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madxyy · 1 year

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anything for munson - eddie munson x fem!reader

| summary: you try to take care of a drunk eddie munson

| warnings: smut-ish, use of y/n once, mention of drinking, eddie being a menace even when he is drunk, friends to lovers, dry humping, kissing, pet names, a little bit of steve x reader, use of she/her, a lil fluff, flirting?

a/n: help.

You told him. No, you warned him. Damn you for giving in and going with him to this stupid party that you didn’t even want to go to in the first place, but dear-old-you loved him too much. All you wanted to do was spend the saturday night in his trailer, learning how to play dnd while the bad horror movies you both picked out roared in the background, glances—that held so much more than a glance—shared across the room, him offering you weed while you declined him but thank him for offering it to you anyways, which then leads him to respond with a dramatic knife to the heart and sad puppy dog eyes that you love oh-so-much.

But no, now you’re stuck dragging drunk Eddie to his room while one of your arms is circled around his waist and the other one holding his hand that is resting on your shoulder.

Damn Steve for challenging him to a keg stand, steve was already 4 shots in when he stumbled in your conversation, basically headlocking him, “hey munson,” he slurred “I bet I can beat your cult-loving-freak ass to a keg stand, what’d you say?” eddie craned his neck to steve, a sly smirk slowly creeping its way onto his lips “alright pretty boy, what do I get in return?” he scoffs, “you gotta be kidding me munson, you are in MY house, drinking MY beer, eating MY snacks, lounging around in MY kitchen while also getting the chance to flirt with y/n, thanks to me if I must say, so you basically got a whole package deal” you and eddie both tensed up as a tinge of pink overtakes both your faces

“i’m not flirting harrington that’s just my natural charm” he says humorously, steve scoffs

“yeah sure, and I have a successful love life”

“still as charming as ever steve even when you’re drunk,”

His eyes darted to yours–a mischievous look behind those hazel eyes–as he looked at you up and down, slowly walking up towards you “mm only for you baby” he winks “oh well...in that case, let’s take this party upstairs shall we?” giving him a sly smirk. Eddie just watches you two, jaw clenched, eyes set on the way steve is leaning towards you, hands on his chest while you bodaciously bat your eyelashes at him, the way his lips are bitten between his teeth just by looking at you. He knows you and steve always joke around like this and that nothing will ever happen but he can’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy, even though you are a free woman and can date whoever you want, he just can't help seeing you with anybody else. As soon as steve puts a hand on your waist, Eddie puts a hand on his chest, pushing him off just a little bit rough then he was meaning to, “alright harrington, let’s go” he said in a dark tone, steve gaze switches to you from eddie, blinking at him, “wait wait so just to be clear you know you are getting absolutely nothing in return, right?.”

He glances back behind you “Damn babe, did a tornado enter my humble abode” he says while dramatically putting a hand towards himself to indicate ‘moi?.’ You pushed down the way the nickname made a blush crept onto your cheeks. “No munson, that would be you and your own drunken recklessness” he snorts.

You let go of his hand and open his bedroom door, gently laying him on his side. You get up to get a trash can to put on the side of the bed but a hand stops you midway “where you goin’ princess?” he says looking up at you with a lopsided smile. “just going to get a trash can and a cold rag eds” he stares up at you with the most starstruck expression like he can’t believe someone wants to actually take care of him. It pains you. After beats of silence you clear your throat, he sighs “okay”. He reluctantly lets go of your hand, letting the touch of each other's hands linger “I’ll be back” you offer him a soft reassuring smile.

After you come back and put the trash can on the side of his bed you ask him to hold the rag on his head while you undress him. As you start taking off his shoes and pants “jeez take me on a date first sweetheart” you ignore him as you continue to slide his black pants down his legs.

“Shut up munson, do you want to be sweating balls through the night?”, he gives you a pout that is just too cute, you just want to kiss it off him.

“Exactly”

You put the sheets over him and grab the cold rug from his limp hand “Thank god, my hand was exhausted!” you shake your head while giggling. Always one for the dramatics. “Oh no! We cannot let Eddie THE Banished hands go limp, we must save the hand doctor before it’s too late!” he gives you a look “har har har, very funny sweetheart” pride takes over you as you smirk down towards him. You realized, you never REALLY got to observe his features up close like the way his eyes crinkle when he gives you a slight smile, how his eyes are usually a dark shade of brown but right now the lamp on his nightstand is giving them a beautiful hue of caramel, the way his nose is so perfectly curve “Y’know you are very beautiful sweetheart” wait. Shaking your head to get out of your own thoughts, you nervously chuckled. “Eddie, you're drunk.” He rolls his eyes

“No I mean it, sober and not sober,” softly cupping your cheeks,

“you are so beautiful. Cross my heart”, you inhale sharply.

You froze, you couldn't say anything, your mouth was opening and closing but no words were coming out. He laughs. HE LAUGHS?!?!

“Sweet heart calm down, i’m pretty sure you get told that all the time” he said it so casually it astonished you. The only time someone has ever called you pretty was one of your family members, especially when you were little. The room all of a sudden turned silent. Oh. Oh shit. Realization quickly dawned on him as his eyes bulged out of his head while millions of thoughts raced through his head, ‘people are out of their goddamn mind for not telling you every single day how beautiful you are’, ‘what?!?! who? when? where? and most importantly why?, ’screw them all’, ’how can they not??’. He composed himself and slowly sat up “Well..” clearing his throat as he got closer to you. He looked up at you under his lashes then to your lips, god your lips. He didn’t know he was subconsciously licking his “they should.” You inhaled sharply. All of a sudden you’re aware of how close you two are “Eddie what..” he was still staring at your lips like he was in a trance and couldn’t escape no matter what you did, you even scooted back a little but that just made him scoot closer to you “Eds come o-” you were cut off by a pair of soft lips that made you gasp which to eddie, gave him access to slip his tongue in. You let out a whimper and god eddie swears it was the most beautiful noise he has ever heard. Embarrassed, you hastily disconnect your lips from his, “Eddie, oh my god i'm sorry” you both stare at each other with swollen lips and flushed cheeks “No baby, don’t apologize that was the hottest shit i’ve ever heard” he said breathlessly, before you can utter a response, his lips were on yours again, except this time more aggressive, more passionate, less gentle.

He grabbed your hips and pulled you onto his lap. It was messy, everything about this was messy, sloppy, hands everywhere. His hand was gripping the nape of your neck while the other one was situated on your waist slowly making its way down your thigh. Your arms looped around his head. “Baby” he murmurs “you don’t know how long i've been wanting to do this” you made a sound in the back of your throat as a sign of acknowledgement and nodded. He smiled into the kiss. His thumbs were rubbing back and forth on your thighs, making you subconsciously open them up wider. You started rubbing yourself on his thigh, back and forward, back and forward, until something made you freeze. Something hard touched the side of your thigh. oh Oh? OH You looked up at him breathlessly, guilt automatically taking over-shit-as much as you wanted this to happen, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. “Eddie holy shit. We really shouldn't have done this. I'm so sorry, i’m supposed to be taking care of you, oh my god, i'm so sorry” you say hastily. He understands, he really does but he can’t help it, you are so captivating that all he can do is smile at you with admiration “I mean…” he says dragging the ‘e.’ “technically you are taking care of me just in a…..unique way.” he smirks, this cocky son of a bitch. You rolled your eyes and giggled as you hit him on the chest “Eds i’m serious” you whispered “I want to do this the right way, when you’re sober” he gently strokes your cheekbones “I understand sweetheart” You sigh. He connects his forehead with yours. After moments of silence “Do you want to go on a date with me?” asked in the most gentle tone you have ever heard, like the question was made of glass. He looked up at you with a hopeful expression -- like a little kid waiting in line to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas – which you couldn’t say no to “Of course eds” he smiles up at you with lovesick eyes, before anything else “but we’ll talk more about this in the morning, I don’t think right now is the right time” you say giving him a gentle smile.

He exhales deeply but then nods because you’re right. He is sober for the most part but still a little bit drunk and not in the right mind space. You gently get off him and lay down beside him. Eddies turns to you

“thanks for taking care of me”

you smile “i’ll always take care of you munson.”

His smile extends “goodnight sweetheart”,

you were about to say goodnight until you glanced behind his shoulder and caught the sight of something. Confusion settles in him as you turn him to face the other side of the bed “what are you doing babe” you blinked up at the set of curls facing you, “making sure you don’t choke on your own vomit munson, I put that trash can there for a reason.” The back of his head starts moving as he shakes his head “Damn baby, are you sure that’s the reason? Or Is it because you can’t handle looking at this beautiful, gorgeous, sexy face” rolling your eyes “can it munson or i’ll suffocate you in your sleep” slightly turning his head over his shoulder “I mean I have other ideas of what you can suffocate me with” you can practically hear the smirk in his voice “OH MY GOD” you say as you hit him with a pillow “eddie just go to sleep” he just keep on giggling like it was such a knee slapper. You hit on the arm, “okay okay” he says breathlessly

“i’ll go to sleep, just for you princess”

“good.”

Now he’s the one that can hear the smirk in your voice and all he can do is shake his head as he turns back to the other side of the bed. After a few seconds you scoot closer to his back. Hands cautiously circling around his waist “Is this alright?” you asked softly. He chuckled “Of course” he whispers as his hands engulfs the one holding his waist. “Goodnight eddie”, smiling to himself, “goodnight sweetheart.”

Maybe going to the party was worth it.

#stranger things fanfic #stranger things #eddie x fem!reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #joeseph quinn #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #st4 #hellfire club #eddie munson smut

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eldritch-nightmare · 5 months

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Can we have headcanons where the reader gets scared of the pastas and try to run away?

a/n: yes you can!! decided to just do 5 creepypastas here just to ease myself back into writing. this isn't proofread btw

includes: jeff the killer, the bloody painter, eyeless jack, homicidal liu, and zalgo.

warnings: unhealthy relationships, possessive behavior, mentions of cults, overprotective behavior, kidnapping, swearing, does this qualify as yandere? i think it does so, that's basically the gist of it, yeah.

JEFF THE KILLER

Okay first of all, how fucking dare you? Second of all, how fucking dare you?

You should be scared, honestly.

I mean, honestly, what the hell were you thinking? You can't run away from him, you idiot. There's no escape. You're stuck with him! He thought you knew that already.

Apparently not, seeing as the lovely little cabin he was keeping you in was empty and the front door was wide open when he arrived.

You're not going to be able to calm him down when he eventually finds you. It doesn't matter how long it takes, or how far you've gotten. He will find you. You're his. You're not allowed to leave him, ever.

"Do you wanna fucking die?" Were the first words that came out of Jeff's mouth when he found you. You had been running through this damned forest for hours now, and it was when you finally decided to take a short break that he had caught up to you. It wasn't hard to find you, he knew these woods like the back of his hand.

The anger was heavy in his words and in his actions. His grip on you has always been tight, but this was worse. Your arm stung as his nails dug into your skin, dragging you closer to him. You tried to ignore the knife pressed against your side, but it was easier said than done.

You ran from him because you were scared of him. That was your excuse, as you struggled to get out of his grasp without getting yourself stabbed.

It definitely got a laugh out of him, one full of malice. Oh, you're scared? Big fucking deal, that doesn't mean you can up and leave him. And when he drags you all the way back to the cozy little cabin in the woods that he lovingly kept you locked away in, trust me, you'll regret ever trying to run away from him.

If you want him to leave you alone so badly, then so be it.

THE BLOODY PAINTER

He's a little annoyed, to be honest. He thought you loved him, so you running away from him certainly made him upset.

Helen didn't want you to be scared of him. He wanted you to love him, and he wanted to have a normal relationship with you.

But he supposes he isn't all that shocked. He's a serial killer, after all. It's not surprising that you wanted nothing to do with him.

The moment he realized you were gone, he was abandoning everything to hunt you down.

Even if you are scared of him, he can't let you leave him.

There was a look of heavy disappointment in Helen's expression when he found you. It's the most emotion you've seen on his face in the time that you've known him. He had you cornered, so you couldn't get away from that damned expression.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be," He had said when you stumbled backward as he approached. Helen would never hurt you, so why are you so afraid of him? Can't you see that he loves you? Is it really that hard to trust him? He thought you loved him, so coming home to an empty house just... it hurt him a lot, can't you see?

He doesn't want to hurt you, he just wants you to take his hand so he can take you home.

But he won't hesitate to knock you out if you refuse to go willingly. He loves you so much, there's simply no way he can ever let you leave him. Besides, you know far too much. It would be risky if he let you go.

And when you wake up, you'll be confined to one room until he's certain you won't try and leave him again. He gets that you're scared, he truly does, but you need to behave.

EYELESS JACK

Feels genuinely guilty for maybe a solid 5 seconds before instincts take over.

Honestly, he's probably the only one here that will catch up to you immediately. He has a keen sense of smell, and you're his mate, so of course he's going to be able to find you with ease.

He doesn't like that you're scared of him. You were supposed to love him! You're mates! Why are you scared of him?

Like... actually genuinely confused as to why you ran away.

You could've just talked to him! Why'd you have to run?

Well, it's too late now. You chose to run, so he'll gladly chase you down to the ends of the earth if he must. He's not going to let you leave him, there's no chance.

The Jack you know is awkward, and stoic. But he's stressed to you many times that he loved you deeply. The Jack that crashed into you after spending hours hunting you down after you ran away was different.

Sometimes you forget that he was a little less than human because when he dragged you to the ground with him, his chest was heaving and he was barely able to contain the growl in his voice as he spoke, "I caught you."

His claws were digging into your skin, threatening to draw blood if you so much as squirmed underneath him. A subtle threat, one that you took very seriously.

It truly isn't his intention to scare you. He loves you more than you'll ever know. But you can't leave him. You can't. He needs you. The second he decided that you were the one for him, your fate was sealed. He refuses to let you leave him, no matter how scared of him you are. You'll learn to get over this fear, he's sure of it.

HOMICIDAL LIU

Oh. Yeah. Okay. Totally. That... that hurts, yeah. Don't get him wrong, he gets it. But ouch.

If he were in your position, he'd probably be scared as well. And for a brief moment, he considers letting you go but...

He can't. He just can't. He loves you too much to let you go, and it's just too dangerous for you to be out there in the world, where he can't protect you.

He's really good at tracking people down, it's basically his specialty, so you won't be able to get too far before he's behind you.

