carried his daughter in his arms. “That which we do not want to repeat. You should come home, little brother, you have been away too long.”

Night had fallen when you reached the royal bethel at the peak, the journey taking longer than usual with rest stops taken when the pain became too much to bear. Jaehaera had taken to carrying Megaera when your body had weakened and Aedira left Viserys’ side to offer her strength as she wrapped her arm around your waist.

As High Matron, you performed the Final Rites for your father just as you had for Grammy, only this time you could not complete them. “I cannot draw the bow string,” you said as you handed the bow and quiver of arrows to your eldest child. 

She took them with a wavering hand but you nodded reassuringly and her grip tightened. You held the bowl of oil as she dipped the arrow head in and then Aemond was there with the torch to ignite it. 

Aedira drew the arrow back in the string until the bow bent with her strength and she took aim at the pyre that the King had been laid upon. “Dracarys!” she ordered Kileyxs who circled above as she let the arrow fly. 

The arrow flew straight and true, igniting the pyre as Kilexys craned her neck and filled the sky with flames for her rider’s grandsire. 

“Dracarys!” 

The dragonriders surrounding you each honoured your father with towering pillars of flame that could be seen from across the nation and you almost collapsed as a wave of emotion hit you.

“Be strong,” Aemond murmured in your ear as he held you up. “You are not finished yet.”

He set you on your unsteady feet and reached for the circlet resting on your head. “Twelve years we have been breaking traditions, but this is big even for you. Are you sure?”

“This feels right,” you said with a nod and he lifted the diadem from your head. “Selaena, come here, my dear.”

Aedira grinned as her little sister skipped across the temple and stopped in front of you. 

“For the one who loves these lands above all else, I name you, Selaena Targaryen, Heir of Scythe.”

Her violet eyes widened and she looked to her sister. “I already have a crown, that one belongs to you,” Aedira reassured her.

The Lords and Ladies of court gasped as they realised what you were doing but none protested after they saw Aemond place his hand on his sword and the promise of violence on his smirk. The circlet was a little too big but with the braids styled around her white hair it draped elegantly across her head. 

It was Ferra the Soothsayer, who you had chosen as your Second to lead the Blood Witches in your absence, that appeared with a velvet cushion in her hands and the crown your mother wore resting upon it. You dropped to your knees and you were glad to feel the sharp stones beneath you, knowing your legs were struggling to hold you afoot.

“Allow me the honour, my queen,” Aemond said quietly as his voice thickened in his throat and he held the large diamond encrusted crown above your head. “This crown changes nothing, you were always my equal.”

The heavy weight of the crown settled on your head and you felt it bear down on your shoulders as Ferra placed the empty cushion on the table that held two small clay pots. Her lithe fingers dipped into the first and the oil glistened in the firelight before she brushed it over your brow and blessed your reign with good health. She took the second bowl and dipped her fingers in, coming away black with the ash of an ancient oak tree, as she recited the words as old as the tree itself. 

“With the ash of the First Oak that grew in the heart of Scythe, we remember that though what we loved has gone, the memory is ours to keep alive.” Your eyes closed as ash fell from your brow where she smeared it and you held your breath for the final declaration. “The King is dead, long live the Queen.”

The chant was echoed by the thousands down the mountainside and you felt the title settle deep in your bones.

“Rise, Queen Y/N, the First of Her Name, Queen of Scythe, and of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm.”

The gems embedded in the silver and crown reflected in the firelight and sent a cascade of colour around the temple as you rose to your feet with Aemond’s help. Turning, you faced your people for the first time as their Queen and for the first time the reality no longer brought you dread. You would make your family proud, both the living and the dead. That was your promise as you touched the sapphire hanging around your neck and felt the edges cut your palm.

Click here for the Epilogue.

