#but I felt it was a waste to not at least share the progress

[elementroar]

So I have been thinking about why Slayer seems pretty invested in what happens with A.B.A and Paracelsus as a couple, and I think it's because he and Sharon actually share a lot of similarities with A.B.A and Paracelsus.

They’re consistently depicted as ‘couples’. A.B.A and Paracelsus as an actual in game battle couple, while Sharon is on the sidelines but is very much present with Slayer prefight, post-fight etc.

Slayer as a Nightwalker also hungers and gains power from blood similar to Paracelsus, tho whether he NEEDS blood to survive I’m unsure (I think Nago survived hibernation without drinking blood so that would be similar to Para who survived 20 years not drinking blood).

Slayer has been able to satiate his own hunger without hurting/killing other people because Sharon is deathless and is a willing endless supply of blood for him. Paracelsus was provided blood by A.B.A tho not directly her own blood (usually), but also, it’s implied her being a homunculus made her tough enough to survive longer than usual as Paracelsus’ wielder. Paracelsus got over his desire of blood by choice though, whereas Slayer simply has an easy endless source of it.

Because of the above point, Slayer is actually really friendly to everyone and peace-loving despite his overwhelming power. He was disappointed with young Paracelsus who he felt was a bore and waste of time for being focused on killing and violence. Afterwards, Paracelsus would recognize that Slayer only wants peace when they next meet while Slayer realized he was already suppressing his power. By STRIVE, Paracelsus has adopted a philosophy close to pacifism as he never actively wants to fight or transform anymore.

Slayer has been alive for a very long time (longer than most of the cast if not all of them, even That Man) and Sharon cannot die, so they are eternal lovers. Similarly, A.B.A has said her and Paracelsus’ “love is eternal”. As Para is a magical foci and A.B.A is likely to be immortal or at least extremely long lived, this may also be their fate where they cannot die naturally. Bit iffy on A.B.A since her hair is actually growing, but whether she ages at all is another thing.

And Slayer can be possessive of Sharon in almost the same exact scenarios and in the same ways as A.B.A:

Getting jealous of himself, getting jealous of other people eyeing Sharon, and believing in obsession being a form of love, which explains SO MUCH about why he was so helpful with helping A.B.A contact the right people to put Paracelsus in a body.

He's coming up in the next DLC (as long as ArcSys doesn't fake out everyone with the silhouette again) so I really hope we get him commenting on A.B.A and Paracelsus' progress, since that was what he was interested in 20 IRL years ago.

#slayer #a.b.a guilty gear #paracelsus guilty gear #guilty gear strive #sharon guilty gear #slayer guilty gear

[heavendraven]

so I finally got around to reading bram stoker's dracula (1897)

#my art #dracula #bram stoker's dracula #jonathan harker #harkula #I'm sorry for the sketch dump #I was going to finish this and then several weeks passed lmao #but I felt it was a waste to not at least share the progress #idk what I'm doing anymore #point and laugh this artist keeps drawing suggestive things but is too shy to post them

[euaphoric]

🕸️ KINKTOBER - DAY 1. 🕸️

Show You What Devotion Is . . .

[PAIRING] jungkook x f!reader

[GENRE] bf/gf, established relationship, pwp [WARNINGS] fluff, smut, small mentions of insecurities, body worship, devotion kink, face-sitting, biting, spit kink (sorta, kinda?)

summary: you don’t think you’re good enough for your boyfriend but he proves those thoughts wrong by showing just how much undying love he truly has for you.

wc -> 2.0k

A/N: first post of the month, 30 more to go woohoo~ so excited to do this and hopefully this’ll help me get a better idea of what i like/don’t like writing in the future. **fyi oc is told that she tastes like candy but obvi in the real world if ur hoo-ha tastes like candy that’s not normal .. o_O buttt this is fiction so just pretend they can sjdjfjsjjs.

kinktober m.list

this day simply couldn’t get any worse. you missed the bus back home just by a fraction of a minute, all because you wanted to speak with your professor at his office hours but now in hindsight, you wished you never did. it was practically a waste of time anyway, he wasn’t giving much worthy feedback on your presentation and the anxiety about your final grade grew rampant as the semester progressed. ‘fuck, guess’ll wait for the next one in 15’ you mumble to yourself, annoyed and exhausted from earlier’s events. one side of you just wants to call jungkook to come pick you up but your other subconscious is telling you that’s selfish— don’t make him drive all the way here when you can just wait a measly 15 more minutes.

sigh~

it won’t kill you to wait, it’s not like you were in a rush to see him right now. it was actually quite the opposite, you weren’t prepared to tell him how you completely bombed your presentation. well, you wouldn’t say completely but it definitely wasn’t up to your impossibly high standards. public speaking was the only class you struggled with the most, you could articulate your words precisely in writing but saying it out loud? that was a totally different story. you have to outgrow this “fear” over speaking in front of an audience if you want to practice law one day. no one’s going to take you seriously if you can’t even read a single paragraph without tripping over syllables. all you could do was replay those embarrassing moments and internally cringe, almost missing the bus again from being so deep in thought— what a nightmare.

˖⁺‧₊˚ᰔᩚ˚₊‧⁺˖

“baaabyyyy!” the sweet sound of jungkook’s voice instantly made everything better, at least for now. his peachy soft lips went straight to your face almost immediately, smothering you with dozens of kisses while caging his beautiful, toned arms around your willowed frame. “you came home so late, was expectin’ you half an hour agooo.” he whines immaturely, holding you so tight he’s nearly squeezing you at this point. he must’ve really missed you. “i missed the bus… i wanted to talk with my professor about my presentation and thought i could make it but i guess not..” you pause, thinking if you should share what’s really crossing your mind, “…i was gonna call you to pick me up but didn’t think it was worth all that hassle.” now hearing yourself say that out loud makes it seem like he isn’t a reliable boyfriend, he very much is, it’s just the over-thinker in you. it’ll mark your 2 years of dating next week yet somehow you still felt like you were burdening him at times.

if the embodiment of ‘???’ was a person, that would be jungkook right about now; he couldn’t fathom you thinking such unlawful things. “hassle? what’re you talking about love, nothing is a hassle for me when it comes to you, absolutely nothing. next time you need me don’t hesitate to call babe,” he reassures sincerely. loosening his embrace momentarily to turn you around, he brings your chests together while his hands wrap your pretty waist, feeling his rapid heartbeat against yours. “i’m serious, you better call me next time.” the sternness of his voice alarming you that he’ll probably lecture you for this. he texts you hourly just to check in and make sure you’re okay, a simple drive to pick you up is the bare minimum to him. “well besides that.. how’d your presentation go?” jungkook’s doe-like eyes widen as he interrogates with questions. “i don’t wanna talk about it.” you silently mutter, already dreading what the final grades were going to be. “that bad, huh?” he proceeds with even more questions, “did you remember like we practiced last night?” you nod, lowering your head to stare at the floor, confidence dwindling by the second.

it truly hurts him to see you upset over something you’ve worked so passionately on, all just for it to feel ruined in the end. he hates that you’re not your usual bubbly and cute self, it makes him do everything he can to cheer you up. “it’s okay if you don’t wanna talk about it now, i get it. you probably did well though, i bet you messed up like one time and no one even noticed ‘cause you’re so pretty!” he teases, inked, slender digits trail up to find solace on your chin, lifting your head up to face each other again. “stop stressing over dumb little imperfections, it never ends well.” “oh, you’re one to talk!” you whine into his chest, unable to deal with his hypocrisy. not jungkook of all people giving you this speech when he is literally the #1 perfectionist king. “and i’m not even that pretty..” you quietly mumble, hoping he wouldn’t catch that. “wait, what did you just say?!” his voice raised an octave of confusion, you would think someone had just told him the most horrific story, but no, here he is on the verge of a mental breakdown over his girlfriend feeling insecure. “i said i’m not that—” “no no, i heard you the first time. my brain just isn’t registering the fact that you don’t think you’re anything less than a walking goddess of this earth.” he was flabbergasted to hear you talk with such low confidence, “sometimes, i feel like you can do so much better..” that’s what fully broke his heart as you spoke, it pained him to know you harbored all these feelings deep down inside.

the only answer in solving this dilemma is by being a better boyfriend to you, showering you with even more compliments than he already does daily, and most importantly, proving that he is 100% devoted to you and you only.

˖⁺‧₊˚ᰔᩚ˚₊‧⁺˖

eyes half-lidded in lust, limbs spasming and going numb from the continuous stimulation, you can’t do much but moan out jungkook’s name on an endless loop. the first hour, jungkook took his heavenly time with your delicate, angelic body. everything about you is divine to him, he wants to appreciate every single inch of you, even the parts you despise. he dedicated his lips to kissing and pleasuring your whole body, leaving no surface of you untouched. he’d rave in between kisses about how beautiful you are, how lucky he is and how he’s willing to do anything to make you happy. if being love-drunk was a disease, he’d rather fall into a coma and never wake up than find the cure. he’s living his best life as he cherishes your innate beauty, leaving wet, open-mouthed kisses to your inner thighs as he reaches them, taking ample time to caress and praise your dreamy body. he’s always had a thing for your cute plush thighs, the way they’d bounce and jiggle when he plays with them makes him all giddy inside. he can never get enough of them or you, leaving numerous bite marks and coating them with his spit, “you’re a work of art princess, a masterpiece. don’t think any different.” jungkook murmured against you, voice laced with pure seduction and infatuation.

body buzzing in anticipation as he kept working his way up, leaving a chaste peck to your left and right hip bone, firmly gripping your thighs as he drags his lips to your center. the urge to make out with your cunt was insatiable for him, he needed his face buried between your legs, there was no place he’d rather be. “after this you’re gonna use my face as your throne and m’gonna give you the most mind blowing orgasm, capeesh?” jungkook props his head up for a second before kissing below your belly button. “c-capeeshh.” you hazily reply, mind still fuzzy from just his kisses and touch alone. you know you’re in for a wild ride whenever you sit on your boyfriend’s face, he always eats you like a starved man and makes sure you cum multiple times, he takes such pride in himself for having you be a twitching and moaning mess by the end of it all. his only goal and mission for the night was to make you feel so good that you reach your climax hard enough to see memories of your life flash before your eyes. as he made his way up to your waist, you melt into his warmth, craving him more and more as time goes on. you thought you felt your soul leave your body when he unsuspectingly attaches his mouth to your nipple, babbling nothing coherent as you rut your hips into nothing.

as much as jungkook wanted to keep the teasing going, he was so down bad to have you sit on his face in this moment, ready to show exactly how much love and obsession he has for you. “need you so bad babe.. need to taste you,” he sighs, shamelessly gawking over you as he maneuvers you on top. “you’re so fuckin’ sexy mama... would love to be in between these pretty thighs for the rest of my life.” you couldn’t help but blush at his dirty talk, feeling flustered as you slide off your damp polka dot panties, watching as he licks his lips, planning to devour you whole. jungkook was so excited, you’re always scared of hurting him whenever you sit on his face but he reassures you often that he’ll be fine, “you’re not gonna kill me babe, trust me. even if you did i think it’d be sick to put ‘died from too much pussy juice’ on my gravestone anyway.” he lightly jokes, never taking anything in the slightest bit serious. you position your lower half, hovering over his face as he stares directly at your wetness. the tent in his boxers only surged, he was so hopelessly attracted to you, he could cum just from giving you head.

“fuuuu- oh my god so good, so good! yess, keep going babyy..” your legs shake violently as you rock your hips back and forth, rendering a steady motion against your boyfriend’s soothing tongue. as you throw your head back in pleasure and delight, jungkook grips onto your thighs for dear life, using every bit of manpower he possessed in making sure you don’t move away. “mmmhh~” he’d hum into your sensitive, eliciting the harmonious moans he loves to hear every night. you clutch onto the floral sheets of the bed, hand full of jet-black hair in the other. “mmm.. taste so sweet for me..” he grunts against your dripping core, “like candy..” a few more sloppy licks then he’s back to aggressively sucking your clit. you were grinding his face with more speed and didn’t care as much about hurting him anymore, if he really was uncomfortable he’d speak up. jungkook would never do that though, you are his goddess and he wants this night to be all about pleasing you. “uhhh, t-think m’gonna cum..” you felt that familiar knot in your tummy, hips subconsciously rutting faster into his mouth as eyes roll to the back of your head. you couldn’t tell much of his condition below you but his stamina never slowed, eating you out with everlasting hunger as his grip refuses to unravel. “cum for me princess, please.” his encouraging words help reach your high, feeling a whole new state of nirvana as your chest heaves, “fuck, jungkook, i love you!” you cry out, clenching around his tongue as he licks every crevice of you clean. the room spun around as you catch your breath, having trouble regaining your balance for a split second.

you droop down onto your heavy panting boyfriend’s chest, lightly sticking to his dewy skin from all the built up sweat. “sooo, how’re you feeling now compared to earlier? did it work? are all your insecurities vanished and gone now?” he’s back to his normal self again, asking his little series of questions. you giggle, “i feel great koo, definitely helped me relax..” flashing a warm smile as he reaches out for you to cuddle, “i must’ve done some life-changing shit in my past lives to deserve someone as good as you.”

#kinktober 2023 #bts smut #jungkook smut #jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook smut #bts x reader #jungkook x female reader #jungkook x f reader #jungkook fic #bts fics #jungkook imagine #jungkook drabbles

[mylittleredgirl]

m*a*s*h reaction post released from my drafts!! i don't know why i have been worried about making a Good Post when legitimately everything that could ever be said about this show has been said.

so i will SHARE MY THOUGHTS ABOUT SEASON THREE currently in progress:

ooooh war got a sweet budget increase in the off-season. pyrotechnics! helicopters! ACTIONNN BAYBEEEE

i'm falling more in love with everyone, details to follow

top of the list: trapper my bestie has been promoted to trapper my legit fictional crush 💕

don't get me wrong, in real life i would slap his face, but i'm with hot lips on this one. the hair, the smile, every time he takes off his shirt... take me to the supply tent or lose me forever

HOWEVER, i happened to notice that he is not on the header pic on hulu* and none of you talk about him so i must regretfully conclude that he will eventually leave the show

DON'T TELL ME WHEN

anyway i am cherishing him as one cherishes an old dog not long for this world

*speaking of hulu: i have now joined the henry blake appreciation society thanks to this One Weird Trick (reupping my hulu account for a month because i lost my shit after the dvds cut out at the climax of an episode AGAIN)

i went back to rewatch the episodes that didn't play on the dvds, and turns out a lot of them were henry eps (including the trial of henry blake and the one where he is waiting for news about his new baby...) (and also the one where he fell in love with a cheerleader but you can’t win ‘em all)

just in time to appreciate that scene in "o.r." where he tells hawkeye he doesn't want to be discharged so that he can keep doing real doctoring 🥺

"o.r." had so many good character bits!! even frank got some depth?? or at least an explanation for why he's Like That...

other eps i liked:

"iron guts kelly" -- felt like a follow-up to the one last season where hot lips got wasted and broke up with frank and then hawkeye and trapper had to sober her up, which i also loved! "we hate her but she's OURS to hate" is such a good character dynamic.

also lmao every time she cheats on frank, GET YOURS GIRL 😘

the frank/margaret thing is strangely compelling actually? it's like an inverse ship for real. will-they-or-won't-they but for breaking up. same energy though, like i'm glued to the screen rooting for them to fight instead of kiss.