He knows you're scared. He gets it. He understands. But he's doing this for your own good. He hopes you'll come to understand that one day as well.

He had found you hours after you managed to sneak away from him, but he didn't make his presence immediately known. He was having an internal struggle, torn between letting you go and bringing you back into his arms. He didn't want you to hate him, but he couldn't stand the thought of you getting hurt.

He made it quick, knocking you out before you had even realized he was there. And when you wake up, back in the safety of the little hideaway he keeps you in, you see Liu with an expression of pure and genuine guilt in his expression.

"I'm sorry." He had said, because he was.

Liu is doing this for your own good. He's just trying to keep you safe. If he had let you go, who knows what could've happened to you! You have a target painted on your back, and there's someone out there who wouldn't hesitate to kill you if it meant getting to Liu.

So, no. You can't leave him. He needs to keep you safe.

ZALGO

Yeah, good luck with that. The likelihood of you ever being able to leave Zalgo is damn near nonexistent. He has eyes everywhere, always watching you.

But let's say you do manage to run away without him noticing. Good job, by the way. That's not an easy thing to do. He'd be really pissed though.

He doesn't have attachments to people, seeing them as objects for him to toy around with until he grew bored. But you? You were special.

You were his favorite toy. He cherished you, kept you locked away so no one else could have you. Your fear was cute! He couldn't just let you go.

Rest assured, he will find you. He'll drag you back to your rightful spot.

Zalgo had been both impressed and enraged when he saw that you were gone. He had eyes everywhere, always watching you, alerting him if anything were to ever happen to you. For a moment, he had thought that someone had up and taken you. After all, why would you run away from him? You were smarter than that, surely. But he was wrong. You had left. Somehow managed to sneak out without him ever noticing.

Finding you wasn't going to be too much of an issue. His power was immeasurable, his influence vast. He had too many cults to keep track of, and they were all hunting for you. He was sure to greatly reward whichever cult found you first.

And once you were safely brought back to the cage he kept you in, he would linger around more than he normally does. Clearly, the pieces of him that he leaves behind to monitor you have been growing complacent, so he intends on sticking around until you learn your lesson, "Aw, does my presence make my little human scared?"

He thinks your fear is adorable, and he can't fault you for that. He's very angry that you ran away, however, and rest assured that he won't let that go unpunished. Clearly, you've gotten too comfortable here in this realm of mortals. Perhaps it would be best if he brought you to his domain... you would certainly have a much harder time escaping if he did that.

You'll only have yourself to blame if he chooses to go through with that train of thought.

#anon #jeff the killer x reader #the bloody painter x reader #eyeless jack x reader #homicidal liu x reader #zalgo x reader #creepypasta x reader #jeff the killer x you #the bloody painter x you #eyeless jack x you #homicidal liu x you #zalgo x you #creepypasta x you

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jksprincess10 · 6 months

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Joel Miller masterlist

✰ : contains smut

☾ : contains dark themes

☁ : contains fluff

ϟ : contains angst

dividers by @saradika

Mini Multi-chapter fics (completed)

*for multi-chapter fics, read warnings on each chapter's page

My boyfriend's parents (Tess x Joel x reader): After Chad cheated on you, his father shows you what a real man is like. His wife joins in.

My boyfriend’s dad

My ex boyfriend’s parents

The neighbor’s daughter: (dad’s neighbor! joel x reader, no outbreak AU)

Home, sweet home

Pool party

Hello again

She knows

Trust

Lucky for me, I run on spite and sweet revenge (Joel x ennemy ! reader)

Lucky for me, I run on spite and sweet revenge

I can sabotage me by myself

Everyone is a bad guy

The handyman (Jackson ! Joel and reader) : You break your bed and you ask Joel to fix it.

The handyman

The handyman part 2

Birthday: (dbf!joel x reader) : You meet your dad's best friend at the bar where you're celebrating your birthday.

Mr Miller’s birthday gift

Happy birthday, Mr Miller

Long Multi-chapter fics (completed)

Dressed for revenge (Joel x nb!oc): A cult. A lost human wandering like a ghost. A world infested by cordyceps. A care taker. A little girl who’s immune. A newly formed trio on a quest to vengeance, but also on a quest to find themselves.

Masterlist for dressed for revenge

Long Multi-chapter fics (in progress)

Something in the shadows When a girl is found by Ellie just outside of Jackson, covered in what seems to be scratches from a beast, the community realizes that the infected might not be the only monsters out there.

Masterlist for Something in the shadows

Oneshots and requests

Big man, little dignity ✰ ϟ: Joel saves your hopeless ass and he gets stuck with you for a while, but it doesn't seem to bother him.

Rooting for the antihero ✰ ϟ: You and your “business” partner, Joel, go out of the QZ for a deal. Everything goes to shit and feelings are revealed.

I’m starvin’, darling ✰ : dbf!joel insists that you sit on his face.

Famous last words ☾ ✰: you're Joel's ennemy and he has you trapped to perform sweet torture on your body.

Save your cowboy ϟ ✰: You learn that Joel is from Texas and you take pleasure in calling him cowboy.

Looking for love ☁ : You're a divorced mother who takes wood working classes in hopes to find the right man.

The first time you met a clicker ϟ ☁ : You and Joel get attacked by a clicker.

Horseback flirting ✰: You get excited and flirtatious during a horse ride with Joel.

Bella ☁: Taking a bath with Joel.

No bullies : Professor!Joel defends plus size!reader who gets bullied.

Surprise party ϟ ✰: Sarah is your best friend and you've been in love with her dad since forever.

Warming you up ✰ : Joel warms you up at night.

Only angel ✰: You ask Joel to take your virginity before a date with another man from Jackson.

5+1 ☁: 5 times Joel Miller did something for you and 1 time he did something for himself.

Cardigan ϟ ✰: You fall in love with your dad's boss and it's a beautiful disaster.

Epiphany ϟ ✰: Your new neighbor is a war veteran with a lot of scars

Attraction spell ✰☾ : Vampire!joel stalks you and takes you for himself.

Devour ✰: You make Joel dress up as a werewolf on Halloween and you pay for it.

Sleep ✰: Joel fucks you in your sleep.

Evening softness✰☁ : You and Joel talk about your respective days at work.

Doing the work ✰: Joel's back hurts and he wishes he could please you. So you offer to ride him.

Tis the damn season ✰☁: You finally hope to get Joel Miller's attention at your annual family Christmas party (dbf!joel)

Playing Santa ✰☁: Joel dresses up as Santa for the kids of Jackson. It shouldn't turn you on as much as it does.

A bad deal ☾✰: Joel disrespects you and you make him pay for it. (non con, dark fic)

Take it✰: Your ex-girlfriend's father punishes you.

#masterlist #joel miller #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller smut #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you

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theflikchic · 9 months

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I was trying to fall asleep last night at 12 AM and I swear I was struggling bc I kept thinking about how right before dying, Snape- in trying to explain why Harry should trust him to go to the forest- gave Harry the memories that showed his entire process of being indoctrinated into a cult from childhood and his process of getting out of it. And I don't even think he did it on purpose.

It's as if he was like- "Here are the memories that will explain my life" and they happened to also chronicle his whole dang process. I mean, he even gave Harry that memory where he claims that he thought using Dark Magic was funny. His indoctrination was fking included and none of it paints him in a good light. And yet.

If those are the memories that spilled out of him on purpose- like his life literally flashing before his eyes- it absolutely stuns me that all the memories he immediately thought of AND the ones he vulnerably gave Harry (with no choice, mind you) were the ones that revealed that he was a kid indoctrinated into a cult, was actually into it, and still got out of his own accord (idc why, he got OUT).

And for some reason- even though he actually got out- I get the sense that from how badly he's shown in those memories, he's still angry at himself for getting into the Death Eaters in the first place. His process of getting out is pathetic and sad and ugly because that's what happened and somehow, he doesn't choose to show it any other way (he's dying ofc but still). It's even in character for him to just...show things as they are or how he thinks things just are (a flaw at times).

But that memory of Dumbledore implying that perhaps Snape should have been in Gryffindor stuck with him despite how damn ugly and selfish his act of leaving the Death Eaters looks. And it's almost like he never really knew how to deal with that implication even while dying.

I am not a fan of the name 'Albus Severus'. But...it's like Harry saw Snape's whole process when Snape himself couldn't or did and was unable to forgive himself for being indoctrinated in the first place. Harry, who spent his whole life hearing that once a wizard goes Dark, they don't care about anything or have no chance of coming back.

It does say something to me that Harry seems to have forgiven Snape for things Snape could never forgive himself for.

#just... thoughts #i had #at 12 am #does this make any sense #harry potter #severus snape #snape #book analysis #long post #character analysis #bookblr #tw cults #snape is a cult survivor man #and i dunno if he gave himself enough credit for that #but Harry sure as hell did

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chocoenvy · 2 years

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Say My Name Part Two

Part one

THANK YOU FOR ALMOST 3K FOLLOWERS since so many people liked Say My Name part one, I hope this is an adequate Part Two and that everyone will enjoy it! Thank you for making my life brighter, without such a nice community I don't think I'd be able to handle everyday. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I hope this will convey just how much all of you mean to me

Warnings: Cult-ish behaviors (not directed towards reader) fluff!!!!!

Characters: Venti, Bennett, Fischl, Oz, Noelle

Words: 8.2k

"It's the second time the both of us have broken into a church before, so we should be good." You muttered to Venti.

"You've broken into a-" He was cut off as you slapped your hand over his mouth, pulling him into your chest.

The two of you stopped breathing as footsteps resounded in the empty church, Barbara finally leaving with a yawn. She sent a longing look to the shrine, her blue eyes swimming with emotions that could swallow you deep into the sea.

You pursed your lips, unconsciously holding onto Venti tighter. Yet another affirmation that you did not want to get labeled as a god.

The large doors shut with a boom. Even still you and Venti remained still as statues, shallow breaths and rapid heart beats the only sign of life in the church,

After about a minute of sitting there in baited breath, Venti wiggled out of your grip. He did a once over of the church before gliding down from your spot perched on the rafters.

"Vent-!" You nearly shouted but cut yourself off, "Dumbass bard." You whispered under your breath, but you couldn't help the affectionate smile tugging at your lips.

Venti looked back up at you innocently, and then the smile was wiped off his face as he realized the same thing you had. You’re stuck.

It came back as soon as it disappeared though, a soft giggle escaping his throat. He held out his arms, "Jump." He mouthed.

"What? No." You whisper yelled back.

He pouted, "Trust me! I'll catch you!" He whisper screamed right back up at you.

"Nah man you're tripping ain't no way I'm trusting those skinny ass arms to catch me." You dangled your feet down, glaring down at the bard with his outrageous plan.

Venti huffed, "(Y/n), I'm the god of wind I'll catch you. Fall before I push you."

"If you push me so help me god-" You pulled your feet back up onto the rafter with you, but a soft gush of wind off put your balance and you fell backwards right off the rafter.

You swallowed the scream that tempted to tear through your throat, the only thought going through your head was that you were gonna beat that damn bard.

"See?" Venti huffed as you gently fell into his arms, "I caught you." He giggled charmingly.

You crossed your arms, unimpressed, "Your arms are shaking-"

He dropped you without a moment’s hesitation and sighed, “Ah, you’re right, that feels better.”

It took everything in you to not shout at him, but the glare you gave him was enough to kill.

He opted to look away from you, "Come on," He whispered, giggling nervously, scurrying away from you.

Sadly, you couldn't be mad at him forever, a lighthearted grin lighting up your face as you went after him. He was a charming bard after all, even if he was annoying.

When you caught up to him, your jaw hit the floor. In front of the two of you was a mound of expensive items and luxurious food.

“There’s so much…” You whispered in awe.

Venti nodded, “All for our god. The all-powerful and gracious (Y/n).” He smiled wistfully. It sent an unpleasant chill down your spine at how rehearsed he sounded.

"Eating this would be a bad idea," you changed the topic, pointing at a sweet dish on the offering table.

"It would be," Venti agreed, eyeing your wandering hand, "So don't do it."

You put your hand back at your side with a pout, your eyes drifting over to the other items (that weren't edible).

It was all quite extravagant and unnerving. They dedicated so much to this god of theirs even though they were never present. Or… perhaps you should be saying: since you were never present…though you had no wish to be bestowed with the title of god.

If… if they worshiped them (you) like this… how would they react when they realized you are this god they so love?

You were snapped out of your spiraling thoughts by Venti tugging on your sleeve.

He presented a bouquet of flowers to you with a sly smile, "For you, my liege."

You blinked at the pretty bouquet with many different types of flowers before a wide smile broke out across your face, "Thank you, Venti." You grabbed it gently, gently touching the petals, "There's flowers from different nations here… they traveled a long way for this bouquet…"

Admittedly, the thought frightened you. Despite the gift being fairly simple, it must've taken forever to put together for a regular person. To collect flowers from many nations just for you. Despite yourself, a frown tugged on your lips.

Venti noticed your frown, his own smile dying down because of it. "The Church of Favonius is probably the most prolific church, and are known to be the most devout to y- the god."

Your brows drew together and you softly sighed, "I can't stay in Mondstadt then," You muttered.

Venti's eyes widened, "What-" He nearly shouted, "Why?"

Your eyelids fluttered in surprise, a small gasp exiting your throat at his sudden outburst, "…because they're so obsessed with the god." You pursed your lips, you voice dropping even lower, leaning closer to Venti, "If they find out about me everything I'm wanting to avoid will become my constant reality." Fear flickered in your eyes, "There will be nowhere for me to escape."

Venti's blood ran cold at how scared you were, your eyes widened like a frightened deer's at the mere thought of someone knowing about your godhood.

So, despite Venti's objections, he nodded, his eyes downcast, "I understand." He couldn't say more.

You smiled softly, "Thank you Venti." You patted his head and he broke out of his somber mood just as quickly as it had come.

"Come on," Venti grabbed your hand on his head, "We came here to take stuff that's rightfully yours." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, showing that he didn't think the statement was true.

Your heart fluttered unnaturally at his playful grin. You beamed bright enough to alert the whole of Mondstadt you were here, holding his hand tighter.

He didn't see you as a god, and that was the greatest thing in this church. *~

That night the two of you ran away to Windrise, the wind cradling your hair, and your hands cradling each other. You and Venti giggling with armfuls of stolen goods and collapsing under Vanessa's grand tree. Crystalflies fluttering out of the way of your excited forms, and the grass cradling your bodies.

