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harringtonstilinski · 1 month

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Call It What You Want - Steve Harrington

Author: @harringtonstilinski Characters: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader Word Count: 3,080 Warnings: fluff, squint hard for angst, ignore the fact that eddie has risen from the dead, lol Requested: no | yes; i hope it meets your expectations, @stevesxyellowxsweater!! came from this prompt list Smut: no | yes; A/N: Hi, friends! So, this hellsite decided to delete/eat the original fic of this. If you like this, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

Steve Harrington. Your childhood best friend turned… acquaintance? Hell, you don’t even know anymore. You two used to be inseparable before he became King Steve, then your friendship went to shit… or at least you think it did.

When he started spending less and less time with you over the course of high school, your mind couldn’t help but go to the worst case scenarios. He didn’t want to be your friend anymore, he didn’t like you as a friend anymore, he was in the popular crowd while you weren’t so that made him not like you, Tommy H. and Carol, and many more.

Everything came to a head during both of your Senior year. You had asked him to hang out a couple of days after he and Nancy broke up, just wanting to cheer up your best friend. When he ditched you for a whole ass month, you decided to quit trying.

It was now summer of ‘86, just a couple of months after the earthquake. You were volunteering at the high school gym, or makeshift shelter, when you spotten him, folding clothes.

You tried to avert your eyes when he looked up and over, feeling eyes on his figure, but you couldn’t. Lost in those hazel eyes that you were once your favorite things to look at.

He pulled his lips together in a tight smile, nodding his head once at you before looking back down at the shirt in his hands, finishing the fold he started on it.

“Why don’t you just, I don’t know, talk to him?” Robin said, effectively scaring you.

After jumping ten feet from your skin, you placed a hand over your heart, bending at the waist ever so slightly, resting your free hand on the table in front of you. “Holy shit, don’t do that again.”

“Look, I know it’s been years since you guys have talked, but–”

“If you tell me it’ll benefit us both in the long run again, I’m gonna take these suspenders and snap them on your tits,” you interrupted, eyebrow raised.

Robin held her hands up, looking down slightly as she said, “Okay, fair enough. But seriously, though? Just saying hey and catching up wouldn’t hurt anyone. Especially Dustin.”

You looked over at your little brother, watching as he continued to hand people cups of water and blankets, his leg having long been healed from his fall back into the Upside Down. Sighing, you whispered, “I know,” before looking back at Robin. “I know he’s already lost Eddie. He can’t lose Steve, too.”

“Even though it feels that way,” your brother said, setting his tray down next to you.

Wrapping your arm around his shoulders, you sighed. “You haven’t.”

“He’s always going on dates.”

Brows furrowed, you replied, “He’s always gone on dates. His asshole of a father always told him that if he wasn’t settled down by a certain age then he was considered a failure in his eyes. Which he isn’t… nor will he ever be.”

Dustin and Robin looked at each other behind your head, both of them raising their eyebrows in unison at your words, realization hitting them both. You had a crush on Steve.

And of course, your shithead of a little brother looked back at you with a devilish smile after watching Steve take a few steps towards you. “Well, here’s your chance to get that date you’ve always wanted.”

Looking at him confused, you asked, “What are you–” before being interrupted by both him and Robin saying, “Bye!,” walking away as Steve approached the table.

You looked from Dustin to Robin as the two of them walked away, mouth ajar before bringing your bottom lip between your teeth and looking in front of you. A small smile appeared on your face, seeing that playful smile that Steve always gave.

“Hey, loser,” he said.

Releasing your lip, you scrunched your eyebrows, greeting him with, “Buttface.”

A chuckle came from his mouth, his head bending forward as his chin became parallel with his collarbone. When he brought his head back up, you saw nothing but amusement in his eyes as he said, “Buttface? Really?”

Crossing your arms, you retorted, “Well, you are. You fucking ditched me.”

All amusement left his eyes at your words, fear and anxiety crashing into yours. “Oh, my god. Steve, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say it. I just slipped out–”

“It’s okay,” he said, stopping your words. Nodding, he added, “I mean, I did deserve it. I was an asshole and I’m majorly sorry for that.”

Smiling a little to yourself, you tilted your head and quietly asked, “Did just say majorly? What is this? 1982?”

He looked at you confused, but laughed nonetheless. “Yes. Yes, I did.”

Going back to messing around with the items in front of you at the table, you said, “You were always one for trends. Still are, apparently.”

“What do you mean?”

Gesturing to his clothes, you eyed his outfit before locking eyes with him again. “Need I say more?”

“What about the hair?”

“Still on trend with that. It’s your best attribute. I predict, though, in about… twenty or so years, you’re gonna cut it short.”

Leaning his hands on the table, he asked, “Will I still look good?” “Of course,” you chuckled. “You always have. Even when we were kids and your parents made you get those… oh, what are they called?” You thought for a moment before gasping. “Oh, my god! It was a bowl–”

“You finish that sentence and I’ll make sure everyone sees your haircut from the late 70’s.”

With wide eyes, you said, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Don’t try me, princess.”

You narrowed your eyes at the nickname he used to call you when the two of you were kids. You loved it until you reached high school when Carol started calling you princess to get under your skin.

He started using it in a derogatory way after that just to please his friends, which pissed you off to no end. Steve would end up going home after school or hanging out with Tommy H and Carol, regretting the words he’d said to you.

That’s when you both made the conscious decisions, separately, to stop hanging out. When you two walked across the stage at graduation, you cheered and clapped for each other, spotting each other in the crowd and giving each other a small smile.

Realizing what he’d called you, his eyes went wide with shock. “Sweetheart, I am so sorry.”

Waving him off, you looked down. “It’s okay, Steve. I’m over it.”

“Clearly not with the way you just looked at me.”

“And how was that?” you asked, looking from the blanket you were moving into Steve’s eyes.

With a small smile, he replied, “Like you wanted to kill me.”

“Oh, my god. Just ask her out!” Dustin said, walking behind Steve.

Your eyes went wide, not believing that just happened, but… Steve apparently believed it because not five seconds after Dustin had disappeared, he asked, “Would you? Go on a date with me?”

Flabbergasted, you opened and closed your mouth like a fish out of water, your brain going a million miles an hour as you tried to come up with an answer as an arm came around your shoulders, ultimately halting your train of thought.

“Of course she’d love to, dingus,” Robin said. You could hear the smile behind her words… and see it as you turned your head to face her.

“Robin,” you quietly hissed.

“Oh, shush,” she whispered. “You know you want to.”

You knew, deep down in your heart you knew you wanted to go on that date with one Steve Harrington. You had always wished that he would ask you, but alas… he never did. Always asking out the popular girls, the girls on the cheerleading team or dance team. And it always broke your heart.

This time, though, was different. It was you he was asking, not some other girl that only wanted to get into his pants… or he into theirs.

Sighing, you closed your eyes for a moment before gathering your thoughts and nodding your head. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Yeah, okay, what?” Robin said, the smile evident on her face.

“Yes, Steve, I’ll go on a date with you.”

~~~

Two weeks had gone by before you were standing in front of your vanity mirror, looking over your outfit.

“Hey, female - holy shit.”

You turned and spotted Eddie standing at your doorway, a cassette tape in his hands that he nearly dropped. Chuckling, you said, “Hey, Eddie. What’cha got there?”

“Uhh,” he said, looking from you to the cassette. Looking up with a devilish smile on his face, he played with it, before tilting his head and scrunching his nose. “Maybe it’s that album you’ve been looking for.”

Scrunching your brows in thought, you wracked your brain trying to think of what album he could be talking about until it hit you with a gasp. “Def Leppard’s Pyromania?”

Pointing at you with the cassette, Eddie smiled and said, “The very one.”

Squealing happily, you ran and jumped into your best friend's arms, hugging him tightly around his neck before releasing him, hands cupping his cheeks. “Thank you, Ed.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” He gave you another quick hug before adding, “Oh, by the way. You look beautiful. You’re gonna knock Harrington’s socks off.”

Chuckling, you said, “Thanks, Eddie.” At the sound of Steve’s laugh, your body tensed the slightest bit, your best friend noticing.

“Hey,” Eddie said, voice gentle. “It’s gonna be okay. Don’t worry. If he tries anything, just let me know and I’ll kick his ass.”

“In what? D&D?”

He was silent for a moment, his eyes going the tiniest bit wide before he nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, you got me there.”

You laughed as you turned to put the cassette on your vanity, giving yourself one more look over before exiting your room, purse on your shoulder. When you spotted Steve standing at the door with Dustin, laughing, your heart leapt into your throat. Steve looked damn good, and you knew tonight wouldn’t end without the two of you making things official… after talking everything out.

When Dustin looked at you, his smile never faded. “Well, here she is. The lady of the hour.”

“Oh, shut up,” you said, giving him a side hug as Steve chuckled.

He opened the door for you, escorting you out, Dustin, your mom and Eddie wishing the two of you a good night.

“Ten bucks they end up together,” Dustin says.

“I’ll up you ten and say they’ll do more than just ‘get together’,” Eddie replied.

With a disgusted look on his face, Dustin looked up to his mentor, saying, “That’s my sister, you gross ass.”

~~~

The car ride to the movies was silent, but comfortable. The film choice for the night was The Karate Kid Part II. Your main reason for seeing it?; Ralph Macchio.

Max had told you if you didn’t see it that she’d hunt you down and murder you in your sleep. An empty threat from the redhead, but nevertheless, you told that you’d see it, a smile spreading across her face at your words.

Once the movie was over and you voiced that you were starving, Steve drove the two of you to Benny’s, home of the best burgers and fries in Hawkins. As soon as you two walked into the diner, the waitress smiled to herself, already getting her notepad and pen out, writing down yours and Steve’s orders.

She waited on the two of you during your Freshman and Sophomore years of high school before Steve became King Steve. Gloria, the waitress, had always wondered where you were when Steve would come in with Tommy H and Carol. Steve had explained that the two of you weren’t really hanging out anymore, which made her sad, so seeing the both of you at the diner together, made her smile.

The both of you took your normal booth in the middle along the wall of windows. You turned your head to the right, looking out at the cars passing by on the road. Sighing, you felt content before looking back at Steve, whose eyes had been on you the whole time.

Steve was immensely happy that you had decided to go on this date with him. He always felt bad at the treatment you got from him, and always wanted to make it up to you in the best way possible. This was the best thing he thought of. Doing what you’d always used to do; movie and then burgers at Benny’s.

“What?” you asked, reaching up to touch your cheek. “Do I have something on my face?”

Chuckling, Steve looked down at the table before looking around the diner, eyeing Gloria, giving her a nod, a small smile on his face as he did, your eyes watching his movements.

Turning your head to look towards Gloria, your face lit up with happiness, the seasoned waitress walking over with her tray resting on her hand, bringing the two of your food.

“Oh, my goodness,” she smiled. “Look at how grown you two have gotten. I was wondering when you two were gonna come walking back in here together.”

Your face flushed as Steve’s eyes widening the slightest bit at her words. She always rooted for the two of you. After Gloria had set your drinks in front of you, she smiled and said that she’d be right back with a special treat for you and Steve.

Shrugging, you picked up your burger after topping it with your condiments and veggies of choice that were on your plate, you took the first bite, eyes practically rolling into the back of your head. “Oh, my god. I forgot how good these burgers were.”

With furrowed brows, Steve picked up a fry and asked, “When was the last time you were here?” before popping it into his mouth.

“The last time we both were here,” you said, after swallowing your bite, going back in for another.

Steve hummed to himself, taking a bite of his cheeseburger, having topped it with his toppings of choice.

About half way through your meal, Gloria set your favorite milkshakes in front of you, a big smile spreading on your face after she walked away. Using the spoon that was in the cup, you brought a spoonful of the thick milkshake to your mouth, quietly moaning with an eye roll at the flavors hitting your taste buds.

Pointing to the shake with the spoon, you said with a mouthful, “The best damn shakes in Hawkins.”

“The best damn shakes in all of Indiana!” Steve exclaimed, holding his own spoon out with some of his shake on it.

Scooping another spoonful, you ‘clinked’ your spoons together, laughing at the silliness of it all. You had missed it, though, and so had Steve. Once your laughter had died down and you were finished with your meals, Steve had tried to pay, Gloria insisting that it was on the house, courtesy of Benny himself.

The drive back to your house was quiet again, but comfortable. Steve had his hands on the steering wheel and gear shift, respectfully, while yours was in your lap. All the words you wanted to say were a mess in your head, every thought that was tumbling around in your head caused you to lose track of time… and where you were.

A hand on your shoulder brought you back, your head turning towards Steve. “I’m sorry, what?”

He chuckled, his hand never leaving your shoulder. “I said, we’re here and asked if you were okay.”

“Oh,” you said, sheepishly. “Yeah. Got lost in thought, I guess.”

“What were you thinking about?”

Shaking your head, you looked down and whispered, “It’s nothing.”

Putting his hand on yours and gaining your attention, Steve said, “Hey. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

All you could do for the next ten seconds was look into those hazel eyes you used to get lost in before you leaned forward, resting your forehead against his, closing your eyes and sighing. Steve sighed and closed his eyes, as well, bringing his hand from yours to cup your cheek.

“I’ve missed you, Stevie,” you whispered. You felt him stiffen just slightly, your opening and head lifting from his for just a moment before he brought your forehead back to his. “I’m sorry. I know you hate being called that.”

This time, it was Steve who lifted his head to look at you, his hand never moving from your cheek. “You’re the only one that gets to call me that, ya’know? Always have been, always will.”

A small smile spread on your lips, Steve’s hand moving slightly back towards your neck, his thumb rubbing at the top of your jawline near your ear. “Don’t hate me for this,” he whispered.

“What are you–” you started, but your words were cut off by Steve’s lips on yours. You were a little shocked, to say the least, but you kissed him back regardless. It wasn’t a hungry kiss. It was more of one that was testing the waters

With lips slowly moving in sync, you couldn’t help but feel happy that his lips were actually on yours. You hated to admit it to yourself, but you’ve always wondered what it would feel like to have Steve’s lips on yours, and now that they are… you couldn’t get enough.

You wanted to keep kissing him until your lips were red, swollen, numb, the whole nine yards. All you wanted was Steve, and now… you think you have him.

When you both pulled away, breathless, you rested your foreheads against each other’s, simultaneously. As you caught your breath, you smiled, a soft chuckle making its way from your lips.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, a smile on his face as well.

Rolling your head to the right a little, you bit your bottom lip before lifting your head and looking at those hazel eyes you’ve always loved. “I just can’t believe that happened.”

Moving his hand back to your cheek, Steve smiled that smile you hadn’t seen in years. “Well, you better believe it… because I plan on doing that more.”

“I’m counting on it, Stevie.”

Steve chuckled while shaking his head, bringing your lips back to his with a smile on both of your faces.

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A/N 2: hi, friends! let me know what you thought about! again, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox.

Additional Notes:

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Forever / Everything Taglist: @stiles-o-dylan24 @stixnstripesworld @fandom-princess-forevermore @quanticobae @mischiefandi @kellyashcroft @lauren-novak

Steve Harrington Taglist: @madaboutjoe

If you’re tagged and didn’t want to be, please let me know.