"check-up" i was sooooo brave you guys making peace with the situation BUT THEN TRAPPER STAYED!!! i feel like my crush has been given a stay of execution

i don't know if i ship it per se but i really hope he and margaret hook up exactly once and literally everyone regrets it

i've seen some more episodes and have more thoughts but i need to lie down a lot first

oh one more thing:

i realize "m*a*s*h actors amazing" is not breaking news, but i'm specifically obsessed right now with how they are always interacting with props. i don't even mean the o.r. tools or scripted things, but how in every scene they're doing comedy while also moving crap around, pouring things, drinking, shaving, changing clothes, handing (or THROWING) things to each other, just making a mess all the time while still hitting their lines and comic beats. it's a master class in whatever that is.

anyway it's so good!!! more to come 💕

#mashblogging #it's about time i watched m*a*s*h

[prosperdemeter2]

WIP Wednesday

Not watermark this time but another AU that I am having WAY too much fun writing... I give you a glimpse of Retail Manager!Eddie and Fire Marshal!Buck. I'm actually really excited for this story to be finished, I have so much planned for it.

Eddie was going to commit arson.

Which probably wasn't the smartest thought to be having while the much too attractive Fire Marshall listed out every single thing the previous store manager had screwed him over on but…. But Eddie was going to commit arson. At this point, it would probably help the company out to just burn down the whole store, take the insurance payout, and start over from the ground up. Preferably while still keeping him employed but, well, beggers couldn't be choosers and all that. “Your score is horrible,” the guy said with a tone of voice that meant that he was at least mentally, laughing in Eddie’s face. “Like, seriously, I don't think I should even let you stay open for business with a score this low.”

“So shut us down.” Eddie grumbled, kicking his sneaker against the scuffed up, unfinished concrete floor in front of the management desk.

He had been there a week.

A week. And Eddie had already had to argue with several customers over the return policy because the previous manager - may she rest in absolute hell (no, she wasn't dead, she had just gone to another store down the road and Eddie hated her on principle) - had thought the sign explaining it was tacky and removed it from the registers (which was illegal. They had to be posted). He had already had three workers put in their notice, the assistant manager kept looking sorry for him and annoyed by his questions, and now this. The Fire Marshal's inspection.

Eddie had worked his share of retail jobs and none of them enjoyed when the Fire Marshal visited. Granted, none of his stores had failed as hard as this one was apparently going to, but he figured there was a first time for everything.

The Fire Marshal snorted, “I'm not shutting you down.”

Great. Of course he wasn't. He was just wasting Eddie's time by pretending to care about his job. “Listen -.”

“I get it,” the Marshal said, pen tapping on the clipboard he brought with himself. It had several stickers on the back. Eddie had spied one that had said ‘hello, I'm anxious and I'm trying my best’. It looked like Chris’ folder for school. “It's, what, your first week?”

Eddie tried not to twitch and, instead, crossed his arms firmly around his chest. “Yes.”

“We'll call this a test run. You see what I do this time around, I give you a… Progress report or whatever. I'll come back in a few weeks when you've had some time to settle in and fix stuff up. Give you your real grade then.”

“That's…” Nice. Unfairly kind, actually. Something Eddie really hadn't expected. Every Fire Marshal Eddie had ever had the honor of being inspected by had shown up in a stuffy suit and tie, their badge clipped to their front pocket, and the air of someone who was almost good enough to be a firefighter permiating their being. This guy had shown up without any grays in his hair, a stupidly kind looking professional smile, a crisp white shirt with a small stain on his sleeve and a dark navy tie. He had introduced himself with a quick, firm shake of Eddie’s hand and said hello to the cashiers. He had worn his badge on his belt loop, not his pocket, and he had waited until Eddie was done with a customer before asking go to his office. Eddie didn't have any reason to be being so cold towards him. He almost felt guilty about it.

“Here,” The paper ripped as he tore off Eddie’s copy, signed the bottom, and handed it to him.

A 23%?!

Eddie balked at the score, “Oh, come on, man.”

“You're lucky it's not worse.”

“How is this lucky? It's an F minus.”

“Your smoke detectors don't even work in half the store.”

“They work.”

“See that blinking red light?” The Marshal pointed to the smoke detector above Eddie’s head. It blinked mockingly at him. “Half your alarms aren't doing that.”

Okay, so that… was a problem. “You marked down,” Eddie glanced at the paper, the neat, blocky handwriting in all capital letters. “That our store is too dirty. We clean it every night!”

“Cleary, not well enough.”

Absurdly, Eddie was insulted on behalf of his dusters. “You're just being petty.”

The Marshal bristled, “No, I'm being thorough.” He clicked his pen and shoved it in the front pocket of his khakis, and like it was mocking him, the overhead light in his office flickered, threatening to turn off completely. “I'll be back in a few weeks. Get this stuff fixed, and I'll give you an actual grade.”

“Get this stuff fixed, and I'll give you an actual grade,” Eddie mocked when he had left, burying his face in his hands with a groan. “Fuck you, Fire Marshal…” he glanced at the papers, to the name written out in print first before signed much too neatly. “Buckley.”

@wildlife4life 😘

#buddie #911 fic #evan buckley #eddie diaz #buddie fic #wip wednesday

[snoopyana]

secrets.

“i’m just as mean as all the other girls before me.”

it started as a little study session, which consisted of him trying his best to understand what you were saying. but when it turned into his own personal secrets getting shared to the world, it was either he gave in or suffered a lifetime of issues.

osaki shotaro. suggestive. dark content. angst. blackmailer!reader.

part of creeps.

i will repeat this one more time. d a r k. DARK content. i wont warn you again. xoxo - yana.

he needed help and he needed it quick. shotaro had a secret. a secret that would make heads turn, people whisper, the earth fall off its axis.

he was cheating in all his courses.

so maybe he was a little dramatic about the severity, but in his defense he was considered an academic weapon, even if it wasn’t necessarily the truth. ‘excelling’ in everything he did. not only that, he was a skilled athlete. your stereotypical “perfect guy”. the type of dude that everyone wanted to be or be with. but no one had to know that he was an absolute fake and everything he did wasn’t necessarily his work. until he found something that he couldn’t cheat his way through.

he was sure that he had exhausted all his options. rubbing his temples as his eyebrows knitted together. why did he even bother taking a french course? impending doom fogged the mans mind. until he saw you across the study — looking all put together, neat, and organized. recognizing your face from the shared course, he would constantly overhear your self praise when getting yet another perfect score as he sat right behind you. he couldn’t even compare with his fake 90s’ and 100s’ on almost every test. every assignment. but you? you passed with flying colors, just by using your own brain.

every. single. fucking. time.

he was jealous, but shotaro would never say that outloud. his happy-go-lucky persona never once faltered, he couldn’t possibly show that he was jealous of your success. at least not in public. so that’s how he got here. standing in front of your table while your eyes burned holes into his. shotaro had never felt so, judged. yeah, you were judging big time. what kinda weirdo stands in front of someone in silence. the silence was thick. the type of silence that you’d expect strangers to have, it was almost unnerving.

fingers clawing at the back of his head, as if looking for his words, a nervous smile spread on his face. “can i help you?” not sparring another glance as he stood idly. you had all intentions to study for the whole afternoon. glancing at the electric clock that clicked on your wrist, this detour was messing with your schedule. truly a wast of your time as he stood there in silence. a hushed scuff slipping past your lips, so quiet that he almost missed it.

just almost.

he took it as a sign to quickly jumble the words together. “i was wondering if you could help me. you know, study a bit for this upcoming paper in french.” he seemed — embarrassed. so used to being the one being asked, never the one asking. or maybe he felt embarrassed at the thought of you saying no. but you had no reason to deny him a little extra help. no reason at all.

taking small glimpses from your screen to his face, you couldn’t help but be . . . surprised? skeptical? amused? all of the above. you could sit here and simply say no. that seemed like the most reasonable option, because why did you need to help him? shotaro was known to have his shit together so why did he need help now. eyes darting across his features for any hint of malice, none was found. maybe he genuinely needed help. but wasn’t he supposed to he some prodigy?

huffing, your body relaxed in the chair, arms draping over the armrest, head hanging off the back of the seat. “yeah,” stopping to pull yourself to your feet, “yeah i can help you.” but you had close to no intentions of lifting even a finger for him. and with that, you were gone. he wasn't even able to get your number.

as the days progressed, he couldn’t help but feel more and more hopeless. watching you leave without giving him an update, as if you forgot. he sat in the lecture hall. fingers running through his hair as shotaro started his fourth attempt at writing his paper. it was due in a week and frustration was quickly overcoming his senses, cheeks flushed and red as his staring contest with the laptop in front of him continued. he was so stressed and focused that he didn’t see you leave today. before you were able to even step out the lecture hall, his sadden face caught your eye.

maybe

sliding in next to him, you placed your bag on the ground — reaching in to slip out your laptop. “what are you struggling with.” your voice ringed in his ears, causing his neck to snap around, your presence scaring him blue. “everything.” he muttered. letting his body go slump in the stiff chair, hands hiding his face as he tried to relax himself. taro hated how much this was getting to him. “well, what are you writing about?” leaning over, you dragged his laptop closer to your side. reading what little he had. amused by how . . . how bad it was. fighting back the laughter that desperately wanted to escape your throat, you waited and waited for shotaro to finally speak.

and god did he take a long time.

“i don’t even know anymore. i can barely keep up.” his usual happy expression being replaced with one of dread.

craning his neck, he watched as you typed on his device. stretching every here and now. noting how your brows furrowed every time you had to backspace, or when your tongue poked at your cheek when you were thinking.

“there.” sliding the laptop back over to him, he stared at his screen. bullet points of what he could do to make his essay somewhat acceptable. he looked over at you, watching as your fingers darted around your own respective keyboard. “and if you ever need help with anything else, call me.” you spoke, eyes still glued to your screen as you finished up — soon the lid of the device was closing and you were rising up from your respective chair. “and you’re welcome shotaro.” watching as you left, shotaro looked back at his screen. catching your number at the bottom of the document that he’d missed the first time around.

the week had come and he was anxious. granted that his professor wouldn’t notice that it wasn’t completely his work, but it was never his work, so why did it matter? his face lit up and he immediately when he got over a 50%. scanning the room for you — he watched as other individuals filed out the double doors and shotaro found himself walking to your seat. standing behind you, the male placed his laptop down on the desk. “look” he spoke, excitement lacing his voice.

nodding your head, you stared at the 85% blaring on the screen. nodding your head at the number, he slotted in next to you. “next time, i’m gonna need some payment for assisting you.” standing up, your patted his back before heading for the door — shotaro followed in suite.

“well actually, i was wondering if you could help me study. i want to actually do my own work this time.” he spoke while trailing behind you. unsure if his words were being acknowledged. your pave faltering for just a moment at his sentence while his sentence lingered in the air.

his own work for once.

thrudging to your car, he hadn’t realized what he said would inevitably lead to the next string of unfortunate events. it wouldn’t hurt him per-say, if he didn’t make it difficult. maybe you could get paid too. maybe you could get something extra. reaching the drivers side, you turned on your heels to face shotaro who was still behind you. “you know what, i guess i could do that.” the silence was heavy as he digested your words.

“i’ll text you my address then. does 7 today sound good?”

nodding in agreement, you slide into the seat of your car. watching as he walked away, painfully oblivious to the hot water he was standing knee deep in.

what a shame.

by all means, you weren’t a bad person. at least not to the public eye you weren’t. bad people do bad things and get caught, so if you didn’t get caught, you couldn’t be considered a bad person. the people who knew what you do and why do it would consider you as, frankly disgusting. but they don’t dare say a word, because if you go down, everyone goes down with you. but why would a student with a seemingly clean record blackmail people? for the power.

it’s quite simple and cut-throat actually.

arriving in front of shotaros’ house, you pulled out your phone — sending a quick here before getting out of your car. stepping up to the door of his home, it was quickly swung open and a weirdly excited shotaro stepped into view. after a few quick greetings, he was leading you through the house. pointing out bathrooms and the kitchen, saying something along the lines of make yourself at home before opening the door to his bedroom.

throwing your bag onto his bed, you sat on the edge of the mattress. pulling out your laptop, shotaro stood awkwardly in the doorway. not noticing until you went to look at him, but he wasn’t next to you. it was almost as if he was waiting for you to tell him what to do. i mean, this was his house. why was he waiting for you to call the shots.

“are you going to stand there or are you going to make this worth my time?” your voice coming off a little, harsh. it was what he needed to get his ass into gear. stumbling over his own two feet, shotaro grabbed his own laptop from off his wooden desk. sitting against his headboard, he watched from above his laptop screen as you shifted at the foot of his bed. taking in your attire, as it was drastically different from how you clothed yourself for a school setting.

the usual crisp, minimalistic cardigans and blouses being replaced with a thin black tank top with a deep u-neck that allowed your necklace to slip a little too far down your chest. modest skirts and leggings replaced with shorts that left nothing to his imagination.the only thing indicating that it was in fact you, being the shining jewelry that complemented your skin and of course way you broke him apart with your stare.

the same stare that you were giving him as he eyed you with no shame. a loud cough bringing him back to reality. “you barely know me and you’re already being a creep.” he was greeted by a repulsed expression on your face. mumbling a quick sorry, he never realized how hostile you were. or maybe you were good at hiding it.

before shotaro knew it, 30 minutes would turn into an hour and an hour into four. “i need a break.” slamming his laptop down, shotaro let his head fall into the palms of his hands. tears threatening to roll down his cheeks at any given moment. not use to actually putting in the work, it was making him second guess his own intelligence.

intelligence that was never quite there from the start.

hours had passed and the intense studying atmosphere was too much for him. from the way you got irritated when he got a word wrong, down to the nonverbal ways you’d belittle him. strategically placed snickers when he would get visibly worked up. seeing his usual smile fade into a deep frown. glancing forward, a gut wrenching smile on your lips, you took his distress as an easy opportunity. sliding your now warm laptop onto his bed, you crawled up the bed and situated yourself next to him. using the palm of your hand to rub slow circles onto his shoulder, giving him some sense of comfort. comforting that unbeknownst to him, wouldn’t last long.

“you know, this wouldn’t be this hard if you had been doing your own shit from the very start.” the way you paired such cruel words with a sweet tone nearly gave him whiplash. whipping around to look in your direction, his words got caught in his throat when he realized you were smiling.

“and you know, you should reaaallllyyy watch what you say. the wrong people might hear it!” continuing to taunt the man, it only further pushed him into a state of hysteria? fear? both? whatever he was feeling was only getting fueled by your words. “but listen, i won’t tell anyone. as long as you just, give me what i want. and i’m not asking for much taro.” hands sliding over his thigh, the muscle tensed and but was quick to relax. boarder-line breaking down, shotaro quickly collected him.

it was bad, but it could be worse.