Venti opened up his coat, dumping all of the trinkets the two of you had stolen onto the grass in front of the both of you and you did the same.

"Time to review these!" You clapped your hands together, grinning damn near evilly at your conquest.

Well, not really a conquest, if you thought about it technically.

Venti immediately picked up an instrument, he had been the one to pick it up in the church but hadn't been able to try and play it. His eyes were wide with wonder as he gently held what you recognized to be an ocarina.

He inspected it, and almost as though it was second nature, held it up to his lips and blew.

Unsurprisingly, a pleasant note rang out in the cold night air. The wind settled to let the note ring out without disturbance.

Venti pulled away and looked at you with an excited smile.

"Venti…" You pursed your lips and furrowed your brow in concern.

He frowned like a kicked puppy, "What?" He whined, as though he were about to cry.

You sighed, "You got onto me for wanting to try some of the food… but you didn't clean off the mouthpiece…"

Venti blinked in realization, you could barely see it in the moonlight but a tiny embarrassed blush dusted his cheeks.

"Oops…" He chuckled, using his sleeve to unprofessionally wipe the mouthpiece of germs he probably already had.

You didn't mention it though, you had no room to talk. You had actually snuck a bite of some particularly sweet smelling deserts while he wasn't looking. Though he didn't need to know that.

He continued messing with the ocarina, though he didn't play any more notes.

"We're very suspicious looking with all of this stuff," He reasoned, "Don't want anyone to find us."

You nodded and continued looking through the pile. It was fairly small, most of the offerings were food. However there were some interesting things of note that you and Venti had taken.

The ocarina - which Venti had silently claimed as his own- a fluffy coat, a wooden toy (a puzzle from what you could gather with something jingling around inside), some books, the flower bouquet Venti had presented you, some expensive looking earrings, a burnt and worn down weapon (no longer sharp and poses no threat to anyone), and finally…

You picked up the item, "This is… this is from those things in the chasm."

You inspected the item, carefully tracing over it with your fingers. You gently touched the spot where an eye was missing, your brows furrowed in confusion as to why this was left at a shrine for the god.

Venti leaned over to look at it with you, color draining from his face, his mouth clamped tightly shut. His green eyes colliding with the singular red eye on the statuette.

"Perhaps…" Venti's voice was clammy, "We should've left that at the church."

You hummed, "I think it was wrapped up in the coat or something. We were too high on the adrenaline rush to notice I guess." You shrugged, "It's fine, it's just a statuette." You carelessly set it down, though you did give it some distance from Venti. Poor thing looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Venti hummed, tearing his gaze away from the statuette.

You tilted your head, placing a careful hand on his shoulder, "Hey, you okay? I can put it somewhere else if you don't wanna see it?"

Venti looked at you with wide doe eyes, and you could've sworn they looked a bit glassy. Nonetheless he shook his head, his usual bright smile lighting up the night, "No, I'll be fine."

His smile was contagious and despite the anxious feeling in your stomach, you smiled back at him and let it be.

Venti picked up the wooden puzzle while you inspected the books. He shook the puzzle around, listening for what might be inside. Meanwhile you opened up the first book on the pile.

… You understood none of it.

You pouted, "Venti, do you know what this is? I can't read it."

Venti blinked, puzzled, "You can't read it?" He scooted closer to look at the text.

You shook your head.

Venti frowned and set the puzzle aside, grabbing the book to look at the cover.

A grin broke out on his face, a small chuckle passing his lips, "This is: New Chronicles of the Six Kitsune. Published by Yae Publishing House." He tilted his head with a curious grin, "Wonder how it got all the way here. The Sakoku Decree was only just lifted."

You snorted in laughter, "Perhaps the Yae Publishing House are doubling down on marketing now that the borders have opened up. Wouldn't surprise me with the sly kitsune running the place."

"You know the Guuji of the Narukami shrine?" Venti tilted his head, "Or perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised." He flipped through the pages with a sly grin, his eyes gleaming in mischief, "Would you like me to read this to you as a bedtime story?"

You scoffed, playfully pushing his head away, "Yeah right, 'in your dreams'." You mocked said Guuji of the shrine.

Sadly, the joke flew right over Venti's head.

He pouted sadly, shutting the book with a sigh, "If you insist. What are the other two books?" He inquired, picking them up after setting the other book down.

You looked over his shoulder, able to recognize one of the covers but not the other.

"Flowers for Princess Fischl," Venti said with a grin matching your own, "And…" His grin fell. He hummed, "Toki Alley Tales… never heard of that one before."

"Toki Alley Tales?" You echoed, gently grabbing the book from his hand.

"Yeah, have you heard of it before?" Venti asked, watching as you gently opened it up.

Your eyes fluttered in surprise.

"That's… odd…" Your brows furrowed.

"What is?" Venti questioned, glancing at the words in the book, "Oh…"

"This is my mother tongue." You flipped through the pages. They were all there, "And the pages of Toki Alley Tales are scattered all throughout Inazuma. There's no way they'd be in this pristine of condition…" You trailed off.

"So…" Venti sat by your side, looking over your shoulder at the words he couldn't understand, "Someone translated the entire book of Toki Alley Tales… for you?"

"I…" You swallowed the lump in your throat, "No way. No one in Teyvat knows my native language… right?" You turned to look at him, confusion and a twinge of fear in your orbs.

Venti frowned, "I… don't know… I don't recognize this and it's not one of the major languages of Teyvat. I don't know anyone that would know this… except… maybe…"

"Except?" You urged him to continue.

"Well…" Venti looked away in thought, "Maybe the traveler… since they're from another world."

You paused, turning the thought over in your head. "That… that would make sense." You put your hand up to your mouth, staring at the pages you understood with perfect clarity, "They're the only one that would have access to the pages we collected."

"Wait so," Venti tore his gaze away from the puzzling pages to look at you, "Does this mean that the Traveler knows you're here?"

You paused, the thought striking you hard. Before you shook your head, "No… no probably not. They translated the whole thing in less than a day and- and how would they even know I'm here?"

Venti frowned, "True I guess, though there's not really any other explanation."

You roughly sighed, shutting the book and setting it aside, "My brain's starting to hurt. Why must Teyvat be so complicated."

Venti giggled, "That's what I've been saying for the past millennium…" He sighed, "And everyone wonders why I'm such a drunkard." He yawned, his momentary somberness disappearing like the wind, "It's too late for this. I'm going to bed. You should too, (Y/n)."

You hummed, standing up and stretching.

"Oh! Hey! We could use this coat as a blanket!" You exclaimed, picking up the large and fluffy fabric, "It's as big as one anyways."

"We?" Venti echoed.

You nodded, "If you're okay with sharing that is."

Venti grinned, his embarrassment only lasting a moment, "Of course! Can't let you have it all to yourself! Although…" Venti placed his hands on his hips, staring down at the pile the two of you had created, "Where are we gonna put all this?"

"Uh…" You stared down at it blankly, the fluffy coat bundled in your arms "Good question…"

The two of you ended up hiding the items at the beach nearby. Far enough so if someone were to find them they wouldn't immediately attribute it to you two, but close enough to keep an eye on.

Meanwhile, the two of you slept up in the tree of Windrise. It was comfortable, you and Venti had ended up tangled in each other's arms with a large fluffy coat shielding the two of you from the cold air. Despite not having an actual bed, it was possibly some of the best sleep you'd ever gotten.

That morning, though, was not so great. The two of you went to go check on the stuff you had stolen taken as soon as you had woken up… only to find it all gone.

"What!" You shouted, searching the beach up and down, "Who- who-" You covered your face with the fluffy coat and screamed into it.

Venti was not much better, his and your form covered in sand, your faces red hot from the sun and anger.

Venti huffed, "Let's just go back." He sighed dejectedly, crossing his arms, "Some of those items were so cool!"

"They took the ocarina and the puzzle you were messing with…" You gasped, "They took the Toki Alley Tales! Shit!" You cursed, clenching your fists, "Who did this?"

Venti pursed his lips, "I'd assume treasure hoarders, they're always looking for something that's not theirs to take." He paused, "Though I suppose we have no room to talk."

You sighed roughly, "I don't really care about most of the items, but the Toki Alley Tales is important. Only the Traveler has a copy of it, I don't want it to land in the wrong hands." You buried your head in your hands, "This was a stupid idea."

Venti frowned, and was silent for a moment, "I won't deny the fact that it wasn't the best idea, and I certainly didn't help." He sighed, "That's my own fault. Despite everything you had said when you…" His eyes met yours, overflowing with centuries of built up emotion kept well hidden, "When I saw you… I could see no one but Teyvat's god and the one who had treated me so well. So I followed blindly in your irrational decisions and I apologize for letting things get out of hand.” He didn’t meet your eyes, his arms crossed uncomfortably, “Sorry this has been bothering me all night I just didn’t wanna talk about it… but it seems I have to.” He sighed, “You need to choose. Right now.”

You lifted your head to look at him, "What do you mean?"

"Things have gone too far.” He still didn’t meet your eyes despite yours desperatly seeking the emotions in his, “You wanted to steal things from the church because you were in a state of shock and you said that the things belonged to you so it'd be fine if you took them. Yet you don't want to be god." Venti frowned, "Right now, you need to decide: are you Teyvat's god or not? That way nothing will ever get this out of hand again, and I can treat you the way you want to.”

The question escaped your lips without a moment's hesitation, "I'm not."

Venti smiled and patted your shoulder, "Thought you'd say that. Again, I’m sorry for allowing your heightened state last night to fester and cause us all this trouble.” He grinned mischievously, “But since you said that, we didn't take the items, because they don't belong to you.Someone else must've taken them from the church. We'll go back to Mondstadt and pretend we know about nothing once we get there, and then we'll do nothing like this again. Okay?”

You slowly nodded, the full weight of his words hitting you. You sucked in a breath to keep the emotions in, "Okay. But what do we do about the coat?" You gestured over to where you had set it in a tree, your hands clammy despite his cheerful expression.

Venti hummed, his hand on his chin, "Hm, we could throw it somewhere, say whoever took it must've dropped it."

You nodded, taking the fluffy coat. You gently pressed your face against it one last time, "Goodbye fluffy coat, you were very comfy."

Despite the ache in your heart, you bundled the coat into as tight of a ball as you could and flung it. You weren't sure where it landed, you turned around and pretended you never knew the coat.

Venti grabbed your arm and whisked you away, though it wasn't as fantastical as you'd thought. He jerked you by your arm, wind hit your face at alarming speeds, and then all at once it disappeared leaving you a rugged mess.

You caught your breath, pulling your arm out of his to straighten your clothes and hair. Once you were done cleaning yourself up, you looked around.

You were at the gate that led to Mondstadt, and you noticed on the bridge a very familiar figure. You couldn't help the grin sneaking onto your face.

"Oh dear." Venti put his hands on his hips, frowningly worriedly, "Why are you grinning like that?"

"I'm on my villain arc, Venti."

"Your what?" He blinked dumbfounded.

You didn't answer, only grabbed his hand and sprinted right onto the bridge. And right onto Timmie's birds.

"Hey!" You heard the little boy yell after you two.

"Sorry!" You giggled, running right through the gates of Mondstadt.

The guards let out amused sighs, "Looks like there's another troublemaker in Mondstadt." Lawrence mused, looking after you two.

Meanwhile you had stopped dead in your tracks only a few steps into Mondstadt's gates.

"Hey," Venti squeezed your hand that he was still holding, "You okay?"

You couldn't tear your eyes away from them, but you were glowing with excitement, "Look, it's-"

"Hark! Tis on this sunny day I and my retinue graciously descend from the great palace. Thundering retribution shall befall all those that dare to besmirch this great land! Katheryne! A dear friend of the Immernachtreich, pray tell, what troubles thou's great land."

"Hey Katheryne, what's the commission for today?" Bennett and Katheryne fist bumped, the latter retaining her usual friendly smile.

"Great to see you Prinzessin and Bennett, we have a special commission only top level adventurers can take on. Would you like to hear it?"

"Oh…" Bennett shuffled nervously, "Uh… I don't know about-"

"Oh but of course!" Fischl put a hand on her hip and used the other to gesture grandly, "I and my retinue will be able to handle it with perfect ease! Isn't that right Sir Bennett?"

"O-oh uh- o-of course!" He nervously replied, doing his best to give a good smile… and failing.

Nonetheless, Katheryne continued, "Very well- oh." Her eyes caught onto you and Venti on the sidelines, watching them… kind of creepily. "It seems we have some guests. Would the four of you like to team up? After all this is one very important mission." She beckoned the two of you over and - after a quick glance at Venti - you eagerly joined them, a dumb grin tugging up at your lips.

"We would've normally gotten the traveler on such an important commission such as this one," Katheryne said, "However we couldn't seem to find them anywhere."

"That bad of a commission?" Venti hummed, "What is it? We might be able to help."

Katheryne nodded, "I trust in Y/n's abilities."

Venti gave you an odd look as she said that but Katheryne continued, "Basically, the Church of Favonius has noticed a few items missing from the church." You froze up. "These items were of great importance and were a part of the altar to Their Greatness. The commission is essentially to find these objects and bring them back to the Church. The items missing are an ocarina, a large coat from Snezhnaya, a puzzle from Sumeru, earrings from Liyue made from expensive gemstones, an old weapon from Natlan, a statuette, as well as some books and flowers."

"Oh no, that's real bad." Bennett's face twisted in nervousness, "Are there any leads?"

Katheryne shook her head, "I'm afraid not. However the rewards are hefty, and you're probably the best people for the job. So, will the four of you take it?"

You didn't have to think twice, "I'd love to!"

You saw Venti's curious gaze from the corner of your eyes.

"If Y/n is doing it I'll do it to." He grinned and gently elbowed you, "Hey, maybe you could be my bodyguard."

You scoffed, "Yeah, you'll need it."

"Well then of course your Prinzessin shall rise to the occasion as well and shed some light on this desolate land!" Fischl did a grand sweeping motion.

You gave her a tiny clap to which you swore you saw a sparkle in her eye as she looked at you. Though she quickly composed herself and giggled confidently.

"Of course I'll take the commission as well," Bennett said, "Though I'm not sure how much help I'll be… sorry." He scratched the back of his neck with an apologetic smile.

You patted his back firmly, "Aw come on Benny don't apologize for something you haven't done. Plus, you'll do great. You're really experienced aren't you?"