Italics wouldn’t let me tag!

~~~

*Please don’t post my writing anywhere else without my consent. The author of this work will always and forever be @harringtonstilinski.

All characters, story lines, and plot aside from y/n and her storyline & plot, are all of the work of The Duffer Brothers.

*These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Posted on March 22, 2024

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #joe keery x reader #steve harrington

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lottesreads · 6 months

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Why Me? - Part 6

Pairing: Bob Floyd x Mitchell! Female Reader (Callsign Mantis)

Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, bruises, (someone gets punched), details of panic attacks, swearing, one "daddy" joke, pining, big Rooster warning here, mommy issues, mentions of death, insecurities

Word Count: 5860

Summary: Going over flight maneuvers for the day doesn't go as everyone planned. Somethings from your past get revealed, and you grow a little closer to Bob.

A/N: PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS, this one is a little heavier and angstier, so I apologize for that. Things will get better though! Also, sorry for taking so long, I started a new job and had to take two tests so yay for me.

Masterlist

After what you are now calling the most awkward lunch ever, the day goes by… fine. The squad spends the remaining hours listening to feedback from your father, which surprisingly doesn’t ruffle anyone’s feathers too much. You pin it on the fact that it’s a Friday and everyone just wants to get out as soon as they can. You, of course, want to get out of there as well to spend time with Bob, and finally meet Sylvia. From all the pictures you’ve seen and how Bob describes her, she seems like the perfect dog.

But you’re also thinking about what Phoenix propositioned Bob with as well. It had sent you spiraling. All you can think about as Mav drones on about Payback and Fanboy’s practically perfect barrel roll, is how Bob is being set up with this woman. A woman, might you add, that he has never met or heard of before this day. You can’t help but stare straight in front of you, right at the back of Bob’s head. You’re able to see the tiniest bit of his profile, the wire frames peaking out atop his cheek. You’d like to believe you aren’t jealous. But history proves this wrong time and time again. This woman is just another thing you can add to the ever-growing list.

Bob turns his head ever so slightly, catching a glimpse of you staring out of his peripheral vision. You immediately look down at your papers, attempting to act as if you’re in deep thought about what Payback and Fanboy could have done better. Your eyes stay still on the paper as your brain moves a million miles a minute. God, Bob. Why did he have to be such an amazing person? You would have been able to move on if you had gotten to know him and realized he had a crappy personality, but unfortunately that is not the case. Now you’re stuck feeling jealous over some random woman who has no idea the implications of her attending Phoenix’s party next weekend. You chance a glance back up to Bob’s face and find that he’s already turned back to look at you.

“Mantis”, he whispers as he motions his head to the front of the room, right where your dad is staring you down.

“Sir”, you say, straightening up in your own seat. He raises his brow in a warning, as you shift your attention to the screen, seeing now that your own flights are up for critique.

“Thank you. Now that I have your attention, I have to say I am seeing noticeable room for improvement.” He turns back from the screen, pointing to where you took too sharp of a turn, or where you needed to slow down. You write down everything he says, even as the tips of your ears begin to burn in embarrassment. He is your captain, you know this. Everyone else knows this, but they also know what it feels like to get scolded by a dad. And you can’t help but see the similarities at this moment. He finally finishes after what feels like an eternity as he looks back at you, “Any questions?”

“No sir”, you respond bluntly. He was being nitpicky, for once in his life, and you weren’t sure what caused it at this moment. But you’re still a little confused at what you thought was a perfect run.

“Alright Rooster, you’re up.” You glance over to Rooster’s hard stare as he brings his gaze to the front of the room. You cannot wait to see your dad rip him a new one. It’s what he deserves, and honestly you could fly circles around this guy. “I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed with your work today.” Wait, what? Rooster’s face softens into a slight grin as your brow furrows in his direction. Folding your arms across your chest you sink back into your chair, watching as your dad gives Rooster a glowing review. An undeserved one in your opinion. And then Mav decides to tell you one of the worst ideas he’s ever had.

“Single-seaters, I’m gonna put you in groups and you’re going to go over the notes I gave you to hopefully help you execute these maneuvers better. Two-seaters, you’re going to do the same, but with your pilots and your WSO’s.” At this point, you’re just hoping you’re with Coyote or Fritz, hell, even Hangman. Mav looks down at his podium, going over the list before announcing them, “Fritz and Coyote, you’re a pair. And then we’ll have Rooster, Hangman, and Mantis as a group.”

“Jesus Christ”, you mumble under your breath. Was he trying to kill you? As the rest of the pairs move around to find places to talk, you very lazily turn your head in Rooster’s direction as he does the same to you. Hangman is standing in the aisle, looking back and forth at the both of you, very confused as to the standoff happening before him. You really don’t want to get up and walk over to Rooster. It may seem stupid, and childish, but you are not going to let him think you’re just going to waltz back over to him. Hangman breathes out a laugh, shaking his head at the two of you, ultimately taking the seat next to you. It makes you smile inside watching Rooster roll his eyes as he pulls up a spare chair.

“If any of you need me, I will be in a meeting with Cyclone and Warlock, so please direct any concerns to Hondo”, Mav announces as he points to Hondo giving a small wave in the back of the room.

“Well”, Hangman starts, “Since daddy-dearest gave Rooster a perfect score, I guess that just leaves you and me, Mantis.”

“No surprise there”, you mutter as you start looking through your notes. Rooster scoffs from the other side of Hangman, prompting you to look up at him. “What?”

“Nothing, just didn’t realize you’d be so bitter about someone on your team doing well. But then again I shouldn’t be surprised.” Adding a smile onto the end of his sentence he goes back to sorting through his notes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I just think that when you have to rely on each other, you should be happy when someone does well. Especially when it’s our lives at stake here.”

“Well, I think giving someone confidence in their lack-luster abilities is dangerous, to everyone.” You say, folding your arms.

“And I completely agree”, Rooster nods, “that’s why Mav was honest with you. If he inflated that false confidence anymore than it already is, your head might have exploded.” Hangman raises his brows at the exchange before him. Why your dad thought it was a good idea to pair the three of you together, he’ll never know.

“Do you guys wanna get back to-”

“Oh, I have false confidence?”

“Or not”, Hangman finishes his sentence after being interrupted. Interrupted, not heard. It doesn’t really matter at this point while he tries to fade into his seat, waiting for this argument to be over and done with.

“He’s literally just blowing smoke up your ass, so you’ll ‘believe in yourself’”, you add in air-quotes, “or whatever bullshit he made up. Or maybe he just wants to get on your good side to make up for lost time.” You’re vaguely aware of your own voice raising as everyone else’s conversations start dwindling and they turn to your group.

“Are you still on that? I thought we were past it already.” He responds, visibly agitated by your persistence.

“No, Rooster, you two got past that. I haven’t heard a goddamn word from you on the matter, or an apology. So no, I’m not past that.”

“Oh do you really wanna start this here?” Rooster asks, daring you.

“Oh I really do.” You respond just as sure. “So whenever you’re ready to apologize you know where to find me.”

“Everything alright over here?” Hondo has since made his way over to your group as he stands to your right. You obviously hadn’t noticed being too caught up in whatever this is.

“You think you deserve an apology?” Rooster’s voice raises, caught off guard.

“Yes! Why wouldn’t I? You just left, and even though I was twelve I still tried to get in contact with you for six years after the fact.”

“And you think I should be sorry for that? For the fact that I didn’t answer the phone when you tried to rub it in my face that he just let you go to the Academy?”

“You think after you he just let me go?!”

“Of course I do! That’s the only reason you’re sitting in this room with the rest of us!” Rooster stands right as you do, now physically looking down on you between the barrier that Hangman creates. He’s pushing on Rooster’s chest, while a hand comes to rest on your shoulder.

“Is that what you’re angry about? You’re jealous of me?” You ask incredulously, still not lowering your volume.

“Why the FUCK would I be jealous of you?”

“Rooster” Phoenix warns him. He continues anyway.

“Jealous of the fact that your Navy connections bought you into the TopGun program in the first place, into the Academy? Huh?!” You almost flinch as he gets closer to your face, but you hold steady, chest heaving in anger still, but not backing down. “Or is it the fact that you think I’m jealous of your family, cause that sure as hell isn’t-”

“That is ENOUGH.” Hondo announces. “You are supposed to be professionals, how many of these meetings are going to end in fights?!” Your stony gaze falls from Rooster to the hand on your shoulder. You recognize the long fingers as Bob’s, he squeezes your shoulder lightly as if asking if you’re ok. You’re not, but the fact that he’s here and has your back has you taking a deep breath in, deeper than any you’ve been able to take since Rooster opened his big mouth.

“Ya know”, Hangman starts, “back in the olden Navy days they would have handed you boxing gloves and let you fight it out from there.” His attempt to relieve the tension falls flat as the rest of the team gauges if the two of you are actually done fighting.

“Yeah well”, Rooster responds, “From what I remember Mantis does a better job taking a punch than throwing one. Just ask her mom.” And just like that your breaths grow shallow again as your stomach drops. An audible breath leaves your mouth as everyone’s eyes fall from Rooster to you, and as much as you try to remain stoic, your bottom lip begins to wobble as your mouth falls open slightly. There’s an immediate sense of remorse in Rooster’s eyes as he realizes what he just said. But much like everything else he’s done, it’s too late. The damage has already been done.

“ROOSTER”, Phoenix scolds him. You don’t even stay to hear the rest of it, turning on your heel you leave the room, not being able to stand the looks of pity from your teammates. Once in the hallway you make your way to the women’s locker room. Each footstep seems louder than the next. The closer you get, the heavier the tears start to form on your lash line, only falling once you slam the door open and swing the curtain closed in a shower stall. Sliding down the wall of the cubicle, you hug your knees to your chest, attempting to silence the cries that are only coming naturally with the tears. It’s getting harder to breathe, even as you attempt to take large breaths.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Phoenix yells as she pushes Rooster. No one dares to stop her as she continues to berate him. Bob is absolutely stunned at the information Rooster just dropped, but is shaken out of his thoughts as he looks at the door you just fled through. By the way you rushed out of here, he thinks you’d like to be alone, but on the off chance you need someone, he slips out of the room to go find you. He passes the men’s locker room and heads to the women’s hoping that’s where you escaped. Knocking on the door, he slowly opens it.

“Hello? Is anybody in here?” He doesn’t receive an answer, but he can hear someone crying who he can only assume is you. “Mantis, are you ok?” Still no answer. “Mantis, I’m coming in” With his eyes glued to the floor he follows the sounds of your sniffling and sobs until he reaches you. “Hey, I’m opening the curtain, ok?” He slowly slides back the curtain to find you in the corner of the stall, face tucked between your knees as you attempt to take in ragged breaths. He’s immediately on his knees in front of you and his heart breaks at the sight. He thinks you know he’s there, but he can’t be sure. It’s obvious you’re in the middle of a panic attack and he doesn’t want to scare you, so he gently rests a hand on your knee.

“Mantis, can you hear me?” You raise your head at his voice, revealing a very red and splotchy face as tears continue to fall out of your eyes. Your breathing is still very ragged as you grip his hand on your knee as if he would float away if you let go. He would never dream of doing such a thing, but he grips your hand right back.

“It’s ok, I just need you to breathe for me, alright?” You nod your head at his words as he demonstrates taking deep breaths in, holding, then letting them out. You’re attempting to follow them as your head continues to swim, taking note of this he moves your hand from your knee to over his heart, pressing it against his chest. “I’m right here”, he tells you as you continue to follow his breathing. The soothing nature of his heartbeat helps to bring you back down to earth. And little by little you start to feel the rest of your body come to its senses. It starts with your fingertips, feeling the pressure of Bob’s rough hand pressing it against his steadily beating chest, as the feeling crawls up your arms and legs. The tears begin to subside and all that’s left is the dried tracks they left as they swam down your cheeks.

Bob remains in front of you the entire time, even as you realize just how close the two of you are, he doesn’t falter. You’re now acutely aware that your hand is still sandwiched between his hand and chest, your fingers instinctively wiggle against his as you finger the material of his flight suit.

“Are you gonna be alright if I leave you here for a sec?” You nod, not daring to make eye contact. “Ok, I’ll be right back.” He places your hand back against your knee as you stare at the spot he once occupied, your head beginning to ache. There are still so many emotions going on, but your body is starting to feel the after effects.

Bob’s quite literally back in under a minute as he assumes his previous position, only now holding a bottle of water. He opens it for you as you graciously accept it, taking a couple small sips to start out with. You manage a small “Thank you” as you hand the bottle back to Bob. Embarrassment begins to overtake your system as you curl back in on yourself.

“Are you feeling any better?” You nod your head slightly, still avoiding his gaze.

“Yeah, thank you.”

“Any time”, and though other people would pass it off as a way of Bob trying to say you’re welcome, you know he genuinely would help you any time you needed him. You’re still not sure what to say, so you don’t say anything. Bob moves to sit next to you against the wall, not breaking the silence.

“You don’t have to stay here with me”, you manage to croak out.

“I know.” He says so sure. “I just need to make sure you’re gonna be ok.” You let a deep sigh out through your mouth as you lean your head back against the tile wall. At this moment you’re just feeling drained. That’s what panic attacks usually do. You were just so mad at him, and then he shared one of your deepest, darkest secrets in front of all of your coworkers. You had maybe thought you’d be able to patch up your relationship with him if he owned up to his mistakes, but now? You don’t think you’ll ever be able to get past this. If your dad wants to spend so much time with Rooster, let him. You don’t want to see his face ever again, which you know is a big ask, knowing that you have to work together. Maybe you should just put in a transfer, it’s not like you see your dad a lot outside of work anyway. You’d miss most of these people more than they’d miss you.

Your thoughts are interrupted by Bob gingerly grabbing your wrist and facing your palm upwards, and reaching into his pocket he retrieves something, laying it down in your hand. He lets it go and you miss his touch as he rests his hands on his knees. Looking down at your palm, you realize that he’s left a single penny behind.

“What’s this?”

“A penny”

“I can see that”, you smile slightly, “what’s it doing in my hand?”

“This may shock you, but when I was younger, I wasn’t much of a talker. Sometimes it was like pullin’ teeth to get me to talk-”

“I know the feeling”

“Yes, well, my Grandpa noticed how it didn’t come easy to me. So sometimes when he noticed I had a lot going on he would hand me a penny, and without having to ask, I would just start talkin’”

“A literal penny for your thoughts” you realize outloud. You grasp the penny, staring as you hold it between your fingers.

“It doesn’t mean you have to say anything”, Bob rushes out, “Just- if you want, you’re free to share your thoughts with me. No judgment” This is quite possibly one of the sweetest things anyone has ever shared with you, and staring at the penny you know you’re safe with Bob. Safe to share your feelings, safe from… anything really.

“I really want to tell Rooster to go fuck himself.” Bob gives you a small chuckle.

“Well, I think Phoenix may be doing that as we speak.” Good, you think to yourself. You shift the coin between your fingers and thumb before deciding to speak again.

“I was so sad, for so many years. And now I’m just starting to feel angry. Every time I see his face, I just can’t stop myself from laying into him.” It’s quiet for a moment as Bob waits to let you continue. “I don’t think I’m asking for too much, or that I went too far. And he just- God, he just laid it all out there for everyone.” Bob notices your fist beginning to clench and he slowly reaches over to grasp your hand in his.

“I’m sorry. And if it means anything, I don’t think you’re asking for too much.” You hadn’t even realized you started crying again until Bob’s thumb was swiping a stray tear away. Your breath catches in your throat and his hand moves away quickly, as if touching your face had hurt him. He clears his throat. “Were you going to wait for your dad, or did you want me to take you home?”

“Home? I thought I was supposed to meet Sylvia today?”

“Oh, yeah”, Bob chokes back, surprise coating his features, “We can go to… my place then?”

“If that’s alright with you?”

“Of course it is”, Bob says almost too quickly. “I mean”, he coughs, “Sylvia, she would love to meet ya”. And then he gives you a smile. You know the one, it’s closed mouth but it causes his cheeks to scrunch up beneath his eyes, taking over half his face. It’s almost enough to make you forget about this whole day.

He stands, offering you his hands to help you off the ground. He doesn’t leave you immediately at first, he just stands in front of you as if assessing the situation. Weighing his options. Glancing down at his watch, he looks at the door, “I think everyone should have gone home for the day. But if you want, you can wait in here while I grab my stuff?” You nod, taken aback at his thoughtfulness once again.

He leaves for a short bit while you grab your own bag from your locker. He knocks on the door once again, signaling his return as you make your way through the halls. The setting sun illuminates the parking lot and glares at you through the glass doors. Bob opens the door allowing you to go first as you spot his truck and make your way to it. The ache in your head is starting to come back and you can’t wait to take your hair out of the tight bun it’s in now.

“Mantis!”, you turn around as someone calls your name and immediate regret fills your system. You roll your eyes at the sight of Rooster walking toward you as you turn to keep walking, Bob right behind you.

“Mantis!”, he yells again as if you didn’t hear him the first time. “Come on Bug!” You stop in your tracks, rage once again emanating from your pores. Turning on your heel, you drop your bag onto the asphalt. This catches Rooster by surprise as he stops right before you.

“Do NOT call me that”, you grit through a clenched jaw as you point your finger at him. You can’t help the way your arm shakes in anger.

“Sorry”, he lets out dejectedly, placing his hands on his hips. Even if your brow wasn’t furrowed from squinting in the sun you have a feeling you’d still be staring at him with the same expression.

“Oh, so you do know that word”, you scoff. Rooster bites his tongue as he looks down at his feet. “And I’m not in the mood to talk, so save it for someone else who doesn’t want to hear it.” In the distance you’re aware of Bob throwing his bag in the back of his truck as he grabs yours and does the same.

“I just want to-”

“I told you, I’m not in the mood”, you move to turn to Bob’s truck as Rooster reaches out and grabs your wrist.

“Mantis, c’mon-” The grip on your wrist sends your senses into overdrive as anger takes over. As he tugs on your wrist, you turn and collide your free fist into his face. It’s funny really, you weren’t aiming for anything in particular but you land it right on his cheekbone. It was enough force and surprise to knock him backwards

“Jesus Christ!” he shouts, grasping his face in his hand. Tears begin to well up in your eyes for the second time today as you shake out your hand. “What the hell is your problem?” He yells at you.

“Carole would be so disappointed in you”, you rasp out, cradling your hand. You stare Rooster down as he looks up at you in shock, until he can’t stand to anymore and tears his eyes away. Bob’s standing right behind you as you turn and bump into his chest.

“Are you ok?” he asks, lightly resting his hands on your shoulders.

“No”, you whisper, “Let’s just get out of here.” You don’t dare to spare a look back at Rooster, but Bob does as he leads you to his truck. The man is standing at his full height now with his shoulders slumped. The skin just under his eye is already starting to swell as he watches you walk away this time.

The ride back to Bob’s is quiet as you stare out the window. The radio’s humming quietly in the background and he doesn’t dare disrupt the silence, so he takes a glance at your hand. The skin around your knuckles is slightly irritated from the force you punched Rooster with, but other than that it doesn’t look too bad. He knew you were tough, but he never thought he’d see you punch someone in the face. If it had to be someone, he was glad it was Rooster though. That guy had it coming, especially after what he said today. You’re still staring out the window with a look of indifference, and you still had the penny he gave to you earlier, but you hadn’t said anything about what Rooster had revealed. So, he wasn’t going to push it until you were ready or wanted to talk about it.

You’re pulled out of your trance once the truck stops in Bob’s driveway. He grabs both of your bags before you’re able to grab yours, but he stops as he’s about to open the door.

“Just a warning, it’s probably a mess in here, so I apologize.”

“I have a feeling that your definition of a mess is my definition of clean.” He gives you a slight smile as he opens the door.

“Only one way to find out.” Opening the door you find, just as you suspected, an immaculate house. There may be a couple dog toys lying around, but that’s about it. You’re startled a little bit as Bob whistles, “Syl! Come ‘ere girl!” You smile at the accent coming through, and then the thump of something on the second floor running down the stairs. Sylvia comes barreling down the hallway as fast as her claws against the hardwood allow her. Bob is immediately on his knees in front of her, scratching behind her ears and speaking in what you can only describe as baby-talk, “Oh Syl, I’m so sorry. Daddy was gone for such a long time today wasn’t he?” You’re attempting to hold back a laugh, eyebrows shooting up at his use of the word “daddy”.

Sylvia’s tail stops wagging as she notices you standing behind her dad. Bob looks back at you and then at the dog, “Now Sylvia, this is Mantis. Mantis is a very good friend of mine, and I know she has a funny name, but you’re just gonna have to get over that, ok?” You can’t help but chuckle at how talkative he is with her, and even as you stare at her enormous brown eyes you immediately crave her approval. You start to kneel down next to Bob, but before you’re able to get on your knees Sylvia is cowering away and running back upstairs. You huff out in frustration as you stare at her retreating form.

“Hey, it’s alright”, Bob explains, “Like I said, she’s kinda skittish, and it takes a little bit for her to warm up to new people.” You nod in understanding as Bob leads you to his living room. It’s fairly simple, and again very clean. Bob tells you to take a seat as he grabs you a glass of water from the kitchen directly behind the living area.

“So daddy, huh?” The glass just about slips out of Bob’s hand upon hearing your use of the word. He swallows, taking a moment to collect himself.

“Uhm”, he coughs, “Yeah, I don’t know. It just sort of happened.”

“It’s cute”, you smile to yourself. Bob returns with a glass of water and an ice-pack wrapped in a kitchen towel. He awkwardly offers it to you as you accept it.

“For your hand”

“Oh yeah, thanks.” You lift it in appreciation before placing it on your knuckles. Wincing at first at the sensitivity. Bob sits a little farther down on the couch and watches you fiddle with something in your pocket. You tentatively reach for the penny, turning it over before handing it over to Bob. He laughs through his nose, nodding as a smile plays on his face.

“Come on, it’s your turn now.” Bob begins to chew on his bottom lip, avoiding your eyes. “If you want to ask me about it, it’s ok”, you let out more solemnly. He glances over at you, huffing out a sigh.

“How’s your hand?” He decides on, making you laugh.

“Not what I meant, but it’s ok. A little stiff.” You get the sense that he wants to know, but is getting shy with you again. And even though he doesn’t ask, you get an overwhelming urge to tell him. Taking in a shaky breath, you start in the only place you know where to, “Do you know how I got my call-sign?” He shakes his head.

“Although, I do recall you telling Hangman you’d bite his fucking head off” The two of you laugh. Sylvia, just as sneaky as her dad, pops her head up out of nowhere, resting it on Bob’s thigh. His hand instinctively goes to pet her head as you try not to acknowledge her existence, hoping she’ll make her way over to you.

“That’s what I like to tell people. But, no. When I was a kid, I was deathly afraid of insects, still am if I’m being honest. But, there was one incident”, you smile at the memory, “Where I was at the park, and I turned to look behind me and there was a praying mantis, just sitting on my shoulder. I, of course, freaked out and was trying to get it off me, but it wasn’t until Carole- Bradley’s mom, calmed me down where she was able to carefully pick it up and take it off me.” You’re laughing a little at this point, and Bob can’t help but smile at your own.

“She got me to stop crying and explained that it was just a little bug”, you swallow, staring down at your iced hand, “like me.” Bob’s face softens as he remembers Rooster’s words. “That became her nickname for me, and when she died and Bradley left, nobody called me it again until-” You cut yourself off, choked up just talking about Carole, and remembering how Bradley used to be. Before he was Rooster.

“Anyway, I hadn’t had a run-in with a praying mantis until flight school. I was out on a hike with the rest of my class, and what do I see on my shoulder when I turn around? A damn praying mantis. I screamed again, just like the first time, and everyone thought it was hilarious. So, the name Mantis stuck. It just felt like…” you struggle to find the word.

“Fate”, Bob finishes the sentence for you. You look up and find his eyes trained on you. Giving him a slight smile, you nod your head.

“Yeah, exactly.” Your eyes remain on his, and your heart beats a little faster. “So I’m not exactly bug, but that’s ok, because I don’t think anyone but Carole can call me that. Even if Bradley used to-” You look away, only to find Sylvia standing between you and Bob. Having must inched her way closer while you spoke, “I don’t want him to anymore.”

“I think that makes a lot of sense, and I also think Mantis suits you.” You smile and dare to reach your hand out to Sylvia, who simply sniffs the approaching limb. She nudges her nose closer, sniffing your palm as you very gently scratch her ear, much like Bob did earlier. She leans into it, daring to walk closer to you. Taking in a deep breath, you let it out before you lose the courage.

“It wasn’t a regular thing”, Bob’s loving gaze at Sylvia falls as he looks up at you, “Just when she got really angry, or I reminded her too much of my dad I guess.” Your hand stops petting Sylvia as you stare at the glass of water on the coffee table, the condensation dripping down onto the coaster Bob thoughtfully placed underneath it. “Carole and my dad found bruises a couple different times, but I was too embarrassed to tell them how they got there. But she knew. I guess Bradley must have known, too, or he wouldn’t have brought it up today. I think they tried to do something about it, but they wouldn’t grant full custody to my dad because of his work, and… I don’t really know what happened after that.” Sylvia’s head now rests on your thigh, much like it did earlier with Bob. You grant her a small smile, moving your hand once again to give her some attention.

You don’t have to look up to know that Bob’s staring at you. Your nose starts to tingle, alerting you to the fact that tears were starting to form in your eyes. “It got better when she remarried, her focus wasn’t on me as much anymore. She was busy with her husband and his kids.” You scrunch your nose, attempting to rid yourself of the feeling, but it’s no use. The tears start to fall and you hastily wipe them away with your free hand. “Jesus, sorry”, you say as you give him a watery laugh.

“Don’t be sorry”, your tears continue to fall, “None of this is your fault.” Bob’s words hit you deep as you stare at the ceiling, willing these tears to stop, but they just won’t. “Can- Can I hug you?” You look over at Bob and give him a fast nod of your head.

“Yes please”, you whisper. He moves along the couch to get closer to you, and then wraps you up in both his arms as you do the same. Even through both of your flight suits, Bob is warm as you melt into him. Your eyes close as you breathe him in. He smells like sweat and jet fuel from being in a plane all day, and you’re sure you smell the same. It’s comforting nonetheless.

Bob just wants to pick you up and take you far away from here. Away from everyone that dares to make you hurt. He feels you sag against him and he pulls you just the tiniest bit closer as he breathes in the scent of your shampoo. He’s realizing now it’s been a while since he’s hugged someone like this, and maybe it’s the case for you, too. His hand goes to soothe along your back and your eyes flutter shut at the motion. He remembers you saying your mom wasn’t too happy when she found out about the Naval Academy, and he doesn’t want to think about what happened after the fact.

“I’m sorry you have to go through all that”, he whispers just above your ear.

“It’s alright, things are starting to look up”, you sniffle, pulling him just a little bit tighter.

Taglist:

@lemmons1998

@itsmytimetoodream

@theamuz

#bob floyd fanfiction #bob floyd fic #bob floyd x reader #mavdad #robert bob floyd x female reader #top gun fandom #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick

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ashtonlc3 · 1 year

Text

Severitus/Sevitus Fic Rec

Thought I’d share my own personal fic list that I’ve complied over time featuring Snape and Harry developing some kind of father-son relationship, all the way through either bio-dad, adoption, guardian or mentorship. All of these fics are COMPLETE because after OME leaving me on the world’s biggest cliff hanger and losing the fic for many months because I’m an idiot, I have serious WIP trust issues. They’re also usually really long because I love angsty, slow-burn fics.

I started taking in-depth notes while I read through fics a while ago so that I would NEVER lose a favourite fic again (the title of one of my favs is in Latin, so I never remember what it’s called). And also because I have a terrible memory so remembering what happened in each fic is quite difficult for me. Assuming I know how to count there should be over 16 fics listed here.

I’ve also rated each fic out of 10 and added a couple of notes for each fic (I didn’t add any with a rating of 5 or lower cause these are meant to be recommendations not a reading log). I’ve put them in order of how much I liked them, 10 and 9s being my equivalent to an Outstanding, 8 and 7 an Exceeds Expectations and a 6 an Acceptable.

TW: As is usually the case with Severitus, ALL of these fics have some degree of child abuse in them, courtesy of the Dursleys, with various degrees of intensity.

O Mine Enemy By Kirby Lane 10/10

You’ve probably already read this one because it is legendary in the Severitus genre and a staple for any fic list. In the event that you haven’t, you SHOULD read it ASAP. Starts summer of sixth year.

TW addiction/substance abuse

Victus per Reproba Monumentum By firefly5151 9/10

For a long time I didn’t read anything that had Sev as Harry’s bio dad, it felt implausible, OOC and just was not as good as the guardian/mentor trope. That is until I read this fic, and now the bio-dad trope is my favourite. This fic is the Snape of Severitus, there are a LOT of flaws but I love it anyway. The plot is a bit questionable, it has manipulativeDumbledore (which I don’t like in fics) and Ron and Hermione pretty much forget Harry exists. BUT the emotional journey is amazing, and really angsty. Starts during summer of 6th year.

The Subterfuge By Murai-Sakura 9/10