“what do you want me to do?”

“you know what i want you to do.”

“we love when yana gives us a cliffhanger” you all said in unison. ok but am sorry it’s not actually smut. my creative uh, jucies were running low. first taro writing and its not even complete. whoops! question of the day, will yana ever write a fic thats 3k. the answer is probably no!!! this is like 2.1k words though so cutting it close. after 1k i start to get a little groggy. love you junebugs.

#luvyujun #riize shotaro #shotaro #riize angst #riize suggestive #riize x reader #creep!riize #riize reading #riize

[reallyromealone]

BONTEN X OMEGA READER 4

Slight nsfw, no sex but mentions of male genitalia and almost sex

(Name) was pleased as his alphas scented items for him but it wasn't enough, (name) stared Mikey down as he crawled forward to his lap and tugged off his shirt and purred at the amount of pharamones wafting before doing the same to the others and soon, all the men were left shirtless and amused at the Omega.

They also took note of the spots their stuff would go, it would all be weaved into the walls of the nest close to the spot he would place his head, it was precious. (Name) suddenly stopped and shakily stood up and walked out of the room, his mates following behind as they watched the Omega steal more things from their rooms.

Bedding

Worn clothes

(Name) had a fixation with their ties, the alphas watching him inspect everything closely before bringing them back to his nest to continue.

"How long does this usually take?" Kakucho mumbled while they watched (name) work, the alphas enchanted by the omegas methodical placement "there's no definitive answer, it ends when he decides it's good enough" Mikey said bluntly and the alphas just watched on.

The nest was huge, more then enough space for the eight alphas who were thankful the closet was walk in and (name) just stared at them blankly before leaning back into his nest and spreading his legs oh do invitingly, showing his erect cock and slick covered ass while tilting his neck to the side.

It was the invitation.

The alphas wasted no time going in and fumbling as they removed their pants and boxers and crowding the Omega who looked more than pleased to have his Alphas with him "god so pretty, sharing your heat with us... Sanzu told us it's your first time" Mikey said lowly as he squeezed the omegas hips and the men were about to dive into their meal when the front door opened.

"Alphaaas~ where are you!"

The Bonten men froze as (name)s scent became foul, pushing Mikey off him and glared.

The men instantly recognized the voice as the Omega they 'dated' for when their ruts hit, clearly she didn't understand the relationship was over.

"Shhh it's ok baby" Koko tried soothing but (name) wasn't having it, hissing and growling at them as the scent of another Omega was just at the other side of the door "alphaaas~ I missed you!"

(Name) was completely feral, his heat becoming more defensive instead of wanting to mate.

"Shit--"Mikey quickly moved away when (name) swiped at him, the alphas deciding it was smarter to get out of the room and remove the problem at hand.

"What are you doing here?!" Sanzu growled out as the alphas glared down the pouting Omega "I haven't heard from you guys in weeks! Whose that in there?!" The Omega stompled their foot, clearly not pleased at the concept of 'their' alphas 'cheating' on them.

"We made so much progress with him..." Rindō said coldly as the men stared the bratty Omega down, the other clearly not reading the room as they pouted.

"Let's hang out...play a bit" they tried, showing their neck to the clearly hostile alphas who were beyond livid.

"Oh...we can play" Takeomi said coldly as the men stepped towards the Omega "take then to the 'play room'"

The Omega grinned as The haitanis led them away, not realizing they were about to turn them into fish bait once they dealt with the primary problem at hand; a feral Omega whose in heat.

Who also will attack any of them if they get to close.

"What do we do?" Kakucho asked as they googled 'omega in heat felt threatened by other omega' and the results were varying to say the least.

'coax them with pharamones '

'wait it out'

'trainqalizer gun'

Unsure what to do they contacted the doctor on the matter, they were less than pleased.

"For now, leave him give him a bit to calm down" the doctor spoke with force calmness "he is completely on edge and will think anything is a threat, pharamones will help and if he harms hismelf... tranquilizer gun him"

Huh.

So the internet was right this time.

Hanging up the men sat outside the door, listening carefully as they heard (name) shuffle around.

(Name) was rebuilding his nest, making walls all around to keep people out as he closed himself off into the closet with and his heat muddled brain couldnt figure out exactly what happened but deduced that alphas were cheating on Omega.

And that was a betrayal like no other.

"Another thing says offering " ran said as the Haitani brothers returned and were brought to speed "feral omegas often like soft things and to be treated like they are above all"

"We can do that" Mochi said and all the men agreed before going to collect the softest nesting materials the could find.

An hour passed before Mochi slowly opened the door, the alphas were blasting pharamones to the Omega as they left their offerings by the closet door and Sanzu had a small tranquilizer gun that he hid beside the small dresser beside the closet "Omega... Please come out were...sorry" those words were strange to Mikey as he spoke them the alphas kneeling before the Omega whose eye they could see in the small crack of the closet door.

The alphas made themselves look meek and lonely, an act to play at the omegas heartstrings and it worked.

(Name) glared at his Alphas but recognized them as his alphas none the less as he slowly opened the door and took the offerings slowly "stupid alphas..." He mumbled but didn't allow the alphas close when they tried "don't worry Omega...the threat is gone" it took the roughly half an hour to convince the Omega that no they weren't replacing (name) with another Omega until he was content.

But the Omega was now in defence mode and a quick Google search later showed them that he won't leave this state until the end of this heat.

That bitch ruined their chance to pup their Omega.

To claim him in every way.

They would die.

(Name) did allow them to cuddle in the nest though, allowing little kisses but no more as he had to keep watch of any threats that may come back.

When Mikey nosed at his scent gland the blond was surprised when (name) bared it to him, the Omega giving him a clear go ahead for a claim mark as Mikey glanced at everyone who made Quick work to go to the various scent glands around his body.

If they couldn't fuck him into next year they would at least claim him.

When they bit down they didn't miss the soft whine that left him as the bond was finally formed between them.

Now they could sense the omegas emotions and vice versa.

(Name) was shaking slightly as they let go and allowed the alphas to snuggle him again as the wave of emotions the alphas felt took a slight toll on him "sleep pup, we will keep you safe"

He barely felt his eyes shut.

#tokyo revengers x male reader #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers fluff #bonten x reader #omega male reader #omegaverse

[lesbehonestsstuff]

Chapter 3

Summary: Alex and Casey are called to the precinct where they find Olivia trying to get a little girl to open up.

Same warnings apply usual SVU stuff but specifically child abuse though not explic

Chapter 3/?

The peace they had managed to get was shattered when the door to the room swung open, revealing Cragen and a woman from ACS. Unexpectedly, Casey felt the way her heart sank at the sight, knowing that their brief moment with Niki was about to come to an end.

The woman greeted them both, wasting no time as she stood in front of them, waiting for Casey to hand Niki over. Reluctantly, Casey rose from her seat with Alex’s help, gently disentangling herself from Niki. But despite her gentle movements, the girl stirred, her eyes fluttering open in confusion as she realized she was no longer cradled in Casey's arms and instead was being handed over to another woman.

"Casey?" Niki's voice trembled with uncertainty, her small frame trembling as she looked at the strangers in the room with fear starting to mark her features.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Casey whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "This nice lady is here to help you, okay? She’s going to take you somewhere safe."

But before Casey could reassure Niki any further, the girl's cries erupted into a cacophony of fear and desperation. She fought against the arms of the social worker, her tiny fists pounding against her sturdy frame as she struggled to break free.

"No! Please, I don't want to go!" Niki's voice was a piercing wail, her tear-streaked face contorted with anguish as she desperately reached out for Casey.

Casey's heart shattered at the sight, her own eyes welling with tears as she fought the urge to scoop Niki back into her arms. But she knew that there was due process with these things and as much as she wanted to keep Niki with them, she had to be taken into ACS custody.

Alex, sensing Casey's inner turmoil, made eye contact with her wife, an idea already in her head and a silent understanding passing between them.

"Wait, let us take care of her at least for tonight," Alex pleaded, her voice unwavering despite the tremor of emotion beneath the surface. "We have a fostering license, and we're more than capable of taking care of her."

The woman hesitated, trying to keep hold of the sobbing Niki, her gaze flickering between Alex and Casey as she weighed her options. But before she could respond, Huang stepped forward, the commotion having caught his attention from where he was talking with Olivia.

"The little girl is clearly fragile and distressed," Huang interjected, his voice firm. "Right now, she trusts them. The only progress that has been made has been with them, and taking her away from the only people she trusts at the moment would only result in exacerbating her trauma."

The woman hesitated, seemingly torn between the rules she had to follow and her compassion and duty to the child’s well-being. But as Niki's cries echoed and got louder and more desperate, the decision became clear.

With a heavy sigh, she relented, nodding in reluctant agreement. "Fine," she conceded. "But this is only temporary. We'll need to conduct a thorough assessment before any permanent arrangements can be made."

Casey and Alex nodded gratefully, relief flooding through them as Casey reached out to gather Niki back into her arms. The young girl collapsed against her, her sobs continuing and leaving her breathless as she clung to Casey.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Casey murmured, her voice calm and soft. "You're safe now. We got you."

As Niki's sobs gradually subsided into soft sniffles, Casey caught Elliot's eyes from across the room as he watched the way the two women were soothing Niki. He had seen his fair share of distraught children in his line of work, and he knew just the thing to lift her spirits.

"Hey, Case," Elliot called out, his voice gently motioning her over as he opened one of the drawers on his desk. "You want to help me with something?"

Casey adjusted her hold on Niki and walked over to him, Niki hiding her face against Casey's shoulder. "What’s up?"

Elliot grinned, reaching into his desk drawer to retrieve a small chocolate bar. "I've got a stash of treats hidden away for emergencies," he explained, holding out the chocolate to Casey. "But I shouldn't keep eating them, you know someone who could use a little pick-me-up?" She tried to hide the grin on her face as Niki slowly and almost comically perked up at the mention of chocolate. Casey thanked Elliot and accepted the chocolate, carefully unwrapping it and breaking off a small piece, holding it out to the girl. She hesitantly reached out to accept the offering, a tentative smile gracing her lips as she started to eat it.

Across the room, Alex watched the exchange between Casey, Niki, and Elliot, thankful that Elliot having an army of kids paid off in situations like these. She knew that Casey had a natural gift for connecting with people; she wore her heart on her sleeve and was an incredibly empathetic person, but seeing her interacting with Niki reaffirmed just how special her wife truly was. They had been talking about whether or not they wanted kids; both of them were apprehensive about it at the start. Despite being deemed an Ice Queen, and against popular belief, Alex loved kids; she just never thought she would find someone she would want to have them with. Casey, on the other hand, was more insecure about it; she liked kids, she really did, but she had always had a voice in her head that would tell her she wouldn't be good at it. It had taken a lot of effort on both their parts to address their concerns and the pros and cons of it until they had reached an agreement a couple of months before. However, now seeing Casey with Niki was stirring a whole lot of emotions that she didn't even know she had.

Lost in her thoughts, Alex didn't notice when Olivia and Huang approached her, their expressions curious as they tried to get her attention. It wasn't until Olivia placed her hand on Alex's arm that she was jolted back to reality.

"When did you two get a fostering license?" Olivia's voice was gentle yet probing, her eyes searching Alex's face for answers.

Alex hesitated, realizing now that their decision to take Niki for the night was probably going to raise some questions from them. "We've been thinking about fostering for a while now; we decided it was the best route for us," she admitted finally, her voice tinged with vulnerability. "Life has been busy, but we figured it was better to have one just in case."

Olivia nodded understandingly, and Alex fell silent once more, her eyes drifting back to Casey and the little girl they had known for less than a day, a wave of anxiety flushing over her as she wondered just what they had gotten themselves into. Like he had been able to read her mind, Huang stepped closer, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, his voice gentle yet reassuring. "It’s not going to be easy," he acknowledged, "but you and Casey can handle it. You two are probably more capable of helping her than anyone else they could have placed her with tonight. She trusts you, and if anything happens, you can call me."

Alex nodded, her anxiety easing a little when she realized that what he was saying was true. She turned back to look at Casey, her wife trying not to laugh as Elliot pulled every trick in the book to try and entertain Niki, pulling toys left by his kids out of his desk drawers. When she caught Casey's eyes, seeing a small smile on the redhead's face and a look of reassurance, she really hopped they were going to be okay.

#casey novak #casey novak x alex cabot #alex cabot #calex #law and order svu #mommy issues are strong with this one

[bibibbon]

What MHA's lacks: world building part 2

I have already talked about this topic before but I mainly focused on the world building of Japan as a society itself .

Now I wanted to talk more about the MHA world building outside of Japan. When it comes to world building outside of Japan all we have are the MHA movies (which are somehow canon but the timeline for them makes no sense to me) and the whole interaction with star and stripes/USA.

Obviously we were gonna get a look into heroics and heroes outside of Japan after the war arc (it was inevitable especially with Japans need for foreign help) but I can't help to say that the little amount of world building outside of Japan that we got was lacking to say the least.

America or star and stripes. It was obvious that we would be getting heroes from around the world but I really hated how the idea of America and American heroes was something that was heavily sterytopical (maybe Iam thinking too deep into it 🤷‍♀️) but I don't like how star and stripes legit had her costume based on the American flag (I know it's supposed to be like all might). To me star and stripes felt like such a rushed plot point who is just the female version of all might that lacks all the character depth and wasted potential that all might has. The idea of America actually having a military is very interesting but it's never expanded on why or how they have a military. How is a military army any different than quirked heroes? We just saw them operate various airships and that's it for them 🤷‍♀️. I personally think we should of gotten an idea or at least a view as to why there is a military for example, America has a military and heroes whereas Japan uses heroes as soldiers and entertainers. Star and stripes should of been introduced way earlier in the series because she is the number one in USA and everything about her is heavily inspired by all might so we could of seen bits of her after all mights retirement and whatever relationship she had with all might because everything about that plot point of foreign American military and heroes was so vague and needed expanding.

I-island. I love the concept of i-island even if it's introduced just in a movie (I think it should of been a canon manga plot point), if you think about it having an island that focuses on the creation and progression of technology and it being like a very high tech island is a very interesting idea. What type of Industries are in i-island? The population is well off due to the island being very neutral in political ideals and is considered a place of education and technology. You could of had it to be an area that has a very low crime rate because everyone is open to the same opportunities and the small population makes it so that people are very connected to eachother. I-island could also be a place where heroes are sent to train and usually go to find a support company to work with.

Other heroes. When it comes to the whole world of MHA there are a lot of heroes from many different places but I don't necessarily like their character design like is it only me who finds it weird that pro hero native (who is a Japanese citizen) has a hero costume that is of native Americans? Or when showing us a hero from Egypt their costume was a literal pharo?. I feel like horikoshi could of been more creative when it came to showing other heros form other parts of the world and their costumes. I am not totally against having heroes that share and represent parts of cultures but if it's done in a way where it's just them wearing a very sterytopical costume then what's the point ?!?!? Sure you can make a character who does wear a very sterytopical costume and profits off other peoples culture to show how hero society is messed up and actually critique something like that but we don't see that and I think that's wasted potential.