"W-well… I mean…"

"And even if you weren't, we'd still want you to come along." You grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

He chuckled, "Th-thanks. Oh by the way, how did you know my name?"

Shit! You cursed in your head, meanwhile Venti giggled behind you. You've fucked up again.

"Well, you're a well known adventurer and uh… I uh… heard them say your name." You waved towards Katheryne and Fischl, unsure of who had said his name (or if they even had said his name)

"Oh! I see!" Bennett grinned, placing his hands on his hips, "Well, either way, I'm Bennett, an adventurer here at the adventurer's guild." He held out his hand for you to shake, "The both of you are…?"

"(Y/n)." You shook his hand.

"Venti." He did the same.

Bennett hummed, "Huh, your names sound familiar…" He snapped his fingers, "Oh! Venti the bard! I've heard you by the taverns!"

"(Y/n) as well," Fischl said, "That name is awfully familiar for someone I have supposedly just met."

"Oh well uh…" You faltered, scratching your face nervously.

Oz cut in, "Mein Fräulein, are you not aware? Ever since Lord Barbatos resigned as Mondstadt's archon, the church has majorly been worshiping the now overarching god of Teyvat. The one with a gentle and warm embrace, one you have felt yourself. Their graciousness, (Y/n)."

"Oh! Why of course I remember it, Oz!" Fischl's face dusted with pink, "A prinzessin must know of the land she is visiting."

You chuckled, "Yeah, I was named after them. It's been kind of embarrassing especially while visiting Mondstadt. But still, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same goes to thou," Fischl hummed, "From now on thou shall be my… royal secretary!" She snapped, smiling self-content.

You chuckled and bowed, "It'll be an honor to serve you, my lady." You grinned, standing back up.

Fischl was smiling brightly, a stark contrast to her dark and mysterious persona, "Very good!" She clapped her hands, "And then thou shall be-" She turned to Venti, "The bard!" She snickered.

Venti grinned, crossing his arms, "It would be an honor to be royal bard, your highness." He did an extravagant bow, taking off his hat and all.

Fischl was practically glowing and you couldn't help but feel happy at her smile. After all she was just a child at heart.

"Well then, let's head off!" Bennett exclaimed, pumped from the positive atmosphere, a large grin on his face.

"Yeah! Let's go!" You shouted, giggling as the four of you marched out of Mondstadt.

You learned very quickly that Benny's luck was a lot worse and unpredictable than the game had described it. You almost felt offended. This entire time you thought Bennett was just playing it up in his head to be worse than it was.

Nope. His luck was just as bad as he had said.

As soon as your little party had exited the gates of Mondstadt, a pleasant breeze had brushed past all of you… and Bennett had accidentally inhaled some dandelion seeds the wind was carrying along.

Fischl patted his back firmly, without a hint of panic or hesitation.

"Benny?" You floundered around, looking between his red face, Fischl's calm demeanor, Venti's slightly disturbed face, and Oz, "Is he okay?"

"He will be," Fischl said, going around behind Bennett to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

He let out one last good cough before calming down and clearing his throat, "Thank you Fischl," He rasped.

She sighed, but softly smiled, "It's no problem Benny." She clapped her hands, "Now, let us set off my entourage! To recover that which has been so brutally stolen!" Fischl giggled, starting across the bridge.

You and Venti cringed at the same time, sharing a look before giggling.

"Yes, what barbarians." Venti muttered under his breath to you.

You snickered and elbowed him, "Shut up."

The two of you childishly giggled while the others walked ahead.

"Hey," Bennett called back, "We better hurry along if we want to cover more ground. There aren't any leads so we need to be quick."

Fischl nodded, "Yes! We'll need to be as swift as the wind that billows through Mondstadt, and find which ever way the wind leads. That is where we shall begin our journey." She grinned.

"So…" You hummed, "Go whichever way the wind is blowing?"

Bennett shrugged, "Why not? There's no other leads."

The four of you (five including Oz) stopped at the end of the bridge. Fischl and Bennett stood stock still, waiting for a gust of wind.

Ever so slightly, the ends of Venti's hair lit up, and the wind gently blew in the direction of Windrise.

Bennett pointed, "That way it is. Here's to hoping Lord Barbatos hasn't led us astray!" He grinned.

You and Venti shared a look. He grinned, giving you a thumbs up. You frowned.

"Nothing up here!" Venti called down from the top of the Windrise tree, jumping down to join the rest of you at the base.

Fischl sighed, plopping down on one of the roots, "Ugh! We looked everywhere on the way here and then everywhere at Windrise! Maybe the wind led us wrong this time…" She huffed, glaring at the dirt as though it was the cause for all their problems.

"Well the wind has led us wrong before mein Fräulein." Oz comforted her, settling beside her on the root, "We didn't have any leads before anyways. Can Lord Barbatos really lead us wrong when we had no clear destination in the first place?"

"Yes!" She huffed.

Oz sighed and hopped closer to his princess, he extended a wing and patted her back. Her face visibly relaxed at the action and she sighed.

"Right, I'm a prinzessin," She muttered to herself. She sat up straight and cleared her throat, "My retinue! It is in our best interest that we make haste and continue searching." She stood and Oz fluttered onto her shoulder.

"Should we follow the wind again since we don't have any other leads?" You asked.

Fischl thought for a moment and then nodded, "If Lord Barbatos of Mondstadt wishes to guide us with the wind then thee shall follow. It is the unspoken law of such eminent sovereigns such as I."

"It's what the Adventurers at the guild do when there are no leads." Oz said.

Fischl gave him a sideways glare, "Oz…" She pouted.

Bennett took his glove off to reveal a scarred hand, he licked his pointer finger and put it up in the air. Venti hung around your side, looking at Bennett curiously. Ever so slightly, from the corner of your eye, you could see a small glow coming from the ends of his braids.

Bennett snapped his fingers, "It's going that way- ow!" He pointed east, but as soon as he did a rock smacked him in the back of the head. He cradled it and looked around, "Where did that come from?" He shrugged.

You got a massive wave of déjà vu, "Are you okay?"

He waved his hands dismissively, "Oh yeah I'm fine!" He cleared his throat, "Anyways, it's going that way." He pointed there again… right towards the beach where the items had been buried.

"Then let's go! There's no time to waste!" Venti grinned, grabbing your arm and leading you away.

You really hoped "Barbatos" knew what he was doing.

He did not, in fact, know what he was doing.

The five of you - including Oz - arrived upon the beach. Searching everywhere as you went along. By the water, in the sand, until you arrive at the place where the small patches of sand became a beach and the five of you were overlooking an ocean.

Fischl moved a rock in the sand with her foot, "Not it either," She sighed.

Meanwhile Bennett was choking on bits of sand.

"I'm okay!" He gave a tired thumbs up.

None of you were convinced.

Venti was loitering around as usual, casually looking around at a leisurely pace as though this was a nice vacation.

After digging through another patch of sand to no avail, Fischl huffed, "Bard! Are you just going to stand around doing nothing all day?"

"Mein Fräulein! Watch your temper!" Oz said, settling on Fischl's lap.

Fischl instinctively reached up to pet Oz's head. She sighed indignantly, "There's no trails! This commission was a lost cause and a huge waste of time!"

"Hey, Fischl…" You frowned and stepped towards her, but stopped yourself.

"It wasn't a waste of time," Venti said confidentially, "Because you're spending it with people you like. Nothing is a waste of time in the end so long as you're having fun."

"But I'm not having fun." Both of her hands were on Oz now and the raven was silent.

You pursed your lips and carefully approached her, putting your hand on her head gently, "The sun's probably getting to you. It's been tiring today, we should probably rest."

"Yes," Oz said, "That is a wonderful idea." He looked up at his charge, "Mein Fräulein?"

Fischl cleared her throat, "Why yes, a recuperation period during this slow hour of afternoon would be just what the royal court needs. After all, mortals are weak things. This would be most beneficial to you, my retinue." There was an odd lack of her usual exuberance in her tone, and her eyes nor hunched and small posture matched her grandiose words.

You smiled, and gave her a final pat on her head, "Good. You can have some alone time if you want. Just come to us when you're ready to leave or rejoin the group."

Fischl looked up at you with a wide eye. She nodded and remained silent.

You helped her up and she went to separate from the group temporarily with Oz still in her arms-

"Shoot-!" Bennett screamed, being cut off at the end by his face being shoved into sand.

He hoisted himself up, spitting out the sand that got in his mouth.

"Are you okay Bennett?" Venti called out, going over to help the poor boy up.

"Yeah, I think I just tripped on something." He chuckled, dusting himself off.

Venti looked over in the sand and kneeled down to pick it up, "Wait…" He looked over his shoulder and showed everyone what it was, a huge grin on his face, "Lookie here! Weren't we looking for a statuette?"

Fischl gaped, "We were! So we're close!"

Oz cleared his throat.

"Oh- Hark! The clouds part for the sun to beam through! And it is through my and my charges' hands that the first item has been recovered! And where there is one treasure there are bound to be more afoot. Stay alert my retinue, for we shall soon have the church groveling at our feet with thanks!" She giggled, seeming to have brightened up after seeing the item.

Bennett chuckled giddily, pumping his fist into the air, "Let's go!" He cheered, a massive grin on his face.

Venti tossed the statuette up into the air before catching it with a satisfied grin.

You grabbed the item from him playfully, "I don't think you should be the one to hold onto this."

He put his hands on his hips with a pout, "Oh? And where are you going to put it?"

You opened your mouth to respond but realized that… you didn't have a bag. Or that good of pockets. The best you had was your pants pockets but who knows if it'd fall out.

You smacked your lips together and grimaced, not responding.

"I could hold it! I have a bag!" Bennett exclaimed, stars in his eyes.

"Sir Bennett…" Oz said, "With all the care in my heart, I do believe that you would somehow end up losing it…"

Bennett's eyes widened and he deflated, "Oh… Yeah you're right. Sorry I was just over-excited."

"No, you're fine!" You said, "We just don't want you to lose it. If you have a bag I could borrow then I could carry it?"

He hummed and checked his bags, the one with his vision first and then checked the small bag on his back.

He unhooked it, "You can carry this if you want. I'll need it back though, if you don't mind."

"Oh, of course, thank you Bennett!" You smiled as he handed you the bag.

There wasn't much in there from what you could feel, just the map (that you doubted any of you needed), and a few bandages and peroxide. He put the health items into his other bag that had his vision, and helped you tie it so it'd hang off your hip.

"All done." Bennett pulled away, his hands on his hips, "Should be all good to go."

You moved around a bit to make sure it wouldn't fall off, and sure enough it remained attached.

You put the statuette in the bag, "Thank you Bennett!"

"Anytime, (Y/n)!"

"Now! Where to next my motley crew?" Venti clapped his hands and grinned.

The five of you thought for a moment, looking around the area for any clues.

If we found this statuette here… and we had buried it over there… then they should've gone… "Son of a bitch." You muttered.

Venti came up beside you, "Something wrong?" He whispered.

"I think they went towards the cryo regisvine."

He stifled his laughter, "There's no way they're stupid enough to do that. Everyone knows not to go that way."

"Unless they're not from Mondstadt and don't know the area that well." You scowled, your lips pursed in thought.

It clicked in Venti's mind, "Fatui?" He gasped.

You nodded with a dark grimace, "I think so. They could've seen the coat as well."

Venti put his hand to his chin, "Still… there's no way they wouldn't run away."

"But if they ran away," You said, "They might've left something behind."

Venti considered it and then slowly nodded, "I see your point. Fine, then we'll check the area out, along with the others. There’s no reason not to try anyways." He turned to look at everyone else, "Hey guys!" He shouted, "Me and (Y/n) think it'd be good to look over there!" He pointed down the beach to where the regisvine resided.

Fischl scoffed, "Bard!" She called back, "That is where the bearer of freezing icicle petals resides!"

"Yeah, we know!" He shouted back bluntly.

Fischl deadpanned and ran over to you two, "What do you mean you know? You're just going to walk up to the regisvine?" She grabbed onto one of Venti's shoulders and one of yours.

You grabbed her shoulders, "Think about it Fischl, if they went over there they could've left something behind in their rush to get away."

"Yeah but why would anyone want to go over there?" She scowled, frustrated, "You two aren't going to be stupid while we're on this very important mission."

"Mein Fräulein, please, watch your anger." Oz came up beside her.

Fischl removed her hands and frowned at the raven, "If my retinue will stop spewing such absurd ideas then perhaps I, too, will be more reasonable."

"If you don't want to go then we'll go by ourselves-"

"Absolutely not!" She shouted, "You two are not going by yourselves, I will not let two of my friends do something so stupid without me there to help."

Your heart melted, and your eyes visibly softened.

This is all you've ever wanted wasn't it? This little friend group you now have. Your heart swelled. To be loved in Teyvat, that's all you've ever wanted wasn't it?

Fischl saw the look on your face and glared, "Royal secretary, do not get ahead of yourself. I am still your prinzessin, and though thou's thoughts are unusual and barbaric, I must still protect my people."

"Thank you, Fischl." You said honestly.

The fondness in your words seemed to have thrown Fischl off. Her eyes widened and her jaw went slack. She sputtered but shook it off.

"…Thank you, (Y/n)." There was an odd look in her eyes that you didn't like.

Venti butted in, "Well now that that's settled, me and (Y/n) are going to the regisvine now! Feel free to follow if you want!"

He grabbed your arm and took off, Fischl frustratedly shouted something behind the two of you but you couldn't hear it over Venti's giggling.

"W-wait for me!" Bennett yelled, following after you.

Then the five of you were racing towards the regisvine, you and Venti unusually lax for running straight into a possibly early grave.

Though you were sure nothing too bad would happen.

The five of you heard the regisvine before you saw it. The sounds of ice shattering and breaking. You could already see your breath in front of your face.

"Is it… is it fighting someone?" Bennett questioned, speeding up ahead of the group a bit to try and get a better look at it.

"Wait so," You brightened, "Could the person who took the items be in there?"

Fischl blinked, bewildered, her hands on her arms, "Are they really..?"

Venti grinned, "Only one way to find out! Come on!" He grabbed you and Bennett by your arms, dragging you towards the regisvine.

"W-woah!" Bennett tripped but Venti and you helped him before he fell completely in the sand.

The three of you bolted ahead, mostly being dragged by Venti.

"W-w-wait! Guys!" Fischl yelled after you guys, running ahead to catch up.

"Mein-" Oz sighed affectionately, "Be careful you four." He glided next to all of you.