This fic is on the newer side having been written in 2020. My first time reading this fic I had a few mixed feelings about it which made me reluctant to read it again despite really liking it. Reading it again for the second time I can’t understand what past Ash’s problem was because it was magnificent. Granted I remember it being darker than it actually is (it may have been due to me reading The Hunger Games in-between, who knows). I’m rambling, in short I think I liked this one a little more than A Year Like None Other. The plot is unique enough that the story doesn’t feel like your reading a rehash of every Severitus fic ever while still hitting the emotional points necessary for a satisfying fic. It’s definitely more mentor than father figure and is set during fifth year so watch out for Umbridge.

TW suicide attempt and graphic child abuse

A Year Like None Other By aspeninthesunlight 9/10

Another classic whose reputation speaks for its-self, written before HBP came out and is also insanely long. I’ve actually never read the sequals either because one was enough for me and it’s in Draco’s pov. It also has the added bonus of brother bonding between Draco and Harry. Set during 6th year.

TW self harm and graphic torture

Perception is Everything By Kendra James 8/10

This was one of the first few Severitus fics I ever read so it has a very special place in my heart despite the plot being a very standard Severitus setup. Set Christmas 6th year, Snape finds out about the Dursleys abuse when Harry gets sick over Christmas break.

You've forgotten who I am By CastlePheonix 8/10

I’ve only read this one once so I’m taking past Ash’s word for it. Set during 5th year, a what if Snape actually hit Harry with the jar after the Pensieve incident. Harry gets temporary amnesia and spends some time in Spinner’s End with Snape.

TW addiction/substance abuse

Whelp & Whelp II - The Wrath of Snape By jharad17 7/10

The standard run down; the Dursleys are dicks, Sev finds out. This is pre-Hogwarts (7 years old) so you know Harry is going to be adorable and clingly. Vernon has Harry tied up in the yard like a dog.

Namesake Necklace By WiCeBa 7/10

This fic is a little more recent I think. Set summer before the start of 5th year, Harry and Dudley are de-aged. This ones quite the adventure and Sirius is still alive so you know there’s gonna be a fight over Harry.

What I Must Ask You To Do By VeraRose19 7/10

Set at the end of GOF and continues into 7th year. This story is not just a Severitus but also an exploration of the blossoming friendship between Severus and Sirius as they co-parent Harry together. The story is far fluffier than it is angsty and relies quite heavily on canon for plot whilst also taking out the adventure and death toll. It’s more a fluffy, canon, best case scenario than an angsty, slow-burn fic.

Emerald eyes By JadeSullivan 7/10

I cannot remember this one at all so once again I’m taking past Ash’s word for it. This is set during 2nd year and does feature corporal punishment.

Prisoners By Whitetail 7/10

Harry is de-aged to 4 and Sev has partial paralysis. So they stay at a little cottage by the sea. Hermione features quite heavily in this one, both her and Harry end up with Sev gaining guardianship of them.

To Recollect the Future By oliversnape 7/10

When Harry is hit with the killing curse in DH Harry and Sev are sent back to first yeah. Harry and Sev pretty much spend the whole fic Horcrux hunting, its a fun bonding experience.

In plain sight & Close to the Chest By waitingondaisies 7/10

This is always a fun one. Set during 6th year, Sev found out as a spy so Albus turns him into a 16 year old Gryffindor and gives him an embarrassing name. Seriously Albus, Alfonse “Eli” Hopkirk, really?

Time Left Today By gzdacz 7/10

Sev and Harry are on the run after Quirrell is killed by an 11 year old. The road trip is quite fun although I don’t really like the ending too much though.

The Trouble with Polyjuice By LilyEvansDouble 6/10

2nd year. Features Snape as Harry’s biological father after the Polyjuice incident.

Summer of Bonding By Magica Draconia 6/10

This one is set after PS as the Dursley never pick Harry up from Kings Cross so Harry stays with Snape. Snape collects horse figurines in this one and is very heavily featured in this story. So its a bit too niche for my liking but otherwise still a good read.

And that’s all I got. I’ll probably come back to this list (yeah cause I forgot to put in tags) and add more fics as I read them. (When I add new fics I’ll reblog this post with a change log so you don't need to read through the list again to figure out what’s been changed.) My TBR is usually just as long so ... to forever be continued.

#severitus #severitus fic #sevitus

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loosingmoreletters · 3 months

Note

Your s classes fics aew so good they've pulled me into the fandom again. Now gonna have to see how far the manwha is along! Hahha

(Also since I love your fics so much, I'm not sure if you read fics for fandom you write (I know some authors don't) but if you have any recs... 👀

Thank you!!!! I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you had fun with the current chapters!

And yes, I always have recs for fandoms I write because I usually only start writing once I'm truly obsessed or couldn't find a fic that hit quite the vibe I wanted.

Anyway! Fanfic recs! This list has a little bit of everything, I think!

never leave a trace by armed_teddy_bear The Han parents haunt Han Yoojin.

Last Forsythia’s Bloom by Lazlo (hinagikuhaven) Yoojin is hit by a fuck or die curse. Daunted by the knowledge of the cure that will force Yoohyun to make a terrible choice, Yoojin chooses to run away. warning for incest and dubcon

Slumbering Stars by FeltLikeWritingAndHereIAm The world ended when Han Yoojin’s brother died between his arms. Nothing will ever be the same, not even with a second chance.

Behind A Smile by Lazlo (hinagikuhaven) In hindsight, Yoohyun should have long suspected it. The abyss that laid behind his brother’s happy smiles.

does that mean by Frill Sung Hyunjae and Han Yoojin knew one another before the dungeons.

S-Rank Skill Poison Nullification! by chamsie Rather than getting famous for his taming skills, Yoojin accidentally becomes infamous for his ability to eat any and all poisons without dying.

and tomorrow may be something to look for by wovenstarlight Han Yoojin time travels instead of regressing. This causes some problems.

the ghost of you (will never leave me) by Sorbus Han Yoojin has skills geared towards the mind and lending or borrowing power. It only makes sense that if he has a skill to receive the memories of others alongside their power and skills, he could sacrifice his memories of others in return for some strength. Han Yoojin has a skill that lets him give up memories of someone he holds dear in exchange for more power. Things change, but ultimately stay the same.

Now We Have by Frill Han Yoojin can tame monsters. He meets Bak Yerim and Yoo Myeongwoo in a dungeon.

but i have promises to keep (and miles to go before i sleep) by Anonymous Of all the possible ways the Awakening broker could’ve scammed her, Bak Yerim never considered abandoning her in a dungeon as one of them. Stealing her money and never actually bringing her to a dungeon? Definitely. Taking her money and then reporting her to the authorities? Yeah. Going through the effort of bringing her here and leaving her? Wasn’t even a thought in her head. And yet here she was, completely alone in a dungeon. Well. Fuck. or, bak yerim ends up stuck in a dungeon and meetings a certain someone

My Sweetheart by armed_teddy_bear Bak Yerim finds the Han family’s home videos, featuring a young Han Yoojin and baby Han Yoohyun.

Isolation Training by armed_teddy_bear Han Yoojin kept a diary to deal with the stress of his separation with Yoohyun. While moving his brother’s things, Yoohyun finds it.

The Ghost That Lives With Us by Anonymous Hatred comes to Yoohyun as unnaturally as love, and just as intensely.

If love is the answer could you please rephrase the question? by theladyofcamelias Yoojin goes on a date with an old high school acquaintance. Everybody is perfectly normal about this in case you were wondering.

travel logs to you by flyingintherainclouds In which Han Yoojin has decided to live a quiet life, as requested of him by his dear brother, who anonymously deposits money into his bank account. He goes traveling two years after Yoohyun left, determined to come back whole. Still, he can't bear to leave without telling his brother, so he sends recordings of himself on his travels to him. secondary title: recordings to you, from my heart to yours

love me, love me not (love me) by Yersina “Hi,” Yoojin croaks into his phone. His stomach had been churning from downing too many healing potions in a row, so he’d been experimenting with just letting the coughs happen. Now he’s starting to regret that a bit. “I’d like to make an appointment.” He gives the nurse his information and stares out the window of his apartment while she looks up his records. “What are you coming in for?” “Hanahaki surgery.”

new dog's old tricks by snipsnap In which Yoojin doesn’t wake up at the broker. This changes everything. Or: being from the future gives you a lot of strings to pull. Yoojin is studying the harp.

[Final Repayment] by Frill “I…” Yoohyun let go of Yoojin’s hand. The curly-haired man stood there awkwardly before asking, “May I come in?” Yoojin stepped to the side quickly. “Come in, Yoohyun-ah. You’re always welcomed.” Yoojin was very confused when his dongsaeng appeared on his doorstep after 3 months of silence.

convention no. 138 by Yersina Yoojin strokes through Yoohyun’s hair once, and the clumps of dirt that fall from the action remind him of where they’re currently standing. “Yoohyun, why are you in a crater? What happened?” At this, Yoohyun untwists himself just enough from Yoojin’s hold to raise a handful of flames in Yoojin’s direction. “Hyung, I think I have magic powers,” he says solemnly. Yoojin stares for a long moment, long enough that Yoohyun clenches his fist, extinguishing the fire, and looks up at Yoojin worriedly. “Okay,” he manages eventually. “Okay. Sure. Yeah.” He was attacked by dinosaurs and his eleven year old brother has magic powers. That’s… this is fine.

Fighting with Fear by Turacin (Turacoverdin) When a raid of an S-class dungeon goes wrong and a conspiracy is revealed, the only option Yoojin has is to take care of it all himself. Unfortunately, he must violently kill fourteen people and an S-class snail boss to do so. The consequences of this are not what he expected.

You Before Forever by Vehemenace When Han Yoojin regresses, he isn't sitting in one of Haeyeon Guild's guest rooms. Instead, he finds himself in the middle of the streets of Seoul, disoriented, with the feeling of his brother's corpse imprinted on his hands.

#sctir #s classes that i raised #ask #fanfic recs #captainadwen

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rainyweeds · 1 year

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Home is where the heart is {Part 1}

Part 0 | Part 1

Pairing: Ao'nung x Fem!Human!Reader

Summary: After finally waking up from cryosleep on Pandora, you quickly realize you're not in the right place. While trying to navigate your location, a certain species of tall aliens take you captive.

Warnings: None for this chapter

A/N: I didn't actually think so many of you guys would want to read this. Anyways I'll have a mini tag list at the end since a few of you guys asked <3 and I'll add you guys to the next part too if you want!

How the hell did you end up here? You were supposed to be in the forest with Grace. This clearly wasn't a forest. The clear body of water surrounded the entire land mass, sandy beaches joining the two together.

There was no way in hell you were in the right place. What even happened while you were asleep? Did Grace know you were alive? Where was the RDA? You began trekking through the wooded area, hoping to find an answer.

The entire island was surrounded by water with no chance of you making it past the reef without drowning. How far were you from the nearest base? You recall Grace once mentioning there were small base units scattered across Pandora. Maybe there was one here?

After remembering all RDA machinery has built in navigators in case of emergencies, you walk back towards the wreckage. The ship was now less than half of its original size. But the question was, how did it even get here? All ISV ships were only supposed to operate in deep space. You were supposed to wake up and be transported on a Valkyrie to the base where you'd meet Grace. So how in the world did the ISV get here?

You entered the ship once again to look for the control panels. Once located, you try to turn them on. But of course, the panel was worn down and rusted. To your dismay, you angrily slam your hands onto the panels. Something you hit must've turned something on because the screen displayed an old recording.

"This is our final log before everything shuts down. The last ship has left and we are hoping this video reaches someone. We need help.

Once the systems shut down, we will have no contact with the RDA headquarters. If anyone gets this, these are our coordinates."

The pilot held up a piece of paper with some numbers on it. Were those coordinates where you ended up? Maybe you could still find everyone else.

"We won't make it. The ones in cryo will. The ship will continue maintaining the people's body temperatures until they either wake up or the ship goes down. But we don't have a chance.

The time is 21:37 and the date is July 15th, 2154. This is Team Beta signing out." The screen goes blank once again."

2154. Two years into your cryo journey. People who underwent cryosleep could stay under for long periods of time and not age. It was scary how long they could remain asleep. But you couldn't have been asleep for more than the six year trip. Right?

You continue to look around what was left of the ship, hoping to find something of use. There were a few extra oxygen masks, an unloaded gun, and a bunch of useless things. You took a spare mask, the gun, and set off into the wooded area of the island. Although you were practically defenceless, the gun could probably act as a threat if you encountered another human.

The jungle was scary to say the least. You continuously looked over your shoulder in case some animal wanted to attack you. And the large roots of the trees cause you to almost roll an ankle. If you could just find a way to leave or contact the other back at the forest, maybe you could make it out alive.

Surprisingly, there weren't many animals on the island, just a few harmless ones wandering around in search of food. And the plants. Oh the plants were more beautiful than any picture you've ever seen. All the vibrant colors seemed to only increase as the hours went on.

Nights on Pandora were known to be dangerous. Grace would always be in the lab at night to protect her and her avatar. But that was in the forest that was probably hundreds if not thousands of miles away. You found shelter under some exposed tree roots, tucking yourself away from the outside.

The sun rose early and the eclipse happened late on Pandora, meaning you had more time to explore your surroundings. You quickly continue your journey to the other side of the island after waking up and realising you were still alive. The hopes of finding other humans being the only thing that kept you going.

The island was huge. Or at least huge for your little human legs because you seemed to be walking for what seemed like forever. The trees finally begin thinning out once you see another strip of beach. This time there were sea creatures swimming around near the shore, splashing about under the sun. You step closer to take a good look at the creatures. They're nothing like any of the creatures you've seen from Grace's research. One of the creatures seems to notice you approach it, swimming closer.

"Hello!" You smile. The cool water now reached your knees as the waves crashed into you. "Can you help me find my way to the forest?" The animal only cocked its head, obviously unable to understand you.

"Who am I kidding, I'm probably going to die soon anyways. This Oxygen mask is only good for a few days. And I only grabbed one extra." You point to the mask tied to your waist.

The creature circles around you as if to examine you. As it does, you notice the handle connecting the two queues together. Someone was riding it. As you reach out to grab the handle, something behind you grabs at your hair and pulls you backwards.

You kick at your captor but with little success. They hold a knife at your neck, effectively stopping you in your tracks. You feel yourself being tied up and pushed forward.

"Olo'eyktan! We found this demon wandering around the ilus." You were harshly shoved forward, causing you to stumble into the sand. Despite the use of their native tongue, you were able to understand the foreign language. Having practiced for years before leaving Earth.

"Skxawng." You mutter. Large hands wrap around your arms, forcing you up to face the na'vi in front of you. The Olo'eyktan. Clan leader. He stood before you, towering over you.

"What is your business here?" He broke the silence.

"I mean no harm. I don't know how I ended up here." You respond with your broken na'vi. It wasn't the best but they seemed to understand you just fine.

"Bring her to the pod. We'll talk later." He waved you off. You were quickly dragged away towards a pod-like room. The warriors threw you into the pod and closed the curtains.

"If you leave, we will have no choice but to kill you."

Great. First you were going to die due to oxygen shortage and now you're going to die by the hands of Pandora's natives. How fun. You sat in the pod, knees brought up to your chest as you thought about how you could have been in the forest by now. Studying plant life with Grace.

You must've dozed off again because the next time you open your eyes, you're tied up again in front of the clan leader and who you can only assume is his mate. The woman steps forward, walking in circles around you, taking in your features.

"Why have you come to us?" She scowled at you.

"I was trying to get to the forest. I don't know how I got here." You watch her grab your hands. Your five fingers look out of place compared to her four.

"Sky people bring nothing but pain to na'vi. We should get rid of it." You were taken aback. More so at the fact that you were just referred to as an 'it' rather than the talk about killing you. You've had too many death scares to be phased at this point.

"I'm telling you. I just want to find Dr. Grace Augustine." You plead. What happened the last time humans came to Pandora to get such a hostile attitude? "I don't mean any harm."

"And who is this 'Grace Augustine." The Olo'eyktan narrowed his eyes at you.

"She's a scientist." You vaguely answer. All you could do was pray to whatever god there was on Pandora that you weren't seen as a threat.

You don't know how you did it, but you managed to make it out of there alive. With the promise to help Ronal, the Tsahik, collect ingredients and run errands, you were able to keep your life. You were brought back to the pod which now doubled as your home to rest. Apparently, there was a family staying on this island that came from the forest. Maybe they could help you.

The salty breeze reminded you of home. How the few remaining beaches would blow the familiar smell into your face. You sighed, stepping out of your pod and walking around the village. The na'vi could only stare at you as you walked by. How could their leader allow a demon to stay?

You found yourself wandering near the shore. The clear water displayed the vast marine life below the surface. One of the creatures from earlier began swimming up to you. An ilu as you learned, was a common mode of transportation among the reef people. Although you could not physically bond with the creature, it seemed to take a liking to you.

"What are you doing with my ilu." You heard a voice coming from behind you. Turning your head, you saw a tall figure. Tattoos covering his arm and face. Despite looking around your age, he towered over you. Sure, he was a completely different species but you liked to think you were tall for a human.

"Sorry it just swam up to me." You move away from the sea creature. The male watching you the entire time. Eyeing you up and down at your awkward movements. You reminded him of a baby. Just learning how to walk. "Well I better go!" You sped away from the scene.

After walking a safe distance, you sit down on a patch of grass in the forest behind the village. Nobody seemed to be around so you finally allowed yourself to breathe. Your mask begins fogging up slightly as you take in deep breaths of oxygen. Everything still felt surreal. What if you were really still in cryo and you were on your way to the forest. No. People don't dream in cryo so that can't be it.

You sigh as you head back towards your marui, na'vi clearing the way as you walk by. As you walk past the beach, you see a dark blue na'vi sitting on the sand. Her short blue hair blowing softly in the breeze. She looks like someone you know.

Like Grace.

"Grace?!" You run up to her. The girl turns her head to you as you run up to her. Shock written on her features. "How come you never told me you were here?" You remember seeing Grace's avatar in the background of the calls every now and then. The girl before you had a striking resemblance. But wasn't Grace supposed to be in the forest?

"How do you know my mothers name?" She glares at you.

The color drains from your face. Grace had a kid? How come you never knew about her? Were you really asleep for that long?

"I'm sorry- you just look like someone I know." You shake your head. There was no way this na'vi was related to Grace. No way in hell. You turn around and walk away, embarrassment evident of your heated cheeks.

"Wait!" She grabs your hand. "How do you know Grace?"

"My mother used to work with her. I was supposed to join her in the forest and research plants with her." You explain. The girl in front of you begins to pull you away as you continue explaining your situation. Soon enough, you find yourself in front of a pod.

"Come." She leads you inside.

When you step inside, you see a man sitting on the floor preparing food. A woman sits beside him. "Father. I brought someone." The girl takes a seat next to the man. He looks up at you, yellow eyes scanning your figure. "She says she knows Grace."

Both adults look at you with wide eyes. "Ma Jake." The woman speaks. Jake? As in Jake Sully?

"Kid?" The male, Jake, mumbles.

Jake would always call you 'kid' when he saw you on call. The nickname brought back memories. "Jake?" You look at the man. The more you look at him, the more he looks like the soldier you once knew. The resemblance was uncanny. "What are you doing here? Where's Grace?" You point to the girl.

"What do you mean where's Grace- What year do you think it is?"

"Isn't it supposed to be 2158?" You quickly do the math in your head. If the video you saw back on the ship took place two years after your journey started, then it should be four years later assuming everything still went smoothly. Jake looked at the woman beside him and then back to you. "What?"

"It's 2173... You were asleep for 15 years..."

A/N: Hi! I really hope you liked part 1 of the series! I have been a bit busy so I delayed the update a little bit but here it is! I'm slowly getting a vague idea on where this series is going so stay tuned! The next update might take a little longer since my weekend is looking a little hectic but I will get it up as soon as possible!

Thank you guys so much for reading and have an amazing day/night! <3

To those who wanted to be tagged: @eywas-heir @sunshinewwx @ducks118 @tiredsoulsorry @thecrazyswamp @ambria @lovekeeho @zeroqueen0555

#aonung x reader #avatar x reader #avatar #avatar twow #avatar the way of water #aonung

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farfromstrange · 10 months

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Chaos Theory | Michael Kinsella x Reader

Chapter Twelve: Just Let Me Adore You

Masterlist ° Chapter List

Pairing: Michael Kinsella x Reader (she/her)

Summary: Michael takes you someplace special for your first date, and you have the best night of your life.

Warnings: Fluff. Like seriously, this is fluffy as fuck. 9k words of pure fluff.

Word Count: 9.1k (I am so sorry this got a bit out of hand)

A/n: You have a bit of suggestive language in here, but nothing explicit. That’s reserved for the next chapter, which will be a pure Smut update. I thought I’d keep the goods to myself for a little while longer and give you a break before the Angst Train drives into the Michael Kinsella station…

You have been to a few dates in the past. Most of them ended in a dirty bar or a restaurant, but you at least knew what you were signing yourself up for.

When Michael texted you while you were at work, telling you he would be waiting at your front door at nine in the evening exactly, you of course texted back and asked where he would be taking you, but he didn’t react to that.

So you text him again, ‘Just tell me so I know what to wear :(‘

‘Wear something u feel comfortable in xx,’ is all he replies.

Something comfortable is a broad range of clothes and it doesn’t help your confusion at all. No matter how many times you keep pressing him, he won’t tell you where he is taking you, and that makes you uneasy.

He told you he would use the time he has left today to get his records straight and make an appointment with the solicitor that is helping him get visitation rights for Anna.

The copy of the contract Ava whipped up for him has been in his hands like precious cargo ever since you left the office building. He insisted to walk to his house from the café, which isn’t that long of a walk compared to your apartment, and you only hesitantly agreed to let him back there after everything he told you.

He insisted that he needed to do this because he has to somehow learn how to navigate his life on his own again after staying with you for a few days. Things are different now, he told you, and you had to agree because he has a new job now and you haven’t been together long enough to move in together, so you both need to coordinate things on your own.

Once he knows what his chances of seeing Anna again are, he has to take the necessary steps to assure the court of granting him those rights. Another thing you agree with. You support him fully, but the thought of his family somehow luring him back in and then you’ll lose him – it’s not the crime you’re worried about, it’s losing him to jail or a gun or any other weapon that might kill and take him away from you – keeps occupying your mind.

A stable home, a job, and a good track record do wonders when it comes to cases that involve children. He needs that. The meeting with Ava gave him a boost you didn’t expect, but he seemed lighter and a lot more motivated when you kissed him goodbye. And he seems stable enough on his own, no longer angry or sad, which is also something you never thought you’d say.

It might be the adrenaline, but you like to believe he is on a good path and he cherishes that enough to see things a lot more positively this time around.

He told you he loved you. It still hasn’t fully settled in, but you said it back because it’s true; you love him. It’s a surreal scene in your head and you have been floating ever since you clocked in.

There are only a few more hurdles in the way. For one, it’s your past. For two, Michael’s family. And three, there is still a chance a judge won’t rule in Michael's favor, and that might actually break him. You hope that the meeting with his solicitor goes well, at least, and he gets to have a chance at getting to know his little girl again. You want nothing more for him.

He was right when he asked if the reason you understand his situation so well was because of your sister. You’re not a mother, but you’ve felt like one many times in the past and it’s a kind of love that never dies.

You should tell him the truth, you think. About everything, not just your sister but the rest of your family as well. He needs to know who you are and what baggage you’re carrying. It’s baggage that could affect your relationship once it takes a turn for the worse. You want to be honest, but where would you even begin to explain the shit show your life was before you moved to Ireland?

You can see the hope clearer now. You have someone by your side who is willing to do anything for you if you as much as asked him, he said so himself, without knowing the full story, and that means you can trust him. You know you can. But you don’t know if you can trust yourself.

You’re always worried for those you love, and you’re always on the lookout. It’s not like your secrets could end in a war; you’re carrying a dark past that might come to haunt you one day, but that would be entirely on you. You can’t drag Michael into that, no matter how much you want to because once you get hurt, he won’t be able to live with himself.

He might start worrying too much, trying to fix your situation, but there is nothing that can be fixed. You have to sneak around with your own sister to even know she’s alive, and it has always been this way, at least ever since you moved away, and you would have to continue doing so before–

You shake the dark thoughts off. You were so happy a few seconds ago, thinking about Michael and your future and your feelings for him, and the thoughts about your family didn’t hesitate to overshadow the little light he lit in your heart. But you won’t allow them to do that. You love Maya, you love her more than life itself, and you’re going to do anything in your power to keep her safe once it comes down to it, but things are okay right now. You can look at it with a clear head and make a wise decision instead of a rushed one, maybe even make a plan and find another way than the ones you’ve mapped out before.

You need to take what little peace you have now and use it for good instead of being a reckless idiot and letting the memories of your past that the last few weeks have triggered in you affect the way you live your life.

And maybe then you can talk to Michael about everything and take the helping hand he has offered you.

Looking back at Michael’s ominous text about your equally as mysterious date, you frown. You considered a few different possibilities. He could be taking you to a less fancy dinner, or he could be taking you to the park, which would explain why your clothes have to be comfortable, but you’re not sure, and that irks you.

You ask him again, but all he sends back is a winky emoji. Up until this point, you didn’t even know he was capable of using emojis. He always seems so confused with electronic devices of any kind, it’s endearing. But he’s just a normal human being who has been away for a long time and now he’s experiencing the world again in a brand new light and that can be fucking confusing.

He’s a father, but he lost eight years with his daughter and now he’s deemed a danger by many, especially the woman taking care of his daughter, and he’s not even sure if she wants to see him, and that is even more confusing for him because he has never learned how to deal with all of these emotions.

Michael always had to function for everyone else around him. He never had a chance to discover who he is and what he wants, even though he had what he wanted for a while, but that was taken from him again and now he has to learn how to live with the guilt and with himself. It’s hard. You get it.

You’ve been there, in a way. Your situations are different, but you feel a deeper understanding because you relate to his pain, and that’s what makes you love him so much more. He’s trying in more ways than one, and that should be acknowledged. He should have someone to support him, even if it can’t be his own family.

He’s not a servant, he’s a human being; he deserves to be treated accordingly.

“Thanks for nothing,” you grumble to yourself, still not close to deciphering what he is planning to do with you.

Part of you is hoping it will end in bed at the end of the night because you’re weirdly horny – checking your period tracker, you notice that you’re ovulating, and it makes sense that you suddenly want to jump his bones while he’s not even near, which will also make for an interesting night, but you push that thought away to focus on the mystery at hand.

What is he planning for your date?

Michael can be such a tease if he wants to be.

Soon enough, after getting home and taking a long shower for your aching muscles, you find yourself panicking in front of your closet like a teenager.

You would consider yourself a romantic; you love rom-coms and romance movies, and you love going on dates as long as they’re meaningful. Atop the broken heart you carry inside, there’s a protective wrap that has been built up on fiction and romanticizing your life. It’s the only way you survived as a child and is surviving now, but living so much in your head prevents you from seeing reality clearly, and that tends to hurt you. You hurt yourself by ignoring the truth, as you did with Maya, and then things turn to shit. Michael is your little beacon of hope. He’s your lucky charm.

You haven’t finished a book or a story because you’re still hung up on the past and it seems like too much of a responsibility. Or maybe you don’t feel capable enough.

You never had support. It wasn’t a lie when you said your parents weren’t happy with your career choice and that’s why you left, but it isn’t the full truth, and the real reason why you left runs deeper. You thought you could start writing once you’re far away from that hellhole, but everything you have started since then landed in the trash because you get insecure, and then you realize that what you have romanticized isn’t true and you don’t ever go back to it.

Maybe it is time to change that now. Your eyes flick to your laptop. The Duke and his promised badass Princess of a promised wife are waiting for you to stretch your fingers and start typing, but once again the claws around your heart pull you back. You can’t. You shouldn’t.

But maybe it’s time that you do, anyway.

You turn back to your outfit for the night, which you haven’t decided on yet and it’s already half past eight.

Only one date in your entire life has been thoroughly thought-out, and the guy dumped you after that.

Frustrated and out of your mind, you dial Sarah’s number and hope she has some smart advice for you since she is the one out of you two who is addicted to going on dates every chance she gets.