Political relations and political differences. Every country is bound to have a variety of different political relations and differences so this could be difficult to explore if you try and include every single place in the MHA world. However, the building up if the war arc and the aftermath we should of seen Japan's political relations with other countries. Did other countries offer aid in anyway? Did they send out something akin to peacekeepers to the field? Or something of the sort. Is there even a party or organisation that connects other countries together in a tien if crisis in MHA and did they refuse to help Japan because they feared AFO or something. I feel like this could of been an interesting plot point to explore but it's never mentioned best thing we get is one panel of a political saying something

Transfer students. I think it was a fantastic plot point to have pony as a transfer students in the heroics course but I just wish we got more of her. For example where did she live? How was her life before she came to Japan? How does she feel about everything? How was it for her and her family when it came to the war in Japan? Or how did they deal with the parent conference when she is a transfer student? Surprisingly, pony has more potential as a character and more plot points to explore than a lot of 1 A character but we don't get much of what goes on with her.

#mha critical #bnha critical #hori is a bad writer #horikoshi critical #mha #bhna critical #worldbuidling #bhna

[onewmin]

the perfume on the shelf. pt. 1 | bangchan

Pairing: Bang Chan x Fem!reader

Summary: Falling in love with your best friend was never a part of the plan. So you end it up. But does he want to put a stop to it, too?

Warnings: A slight au, profanity, angst, slight smut, mentions of emotional abuse, unhealthy relationships, typos, maybe punctuation errors, a lot of references to Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo’s songs, but mostly blondie’s music

Author’s note: very self-inserted in parts with parents, toxic exes and therapy lol hope you enjoy!

Part 2

Disclaimer: the names and appearances of real people are used for inspiration and writing purposes only. I do not claim anything, everything belongs to its owners.

Tangled in silk sheets, sinking into the colour red surrounding you, you watched him stand up and get dressed, then turning left to take his phone from the nightstand. Closing your eyes quickly, you felt a kiss on your temple.

“Goodnight, baby”.

A sweet whisper sent shivers down your spine, but you kept your sleeping façade present: he couldn’t find out you weren’t asleep. Otherwise, it’ll be harder. Otherwise, you’ll make him stay for another hour, entangled, glistening, lost in pleasure. It’s better if he leaves, it’s always better.

You listen attentively to him collecting his things — car keys, his beanie, bag — and shutting the door on the way out. You hear his keys turn in the door, and regret the moment you gave him a spare one. And as he left, your hands were at your eyes, covering the tears. There was no point in muffling your cries other than for them not to turn into full howls. You were so tired, exhausted of being just a rebound to Chan. Because that’s what you were — a shadow of someone he loved.

You, on the other hand? He didn’t love you. As a friend, yeah, but as a woman? His woman? Never. Never in a million years. Or so you thought.

Sitting on the bed, you wiped the tears from your cheeks, and let out a breath. No, you couldn’t do it anymore. The further this situation progressed, the less you recognized yourself. Chan wasn’t a bad guy, no. It’s just… Despite your big age, despite the built up persona of a mature adult, in the end, you were a naive, broken girl, who just wanted to be loved. Even if this love was collected by you from crumbs of attention Chan was giving you as a potential partner.

Your cat jumped on the bed, coming closer to you; immediately purring after you petted her, and lied down next to your legs. The only living being that loved you unconditionally and the one you loved more than anything. Although you did joke to Chan she grew more fond of him than of you, and he laughed, taking her into his arms and scratching behind her ears. She did love him, too. And he loved her. At least, he loved one part of you — your cat.

Standing up from the bed, followed by a quiet “meow”, you came up to the window. The moon lit an empty street, where Chan’s car was parked just minutes ago. You loved watching him pull up, with a takeaway in his hands and eyes glued to your window. Waving at each other, grinning — he was to see his closest friend, and you…

What about you?

Shit, you wished there was never anything between the two of you. No friendship, no sex, nothing.

You remembered the first time your friendship took a dangerous turn, when his plushy lips landed on yours in a ferocious, drunken kiss. You both were wasted, drinking to ease your sorrows and pain. Both being broken up with your partners at approximately the same time, Chan and you decided to talk, while sharing a bottle of wine. A bottle turned into two, and then three, and you both were crying, cursing your exes, and you found yourself in his lap, fingers tugging on his hair. And his hands on your waist, controlling the way you grinded against him. You remembered sweet nothings whispered into your skin, his gentle, soft palm on your cheek while he was pounding into you. And the look in his eyes, so intense, as if he was starring right into your soul.

Maybe that was the moment when you fell in love with him. Or maybe you convinced yourself you loved him just so you wouldn’t be alone. You really didn’t know. Your therapist said you’d gotten into yet another unhealthy situation, and you believed her, you did. However… Chan wasn’t like your ex. He wasn’t emotionally abusing you, wasn’t turning every happy moment of your life into a nightmare because he was envious. Chan wasn’t a narcissist — a type of guys you tended to fall for in the past. You decided to put a stop to toxicity, and Chan, you thought, sex with him would be an amazing distraction. Oh boy, were you wrong.

“You tell this story, and yet, the guy you’ve been talking about is emotionally, romantically unavailable, right? Isn’t it the same type you’ve been trying to avoid?”

Yeah, your therapist was not in the wrong here. Narcissistic guys, who took everything from you — your emotions, happiness and will to love — unfortunately, were your type. The ones you’d been collecting, falling for, because you didn’t know any better. Repeating the scariest scenario — your mother’s. You were running away from the image of a man, who had never said anything nice to your mom and you, the man, who was selfish and full of shit, the man, who was emotionally abusive and never apologized for his harsh words and actions. The image of your father, and the relationship between two adults you got dragged in against your will. Being involved into it since your early teenagehood, you didn’t know the image of a healthy family, and what’s more important, you had no idea what healthy relationship looked like. One thing to see it in movies and saying,

“Hey, that’s so easy!”

And another one to fulfill it in real life. Your father never complimented your mom, never told her he loved her — the usual, embarrassing things healthy couples do in front of their kids. He was emotionally unavailable, drained, you used to say. Casually cruel for the sake of being honest, the man himself stated. And yet, your mother never left him, even after complaining to you, how tired she was of the rows he was picking.

“Get a divorce”.

“And stay alone when I’m old? Who needs that?”

You stopped giving advice. She would never listen and you’d never help her. She was inserted in this scenario by herself and was never willing to leave it.

And now you were following into your mother’s footsteps, running to the guy type you despised. But daughters tend to repeat their mothers’ mistakes, don’t they?

Although Chan wasn’t like that. He was your friend first (the only guy friend you’ve had in years), and the way he treated you just as a friend… Needless to say, not a guy your mother would even consider looking at herself, when she was younger. But whenever you spoke of him?

“I think he’s in love with you, honey”.

What did she know about love? Didn’t she marry a guy after a couple of months just to have a baby?

So, you never took your mother’s words about Chan seriously. The relationship with your parents was messy, even after years of therapy. You never felt at ease with them, not when talking about your studies, not when having a family dinner. Your mother had a picture of a “stable, happy family” in her head, and that picture was bright and shiny in her eyes. However, she never considered that picture being a façade for a real monstrous family portrait, hidden in the attic. Very Dorian Gray of her, you used to think.

And then there was Chan. Maybe the first man you didn’t consider to be an asshole. He took you to the movies, walks, everywhere — and never demanded anything in return. Chan was one of the reasons your toxic ex broke up with you. Thanks god for Chan.

And when you thought you’d found a friend for years, you two had to have drunken sex. You two had to ruin everything by having hangover sex in the morning. You both had to destroy your friendship by agreeing to be “friends with benefits”. And you had to cut your life into pieces by falling in love with him.

“You feel so good, baby”, he moaned into your skin, “the best fuckin’ feeling in the world”.

You whimpered, shivering under his touch, and seeing nothing but the sky and stars instead of the white ceiling. You were drunk on him, his scent being your oxygen. And when he kissed you, his lips slowly devouring yours, you could swear, you were brought into Heaven.

How could have you given him so much power over you? How could you let yourself fall in love with someone so normal? So normal, that he didn’t fall in love with everyone who gave him the slightest bit of affection?

You slowly strolled to the kitchen, as the sleep washed away the moment you started thinking too much. You managed to get rid of sleepless, teary nights when your ex called it quits, but recently falling asleep seemed harder than it used to be. All because of Chan.

“Maybe I’m some sort of masochist”, you told your therapist once, “as I keep doing back to the same scenario”.

“It is completely the same this time?”

“Not really. Like, yeah, he’s not romantically available, cause he still loves his ex-girlfriend, but he’s different from other guys”.

“Did he tell you he was still in love with his ex?”, you didn’t answer her question. “Or is it you, who’s projecting her fears and anxiety onto a potential partner?”

That shit? Was deep. True. You were indeed projecting. But hey, how could anyone blame you, when relationship rollercoasters were the only thing you’d known?

A great way to escape responsibility for your actions, right?

Sipping tea from the cup, you wondered what he was doing now. Did he go home? Or did he, in (your brain’s twisted) reality, texted his ex and drove to her house, to confess his undying love for her? And then to make love to her just like he did to you, several hours ago? And, if he was so in love with her, wasn’t the thing you two had a kind of an illicit affair? A way of cheating on her?

“Jeez, just shut the fuck up”, you murmured, plopping onto the couch and turning on the TV.

“Maybe I am projecting, but, deep inside, I know the truth. He still loves her, and I’m just a rebound”.

“Elaborate, please. Even though you sound very confident, I’d love to hear your reasoning”.

Nothing coherent came from you that time. Probably because you had nothing to say, just “I trust my gut” — girl, what the actual fuck? Definitely an answer you therapist expected from you; she knew you too well, found out the easy way when you resisted therapy and her implications.

“The right answer is also somewhere in your gut. You just choose to block these thoughts, because if you indulge into them, you’ll have to actually leave the set scenario. But, as we’ve discussed it, isn’t it something you want to do?”.

My god, lady. Couldn’t she just be your inner voice instead of the annoying conspiracy theorist living in your head for free?

TV was boring. You turned to your laptop on the coffee table; to look for another way to distract yourself.

You didn’t plan to watch one of Chan’s latest interviews. You really didn’t. It just happened.

“And what’s your latest album about?”

“A love that slipped away. The one that got away, I’d put it like that”. Any more proof he still loved that girl, huh, Ms. Therapist-Know-It-All?

You slammed your laptop’s lid. “Shit, shit, shit”, you whined right after, checking if the screen wasn’t damaged. Making decisions based on emotions was your thing, truly, but the laptop has been fixed too many times already for you not to treat it gentler that your feelings.

Maybe, you thought, turning on the TV again and lying down on the couch, maybe he’s just too nice to say anything. To break this thing off. “Maybe he pities me, that’s why. He knows what kind of guys I dated, maybe that’s why he continues to keep this going?”

“Projecting again”.

You were too tired to fight with your therapist’s voice. Yeah, you were. But didn’t he himself said, that he had written music about her? And, having heard his songs, you only now realized how much he missed her. If you hadn’t been so pathetic in your desire to be loved by someone, you wouldn’t have fallen for him a month after you two started this shit.

“Why am I the only pathetic one? Isn’t he like that too?”

Shit, he is. A broken-hearted boy, looking for love he had lost in the best friend, who was stupid enough to think he would actually reciprocate her feelings. He made you suffer so much, catching you crying twice, while being in his bed — and never, ever, questioning himself? Never doubting his decision to keep your relationship living?

“Maybe he’s just fucking stupid, that’s all”, you muttered, starring into the screen, a “Friends” episode you’d seen million times before running on. Probably now, after his literal confession on the Internet, his ex would come back to him. And you’d be free from this cage, maybe your wings would grow out once again. Maybe the grass would be greener, and the sun would shine brighter.

But didn’t that mean he’s be the one to break up with you, leaving you with a broken heart because of him, once again? He was never truly yours to lose, so why not to be the first one to end it? You’d dodge a bullet, for sure.

Unlocking your phone, reluctantly looking at the text you’d typed. Wasn’t it better to talk in person? Or to call, at the very least?

“When trying to be nice to everyone else, try to remember: would they be as good and understanding, as you’re to them?”

Chan would be, you thought. He’d sit you on the couch, have an honest conversation, hold you if you cried, and accept every curse thrown at him. He’d understand.

No, wait, back to the possible final frame. Would he be actually understanding towards a girl who fell in love with her friend, who never promised her anything? Or would he just pity her? You didn’t need his pity, you didn’t want his fucking compassion. He would never understand the way you were feeling, the way you…

Fuck him. Fuck him, and his sorrowful gaze, and his hoarse morning voice; fuck him, and his soft hands, and his stupid laugh; fuck him, and him fastening your shirts, and him teaching you how to dance. Fuck him.

One click. The message had been sent. Hopefully, he’d read it and be relieved you had decided to call it quits first. You felt relieved, for sure. Like a weight off your shoulders.

If it was such a relief, why were sobbing into the cushion, hugging your cat? Why did it hurt so bad?

#bang chan #bangchan #bang chan x female reader #bang chan x reader #bang chan imagines #bang chan imagine #bangchan imagines #bangchan imagine #stray kids imagines

[qlala]

tagged in this @ao3commentoftheday WIP post by the wonderful @crestfallercanyon, with whom i absolutely agree: sometimes a work in progress wednesday can be a friday, too <3

serendipitously, i couldn't sleep last night and ended up working on my sequel to my coldflash undercover-at-a-rave fic, "black on black," for the first time in a while!

this is a bit more than a snippet, but i was enjoying myself too much :) hopefully this isn't a piece i've shared before!

~~~

Barry slid his gaze back to him on an unimpressed look that only put Len in a mind to wipe it off his face. “Are we really going through this again? I’m here to stop the meta. You’re not—”

“Supposed to be here,” Len repeated, rolling his eyes. “Thought you’d be grateful. Always telling me what a good man I am, and now…” He spread his arms and turned a slow circle on his heel. “Here I am. Offering to help.” 

“Uh-huh,” Barry said. “And you don’t have any selfish reasons to want the CCPD to stop the warehouse raids out here?”

He was clever; Len would give him that. But he was also easily flustered, and Len diverted easily with another slow once-over that ended on the leather harness crossing Barry’s chest and drawled, “One or two.” 

It worked like a charm. Barry crossed his arms and glanced away again, but the tops of his cheeks darkened in the shadows, and his gaze wasn’t nearly as stern as he was trying to make it when he looked back at him. “Are you really planning on helping this time?”

Len tilted his head with polite disbelief. “Call keeping you from getting whammied last week ‘not helping?’”

Barry dropped his arms, exasperated. “Leonard.” 

“That little blonde number is starting to interfere with my life one way too many. I have a… vested interest in keeping their body count from getting any higher.” 

Barry visibly weighed believing him for a moment, as if he had better options for backup, then nodded, once, decisively. 

“We have have a name for them now,” Barry offered. “Some kids have caught on to what’s happening, and they’re trying to find the meta. Like, on purpose. They’re calling them…“ He shook his head, with an expression that told Len that he had clearly lost an argument at some point, then he tossed a hand out in defeat. “The 'angel of the rave scene.' Cisco has been making Phantom or the Opera jokes all week, but…” He shrugged. “‘Angel’ kind of stuck."

It was a lot of charming information that Len hadn’t asked for and didn’t care about, and he told Barry as much. 

“You wanted to help,” Barry reminded him. “If you hear someone mention it inside, you should know who they’re talking about.”

He was right, but one part of that sentence had stood out to Len, making his nose wrinkle in distaste. “Inside?”