Then the four of you heard a distinct sound. The sound of someone fighting.

Venti grinned, "Looks like we've found our culprit."

He rushed ahead, towards an edge where there was a small drop off.

You heard Venti gasp.

"What? What is it, Venti?" You asked insistently.

The rest of you came up beside him. At the same time all of you gasped, "Noelle?" The three of you shouted.

At the sound of her name she turned to look at you. She was scraped a bit and scuffed up, but she still had her shield up. Her eyes were wide and confused, but she looked away as the regisvine reared up to land another hit on her.

"We gotta help her!" You shouted.

Bennett scrambled around, "What do we do?" He shook from uncertainty.

You pursed your lips and sucked in a steady breath, "Bennett," You looked at him, "Go break the circle thing with your skill, Fischl, Oz, do the same thing."

The three of them stared at you wide-eyed for a moment.

"Come on! She needs help!" You urged them to go, pushing Fischl forward gently, "If anything happens… I'll make sure you're okay." You held onto her shoulder firmly and then let go.

Despite their hesitation, their expressions hardened and they nodded. They jumped down and headed for the regisvine.

"Ah," Noelle looked up but nodded, "Thank you."

"Let's light it up!"

"Oz, reveal thyself!"

Venti and you stood by, watching as they chipped away at the shield.

"And what am I to do, (Y/n)?" The name came as naturally to him as breathing. His heart swelled at the notion.

"You come in after the shield is broken." You said, watching them carefully, "You won't be able to do much but help is help."

"Haah!" Bennett broke the shield.

"Venti, go! Do your skill."

"Got it!" He nodded, sprinting down to join the others. He spun, "Here we go!"

"Infused pyro, not ideal but it'll do…" you muttered to yourself. Your eyes caught onto Bennett's and Noelle's glowing visions, "Bennet! Burst. Noelle once he sets it down you burst too. Fischl, resummon Oz!"

They all hesitated with the orders, but Bennett got over it before any damage could be done and set his ult down. Afterwards, Noelle was quick to slash at the fallen flower, and Oz was resummoned.

You sighed, shoulders slumping, silently praying you wouldn't have to do a second cycle.

Somehow, by some miracle, your ragtag team did manage to one cycle it. Just as the flower was coming up, and Bennett's ult had already disappeared, Noelle managed to get one more good swing in and finish it off. Her giant, geo infused greatsword disappeared.

She huffed, "Thank you."

You jumped down to join the others, a massive grin on your face, "Good job you five!" You clapped Venti and Fischl on their shoulders and gently patted Oz, "That was clean!"

Venti crossed his arms, "Didn't really feel like I did much."

"Well…" You mused, "You didn't really, but you do have four piece Viridescent on don't you?"

"U-uh," Venti sputtered, his face beet red. He grabbed your arm, "Don't mention it in front of everyone." He glared and then let out a massive sigh, attempting to rid himself of the red painting his cheeks, "But… yes… I do. Just, don't mention it in front of everyone again okay? I told you that in confidence."

"Oh… s-sorry…" You muttered, confused, "I-I got carried away…"

You had no damn clue what that was about, but from the reactions of the others you shouldn't have brought that up. They were seemingly politely ignoring what you'd just said.

"Well uh- n-nevermind then. Sorry again I got too excited."

"It's fine," Venti dismissively waved his hand, "You're bringing the mood down. Noelle," He smiled at the girl, "Are you okay?"

"Oh! Yes!" She clasped her hands and smiled gratefully, "I'm fine! Although I'm not sure if I would've been if you three hadn't arrived when you did. Oh, by the way," Her smile died down and there was a curious glint in her eyes, "Why were you traveling this way? If I may ask."

"Oh," Bennett put his hands on his hips and responded coolly, "We were tasked with a commission from the Adventurer's Guild to find the objects that were stolen from the church."

'There were items stolen from the church?" Noelle gasped, her hands going up to cover her mouth, "I suppose I've been out all morning and that's why I haven't heard yet…”

"Maybe,” You said, “but that's why we were looking this way, we thought the culprits might've gone this way. Have you seen anything?" You tilted your head with a kind smile.

"Well…" Noelle hummed, "The reason I'm here in the first place is because I noticed there were some Fatui members that were being attacked by the regisvine. I couldn't just let them be beat by it so I helped them out but they ran away." She furrowed her brows and frowned, "Do you think they might've been the ones to steal from the church?"

"I think so." You said, matching her frown, "Do you know which way they went?"

Noelle hummed, looking around, "I think I saw them go over that way. Follow me." She motioned for the rest of you to follow her and you did so without hesitation.

She turned and headed to the other entrance of the regisvine’s “cave”

“Unless they’re really good climbers or swimmers, isn’t this a dead end.” Bennett said, furrowing his eyebrows.

Venti grinned and pointed at Bennett, “Exactly.”

Bennett’s eyes twinkled with recognition and he nodded, his hands on his hips and a grin on his lips.

Sure enough there were Fatui members breathing heavily. In the middle of their little group were all the goods.

As soon as they had seen you they readied themselves for a fight and swung wildly and hard.

Out of instinct of scrambling to switch characters, you screamed, “Noelle-!”

“Leave it to me!” A shield encased all of you. Weak but effective.

“Bennett, Fischl, Venti, do your skills!”

“Yahoo!”

“Oz!”

“Hah!”

“Bennett! Ult!” You commanded.

He did so and it made the fight go so much smoother, especially once Noelle had ulted as well. The four of them effectively cleaned up the Fatui while Noelle’s shield protected all of you from Fatui members. Including you, which you were immensely glad for. You shivered at the thought of what they’d try on you if you didn’t have a shield.

“Good job all of you!” You stepped over the Fatui’s bodies.

Noelle and Bennett blushed, “Thank you, (Y/n).” Noelle smiled gently, “Are these the items that were stolen from the church?”

“I believe so,” Venti hummed, crouching down to inspect the items, “Ocarina, puzzle, earrings, the books, weapon, coat… I think this is everything.”

“Weren’t there flowers?” Fischl asked, leaning over to look at all the items.

“They probably didn’t bother with them.” You frowned.

“Still!” Bennett shouted, grinning ear-to-ear, “This is great! We found most of the items that we were supposed to! Looks like my bad luck isn’t that bad today!”

Just as he spoke those words, the cryo regisvine respawned.

“Shit!” You jumped back at seeing it reappear.

Noelle panicked, “How do we get past it?”

“No way we have to fight it again!” Fischl whined.

Bennett deflated, “I’m sorry everyone…”

Taglist (everyone who asked for a part two): @wifi-crusader @uchihaeirin @sophiethewitch1 @oxyotl @zuri-feather @edswordsman @eccedentesiast-sapphic @the-real-fandom-person @hikaru-exe @poweredbyghostadventures @thebeanofdoom @lumpywolf (i probably missed ppl but i need to go OKAY BYE LOVE ALL OF YOU <33)

#sagau #genshin impact sagau #self aware genshin #genshin cult au #venti #fischl #bennett #noelle #praying the taglist wasn't annoying i just...#i spent too much time on this i Will Not let it flop

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ratcandy · 3 months

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Now that I have some base designs for everyone here's a rough height comparison!

Not included: Sozo is somewhere between Shamura and Kallamar while Arylide (my yellow cat) is about the same height as Leshy if maybe a bit shorter.

Some other design notes,

The Lamb is extremely tiny because I think its funny. Also because way back in 2019 I made and got super attached to a personal OC who was also cult leader who was itty bitty tiny so now I'm attached to that idea

Technically if you stretched Leshy out all the way he would probably be taller than all of them. Except Kallamar, because if you stretched out Kallamar and counted the length of his tentacles, he'd be obnoxiously tall

Shamura can also prop themself up to be taller if they so choose but they do Not choose that often

Clothing-wise things are a mess. I'm not very good at designing clothing, always been a weak point of mine, but there are some small things I'm trying to go for specifically:

Leshy wears the cult symbol because, though he expressly denies it, he got comfortable the fastest of all his siblings. It helps that Aryl is here but even aside from that...... He's the deity of Chaos, even if formerly. He can adapt to whatever he wants to

Narinder is wearing a complete stand-out thing from everyone else. Nothing Bishop-like and nothing Lamb Cult related. He put together that hooded cloak himself because he misses his old one

Shamura is figuratively stuck between two worlds at the moment (having little to no memories of Anything prior to cult life but still having this lingering feeling) so they've got both cult attire and bishop-look going on at the same time.

Kallamar said FUCK your GROSS cult attire I am wearing FANCY ROBES. The rest of you can go die

Heket is #1 lamb hater in the entire world and utterly refuses to wear anything with the cult's symbols. She's going for more of a bishop look because heresy be DAMNED she hates it here and wants everything back how it was

Misc,

"why are Narinder's eyes still like that" because it looks cool

I am thinking of Maybe giving Leshy arms. He might deserve some arms. Yes it will clash with the rest of the Centipede look but again he's Chaos he can do whatever he wants forever

Leshy also has antennae I just make them super thin lmao

Nari has whiskers but I just never draw whiskers . Always forget. In the same vein that Shamura is covered in setae but I am not drawing a ton of individual setae so you'll just have to trust me on that

If Heket's legs are not drawn massive that's not Heket she MUST have giant frog legs or I will riot. She could leap over the chapel and I will not have it any other way.

#um Yippie!#expect these designs to go through a very gradual changing process . in a few months if I'm still fixated #they will look completely different. promise you that.#cult of the lamb #cotl lamb #cotl narinder #cotl leshy #cotl shamura #cotl kallamar #cotl heket #cotl bishops #clamart #it's 1am ive been awake since 8 this morning AUUUUUGHHHHHH explodes

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respectthepetty · 3 months

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Pit Babe Colors Ep. 10

I'm challenging myself with this show and seeing how good my color skills really are, so I'm doing my normal thing of watching it double-speed on mute, but now, the captions are off also. It's just colors and vibes here. Also, people stay spoiling this show for me in their reblog tags on my posts, so I know Charles and Jeffrey made a dumb plan but I have no idea what it includes beyond Jeffrey going to Big Red's.

Hand over heart, I think Sonic is really pretty, which is why I haven't fully thought he is a baddie, but I need a reason for him refusing to wear blue! North gets it together every now and then, but Sonic? Boy, quit relying on that face and follow the damn color assignment!

I'm missing something but I thought Charles and Barbara were fine yet here they are fighting, but Charles spidey sense is tingling, so something bad is gonna happen or will he have sex with Barbara like they did last week? And now the glasses are off! They better not have sex on this track.

Barbara is racing?! Dean was racing last week! Was Dean informed of this plot twist? Did Barbara get healed having sex with Charles last week?

You can take the red off the boy but you can't take the red out of the boy. You are acting so sus, Jeffrey! You had a full conversation with Charles and now you are just lurking in the background. Someone spoiled that he and Charles made a plan, but if the plan is murder, he is already failing at not being suspicious.

Another hand-over-heart moment, I have no effin' idea what happened on that race track because there was so many blues then a car went off the track, and I had no real idea who it was, but I do know JEFFREY HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO with his suspicious ass!

Big Red lives in the same place he has his cult meetings to show off his superpowered kids? Isn't there a rule of not having cult meetings where you spray your EIGHTY MILLION BONSAI TREES! That seems dumb and contradictory, but I'm not a mega villain so what do I know?

Red is usually an emergency room color, but the red yelling at me as Barbie feels all the bad things that happen in an emergency room is a lot. Charles isn't dead because color-coded boys in love get happy endings, but Barbie is probably feeling everything right now and it probably sucks.

"Don't be suspicious. Don't be suspicious." Jeffrey, you need to make out with Alan quickly to prove you're gay, because you canNOT do crimes, and are about to be in Kentana territory again. Whatever you and Charles planned, it was dumb and Barbie is now crying.

KENTANA! Are you in on this too?!

*Record scratch* Jeffrey went back to Big Red's with the dumb plan he and Charles cooked up involving Charles dying, yes? Yes! Kentana, as Big Red's whatever-he-is, knows of the plan, SO WHY IS HE BEING BEAT UP?! Kentana, break Kimberly out and run away to the beach together. Big Red doesn't even wear red! HE SUCKS! Leave!

Stuck between the blue and the red, I see. A choice has gotta be made, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Wings or Thighs? Legs are not an option. Legs are reserved for the elite squad of Peter, Alan, and Kimberly. You don't get legs! (WHERE IS KIMBERLY?!)

Barbie woke up in black. He has no man, but he has his powers, so either he is about to enter his rich widow era or he is going to go Kill Bill on these bitches.

Horrible take. Awful take. The WORST take, but . . . if Waymond didn't decide to be bad, he would have been the perfect person to comfort Babe and ease Barbie's pain, pero . . . he had to be a little bitch instead.

Oh, NOW you wanna follow the color assignment, Sonic. NOW?!

Well, Jeffrey picked up your mantle with his not-all-black outfit and bright ass white-wrapped flowers. This isn't a wedding, Jeffrey! IT'S A FUNERAL! Jeffrey, a note from The Sign's Dr. Chalothon - FAKE IT! Sir, that empty grave is supposed to be your roommate and partner-in-dumb-crime, yet I haven't seen one single tear from someone who just lost their buddy. You're more sus than the entire cast of Dead Friend Forever. How does Barbara not suspect your ass with his spidey senses?!

Damn you, Saltburn!

KIMBERLY! AND HE'S IN BLUE! *sliding down the wall and sobbing on the floor* MY BABY HAS RETURNED!

Wait! Pause! *squints* Why did Jeffrey bring Kim? And why to Alan's house? What in the Chuck E. Cheese is happening?!

Alan, Jeffrey's roommate is quote-unquote "dead" yet you are living your best life. Can you try to be sad too or are you in on this plan and this is why Kimberly is now looking beautiful on your couch?

The blue is between y'all, but just like Charles and Barbara having sex on every surface when Kimberly was being held hostage, do y'all have no shame? Making heart eyes at each other immediately after burying an empty coffin that was supposed to be Charles. Shame! At least pretend that Charles is dead! Or fill Barbie in on this dumb plan.

Vegas' Hedgehog, you pretty bitch. I hate you.

Barbie is watching the crash, and Jeffrey and Alan are playing footsie over Charles' quote-unquote "grave." But I already know I'm more upset for Barbie than he will be for himself because he'll forgive everyone for this bullshit lie in less than two minutes.