Taglist: @hopebaker , @xcharlottemikaelsonx , @eddiemunson17 , @ninjabritches , @solacestyles , @hideing , @missusnora , @marrianena , @jonsncws , @dudfahsn , @queenofterrasen418 , @naeviahope , @averagethottie , @evilcherries , @delusionsofnostalgia , @le-who-zer-her , @readsalot73 , @thewew , @m-indkiller , @blackundertaker , @insxgtt , @adoringanakin , @dark-night-sky-99 , @hiatuswhore

#aemond x reader #aemond x y/n #aemond x you #aemond targaryen x you #aemond targaryen x y/n #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond imagine #aemond fic #aemond fanfiction #house of the dragon aemond #house of the dragon fanfic #hotd fanfic

[writingmaneskin]

Handwritten - An Ethan Torchio Story || Chapter Seven

Pairings: Ethan Torchio x OC Character

Summary: Words are magic and when one author pours their heart and soul into something, the Universe just…answers.

A/N: I think this is one of the fluffiest things I've ever written.

Fluff, mentions of smut 👀

Words: 3329

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THE MAIN MASTERLIST

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Aurora hummed quietly while adding the finishing touches to the table as Ethan started serving the pasta. 

“Thomas is thinking about settling with Tom.” Ethan blurted out, his friend’s words still clouding his mind. Thomas and Tom’s relationship was newer than his and Auri’s, yet Ethan knew Thomas well enough to know that he would not back out on this and he spoke his mind only because he was sure.

“I am really happy to hear this. Tom and Thomas deserve all the happiness in the world.” Auri said between bites.

“Yes, they do.” 

Auri reached out and squeezed his hand gently.

“I am really happy to be here with you.” 

“I am really happy too, cara.” Ethan wiped his mouth before kissing her very gently.

**

“Is it okay if I stay over tonight?” Ethan asked after they finished dinner.

“I was hoping you would.” Auri admitted.

Her words made him smile.

“I’m going to miss our time together when I am on the road.” 

“I am going to miss you.” Auri looked at him.

“I’ll be back, you know that.” 

“I know, but missing you will still be a thing when you are not here.” She went to him and pressed a kiss to his jaw.

“Would it be okay if I take something of yours with me on the road?” He held her and ran a hand through her hair.

“Of course, you can have whatever you want.” Auri smiled.

“Thank you, cara.” He kept holding her.

“I am going to need something of yours too, you know.” 

“The shirts you already stole are insufficient?” 

“I did not steal them! You left them here and I just sleep in them!” 

Ethan chuckled.

“What is mine is yours. You didn’t steal them.” He raised his hands in surrender.

Auri was sure her heart skipped a few beats.

“What is mine is yours too.” She got on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips.

**

Auri felt almost bubbly the next day, Ethan’s words playing over and over in her head. 

“You’re all sunshine and rainbows.” Tom said by way of greeting.

“I am, last night was really lovely.” Auri kissed Tom’s cheek before going inside the cafe where they’d met to order a cappuccino and breakfast.

Tom followed her and ordered food and coffee for himself too before the two sat down outside, each lighting a cigarette.

“It’s really refreshing seeing you this lively and happy.” Tom spoke after a moment.

“Things are finally aligning and the heaviness is lifting, I almost can’t believe it at times.” 

“You went through a lot, Auri. I think it’s a normal reaction to be disbelieving at times.” 

“I think it is too.” Auri took a drag from the cigarette. 

“So what is going on besides Ethan making you so happy?” 

“Well, the apartment is feeling more and more homey with each day which is something I’ve longed for ever since I moved out on my own. My old place might have seen me grow up but it never felt like home. It felt just like an apartment, like a storage space. This place feels like home and I actually enjoy spending time there and having people over.” 

“You have no idea how much relief your words bring.” Tom spoke softly.

Auri smiled.

“I signed up for a writing club and for a book club too, you know.” 

“That does not mean that my early access to your works is revoked, I hope?” 

“Of course you’ll still have access.” 

“And the smut better not stop flowing. I am loving the book recommendations.” 

Auri laughed at that.

“I am sure you are.” 

“Did you make Ethan read your favourites yet?” 

“No, not yet. Did you try those poses from your favourite with Thomas?” 

Tom grinned.

“I never kiss and tell.”