After a few rings, she picks up. “Hello!” she cheerily answers. “What is my favorite sunshine up to? Couldn’t go a day without me?”

You plop down on your bed. “I need your help,” you say.

“With what?”

“Picking an outfit for a date.”

There is a short pause before she sighs. “So Mister Mobster asked ya out?” she says. “Is it like to celebrate his ass gettin’ hired or somethin’? Because if it’s bout tha’, I still haven’t been able to fully accept your text message.”

“I’m sorry I did it over text, Sarah, but you weren’t working today and I didn’t have the time to call. And it’s not just a celebratory date, I… we… okay, promise you won’t hate me after this?”

“Depends on what yer about to tell me.”

“He told me he loved me,” you admit.

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” She takes another deep, dramatic breath. “I am not nearly drunk enough for this.”

“You said you’d accept him!” Your voice changes pitch. “You said you’d try and I want you to try. For me. Because… because once you meet him—”

“What, I’m gonna like him?” she cuts you off. “Ya know it’s not that easy to look over all the crimes he’s been involved in, right? You were the one who told me about all of tha’, so it’s kinda your fault, too.”

Silence settles between you. She is a lot more composed than the first time around, but her frustration is still palpable. You can’t say you blame her; you can’t blame her, not after you ran to her when you first found out and you, yourself, were still somewhat uneasy. Sarah cares about you. This isn't just about Michael’s past, this is about her not wanting you to get hurt, and if she knew about your past, she would take it even more seriously. That is just the kind of person she is and you love that about her.

You look up at the ceiling. Your voice sounds brittle when you finally speak, but she can feel the passion and the devotion radiating off of your tongue with every word. “I love him,” you say, “and I want to be with him. You either accept it or you don’t, but I want to turn his head more than once tonight and I do plan to get thoroughly fucked at the end of this, so I could really use your expertise on the outfit. I’m not asking for relationship advice, I’m just asking for you to be my friend.”

Sarah lets out a long, exasperated sigh on the other end of the line. You can almost picture her rolling her eyes before finally speaking. “Alright, alright, I get it. Ya really know how to pull the guilt card, don't ya?” she says, her voice tinged with a mix of annoyance and amusement. “Fine, I'll help you. But don't expect me to suddenly embrace Mister Mob-Daddy-That-Said-I-Love-You-First with open arms. I do want ya to have a good night though, and I want ya t’be devoured ‘cause honestly if he's good in bed, ya go get him, girl.”

You chuckle at her enthusiastic response.

“Now, puttin’ aside the fact that I still don’t understand why you fell fer a mobster, out of all people, let’s talk about this date. Where is he takin’ ya?”

“That’s the thing,” you say with a look at your closet. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” she asks.

“It means I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me. He said he’ll pick me up at nine and we’ll walk there together.”

“That’s… ominous.”

“Yeah, but not in a dangerous sense. Don’t even start.”

She throws her hands up, the rustling of her dress betrays her. “I wasn’t even sayin’ anything!”

“You were thinking it,” you retort. “No. He told me to wear something comfortable. That is all I know about tonight, and it’s freaking me out. That’s why I called you. I’m not good with clothes. I need your help.”

“Okay, okay,” she caves, “I’ll help ya. In fact, I do you one better and tell you exactly what to wear.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I know yer wardrobe inside and out and I know exactly what you should wear tonight with Mister Mysterious Mobster on your Mysterious Mobster Date.”

“Would you stop saying mobster?” you say and try to sound annoyed, but your lip twitches into a smirk anyway. “He’s just Michael,” you add.

“Just Michael it is then,” she says, and you can hear the smile in her voice. “For tonight, I’m gonna accept that.”

“Thank you, Sarah, I–”

“Silence!” Her voice echoes dramatically in your ear, and she puts on a fake posh accent that has you cringing. “Let’s find you something marvelous to wear, my dear.”

“Only if you drop the accent.”

“Fine. Way to ruin the fun, but anyway…”

She picks a pair of jeans she weirdly knows exactly where to find. They’re your most comfortable pair, and she chooses a top to match with that, which she says will be easier to take off, and you once again wonder how many times she analyzed your closet when she visited you.

“Throw on some ankle boots, a denim jacket, and those cute little butterfly earrings you have,” she continues. “Cross-body bag, red lipstick, hair tied back with a butterfly clip and you’re a hundred percent yourself but also smoking hot. Oh, and don’t forget to wear that green lingerie set. The one with the lace. I think he’s gonna love that.”

You stare at the outfit on your bed, a little surprised that she managed to put together something that screams your name, but it's also a little more adventurous. When you consider that on your first night with Michael, you wore the ugliest underwear known to man, and the next day you did it again; he never minded because underwear, in his eyes, is something that demands to be taken off, but wearing lingerie would drive him crazy nonetheless, and you feel a little better about yourself when you think about tonight. Sarah's choice boosts your confidence.

“I don’t even want to know how you know all of my clothes,” you say, “but thank you, Sarah. This is… this is going to work great.”

Sarah laughs on the other end of the line. “A girl's gotta have her secrets, sunshine,” she answers. “Just remember to have a fabulous time tonight and enjoy every moment.”

You can hear the sincerity in her voice, and it warms your heart. Sarah has always been there for you, supporting you in her unique way. You appreciate a friend who is not afraid to say what she truly thinks.

You carry your outfit into the bathroom, squeezing the phone between your shoulder and ear. “I'll let you know how it goes,” you tell her. She requires you to give details whenever you go out, and tonight is not going to be any different.

She claps. “Of course! I want all the juicy details. Top to bottom. Bed to the dining table. His end to your end. I need it all!”

You laugh, your cheeks flushing bright red. “Oh, God! That's... that's a lot of details.” But you can feel yourself getting lighter and more excited than before. “Thank you. I will update you,” you say. “And send you pictures. Of the outfit, I mean.”

The smirk in her voice is audible when she retorts, “I don't mind other pictures…”

“Okay,” you remove the phone from your ear, “No nudes for you. Bye, bye!”

And you hang up on her, your lips still curled into a smile, and as you watch yourself in the mirror you can tell that it’s not just pretense – you’re happy.

Taylor Swift blares in the background as you start getting ready. You slip into the carefully chosen outfit, making sure every detail is in place.

You know he won't care that much; he prefers you to wear what you want, and it's something no man has ever told you before. It is the bare minimum, but it draws you to him even more because he accepts you and accepts that you're your own person capable of making your own choices, and it means he appreciates your style at least to a certain point.

The jeans Sarah picked hug your curves just right, and the top accentuates your figure in all the best ways. As you fasten the ankle boots and put on the denim jacket, you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. You have struggled to accept yourself for a while, but you can't deny that you look pretty.

The lingerie underneath is a small, intimate secret that only you know, a little surprise waiting to be revealed. A gift to be unwrapped. It will drive Michael wild once he discovers you're wearing it, and your heart skips a beat when you think about the things he would do to you.

With your hair tied back and the butterfly earrings adorning your ears, you take a moment to apply the bold red lipstick. A bold lip goes a long way, Sarah once said, and she stands firmly by that. Lipstick often wears off after a while, but she got you one that is actually kiss-safe; Michael would kiss you even with lipgloss on, but you don't want to annoy him with the taste too much.

Looking at your reflection one last time, you feel confident.

Taking a deep breath, you grab your phone and keys, slipping them into the cross-body bag. For a night, you can allow yourself to let go just a little and enjoy yourself with the man you love.

Love. It's still such a big word and it feels weird to even think about it, but at the same time the thought alone fills you with endless warmth and you can't believe he is yours, and he has vowed to be yours now.

At nine exactly, there is a knock on your door. You take a deep breath. This feels like your first-ever date and you’re nervous, but you’re also excited. This is new for both of you, but you are determined to make it work.

When you open the door, Michael stands there wearing his best black jacket, the tight-fitting green sweater underneath that he wore the first time you met and a pair of jeans that hug him just right. His hair is messy, but in a way that seems wanted. He seems to have trimmed his beard and he’s wearing clean shoes instead of his dirty boots tonight.

He cleans up nicely, and he looks good. He is a sight to behold and your cheeks flush bright red at the sight of him.

What makes it worse though is the bouquet of daisies and beautiful violets in his hands. He’s not carrying classical roses or tulips; the bouquet is colorful and adorned with the sweetest flowers you know, and the scent hits you just right.

Your heart skips a beat. He remembered little details about you that you don’t even consciously notice about yourself, and if that isn’t a silent gesture to tell you how much he loves you, you don’t know what is. Telling you the truth must have taken him a lot of courage, and he might struggle to do so again, which you understand, but he’s showing it to you and that’s more than enough.

Michael’s jaw drops when he sees you. His lips carry a small smile of surprise, his cheeks soon matching your color as he takes in the sight of you, shamelessly checking you out. The flowers quiver in his hands and he has to refrain from throwing them aside, pushing you back into your apartment, and fucking you right there against the wall.

“Wow,” he exhales.

You return the sentiment, subconsciously reaching out to touch one of the violets that are pointed in your direction. “Wow,” you murmur.

“You look…” He licks his lips, struggling to find a word that conveys your beauty. He’s awestruck, and his mind stops functioning.

He was stupid enough to plan a whole speech to make this night perfect, but you stole his breath and now he can’t seem to get it back. You’ve stolen all of him, but he loves that because that means he is yours – body, mind, and soul – and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

You brush a strand of hair behind your ear. “I wasn’t sure what to wear,” you admit, your voice barely above a whisper. “Because I wasn’t sure where we’re going and you said to dress comfortably, not to dress up, but then I didn’t feel comfortable just wearing something random, and you said comfortable, so I tried out a few things, called Sarah, and… here I am.” You open your arms, awkwardly showing off your whole outfit to him. “I hope it’s enough,” you say.

He blinks a few times, his mouth opening and closing. He looks like a computer trying to reboot after a circuit failure. You watch him, your eyebrows furrowed. Does he not like it? You put a lot of effort into your outfit — Sarah did, anyway. You feel pretty, but what if he doesn’t think so?

You would never let your worth be defined by a man, let alone him, but it would hurt a little because you wanted to look good for both of you tonight. You wanted him to enjoy looking at you as if you were a meal he can’t resist. You take his silence as a bad sign, insecurities eating away at you, until he finally snaps out of his trance when he sees hurt flash across your face.

“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful,” he says.

Maybe you were expecting the worst, after all. Your blush deepens out of embarrassment this time, looking down at your feet to hide it.

“Oh, and... I, uh... got these for ya," he stammers, realizing he forgot to mention the flowers. “I dunno if they're your favorite, but... I noticed you like violets and daisies 'cause ya have a lot of scented things…” He offers the bouquet to you. “Couldn’t exactly get ya a vanilla plant.”

Well done, Michael. He internally curses himself for the stupid joke. But then you laugh and his worries fade away.

“First date means flowers, right? Or so I’ve heard. I’m not up-to-date on date culture. Is tha’... Is tha’ what they call it? Date culture?”

You only start laughing more.

The lighthearted tone brings a smile to his face. You cover your mouth, trying to stifle your laughter, but it still fills the room with its song and his heart with warmth.

“First date, date culture, whatever you want to call it,” you say after calming down, and you take the flowers from him with a smile. “And these flowers... they're perfect, Michael. Thank you.”

He exhales a sigh of relief. “I'm glad you like them,” he says. “I was worried I got the wrong ones or somethin'.”

You delicately hold the vibrant blooms in your hands, tracing the petals with your fingers. You get lost in thought for a moment before turning back to him. “They're exactly what I needed. And what I wanted. No one…” you trail off, your chest heaving with a sigh. “No one’s gotten me flowers before,” you admit. “So, thank you.”

Michael's cheeks turn a shade of pink, matching the color of the flowers in your hands. “I... I wanted to make tonight special. I know we're both new at this, but I want it to be a night to remember. And yer so beautiful, you deserve all the flowers.”

Your eyes crinkle. “I'm already having a night to remember.”

“I'm glad,” he says, matching your soft smile. “So…” He switches between the bouquet and your face, and you take it as a hint to put them aside. “Should we go? I, uh, have a surprise for ya.”

His smile looks genuine and you love how the happiness defines his dimples and magnifies the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes, and the hazel of his irises glows like fire whenever he smiles.

You nod. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go.”

As you make your way out of your apartment complex, he takes your hand in the chilly night air, offering you warmth and something to hold onto, and you make your way down the street, away from the gas station that has given you one too many sleepless nights. He walks close to you as if to shield you from any possible danger, and every so often you look at him to find him peeking over his shoulder behind you.

“What are you looking for?” you ask eventually, growing a little uneasy yourself.

Michael chuckles softly, his breath creating a small cloud in the cool air. “Just makin' sure nobody's followin' us,” he tells you. “Can't be too careful, can we?”

His nerves are playing cruel tricks on him. Alone the thought of missing something and getting you hurt makes his blood run cold, and he urges you to walk a little faster to get out of the darkest part of town somewhere he knows no one has stationed any suppliers that interact with him or his family – and that is where you are safest.

You walk for a while in silence. Time continues passing by, the night air brushing through your hair and his own, creating a cool yet gentle atmosphere around you. He squeezes your hand for warmth as you continue.

Eventually, you come to a stop. You can hear the faint sound of music and laughter in the distance, and you crane your neck to get a better view, but Michael’s hands soon cover your eyes.

You can hear the smirk in his voice when he whispers in your ear, “It’s a surprise.”

“I hate surprises,” you murmur, grabbing onto his wrists.

“Ya’ll like this one, trust me.”

You trust him to walk you toward your destination, but you’re weary about his coordination skills. You feel helpless with your eyes covered. After a few steps, you relax a little, but it’s still unsettling.

“You ready?” he asks you then.

You nod eagerly. “Just show me already.”

The laughing and music get louder, followed by high-pitched ringing and the smell of popcorn, corndogs, and candy floss.

You giggle when he presses his lips to the back of your neck, trying to pull the hands away from your eyes. “Where are–” you begin, but then he allows you to open your eyes and you’re so surprised, you forget what you wanted to ask.

In front of you, there is a small carnival. It’s so small, you can overlook it from inside, but the lights are brighter than ever, shining in different hues of red, blue, green, orange, and purple and other variations of the color wheel. Music is playing in different parts, but it all blends well. There is an auto scooter in the middle, a Ferris Wheel at the end, different booths with games and food, and you can make out some smaller carousels for children.

Glitter is strewn around, feathers of boas pass by you, and you see a clown somewhere. Balloon animals are being made in one corner while in the other, a couple is laughing loudly as they get out of the bumper car area. There is also a faster ride with spinning teacups and a freefall tower, but there is not much more to it.

This is probably the tamest carnival you have ever seen, but the scenery is breathtaking. The music is phenomenal. You find yourself in awe of the lights and the artworks painted on the attractions. You love the layout of the booths, as far as you can see them, and the photo booth catches your eye; you haven’t seen one of these in a while.

Your heart swells as memories flood over you, but they’re kind and they’re somewhat happy, and you realize that this is an escape like the one you sought when you were a child. For many, this is an escape right now.

You’re not sure what’s more beautiful, the lights or Michael, but you have to settle for the man beside you because his eyes are just as wide, but not because of what he sees inside the carnival, he’s only looking at you.

“Oh, my God,” you whisper, still looking around. Your lips curl into a smile. You squeal. You feel like a teenager again. “Michael, this is–” There are no words to describe how nostalgia makes you feel.

He smiles shyly. “Ya like it?” he asks.

“Like it? I–” You stare at him, your mouth still agape. Without a word, you step forward and press your lips against his.

Michael kisses back, his arms coming to wrap around your waist. Music and laughter blend into the background. It’s just the two of you right now, illuminated by the color-changing lights and the comfort of your lips.

You break apart breathlessly after a few seconds. “I…” you shake your head in disbelief. “I love it. I love you.” The most childish giggle escapes your lips. “But you’re fucking mad!”

He chuckles, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “Why am I mad?”

“Because… because you brought me here. To a mini carnival.” You emphasize the size, but the way you say it makes it sound cute. “In the middle of the night with all of the lights,” you say, “It’s truly beautiful. You are beautiful. This…” You break apart, opening your arms as if to show him the obvious. “This is beautiful.”

The sounds of laughter and music from the carnival blend with the pounding of your heart. He leans back in. “I wanted to create a moment tha' was just for us, somethin' that would make you feel like a kid again. And seein' that smile on yer face, knowin' that I could bring you joy like this... it means the world to me.”

“You're insane in the best possible way,” you repeat. “Who else would think of a mini carnival as a surprise?”

He brushes his thumb gently against your cheek. “I love you too, more than words can express,” he whispers, the carnival almost drowning out his voice. “And seein' ya happy like this, it's all I ever wanted. Means mission accomplished.”

You find yourself lost in his eyes, the vibrant lights of the carnival reflecting in them. “You're beautiful,” you whisper back. “Thank you so much.”

He kisses you softly again, this time making sure to savor every moment. You break apart with a mischievous glimmer in your eye, grabbing his hand, and you tug him playfully toward the entrance. “Come on now! Let's have some fun.”

He lowers his head with a chuckle before allowing you to drag him with you into the carnival, his heart a million pounds lighter now that he is with you.

Michael pays for the tickets, and he pays for the drinks you get once you enter because you wouldn’t admit that you’re thirsty, so he forces you to have something to drink before you pass out in the crowded space.

Surprisingly, it’s not as crowded as you expected. There is a lack of children because it’s the middle of the week and they’re all asleep in their beds, and the teenagers that are there to waste their time away don’t bother anyone but themselves. You see a few couples walking around, but there are not that many people, and it offers you and Michael some time just for yourselves. It’s almost as if he planned it to be this empty, and maybe he did, but if he did, you appreciate his efforts because you hate crowds, anyway.

Seeing the flashing lights and listening to the high-pitched noise of some of the attractions, you wearily roam your eyes over Michael’s face for any sign of discomfort.

“Are you sure we should be here?” you ask.

He frowns. “Why?”

“Your seizures…”

He says your name, pulling you into his arms as you stop in front of one of the most colorful rides. The passengers in the wagon get tossed around and they’re all laughing, even though you know the plastic can hurt. It’s a lot of fun, you remember.

“Can we please not talk about tha’ tonight?” he says. “Please? I just want to have a good night with ya. Just you and me and forget about everythin’ else. Can we do that?”

Your eyes soften, your hand coming up to rest on his cheeks. “I’m just worried,” you say.

Flashing lights and loud noises are triggers for epileptic seizures. He doesn’t know what he has, but his seizures paint a picture of their own, and without medication, he could get triggered. You don’t want him to get hurt when you’re supposed to be having fun. But you also don’t want him to feel like you’re walking on eggshells around him. He knows his body and condition probably better than you do because you can’t feel what he’s feeling. You’re simply worried, and his eyes tell you that he knows, but he still doesn’t like to dwell on it.

“I’m okay,” he assures you. “I’d tell ya if I wasn’t, but lights… lights usually don’t give me seizures. I can ride rollercoasters and all of tha’, I think. It’s… I don’t know, it happens when I’m– I’m stressed. Hasn’t happened anywhere else before, so I’m alright.”

You sigh. He wouldn’t lie to you after telling you the truth, you know that. And maybe it’s good that you know in case something happens, but you hope it won’t.

“I love you.” You lean in to brush your lips over his.

He brings his lips to your forehead, pressing a gentle kiss on the skin there. “I love ya too,” he says.

“So… you won’t mind if we ride that thing over there?”

Following the line your finger is pointing, Michael’s eyes widen visibly when you point to the moving teacups on the platform a little further away. They continuously keep spinning, and he can already feel himself getting nauseous at the thought.

“Oh!” you exclaim happily when you see the free-fall tower so close to you. “Or that one?”

His eyes are still wide in shock when he stares back at you. “I thought we were gonna ride bumper cars,” he says, “not… not defy death.”

You burst out laughing. “What, as if you’re afraid of carnival rides?”

He doesn’t answer.

“Wait. Michael Kinsella, are you afraid of carnival rides? Or is it heights? Don’t tell me it’s heights.”

He blushes. “That thing falls!” he tries to defend himself as he points toward the tower. “And that one…” he can’t find the words for the spinning tea cups because they just look ridiculous. “Teacups don’t spin,” he says. “And towers are not supposed to… fall.”

Your laughter turns into a soft, teasing giggle as you pull him close and kiss him. The kiss is tender and he melts under your touch, though the fear in his veins remains. When he decided to take you there he was thinking about riding the things Anna used to ride when she was little like bumper cars, a carousel, or the Ferris wheel, not whatever you just pointed out to him. He always steered clear of that.

“Michael Kinsella, part of the most dangerous crime family in Dublin,” you sigh dramatically, “and he is afraid of carnival rides.”

That makes him seem so human, all you can do is pinch his cheeks and kiss him all over.

“Don’t judge me.” Michael pouts at you. “I’m not a fan. I like bumper cars though.”

His smile warms your heart. It looks giddy, a little shy, maybe, but it’s an honest smile.

“I like bumper cars too,” you say. “Perhaps we should try that out then.”

“Yeah.”

“And then we could ride… the carousel with the little animals as wagons?”

“Mhm.”

“Ferris wheel?”

“Only if ya hold my hand,” he says.

You chuckle, taking his hand in yours already as you make your way to the bumper car area. “That can be managed, my dear.”

The sounds of laughter and the aroma of carnival treats fill the air, heightening the atmosphere.

“You wanna drive with me?” you ask when it's your turn.

He smirks and shakes his head. What you didn't expect was for him, who claims he doesn't have a license, to be so good at bumper cars – and then you remember that he might have lost it and that he knows how to drive, he just isn't allowed to, and in that case, it makes you competitive.

You and Michael strap yourselves into separate cars, your eyes focused on each other. Your cars are several rows apart, but you can make out each other just fine, and he looks as if he's about to destroy you. As the ride starts with a blaring song through the speakers, he maneuvers his car with surprising skill, finding you and bumping straight into your car. You gasp, blowing the hair out of your face.

“You're going to regret that,” you say.

Hitting the gas pedal, you chase after him now, the people in your way disappearing as you bump them out of the way to back him into a corner. And you manage to do so until he puts the car into reverse and bumps you back.

“Rude!” You bump him right back.

He laughs. “Not so smart now, huh?” he retorts.

“Oh, fuck off!”

“You first!”

You keep chasing each other around the track until you’re both laughing like maniacs. The cars come to a halt and you struggle to get the seatbelt off after being tossed around so much.

Michael, ever the gentleman, offers you his hand and helps you out of the vehicle. You poke his tongue out at him, but you take it anyway.

After the first ride, you make your way to the carousel, hand in hand. The colorful lights and the gentle music create a magical ambiance as you choose your favorite animal to ride. You both simultaneously point out the unicorn, and it feels like you're mentally connected in a way. You find comfort in the simplicity of the carousel, the feeling of the wind in your hair, and the warmth of Michael's hand in yours.

He watches you as you lean back, closing your eyes and simply enjoying it like the few kids in the wagons around you. It's a moment spent in absolute silence, and you wouldn't have it any other way. In this world, it is just the two of you, and you are having the time of your lives. All the worries fade into the background, overshadowed by the comfort of each other's arms.

Finally, after another ride with the carousel, you reach the Ferris wheel, the grand centerpiece of the carnival. It is much smaller than the London Eye, obviously, but you prefer it that way. As you step into the gondola and the wheel starts moving, Michael clasps your hand.

The metal feels unstable under him, and it is a lot shakier than the stable gondolas in a bigger Ferris wheel, but you find that to be the beauty of it. With a soft chuckle, you squeeze his hand and encourage him to place his head on your shoulder until you have reached the top.

“Don't laugh,” he says with a pout, and you try not to, but the thought of Michael Kinsella having a fear of heights still amuses you.

The view from the top is breathtaking, to say the least. You nudge him to open his eyes and take a look around Dublin with you, the city lights forming little blobs on the night sky, and you can make out the river as the moon reflects off it. The stars barely stand a chance against downtown, but once you turn around and look in the direction where nature is, you can make out the different constellations, and you point out Orion to him.

“It’s so beautiful,” you whisper.

“Yeah,” says Michael, but when you turn to him, he is looking directly at you. “The sight is truly breathtakin’.”

You blush, turning your head away, but he catches your chin and pulls you back toward him.

“Don’t look away from me…”

You shiver at the sound of his voice. “Sorry.”

He strokes your cheek, then your jawline before resting his hand on your throat, feeling your pulse jump at his subtle touch, and then he finally leans in to kiss you. With the stars in the background and the city in the distance alive and bustling, you find yourself enveloped in your bubble again.

As you kiss under the stars for the first time, illuminated by the colorful lights of the carnival high atop the Ferris wheel, you continue falling deeper and deeper in love with him.

The world seems to fade away as you lose yourself in the moment, in the gentle caress of his lips against yours. With each passing second, your hearts beat more and more in harmony, aligning like the planets that make the stars.

As you break apart, breathless and filled with a sense of wonder, Michael stares at you.

“I never want this moment to end,” he says.

You smile, tracing the outline of his nose. “Me neither,” you say.

“You remind me of a star.”

“Why?”

“Because yer bright… and you fill me with wonder.”

“Wonder?”

“Yeah, wonder.” He kisses you again even softer. “I’m just mesmerized by ya.”

“Good,” you smile, “because I feel the same way about you.”

The Ferris wheel shakes, and your moment is torn in two as Michael grabs onto your arm. You try not to laugh, but you fail miserably.

“And we’re goin’ down,” he says.

You look away, but your laugh reaches his ears, and he pouts all the way down, making sure you feel every last bit of his displeasure. But you can’t help it; the sight is too adorable not to laugh.

Passing by the many booths littered along the carnival as you walk away from the Ferris wheel, you notice one with particularly fluffy stuffed animals lined along the walls.

“I’ve always wanted one,” you point out. “Had a small one as a kid, but I… lost it.”

He looks at you and then the teddy bears you’re pointing at. It’s one of these games where you get a rifle and have to shoot a target – but it’s not real; it’s filled with air. He bites his cheek, then grins at you.

“What?”

He tugs at your arm as he pulls you along toward the booth.

“Hey,” he greets the owner. “I’d like ta take a shot at winnin’ that bear up there. The big one?”

The man eyes him curiously, then looks behind him to see you. “She belong to ya?” he asks.

Michael doesn’t like the way he’s looking at you. His eyes darken, and his fingers brush the rifle. If those held real bullets, he would give the man the fright of his life. Still, he takes it and charges it expertly, his attention focused on him.

The man’s eyes switch from you to him, Michael’s sour smile almost taking him out. He looks dangerous with his jaw clenched and hand wrapped around a gun that wasn’t meant to hurt anyone, but he could make it work if he wanted to.

“If my girl wants a teddy bear,” Michael says, “I’m winnin’ her a teddy bear. Now, may I take my shots, sir?”

You’re not surprised when he hits all targets on the first try. The owner of the booth didn’t see it coming, but you are more than happy when he takes down the biggest teddy bear and hands it to you. His hand is shaking.

Michael winks, pulling him down further when he hands the gun back. “If ya ever look at another woman the same way ya just looked at my girlfriend again in yer miserable life,” he says, his voice bordering on a growl, and his eyes bore into the man’s, “trust me that I’ll come back here with a real gun and make sure it’s the last time ya ever lay eyes or yer dirty little fingers on one again. Ya don’t wanna mess with me. We clear?”

He swallows, all color fading from his skin.

“I asked ya somethin’–“ Michael’s fist collides with the counter, but it’s a silent collision that only catches the attention of the one it needs to; you seem oblivious, even though maybe a little curious. “D’ya hear me?” he repeats. “I won’t tell ya twice. The next time, ya won’t be so fuckin’ lucky.”

“Yeah, got tha’,” the man is quick to respond. “I’m sorry, I–“

“Shut up. Just let her have the teddy bear and move on.”

I get dangerously angry, sometimes, when someone touches what’s mine.

He is not a mind reader, but Michael knew from the moment the at least sixty-year-old man first stared at you he would have done something if he hadn’t been there. And then someone could have bought his hands off the dark web after Michael would have cut them off with a dull knife.

Michael offers the man a big smile and wishes him a good night before taking your hand and the teddy bear and pulling you away from the possible danger he saw in him.

“What was that about?” you ask, curious about what could have conspired between the two men.

It didn’t look friendly and neither did it sound like it, but you were too focused on your new stuffed animal to really pay attention. And you don’t really care, anyway. Michael must have had his reasons.

He simply presses a kiss on your temple instead of answering and says, “Nothin’. All good here. Let’s take a walk.”

You walk the last few meters in silence, your arms hugged around your new toy and his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans. The silence isn’t uncomfortable or loaded. You’re enjoying each other's company without disturbing it with words.

After a while, Michael contemplates, his eyebrows furrowing before he looks up at you and admits, “I used to bring Anna here all the time when she was little.”

You meet his eyes. “You did?” you ask.