Does Barbara think Waymond killed Charles?! He might be shitty, but he is backed by the blue. He ain't guilty! Go speak to your boyfriend's roommate and his new boyfriend, Barbie!

Oh shit! I wasn't expecting you to actually go talk to them! Hold up! Is that blue on Jeffrey?! Does he actually not have anything to do with Charlie's quote-unquote "death"?

SONIC IS WEARING BLUE IN THE BACKGROUND!

Like I know shit is going down right now because Decanus sabotaged ANOTHER car *Pikachu face* but I don't think he is in on the dumb plan to "kill" Charles so . . . Kimberly wore blue this episode and Sonic is wearing blue (even though I think there is a shimmer of red there), and I'm crying in the club because this is all I wanted, and sorry to all of y'all, but the show could end right here, and I'd be happy.

Oh no. My man is crying. I am no longer happy. I am in pain. Why is he crying so hard? Was Dean his best friend? His brother? This feels personal. Jeffrey, come give our man a hug! Right now! RIGHT FUCKING NOW, JEFFREY!

Seeing Alan cry hurt way worse than anything else that happened. Charles isn't dead, so I'm just upset that Barbie has to cry and more upset that Barbara is going to be cool with whatever dumb plan Charles made without telling him, but Alan's tears were unexpected.

However, Sonic is back on his bullshit next week, so I can't stay in my feels too long.

And I get to see Peter while someone fully commits to the blue.

Oh, and we get to see the dumb-plan-that-made-Barbie-cry in more detail. *Arthur fist* Be upset at Charles for just one episode, Barbara. Just one damn episode, please. He didn't try to assault you like Waymond, but Charles has played with your emotions several times, and I just need you to knock 👏🏾 his 👏🏾 ass 👏🏾 out 👏🏾 too 👏🏾.

#pit babe #pit babe the series #the colors mean things #and they will guide me the whole way through #color coded boys in love #episode 10 #Kimberly is home!#And he and Sonic wore blue!#I could cry from happiness #but Alan is crying from sadness #and it feels inappropriate for me to be happy #and I have sympathy compared to these men who are happy to flirt #while their friends SUFFER!

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jonathan-samuel-smith · 4 months

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TW bipolar discussion and nonconsensual kissing, mental health discussion

So about Saturn Girl kissing Jon without his ability to consent to it: I get that she isn't actively deciding to mind control the people around her, but she does have a choice in the matter. Her family wanted her to stay home until she could control her mind control powers, but she didn't want to and left. To me that's like if I noticed I was manic (not hypomanic) and didn't go to the mental hospital... Like I can't control my bipolar but I have the choice to stay away from others when it would harm them. That's not even a good comparison though because my judgement isn't clear enough to consistently do that when I'm manic, whereas she is at baseline and is able to think rationally. I wouldn't blame someone with bipolar because they have no choice, but I'm just saying the obvious choice would be to keep yourself away from others even if it's not fun for you. I feel like I can blame her, because she has a choice.

I do sympathize with her, but I really think she's hurting others disproportionately to the distress she feels stuck at home, and that's not okay.

If you look back on the events with the knowledge that she can't turn off her mind control, you see how manipulative she is, especially to Jon, and she does high-control group tactics: love bombing, isolation, guilt tripping, not letting him have rest alone where he would have time to realize he didn't want this.

I don't like the JonDami narrative that Jon was an asshole for leaving Damian in the past or was running away from his problems, because in my view he was dragged into a cult and I can't blame him for that, especially because he was extremely vulnerable at the time. I also don't believe Jon would have left in the first place if he knew up front that he couldn't bring Damian to at least visit him.

Jon had been in a state of fight or flight for around 6 years (not just talking about the volcano because there was also his verbally abusive grandpa and their deadly adventures and being trapped in space, and then him struggling to survive on the streets and trying to find a way home after he escaped) and the first time he really got a chance to cool down was when he was talking with Damian. He really needs a long break, therapy, and medication because what he went through can't be treated with therapy alone as the stress has chemical effects in the brain that need to be adjusted.

The writers don't care about how Jon should be extremely hypervigilant and defensive and anxious. I guess that's just not brave enough for a superhero, nevermind that leaving the house and getting treatment for these things, learning to trust again, and letting people help you is so much braver than punching guys when you have superpowers. It's natural to fight when your fight or flight is activated in a protective manner, but doing the logical thing when every signal in your body is telling you not to is really damn hard. The only coward is DC for giving Jon trauma and not actually writing a traumatized character.

That all being said, Damian clearly doesn't see how Jon is being manipulated, probably because his head is full of self hatred & doubting & repressed desires to ask Jon to stay, and thinks he needs to go against his abandonment trauma by swinging the pendulum too far in the opposite direction in his speech. With his c-ptsd and abandonment issues I can see him becoming bitter towards Jon for going to the future.

That could make for a really complex fanfiction, don't you think? The conflict coming from their unique life experiences and traumas, and them learning to understand each other like they're always doing. This misunderstanding of intentions born not out of something dumb like hearing the wrong thing or being unclear in language, but from their different points of view.

My jondami au where Jon leaves the legion early is calling me lmao "Isaac we have more problems for you to fix~"

That being said I have no exclusivity to these ideas for writing.

#jondami #fanfic talk #headcanons #dc comics #legion of super heroes #damijon #angst #ok btw im ignorant of tone so i wanna clarify im not angry writing this lol #Jonathan Samuel Kent #jon kent #Jonathan Kent #character study

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allexina · 1 month

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Content warnings: reader is female and uses she/her pronouns, internalized misogyny, physical violence, abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, mentions of starvation, and child neglect.

Johnny Cade x Female! Reader - Sinners

Summary: You were stuck in a very religious household and were raised to believe that bad things would happen if you didn’t follow the rules set for you perfectly. When you meet Johnny Cade, an innocent boy who just wants what’s best for you, he shows you what affection and love is when given in a healthy dosage and not used in a detrimental way. When you finally open up to him about your family, Johnny decides he wants to get you out before something bad happens to you.

Author’s note: I’m so sorry that this took so long!! I’ve been experimenting and rewriting this to fix everything. I’ve also been going back and forth between multiple of my stories so I don’t burn myself out! I do genuinely wonder what churches and all were like back then. I know there was a LOT of cults back then which was what originally inspired this. I will be coming back to proofread this/fix any dialogue that doesn’t make much sense for Johnny. Also, please give constructive criticism!:)

Word count: 5.2K+

You were on your knees, murmuring a quick prayer. You didn’t want to be outcasted or damned for missing even one prayer and that was something that was beat into you as a child. You kept your hands clasped tightly together as you heard snickering coming from behind you.

You ignored it, knowing it was those boys that had come in randomly during the sermon. You stopped yourself from thinking anything bad about the people laughing. God told you that it wasn’t your place to judge and you trusted him. You wouldn’t judge the boys no matter how many cruel words they spoke.

You felt the tears before they even started to try and fall. You had stood up from the altar and wiped the tears away quickly, hoping no one saw you. The fear of being seen crying wasn’t too strong as everyone already called you overly sensitive so it didn’t matter much if they saw you crying. You went to sit back beside your family, who were all smiling at you as if you had done some good deed by praying.

In your eyes, that was the least of your good deeds. Why didn’t any of the other times get noticed? It wasn’t like it mattered that they didn’t because you weren’t supposed to be praised for doing the bare minimum but it was still upsetting.

A woman sitting beside you smiled down at you and nodded with no actual reason. Well, you thought she was saying hello without speaking. That’s how the people in your class said hello without ever speaking. You found it entertaining but never acted how they did because it was unladylike in every way.

You smiled at the woman and looked back to the preacher who was getting louder by the second. You crossed your arms as you licked your dry lips.

You would do anything to get out of the church but God wouldn’t appreciate you hating his love the way you were. You closed your eyes and looked down towards the ground as you began rapidly praying. Begging for forgiveness that you knew wouldn’t come easily, you felt your heart release the heaviness of your sins. You wouldn’t tell a soul of your true sins. The ones that keep you up late into the night; the ones that make you miss the days you would smoke cigarettes to calm yourself.

You heard the sermon slowly come to an end and you stood up without much thought as you walked into the aisle. Your parents followed you as you walked out of the church without speaking to anyone. Your mom followed you as she let out a sigh. “Your father needs to speak with the pastor so he said we could head on home.” She smiled as she placed a hand on your shoulder. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving!” She started leading you away from the church as you looked over your shoulder. A group of teenage boys had walked out of the building with one specifically watching you walk away.

Your eyes looked towards a random tree after making eye contact with the adorable boy. You thought he was handsome but you felt a certain disgust for feeling that. You were going to marry a man of your father’s choice. After all, he knew what men were like and would choose based on which man could provide for you and your future family.

Your mom pressed a kiss to your forehead as she held you tightly against her. “Do you want to start exercising more?” Your mom suddenly questioned aloud as she ran a hand through your hair. “I think we should go on more walks and get out of the house more. You’re homeschooled and have nothing else to do and I usually have our home cleaned with food on the table long before it’s needed.” She rambled on and on as you stopped.

Your house was in front of the two of you as you grabbed your mom’s hand from your shoulder and began leading her up the concrete pathway that paved the path you needed to take.

Your stomach growled angrily as you felt hunger pains spread throughout your stomach. When was the last time you ate? You couldn’t remember as you felt you still didn’t deserve to eat. You took a moment to look around your house. Your mom was trying to redecorate as much as possible for Easter. You were feeling disappointment that winter had almost ended and it was soon to be summer.

You enjoyed bundling up in the warmest of clothes while also having reason to light a fire in the fireplace. You felt your face flush as you looked in the mirror that was hung in the living room and noticed that the strap of your bra had slipped down your shoulder. Your mom watched as you pulled it up with a struggle.

“You know, you don’t have to panic when it’s just me. I have breasts, too.” You looked at her with the widest of eyes she’d or anyone had ever seen on you.

“Mom! It’s immodest to ever allow anyone to see anything that only a husband should see!” You snapped as you ran up to your room in fear of being seen as a… you couldn’t bring yourself to think the word.

You collapsed on your bed as sobs filled the empty space beside you. You were ashamed, hurt, sad. You couldn’t understand the emotions that flowed endlessly through your body.

You grabbed the comforter from the end of your bed and brought it up closer to you as you flipped and turned every which way to get comfortable. You grabbed the stuffed animal that laid beside you and hugged it close to you. You were tired and you didn’t want to be involved with anything else for that day. You had gone to church and you had prayed to God to get you out.

You closed your eyes as you slowly drifted off to sleep.

You grabbed the piece of toast off of your plate and licked your lips at the buttery taste. You were going to the library soon to find the second to the last book in a fantasy series that you had picked up.

You grabbed your purse and started to walk out of your house with a tired sigh leaving you. You wanted more sleep but you also wanted more time to yourself. Your dad had come home with another man. He told you the man was a pastor from a nearby church that wanted to talk about God with your family.

You walked down the broken sidewalk with a frown plastered on your family. You were nervous to be out in public without one of your parents with you as they told you a lot of bad people liked to prey on young girls such as yourself. It made you nervous to even look out the window some days with the things they told you.

You sped up as the wind blew a little harder against you. You were wearing a long dress that covered everything including your ankles while also covering your arms and shoulders. The dress was wildly blowing with the wind and for a good while, you thought you were going to fly away with the fallen leaves on the ground.

The buildings around you had gotten more abundant as you seen the library in the distance. You heard that same loud laughing that you heard whilst in the church which made you do a double take at the group of boys walking down the sidewalk.

Your eyes met with that of the boy who had puppy eyes. He was attractive but you forced yourself to look away from him as it was disgusting for you to feel attracted in any way to anyone until you were married. You crossed your arms and covered your breasts as you knew that your body was created to be distracting for men. You never wanted to tempt someone.

You happily pulled open the glass door to the library and walked in, feeling a sense of safety when you heard the door shut loudly behind you. You never enjoyed entering buildings. It was… terrifying for you.

You needed to find another book that would keep your thoughts solely on yourself and the characters. Your Bible had kept you pretty focused on living your life based on God but you couldn’t continue to read the same sentences over and over while pretending to completely understand the meaning.

Your eyes scanned the dozens of thick books that were laying with a layer of dust covering them. You grabbed one that had a slightly darker cover than the rest, reading the title before flipping the book over to read the back.

You heard the library door open and close loudly. You looked towards the noise and almost let out a gasp once you saw the boy with the puppy eyes. He was making eye contact with you.

You looked back down at the book that you were holding so tightly that your knuckles were white.

You watched as the boy approached you after a second, finally deciding to speak after a moment. “Uh… hey. I’m Johnny.” The boy finally sent you a shy little smile and you looked down.

“I’m R/n.” You stuck your hand out and the two of you shook hands. You were honestly shocked that he had even followed you into the library to talk to you. You felt your cheeks flush at the thought of him finding you so pretty that he wanted to talk to you.

“I saw you the other day at church and now you’re here…” Johnny’s voice sent something throughout you as he moved a hand to rub the back of his neck.

“Oh, well I appreciate you approaching me but I only date to marry. If that is why you approached me.” You lied through your teeth and it made you feel bad. You weren’t allowed to date. Your parents only wanted you to marry a nice man who would do whatever so long as it meant that you were out of their house by eighteen.

“Oh…?” Johnny sounded confused as he looked up at you. You were wearing your heels and were standing only a few inches taller than he was.

“I don’t mind! Really. I- can we just be friends?” Johnny felt his stomach continue to wrap itself in loops as he broke eye contact and began staring uncomfortably at the ground.

“Yes. I would like that.” You gripped the book in your hand as you began walking to the librarian’s desk. She took your book from your hand and before you knew it, the book was slid across the desk back to you.

Johnny continued walking with you even when his friends started calling him over. You looked at Johnny with the smallest of smiles, “you can go hang out with them, if you want. My parents are strict and wouldn’t appreciate me being around a boy without them.” Your words confused Johnny as he knew parents could be protective but why were yours wanting to be around for every little moment? You were almost an adult woman and you still heavily relied on your family which, don’t get Johnny wrong, wasn’t a bad thing but it also wasn’t healthy.

“Okay. When can I see you again?” Johnny wanted to ask you out on a date but knew you’d reject him given the opportunity which you had.

“Well, I do want to go shopping soon so if you want to come then?” You tilted your head to the left slightly, eyes staring back at Johnny’s with a certain glint in them.

“Yeah, that works.” Johnny murmured as he stared at you as if you had hung the stars in the sky.