~~~

Inside was exactly as bad as Len had remembered: oppressively hot, deafeningly loud, and sticky. The air was even thicker with fog machine smoke than the time before, and Len had a passing thought that he should’ve brought an oxygen mask. He’d come somewhat prepared, though; along with the pistol in the back of his jeans, he’d brought his least favorite jacket in case Barry decided it was a tactical decision to rid him of it again. 

Barry didn’t make him wait long on the stripping front. They skirted the crowd that time, hanging close to the edges where it was a little cooler, but Barry still shrugged out of the patterned shirt he was wearing unbuttoned over that goddamn harness as they went.

Len’s attention snapped back from scanning the crowd. He watched the shirt slide off one shoulder as Barry pulled an arm free, then the next, but didn’t waste a moment watching it drift to the ground. Because the muscles in Barry’s back were far more worth looking at, shifting lean and powerful in the strobing light and reminding Len how it had felt to have them under his hands. 

The sharp shadows cast by Barry's shoulder blades crossed with the stark lines of the harness, which was calling to Len stronger than every cigarette in the building. There were two rings on the back, one on each side where the straps from over his shoulders and under his arms met the strip of leather across the back. It suggested a matching set in the front that must’ve been covered up by the offending shirt, and Len didn’t stop himself from putting the toe of his boot down, hard, to catch Barry’s heel on his next step. 

Barry twisted to look back at him with an offended little frown that Len couldn’t have cared less about. Because Barry’s movement had given him the confirmation he’d been looking for: the same dark straps and matte o-rings on the front, framing Barry’s chest in a way that was borderline obscene. 

Christ, want wasn’t a strong enough word. Len’s skin was prickling with it. He was of half a mind to leave the job for another day, skip the glitter-bombed bathroom and just take Barry back to one of his safe houses from the start. Hell, tell Barry to take them back to his place instead, let him find out how hard it was to get eyeliner out of pillowcases—

It was a stupid thought and all the reminder that Len needed to remember which head he was supposed to be thinking with. Leave the job for another day? He had six and a half million dollars in untagged cars sitting in a warehouse three blocks away, delivered the day before the CCPD's raids had started. His contact was getting jumpy—wouldn’t move them, didn’t want them to stay—and he was starting to make noise about Len getting Mick to just take care of the inventory. 

So no, Len didn't have another day, much as he might wish that he did. He gave Barry a smirk for tripping him up instead, accepted the exasperated look he got in response, and followed him deeper into the warehouse. 

Not that it ended up taking them much longer to find 'Angel,' in any case. Wasn’t hard, when a glance up at the stage found the kid perched on the edge of the DJ’s set-up, bleached-out hair full of glitter and reflecting back every flash of the colorful lights that throbbed over the crowd. 

Unfortunately, Angel didn’t have any trouble finding them, either. Because when Len tracked his gaze back up from where Angel was bouncing one long leg to the beat of the blaring music, they were looking right back at him. 

Angel's gaze slid to Barry, and their smile went hazy and beatific before they looked back at Len. They lifted one hand and wiggled their fingers in coy greeting. Then, when Len didn't wave back, they turned their hand over, palm side up, and crooked one finger in an unmistakable come hither gesture. 

Len caught Barry’s arm to stop his forward momentum. (It took a heroic amount of restraint to not grab him by the back of the harness instead, not that Barry seemed to notice or care). When Barry started to turn again, Len indicated the stage with a lift of his chin and pushed in close enough to be heard over the music.

“We’re being summoned.” 

#my fics #coldflash

[grimmbitty]

Okay guys here’s my writing sample for my current work in progress!

└── ⋆⋅⚡️⋅⋆ ──┘

Shazam: City of Brotherly Love

Chapter one: Work in Progress

(Revision: fight scene fix & grammar fix )

It was an early autumn day. The kind of day where the wind was cool and brisk, but the sun covered everything with a subtle warmth that I could feel against my skin. I was intermixed in the small crowd that was my new foster siblings as we walked down the block, on our way to school. It was my first day at Fawcett High, my second day at the Vasquez house, and my third time getting reassigned to a new home this year.

I’ve done a lot of moving around, especially these past few years, but I don’t let that stuff get to me. I am so close to actually finding my mom this time around. I’m just really hoping the kids in this group home actually leave my stuff alone. I always keep the most important things in my backpack anyways, because I get tired of people rummaging through my belongings when I'm not looking.

As Freddy and Mary talked amongst themselves, the youngest kid in the group home was most excited to give me a tour. Her name was Darla, and it was the easiest to remember because she wrote it on a banner she hung on the wall, over the bed I was sleeping in this past weekend.

She talked the entire time. And I felt kinda bad that she was wasting her breath, because I was only half listening anyways, tuning in and out of her descriptions as we made our way into the school. It was a very familiar scene. A sea of a thousand faces passing by. People talking, people screaming, people jumping, hugging, and twirling each other around as if they didn’t just see each other yesterday.

Darla’s voice pulled me back out of my train of thought. “And here’s the main hallway. This school is pretty big so if you get lost, there's a map over there. But I think for today I could walk you to your first class just in case.”

Freddy cut into the conversation , “Hey, I think he’s got it from here, D. I know you’re excited for him to have his first day at Fawcett, but let’s just give him a little room to breathe for now.”

As we made our way over to their lockers, Darla went with Mary and stopped at her locker first. I continued walking down the hall following Freddy’s lead as we made our way to his locker. He looked over at me with a hint of concern in his eye. I felt his gaze look me up and down quickly before taking a step closer. “Hey dude, you’re okay, right? I know this is a lot for one morning.”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose while I took a second to think. Doing the whole “new foster kid” thing at almost every school in West Philly didn’t really phase me, but I was pissed that I got reassigned to a group home on the other side of town. I knew getting caught was going to be a major setback and I still had a lot of work to do if I was gonna keep trying to find mom. Not to mention I already spent what little money I had on bus passes and subway tokens.

I look back at Freddy, “Yeah, I’m fine.” I let myself fall back onto the lockers to lean on them as we continue talking.

“Don’t worry. I know new faces, new school, new home. It’s a lot. I get it, but I genuinely think once you kinda get the feel for things around here you’re gonna fit in perfectly.”

“Everyone says that, Freddy.” I look off to the side, avoiding eye contact as he shoots me an abrupt look of confusion, tilting his head to one side as he furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Look. I don’t mean to be a dick but, I don’t plan on staying here for long. I'm sure you guys are lovely, but I already have a family. I already have a mom. They’re out there, looking for me. I know it.”

Freddy let out a small sigh. “Billy, look. I know this shit sucks, hard. Everyone in this house has done their fair share of running away too. We’ve all tried it at least once. But, you should at least give this place a chance.”

I lightly scoffed at the idea. “Yeah, well whatever, I guess.”

“Listen I know I can’t stop you if you’ve already got your mind set on looking for your mom. But, just between us, I would just try to settle down somewhere until you age out of the system so you can at least keep a roof over your head.” I could see his expression grow more concerned as he spoke. “I just don’t want you to run out of places you can fall back on.”

As I opened my mouth to reply, I was interrupted by the loud crash that was two upperclassmen barging down the hall. To my unfortunate surprise they slam open the locker door next to Freddy, nearly crushing his hand in the process. Freddy scoffed, annoyed as we saw them jam wads of crumpled papers into their lockers.

“Hey Freeman, you wanna keep your crutches to yourself bro?” One of the guys said as he pushed Freddy’s crutch with his shoe.

“Seriously man, how many peoples toes do you smash with that thing in a day?”

Freddy took a step back. “Dude, I was here first, and I was almost done anyways. What’s your problem?”

Both of the upperclassmen started to smirk at each other in amusement. “It was just a joke man, you don’t have to be so soft all the time.” Then he pushed Freddy backwards into me and I felt the weight of his body hit me like a bag of sand. I helped him regain his balance so he didn’t get the chance to fully hit the ground. But these douchebags were seriously just okay with doing this?

“Freddy, who the hell are these guys?” I whisper to him as I hear Mary shout in the distance. Slamming her locker and starting to yell at them as she stomps over.

Freddy says, “They’re the Bryers. Most annoying dudes in school.” He rolls his eyes. “They’re both technically in my grade but one of them is a super senior, so he should’ve already graduated by now.”

“Yeah, that guy who shoved you looks like he’s pushing thirty. He should probably worry more about figuring out his plans for retirement instead of being a dick.”

Freddy covers his mouth with his free hand as we both start to giggle to ourselves. Then as we regain our chill we start to tune back into Mary’s scolding. “And another thing, literally half the things you guys say aren’t even “jokes”. They’re just shallow insults you guys laugh after saying because you guys are assholes.”

Freddy seemed a little taken aback by Mary calling someone an asshole, especially since Darla was standing only a few feet away.

“You guys need to grow up. You’re not funny, no one here likes you, and you guys need to learn to keep your hands to yourself and leave people alone!”

I started to wince a bit at the scenario playing before me. I could tell that Mary was pissed, and that she meant every word she said. She was standing up for her brother, and I respect that. But, after every word the Bryers just smiled and giggled to each other more and more. They didn’t care about anything she was saying, they were just getting entertainment out of the fact that she was so mad her face was turning red.

They continued to take turns taunting. One of them jumped back into the conversation, “What are you gonna do about it Bromfield? Give me a lecture? Send me to my room? Mary please, you’re such a baby. Just because you like to boss people around all day and play pretend mom for your fake siblings doesn’t actually make you the boss of anyone. It just makes you look like a massive dork.”

Mary recoiled in disbelief. Any red in her cheeks that she lost catching her breath in the passing moments came back twofold.

I spoke up from behind Mary as she whipped her head around, almost seemingly like she forgot that Freddy and I were witnessing these boneheads too. “You guys are being total assholes for no reason.”

The brothers pushed Mary out of the way and walked over to me and Freddy. Their faces etched with both disgust and confusion. “ I don’t know who this guy is, but let’s get one thing straight. We weren’t being assholes, you guys are just babies. Do none of you guys know what a joke is or are you guys just soft or something?”

“At least I’m not soft in the head, like you two are.”

Freddy shot me an alarmed side eye as the brothers talked amongst each other. Under their breath I could hear one of them say. “Did you just call us stupid?” He said as he shoved me with annoyance.

“Get your gross-ass hands off of me!” I fired back as I shoved the younger brother into his older brother as a taste of his own medicine.

Then they both started to walk closer to me, their figures blocking out the lights in the hall as the smell of body odor and old milk started to creep into my nose. I took a step back to try and preserve my personal space.

“We’re not soft in the skull, dipshit. But you might be.” One of the brothers said as he grabbed my head and slammed it into the wall of lockers behind me.

A sharp jolt of pain shot through every inch of my skull as I grabbed the back of my head in sudden agony. I accidentally let out a small yelp as the feeling erupted through all my nerves. Overwhelming me before I could even process what just happened.

The loud crash of the lockers made everyone in the hall start to look in our direction.Their faces slightly blurred as a sudden wave of dizziness tuned out the shouts of the growing crowd. It was time to go. I ducked under one of the brothers arms and tried to make a break for the exit, only making it two steps before I was yanked backwards by the hood of my jacket.

I tried to squirm around to break free, trying to focus more on escaping than landing any hits, but I was hardly able to keep my feet on the ground. The younger brother put his arms underneath both of my armpits, locking me into place and forcing both of my arms out to the side. Leaving me in an extremely unfavorable position to win this fight.

The older of the two brothers started to roll up his sleeve as he stomped closer to me, winding up his fist to punch me as hard as he could. The faint sounds of Freddy and Mary shouting at them to stop faded into the distance as I saw his fist come hurtling towards me.

I had only seconds before I was either about to lose either some of my teeth or some of my breakfast. So I had to think fast. As the younger of the two brothers was still struggling to hold me still I reflexively ducked just in time to hear the *click* of his brother’s knuckles colliding full force into his jaw.

The feeling of the icy cold floor was an immediate taste of relief that I never thought I’d feel as I got up and started to make a run for it. The bell for first period rang throughout the halls as I saw a flock of adults running over to the Bryers. I escaped and made my way out the front two doors. As I sprinted out to the sidewalk I heard the Bryers burst out of the school’s front doors right behind me, cussing me out as they began to chase after me.

Not the best first day I’ve ever had, but definitely one of the most entertaining ones.

End.

#billy batson #captain marvel #captain marvel dc #dc comics #digital art #digital illustration #fawcett comics #shazam #shazam 2019 #artists on tumblr #shazam: fury of the gods #Shazam:CoBL #mary bromfield #freddy freeman #darla dudley

[latenightbreezeinheaven]

Synastry chart (Marilyn Monroe and Johnny Hyde)💕

So, I read the book named "The secret life of Marilyn Monroe" because I really adore her and I was also extremely curious about her childhood, how she got into the film industry etc. And I discovered the relationship between her and Johnny Hyde, who was a powerful person in the whole film industry and who was a protector and a father figure for her. My astro nerd ass went straight to the astro.com and calculated their synastry chart and I found some aspects which may indicate their chemistry. (I hope this doesn't seem creepy though because I definitely don't have bad intentions.)🤍

Johnny Hyde's sun conjuncts Marilyn Monroe's MC

This indicates that the sun person can help massively in MC person's career or become like a pivotal for MC person's success in public. The sun person just knows what MC person needs or wants in their life as a purpose or a goal. The sun person will also always support the MC person to achieve their dreams. I shared this aspect with my ex-crush. I was the sun person and he was MC person. I was willing to do everything I could to make him shine in the crowd. I wanted to be his cheerleader and like a sponsor (LMAO I mean sponsoring him in a business way and not about those sexual things😂). I wanted to solve things together with him whenever he told me about his job problems. But our fate just ended really quickly so that didn't get to happen in real life but I had never felt so much desire to support someone chase their dreams in my entire life.