“Yeah, she, uh, loved bumper cars and everythin’ that was blinkin’, so…” he smiles to himself. “The guys from the carnival come here every few months, and it’s always been a happy place fer us, so I thought it could be yours, too. Ours, maybe. I don’t know.”

You used to take Maya to carnivals all the time when she was younger. It was your way of getting a few hours of freedom without fights or violence, and you always made sure to check out all the rides and win stuffed animals. You ate your way through half of the booths and came out with a sugar rush, but every night was worth it.

His confession weighs heavily on you because even the happiest memories are now overshadowed by a different kind of memory, and it causes the muscles around your heart to contract in agony.

“I’m sure she loved it,” you say with a soft smile, even though the smile is fake.

“She did,” he says, and he grows a bit quieter now, too.

To lighten the mood, you tug at his arm and point toward the photo booth. “What do you say we try that next?”

He frowns. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Deadly.”

“I don’t usually take photos of myself. I hate ‘em.”

“But it’s not just you, is it?” you say. Your eyes crinkle again. “Please? Just a few pictures of the two of us together? And Mister Bear?” You use the teddy’s hand to wave at him.

Michael chuckles. “Mister Bear?” he asks.

“Yes, that’s his name. If you don’t want to take a picture with me, I will trade you for him as my cuddle buddy.”

He raises his eyebrows at your playful threat. The smirk gives you away, but he still fears you might replace him for the stuffed animal in the end if he doesn’t comply. “Alright,” he caves, “let’s take some pictures of us. But I can’t promise they’re gonna be good.”

You pull him into the photo booth with an excited giggle. “You always look good.”

“Beg to differ.”

“Beg all you want, it’s not gonna get you out of this one,” you say.

You get five pictures in a row – five attempts at striking the poses you want to in the small booth.

During the first shot, Michael manages to look particularly grimy, so for the second one, you decide to force the teddy bear in his face, which makes him laugh just as the flash goes off. Then, for the next one, you lean your head against his shoulder and smile, and he has never looked more endearing. You decide to do a silly pose for the fourth one, and he joins in, now feeling less serious about himself. As you stare into each other’s eyes for the three-second break, you let the inner urge take over and kiss him on the lips just as the flash goes off and captures the moment between you.

Walking out of the booth, Michael is quick to catch the photo strips to be the first one to look at them; thankfully, you get two versions, so you both each get to carry the memory of that day with you.

He smiles when he sees the pictures, he genuinely smiles, and he puts the strip into his wallet where there is an empty photo slot.

“We look cute,” you say, pointing at the last picture. “Especially in that one.”

He chuckles, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “We do look cute when we kiss, don’t we?” he says.

“We do, indeed. But not just when we kiss. We always look cute.”

“Sure, always.”

You store it away in your cross-body bag, not wanting it to get ruined by dirt or accidentally lose it.

You are about ready to make your way to the exit when he checks the time on his watch and stops you in your tracks by calling your name. “I have one more surprise for tonight,” he says.

“One more surprise?” you ask.

“Yeah, one more. C’mon.”

“What is it?”

“If I told ya, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

“But I hate surprises.”

He repeats his words from long before with a smile, not a smirk, “Yer gonna like this one.”

As you settle in the grass on a small hill that connects directly to the carnival, you watch the last few people pass by before it closes. Your teddy bear is nestled comfortably against a tree as you and Michael lie next to each other. It might seem weird, but there is something intimate about how you cradle each other’s cheeks and stare into each other’s eyes as if the person you have been looking for all your lives is finally next to you – in your case, that is.

In the distance, a fire is being lit, and soon enough, colorful fireworks explode above your head. It catches you both off guard. Your eyes widen, mesmerized by the beauty of it all. The night sky is alive with color now, and you get lost in it.

“Michael,” you breathe.

He follows your gaze and watches the fireworks explode in front of the stars he compared you to. “I know,” he says.

There is something special about fireworks. The different colors and shapes lure you in, and everyone views it as a spectacle.

Fireworks, with their fleeting nature, teach you to appreciate the transient beauty of life and to treasure the moments of joy that come your way. They are seen as means to celebrate, not just milestones but life itself, and every human being is drawn to it. Explosions are only pretty if they're fireworks. Humans find beauty in disaster.

Fireworks, with their dazzling display of colors and patterns, evoke a sense of wonder, allowing us to momentarily escape from the complexities of life and immerse ourselves in the beauty of the moment.

You fill him with wonder, too. You fill him with all the good feelings and he’s always floating on cloud nine when he’s with you.

Curling into his side, you place your head on his chest, watching the fireworks continue their dance on the black canvas.

“Thank you,” you whisper. “Tonight was… the best night of my life.”

Michael wraps an arm around you. “And it was mine, too,” he says.

“I don’t want it to be over.”

“We can stay as long as ya want, my love.”

“Watching the fireworks?”

He smiles, leaning down to kiss the top of your head. “‘Til they’re over,” he assures you, “every last one of ‘em.”

You snuggle closer with a content sigh. “Sounds perfect to me.”

As the fireworks continue, he holds you close to his heart, making sure you’re warm and taken care of, and you find yourself letting go in his embrace. His arms form a protective shield around you, protecting you from the world and the pain that always seems to come back to haunt both of you. But love has been known since the beginning of time to keep us alive; lying on the grass in each other’s arms is all you need, and your love exceeds all expectations either of you had for the future.

Tagging: @bellaxgiornata @mattmurdocksscars @ms-murdockswift @your-not-invisible-to-me @shouldbestudying41 @glowstick-lesbian @acharliecoxedfan @roseallisonparker @norestfortheshelbywicked @1988-fiend @loveroftoomanyfandoms @mattkinsella

#michael kinsella x reader #michael kinsella x you #michael kinsella fluff #michael kinsella #kin amc #charlie cox #chaos theory #reader insert #x reader

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boundinparchment · 1 year

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Dream a Little Dream of Me - XXXI

Celestia has a cruel sense of humor. He’s always known this, ever since his days as a student. But a soulmate? Really? Dottore/Female Reader Soulmate AU. Lore speculation, interpretations, etc. Chapter is on AO3 here.

You woke to the sound of rustling leaves and the distant chirping of birds, the scent of fresh grass mingling with the unmistakable smell of something burning. Shooting upright, your head swam for a moment as you took in the moss-covered machinery and tanks, an overturned desk, and ruined sheets of parchment.

Where were you now? And why couldn’t you just be back in your bed in the inn?

Was this, too, another dream, another nightmare?

The last thing you recalled was your claymore, finally heeding you in a time of need, and the anguish on your soulmate’s face etched into his crimson eyes, before your swing failed and…

You felt the sheets beneath you, moth-eaten and damp, the mattress in even worse shape. Humidity clung to your skin and made everything heavy and sticky. You could move your fingers, your toes, and when you reached down, the moss was spongy and soft. The dryness in your mouth that was becoming more and more noticeable told you that no, this was not, in fact, a dream.

A dull ache sat behind your eyes. Dehydration, most likely. You felt like someone had dunked you into a lake headfirst and then wrung you out to dry.

Everything should have been straightforward after meeting him. This was tiresome, this back and forth, these games.

Games.

That’s all the other one saw you as: a game, an experiment.

Your head pounded even more, blood pressure spiking at the thought that you were nothing more than a toy, again. Acid licked the back of your tongue, sour and vile. What was it with those in power just taking what they wanted and doing as they pleased?

Why did your soulmate have to be someone so vicious, so cruel, that he would split himself and then do harm? Wasn’t there an oath against that for medical practitioners?

You willed yourself to your feet, swaying once as the world wobbled, and then made your way over to the scattered pieces of parchment and the upended desk. The wood was worn, cracked, and warped by both humidity and time. It had been this way for a while. Kneeling down, you picked up a note, the parchment discolored and rippled and the ink flaked. Mold on one corner was slowly making its way through the rest of the note. The text was illegible but not because of the rapid pen strokes and the splashes of ink; only a few characters were recognizable but not in a way that made sense to you. A list of sorts, either inventory or steps in a process. Squinting, you noticed a detailed sketch in the margins and an arrow with another scribble, emphasizing something.

You stood, shook your head, and then winced at the motion. What were you expecting? This place looked as if it had not only seen better days but that someone wanted it to be forgotten. Anything of value was already long gone, by the looks of it.

If that was the case, then you shouldn’t be here, either. There was nothing for you here.

“You’re awake sooner than I anticipated.”

Your shoulders rounded slightly, instinctively. The fire in your stomach was the only thing that kept you from crumbling entirely. Everything you’d waited so long for, hoped for, and this was the result? You looked over your shoulder, turning just enough to take in the sight of a familiar beak-like mask, hair the color of fresh mint, and a blue shirt that did not seem to be well-suited to the humidity. You hated that you knew, too well, what he looked like underneath; and yet you didn’t know him at all.

“And you’re nothing like I expected, Zandik, but neither of us can get what we want, can we?” you snapped, pushing through the pain.

His shoulders drew back and he cocked his head, silence prevailing. You turned, jaw tight, eyes burning.

“And yet you haven’t drawn your weapon against me,” he replied. “So there must be more you wish to say.”

“Nothing that wouldn’t be a complete waste of breath.”

“Try me, then.”

Your hand twitched before you ran your thumb over your calluses, seeking comfort in their presence, in their hardness.

“Everything I worked so hard for, everything I wanted to get away from, and you’ve ripped it from me. I know not everyone gets the best match in a soulmate but to get someone capable of building lies and illusions that play out as if they’re real? I’m so lucky.”

“There’s more to it than that.”

“I don’t care. I don’t care which of you did it. I want nothing to do with you. Any of you. I don’t want a soulmate who sees me as a toy that can be used however they please, as if I’m not my own person.”

The words were sharp around your tongue and they landed as you expected them to, with little impact or effect. You hated that, be it from the years of genuine dream-sharing or the most recent events, you knew the corner of his mouth would twitch, that he would shift his weight and cross his arms, gesturing his words with a casual wave of his hand as if this were any other conversation.

“You’re free to leave. I’m hardly keeping you restrained here against your will. If you think you can defend yourself from the Rishboland tigers and the Eremites and the Withering, let alone my Segment, then do as you please.”

He swept one arm to his side, gesturing behind him. The entrance had been there the whole time, obscured by foliage and branches, but hardly invisible.

“After all, you seem to be quite fine and know your own mind. One such as myself would never ask Celestia for a soulmate anyway. And even if I did, I would not have picked such a spiteful and emotionally inconsistent soulmate who cannot appreciate going beyond the limitations of this pathetic realm. Of all the things I do deserve, it’s someone who isn’t so small-minded.”

Neither of you said another word as you walked past him, pushing branches out of your path and splashing through stray puddles as you went.

He was right and you hated it. Not that you expected any less; he always gave as good as he got, but usually it was teasing, playful. A gunshot would have been preferable. At least then, there would be an end to the sickening knot in your chest.

_______________________________

Sumeru City felt different when you arrived. The path under your feet, worn and welcoming, gave way to paved stone as the Akademiya and its Tree loomed overhead. That stupid Tree and its winding paths was the only indicator you had to the direction you needed to go and it took you the better part of the morning and afternoon to get there.

As you walked through, you saw ladders and tangles of flower garlands being taken down, petals drooping and falling in the process. The streets smelled sweet, the same way Petrichor smelled during the autumn rains; the unmistakable smell of decay. The Sabzeruz Festival was over and it was time to return to normal routine. More than once, you caught children dancing, emulating the dancer you recalled from practice, their parents gushing about the performance.

You’d missed it.

The very thing that you’d stayed behind for, that rescued everyone from your pushback against the Akademiya’s stupid policy.

Another thing, ruined.

If you never came back to Sumeru again, it would be too soon.

When you arrived at the inn, you were just as surprised as your manager, their entire table decorated with invoices and schedules. You were gone long enough to miss the festival but not to miss everyone traveling out of the city.

A whole lifetime in the span of a few days. The knife in your gut twisted itself this time.

Supposedly, according to your manager, you’d been on your way to Fontaine, having decided to take up your patron’s offer after all. You bit your cheek as you were handed a letter sent on your behalf, the handwriting this time unmistakable, and you apologized for both the confusion wrought and for your unexpected presence.

“I got halfway there before I remembered I’d left for a reason,” you explained. “And it would leave the orchestra in a lot of legal trouble to boot, if the rumors of new legislation and fines are to be believed. I’m sorry for being so short-sighted.”

The apology felt more hollow than you made it sound. The burden did fall to you. After all, it was your soulmate, your connection to someone so selfish and arrogant and fragmented, that others were put in less than ideal positions.

But you couldn’t exactly say that.

The words came easy, just as they had years ago, in that office before you became intimately aware of how intricate the carpet’s pattern was. At least here, you only ran the risk of garnished wages, perhaps extra duties in packing and coordination; fair but understandable punishments.

There was one more performance, your manager said, and then you would be onto Port Ormos for the next leg of the tour. If you were up to it, you could perform. Your very bones ached with need, to feel the bow in your hand and the stringers beneath your fingers.

No dream could ever do that justice.

_______________________________

Your instrument is a familiar stranger beneath your touch. Your sole companion all these years and yet it felt as if you’d never held it before. Warm-ups and scales took a moment, your fingers slower than your brain, and by the end of the afternoon, you’d all but split your fingertips open. How you’d missed that ache, the one that sat in your joints, in your tendons, that told you of a song well-played.

Your colleagues did not ask more than necessary but their eyes said what their lips did not: you left with no notice, no intention of coming back, and you do not deserve your place here.

Perhaps not.

All were ecstatic to be moving on, spoke of nothing but the festival, recounted to you how marvelous Nilou’s performance had been. The Sages tried and failed to stop the performance but it continued on anyway. No one cared much for the politics of it all. If anyone wanted that level of nonsense, they’d have become an administrative assistant for the Fontaine Research Institute. Their words never quite reached you, however much you smiled and nodded and lamented that you missed it.

You wanted to feel as they did, excited and passionate and reinvigorated. You told yourself that if you just immersed yourself, you would, that this, too, would pass.

Pulling the bow across the strings that evening was no different than any other time. As you went, however, you found that with every note, you seemed to pull yourself along with it; a thread undone, unraveling. Vibrations that once felt comforting could only remind you of a familiar rumble of a voice you never wanted to hear again. Instead of wrapping you, the notes felt like hands around your throat, squeezing until all that was left was the sharp gasp as you drew the last high note across the strings.

The audience was just as enraptured as you expected, smiles wide, eyes damp.

You tried to ignore the flash of white out of the corner of your eye, the tell-tale glow of blue crystal from the dark recesses of the performance hall. Exhaustion haunted your very soul; perhaps you were hallucinating. It would hardly have been surprising.

No, you told yourself, watching the crystal earring as its owner titled his head. You were not.

And the glimpse of red eyes, watching you like a wary raven, held little more than rapt attention.

Not the Segment, you surmised, your gut knotting itself. Despite their identical appearance, your brain knew the subtle differences, the way emotion never quite reached the stranger’s eyes as it did Zandik’s. Whatever he was, he could never be rid of that; to do so would be to remove the shreds of his humanity.

But who were you to know him, really, when all you’d known was a figment of subconsciousness?

_______________________________

The afterparty was as though you were watching a moving film, your colleagues and acquaintances actors on a silver screen. Food tasted like sand despite the beautiful colors and mouth-watering scents. You opted for water over wine but you were certain all you would taste would be vinegar anyway.

Conversations consisted of nodding, interjecting as you observed others doing. An attempt to fit in, the way a leaf already yellow would cling to its branch, unwilling to let go and fall away from its verdant brethren. You had already witnessed this, and more; to be here felt stagnant, static, strange.

Motions to be repeated for the sake of them, nothing more.

You had been here before, of course, before you learned to navigate your patronage. But there was no comfort in this, no safety. Eggshells had become glass shards and every step in this world you once knew the path of was as painful as the first time you snapped a string and it slapped you in the face.

Sleep was no better.

A dark abyss, thoughts circling like carrion birds until everything floated away into nothingness.

You woke to early sunlight, your vision blurred, tears unspilled and pooled in the corners of your eyes. Not even a sensation of falling disturbed your slumber. In any other circumstance, you’d be grateful for the peace, for the chance to know a good night’s rest for the first time in an unidentifiable frame of time.

Nothing about this was ideal, felt right, and laying in bed wouldn’t solve it. Your cello was packed away already. Catharsis would have to wait.

You dressed for the day and slipped out of the inn, Vision tight in your hand until you could feel the metal housing pressing into the skin of your palm. As you wove your way through the city, the merchants still waking and setting up their wares for the day, a flash of green and white caught your eye. Not the little sprout from your false life, surely?

Now you truly were beginning to doubt your own mind.

Around every bend, every curve and rise of the pathway, you caught a glimpse of a skirt, or a cowl, or the flick of a ponytail. For a moment, you were back in the fields of Fontaine, chasing other children, always just out of reach to tag and pass along the curse of being ‘it’.

You arrived at the top of the Akademiya, at the set of doors all too familiar now, imposing in their beauty. Just as you rounded the corner, you caught green eyes, bright and vibrant, before they disappeared into the dark seam between the doors.

The last time you were here, it’d been under false pretenses; without any kind of authority, you could be arrested for trespassing, or worse. But what other path did you have?

You slipped between the doors, your very being swallowed whole as you entered the Sanctuary of Suristhana for a second time.

#dottore #il dottore #il dottore x reader #dottore x reader #il dottore x female reader #dottore x female reader #soulmate au #fic: dream a little dream of me

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sequinsmile-x · 11 months

Text

Stained Glass Windows - Chapter Thirty

Life was complicated, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

-x-

Hi friends!!

First off, as you can see there is a new banner for this fic!! I thought that given this is Chapter 30 (!!!) it was time for a new one.

I was never going to leave you hanging too long with the cliffhanger from last the chapter, because whilst I am mean I am not *that* mean, so here we are only two days later.

Not only is this the 30th chapter of this fic, it also brings the total word count for SGW so far to over 100k. Which is just...wild to me. Thank you so much to all of you for your love for this fic. This has quickly become one of my favourite things to write and the fact you guys interact with it and love it to means the world.

Please do let me know what you think of this chapter!

-x-

Words: 4k

A full list of warnings for the fic can be found on the Series Master List and will be updated as we go along.

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

“What is taking the doctor so long?” She asks, wincing as the nurse tightens the compression bandage around her wrist. It barely hurts, the injury that had been confirmed to be nothing more than a sprain the least of her worries. She still hadn’t felt the baby move, and whilst that wasn’t entirely unusual, she could sometimes go hours without feeling anything at all, something her doctor assured her was normal for her stage of pregnancy, it was all she could focus on.

The nurse smiles at her, “We do only have one OB on staff here and she is currently with another patient, so she will be with you as soon as she can be.”

Emily all but growls, her fear turned into anger, but Aaron cuts her off before she can shout at the undeserving nurse. His hand wrapped firmly around his fiancee’s as he tried to hold her together.

“That’s ok,” he says, although it felt anything but. He was impatient too, his concern for their unborn baby increasing with every passing moment, but he knows he has to keep Emily calm, and to do that he had to stay calm too, “We understand.”

The nurse nods and steps away, “I will page her again for you,” she says before looking at Emily, “Your wrist should be fine in a week or so. Try not to use it too much in the next couple of days and ice it when you can.”

Aaron watches as Emily doesn’t acknowledge the nurse talking to her at all, her eyes fixed on the ultrasound machine that had been wheeled into her cubicle upon their arrival as if she was willing for the image of their baby to appear on the screen. Aaron smiles tightly at the nurse and nods.

“Thank you.”

They fall into silence once they are alone and it’s tense, the sound of the walk-in clinic they were in bustling around them. Like everything else in Franklin, it was small, nothing like the facilities they were used to back home. Aaron watches Emily closely, his hand tight around her right one just as it had been ever since they got out of the SUV.

“You still have my engagement ring, right?” She asks absentmindedly, not turning to look at him. The doctor she had seen for her wrist made her remove it in case of any swelling.

She hated not wearing it. She’d never been someone who clung to belongings. She’d moved so much when she was young and for practical reasons, there were only so many items she would take from place to place. It was only since she and Aaron got together that she started to see more meaning in physical things, and her engagement ring was one of the more important ones. It was a physical manifestation of their love for each other, a promise for everyone to see.

“I have it,” he assures her, patting the pocket he’d slipped it into.

She nods, finally turning to look at him with a tight smile on his face, “I probably need to stop wearing it soon anyway…Reid told me that the further along I get the more my hands will swell.”

“I’ll buy you a necklace to wear it on,” he says, squeezing her good hand. His eyes drift to her stomach, her bandaged arm resting on top of it, and he swallows thickly, pushing down any fear that was trying to climb up his throat, “Have you felt anything?”

“Don’t you think I’d tell you if I had?” She snaps, her nerves fraying by the second. She watches as his eye flash with hurt, a quick moment she knows anyone other than her would miss. A side of himself that he would only show her, and even now would occasionally try to keep from her in some misguided attempt to protect her. She sighs, guilt replacing the brief fury she’d felt, and she squeezes his hand, lifting them to her lips to kiss his knuckles, “I’m sorry honey. I didn’t mean to…I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head and shifts the chair he’s sitting in closer to her bed, “You have nothing to apologise for, sweetheart,” he says, cupping her hand between both of his, “Nothing at all.”

The curtain surrounding their cubicle is pulled open and a woman in a white coat smiles at them, “Hi, I’m Doctor Cooper, the OBGYN, I’m so sorry for the wait.”

“It’s ok,” Emily says as if she hadn’t been ready to burn the place to the ground just to get someone to check on her baby.

Doctor Cooper sits on a stool next to the ultrasound machine, “I believe you had a bit of a fall?”

Emily opens her mouth to reply but finds herself unable to, her voice catching in her throat, and she looks at Aaron, an edge of desperation in her eyes.

“She slipped on some ice outside where we’re staying,” he says, “She landed on her back, but because we had to come here for her wrist we thought we’d best get her checked out.”

“And how far along are you?” Doctor Cooper asks, smiling kindly.

“24 weeks. I haven’t felt the baby move since I fell,” Emily explains, holding onto Aaron’s hand so tightly she’s surprised her nails don’t break his skin.

“Any bleeding or cramping?” She asks and Emily shakes her head, “Ok well I see no real cause for concern, but let's have a look at baby anyway,” she says, “If you can lift up your shirt for me?”

Emily lets Aaron help her even though at every other scan she’d batted his hands away as she chastised him for coddling her. Right now she knows she needs it. She needs the sometimes overbearing way he loved her because it was the only thing holding her together.

“Do you know what you are having?” Doctor Cooper asks, and they are both silent, fear neither one will admit to yet forcing them to hold their breath, “So I don’t accidentally blurt it out?”

Aaron is the one to snap out of it and clears his throat as he looks at Doctor Cooper, “No, we don’t know,” he says, kissing Emily’s knuckles, “We decided to wait until the baby is born.”

She smiles as she squeezes the gel onto Emily’s stomach. It was cold, it wasn’t kept in a warmer like it was at her doctor’s at home, but she doesn’t flinch. She barely reacts as she keeps her eyes fixed on the ceiling, counting the tiles so she could do something other than worry about her baby.

“I wanted to do that when I had mine,” Doctor Cooper says casually, clearly trying to keep them both calm, holding the Doppler in her hand and pressing it into Emily’s belly, “Sadly that would have meant not looking at my baby’s ultrasounds, which was never going to happen. A curse of the trade,” she presses a few buttons and looks at the screen in front of her, “And you have no need to worry, your baby looks perfectly healthy.”

They both look at the screen at the same time, met with the sight that never got old no matter how many scans they had. The baby was shifting around, its little hand up by its face, and Emily feels her breath catch in her throat.

“Did you hear that sweetheart, Nugget is ok,” he says his relief palpable, and he looks at the doctor, feeling the need to explain the name when she raises an eyebrow, “It’s a nickname because we don’t know what we’re having.”

She smiles at him, “My wife called our son ‘Cooplet’ when I was carrying him,” she says, shaking her head, “I think Nugget is better.”

Emily still hadn’t spoken, her eyes fixed on the screen as she watches her baby move, her voice caught in her throat as she swallows thickly, “The baby is ok?”

Doctor Cooper nods, her patience never wavering, “Nugget is perfectly fine.”

Emily looks back at the screen her eyes shining, as she watches the baby wiggle around, “Why can’t I feel that?”

“You are only 24 weeks so your baby is still quite small, and it is your first pregnancy so movement can still be a little inconsistent for another couple of weeks, plus the baby sleeps a lot of the day,” Doctor Cooper explains softly, as she presses a couple of buttons and the familiar wooshing of the heartbeat fills the small space, “But before long you’ll be wishing you had some reprieve from the kicks and punches. Everything looks and sounds perfect,” she assures them, “You did the right thing coming in, and if you experience any cramping, bleeding or changes to what you’re used to you should go see your doctor, but I’m happy to discharge you today.”

Emily nods, her eyes fixed on the screen again as she watches the baby move around, and she heaves in a breath. It catches on every rib, making her chest stutter as all the fear she’d been pushing down since Aaron helped pick her up off the ground escapes all at once, pouring down her face and burning her skin. Her vision goes blurry with her tears and she covers her face with her bandaged hand.

Aaron only takes a second to spring into action, standing up from his seat and sitting on the edge of her bed, cupping her face in his hands as he makes her look at him.

“Emily, sweetheart, the baby is ok,” he says, smiling at her in a way he hopes is reassuring as he presses his forehead into hers, “Nugget is ok.” He looks at Doctor Cooper who stands up, offering him a tissue to give to Emily as she wipes the remaining gel from her stomach.

“I’ll go pick up the pictures I just printed for you and her discharge paperwork,” she says, making it clear she was giving them a few minutes. Aaron nods his thanks and then turns all his attention back to Emily.

She presses her face into his shoulder and grasps at his back, her fists gathering the material of his sweater as she sobs, her tears scorching his skin. All he can do is hold her as she calms down, his hand running up and down her back as she lets everything out. He whispers nonsense against her head intermittently with pressing kisses against her hair, never relenting in his care for her. She slowly starts to calm down but doesn’t let go, if anything she holds him even tighter.

“I was so…” she chokes out, her voice ragged, and she can’t even say it. Can’t even put into words how she’d been feeling for the last hour or so. But she doesn’t need to because he understood, just like he always did.

“I know, baby,” he says, turning his head to kiss her cheek, “I know. But everything is ok.”

She opens her mouth to respond but is cut off as she feels a kick from her belly, and she knows Aaron has felt it too from where she is pressed up against him when he pulls back to look down at her stomach, a wry laugh escaping them both.

“Well, Nugget clearly has your sense of dramatic timing,” he says dryly, smiling at her when she narrows her eyes, a look he’s sure was meant to be cutting diminished by how swollen and red they are from crying.

She blows out a steady breath as she leans in to hug him again, drawing the comfort she needed that only he could provide her, “I could say the same about you.”

___

Emily lets him look after her when they get back to their room at the inn.

She knows he needs it, that he needs to fuss, so she doesn’t say anything even when he tucks the bedding around her like she’s watched him do with Jack countless times.

Like she’d one day soon watch him do with the baby she was carrying.

She looks down at the new ultrasound picture in her hand that Doctor Cooper had given them and she stares at it intently, running her finger over the slope of her baby’s nose.

“I think Nugget has your nose,” Aaron says as he climbs into bed next to her, sitting on top of the covers. She rolls her eyes at the comment he’d made at every scan ever since the baby started to actually look like a baby.

“Poor Nugget,” she quips, and he puts his arm around her shoulders and kisses her forehead before he places his hand on her stomach.

“Lucky Nugget,” he replies, kissing her forehead again, “Because that means they will look just like you.”

She shakes her head at him but lets it slide, knowing this was one argument she’d never win, and she places the picture down on the nightstand next to her, “You can go back to the case if you need to,” she says, placing her hand over his on her stomach, “You’re not the one who was told to have bed rest for the rest of the day.”

He pulls back and frowns at her, forcing her into eye contact, “Did you hit your head? Am I going to have to take you back to that clinic and get you checked for a concussion?”

“What?” She asks, scrunching her face up in confusion, “No.”

“Because that’s the only reason I can think of why you would think I’m going to leave you here alone for the rest of the day.”

She sighs, huffing out a laugh as she once again shakes her head, “Aaron-”

“Morgan has it,” he says, tucking some of her hair behind her ear before he cups her cheek“And he’s updating me with what I need to know.”