“Well, meet me at the Summit tomorrow at twelve.” You smiled as Johnny nodded before he began walking back towards his friends.

You stared helplessly after him, feeling as if you were doing the wrong thing by allowing him to walk off like that.

You let out a sign and continued your adventure home.

“R/n? Are you done?” Your father peeked into your room to ask if you were done reading the Bible. You felt that you were as you had memorized almost every verse you were given. It was mind boggling how you could remember such complex things but forgot simple things such as how to cook a chicken breast. Maybe that’s why your parents cared so much about finding you a husband. You were still excited about the prospects of receiving love and giving it back to someone but that excitement had died down a lot since you’d seen Johnny that day at the library.

“Yes, sir.” You responded as you looked out the window. Rain was clinging to the glass as if it was its life force. You found it fascinating how the drops would hit the window and stick only for them to slowly slide down. It was a cycle that was endless and so fun to watch. Your father left you alone as you heard the thumping of his shoes on the stairs. You tried to ignore the feeling of random sadness that you had started to feel. New emotions were appearing now that you had the slightest taste of freedom.

You were excited, nervous, sad, happy, etc. all because of a boy that you would never ever get to be with in any capacity. You looked at your clock on the wall and stood up, deciding it would be better for you to go get a snack and then take a short cat nap after just to get some of your energy back.

You let out a sigh as you walked down the stairs and came face-to-chest with your father.

“What’s wrong, R/n?” He lifted a hand up only for you to walk past him quickly. You were nervous. You didn’t want to speak to your father as he would only make those feelings intensify. You sat down at the kitchen table with a frown appearing on your features.

Your mom looked at you with the smallest of smiles playing at her lips. Your plate was already made and placed down in front of you. You didn’t immediately start to eat as your father came into the kitchen and sat down at the head of the table. Your eyes watched his every move, a certain anger filling you as you watched your parents turn to each other and began a conversation.

Why did they get to do whatever they wanted, even when it counted as a sin, yet when you do something, you're deemed a demon. A sinner who will never see the pearly gates of heaven. Your mouth stayed sealed as you felt the anger dissipate into thin air as guilt overtook every other emotion. Those were your parents. They never sinned even when you believed they did because you were uneducated and you didn’t understand the Bible as much as they did.

“I met a boy today.” You finally spoke, deciding to tell your parents the truth. God would want you to tell them the full, honest truth.

Your mom leaned forward with a smile on her face, “oh, tell me about him! Is he a God fearing man? Does he understand that you aren’t willing to be intimate until marriage? What about the church's rules? Does he know them?” Your stomach twisted at your mom’s words. You closed your eyes before starting to slowly answer all of her questions.

“He is. He goes to church. I did tell him that and he was okay with it. I haven’t mentioned the rules yet.” You whispered out as you sat up a bit straighter.

Your mom had a look of excitement on her face as she started talking while your father leaned back in his chair. “You’ll have to speak with brother David.” You hated calling everyone your brother and sister. It was unfair and disgusting when people began marrying each other within the church. You thought you were all brothers and sisters. You shuddered but nodded finally.

“Okay, but I never said that I wanted to be with him.” You responded as you picked your fork up and scooped some of the mashed potatoes up onto your fork. They were creamy and perfect. You continued shoveling the food into your mouth while your mom talked to your father.

“Our daughter is growing up. Next thing we know, she’s going to be in the hospital delivering our first grandchild.” Your stomach cramped with the pain of imaginary childbirth. That pain soon drifted to your lower body as you crossed your legs with the pain finally disappearing as you stopped thinking about it.

You would hold off on giving birth for as long as you possibly could.

“She won’t be doing anything until she speaks to brother David.” Your father reiterated what he had said before and you leaned back into your chair. Well, you at least had your mom’s permission to find a lover. You also remembered the numerous conversations where he had told you that he would choose a husband for you, because you weren’t smart enough to pick a good man.

You finished the food on your plate and stood up from the table as you decided you would wash your own plate. You didn’t want to stay at the dinner table any longer than you already had. That was a waste of time in your opinion.

You let out a sigh and walked to the kitchen, scraping the leftover food off of your plate before setting the plate and fork on the countertop and turning the sink on. You loved playing within the soapy bubbles that always spread rapidly once the soap was added. It smelt good and made you feel good. It made you feel clean.

You grabbed the sponge off of the holder that kept it out of the sink. You added a little soap to it before setting the plate into the sink and washing it. By the time you were finished, you had wanted to go to sleep. You grabbed the towel that you and your mom normally used to dry the dishes and quickly wiped the water off.

You opened the cabinet and you slid the plate into its normal place. “Hey, R/n? How much do you want for your allowance?” Your mom yelled to you and you wiped your hands onto your floral dress as you quickly started to walk towards your mom. Your heels clicked on the floor of your home as you caught sight of your parents who were still sitting in the kitchen.

“I don’t mind but I do really want that (favorite colored) dress that has (favorite design) on it.” You looked at your mom before your father pulled his wallet out and pulled a few dollars out. It was more than enough for you to buy the dress.

“Thank you, father.” You wrapped your arms around your father excitedly. You couldn’t remember a time where you felt so happy about receiving money. Usually, you would argue some and hope that they kept whatever money it was that they were trying to give. When it came to the man who had a helping hand in your creation, you didn’t care much. You enjoyed taking money from him and reminding him of your existence otherwise, he wouldn’t remember you past being at church.

You started making your way back to your room, hoping that you could meet that Johnny boy again. Hopefully he would be willing to meet up with you again so you could talk further than you anxiously speaking words that shouldn’t have ever been spoken in the same sentence. You wished you wouldn’t have lied and told him that you date to marry.

You needed human interaction to survive. You loved being with some of your close friends while doing anything at all. You couldn’t care less what the interaction you had was so long as you weren’t alone.

You started walking back up onto the stairs as you thought about how you could get into contact with Johnny once more. You made it to the top of the stairs and your eyes landed on the cross that hung above the staircase. You smiled as you murmured the lightest of prayers, and went back up to your room to pick an outfit out for your day out tomorrow. You wanted to impress Johnny and make him see you in a light that made you seem almost innocent. Men only wanted innocent and modest women.

You picked out a dress that had long sleeves and went down to the floor. You would wear your heels and it would make the dress reach close to your ankles. You set the dress onto the chair in the corner of your room.

You changed into a more comfortable outside before brushing your teeth and hair.

Soon after, you were in your bed and whispering prayers to God, hoping he would bless you with the prospects of love.

You were up and eating breakfast with your stomach twisting into knots. Your mom didn’t mention the slight shake of your hands and she didn’t mention how you were dressed up with makeup and all. She didn’t want him to realize and keep you home instead of letting you go out with your friend.

“Thank you for the money.” You grabbed the orange juice and took a sip from it as your mom looked at you with a smile. Your father had a slight smile but he it didn’t reach his eyes.

You were quick to leave your house, knowing you would be an hour or so early for whatever was going to happen with Johnny. You wiped your hands onto your dress and started walking slowly. You could take the time to admire your surroundings instead of trying to book it to meet up with Johnny.

He would probably be late anyways as all of the men you knew were rarely on time without a woman forcing them to get up and out of the door before a specific time. You meant no harm to Johnny but he didn’t seem like the kind of man to have someone doing that for him.

More often than not, he had dirt on his face and always seemed dirty. You would fix that, of course. You made sure to pack a small jar of water along with a handkerchief to make sure that he would get clean.

You looked around at the trees with a small smile on your face. Animals were casually running around and happily avoiding you as if their lives depended on it. Though, in hindsight, you were technically a danger to the animals mostly because humans killed them so often.

You noticed the Summit was quickly approaching within your line of vision and you quickened your pace so you could sit somewhere and wait for Johnny.

You entered the building and a shocked expression overtook your features as you tilted your head. Johnny was sitting on one of the benches and was pulling at something in his pocket. “Johnny?” You smiled as you realized he was early without you even having to ask him.

Johnny stood up and held a hand out for you as you gave him a grin. “I didn’t want to be late so I left a little earlier…” Johnny’s voice held that southern accent that made you smile. You had lived in the south your entire life but for majority of it, you lived in Utah so your accents were slightly different.

“That’s why I came early, too. Well, come on! We need to get into the shops before everyone else gets in.” You noticed the dirt had been wiped away but the grease in his hair was prevalent still.

You didn’t mind though as the two of you started walking together. “I… I’m sorry if I came off as overbearing last time. I never meant to come off like that.” You whispered out as you walked a little quicker just in case he didn’t react well to your words.

“You didn’t. I just wasn’t ready for it.” Johnny caught up with you and gave you the shyest smile you had ever seen.

“Oh… okay.” You pulled open the glass door, a smile present on your face as you walked into the building. You held the door open for Johnny with a grin on your face. You seen him pause for a moment before he walked into the store you wanted to go in. His eyes shifted from dress to dress without much thought behind his eyes.

“Oh, they still have it!” You smiled as you rushed to grab the dress that you originally wanted. You held the dress up and gave Johnny the most innocent smile he had ever seen in his life.

You skimmed through the sizes and chose yours, holding the dress under your arm as you waved an employee down. “Hi! I was wondering if you could let me into one of the dressing rooms?” You asked with a shy smile on your face.

The woman immediately nodded as the two of you began walking towards the dressing rooms. You peaked over your shoulder and saw Johnny was slowly following too. You would need to make sure he didn’t feel awkward after showing him the dress.

“My sister loves this dress. She actually cut the sleeves off because she thought it looked cuter and it really does!” The employee smiled at you and your eyes sparkled.

“Oh, that’s wonderful! I may have to do that before the summer months hit.” You laughed as the woman opened the dressing room door. She closed it after you and you looked at yourself in the mirror.

You were gorgeous.

You slipped out of the dress you were in and slid into the other dress with a smile on your face. The dress was beautiful on you and really made you look ten times better than you ever thought you would look. You always assumed the very worst of anything especially when it came to clothes.

You opened the door of the dressing room and gave Johnny a small smile as you showed him your dress. “I think it looks pretty on me. What about you?” You asked softly as you turned slightly to show him the back of the dress even though it was the same as the other countless dresses you had.

“It looks very beautiful on you.” Johnny gave you a small, breathless smile as he looked you up and down. You walked over to him and wrapped your arms around his shoulders, hugging him as you decided you wanted to give him physical affection.

It wasn’t unnatural for you to want to give people hugs as that was your love language. You slowly let go of the man and went back into the dressing room with a smile on your face. You kissed Johnny’s cheek with the softest smile on your face. You let go of Johnny completely and backed away with your lipstick stains stuck on Johnny’s face.

You walked back into the dressing room and changed back into your other dress as you quickly wanted to make it back to Johnny on the other side of the door. “Hey, Johnny? Can you come in here?” You weren’t going to be undressed in front of Johnny as you had a shirt underneath the dress because you thought of every situation, including having Johnny help you.

Johnny slowly opened the door of the dressing room and came in before closing it with his foot. “What do you need help with?” Johnny asked quietly as he kept his eyes to the ground.

“Can you zip the dress up?” You turned around and smiled as you felt his hand make contact with the shirt on your back. You heard and felt the zipper get pulled up.

You turned around and you both exited the dressing room only for you to see one of your friends from the church standing in line. You grabbed Johnny’s hand and quickly scampered away from the dressing room so she wouldn’t tell your parents that the two of you were alone in the dressing room together.

You let go of Johnny’s hand and you both stood together in the line to pay. Now, you only wanted to get out of the store and the Summit in fear of your parents finding out that you were with a boy. Your parents knew that you had gone out with a man but they didn’t know who it was and you wanted to keep it that way. You didn’t want them to unnecessarily judge him for being less fortunate than your family.

“I was thinking that we could get something to eat afterwards?” You looked at Johnny with the biggest smile on your face.

“Yeah, if that’s what you want.” Johnny mumbled out as he kept his stare at the floor. You were slightly upset that he was so shy but then again, it still made you feel happy/giddy to know that he even wanted to spend time with you, anyways.

“That is what I want and I’ll pay for anything you want.” You smiled as the cashier suddenly caught your attention. You set your dress down on the counter and paid before leaving with Johnny.

You wanted to go to one of the higher end diners that you knew of but Johnny didn’t seem comfortable with the idea so you let him choose a place. He settled on a place that was in a rougher spot in town but nothing the two of you couldn’t get through. You knew that you would get something that would be easy on the stomach so that when you got home, you would also be able to eat supper with your family.

Johnny was standing in front of you with the door to the diner held open. You smiled at him as you felt a yawn creeping up from the back of your throat. You were so tired but knew that you had gotten enough sleep so being tired didn’t make much sense. “Oh, I’m so excited. I’ve never been here before.” You made a comment before realizing that could be taken in a different way. How would the upper middle class/wealthy girl ever end up in the bad part of town with everyone else? She wouldn’t unless she was with someone who knew the bad part of town.

You sat down at a booth and Johnny followed before you started talking. You were rambling on and on. Johnny allowed you to do so and didn’t bother to add anything into the conversation besides the occasional “yeah” or “okay”. You sheepishly smiled at him after rambling and he finally spoke, “do you want something to eat?” Johnny didn’t have a lot of money and he never thought he’d be in a situation where he would need it to make a girl feel like he genuinely likes her.

“Yeah but I’ll pay! I have more than enough money for the both of us. If you want, I can slip the money to you so you don’t feel embarrassed.” You gave Johnny a genuine smile as you leaned back against the booth seat. You grabbed the money from within your purse and nodded at Johnny to grab it from under the table. You didn’t want others to shame him even more for “making” the girl pay.

You cared deeply about societal norms and everything that came with it but you also knew that you wanted to have a lover before you became old and barren. You didn’t want to lose your ability to have children before you even had a chance to have a lover.

You watched as Johnny took the money from you with a frown on his face. You grabbed two menus from the holder on the back of the table and handed one to him. “Oh, I want a salad.” You smiled at Johnny with your cheeks turning a light shade of red. You didn’t want him to see you as anything other than an attractive woman. Anything else would be considered unfair to you as you always worked and tried to present yourself as a respectable and honest young woman.

“I want a hamburger…” Johnny’s voice had gotten more confident and you were proud of that. It must’ve meant that he was comfortable around you.

You nodded at him before speaking, “oh, I enjoy hamburgers but I love myself a nice salad.” You looked down at your stomach and Johnny watched as you subconsciously sunk down into the booth at the sight of your own stomach. You forced the frown off of your face and looked back up at Johnny.