**

The moments when Ethan could roam around Rome without being noticed were rare and few in between but he appreciated every single one of them. Those were fragments of old normalcy that he sometimes missed even though he was off the grid whenever they had time off and people usually respected his privacy.

But he had a mission - to get Auri’s gifts for their birthday and prepare a nice surprise. It was only one step of the plan, he was still to meet the twins to discuss the limits and the grandeur of the surprise that they would pull off.

“When can we meet?” It was a text from Tom, pulling him away from making the decision on which journal to get, and whether or not to get matching journals for himself and Auri.

“I should be done at the bookshop soon. Maybe give me half an hour? I can meet you in Trastevere?” 

“YOU’RE IN A BOOKSHOP WITHOUT ME????” He could hear Tom’s disappointed tone.

Ethan replied with his live location.

“Was it that hard?” His focus was interrupted by Tom who walked up to him not even fifteen minutes later.

“What?” Ethan grinned and hugged his friend.

“Telling me that we are going book shopping to begin with!” 

“Oh. No, I was just distracted. I want to get Auri everything but for everything to also be perfect.” He admitted shyly.

“May I look through what you’ve selected?” Tom smiled and looked in the basket that Ethan was holding. He saw a few titles that he knew Auri was planning to read, a lovely edition of one of her favourite romance novels and two beautiful journals, one lilac and one black.

“She will love the selection, you did well.” Tom praised.

“Thank you. I want to pick out some things for myself too and we can go grab a coffee after, if you’d like.” 

“Yes, Eli should be finishing work soon and we can pick them up on the way to the cafe and just catch up.” 

“That’s a good plan. So, how have you been doing?” Ethan looked at his friend for a moment, whose smile only widened while picking some of the same books that were chosen for Auri as their book tastes ran similarly.

“I am really happy. I was worried if moving back to Rome would be the right decision for me but I am glad I came back. Being closer to my parents and this new thing with Thomas, it’s really bringing me joy. And Eli and Auri both being here also adds so much joy to my life.” 

“I was worried about you, you know?” Ethan admitted.

“Why?”

“Well, for a while you and Thomas were going back and forth but not really taking action, or so it seemed, and I worried that you’ll end up with your heart broken.” Ethan explained.

“That’s… that’s very kind of you.” Tom squeezed the drummer’s arm.

“I love Thomas but that doesn’t mean that you are not important to me too.” Ethan smiled in return.

“You’re important to me too, Eth and I can’t tell you how relieving it is for me to see you happy and with one of the most important people in my life.” 

Ethan blushed at the mention of Auri.

“You’re so cute, really.” Tom teased.

“She is becoming a very important person in my life, you know?” Ethan admitted shyly, knowing that his words would stay with Tom until he was ready to talk to Auri.

“I can tell. Eli is very protective of Auri and so am I, but I feel like she is safe with you and you have brought her so much happiness that I can only thank you.” 

“She has brought me joy too.” 

“I can tell.”

Ethan inhaled deeply, looking at the now small pile of journals that he’d added to the book stack in his basket. 

“I should stop.”

“No, you shouldn’t.” Tom joked.

“I really should.” Ethan chuckled.

**

The closer that time ticked to her birthday, the more unease she felt, and the more she wanted to shut off the parts of herself that she felt were too vulnerable. 

Aurora’s phone lit up with yet another notification that was trying to pull her away from the world she had immersed herself in.

“I am taking you shopping.” She glimpsed Tom’s words and her focus went completely away as she picked up the phone.

“Why?” 

“Since when do you need an explanation for shopping?”

“Is it book shopping?” 

“No.” 

“Then why are we going shopping?”

“Because your birthday is coming and we need to get you an outfit for the party.”

“Tom…”

“No arguments. Consider it my birthday gift.” 

“Fine, when do you want to go?” 

“Now? Unless you’re busy?”

She considered it for a moment, knowing that getting out of the house would be the wise decision but also not really feeling it. 

“I have to get ready.” 

“Just let me in, I’m outside.” 

She pressed the button that opened the outside door and opened the door of the apartment.

“You really should give me a set of keys.” Tom said as a way of greeting.