“What if you’re needed-”

“I’m needed here,” he says, cutting her off, stopping her from arguing with him any further, “I’m right where I should be - with you.”

It was moments like these that made her grateful she was the second woman who was lucky enough to be loved by him. Sometimes she couldn’t tell if it was because she understood him better than Haley had or because he’d learnt from his mistakes in his first marriage. She usually put it down to both. She didn’t expect these things from him and she understood the difficulty of his job, of how much sat squarely on his shoulders, how so often the choice of what he could do was out of his hands. The balance of his own life versus that of the knowledge of what could happen to complete strangers the very thing that had led to the scars she can see peeking out of the top of his shirt. But he also had learnt from his mistakes. He knew when he could step back, when it was the right thing to do to be selfish, and she wondered if she should feel more guilty for being so happy she was the one benefiting from it.

“Ok,” she says, turning her head to kiss the palm of his hand, “If you’re going to stay you may as well get into bed with me.”

He nods, and she doesn’t need to ask twice. She watches as she stands and changes into his sweatpants and sweater, carefully laying his suit over a chair so it didn’t crease. She spots a tear she hadn’t noticed earlier over one of the knees of his pants where he’d the floor next to her and she sighs, chewing the inside of her cheek as she thinks about everything that had been haunting her since she thought something was wrong with her baby

He climbs into bed with her, immediately warming up the space under the covers, and she curls into his side, her head against his shoulder.

“I’ve…I’ve been thinking,” she says, drifting off as she thinks about the fact once she’s said it she can’t take it back. That things would change forever before she was truly ready for them to

He waits several seconds before he prompts her, “Are you going to tell me what you’ve been thinking about?”

“I think this should be the last case I come along on with the team,” she says quietly. For a moment it hangs between them and she turns to look at him, watching as her words register.

“Em-”

“I know I said 28 weeks, and I know I’ve been so insistent but…” she stops, blowing out a breath as she tries to gather herself, the tears that were never too far away these days pressing at the back of her eyes, “For fuck sake,” she says, chastising herself as she wipes under her eyes, “I swear to god I’ve cried more these last few months than I have in my entire life.”

He smiles at her and pulls her closer, his fingers trailing comforting circles on her shoulder, “You’re pregnant, sweetheart. That’s going to happen,” he says and she hums in response. He kisses the side of her head, “Why do you want to stop now?”

She scoffs and pulls away, her eyes wide and shining as she looks at him, “Are you kidding me? You remember what happened today right?”

“The baby is fine-”

“The baby is fine, I know,” she says, rubbing her stomach, smiling when the baby kicks, “I know. But if something had gone wrong that place wouldn’t have been equipped to do anything, or to provide neo-natal care if god forbid I went into labour and the baby was born.”

The thought makes him tense up, his body freezing as nausea churns in his stomach, “Em.”

“I just…I think it realised that if the worse had happened we’d have been all of the way across the country from home, with no access to our doctor or the facilities at the hospital we’ve chosen,” she says, her chin trembling as she shakes her head, “And as much as I don’t want to stop yet, I have to think of Nugget. I have to put them first because I never came first,” she lets out a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob, “Did I ever tell you I was almost born on a plane?”He shakes his head and wordlessly reaches out to wipe a tear from her cheek. “Yeah, Mother carried on travelling despite having high blood pressure and being told not to. She went into labour at 37 weeks and they rushed her to the hospital when they landed back in DC.”

“It’s not the same sweetheart,” he says gently, “You would never do that.”

“I know,” she says, swallowing thickly, “But this is a choice I can make to protect our kid and I think I have to do it.”

He looks at her carefully and sees how resolute she is and he nods, “I’ll support whatever you want to do sweetheart, you know that.”

She smiles and leans forward, the kiss they share tasting of her tears, “I’ll miss working with you,” she says, her lip trembling, “I know I’ll still be technically on the team until I go on maternity leave,” she says, cupping his face and stroking his jaw, “But I’ll miss it.”

“I’ll miss working with you too,” he says before he kisses her and pulls her into a hug. They stay in their embrace, mourning the end of something that had brought them what they were about to start. The beginning in the end that they’d known was coming, even if they hadn’t expected it so soon.

“I need you to promise me something,” she says softly as she pulls back, cupping his cheek as he places his hand on her bump, both of them smiling when the baby kicks, something they both loved even more than they had yesterday.

“Anything.”

She smiles because she knows he means it, that he’d pull the moon from the sky if she asked for it, but she also knows him well enough to understand what she was asking was bigger than that.

“You need to promise me that you won’t take any unnecessary risks-”

He sighs, shaking his head as he cuts her off, “Em-”

“I know the job is dangerous, I know there are things you won’t be able to avoid but you can’t run into houses after unsubs wielding a gun when you’re unarmed without your vest. You can’t bait serial killers or purposely crash a car-” she huffs out a laugh despite what she’s saying and he does too, “You can’t do any of that if I’m at home pregnant with your kid because…” she drifts off, smiling when he wipes a tear away from her cheek, “Because you just can’t. So please, I need you to promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

He nods, agreeing automatically, knowing that she was right. A part of him had always known he was only a piece of Haley’s family. A strange justification he would use when he put himself in unnecessary danger that, if the worst would happen, Haley would have other people around her. Her parents and Jessica.

It was different now. Emily would have the team, but it wasn’t the same and he knew it. He was her family and she was his, along with Jack and the baby nestled between them. He couldn’t do it to her, he wouldn’t.

“Ok sweetheart,” he says, resting his forehead against hers, “I promise.”

She beams at him, the relief in her smile the only assurance he needs that he’s done the right thing, and she leans in to kiss him fiercely. When she pulls back she leans her head against his shoulder, the final bit of tension that had lived in her chest all day giving way as she finally relaxes.

“I think Nugget and I need a nap,” she says, the exhaustion immediate and overwhelming, as she yawns into his shirt.

“You two nap, and I’ll be right here,” he assures her, shifting them so they were laying down and she was curled up in his arms.

“You promise?” She asks, tucking her head into his neck to shield herself from the daylight streaming in through the curtains.

“I promise,” he says, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He trails his hand up and down her back, a surefire way to make her drift off to sleep, “Em?” He asks, and she hums in response, still shifting around against him to find the comfort that was starting to allude her more and more, “You were born three weeks early?”

“Yeah,” she says, yawning again, “I was meant to be a Scorpio,” she says, chuckling, “Something Pen always says makes sense,” she adds, and she feels him hum more than she hears it. She pulls away just enough to look up at him, “What?”

“Nothing,” he says, smiling at her and pushing her hair away from her face, “It’s just…that probably means we were probably supposed to have the same birthday. Different years obviously. But same day.”

She does the math in her head and huffs out a laugh. It meant nothing really, she knew that, but a small, romantic, part of her that she hadn’t known existed before him makes her think that maybe, just maybe, it means they were meant to be.

“Yeah,” she says, laying her head back down against him, “I guess it does.”

-x-

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jinxthejubilee · 3 months

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So I have a question that I feel as if you're the only one who'll get it well:

So imagine this, a world with the stories is the same but sometimes after the villains have a final curtain call of their motives, but one thing is drastically different... And that's their recruiters are fully evil. Not only that but are so wicked and far not even their once masters can stop them

Either some were abandoned or betrayed by their villains or others simply didn't get their villains help from the beginning, but the end result is the same, they are cruel and ruthless

My question is, if this case scenario was true, what would you think their villain arcs are like?

First off, I'm sorry that it took so long to answer this ask. Life has been quite hectic for me these past few months, so I took a bit of a break. So, to make up for it, let's have some fun here!

Second, it really depends on what established lore you've set for them. Some people have different interpretations of their characters, but if you're going by my personality pages, I have some ideas:

Apple 🍎

Apple seems like the type to claw his way to power no matter what. If he didn't meet the Evil Queen/Grimhilde, he probably would've served under other corrupt monarchs before somehow manipulating them or the people around them to overthrow that monarch and take his "rightful" place as the new ruler.

Very politically oriented than outright murderous.

Jack Heart ❤️

Jack is kinda hard to imagine being strictly "evil" since he's more of the "fun guy who doesn't care about the consequences" type.

But, if you want to lean into him being more insane, I can totally see him becoming more and more unhinged as time goes on.

He craves chaos. He craves destruction. Similar to Kefka Palazzo from Final Fantasy, but less existential and nihilistic.

I doubt that he'd take out the Queen of Hearts, but for this case, let's say he did: He'd make it a spectacle. To show everyone in Wonderland who the true king is.

No longer does he want to be a pawn at her disposal. He'll have it all, one way or another.

Mr. Dalmatia 🐾

Even if this is the 101 Dalmatians universe, where animals are way smarter than we know, I don't see Dalma becoming a supervillain.

Maybe a gang leader of street dogs or something if he was never adopted by Cruella.

Or, more likely, if he was ever betrayed by Cruella, he would plot his revenge, killing everyone, even Pongo, Perdita, the puppies, and the others by burning Hell Hall to the ground and closing any escape routes, then disappear into the woods. Never to be seen again.

Eight Foot Joe 🐙

MURDER.

He finally snaps from exhaustion and has a full-on Death Note-style murder plot to kill Ursula.

Whether he uses an ancient artifact, potions, or goes along with Ursula's plot, only to steal the trident from her after she accidentally kills Flotsam and Jetson, that betrayal is coming full force.

He becomes the new king of the sea. Finally earning the respect he deserves.

Malfi/Malfie 🪞

Malfi, at least in my headcanons, was an actual bird who was later turned human-ish by Maleficent.

Considering how powerful she is in comparison to everyone on this list, I doubt that Malfi would be brave or powerful enough to take her on in a fight.

Malfi is more of an opportunist. He'd lie and wait for Philip to kill Maleficent. Then, once she's out of the way, he'd kill Philip himself.

Unfortunately, while he was trained by the Mistress of All Evil, he knows Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather would cause problems, so he'd capture them somehow and drain them of their magic, so he could use it to curse the kingdom once again.

Malfi would have everything he's ever wanted: Power, a kingdom, a beautiful bride, and servants and subjects that cater to his every whim.

Pretty Scar (Mzuri) ✨️

I've talked in length about what would happen at the end of The Lion King if PS was there to witness or take part in the killing of Scar, and I honestly don't see her in a leadership position of any kind.

But, if we want to change it up a bit, instead of giving up on Scar after he dies, we find out later that she joined Zira and helped raise Kovu.

Like Zira, she believes Kovu will one day become the great king destined to overthrow Simba and avenge Scar

This Mzuri, despite the fact that Scar betrayed her fellow hyenas, still worships Scar because she's used to the abuse she suffers from her family. She blames Simba for placing Scar in a position where he would have to throw the hyenas under the bus to save his own life.

Ms. Hades 🔥

As I've stated before, I see Ms. Hades as a creation of Hades, so her betraying him is kind of pointless, seeing as he could easily destroy her if he wanted to.

If she was to go all-out villain, though, she'd probably wait to reveal herself as the true villain until Hercules was far enough into the River Styx to die of old age. Then, she'd most likely push Hades down there or use some enchanted item of some kind to bind him, then throw him into the river.

Her motive? She despised working for someone who treated her like an object. She was created for the sole purpose of working beneath him, and she could stand it no longer.

I see her as someone who doesn't focus on the petty things, and that's what makes her so deadly.

She's so calm, collected, and controlled that she doesn't let any weakness of hers slip through the cracks. She looks through every possible option, every little detail. She makes good work of using any opportunities Hades never thought to use.

She is a force of nature; an untamable fire. There is no question that she will take over the living world and Mount Olympus. All hail the queen.

Veil 🔔

If Veil had never met Frollo, I don't see the possibility of her becoming a villain simply because she wouldn't have the resources to raise her status as a "lowly commoner." That, and her personality. She was essentially groomed to become Frollo's loyal follower. That wouldn't have happened otherwise

So, if we work with the opposite of what I wrote as an ending for Veil on her page, similarly to Pretty Scar, Veil would be so brainwashed that she'd still defend Frollo and continue his reign of terror in his absence. Only this time, it's even more dangerous than before.

Lady Hock (Hook) 🪝

Again, I really don't see her as a supervillain personality-wise, and even if Hock was betrayed by Captain Hook, I see her going down a more heroic path than anyone else.

Even if she never met the captain, I don't see her becoming a villain either. She's remarkably chill and goes with the flow in most situations.

The best I can see is that if you altered her personality a tad, she'd allow Captain Hook to kill the Lost Boys and Wendy.

Unless she finally got fed up with Hook's cowardice and decided to get rid of him, then the kids. But again, that's less likely.

Faja 🌹

I'll give Jafar this: He never betrayed Iago. They were practically best buds in the first movie, so I don't doubt that he might be the same with Faja.

However, if all three of them became trapped in the lamp, they'd all drive each other crazy. So much so that later on, once they learn about Iago's escape and betrayal, Faja realizes how power-hungry and abusive he's become. Should this happen, she will help defeat Jafar with Aladdin and the gang once and for all, but she'd immediately turn on them all afterwards.

Or, if we go with the option of her never meeting Jafar, unlike Veil's situation, magic exists in this world, so I can definitely see her taking a similar path as Jafar and learning magic on her own to escape her life as a street rat. Except more erratic and unhinged.

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altheasmeadow · 1 year

Text

Seeing You

Word Count: 4K

Warnings: Exes to lovers but not really, death, poison, ghost Au, I think that's it

Pairing: Lee Know x named reader

Summary: In which, after her ex passes, she’s put on the case to find his killer, with a Little help from a ghost or two

“Could this be any more boring?” Changbin groaned as he threw his weight down on the couch in their old studio, his complaint garnered many noises of agreement from the younger four who had accepted their fate with little hesitance.

“There has to be something we’re missing,” Hyunjin stated as he continued pacing alongside Chan as they both tried passing ideas off to each other.

The group of eight didn’t know what exactly had happened. All they know is that they had woken up and suddenly it was like nobody could see or hear them. They tried visiting their families but that didn’t work, even their old friends couldn’t seem to sense them.

“What good is being a ghost if I can’t haunt people? I even had a list!” Seungmin pouted, he was far from happy with the situation of course, but what could he do to change it?

“Are we sure we contacted everyone we have deep connections with? I think we need to find someone who is still holding onto us.” Chan suggested, but Hyunjin quickly argued back.

“Everyone is probably still holding onto us, we died like a week ago. Three of our funerals haven’t even happened yet.”

“I don’t know then! There has to be someone,” Chan sighed, falling back onto the couch as well, feeling frustrated.

“Why do you think our funerals haven’t been held yet?” Seungmin wondered, Minho, Jeongin, and Himself have not seen anything about their funerals.

“It was obviously foul play, ” Han stated, making everyone look at him oddly, “Oh come on, I can’t be the only one thinking it?”

“How did they get all of us at the same time though?” Felix tried to argue, earning a few sounds of agreement.

“Poison.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” Han sighed heavily, hating all of this but he already had a few too many panic attacks.

“Where’s Minho?” Jeongin asked, suddenly making the others turn their heads to the area where the brown-haired man had been previously only to see him gone.

“Oh come on!” He groaned out in frustration as he stumbled into the wrong apartment yet again.

“Ugh, I can still hear his stupid voice.” He heard through the wall, making him perk up, could she actually hear him?

“Look it’s totally normal to still feel him here, you guys were together for eight years. Mourning your ex is understandable.” That’s a voice he didn’t recognize, he poked his head through the wall reaching just enough to peak into a very homey apartment. Everything about the apartment was simply her, the couch that had once been in their shared apartment was nestled in the corner of the living room, the pale orange throw pillows accenting beautifully against the white, and the light-colored wooden furniture was a cute touch as well. His eyes took a moment before they finally landed on what he had been searching for, there she was sitting cross-legged with her elbow bent on the back of the couch to hold her head up, a steaming cup of cinnamon hot chocolate placed in her hand as she spoke to a man who was dressed in a blue button up and slacks, as he had just gotten off of work.

“He would want you to move on.” No, He wouldn’t. “At your own pace but you need to work past this without giving yourself too much grief for not being there.” The man said, making Minho huff, obviously seeing the heart eyes this man held for her.

“They asked me to go home and look over his case, they suspect foul play.” That’s good! She’d finally be home, that’s all Minho ever longed for.

“Why you? You haven’t been in Seoul in a year?” Stop asking so many questions.

“I was close to the boys, I know more about the people around them than anyone.” She shrugged, a lopsided smile growing on her face as she thought back to her times with the boys. The smile made both men giddy as it was such an adoring look, except only one of them knew what it was directed to.

“Will you be able to handle it? I can ask to come with,” The man offered, making Minho’s eyes narrow into slits. How dare he underestimate her?

“I close a minimum of 75 murder cases a year, I can most definitely handle this. If you ever underestimate me again, I’ll show you exactly how I took those bastards down firsthand.” She sassed, earning a chuckle from the ghost in the wall making her snap her head in the general direction for a moment not seeing the now ducking ghost who truly wasn’t ready to come to terms with his ex-lover not being able to see him yet.

“Minho what’re you doing?” Seungmin asked, making the older man yelp and stumble back into the other apartment he had accidentally entered.

“Uh…Haunting?”

“Really now? Who do you know in Hawaii that you’re haunting? Wait…” Seungmin gasped, peeking through the wall himself only to make direct eye contact with her, making both of their eyes widen.

“Uh, you know what, I’m rather tired. I think I should rest so I have the energy to pack tomorrow.”She stammered, hurrying her partner out of her apartment anxiously before throwing her weight against the door as she sank to the floor into the fetal position, hoping she’s not finally losing it.

“You can see me?” Seungmin asked as he finally pushed through the wall, making her scramble backward, further away from the unwelcome ghost.

“Oh god, I’m losing it.” She gasped out, watching as three others stumbled through the wall as well.

“Starshine!” Felix squealed upon seeing one of his favorite people in the world, rushing forward to hug her only to fly through the door behind her, “Ah shit!”

“I need a drink,” She gasped out rushing towards her kitchen to find whatever alcohol she could find only for it to be moved out of her reach at the last minute, she turned to face the culprit only for all words to die in her throat upon meeting the warm eyes of her ex-lover. “Oh god.”

Her widened eyes filled with tears as she too in her situation, a choked sob escaping her throat as her eyes scattered over the now eight ghosts that have all somehow made their way to her.

It took two hours for her to begin understanding what was happening, well her version of what was happening. She was insanely sleep deprived on top of grieving so it’s only natural to hallucinate, yes that was it. She chuckled at her delirious mind before turning on her heel and heading to her room, ignoring the questions being thrown at her.

“Yah! Get back here!” Changbin yelled, feeling a bit annoyed at her reluctance to believe; However, a part of him understood, if his ex-lover had died and suddenly appeared in front of him he’d probably check himself into a ward.

“They’re not real. They’re not real. They’re not real,” she chanted it like a mantra hoping to believe it at some point.

“Look, we're really here, and we need your help! We don’t know how we died. Or why we’re still here lingering.” Chan tried to reason, making her spin on her heel to face the leader who was internally panicking at driving his old friend into a panic.

“Why me?”

“You’re the only one that can see us, we’ve tried everyone else we knew in our living period,” Felix explained, making her even more panicked.

“I’m the only one? Great, so I am crazy!”

“Gah listen Treasure, you’re not crazy. I’ll prove it, ask me anything.” Minho exclaimed, stepping in between her and the group.

“That wouldn’t work logically, if she thinks we’re a figment of her imagination she would be able to fill in any information she knows that you know,” Hyunjin explained making her attention snap over to the man that was definitely her best friend, she of course had seen him before but hearing his voice again made her feel swarmed with even more emotions.

“Okay, I’ll tell her something that she didn’t know that I knew.” Minho offered, looking back at the other members for confirmation only to earn shrugs since none of them were quite sure how to deal with this situation themselves.

“Uh…Okay, the night we broke up. I know you were going to propose to me, and I know you got frustrated because I kept avoiding that step and that’s why we broke up and why you even accepted the job here.” He explained feeling a bit ashamed, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to commit to her, it was the opposite he felt as if they were already fully committed and that signing a paper was meaningless. She hadn’t felt the same though, she had felt the need to prove to her family that the relationship was going somewhere rather than just staying in the same place forever.

“How did you find that out?” She gasped, she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone except…

“Your mom told me where to find you, I came. You were leaning against your car talking to your brother. I heard everything. I was going to approach you after he left but you seemed so sad so I just left before I could make anything worse.”

“We’ll let you process all of this… but we really would appreciate your help in solving what happened to us.” Chan smiled comfortingly at the woman before they all poofed away, allowing the girl to sink back to the floor as a tidal wave of emotions flew over her.

Being aware of the ghosts this time made it difficult for her to communicate with her partner who was dropping her off at the airport. Minho, Hyunjin, and Seungmin had all poofed over to join her on her trip only to see the tanned male trying to find any way to touch the woman possible.

Between all three of them dropping snide comments and seeing their glaring eyes, she was fighting her giggles that were beginning to bubble up in her chest. Hyunjin was giving his famous judging stare that made her feel like they were back in the old days where he’d give her and Minho that look.

Seungmin just couldn’t believe the audacity of this man, I mean the woman is still grieving and he’s trying to make a move? Has he no shame?

Minho was simply trying to kill the man, he was not sitting still in the slightest. As soon as the living male made an appearance he had made his way to strangle him, only to fly right through him, the only effect his attack had was giving the male chills. Eventually he settled for mocking him over his shoulder.

“Are you sure you have to go?” The living male whined making the three ghosts simultaneously roll their eyes.

“Yes, One they’re my friends and Two their families specifically asked for me to consult.”

“You really don’t owe them anything, when was the last time you talked to any of them?” This man was really beginning to piss all of them off.

“It’s not about owing them anything.”

“Answer the question.”

“I’ve talked to Felix, Seungmin, Hyunjin and Jeongin since the break up. Seungmin used to call me whenever he was alone in the dorm and we’d have sleepovers via facetime. Hyunjin called me twice a week and updated me on everything happening, so I could make sure Minho was taking care of himself like he promised he would the night we broke up. Felix called me while he was baking and he’d send me some baked goods sometimes, Jeongin called me once a week whenever he’d get overwhelmed. Now listen, It’s none of your business why I’m doing this or even what I’m doing, the only reason you got notified of me leaving was courtesy. I don’t know what power you think you have over me to keep me here, but you don’t have any. I barely know you,” the words cut through the air like a knife, Minho looking at his friends dumbfounded since he wasn’t aware of the communication.

She turned away from her work partner and made her way through security and headed toward her gate. She plugged her headphones into her phone and acted like she was taking a call, as she spoke to the three ghosts following her.

“You guys are so protective even when you’re not here.” She alluded, not trying to give away that she was speaking to dead people.

“It would be wrong to see you with anyone other than Minho.” Seungmin defended, earning nods of agreement from the other two.

“Yea well in case you hadn’t noticed that’s a little out of reach at the moment. Eventually, I’m gonna have to move on with my life.” She blurted not realizing how deep it cut all of them, she was right. While they were stuck watching her move on and live her life they would never experience the feeling of their own beating hearts ever again.

Meeting with the detectives on the case was just as irritating as she had expected, none of them offering much information since to them she was just a foreigner. So after snatching the case files from the arrogant detective who was basically taunting her on whether she’d even understand their language as fluently as she could speak it, telling her he’d help her if she could repay him, she stormed into the office she’d been temporarily assigned.

She opened a file, immediately being met with the crime scene photos. These were centered around Han, who had basically been the permanent third wheel when she was dating Minho. She adored the boy like her little brother, so seeing these pictures caused bile to rise to her throat. He looked like he was simply sleeping, having worked too hard and slumped sideways on the couch unintentionally as he had done so many times before. She swiped the photos away from her view, flipping them for now as she began to review the written notes of the file.

“Don’t you need to see those to know what happened?” An accented voice broke through the silence of the room, but the woman couldn’t even find it in her to jump. She glared down in confusion at the details in front of her, making everything get jumbled. Of course, she suspected foul play but this was definitely an odd find. “What’s with that face?”

“Tetrodotoxin,” was the only response offered, causing Chan to come closer and peer over her shoulder.

“We don’t eat pufferfish, and we haven’t been swimming for any octopus to get us.” He commented, earning a simple hum in return. The only reason he knew what the toxin was, was because sh had rambled about all of the toxins that could kill someone while studying. She always spewed the facts that she needed to recall it was her process.

“While that may be true, someone could have put the toxin in your food. Who handled your food for that day?” She asked, making the Australian think.

“Uh Manager-nim brought us our food, we didn’t see it beforehand.”

Before the woman could think too much about it a knock sounded at the door, “hello?” a timid voice spoke, making the woman at the desk run to the door. She swung the door open and grasped the couple in front of her in her arms as if their lives depended on it.

Chan smiled sadly at the sight, She and Minho’s parents were very close before the split; they saw her as their daughter already and were absolutely devastated when the split happened. He watched as the young adult pulled away from the elders, leading them to the seats across from her to begin asking questions, before deciding to poof away to provide privacy.

“How was it Hyung?” Jeongin wondered as he heard the familiar woosh he had become accustomed to these past few days.

“She couldn’t look at the crime photos.”

“How is she going to get any clues then?” Changbin asked frustratedly, earning icy glares from Hyunjin, Minho, and Seungmin.

“Shut it, this is a lot for her to handle, have some sympathy.” Seungmin snapped, making Changbin feel a little shameful but he wasn’t at fault he was just frustrated.

“She found out it was poison, the kind in pufferfish. That’s more than the police were giving our families.” Chan sighed, sitting down to think back on the day it happened further.

“So someone poisoned our food,” Han concluded as he internally cheered over being right.

“Thank you for allowing me in Mr. Park.” She bowed accordingly to the eccentric man who smiled sympathetically at the familiar woman.

“It’s no problem at all, I had my assistant pull up the security footage for you. Is there anything else you may need?” The man asked, trying to be helpful with the situation, South Korean authorities had already come and seen the footage, so he had no idea why they sent an American detective in to review the tapes as well.

“I would like you to stand by so if I find something, you can call in whoever I need to speak to.” She stated formally before sitting down at his desk to look through the tapes.

“We ate around 3:30 that day,” Seungmin whispered as he appeared behind her, she rolled her eyes at the very annoying habit these men were forming. She pulled the tape just before that and zoomed into the area where the food would be prepared.

She watched the tapes for an hour til she noticed something, the sauce. The chef who prepared the food only used the sauce for their food before throwing it out, she watched frame by frame trying to make out who the chef was but couldn’t catch a clear angle. So instead she focused on reflective surfaces, which thankfully did not take her long to find the perfect one. “Got it!” She exclaimed, zooming into the pot and digitally enhancing the pixels to clear up the features.

“Mr. Park!” She called, watching as the man stumbled back into the office, he had only left about 30 minutes ago to make a few phone calls. “Do you recognize her?” She wondered, turning the screen for him to have a look at the staff in question.

“Uh, I believe that is their choreographer Ms. Oh. I have no clue why she’s in the kitchen though.” He stammered a bit, making Seungmin gasp.

Their choreographer? The one Hyunjin said was finding a way to be unprofessional with them.

“The boys told me about her, they said they filed a complaint to get her removed because she kept being inappropriate with them. Peaking in while they changed, touching them unnecessarily. Why is she still in the building?”

“She got demoted, but since no proof was actually given we couldn’t do much on the situation legally.”

“I have proof of her slipping something into their food, their food that caused them to die. Has that trash been taken out?”

“It gets taken out every night, but the garbage truck hasn’t run, whatever you’re looking for will more than likely still be in the dumpster.”

And just like that a team was deployed, dumpster diving and grabbing all of the bottles similar to the one shown in the video. Any leftover liquids are quickly being tested.

“Woah,” Changbin gasped as the boys all poofed into the alleyway taking in the hazmat suits.

“What are they looking for exactly?” Minho wondered, watching his ex-lover with warm eyes as she commanded people left and right.