“You know, I would love to go to the library soon. If you’d like, you can come with me…” you were nervous. You had never asked a man to go on a second date with you. That was when the realization hit you that this most likely wasn’t a date and he considered the two of you only friends. You played with your fingers under the table and cursed yourself slightly as you understood that caused it.

You let out a sigh as your thoughts started making you second guess everything. You liked Johnny but you felt almost as if you were using him. You decided then that you wanted to spend more time with Johnny.

You finally end wrapped your arms around yourself. You smiled at Johnny to make him less worried. You had noticed how his face fell slightly when you wrapped your arms around yourself and you felt guilty for being selfish. Everything was so awkward now that the two of you were alone with one another.

Soon enough, a waitress had stopped by y’all’s table to take your orders and you both gave your orders before you looked back at Johnny. “I’m sorry if this is awkward. I’ve tried to make everything less awkward but I feel like I’ve made it worse.” You laughed quietly and apologized softly.

You never wanted to make him uncomfortable and you felt that you had. “You didn’t! You… come off as a little strong but that’s fine.” You heard Johnny speak up, this time louder than any time before.

You leaned back in the seat and let out a sigh, knowing that you were going to go home and cry.

You were laying in bed with tears rolling down your cheeks. Your parents knew that you were out with Johnny and they knew that he had come into the dressing room with you. You were forced into your room and told that you wouldn’t be allowed to eat for a week and after that, you wouldn’t be allowed to see Johnny again.

You were glad that you ate before you came home and you knew that your mom would slip you snacks through the door when your father wasn’t looking. You were ashamed as you knew that everything you done was wrong. You not only hurt your parents but you angered God.

You had turned your back on the only thing that loved you for you. You felt yourself choke back another sob as you stared at the ceiling with tears rolling down your face. You grabbed a pillow and covered your face as you got off your bed. Your father was yelling downstairs and you knew the way to get your punishment over quickly.

You opened the door to your room and began walking down the stairs, understand that you would be in plenty of pain by the time it was all over. You understood that you deserved what your father was going to do to you and you were terrified. You didn’t want to be hurt but you also understood that you had to be hurt in one way or another.

It was the only way to receive God’s forgiveness for your sins.

Your feet hit the bottom of the stairs and you walked into the living room, looking at your parents. Your mom’s eyes widened and she immediately told you to go back to your room. You were sobbing again and your mom tried to reach you only for your father to physically throw her onto the couch.

Your father grabbed you by your shoulder and began forcing you towards the basement. It would only take five minutes, right? That was the usual time it took for you to finish all the punishments. You were silent throughout the ordeal as you knew that nothing you said would do anything. He would tell you to shut your mouth and you’d be punished longer than you would had you just kept your mouth shut.

You were forced onto the ground on top of a tarp-like surface that would catch any liquids that would fall during the interaction that was about to take place.

You didn’t want to fight back much as you had once before and your nose had been broken for it. You were embarrassed to admit that you stopped fighting back after that. On top of that though, God wouldn’t want you to fight back. He would want you to take whatever was given to you with grace.

You heard everything before you felt the physical pain from what you assumed to be your father’s belt.

You were close to sobbing by the third hit but your reminded yourself that you needed food. You could take quite a few hits before your body gave out but to go without eating for a week, it wasn’t something you wanted to do.

Soon enough, your father had left the basement and left you on the ground with tears in your eyes. You would never do this to your future children. Not even in the name of God.

It was too painful for you to even breath that second so why would you ever do something so heinous to someone else especially when it hurt you. You let out a silent sob as you slowly lifted yourself off of the floor. You looked at the ground and noticed the dark liquid that had formed from what happened. You gritted your teeth and began walking up the stairs, tears welling in your eyes as you struggled to walk up the stairs.

You opened the basement door and let out a choked sound before you almost slipped. You groaned as you weakly made your way to your room.

You almost let out a yell as you saw Johnny sitting on your bed with his eyes widening the second he saw you. “What happened to you?” He stood up and you closed your door quickly and slid your dresser in front of it.

You almost gave out as you covered your mouth to silence your scream. You sat down on your bed and shut your eyes tightly. Johnny put a hand on your thigh and gently tapped it as he watched your face change from one to pain to one of fear. “This is a sin.” You hissed out between clenched teeth.

“It’s not. You’re not a sinner because I touch you.” Johnny wrapped his arms around you and you let out another choked sob as you began to take your clothes off in front of Johnny.

“Help me…” your voice cracked as you begged him for help. You didn’t want to be physically hurt anymore. You couldn’t do it. “My father done this because we were in the dressing room together.” Johnny watched as you finished taking off your dress. You had since taken off the shirt underneath and Johnny was both in awe and disgust at the wounds. He’d never seen wounds so deep in a woman.

Johnny got up and begin searching your room, finding tape and an old shirt that seemed dirty. Johnny ripped the shirt and began gently tapping your wounds with it. “I’ll get you out of here. I fuckin’ promise to get you out of here.” He gave you a look of pure anger as you let out a whimper when he hit one of the wounds just right.

“Why do you got tape?” You whispered out as you tried to focus on anything and everything other than the fact that the boy you just got beat over was holding tape and cleaning your wounds.

“It’s nothin’. What’s your favorite book?” Johnny asked as he finished up with whatever he was doing.

You were already talking, hoping that you could somehow forget about the pain that came from each and every touch on your back.

“Edgar Allan Poe is my favorite author and I can’t choose between all of his books but I’d say The Raven is the best of them all.” You whispered out through gritted teeth. You finally felt Johnny gently pull your shirt down. You heard someone walking up the stairs and you immediately pushed Johnny into your closet.

Someone tried to open your door but was abruptly stopped by the dresser in front of it. “R/n? Baby, are you okay?” Your mom’s voice came through the door but you looked down at the ground.

“You said you’d talk to him about the no food thing.” Your voice cracked as you moved to sit down on your bed. You were… tired. That wasn’t the exact word for what you were feeling but it was oddly similar to what you were feeling. You thought that you wouldn’t ever grow tired of living the life that you were given but you had. The bruises were always painful and he never said sorry for all the physical and mental/emotional pain he caused both you and your mom.

Your mom had no reason to stay with him and she had no reason to fear him. She came from a wealthy family which is how your family even managed to stay in such an expensive house. Your father, a bank teller, didn’t make much and wouldn’t have been able to afford the home you lived in without your grandpa.

Your mom walked away from your room, the quietest of sobs leaving your mom. You felt terrible and felt like you were being too harsh on your poor mom. Your father “disciplined” her as well though her punishments were usually worse than yours and if she ever stood up against him for you, he would beat her until she was near death.

Johnny wanted to say something, anything but he couldn’t physically bring himself to speak. It was an awful feeling for the two of you as you sat silently in your room. You finally looked over at Johnny with a weird look on your face. “How did you get into my room?” Your voice sounded rough around the edges, breaking with every other word.

“I climbed the tree?” Johnny looked at you with a small blush coating his cheeks. You looked out your window and looked at the tree, looking back over at Johnny right after.

“I… didn’t know that was possible.” You heard Johnny stop all movement and you decided that you wanted to get sleep but you didn’t want to be alone. “I know we don’t really know each other but can you stay for a bit? My father won’t bother me for a few days and my mom will come by tomorrow afternoon.” You whispered out as you looked over at Johnny. Your nerves were absolutely on fire as you waited for his answer.

“Yeah, I can.” Johnny got off the bed and turned your light off after you asked him to stay, seeing the tiredness in your eyes. You blindly laid down on your bed and reached to grab the blanket on your bed. You were far too tired to fight with anything or anyone. You just wanted to get a few hours of sleep without being interrupted.

“I’m going to go to sleep. You can stay up and do whatever just be a little quiet because my parents will try to come in if you make too much noise.” You closed your eyes as you silently mumbled a prayer. You couldn’t clasp your hands together or get down on your knees as the pain was far too intense for you to move much.

All the adrenaline you had had disappeared by the time you settled back down into your bedroom. Johnny paused in front of you and your bed with hesitation creeping up. He didn’t want to get in bed with you in fear of you pulling away from him.

You moved over slowly and patted the bed beside you, understanding his fear of not wanting to be in bed with you. You felt the bed dip as he got in beside you and you wrapped your arms around one of your pillows and brought it down to your stomach.

You curled around it and closed your eyes as tightly as you could. Your parents wouldn’t come back to your room well into the next day and you were okay with that as you knew your mom would most likely try to make things “right” by bribing you with food or something else she knew you would enjoy.

Your father would only give you a dirty look, making sure you knew he and the men at the church all knew of your sins. Your mom would never gossip because she said that was one of the easiest sins to commit. Your father, on the other hand, loved to tell the other men about how he punished you. You had heard him go into detail about it and it made you feel upset.

Your cheeks was stained with the tears you shed earlier. You were slightly embarrassed to admit that you still cried over the things that happened. You were always told that you would grow out of being sensitive but with every passing day and birthday, you realized you wouldn’t. You still cried over the smallest of things and you couldn’t control the tears once they started. You felt that it wasn’t the biggest issue that you could have and yet, everyone else felt the opposite. They treated you differently based solely on the fact that you were a tad bit more sensitive than they were.

Your blanket was rapidly warming up as you kept it pinned tightly around you, feeling only the slightest bit of guilt for Johnny when you felt his body release a small shake. “Are you cold? Get under here with me.” You moved over and held the blanket up for Johnny to get in with you. You didn’t want to wait for very long so when he moved slower than you wanted, you blindly reached a hand out and pulled him into your bed with you.

His body hit your bed with a thump and you smiled as you turned to face the wall. You didn’t want to bother him or make him feel uncomfortable so you pushed yourself against the wall with an almost silent hiss as your back made full contact with something. You turned onto your stomach and closed your eyes with your body relaxing. You weren’t tired, not really but you needed more sleep especially after what happened.

“I’ll get you out of here. I swear to it.” Johnny whispered out from behind you into the silence of your bedroom.

You laughed quietly as you shook your head. “You can’t and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with what’s happening. This is God’s plan.” You shifted and let your foot slip out from under the blanket that shielded you from the outside world.

“This ain’t God’s plan. Man, if God wanted you to be hurt, wouldn’t he just do it himself?” Johnny asked you with a frown on his face. You couldn’t see it but you knew he wasn’t happy with you or the situation.

“I don’t know. God has people on Earth and he uses them to punish.” You responded only for Johnny to wrap an arm around you. He knew he needed comfort after being beat by his folks and assumed you would need/want that same comfort. You never did want that comfort mostly because the only people in your house was the ones who caused the pain in the first place. On top of that, the likelihood of your father stepping off of his high horse and trying to comfort you was almost as likely as seeing a unicorn.

It just wasn’t possible. He believed he was above you and your emotions which, in God’s eyes, he was. You weren’t supposed to complain as that was wrong too. Everything you had been doing as of late was wrong and you were ashamed to admit that you had willingly done most of it.

You felt the arm that was around you tighten around you more as your body shook with the silent sobs that left you. You had been so strong up until that point and now you couldn’t be strong. You were weak and would never live up to the person your parents seen when they looked at you. You were absolutely disgusting.

You closed your eyes and felt yourself drift off into a dreamless sleep.

You were woken up by someone shaking you gently. “You need to get up.” It was Johnny. He was trying to get you up and out of bed. “Come on. Both your parents left and you needa get up. We gotta go.” Johnny finally picked you up off of your bed and put your feet onto the floor of your bedroom.

“Johnny, we can’t leave? They’re my family.” You whispered out as Johnny started putting your things into a small bag.

“My folks are like yours. They ain’t worth nothin’ if they’re hittin’ you.” Johnny looked at you and gestured around. You started putting clothes into the bag before zipping it up and letting Johnny force your dresser from its place in front of your door.

Johnny intertwined your hands together and led you downstairs where the two of you left the house that you were raised in. It was unnerving and really made you feel terrible.

** One Year Later **

You put the notepad into the pocket of your apron. You were waiting for Johnny to come in so he could walk you back to your shared apartment with him. “Hey, baby!” You heard his voice as the bell above the glass door rung, telling you that someone had come in.

“Hi, lovely.” You pressed a kiss onto his cheek as you waved for him to sit at the counter. You were proud of both yourself and your lover. You made it out of whatever hell you had started in. You’d gotten yourself a psychiatrist/psychologist which you couldn’t remember which one it was but you were getting the help that you desperately need.

“Your shift was good?” Johnny asked as you poured some beer into a glass cup. You were the only one running the diner and Johnny would pay and tip you for pouring him a cup. You didn’t need that tip from him as the two of you shared finances but if you didn’t somehow, you would appreciate it.

“It was fine. I seen a man who looked very similar to my father earlier. Thought he’d finally come back to hurt me.” You set the glass in front of him. You leaned over the counter and pressed a kiss to Johnny’s cheek. You were feeling slightly relieved at the thought of your past life. You loved your parents more than anything but with the help of Johnny and a professional, you realized that God never wanted your father to beat you mercilessly.

You watched as Johnny took a sip of his beer. “We can afford for you to go to more of those sessions.” Johnny didn’t know much about your mental situation but he tried the best he could.

“Yeah, I know. He says I’m doing good for now. Says I’ve come a long way.” You walked around the counter and sat beside Johnny, laying your head on his shoulder. Your eyes were on the clock placed on the wall as you shook the thoughts from your head. “When you finish drinking that, we can leave. I’m closing tonight.” You stood up and watched as Johnny finished off the last of the beer.

He handed you the glass and you were quick to wash it. You were excited to go home and lay in bed with Johnny. You had never thought that you would be excited to just lay beside someone but once you and Johnny started to live the peaceful life, you were excited by the small things. You were looking forward to the future. To the days where you would get to see your future children running around.

You finished up with the cleaning and you began locking the diner up. “Oh, I’m so excited! I can’t wait to lay down and go to sleep.” You groaned out as you put the keys into your pocket. You would give them to Maryann in the morning when she came in. For now, you’d focus on the small family you had made for yourself that consisted of a healthier lifestyle, without the abuse.

Even if said abuse would haunt you for the rest of your life, you were at the very least, happy with yourself and the life you and Johnny had created.

#the outsiders #the outsiders x reader #Johnny Cade x reader #x female reader #Johnny Cade x female reader #The outsiders x female reader #Johnny Cade #The outsiders fanfic #the outsiders au #horror au #potentially triggering #horror

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