“I really should, yes.” Auri hugged him tightly and held on for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” Tom held her even tighter when she wasn’t letting go.

“I am not sure, I think it might just be an off-day but thank you for coming when you did.” 

“You are my best friend, and we are both getting used to being in the same city and it’s really nice to be able to see you and hug you whenever I want, you know?”

Auri nodded, a tear rolling down her face. 

“I love my new life, I love the way it’s all coming together, but fuck I am overwhelmed.” 

“I know, tesoro. I know. But you are doing so well.” He got a strand of hair away from her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“I don’t think I am capable of going shopping. Not right away.” Auri sniffled.

“That’s okay. Can I stay? I don’t want to leave you right now.” 

“Please stay.” 

The two moved to the sofa and Auri curled up, her head resting on Tom’s lap.

“You’re like a cat.” 

Auri sniffled again.

“Is it the birthday blues hitting you hard, tesoro?”

“I think so. I talked in therapy about it and my therapist gave me useful advice but I am still overwhelmed. I mean, we are what - eight to ten people, just the closest circle? I am terrified.” 

“You know that nothing bad will happen.” 

“I know but the anxiety is making me spiral. It’s making me freeze and I need to start planning this so it doesn’t turn into a last minute shitshow.”

“Can I take something off your plate? Or just keep you company?”

Auri lifted her head and looked at her best friend.

“Will you?” Tears started coming back.

“Of course.” 

“But I already refused earlier… I told Ethan that I want to plan it.”

“He will understand. As long as you’re okay, I am sure he will understand. Plus, he is really excited about celebrating you.”

“He is?” 

“Yes. But I am not telling you more.”

Auri smiled a little.

“I am not going to push you but I think some shopping might cheer you up and we can go by the bookstore later.” Tom offered.

Auri looked at him.

“And get gelato?”

“And get gelato.” 

She sat up slowly and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Of course, kid.”

Her phone buzzed with an incoming call when she was getting up.

“Hi sunshine.” She smiled, picking up Ethan’s call.

“Hi tesoro. How is the day going?” 

“Mostly okay, I am about to go get ready to do some shopping with Tommy. How are rehearsals?”

“That’s why I am calling, rehearsals are going to be running late because some people overslept and we had a long lunch in the break.”

“Oh. Hopefully they won’t run too late.”

“I hope so too, but I am calling so you don’t worry.”

“Thank you, amo. Text me if anything changes, okay?” 

“I will. Have the best time with Tommy and I’ll see you soon.” 

“Good, have good rehearsals!” 

She hung up and looked at Tom, not saying a word, just smiling.

“What?”

“I am falling more and more each day.”

“I know.” 

Tom knocked on the bedroom door some minutes later, and saw Aurora sitting on the floor doing her makeup, already dressed.

“Just checking on you.”

“I am okay. Will you grab dinner with me?” 

“It will be my pleasure. Eli and Angie are busy at the office, so it’s just you and me.”

“They can come next time.” Auri added the finishing touch of her makeup.

“You look beautiful.” Tom complimented. Auri was wearing a black dress with a small bag, her hair pinned out of her face and her makeup was simple but the red lipstick tied it all together.

“Thank you.” She smiled. 

“Ready to go?”

“Yes, but let’s take a picture first.”

The two posed in front of the mirror in the corridor, Tom towering over Auri and looking very similar to her with his black pants and black bedazzled shirt, his black and blue hair slicked as well. The bedazzling of his shirt and gold elements and he wore his favourite green and gold bracelet.

“You look like Loki.” Auri giggled.

“I will take that as a compliment.”

“It is one.” She took a few pictures before sending one to Ethan and one to Eli and putting the phone away in her purse.

“I’m really glad we get to do this.” Tom took her hand as they walked outside.

“I’m really glad too. It finally feels like I can breathe, you know?”

Her words hurt his heart and he pulled her in for a hug in the middle of the sidewalk. 

“Nothing bad will ever happen to you again.” He promised quietly, still holding her.

“We don’t know that.” Auri argued, swallowing away the tears that were threatening to ruin her makeup.