“The canister, Oh might’ve used to carry the poison,” Seungmin explained, peering over a nerdy-looking boy's shoulder as he tested another sample.

“Wait, Ms. Oh?” Han asked in shock, not having expected that much of a jump, she had only been working on this case for a few days and already got further ahead than South Korean authorities.

“That’s the current suspect.” Seungmin nodded, moving to peek over at another person’s data.

“Wow, that…isn’t as shocking as I thought it would be.” Jeongin hummed, watching in fascination as the woman he saw as an older sister fought to bring their deaths justice.

“She looks so beautiful doing this.” Minho grinned taking in the burgundy button-up she wore and black slacks with some subtle black heels.

“Ew gross, you’re dead.” Felix jokes, teasing his friend a bit.

“Yea he’s dead and has more of a chance with her than any living being at the moment.” Seungmin chuckled, knowing good and well that the woman had never actually tried to move on from Minho.

It did not take long for the word to spread about who the suspect was, everyone was on high alert looking for the woman. How they hadn’t noticed the woman dressed in all black sneaking into a populated hotel in the middle of Seoul, nobody would ever know.

How nobody heard the fight through the floors or walls, nobody would ever know.

How nobody could hear the screams of the ghosts that should’ve definitely broken the sound barrier, nobody would ever know.

The eight boys watched in terror as their best friend fought bravely against the woman who had killed them just two weeks prior. She was definitely kicking the woman’s butt and she did not like that one bit, so while she was trying to grab her hands, straddling the frantic woman’s legs and trying to restrain her, the woman lunged forward with the last of her might and punctured the detective’s thigh with a pen, a pen that happened to be full of the same toxin used to take out her friends.

“Shit”

“Fuck”

“No”

The panicked sounds of the ghosts went fuzzy as she focused in on the adrenaline, using it to her advantage to overpower the crazed woman below her, slamming her head down to stun her, and handcuffing her wrists as quickly as possible, She used her second pair of cuffs and hooked the woman to a nearby radiator before huffing and lying on the ground. She pulled her phone out and called the police, informing them of the situation, before settling her phone down and giving up the fight, deciding to rest until her last breath.

“Why’d you do it?” She mumbled quietly as she closed her eyes and nuzzled into the carpet a bit.

“They got me in trouble.”

“You got yourself in trouble, they were not created to protect anybody’s fragile feelings. They barely knew you and you tried being a pervert.” she argued, making the woman huff.

“I wanted a story to tell, an interesting one. Not just a staff and idol dynamic. I wanted the glory.”

“You could’ve started with just being their friend.” Her voice came out softer as her brain grew fuzzier and fuzzier by the moment.

She knew the woman was talking to her due to the small thrums that echoed through her head; however, no words could be made out as the world faded further and further to black.

“hey…”

“heyy…”

Voices echoed through her ears making her eyes shoot open, she came face to face with a teary-eyed Minho.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen.”He cried as he wrapped her into his embrace which took her aback for a moment, how could he touch her?”

“You’re touching me.” She started in her haze, earning a few more sniffles before he pulled away and allowed Felix, Hyunjin, Jeongin and Seungmin to crowd her as well.

“I’m so sorry Starshine.” Felix whimpered as he nuzzled his head into her shoulder, allowing her to come to finally process the situation.

“I died? You all watched me die?” She teared up, not for any sense of betrayal but because she was hurt for them. They had to see what she feared most, her death.

“You fought so hard, treasure.” Minho cooed, as he comforted the crying Chan.

“I’m so sorry you guys had to see that.”

“No, no, no. No sorries coming from you. We’re all together now, let’s just be happy for a moment please.” Jeongin pleaded, allowing himself to fall into the woman’s embrace, which quickly turned into a cuddle pile as each man piled on top of another.

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beanswrites · 2 years

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"Negotiating With Death" Asra x MC, from The Arcana

Hey guys!! Here's the long-awaited awesome idea for the The Arcana/Greek Mythology crossover! Requested by @bluhame!!

Also, quick thought before we start: Hades here is written as a villain, just for the purpose of this story. DO NOT get me wrong, Hades is my favorite Greek god, an absolute king and we stan him all the way on this blog. Just to prove that, I will do a story of the Greek Gods!! Especially I'm a big fan of Hades x Persephone!!

Oh, and this is the first story I did from 1. person perspective (meaning MC tells the story)! Not all stories will be like this from now on, I just felt like it fit this one! Tell me what you think!!

Anywho, this is (as requested) a tinsy tiny bit angstier, but it has a happy ending. Sorry, couldn't resist a happy ever after :)

Requests are open! Check out my rules for requesting before placing your request, or just pick something from my prompts list!!

Enjoy!!

Also available on AO3!!

masterlist | rules for requesting | prompts list

Word count: 2205 words

Trope: Angst with a happy ending, Adventure, Comfort

Pairing: Asra Alnazar x gn! MC

AU: The Arcana/Greek Mythology crossover

Warnings: death, mentions of blood

Picture from Pinterest!

It has been two weeks, three days, and four hours since Asra's death.

I didn't know what to do the first week. Maybe I just couldn't process the fact that he is gone. I've spent so much time with him, both as his apprentice and his partner, that I just couldn't imagine a life without him. Maybe I have even forgotten that such a powerful magician could even die.

For those two weeks, I've tried everything to bring him back. Asking The Arcana for help was an option, but I couldn't do it. My magic is not strong enough, at least not without Asra's help. Plus, as The Fool, I have already made my wish. No one from this or the other world could have saved the day.

However, every problem must have its' solution. Once I announced my plan to Nadia six days ago, she almost begged me not to do it. It was dangerous, maybe even not thought through, but I will take any chance to even see Asra again. That is why no one, not even the gods, will stop me from going to the Underworld to save Asra's soul.

I made that decision some time ago, and now it's time to start my journey. I started packing my bag at sundown, ready to leave in the darkest hours. Even though I wanted to be as secretive as possible, I had to tell Julian when I was leaving. Just in case I didn't make it back.

Once the clock struck midnight, I locked the shop's doors, feeling like it would be a long time before I open them again.

'Maybe there won't be another time' The thought circled in my head.

I wasn't scared. How could I be? I have nothing to lose, only to retrieve. I wouldn't mind dying while trying to save Asra. More positive thoughts of the white-haired magician and me returning to our shop together appeared as I made my way through the night.

The road out of Vesuvia was calm, lifeless. Not a soul dared pass at such hours, so the only ones left were me and the stars. The Lyre constellation was right above my head, reminding me that the gods are always watching. Maybe it was a sign or a signal of hope - a reminder of Orpheus, the one who began this journey long before me. However, it could also be a warning of his fate - to always remember that he never returned.

The sun was rising from the rusty mountains when I passed Vesuvia's borders. The entrance to the Underworld was near. I could feel it. They say that the river Styx flows wherever it is needed.

Around lunchtime, I was passing through a small village. It looked like a regular place - the kids were playing, and the elders talking. I approached a young man who was doing harvesting work to gather some information.

"You are looking to find the river Styx? I'm sorry, but I can't help you. None of us locals talk about it. There were way too many mortals who tried to access the Underworld. It's a suicide act!"

He was ready to leave, but I pleaded for an answer.

"Please, there must be someone who knows! Anyone! I need to go! I need to see him!"

The man debated with himself whether he should tell me or not. Finally, he gave in:

"Look, none of the younger folk know where it is. However, if you ask Mama Eucarpia, she might be able to help you. The people say she's as old as the gods!"

I went in search of this woman, hoping she has some answers. However, whoever I asked in the streets either didn't know who she was or said that she had long passed. Just as I was about to give up, a raspy voice called out to me:

"Come, child. You must be starving."

A grandma called out to me from her wooden porch. I obeyed, sitting on the wooden stool she used as a dining chair. She handed me a piece of bread and sat on the stool next to mine. I was hesitant to take a bite, which she noticed.

"Eat, eat. You must be exhausted from the long journey you had"

"How can you tell that I'm a traveler?" I asked, my mouth full of the delicious pita.

She smiled, but her face was still invisible through the shall she had wrapped around her head.

"I can see it in your eyes. The ends of your cloak are smudged with dirt, and the only things you have in your bag are a couple of slices of pumpkin bread and a water supply. I know travelers, child. Many of them passed through these lands, and I watched them all leave, but none came back. Tell me, what pulls your heart to travel to these parts?"

Many things she said were strange to me. How did she know what I was carrying in my bag? Was she hinting about the Underworld?

"I'm looking for someone," I say, testing her wisdom.

She smirks again, leaning back into her chair.

"And this someone, they must be very important to you, yes? No one would travel all the way from Vesuvia to look for an acquaintance."

I nod, still suspicious of how she knew where I came from. But there isn't a way that she could have known where I was going, right?

"Don't worry child, I can feel your doubts. There's still time, Asra is still waiting for you."

I dropped my pita in shock. How did she...?

"You're Mama Eucarpia!" I almost yell out in surprise and relief.

The older woman gives me a small nod. Her vail moves with the gentle breeze of the wind, exposing one of her piercing blue eyes.

"I go by many names, child. I heard you were looking for the way to the Underworld? Well, only walking by the beach of the river Styx will get you there.."

Nodding enthusiastically, I asked her where to find the river.

"It appears not before those who look but before those seeking to find. You have a reason to find, child. Follow it, and you will find your way.."

Mama Eucarpia entered her house but didn't come out. Once I went inside to look for her, to ask more questions, no one was there. Perhaps she truly is some godly creature.

Her words haunted me for the next couple of days. With each step I took, I tried to solve her riddle.

'Don't look, don't look, don't look!' I repeated to myself over and over.

On the brink of my sanity, I was going to give up. In the middle of the night, just a day before I planned to leave and search somewhere else, Asra's voice pulled me out of a dream.

"MC..."

Their voice was quiet as a whisper, but stern and sure. I got up, following it outside of my tent. I followed it further and further until it completely disappeared. However, his voice brought me to a spring, where a small stream was flowing.

The river Styx.

Not as big and majestic as it once was, but it didn't need to be. The souls it carried spoke enough about its' power.

I followed the river up to a dark, ominous cave. The Underworld is inside, I knew. Finally, I will face Hades and ask for Asra.

As I am walking on the shore of the river through the cave, many screeches and faint whispers are echoing around me. Final, last words of the souls are said for the last time.

I walk through the gates of hell that appear before me. Surprisingly, Cerberus, the gatekeeper, is nothing like the stories say. He's not vicious or blood-thirsty, he's too busy for that. He's got very important business with his chewing toys.

The Underworld is unsettling and creepy, but - just like Cerberus - nothing like the myths described. In the legends, The Underworld was a place of death and sorrow, blood and sickness. In reality, it just looked like an endless void - grey and dark.

Hades was the same as his home. As I approached the god, he stood on his throne, tall, dark, and mysterious.

"Why are you here, mortal?"

His deep voice ringed through The Underworld. I wanted to speak, to even mutter out anything - but I couldn't. My throat closed, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

"Well? Not many come here without a reason."

Finally, I managed to find my words.

"I'm... I'm looking for someone."

He flashed a grin at me. It looked sinister, evil almost.

"Hah! It's funny how you humans are convinced that you can waltz in here, trying to find a soul! Even if you did manage to find the soul of your loved one in the never-ending sea of souls, what makes you think I would let you leave so easily?"

I swallowed hard, suppressing my tears of frustration. Did I come all this way for nothing?

"I'd do anything to get him back. I'm prepared to give my life."

The god laughed in my face. This was way too cruel, way too crushing! I couldn't stop the hot, desperate tears which glided from my cheeks to my lips.

"I already know of you and your lover! You've been here before, remember? Once that plague finished you, that magician came to beg for your life too, but I didn't allow him. It was against the rules! I advised him to go home, while he still could, to not ruin this! But he didn't listen... That little thief! He stole your soul from me! He used the forbidden power of The Arcana! And now, I have you here, in the palm of my hands... Maybe the right punishment for the both of you is for you to see him die..."

Once he finished his speech, he snapped his fingers, and suddenly, I was in a different place. It was empty, just space everywhere. Maybe eternal punishment was actually to be alone with me forever?

Unexpectedly, I noticed Asra in the same place I was, about 100 feet away from me. He was bleeding out and needed help.

"ASRA!" I screamed, half in desperation, half in relief, and ran towards him. However, with each step I took, they seemed further and further away. Then it hit me - it wasn't Asra. It was an illusion.

Then, the space around me shattered into pieces, and I was now in a much smaller space. It was a small room, with mirrors all around. But not the kind of mirrors you could see yourself in. The kind of mirrors that reflected the worst moments of your past.

In the mirrors, I saw Asra on his deathbed. They were weak, pale, and coughing up blood. He looked in such pain I haven't even imagined, let alone experienced. The worst part was, I couldn't help. I cried out in desperation, sliding down on one of the mirrors.

"Asra... Oh, Asra... I'm so sorry... I couldn't save you, I couldn't, I'm so sorry... Oh, I wish I could just hold you once more... Just to kiss you again... Oh, Asra, please, forgive me!"

My sobs and pleads for forgiveness were never-ending. Once everything else quieted down, I once again heard their beautiful voice calling out to me this time much louder than a whisper.

"MC..?"

It was gentle, the way they called out my name. But with each time they repeated it, it got louder and sterner.

"MC?"

The final time they called out to me was like a yell. Worried and scared.

"MC! MC, wake up!"

I half-opened my eyes, and The Underworld was gone. I wasn't in the dark mirror room, nor the empty void, nor Hades' castle. I was in a colorful, warm room that smelt of lavender and rosemary, on some soft covers.

My room! This is my room!

Someone shuffled on the bed next to me. I could feel their warm arms on my shoulders, lightly shaking me.

"MC, my love, are you okay?"

I turned to him. There he was, gorgeous and cute like always, with one of his white curls slipping from his forehead. His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes focused, I could tell that he was worried for me.

"Asra..? Is that you?"

They nodded, taking both of my hands in theirs.

"Yes, my star, it's me... But are you alright?"

In excitement, I jumped into his arms.

"ASRA!!"

As soon as I hooked my arms around their neck, they pulled me closer, bringing me in their lap. Out of relief, I started bawling my eyes out on their shoulder.

"Shhh, my love, it's okay... I'm here.. What's wrong? I heard you calling out my name.. Were you having a nightmare, baby?"

I nod shyly, finally starting to feel relaxed and comfortable. His comforting words, and his presence in general, were the best way to recover from this.

"What was it about..?"

I chuckled through my tears as they kissed my cheeks and my jaw.

"Well, let's just say that I was negotiating with death..."

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thotsforvillainrights · 7 months

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Hi! Been a long time fan. 💕

Hope you & the baby are doing well!

May I possibly bother you of getting something with my favorite birb Setsuno finding out he’s having a baby? 🥺

(Baby should be doing just fine! Made exactly 11 weeks today! For about 4 days uninterrupted I've been fighting the most gnarly morning sickness ever. Everything I eat and drink makes me sick. I'm sick from not eating and sick from eating. The only that works is chewing peppermint gum. Anyway, let me get off my ramble and churn out some good old Setsuno content. It's been a while since I've been able to do so!)

(Also again this one is pretty specific so I apologize if some readers can't insert into it! I'm open to writing a Setsuno and his partner adopting alternative later upon request!)

~Setsuno Becoming a Dad~

headcanon|scenario|imagine|match-up

-The overflow of emotions he feels in that very moment of you showing him the two pink lines on that stick just overwhelm him all at once. He at a loss for words. He doesn't even care that you just peed on it either. He grabs it gently and doesn't say a word as tears begin streaming down his face. When he finally gathers himself enough to speak to you, he just barely utters out an 'I'm going to be a father?' before looking at your watery eyes for confirmation. As you shake your head he immediately smiles widely and repeats himself much louder this time. That question no longer a question but now an exclamation so loud the neighbors hear it. "I'm going to be a father!!!"

-He literally calls out of work the next day much to Overhaul's dismay. He just wants to spend the whole day with you planning things. I mean sure you've talked about kids in the past and planned some stuff here and there but never on this scale. It's totally different now that its real! He spends the day asking whether or not you want to reveal it now and if not then how will you two do it later on? Of courser a few small people like his parents and your parent need to know early. Maybe your boss possibly so you can plan out parent leave as well? It just depends on how you want to go about things. Don't even get him started on the registry and the baby shower! He's big on planning everything out so don't be afraid to tell him if he's being a little bit hectic on you with everything at the moment. Everyone needs a break here and there.

-Oh you two finally get to take a day out to go baby clothes shopping early. You insist on getting a few gender neutral items since it's still too early to know the baby just yet but Toya swears in his heart it's gonna be a little girl. He gravitates toward small dresses and overalls with matching sun hats. "Look! She'll be so cute when the summer rolls around in this! We can take her to the beach and collect seashells!!!" Way too excited for the surrounding parents who need to back away from the crazy shouting man lol

-His favorite part so far has been staying up late with you in bed and going off your list of baby names together. Although he feels in his heart this will be a girl, he has a much fuller list of baby boy names than traditional girl names. His argument is that some of them can be interchanged.

-Has already put a 'baby on board' sticker on the car and the kid isn't even born yet. "You have to do it so the EMT can know there's a baby in case of an accident to tend to first. What if we forget about the sticker and really need it one day?"

-Has never lapsed in taking care of you, not one day. He even changed his shifts at the hassaikai and worked overtime just so he can be home at the right times to help take care of you. That means for you he's bringing all your craving foods and rubbing your belly all night if he needs to. Morning sickness if no match for him. He's at your feet with medication, ginger ale, and chewing gum. Whatever helps you, he's getting his hands on it. The only downside to his intense care is that you have to go to the doctor a lot more than most people. Any slight cramp or off putting feeling has him going into a frenzy over you to make sure the baby and you are okay. You'll certainly need to put your foot down here or the two of you will be spending more time at the doctor's office than at home.

-Don't even get me started on when your water breaks. The delivery is a whole other story!

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #toya setsuno #setsuno bnha #shie hassaikai #eight bullets #eight precepts of death #eightfold cleansers #yakuza #headcanons

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dcviline · 5 months

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Some important things I want to reiterate for my blogs. Some of these things are already in my rules but keep getting ignored repetitively and by different people so I'm going to clarify, and some of these are new additions. I'm sorry if any of this comes across as too harsh in wording, I am just very very tired & stressed irl due to the time of year so I'm gonna be more careful about curating my tumblr experience for the time being. Please read.

First of all, I can usually tell when you have not read my rules or the info I have on my muse(s). I'm not a hardass and I won't get fussy if you forget something, I don't expect everyone to memorize everything about my rules or portrayals, that's just an insane expectation to have in general so don't worry I am not gonna ask that of anyone lmao. We're all just human beings and a lot of us here have funky little brains so trust me I'm very chill about it. And it's okay if you skim, they are just there for reference if you ever need them. I also understand especially with my multis, I don't have info listed for every muse because I am moving things around a lot and still working on new pages, so it's okay to make mistakes. What I mean is, sometimes it's very easy to tell when someone followed without looking at anything at all. The only thing I ask for is an attempt to respect the guidelines and boundaries I have set for myself and the barest attempt to at least try to understand the muse you're intending to interact with instead of picking them purely for the face you saw or the blog aesthetic or whatever.

On that same note, don't try to interact with my muses just because of their faceclaims. Just . . . don't do this please. I'm honestly shocked about how many times this has happened to me in the past year alone. I do not like the concept of face hunts or wanted opposites based solely on a faceclaim and not the character itself; it makes me very uncomfortable.

All of my blogs are mutuals only. If we are not mutuals, I will not be interacting with you on a roleplay basis. I will not be writing starters or answering ic thread starters in my inbox for non mutuals. This is how I curate my space. It's not personal, but please respect this boundary I have set. I have it on my pinned post that I am private and mutually exclusive, so there is no excuse to ignore this.

I am not fast about following back 70% of the time. I'm cautious about who I follow for the sake of curating my dash space. If you do not have an accessible place with your rules listed at the very least, then I will wait to follow until you do and I have read them. Outside of getting notified about a new follow, I check my new followers once or twice every 2-3 weeks, so yes, it can take a while in some cases, especially if I missed the original notification or if you didn't have your rules / info added at the time. Do not repeatedly follow / unfollow to get my attention. All this does is make me not want to follow at all. Please be patient with me, and if you can't afford me patience in even the littlest things, then this is not the blog for you.

I do have long-term writing partners that get prioritized. These are usually friends I have been writing with for years, so there is a great deal of trust and understanding already built. Of course this does mean that typically my inspiration will gravitate towards these mutually-built plots and dynamics, especially when my energy is low. I'm just a human being, not a writing machine. Having friends and having fun writing with them is not "cliquey", so if you hold this view, this is not the blog for you. (Yes, that has been an issue before.) I always welcome new writing partners! If we are mutuals, I want to write with you. Just understand that I do have a severe anxiety disorder, so I'm always shy when first meeting & getting to know someone new. Again, I am interested, just shy & anxious! So feel free to throw yourself and your muses at me first and I promise I will be elated.

Most of the muses I write are women or fem-aligned. I do notice when people only try to interact with my men & masc muses and completely ignore all of my women. Please don't be one of these people.

A new addition because of a trend I'm noticing more and more lately: please do not make the majority of your thread and ask replies to me in all caps. A little bit for decoration is fine, but if it's the majority of the reply, the odds are I cannot read it. I am dyslexic and have adhd, and it's extremely hard (if not impossible in some cases) for my brain to get through a piece of writing if it's a giant block of all caps.

I won't follow you if you use templates / psds / etc. from resource creators and do not credit the people who made them. It takes minimum effort to simply acknowledge the people who went out of their way to make these things, and pretending that someone else's work (no matter how heavily you edited it) is your own is theft and overall icky behavior.

If we are mutuals, you are 100% welcome to come throw your muses at mine at any time! You can send ic asks (and continue them) or throw random starters at me whenever the inspiration hits you, the only requirements are don't godmod or forceship. (If you are unsure about anything, come talk to me!) I promise I do not bite <3

#᯽ ooc. ⊱ ── ❝ 𝘖𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪. ❞#will reblog this slowly on my other blogs so I don't clog the dash all at once #some of this is new and needs to be added to my rules too on some blogs

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phanfictioncatalogue · 10 months

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Mystery Masterlist

A Strange Mirror (ao3) - glowingatmosphere

Summary: Dan felt safe escaping to the attic of his grandma’s house, until he found a strange mirror with a strange man trapped inside. The man refuses to reveal the details of his entrapment, but Dan’s feelings urge him to solve the mystery even if it’s the last thing he does.

a stranger in a bar on valentine's day (ao3) - iihappydaysii

Summary: it’s valentine’s day 2009 and phil meets an attractive and mysterious man at a bar

bury a friend (ao3) - krissyxlove

Summary: "Dan," Phil whimpers.

He sounds as pathetic as he feels calling out a name of someone he knows he will likely never see again. It's been too long and there hasn't even been a trace of Dan.

Confessions Beneath Motel Bedsheets (ao3) - scifi

Summary: In a small town in Maryland, a young girl has been murdered.

Special agents Howell and Lester, partners for seven years, are called out to the case due to suspicions that it was paranormal. With a mystery to solve in the sleepy town of Millers Grove, the agents find themselves spending the night in the town’s only dodgy hotel, and beneath cheap motel bedsheets Howell and Lester work out that maybe their partnership is more than it seems.

Come Back, Be Here (ao3) - potatoesarenotforsex

Summary: What happens when everything you thought was meant to last forever is torn apart overnight?

Dan is gone and Phil can't work out what's going on, or why his life seems to be falling apart in the wake..

Door To Your Heart (ao3) - A_Million_Regrets

Summary: Due to a minor incident that happened in the past, Dan Howell and Phil Lester, two ex-bestfriends, are now adults who hate each other. They want to be as far away from each other as possible, but the mysterious forces of the universe seem to have other plans for them. One day, the unenthusiastic duo grudgingly find themselves trapped in the world of an uncanny tower. Deadly creatures, magical plants and ominous doors that lead to unfamiliar places await them at each floor. Some doors lead to forests while some transport them to snowy mountains. Surviving is hard, food is scarce, and one mistake could prove fatal. In this disastrous situation, will they be able to resolve their past conflicts, or are they fated to fail? Can they revive the unshakeable trust they once had in each other to survive in a world that appears to be dead set on annihilating them?

I'm Not Okay (I Promise) (ao3) - your_starless_eyes

Summary: Dan never thought all his worst nightmares could come true in one day.

Lester's Mystery Journey (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: When a hand is missing from Big Ben and a woman is found dead, Detective Phil Lester is called onto the case. Joined by his assistant, Dan Howell, Phil goes through many twists and turns and tumbles as he attempts to find the culprit.

Mystery House - multifandomfanfics

Summary: Dan has just moved into a new house. The house is nice and looks expensive, but doesn’t cost as much as it should. He meets some unexpected people that will play a big part in his future.

Of Streets and Strangers (ao3) - theshyauthor

Summary: Dan discovers a street that he swears hasn’t been there the day before, and he discovers a man stumbling out of the street unlike any man he’s ever met before. Intrigued by the odd happenings that no one else around him seems to notice, he befriends the man and discovers that not everything in this world is quite like it seems.

quiet on widow's peak (ao3) - dvp_95

Summary: Phil's got a list of paranormal experiences a mile long that he likes to share with the world. Abandoned buildings, cemeteries, and ghost stories have always called his name, and a particular fan of his has a really, really good ghost story.

syzygy (ao3) - dantiloquent

Summary: Phil Lester, an amateur photographer trapped in a monotonous life, is the last person to see Toby Stanford's killer before they disappear into London's crowds. He decides to keep that a secret - alongside the photos of them he has stashed away in his backpack. In a matter of hours, he is flung into a new life: one of clues and murders and lies. In a world swarming with surveillance, it's a battle against time and the police. But Phil will find this killer, and he'll get his story - or will he? Sometimes, not even a camera can capture exactly what is living beneath the surface.

The Disappearance of Daniel Howell (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan and Phil go out to make a purchase instead of using the internet. That's their first mistake. Their second mistake is taking a free Wishing Stone from a shady vendor at Portobello Market from whom they purchase a bootleg Hatsune Miku figure.

The Electricity That Went Out At Dusk (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: "Last round!" Dan cheered, racing through a Blue Shell and grinning maliciously.

"Gotcha." Dan threw the Blue Shell.

Phil fell off the track.

Dan crossed the finish line in first.

"Yeah!" Dan threw the Xbox controller in the air and shouted gleefully.

That's when everything went wrong.

-Or the one where I give everybody powers, x-men style, and watch the awkwardness unfold.

The X-Philes (ao3) - UnorthodoxSavvy

Summary: Phil is a psychic. Dan is a detective. When Phil is visited by the ghost of his brother, he knows something isn't right. Can he and Dan solve the case, or will they become the next victims?

There's a Demon in My Bed (ao3) - bumr

Summary: After Dan finally moved out of his parent’s house, he started having… Experiences. Every night when Dan tried to sleep, someone laid next to him. It never spoke, never moved -- It was horrifyingly still. He never dared to speak to it. Never dared to roll over and see whether or not he was losing his mind. As time went on though, he quickly realized he couldn’t ignore it forever.

Welcome To St. Mystere (ao3) - your_starless_eyes

Summary: In a small village located far from any you know, puzzles surround everything and mystery is a daily affair.

Why was I chosen, why me of all men? (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: "The doctor said you weren't real again."

"The doctor's dumb."

Phil grinned. "Yeah, a bit."

"Don't listen to him Phil, he just doesn't like my mum and dad, I think."

"How come?"

Dan smirked and put a finger to his lips. "Top secret."

#phanfictioncatalogue #phanfiction #phanfic #phan #masterlists #mystery #mystery masterlist

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thechaosmuses · 1 year

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Alrighty here are the new OC's I've made recently listed by fandom like the canon ones- Just a fair warning that this is gonna be a pretty long post because I've included an introduction thing for each muse. Another warning is that some of the content in the introductions might be triggering, things like drugs, death, alcohol, blood, etc- typical things you see in the shows, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. Also, some of the people mentioned, ones that aren't canon or mine, are my darlin's (@chaos-awakens) OC's-