Johnny Hyde's saturn conjuncts Marilyn's IC

I found out that Johnny Hyde was strict towards Marilyn even though he loved her so much. According to the book, he made her read books about acting and stuffs and he didn't want her to waste her time on superficial matters. He wanted her to do activities which would be progressive in her career all day long. In short, he was like a teacher not only in the business cases but also in her daily life activities. Once, I have shared a conjunction of saturn and MC with my childhood teacher. As a teacher, he was strict towards every student but it was way far different for me. He always tried to control how I represented to the public, how I acted and talked with other people and he even wanted to decide for my future career. It was like interfering my privacy and whole life. But he also taught me etiquettes like how to eat, how to make an eye contact while talking to others, how to fight back in a graceful way etc.. so thanks to him though.😶

They both shared venus-sun conjunction as a double whammy

I saw someone saying that this aspect is overrated but I think it is very wrong. This aspect is clearly NOT overrated. I don't know how to explain this but I've seen multiple charts of married couples and 80 percent of them have someone's venus conjunct to other person's sun. This aspect indicates pure love, adoration and attraction. It may not be like steamy hot and wet but the attraction between two people just comes naturally and you have no idea why or how and you just love that person as they are. No wonder why Johnny Hyde felt thunderstruck when he first met Marilyn. I also had this aspect with my ex-crush (oops I have too many crushes🤭). My friend also has his venus conjunct this unknown girl's sun and he told me that it was a love at first sight and that he has loved her purely since then. Basically, the venus person loves the sun person and sees them as their ideal type and the sun person loves the attention they get from the venus person and appreciates it most of the time. Even if it's platonic, the venus person loves the sun person as their bestfriend!🥺

Johnny Hyde's lilith conjuncts Marilyn's moon

I also saw someone saying that lilith aspects are overrated in synastry and I felt very disappointed. I don't know if it's only me but lilith contacts are too intense and scary for me. I know lilith is a bit not too personal in a person's chart but it at least holds some power which can make one person obsessed with the other depending on the planets and aspects of course. He literally was obsessed with her emotionally and it was a really deep connection in my opinion. I have shared this aspect with some guy. I was the lilith person and he was the moon person. I was emotionally obsessed with him and I wanted to get all over his whole body and into his deepest heart and soul. It's not the same as the pluto aspect and it's a milder one but somehow I was just obsessed. That's all I can say. O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D.🤒

Johnny Hyde's pluto conjuncts Marilyn's sun and mercury

Here comes the intense one. I have never experienced a conjunction between sun and pluto or mercury in pluto BUT I believe that I am always drawn to people who have their pluto conjunct my moon. As the moon person, I feel like I can rely on the pluto person on a spiritual level and I feel like they just get me. They always understand me in a unique way. I feel like I can share about almost everything and they will never judge me. So back to Marilyn's story. Marilyn finds Johnny intriguing from the start and I feel like Johnny might also be a bit manipulative towards Marilyn. For instance, he persuaded Marilyn to marry him so that when he died, she could become super rich.

Johnny Hyde's sun conjuncts Marilyn's chiron

Generally, the sun person can heal the chiron person's wounds just by their existence. Marilyn used to call Johnny "daddy" and she also mentioned that he was a safe place for her and the person she could fully open up to without having to worry about other things. She also had an absent father so he was like a comforting and powerful father figure who could protect her at all costs. However, this seems a bit dangerous in my opinion though because my recent ex had his sun and mercury conjunct my chiron and yes his existence and his words were truly healing for me but he also gave me some wounds even though they are not actually that deep. I consider him as my enemy now and I don't even know why but maybe because he was disrespectful towards me aside from being supportive or encouraging. He triggered my past traumas too. And our conjunction was also in my 7th house, so this can also be the reason why he became my enemy. (7th house is considered as a lovey-dovey in a synastry chart but be careful, these people can also become your enemies one day, this is not for everyone though)😬

I'm really surprised about how I even decided to write this because I was simply reading that book and out of the blue, their relationship made me feel inquisitive about their synastry chart lmao😂 my astro addiction can never end😭. Anyways, thank you so much for reading and have a great day! Stay happy and healthy little fellows! 🌻🐝

#synastry observations #synastry notes #synastry #astrology observations #astrology notes #astrology #sun conjunct venus #sun conjunct pluto

[exhaustedpirate]

parent for hire

i'm back with a new chapter! i missed last week but here it is, part two! i owe everything to @kmomof4 and you all deserve to know it! hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter Five - Misthaven (Part Two)

word count: 12,214 words 

rating: Teen and Up

tag list: @cocohook38 ; @bluewildcatfanatic ; @piraterefrigerator ; @sotangledupinit ; @booksteaandtoomuchtv ; @teamhook

read on AO3 | prologue | one | two | three | four | five (1)

Being back in civilization felt like a whole different world even if their journey aboard the Black Pearl had only lasted four nights. At sea, it was easy to pretend that nothing else existed except the vast blue horizon and the seagulls. Now, the noise of the port town brought them back to reality. It especially reminded Killian of their mission.

He and Emma helped Will and the crew dock the ship while Henry thankfully stayed safely seated by the wheel keeping Mr. Gibbs company. More quickly than he expected, they dropped anchor and everyone aboard cheered over their return home. Killian smiled at their joy. His eyes found Emma and her smile in the warm sunlight was breathtaking.

“Will!”

“Papa!”

Shouts from the crowd were ignored by the crew but not by their captain. The gangplank had barely been dropped before two figures ran aboard. The crew smiled at the seemingly familiar sight as Will ran towards them and embraced them tightly.

Killian could only see the woman’s dark blonde hair, as her face was hidden in Captain Turner’s neck and a small brown head in between the two adults. 

Henry walked to his side and held his hook. 

“They missed him.” His voice was quiet and wistful and Killian felt for the boy. He knew how hard it was to watch happy families around them and know that they had none. He could only hope that he and Emma could give Henry at least a taste of what he wished for.

“Aye.”

“I have our things.” Emma interrupted the heavy moment, handing over Killian’s satchel while fixing her own across her body. “We should get going.”

“Can we at least ask Captain Turner if Henry and I can play? Just for a bit?” Standing between them, Henry shot them his most effective weapon - his pout. 

“Henry,” Killian sighed. “I’m sure they want to spend some time together alone after so long apart.”

“But-”

“It just so happens,” Will interrupted Henry’s argument with a smile, “that my wife has planned a feast to celebrate my return. It would be a shame to waste so much food on just the three of us.”

Henry’s pout was gone and a wide, brilliant smile took its place as he looked at Killian and Emma pleadingly. 

The two adults looked at each other. 

Killian shrugged. He wasn’t too keen on losing a day where they could make progress on their journey, but he was tired and the thought of a home-cooked meal was calling to him. Emma sighed and rolled her eyes, an exasperated smile making an appearance. It was clear she didn’t want to be the bad guy who would refuse such an invitation. 

Besides, he could see that she thought the same as him.

“Are you sure?” Emma asked, looking at Will.

“Very.” 

Emma held eye contact for a second, looking for a lie, for doubt. Finding nothing, she turned to Henry with a smile. “You’re a lucky kid, you know that?”

Henry’s smile grew wide and he hugged Emma tight. “Yeah, I do.” He hugged Killian next. “Thank you.”

Will smiled. “Come, I’ll introduce you.”

Henry Turner had a front tooth missing and he proudly explained that it was his first one. He was in fact three years younger than Henry, who boasted about his grown-up teeth, having lost his last one a month prior. Instead of jealousy, as might have been expected, the younger Henry seemed even more excited about his future grown-up teeth.

Killian was introduced as Jones and Emma as Swan, while the boys were excited at their shared name. Will presented his wife as “his Swann” but Elizabeth had corrected her husband, despite her blush, that she was in fact Elizabeth Turner. Their shared smiles were loving and Killian looked away from the tender moment.

The six of them walked together through the village, doing their best to avoid the crowds and the confusion while keeping the two boys in their sights. 

It filled his heart with joy to see Henry acting like a child. There were times where Henry almost felt like another adult, already hardened by the danger they were in, having had to grow up much too fast. But now, laughing and running alongside the Turner boy, he was just like any other boy. He glanced at Emma and found her sharing his expression and smile.

He hoped this break would do them all some good.

The Turners lived in a cabin by a cliff overlooking the sea. It looked old but well cared for. A home.

“That’s the kitchen window. I was there when I saw Papa’s ship on the horizon!” the Turner boy pointed out eagerly.

“Yes, and you almost left the house in your skivvies!” Elizabeth mock-scolded her son and they all shared a fond laugh.

Once they were inside the cabin, an offer of a bath was extended to the visitors. Despite their reluctance to take advantage of the Turner’s hospitality, they accepted on the condition that they be allowed to help with the meals, to which Elizabeth reluctantly agreed.

As they did during their stay with Elsa and Anna, Killian and Henry insisted Emma use the bath first. Henry was far more interested in playing with Henry and his wooden ship than bathing anyway.

Killian watched, as subtly as he could, as Elizabeth handed Emma soft towels, some clothing and a soap. Their eyes locked and he inhaled deeply between his partly opened lips as a soft blush tinted her cheeks. 

For an instant a picture of Emma in a bath invaded his mind, her skin pink from the hot water, the scent of rosemary and lavender from the soap Elizabeth gave her filling his nostrils. His chest tightened and he turned away and pretended to appreciate the cabin instead. Those were definitely dangerous thoughts and he’d do well to shut them down. As he turned away, he missed the way Emma’s eyes widened and she bit her lip before she moved to the other room.

The boys’ loud laughter broke him away from his reverie and he thankfully had the quick reflexes to catch a wobbling vase from a nearby end table as they ran past. Accident averted.

“Careful, Henry!” he called out only to be ignored as they ran to the younger boy’s room. Killian caught Will’s smile and crossed arms. “Apologies, he’s usually quieter.”

“My Henry is the same.” Will waved away his apology as he approached to stand next to him. “I think each other’s company will do them good.”

He knew that Henry needed to be taken somewhere safe. They were supposed to follow Cygnus to Avalon and then Henry would be safe. But here and now, with the boys’ carefree laughter filling the Turner home, Killian felt guilty over taking him away from this. 

“I agree,” Killian sighed. “But we really must carry on our journey in the morning.”

Will nodded, understanding clear in his expression, even if Killian recognised the disappointment hidden beneath. He felt the same.

“You know where we live. You all have an open invitation.”

“Why are you doing this for us?” 

“Why not?” Will winked before heading towards the kitchen where his wife was calling for him.

Could it really be that simple? 

They’d only known each other for four days. How could Will trust virtual strangers enough to bring them into his home? With his family? How could he be so open and selfless?

Will didn’t seem the kind of man to have had an easy life. Killian recalled his kinship with the ship captain. He knew there was something about him that he could trust and maybe that’s how Will felt about them. Maybe there was something inside they all just recognised in each other. Maybe they had met for a reason. 

But Killian wasn’t well versed in talks of destiny and fate. 

Emma returned from her bath. She looked more relaxed than before. Her hair was tied into a wet braid that fell over her shoulder and her cheeks were still pink, from the hot water he suspected. She wore a gown lent to her by Elizabeth. 

It fit her well. It was a simple gown, a soft lavender color. Elizabeth was slightly taller than Emma and so the skirt almost hid Emma’s bare feet. She was nothing if not practical and pulled up the sleeves from where they reached her palm. The neckline wasn’t plunging by any means but, after so long covered by her armor, Killian couldn’t help but notice it exposed her collarbones.

It was a lovely domestic sight, if he was honest. Perhaps too in tune with his thoughts of family and a seaside cabin. But it still took his breath away, making his heart hammer in his chest. A desire rose up in him to reach for her, hold her, make her laugh and pull her into a slow dance in the middle of the room. 

Emma turned to him. He hoped his thoughts weren’t so clearly visible in his eyes but he couldn’t look away. Killian smiled and she returned it instinctively. What a sight. Killian caught his breath.

“The water will be getting cold soon.” Emma broke the silence, the red of her cheeks deepening.

“Perhaps Henry should go first,” he suggested, not ready to leave her presence.

“I think he is doomed for a cold bath.” She grinned shyly and he mimicked her action, his eyes tracing her round cheeks. “You go, I’ll try to get his attention while you do.” 

They chuckled and he tried to keep his eyes from following the movement of her lips for too long. When he looked back into her eyes, she was watching him and he felt her warm touch on his arm.

“We have a towel for you, Jones.” Elizabeth interrupted, handing him his own towel. Killian noticed a shirt and a pair of trousers on top and he rushed to grab the bundle. “These are Will’s, I think they should fit you.”

“Thank you very much, Mrs. Turner,” Killian smiled. “You’re far too kind.”

“And you, are a charmer.” She tapped his cheek with a smile. “Now, go, before the water gets cold.” She waved him away before leaving the room again.

Killian winked at Emma who shook her head amusedly as he walked away. 

The still hot water felt like heaven on his sore muscles. It had been four grueling days at sea and it felt particularly satisfying to spend at least a few minutes relaxing in the moist heat. Not wanting Henry’s water to be cold, he hastened to clean himself.

The clothes smelled washed - not that he was surprised - and felt soft. Thankfully, they fit him perfectly. The white shirt was loose over his shoulders and the sleeves hid his brace. The trousers were made of soft fabric and stopped at the ankles. He was glad the warm weather allowed him to stay barefoot.

“Just another minute.” Killian heard Henry’s whine once he exited to the corridor. Smirking, he followed the boy’s voice.

“In a minute the bath will be cold, Henry,” Emma informed the boy and Killian watched as she placed her hands on her hips. The younger Henry sat cross-legged on the floor holding onto the older boy’s sleeve. “You’ll be back in no time.” 

Killian couldn’t help but imagine this domestic scene as a possibility for them. A house near the sea, toys scattered all over the floor, perhaps another child for Henry to play with. Another dangerous thought.

“But, we were playing pirates.” Henry had never been this difficult before, but then again, he had never had the opportunity. “We were about to defeat the kraken.”

“Yeah!” Little Henry agreed, holding up a roughly hand-carved octopus.

“Come on, lad.” Killian decided to intervene. “The quicker you go, the quicker you can come back to play.”

“But-” Henry looked between the two adults with pleading eyes before groaning in defeat. “Alright…” He turned to his playmate. “I’ll be right back.” 

Hastily, Henry stood from the ground and grabbed the bundle Elizabeth had already prepared for him before running to the room Killian had just left.

“Make sure you scrub! With soap!” Emma shouted after him before the door closed. She sighed before looking at Killian, defeated. “This is going to be the quickest bath on record.”

Killian let out a bark laugh and Emma chuckled, as well. A huff of impatience from behind them caught their attention. They looked to find Little Henry with his elbows on his knees and his head on his fists. A perfect picture of childish agony.

“He’ll be back in no time, lad,” Killian reassured, crouching in front of him and pointing to his toys. “Why don’t you tell me about your crew?”

He thought he felt eyes on his back, aware of Emma’s presence still in the room, but he made a conscious effort to pay attention to the boy’s enthusiastic explanation, instead.

As expected, barely enough time for a thorough washing had passed - only minutes really - before Henry returned to the room. His hair was wet and he was wearing clean clothes. It was really all they could ask for. Elizabeth had found some hand-me downs that she had been mending and saving for when her Henry was grown that fit Henry like a glove. They were a similar combination of a shirt and trousers that matched Killian’s clothes. 

Just like at the Agrabahn tailor, he felt a twinge of pride at the similarity.