“Even if shit hits the fan, we’ll take care of you.”

“I know. I will take care of you too.” Auri promised in turn.

He kissed her forehead again before letting go. 

**

“I know that three of you Kens are all lovey-dovey and honeymooning and everything but I really want you to get yourselves together so we can finish rehearsing and go home at a decent hour.” Vic insisted after Damiano fucked up the lyrics of one of their songs and stopped the whole song from frustration.

“Okay, Barbie.” Thomas chuckled.

“No cigarette breaks until we get at least three songs perfect.” Vic insisted.

“Now, that’s rude and uncalled for.” Thomas frowned.

“And no phones until the next cigarette break, Ethan.” Vic added, seeing that Ethan had already picked up his phone.

“Just one second!” He put his drumstick down and typed quickly “you look exquisite” before sending it and locking his phone again. 

“We need to get our shit together.” Damiano also put his phone away.

“Yes, we do, otherwise we’ll end up sleeping here and you three will probably pine the night away.” 

“Okay, then. Less talking, more playing.” Thomas clapped his hands.

“Watch him not make any mistakes now.” Damiano grinned as music started filling the room again.

It was almost midnight when they finished rehearsals. His hands were sore from playing and he was sweaty and tired. 

“You look like you could use some sleep.” Damiano told his friend.

“I just want to figure out which house I am going to.”

“You’ll be so glad when you stop playing the game of going back and forth between the apartments.” Damiano patted Ethan’s shoulder.

“I know but it has to be the right time.” 

“True.” Damiano lit a cigarette. 

“I got you dinner and I can meet you at your apartment in a bit if you’d prefer to go home today.” Auri typed in the chat. 

“Thank you, tesoro. I will meet you at my apartment, I’m leaving the studio now.” He typed back before looking at Damiano. 

“Don’t you always go on about how home is where the heart is?” He teased his friend, lighting a cigarette of his own.

“I don’t always go on about it, but you know it’s right or you’ll figure it out soon enough.” Damiano winked.

“I think I am starting to see the meaning behind your words.” Ethan admitted, inhaling deeply.

“I can only be happy for you.” Damiano smiled.

“Thank you.”

Ethan got out of Damiano’s car not that long after, and sure enough, Auri was waiting outside. 

“Did you wait long?” He kissed her very gently.

“No, Tom just dropped me off.” She smiled and hugged him with one arm, the other holding the bag with the food. 

“Did you two have a nice day together?” He started unlocking the doors to his apartment.

“Yes, we did some shopping and had dinner and gelato, and then I realised that you’ll probably be hungry by the time rehearsals are over so we went to get a snack and get you some dinner, as well as dinner for Thomas and then you texted and Tommy drove me here before going to see his boyfriend.” Auri followed Ethan inside.

“You are saving me right now.” He kissed her again once they got into the apartment.

“I wouldn’t want you to starve.” She smiled and kissed him again and again.

“I missed you today and Vic bullied us because we were all distracted.”

“I missed you too. But I am glad we are together now.” Auri said as Ethan reached to get the bag of food and winced as his hand cramped. Auri noticed it immediately.

“Go and wash up, I’ll set the table and then I’ll take care of you.” She stole another kiss before going to the kitchen, and for a second he was stunned by her words, something warming in his chest before he did as they’d said.

Auri got the pasta she’d ordered for him plated and got two glasses with ice tea on the table for the two of them. 

“Are you in a lot of pain?” She asked as soon as he got to the kitchen.

“No, it’s just a bit annoying. I’ll put on cream later and it should pass by the morning, don’t worry.”

She gave him a look that he knew meant of course, i’ll worry and smiled before sitting down. 

“Thank you again for taking care of me.” 

“It’s my pleasure.” Auri lit a cigarette. 

“How did shopping go?” He asked between bites.

“We got some stuff, Tom wanted to get my birthday gifts even though I assured him twenty times that he didn’t need to get anything. So we bought clothes and books and it ended up being nice.”

“I am glad to hear it was nice.” He smiled and wiped his mouth on a napkin.

“Where is this cream you use?” Auri asked as he started cleaning up after himself. 