TVDU:

Carter William Forbes- he/him, 36, bisexual (female leaning). Carter was the first born of the Forbes’ kids and after his parents divorce he stepped up as man of the household. For the majority of his upbringing he was a good kid, got good grades, was a good athlete and was a perfect gentleman. When he got a little older though he started rebelling a bit, and though he was responsible while at home for his Mother and sisters the blonde was getting drunk and high with his friends when he wasn’t. After a pregnancy scare with his girlfriend when he was 18 and being told he had to repeat his senior year in order to graduate he took that as a sign and stopped drinking and smoking, cleaning up his act. Growing up he had always looked up to his Mother and so he applied for the Deputy Training Program and with a good word from his Mom managed to get in and not screw it up. He was in the program when vampires made their way back to Mystic Falls and unlike the rest of his classmates and teachers wasn’t buying the whole “animal attacks” thing. Eventually after a little while of it happening over and over again, he started investigating things on his own. It was during this time that he found out that both of his sisters were vampires, as well as many others in Mystic Falls. And there weren’t just vampires, there were werewolves, witches, hybrids and doppelgangers too. It took the blonde a little while to come to terms with everything but eventually he managed and Jeremy, Alaric and Matt taught him how to fight vampires and other supernaturals in case he ever encountered one. A few days after their Mom passed away Carter was asked to take her place as Sheriff, something that after careful consideration (and encouragement from his sisters) he decided to do. Carter is still human, though he has though about and been offered being turned it’s just not something he’s sure of right now.

Lorella Diane St. John- she/her, 146, pansexual. Enzo and Ella never knew who their parents were, and quite frankly neither of them wanted to know. The twins had been orphaned when they were still very young, and by the time they were four they were being forced to work and by the time they were in their teens they were living on the streets. Neither of them were sure how they managed to survive but they had. At least up until 1903 when Enzo caught consumption and though he had told his sister a hundred and one times to leave, she refused, telling him they were born together, and they hadn’t been separated since and so they would die together too. They had tried to catch a boat to New York where they hoped they could get help but they wouldn’t let either of them on as Enzo was already ill and Ella had been exposed. Their saving grace came in the form of one Lily Salvatore who managed to get them onto the boat and mere hours afterwards not only did Enzo start to decline, Ella had started to become sick too. After finding out the Doctor was a fraud and there was no cure, the vampire offered her blood to them and after exchanging a look they decided to do it. They woke up a few hours later as new vampires, the ship docked in New York but Lily and her heretics were nowhere to be found. The two spent the next few decades going from city to city, for once able to enjoy their lives. However that joy was cut short when they found themselves at Whitmore and before long in the arms of Augustine. That was where they would spend the next few decades, it was mostly just them for a while until more vampires were brought in. Slowly but surely the six of them all became close, an unbreakable bond forming over shared traumas amongst other things. Ella is a lot like her brother, so much so that Damon liked to say that Ella is just the female version of Enzo. They do however have differences, one being that it is much harder to earn Ella’s trust than Enzo’s.

Jensen Graham Gilbert- he/him, 57, bisexual (female leaning). Jensen was a surprise child that came only a year after John had been born. Their parents had only planned to have two kids maximum, but had ended up having four. Though in their eyes they really still only had two as they always seemed to forget about Jensen and Easton. The lack of attention from their parents led the boys down different paths, Easton chose to do anything and everything he could to get their attention and Jensen couldn’t have cared less. He started skipping school to hangout with his friends to drink and/or smoke, sneaking out late to go to parties or hook up with people. He eventually wised up a little bit at 16 and got a job so he could start saving money to move out at 18 and he’d managed to do just that, a few weeks after his birthday he bought a camper and hit the road, never looking back. He came home every so often for holidays, birthdays and when babies were born but other than that he kept his distance from his family. Instead he spent his time going to different places he could drive to, learning about not only the place but more about supernatural creatures. Like his youngest brother Jensen had never hated vampires, instead he was intrigued by them and what else might be out there. He was in California researching a town there when he got the call that Grayson and Miranda had died and though he wasn’t the biggest family man he packed up and headed for Mystic Falls once again. He decided to stick around for a little bit afterwards as he knew Jenna had her hands full with the three teenagers and though Jesse was a big help Jensen knew the young man needed time to grieve and so did Jenna. He also saw all the signs with Jeremy long before anyone else did and though he never lectured his nephew about it, knowing that would do more harm than good, he kept a close eye on him and who he was around.

Easton Reed Gilbert- he/they, 55, pansexual. Easton was the youngest of the four Gilbert brothers, Grayson being the oldest. Though he was the baby of the family, their parents had always put Grayson on a pedestal and John on another, leaving no room for either of the other two boys. While this led Jensen to act out, it made Easton work twice as hard and though he had no intentions of becoming a Doctor like his older brother, he set out to get a Doctorate degree in something. And by the age of 22 years old he had managed to do just that, earning a Doctorate in Psychology and by the age of 25 he earned his Doctorate in Criminal Justice. Both of these things as well as the way the youngest Gilbert’s mind worked and other accomplishments of his put him on the FBI’s radar and after he graduated they offered him a job at which he still works today. It requires him to travel a lot, but anytime he can he makes time to come home and visit his niece and nephews, especially since his brother and sister in law’s death. Like his other brothers he was told about vampires but unlike the older two he didn’t believe that all vampires were evil. Maybe it was just because the youngest Gilbert had always managed to see the good in everyone, even his high school bullies or maybe it was just because he’d always had a compassion and understanding for what people went through that made them the way they are. Where other people saw a villain, Easton saw someone who was misunderstood. Though he will admit he’s seen true evil a few times, both human and supernatural. When Easton came into town and met the Salvatore’s he could tell they were hiding a secret and it didn’t take the Gilbert man long to figure out what it was though he kept it to himself. Well, mostly to himself, because while he may be a patient and caring man, he is also incredibly protective of his family so he made sure to warn the Salvatore vampires of just that.

Jesse “JJ” Jonathan Gilbert- he/him, 35, pansexual. Jesse was only four when Miranda and Grayson adopted Elena and Elias and though he’d been an only child until then the little boy quickly became a big brother for the twins, and when Jeremy came along a few years later it took him no time to adjust to now having three siblings. His parents used to joke that he was meant to have siblings, even though they’d planned to only have one. Jesse wasn’t the most popular guy in school by any means but he was decently so from being part of the Founding Families, running track and playing basketball. Though he did two athletic things in high school, those weren’t really his passions. His first always was taking care of people, something he’s done since he was little and continues to do today. And the second being that he loves music and so any instrument he could get his hands on he’d learn to play, his favorites being the guitar, piano and drums. The older Gilbert did fantastic in school, rarely getting anything below an A in any class. After he graduated top of his class he headed for college at Whitmore, and to no surprise started working on becoming a Doctor like his Father. He was studying for his finals the night that his parents died in the car accident. He’d gotten the call from Sheriff Forbes who he’d known his whole life, both of them getting choked up over the phone before he hung up to rush back to Mystic Falls for his siblings. After that he dropped out of Whitmore and moved back home to help take care of his siblings. Of course he never thought any of what happened next would happen but he never once left their sides. Though there was a point he almost had, when he died, not once but twice. The first time was the most notable, as it was what made him a vampire. He’s still the same protective, caring older brother as before though vampirism brought out a certain confidence deep within himself, which in turn made him more outgoing and flirty.

Zariyah Dove Parker- she/her, 49, bisexual. Zeph hadn’t been the only baby placed on the doorstep of the Parker’s, his twin sister, Zariyah, was also with him. The small baby girl was wrapped in a purple blanket instead of yellow like her brother’s, though both had their names on them. Just like her brother and Kai, Zari started to show signs of being a siphon at age 4 and thus ended up in the same room as the two boys for most of her upbringing. Now, the isolation took them all down different paths. Kai lashed out, Zeph shut in on himself and Zari, well Zari was a combination of both of them. But she’d also started to rebel more, sneaking out of the house when she could, stealing liquor from the cabinet and started hanging out with the stoner kids at school rather than going to classes, and another great distraction she had found was sex, mostly with a fwb she had. Of course the Parker’s never caught on, blissfully unaware that the teen was sneaking out constantly. She had actually been gone at the time that Kai had killed most of his siblings, only making it back to the house when he had gone looking for Luke and Liv. Before the then 21 year old could really figure out what was going on, Kai had put her in the locked room with Zephyr. And when her twin had overheard Joshua’s plan to trap his eldest son, Zari had told him she wanted to help. But being the protective brother he had been for most of their lives, he had made sure she stayed home where it was safe. Of course the older twin hadn’t realized he would get trapped with Kai, and when the coven returned from the woods without her two favorite people, Zari wasted no time in packing her bags and leaving that night, taking the ascendant with her to try and figure out how to get the only family she’d ever known back. It was a few months later that she had thought she figured out, only to find herself trapped in the Prison World along with them.

Kennedy Taylor Parker- she/her, 45, pansexual. Kennedy was born after Kai and Jo and just two years after her brother had started to show signs of being a siphon like him. It was after that their parents moved them into a room together along with Zephyr. The three of them of course became very close, practically inseparable. As well as being close with them she was also very close to her younger cousin, Maia. And the four of them stayed close up until everything happened. Seeing her older brother who she looked up to more than anyone upset set the younger siphon witch off and she’d agreed to help Kai and by help she went further than anyone else had gone for him. Because of this their Father created prison worlds for them both and mere minutes after Kai and Zephyr had gone, Kennedy was too. It was a few weeks later that Maia had shown up and the Parker girl couldn’t have been more grateful to see her. The two of them spent the next 18 years together before Bonnie had accidentally brought them to the Kai’s prison world. It was there that they not only reunited with Kai and Zeph but also met Bonnie, Damon and Jesse. Kennedy wasn’t a fan, of any of them really though of course on drunken nights with her cousin they’d often question each other on which one they would pick if they had to, Kennedy always choosing Damon and Maia choosing Jesse. Whenever they finally got out of the prison world, Kennedy stuck with her family and has since. Which is how she’d ended up as a heretic, going along with her brother’s plan without question. Now, she’s a lot like Kai but has her moments where she can be a real sweetheart though those are often reserved for people she cares about. She’s not completely introverted but prefers staying home rather than going out. She plays the guitar and loves to draw as those were non-magical things she could do. She also knows of the Mikaelson’s, and is intrigued but only knows what she’s read in various grimoires.

Myles Zane Parker- he/him, 26, pansexual. Myles was born after Maci and being the complete middle child was overlooked quite often, especially with Maia being born a siphon. The only person who really did pay attention to him was his older brother and while he loved him, the younger boy wasn’t fond of the way Micah treated their sisters, especially Maia. The blonde put on an act when their brother was around, afraid that if he said anything he’d upset his brother more but when Micah wasn’t around he was a completely different person. He was sweet, caring and would do whatever his older and little sisters asked of him and he would be lying if he said he hadn’t catered to Maia the most. He knew it had been against their parents' rules for her to touch him but sometimes late at night when no one was awake he would let her crawl into his bed and hold her for a few hours before everyone woke up, or let her hold his hand or hug him when she needed. He’d also let her siphon from him sometimes when they’d go outside at night, showing and teaching her small spells and cute things, like conjuring butterflies and fireworks in the palm of her hand. He had been devastated when his parents sent her to the prison world purely because their cousin Kai had lashed out. Of course that was something he had to keep hidden from the rest of his family, and the middle Parker boy spent many nights sobbing silently in his bed hoping his baby sister was okay. It was a few months later that he decided to move out of his family home and decide to travel the world. He wrote letters home, mostly to Micah but he also wrote letters to Maia, he never sent them anywhere, just kept them in a box that he kept with him. He was halfway across the world when his brother had informed him that Kai, Maia and Zephyr had gotten out of the prison world and were in Mystic Falls and Myles immediately got the next flight to Virginia to go find his sister.

Mariana Joy Parker- she/her, 23, bisexual. Mari was a pretty quiet kid growing up, at least until she was a teenager she kept to herself mostly. The only people she really talked to were her sisters and Myles, steering clear of Micah whenever she could. She did decently in school and with learning magic though she had her troubles with both. When she became old enough and started figuring out things that were going on in her house, like how Maia was treated differently by their parents and Micah, she also found out about the merge. Because she had been so quiet for most of her life, her parents rarely paid attention to her and the younger Parker girl used to resent that but as she got older it started becoming something she loved rather than hated, especially since it meant that she could get away with most things. Because she was so quiet no one ever really knew she was around and would just talk like she wasn’t. That was how she found out about their parents' plan to put Maia in a prison world. Mari had never really been super close with any of her siblings, but if you ever asked the younger Parker to pick she’d say Maia and Myles were her favorites as the older two had always been in their own worlds, especially Micah. Of course she immediately went and found her brother to tell him but unfortunately for both of them they had been unable to stop their parents from sending their sister away purely because she happened to be a siphon like Kai. Mari had never thought siphons to be bad and though she didn’t know much about them aside from the evil things her parents and other relatives spewed she sought to learn. So after Maia was sent away and Myles had left home, Mari left too to seek out information about siphons so that when she got her sister home, she could help her. It would be 18 years later when she would get the call from Myles that everyone was free, including Maia and that was all Mari needed to hear before she was on her way.

Holden Atlas Salvatore- he/him, 183, bisexual. Holden was born only two years after the twins, Benjamin and Braeden, and because of that had always remained close with them and when they left after turning, he begged them to take him with them. Luckily for him his older siblings agreed, turned him and the three of them left, never looking back. After a few decades together Holden separated from his brother and sister and went out on his own, finding his way to Chicago. It was there that he heard a name he hadn’t in a very long time, Stefan Salvatore. Of course his little brother looked a lot different than the little boy he had been when Holden left but he would’ve known him anywhere. At first the older Salvatore tried to keep his distance, afraid his brother would be mad at him for abandoning him and their other siblings so long ago and never coming back. He knew he would have questions, questions that Holden wasn’t sure if he had or was ready to give the answers to. However all of that went out the window when he realized his brother was the famed Ripper of Monterey, and had his humanity off. Stefan did remember him however any grievances or questions he had were the furthest thing from his mind. Holden and him ended up spending a lot of time together, not really as brothers but more so as friends, and whenever Klaus and Rebekah showed up and joined in, it only made things more chaotic. And while Stefan found himself in Rebekah’s bed, Holden found himself in the older Original’s. Of course all of that had been lost to him when Klaus took his and his brother's memory. The compulsion had even taken the memory of the two of them reuniting, something that didn’t happen again until Holden, Braeden and Benjamin all found themselves back in Mystic Falls decades later. While a lot of people like to compare Holden to Damon both in personality and looks, the two of them couldn’t disagree more though they are very similar, they do still have their differences.

SPN:

Lucilla Marie Nightstar- she/her, extremely old, pansexual. Before the Angel Twins, there were the Archangel Twins, Lucifer and Lucilla. Lucifer was “The Morning Star”, their Father’s bright white golden boy, his favorite, the one he’d entrusted with The Mark. Lucilla was “The Night Star”, their Father’s pitch black disgrace, his most hated, and the one he’d never thought was good enough. God had never intended to make twin angels, either time, but especially not when creating his precious archangels. Lucilla had been a mistake, a bit of darkness that had slipped in while Amara was still around. He’d thought that because Lucilla had black wings that she was the one he needed to worry about. But the archangel was the opposite of her brother in most ways, where he had a hatred for humans, she didn’t. Where he only pretended to care to manipulate people, she truly cared for others. Though she never cared about anyone more than her brother. So when God was sending Lucifer to The Cage, she fought back. Her archangel siblings helping him were able to overpower her just long enough to get Lucifer in but after was a whole other story. She left all of them in Heaven barely alive and made her way to Hell where Lucifer was. She wasn’t able to get him out of The Cage then but she was able to build Hell alongside him and make moves to eventually get him out. And while everything that happened changed her, made her heart a little darker, she was still the same caring, misunderstood archangel underneath it all. The Winchesters were able to eventually make Lucilla see how terrible of a person her brother was and that made the archangel want to change her ways. So, after helping them take down her brother, something that while she knew was necessary still left a hole in her heart, though her brother's son, Jack, helped fill that hole. The archangel saw a lot of herself in the young nephilim and so she stayed with the Winchesters to help raise him.

TW:

Dawson Cole Reynolds- he/him, 23, bisexual. Dawson was adopted when he was three by his Mother’s older brother after she started struggling with her addiction again after Dawson’s father left. After that his mother went to prison for attempted murder and burglary and he didn’t ever see her again. When the Dread Doctors came for Theo and Callum the older boys managed to convince them to take the youngest boy with them. A few years passed where they didn’t do any experiments on Dawson but eventually the day came where they did. He was only 10 at the time and the other boys were just young teenagers though they did their best to save Dawson from going through what they had. They’d failed to do so but luckily the youngest boy managed to survive and become another successful chimera though he was still viewed as a failure by the Dread Doctors. Dawson was a were-fox, half wolf, half fox and like Theo could transform into a full wolf though Dawson looked more fox-like with reddish brown fur and pointier ears. The youngest of the three boys is a lot like the older two in most ways though he’s a lot more introverted than them. Whenever they came back to Beacon Hills and were trying to make their way into the McCall pack Dawson mostly stayed to himself and kept quiet. He’d spent the majority of his life with the Dread Doctors, and what little he could remember of his life before that wasn’t much better. He had Theo and Callum of course, and he slowly but surely started to warm up to the McCall pack but the chimera’s best friend came in the form of a girl his age that happened to be a werewolf. He met her out in the woods behind the school one day where he was taking a walk on his free period. She introduced him to weed which helped ease his anxiety a lot and when Callum and Theo went to Hell she was the reason he made it through.

Callum Tate Raeken- he/him, 25, pansexual. Callum was only seven when the Dread Doctors showed up. He doesn’t really talk about that night, and honestly he doesn’t really remember much of it. The things he does remember haunt him in his nightmares, which is why he prefers not to talk or think about it. He also rarely talks about his life before they came, and especially not his twin sister that was stolen from him so he could have her heart. The Dread Doctors, the people he was forced to stay with for the next near decade, took her heart, along with his older sister’s to turn him and his brother into their first successful chimeras. Theo was the first, a werewolf/coyote, something that the older Raeken likes to rub in his brother’s face when they’re arguing. That he was the first at least, because while Theo was merely wolf and coyote, his baby brother was wolf and lion. Because of that, even though Theo was their first success, they catered more to Cal, thinking of him as a step much closer to The Beast they were trying to bring back. And they had been close with him, much closer than they had ever come at least until Mason. Before everything, Callum had been a lot like Mason and in some ways he remains that way, deep down at least. However the younger Raeken is also incredibly similar to his older brother. Which is probably mostly because they spent so much time together though they do have their differences, especially morally. While Cal believed they had to do what they had to to survive, he thinks Theo took things way too far with the McCall pack. It’s partially for that reason that the Skin Walkers had only sent Theo to his own personal Hell. But Cal went anyway, even though he was upset with him, seeing the fear in his brother's eyes and hearing his cries for help, he couldn’t stop himself from trying, and neither could anyone else. So, they went together and they managed to survive that together too before Liam got them out.

CT:

Damian James Taylor- he/him, 40, bisexual. Damian was born when his parents were still teenagers and while his Father wanted to keep him, his Mother wanted nothing to do with him. So, after she gave birth to the little blonde hair, green eyed boy she signed all rights over to his Dad and went on with her life, even moving a few towns over. At the time his Father still lived with his parents but eventually they moved into a one bedroom apartment together. They didn’t have much, and between his Father working full time and doing online college to get a better job he didn’t spend much time with him. By the time Damian was 13 they were a little better off, living in a two bedroom house in Atlanta where his Father had gotten a good job. He still rarely saw him though and that caused the green eyed teenager to start acting out. He was constantly getting in fights in school and outside of it, stealing from the mall and other places, started smoking weed and got older friends to buy alcohol for him so he could drink, and he’d have parties when his Dad went on business trips. Around the time he was 16 he got alcohol poisoning after one of those parties and almost died. He woke up the next day in the hospital, his Dad holding his hand while fast asleep in a chair beside his bed. It was then that not only did Damian decide to turn his life around that his Dad decided to cut back a bit on his hours and spend more time with his son. After getting his life together he managed to graduate and went to college. He kept his major undecided for a little while until he had taken a criminal justice class on a whim and learned what a Private Investigator was. So, after a few years of working his ass off that’s what he became. He's not totally an extrovert but he’s not completely introverted either, pretty big flirt, and still a troublemaker after all these years, sarcastic at times. He has a lot of trust issues but once he trusts you he’s very loyal and protective.

911 Muses:

Evelyn June Buckley- she/her, 26, pansexual. When Buck decided to move to California it was no surprise that his twin sister followed him. Born just eight minutes after him they had always been very close as well as very similar. And after moving they both applied to the LAFD and somehow managed to end up with and keep jobs there. Of course no one really warned either of them of the trauma that came with being a firefighter. Buck was the first one to lose someone on the job, the nightmares he had waking Eve up in the other room for weeks. And just when things had started to settle down, Eve herself had lost someone on the job. A woman in a car accident, trapped in the driver side of her car after some drunk idiot had slammed into it. She held her hand the entire time Chimney was trying to cut her out of the vehicle but unfortunately by time he managed she’d slipped through Eve’s fingers. Buck had miraculously been off that night but Athena had texted him the second they’d left the scene that Eve needed him. After that Bobby rarely let them work separate shifts and if for some reason they did they both knew, as well as everyone at the station, that the other was a simple call or text away if anything happened. As far as outside of work, or mostly, Eve was just as “slutty” as her brother though was a little more subtle about it on the job, at least most days. She also started smoking after hooking up with a girl who had informed her it was legal in the state. She preferred it over drinking, but it was still tied with sex. Around the same time that Buck started talking to Abby, who Eve hated from the start, Hazel had just transferred to the 118. Though the two only had a friends with benefits relationship Eve had slowly started to fall for the other girl until she got her heart broken when Hazel showed up with a boyfriend after visiting home for a few weeks. After that Eve went back to her old ways, but slightly more tame than before.

Hazel Jayne Walker- she/her, 25, pansexual (female leaning). Hazel had a relatively normal upbringing, her parents weren’t too strict but they weren’t too lenient either. They let Hazel and her other siblings, of which there were five, do what they wanted within reason. Hazel wasn’t the youngest, but she was second to youngest and the only little girl her parents had. Now, of course her Mother loved her but she had always catered more to the boys as she had grown up with all brothers. Hazel’s Dad however grew up with a single Mom and two sisters so he catered to his only little girl the most. And Hazel had been a Daddy’s Girl from the second she was born and even as she got older that never changed. Her Dad had been a firefighter since he’d graduated high school and not long after Hazel turned five he became the Captain and though he said there were hard days, there were also a lot of good ones and he never once regretted his job. A few days after her 16th birthday and after getting accepted into the pre-fireman program at her high school, which both her and her Dad were thrilled about, her Dad had died on the job. Hazel had never felt so broken in her life and after the funeral she wanted nothing more than to give up but she knew that’s not what her Dad would’ve wanted. She knew that even though he had died, he wouldn’t want her to give up on her dream. She also knew that he’d never once regretted his job and always used to say that if he died while doing it, that at least he knew he died a hero’s death and would die giving his life to save someone else’s. Which had been exactly what he’d done, the Mother and the five year old little girl he’d saved showing up at his funeral to personally thank his family. So, Hazel put herself back together, piece by piece and became the top firefighter in her class before graduating and then at her Dad’s old fire station before she moved to Los Angeles after her Mom’s passing when she was 22.

Izaiah Edison Hendrix- he/him, 29, bisexual. It was no secret that Izaiah and Isaak had always been close and being twins whose parents were barely ever around they only got closer. The twins were five when their parents had decided to adopt Isabella and though he was still a child at the time Izaiah could never understand why they would want to have another child that they didn’t even bother to care for. Despite the feelings he had towards his parents, he always treated Isabella as his sister, even if she was adopted. The little boy at the time didn’t care about that, he was just happy to have a baby sister. As he got older he remained close with both his siblings and grew more distant from their parents. He got decent grades in school and played basketball when it was the season for it but other than that Izaiah didn’t really put much effort in. It wasn’t like his parents cared whether he did or not as they were barely ever around anyway. When he was a freshman he got invited to his first high school party and after sneaking out past the nanny he had gone. It was there that he picked up three vices; alcohol, weed and sex after losing his virginity to a junior he’d had a crush on for a few years. After that his grades suffered a bit but not by much as he was a pretty quick learner and more than that he had learned how to get things he wanted from people just by talking and being charming. So any teacher that had dropped his grade he immediately went and charmed them into letting him take a makeup test or do something easy for extra credit. After graduation he tried to get over his addictions and even started working towards becoming a firefighter. He managed to do both things, though sometimes he’ll drink or smoke after hard shifts, but he doesn’t go overboard like he did when he was younger. When Isa came back home after six years and said she was leaving again for a job, her twin brothers immediately followed her.

Matilda Iris Monroe- she/her, 27, bisexual. Matilda was the youngest born child of her six siblings though she received none of the “baby treatment” most people would assume when they hear that. In fact Matilda wasn’t even sure her parents or siblings even knew she existed and the youngest girl had been taking care of herself for as long as she could remember. Not long after she turned 13 her Aunt decided to take her in and move her to California with her. Her Aunt had never wanted or intended to have kids of her own but her and Matilda had had a special relationship since she was born and the older woman just couldn’t stand to see her favorite niece being neglected any longer. In California Matilda started to thrive, she came out of her shell a little more and even made a good group of friends. As she got older she started going to parties and things, not that her Aunt minded as long as she wasn’t drinking and driving or doing anything else life threatening and the young teen always kept true to that promise. Matilda loved her Aunt dearly and looked up to her more than anyone else and while she originally hadn’t had an exact plan for after graduation after her Aunt passed not long after she decided to look into becoming a dispatcher like she had been. That was how she’d ended up where she is now, as the head dispatcher for the station she’s been working at since 18, the same one as her Aunt. Mattie is still very much the same girl she’s always been, kind-hearted, a little introverted and quiet around strangers but the life of the party when around people she knows. She’s always been incredibly determined and independent, rarely ever asking for help unless she really needs it. She isn’t a huge flirt or anything but will flirt when she sees someone she finds attractive.

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