The boys were playing again in no time, and Emma and Killian were being actively ignored. Wanting to make good on the deal they’d made with their hosts, they headed for the kitchen to help with their meal, bringing their clothes in with them.

“I can put your clothes on the line for the night,” Elizabeth offered, holding out her arms.

“No, please,” Emma countered. “You’ve done enough, we’ll do it.” 

Brown eyes clashed with green in a battle of wills that Killian found immensely entertaining to watch. 

“Alright,” Elizabeth finally conceded, crossing her arms. “I’ve already put Will’s out so just put them next to his.” 

The domesticity continued once they were outside. Between the calmness of the task and their shared smiles, it was like their journey had hit a pause and they were free to be… well, free.

Back inside, they helped with dinner while Will tended to the garden in the back of the house. Killian could see tomatoes were ready for picking. While he cut the vegetables, Emma kneaded and cut the dough into rolls.

“Where are you two headed tomorrow?” Elizabeth asked from where she stood by the stove.

Killian and Emma shared a look before answering.

“We’ll try to find some manner of transportation in the village,” Killian said, letting his thoughts go to Roger and hoping that he and Elsa and Anna are alright. “We’re heading east.”

“Be careful on your way,” Elizabeth warned. “Try not to cross too close to Misthaven.”

“How so?” Emma asked.

“The kingdom has been abandoned for a long time and a powerful witch placed a spell around it,” she explained. “It doesn’t sound good. Just be careful.”

“We will,” Killian reassured her, finding Emma’s gaze. It felt wrong to add another lie to their relationship with the Turners, but it would do no good to worry them. Besides, they already had more than enough experience with witches.

Will walked through the kitchen door with a basket under his arm. “We should have potatoes soon, my love.” He kissed Elizabeth’s head before placing the recently harvested vegetables on the counter.

“Thank you, dear.” She returned his loving gaze. 

Finished with her task, Emma handed the tray of rolls to Will so he could put them in the oven, before joining Killian and helping with his task. Their hosts moved seamlessly in the kitchen, completely in sync, soft and happy smiles directed at each other every time they crossed.

Killian hated to admit it, but his chest tightened with jealousy at the sight.

“How long have you lived here?” Emma asked, curiously even as she purposefully avoided looking too long at the couple.

“Almost a decade?” Will answered, looking to Elizabeth for confirmation.

“We got married and wanted a family,” she agreed, a fond smile curving her lips. “We moved here and repaired this house.”

“Thankfully, we were finished by the time her belly was so big she couldn’t move,” Will teased, receiving an elbow to the ribs from his wife.

“Why here?” Killian asked.

“We came from Port Royal, a few miles south from here,” Will answered. “It was close enough to home while still being safe.”

“We had to leave after we were sentenced to hang,” Elizabeth added with a hint of bitterness in her tone. But it wasn’t her tone that had Emma and Killian looking at them with shock and worry. Will noticed and allowed a small smile to escape.

“Elizabeth was captured during a pirate attack on our town,” Will explained. “I joined another pirate to save her. It didn’t exactly go as planned.”

“Yes, almost dying was never in the plan.” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at her husband who raised his hands defensively.

“We survived, didn’t we?” She rolled her eyes and Will grinned. 

“Barely, Jack had the worst plans and we were even worse at following them.” Her tone was fonder now, even if still exasperated.

“Aye.” Will sighed now, a mournful look in his eyes. “Jack became a friend along the way but he was still a pirate, and Port Royal wasn’t very fond of them. Because of that, he was imprisoned and sentenced to hang the next morning.”

“They really liked to hang people, huh?” Killian joked, with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Will laughed and Elizabeth smiled wryly behind him. “Thankfully, we were able to save him and he escaped. We owed him that much.”

“Unfortunately, because of that, we were deemed traitors and they wanted to arrest us.” Elizabeth stirred the pot a bit too strongly, until Will’s hand found her arm.

“Jack returned the favor and took us away from Port Royal. We stayed aboard his ship for a couple of years.” Will fell quiet with those words, and Emma and Killian looked between the couple for the rest of the story.

“He died during an attack by an old rival. We managed to get the ship to safety but he didn’t make it,” Elizabeth continued in a quiet voice. “He passed the ship onto us.”

“It has been ours ever since. Once we decided to settle down, I decided to pull away from piracy. The Black Pearl is now a merchant ship.” 

“We are thankful for the crew, too. They were Jack’s first but they cared for Will and were more than happy to make this change with us.”

“It all worked out, then,” Emma commented quietly, like she didn’t want to ruin the moment.

“I think,” Elizabeth began with a smile, “that we worked hard to be where we are. We lost our home and we made a new one. We had hope. And it was worth it.” Will smiled back, placing a soft kiss on the back of his wife’s hand.

“Mom!” The younger Henry called from the stairs. “Where are my swords?”

Elizabeth put on a faux-exasperated expression as she stood in the doorway. “I’ll be right there, baby,” she called before turning back to the other three. “Wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world.”

As he had suspected, the Turners were very similar to them. They had also lost their homes. Lost friends and family. But still they persevered. It was impressive to say the least. 

Dinner was a merry affair. Never had Killian laughed so hard in his life. They traded stories, as best they could with the near constant interruptions from the two boys. The older Henry proved to be as charming as ever and the younger was adorably funny. While Will had been relaxed during their journey, it was a whole different story while at home. He was no longer the captain, he was just Will. He wondered if there was such a distinct difference in himself.

“This meal was delicious, Mrs. Turner,” Killian complimented as he sat back in his chair.

“Agreed,” Emma nodded, her hand holding her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this well.” 

Elizabeth waved away the compliments. “It was nothing special, but thank you. And please, call me Elizabeth.” 

They smiled and spoke at the same time. “Thank you, Elizabeth.”

She smiled and grabbed the dishes. “Please, allow us.” Killian stopped her hand, standing up.

Emma nodded. “It’s the least we can do.” 

“If you insist.” 

Together, they took the dishes back to the kitchen leaving behind a big discussion over which game to play now that they finished eating. Standing side by side, they worked together to do the washing up. 

By accident, Killian bumped Emma’s hip as he moved. By no accident at all, she bumped back with a wide smile.

“You’ve been doing that a lot,” Killian commented, earning him an inquisitive look from Emma. “Smiling,” he clarified, a smile on his own face.

“Oh.” She looked down at her hands self-consciously but he bumped her hip one more time to bring her attention back to him.

“I like it,” he confessed, in a lower voice. “You have a beautiful smile.”

“If this is you trying to get me to go easy on you for whatever game they choose, you are going to be very disappointed,” she informed him, her eyebrow raised at him pointedly.

“Come now, Emma. Have I told you a lie?” He raised his own eyebrow with a smirk.

She looked into his eyes intently and he couldn’t look away. Her smile grew soft and she shook her head. “No, I guess you haven’t.” 

Killian was sure to have sore cheeks for the rest of his life from the way she made him smile. And he would gladly suffer it a million times more if it meant that he would be able to see her smile back at him. A beautiful smile, indeed.

“Do you know how to play crazy eights?” Henry asked from the doorway.

“Aye.” 

“Yeah.”

“You’re on my team,” he announced. “We are so going to win.”

They watched Henry excitedly go back to the others.

“Does he know that crazy eights don’t have teams?” Emma asked.

“Apparently not,” Killian answered with a grin.

To everyone’s surprise, Henry Turner won the game. Killian suspected his father had given him a hand but he had also been trying to help Henry win so he wouldn’t cast the first stone.

So much excitement for one day had the boys yawning by the end of the game. The fire was hot, the food had been fantastic, and Killian longed for a warm bed at this point, too. 

Of course, not even the boys’ clear need for sleep was able to stop them from wanting just one more game. Just one more story.

“What about you two sleep in Henry’s room and I sing you a song until you fall asleep?” Elizabeth suggested to the tired boys.

The younger Henry quickly grabbed the bigger Henry’s arm, excited. “Yes! Mama sings the best songs, you have to hear it.” 

“Are you sure?” Killian asked, holding out his hand. Henry was their responsibility, after all.

“Of course,” she quickly reassured. “I do it every night for mine and we all know they won’t want to be apart for a second.” She then turned to the boys. “Why don’t you start getting ready for bed?”

Killian had never seen Henry so excited to go to bed. As the boys rushed down the hall, he heard the younger Henry’s quiet question.

“Does your Mama sing you songs?”

From the corner of his eye, he watched Henry glance at Emma. “Yeah. She sings good, too.”

“You two can sleep here.” Elizabeth caught their attention as she rose from her chair. “Will will help you,” she added before following the boys. “Goodnight.”

They watched as Will moved some cushions around on the couch. “This is quite comfortable, I’ve actually slept here a few times before,” he reassured them with a wry grin. Emma and Killian laughed, even as a hint of discomfort shone through on Emma’s countenance. “I’ll grab you some blankets and pillows.”

They were left alone and Elizabeth’s soft singing reached them from the boys’ room. He caught Emma’s gaze and he saw the same emotion reflected in her eyes.

“We don’t both have to sleep there,” Killian offered, quietly. “I can sleep on the chair.” He gestured towards the grand chair in the corner.

“They think we are married, they expect us to sleep in the same bed.” Emma’s tone was determined but was undermined by the way she hugged herself around the waist.

“I don’t care about what they think.” His tone brooked no argument. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

A small, relieved smile broke on her face and her arms loosened. “It’s just sleeping, I can handle it.”

“Are you sure?” 

She nodded, her eyes never leaving his. 

Maybe she had been worried that he’d take advantage of the situation. Despite her proclamation of trust, it was clear that was something very new to her. Maybe his own wishes for her comfort had been enough to reassure her. Maybe it didn’t matter.

He had no plans whatsoever to take advantage of her, nor was he only pretending to care. She could probably see all of that in his eyes. If he could read her, then he would assume the opposite also held true.

Will placed the pillows and blankets on the couch.

“Will you be alright?” he asked.

“More than,” Emma reassured him.

Will nodded. “Goodnight, mates.” 

“Goodnight,” they said at the same time.

They were left alone. The singing had quieted and he assumed the boys had fallen asleep. A door down the corridor closed and they were left in silence.

“You first,” Killian offered, trying to keep his nerves out of his voice.

“Yeah, okay,” Emma mumbled, grabbing one of the pillows and settling on the left side of the improvised bed. 

Once she did, he opened the blankets and helped her cover herself and the still empty side. He laid down next. The couch, while admittedly comfortable, wasn’t too wide. Even with Emma laying on her side, she was still near enough for him to feel her warmth.

The silence stretched between them.

“It’s strange not to have Henry with us,” Killian commented, keeping his eyes on the ceiling.

“Yeah,” Emma agreed. “That and no stories.”

That made him smile and turn his head to her. “Do you want me to tell you a story, Swan?” he teased.

“No,” she answered, with a smirk. “Besides, there are no stars.” She gestured towards the wooden beams of the ceiling.

“That’s true,” he agreed, glancing at the ceiling for a second before turning an innocent smile towards her. “I guess you should sing me a song then.”

That seemed to surprise her as her grin widened. “I’m not going to sing for you.”

“Oh, but I thought that was the deal,” Killian argued, matching her smile. “No stars means that you sing a song.”

“You are not a child, Jones, so no song for you.” She pointed at him, her finger dangerously close to his nose.

He pouted, even if it was ruined by his grin. “Not even a small one?”

She pressed her lips together to hide her smile, albeit unsuccessfully, and shook her head.

“Guess I’ll have a terrible night, then.” He sighed, defeated as he looked back up to the ceiling. 

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Emma rolled her eyes, cushioning her hands under her cheek.

“Fine, fine.” He turned his head to her, his eyes soft. “Goodnight, Emma.” 

“Goodnight, Killian,” she whispered back, closing her eyes.

Just like the night before, it took a long time for him to fall asleep. He was acutely aware of her presence at his side, her warmth, her slowly deepening breathing and how close she was. They had never been this close without a 10 year old boy between them.

He dared to watch her in the dying firelight for only a few seconds. He watched the curve of her lips, the shape of her brow and the fluttering of her lashes. His fingers tingled with the urge to touch her cheek, to feel the softness of her hair, to pull her against him.

He pushed it all aside. That wasn’t good form and his brother would have surely cuffed his ears for such ideas. He closed his eyes and tried to put it all away.

And, just like the night before, his dreams were all of her.

---

He was warm. The fire should have been out by now. The sun was shining in his eyes and there was something tickling his chin. Finally opening his eyes, he discovered the source.

Emma’s head lay on his chest, half of her body over his. Her leg had tangled with his and her hand lay on the exposed skin of his chest. His left arm was wrapped around her waist and if he was remembering correctly, his right hand had been over hers.

This wasn’t good. 

Actually, it was fantastic… But no, it was not good.

He quickly lifted his left arm away from her, hoping to make their position more innocent, but the movement made her stir. He held his breath. He felt the difference in her breathing as she woke up. He really needed to breathe at some point. 

He gave her a moment to get her bearings. Maybe he could pretend that he was still asleep and grant her the illusion of his ignorance. No such luck. Her sharp inhale was followed by her quick disentanglement. She pushed her hands against him and the couch, her arms taut, jostling both of them. He could only look up into her wide eyes.

“I-I-” She stuttered and he watched as she tried to come up with an excuse, any reason to be tangled up with him.

He could help. He couldn’t bear to see her so distressed.

“It was a small bed,” he offered in justification. “I’m glad you weren’t uncomfortable.”

“Hmm, yeah.” She nodded, still a little slow in the morning. “Not enough space.”

“No need to worry, love.” He flashed her a grin. “I’m not complaining.”

Killian had hoped his teasing would be well-received, like last night. But Emma’s panic was palpable and her hand still lay on his chest. He hoped this didn’t ruin any progress they had already made.

“Why don’t I give you some time?” Killian offered, gesturing down the corridor.

Emma’s eyes bore into his own for a moment before she nodded, finally removing her hand from his chest. He tried not to mourn the loss of her touch.

Killian stood up from the bed and took a step towards the corridor before turning back to her. “I won’t speak of this, Emma, not unless you wish to.” 

Her eyes were still wide where she sat on the couch and he nodded, finally moving away. He could still feel the warmth of her body, the ghost of her touch. 

As he left the room, he thought he heard her whisper. “Thank you.” 

---

The boys were awake by the time Killian returned to the living room, effectively ending the quiet in the seaside house. Which was not a bad thing at all. After so long, running away from villains and all sorts of dangers, it felt good to be around such innocence and joy.

Unfortunately, they did have a mission and they had already lost enough time. Henry had managed to win another hour with Little Henry with Will and Elizabeth’s offer to break their fast together. As well as their offers of supplies.

How they had gotten so lucky he didn’t know.

Emma had avoided his gaze until they all sat at the table together. Killian had tried to keep his more dangerous emotions bottled up, wanting to help calm her down, wanting to reassure her of his promise. 

It seemed to have worked. She smiled.

Slowly but surely, their relationship returned to normal. There was still a hint of hesitation in her, but when she smiled, he counted that as a win.

Leaving the Turners was hard.