“In my room, on the nightstand.”

“I’ll get it.” 

“I need to shower first. Today was sweaty.” 

“That’s hot.” Auri grinned.

“Want to join me? We could save on some water?”

“That sounds ideal actually.” She agreed. 

**

Ethan could hear the noise out on the street, even though it wasn’t too loud. He knew that dawn neared with every passing minute and he didn’t regret staying up, despite the exhaustion, just to spend some time with Auri. 

She had taken care of his hands and the rest of his upper body and he’d held her as she whispered about the ideas that were running through her head about stories that she needed to tell.

He carefully turned on his side and put his hand on her waist, gently enough not to wake her. “You're a dream I didn't know I had and a dream I hope I can keep around forever.” He said quietly before kissing her bare shoulder and slowly drifting off to sleep as well. He held her the entire night.

----

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[830poll]

(96. Fill me in - how are they taking it? (sorry i spaced out for what feels like three months. where are we, again)* - 27.3%)

(*a tie - we'll move on next update!)

Mm, I thought that might be the case. After so many brushes with death today, it's understandable that your memory might be getting spotty.

Not to worry. Sit down, take a deep breath - it's all perfectly simple!

You are currently in the coastal town of Port Byrock. A charming little community that places great importance on the maintenance of its seven lighthouses - the sideways one by the cliffs, especially.

Unfortunately the lighthouse staff that were supposed to be on duty abandoned their posts. And now there's a horrible storm going on, the sun has vanished, and three of the four structures you've stepped foot in today have been demolished by the wind or worse.

So far you've managed to outrun most of the chaos with the help of your old acquaintance Hat. I'm still not sure why he's in this story, but he's unflappable, great at first aid, and a leading factor in your continuing existence. So I'm grateful she's here.

As for whether there's a correlation between the abandonment of the lighthouse and the destruction of the town...? Hard to say.

Albin, your other companion, seems to think that's the case. He claims the lighthouse he was stationed at had a magical painting that could alter reality, but then again, he also thinks the sun isn't real and that underground office workers were trying to steal his cat, so who knows. He's a weird guy.

Albin helped you and Hat escape the worst of the storm by hiding out in some secret tunnels that run below the town. After narrowly escaping Moth Mann and some kind of… thing that patrols said tunnels, you've arrived at the Byrock Aquarium. It's a small, sturdy building built partly below the waves.

From how crowded it is, you suspect it's doubling as the town's emergency shelter. That would explain the gaggle of schoolchildren you bumped into earlier, as well as the presence of the Channel 6IX news crew.

You left the schoolchildren downstairs where it's safe and took some time to gather your bearings.

You and Hat got to chatting about work. Turns out you're a professional stunt double for people in witness protection, and have gotten kidnapped four times over the past three days. This is great news for Hat, because you suspect they kept mistaking you for her? Maybe? Actually I still don't know what you look like but it would certainly explain my own blunder this morning.

Anyway, that got tabled when Albin spotted the news crew and went to talk to them. You did too - you wanted to sell proof of Moth Mann's existence for a quick buck. Albin, meanwhile, is convinced the town is falling apart because of some conspiracy and wants to enlist the help of the news if he can.

And that brings us to now! A tiny storage room in Byrock Aquarium, where you are all talking in private.

Albin is currently pleading his case with my camera crew. I suppose you could try to help him out, if you want more people on his side. Or you could leave him to it and peace out. Or maybe there's something more pressing you'd like to discuss.

There's probably some other... minor things I'm forgetting. Like how you think I'm a divorced bowler whose wife ran off with Moth Mann. Or the fact the Weather department radioed out a few messages, then went silent. That the thing Albin calls a "cat" can mimic sounds its heard, or how you're wearing a shark towel as a toga to hide the bloodstains and light-up sneakers...

(If there's anything in particular you'd like a refresher on, let me know in whatever form's easiest and the narrator will try to address it!

If not, I'll move things along tomorrow.)

#8.30 poll #8.30 recap #do you ever take a step back and reflect on your own fucking narrative hubris