For Henry especially, but they had all formed such a deep connection with each other. He would miss Will’s reassurance and fun, Elizabeth’s strength and care, and young Henry’s innocence and cheer. But they did have a mission.

“Remember,” Henry told the younger one with a serious expression, “If the kraken escapes-”

“I’ll call Davy Jones to come get him,” Little Henry finished with a serious nod. “Just like you taught me.”

Killian wasn’t too proud to admit that the sight made him emotional. The boys had bonded quickly and he was loath to separate them. He would also miss the domesticity of the Turner home. 

It took a while to separate the boys and Killian ended up promising to return as soon as they could. He hoped it was a promise he could keep. Henry looked at him with hopeful eyes and he sensed Emma’s disapproval. They were all reluctant to leave. 

The gloomy cloud over Henry’s head was displayed prominently even after they silently made the hike back down to the village. Now, if only they could find a horse, or a carriage.

Emma’s head was covered by her hood once more and he tried to keep his eyes away from the dark green fabric while they began their search. He didn’t notice the growing distance between them and the boy.

“Oof!” he heard Henry exclaim. From a distance, he saw Henry with his hands on a horse’s side. Could he have bumped into it? Thankfully, he’d kept his feet under him. As they got closer, an older woman appeared from the horse’s opposite side, a concerned look on her face.

“Are you alright, dear?” 

“Yeah,” Henry answered, a soft smile on his face as his hand reached for the animal’s head where it was nuzzling him. “I guess I didn’t see your horse.”

Killian reached where Henry stood at the same time as Emma. 

“We’re so sorry about this,” Emma apologized, placing her hands on Henry’s shoulders. “We lost him for a bit, there.” 

“No problem at all, dear.” The woman smiled kindly as she rubbed her thumb over Henry’s cheek. “Just let me know if you folks need some help.”

“Do you know how to get to Misthaven?” Henry asked, too quick for his companions to stop him, his focus on the calm horse. 

“As a matter of fact,” the woman answered. “I’m headed that way myself.” She gestured to her carriage. 

Well, this luck of theirs was getting ridiculous, Killian thought. By the look on her face, Emma seemed to agree. 

“My name’s Johanna,” the woman introduced herself. “I’d be happy to give you a ride.”

“We really don’t wish to impose,” Killian tried to decline as politely as he could. The woman seemed fairly non-threatening but they surely couldn’t trust another stranger.

“You wouldn’t,” Johanna reassured. “It’s a long trip by foot and I would appreciate the company and the help. I’m certainly not getting any younger.”

Killian looked at Emma. He wasn’t too eager to make the trip by foot or spend what little coin he had left on transportation, but it couldn’t be this easy.

Emma looked intently at the woman. “How do you know you can trust us?”

“I don’t.” Johanna shrugged, without a waver in her smile. “But you look like you need help and if I can help such a sweet little boy, I will.” She touched her index to Henry’s scrunched up nose. “Besides, I have no riches and you don’t seem the type to harm someone for something so small.” She gestured towards her old carriage.

“We don’t,” Henry shook his head. “We only fight villains.” 

Killian chuckled nervously. “We’ve been traveling for a long time, we’ve seen all sorts of people along the way,” he tried to explain.

“I bet you win, don’t you?” Johanna grinned at the boy.

“Yeah, we always do!” Henry matched her grin.

“Come on, then.” The woman raised to her full height, a good foot shorter than Killian, urging them to follow her to the carriage. “There’s no time to waste.” 

Emma kept her hands on Henry’s shoulders preventing him from following the woman, nervously looking between Johanna and her companions. Henry looked up into Emma’s face.

“Are we really trusting her?” she asked. “Doesn’t it seem strange that we were this lucky?”

“She’s not a villain, Emma, she’s just nice,” Henry protested but Emma was more focused on Killian’s assessment.

“We have to be practical, Swan,” he tried to reassure. “She is right, we need the transport and I think it’s safe to say, she is relatively harmless.” Killian watched how Johanna moved things around in the cabin of the carriage. “You can stay inside the carriage with her and Henry while I drive.”

Emma looked into his eyes for a moment before nodding. He trusted her to keep Henry safe, she knew that. Despite his belief that they would be safe, they both knew they had to be cautious.

“Okay, yeah…” Emma nodded a few extra times for emphasis, her hands clenching and unclenching on Henry’s shoulders. The boy’s head landed on her stomach so he could look at her with a smile. “You’re right.” She returned it.

“Can we go now?” Henry asked, his gaze still on Emma’s. “I think I smelled something sweet from inside the carriage.” His small body began shaking in excitement and Emma’s smile widened.

Killian cursed her hood for not letting him see the entirety of it.

“I should have known you’d be easily charmed by candy,” Killian teased with a fond smile.

Henry’s put-upon innocent smile made them laugh. He felt eyes on them and he turned to see Johanna look at them with a fond smile. “Are you folks ready?”

“Yeah!” Before they could stop him, Henry rushed inside the carriage with Emma following close behind. 

“I’ll take the reins,” Killian told the older woman.

“Of course, dear.” Her smile was full of understanding as she climbed inside the carriage.

The horse was black. It reminded him of Roger. Killian took his time to stroke his head before sacrificing one of the apples the Turners gave them to it. After a pat on its forehead, he took his seat with the reins safely in his hand.

“Hi!” Henry’s loud exclamation startled him and it was only thanks to his careful hold that he didn’t drop the reins.

Turning around, he found Henry’s head framed in a small window of the carriage behind him, a wide smile and laughs sounding from behind him. He couldn’t help but smile back.

“If I keep this open, we can still talk!” Henry pointed out, stepping aside from the opening for him to see Emma sitting in the middle with Johanna on her left and an empty seat on her right that likely belonged to Henry. 

He found Emma’s eyes and even in the shade of the carriage and of her hood, he could still see her bright smile towards Henry. And when she finally turned her smile towards him, well… he was glad to have an unlimited source of air.

“That’s a great idea, lad.” Killian smiled, focusing on Henry. “Take a seat, my boy! Adventure awaits!” He winked at him before turning back to the road ahead. He heard his excited giggle and he ignored any strange look he got for the wide smile on his face as he urged the horse forward. 

---

The Maritime Kingdom was just as beautiful and peaceful as he first thought. On their first day there, they had only seen the port and the limited sights of their hike to the Turner’s home but now, their path took them through the town. 

It was a fishing town, of course. The smell of fish and sea and salt wafted through the streets. There were men and women shouting about their fair prices for quality products and children running up and down the streets happy and free. 

It would be a good place to settle down. To start a family.

Killian shook those thoughts away for what felt like the millionth time.

He directed the horse along dirt roads out of the town, where houses became sparser until there was only a calm forest, beautiful and colorful flowers lining their way, following Johanna’s map. There were birds and squirrels in the trees and he thought he saw a deer between the far away bushes.

Henry had, in fact, been right. Johanna had an abundance of sweets that she gladly shared with them. They looked and tasted delicious. But not even the tasty sweets were able to quiet Henry - the journey so far had been filled with him telling everyone about his and Henry Turner’s adventures. He was glad he was keeping to more innocuous topics.

They stopped by a river to fill their canteens and have some of their rations to eat. The water was clear and reflected the equally clear sky. As Killian crouched on the river bank, he felt a prickling on the back of his neck. The water reflected a dark figure above in the sky. When he arched his neck to see it, it was gone. 

Perhaps he was tired. 

He was pulled back to the group by a loud laugh. Henry’s. Killian quickly looked at them to see Henry with his trousers rolled up to his knees splashing water onto Emma who was in exactly the same position, the water hiding her bare legs and her grin just as bright as the boy’s.

“We should arrive at Misthaven tomorrow,” Johanna called his attention from his companions, smiling fondly where she had also noticed Emma and Henry’s shenanigans.

“We’ll make camp tonight,” Killian offered, a last look at his companions before storing away their belongings.

He didn’t notice Johanna’s help. “They are quite precious, aren’t they?” He whipped his head towards her. “I can see you love them very much.”

His eyes went to the laughing duo unconsciously. “Hmm.” He cleared his throat. “I care for them.”

Emma looked up and caught his eye. His heart pounded against his chest, and his throat resembled the Agrabahan desert. Killian was losing count of the times her mere gaze produced such a profound reaction from him. He smiled, the grin widening when Henry, catching Emma distracted, kicked water at her. He laughed as Emma grabbed Henry by the waist and pulled him into her arms, tickling him mercilessly. His laughter echoed over the clearing.

Killian could just see from the corner of his eye Johanna nod with a fond smile. Maybe her words weren’t so far from the truth.

“We should carry on!” Killian called out over their sounds of joy.

The resuming of their journey had Emma and Henry trying to tickle each other’s bare feet until they had finally dried enough for them to slip on their shoes. Their laughter filled his heart with longing.

“Wow,” Henry gasped from the side window of the carriage. “What’s that?”

Making sure the road ahead was clear, he turned to look at where Henry was pointing. It was a large clearing, unassuming at first. A closer look told him that the ground wasn’t just barren, it was dried up, as if a great body of water had been there before. A glint out in the middle of the empty basin made Killian wonder if the sun was reflecting off just a small bit of leftover water. It was hard to imagine a lake of this size completely dried up.

“That,” Johanna answered, her voice sounding from next to Henry’s, “was Lake Nostos.”

The name sounded familiar but it had been a legend at best, decades old.

“It was, once upon a time, a great lake. It was said to be able to cure curses.”

“What happened to it? There’s no water.” 

“The lake was protected by a siren, who had been cursed never to leave it. But, about three decades ago, someone killed the siren and the lake dried up.”

“Oh.” Henry’s quiet word was loud in the small carriage. “Why would someone do that?”

He heard shuffling in the back seat. “Some people abuse the good of the world, Henry,” Emma spoke softly. “All we can do is try and protect what we can as best we can.” 

He thought of how pertinent her words were to their situation and he wondered if she realized it. She probably did. Knowing her, she probably said it for that purpose alone.

“Yeah, that’s what heroes do,” Henry said confidently.

Henry thinking of them as heroes wasn’t new. It was true that he had done a lot more good in the time he’d been with the boy than in the past 10 years, but…there was still much to atone for. Killian hoped Henry understood, that for him, he would try to be one.

Thankfully, conversation quickly moved towards easier subjects. Johanna used the moment to ask Henry more about his heroic adventures while staying with the Turners and the boy was more than willing to tell her all about them.

The boy knew how to tell a story and had them laughing in no time. Killian welcomed the laughter.

Especially as the forest became darker. As they carried on, there was less noise. He had grown used to seeing and hearing the birds around them but they dwindled to nothing as they rode along. The trees were less alive. The flowers less colorful.

He tried to chalk it up to the approaching night, but even he knew it felt unnatural.

As soon as the sun set, he decided to stop. He had never been afraid of the dark, but he was carrying precious cargo now. He stopped at a clearing off the dirt road. They were quick to build a fire, not only to warm them against the cold night but also to chase away the darkness. 

The feeling of being watched that had followed him from the river had only intensified.

“Johanna,” Henry called from where he had curled up against Killian’s chest - he had wanted to keep him close. “Do you know any stories?”

Killian and Emma smiled. The night became a little less dark.

“As a matter of fact,” Johanna smiled fondly, tightening the blanket around her, “I do. Have you heard of the Princess and the Shepherd?”

He heard Henry’s gasp before he saw his surprised expression. “I have! Killian told me that one before.”

“I’m not surprised.” Johanna smiled at Killian. “It is one of the most famous stories in the Enchanted Forest.” Killian nodded in recognition.

“Yeah,” Henry continued, glancing at where Emma leaned against a tree next to him. “He told us about how they fell in love and lived happily ever after after defeating the Evil Queen.”

Killian watched Johanna thin her lips, her eyes shifting away from Henry’s face. By the way the boy’s shoulders tensed, Killian knew he noticed, too.

“Did they not live happily ever after?” he asked in a small voice, looking between the adults.

“Well, they were happy,” Johanna began. A vicious protective instinct surged up in him as he tightened his arm around Henry and hoped that the older woman wouldn’t keep talking. He wasn’t so lucky. “But unfortunately, it wasn’t ever after.”

Henry shot sad and slightly accusatory eyes at Killian. He didn’t know what to say.

“Not everyone knows this part of the story,” Johanna defended, bringing Henry’s attention back to her.

“Can you tell it to us then?” The boy asked determinedly. Killian looked at Emma and he felt her nervous energy match his.

“Hmm.” The older woman looked between the other two adults before landing on Killian. He nodded, knowing the boy’s curiosity wouldn’t be sated if she didn’t. “Sure, sweetheart.”

“As you know, the princess married the shepherd.” Johanna sat back comfortably, warming her hands by the fire. He felt Henry burrow against him. “They managed to thwart the Evil Queen’s plans and there was peace for a while. They were happy.”

“Then the good news spread, the queen was to have a child. An heir for the kingdom.”

Misthaven was a mystery to all. A kingdom so deserted that the news that there had been an heir told him that this story was not going to have a happy ending. He pulled Henry even closer to him.

“On the heels of the happy news for the kingdom, dark murmurs began to spread of the Evil Queen’s return.” Killian heard Henry’s soft inhale of breath. “There were rumors of a dark curse that she planned to unleash on the kingdom. A curse that would destroy everyone’s happiness.”

“Why was she doing that?” Henry’s voice was quiet, a question asked almost to himself.

“The Evil Queen believed that the princess destroyed her chance at love when she was a young child, around your age.”

“Do you think she did it?”

“No,” Johanna’s tone was incontestable, a strength to her belief that niggled at the back of his mind. “She was kind and caring, she would never do such a thing.” 

“Then why did the Queen think she did it?”

“Sometimes,” Killian answered in Johanna’s stead. “people let themselves be changed by grief.” He spoke from experience.

He felt Emma’s eyes on him and when he turned to her, he saw a quiet understanding fill them. He wanted to hold her hand, feel her touch on him, an extra helping of reassurance. Henry, feeling his turbulent emotions, tightened his hold around his torso.

“Didn’t the princess try to explain what happened?” Henry asked.

“She did, but the Evil Queen refused to see reason,” Johanna answered. “She blamed the child for her lover’s death.” 

Henry sighed. Johanna stopped for a moment. He knew Henry always looked for and saw the best in people, believed that everyone deserved redemption, but given what they’d seen of Misthaven so far, Killian knew there was no room for believing in second chances in this story. 

“Okay.” The boy nodded. “The Evil Queen didn’t believe the princess and tried to kill her…” He took a deep breath. “Now, the princess is going to have a baby.” He looked at Johanna, urging her to continue.

The older woman smiled kindly over at them before nodding.

“The kingdom was in celebration, after so many years of worry and danger, there was peace and calm and hope for the future. Even with the Evil Queen’s new threat, the royals wanted to keep hope, and wanted to keep believing that they would defeat her once more.

“They had a baby girl,” Johanna’s eyes shifted for a moment. “There was a grand celebration in the kingdom. The festivities lasted for a week. Everyone was happy and hopeful.”

“And then the Evil Queen showed up,” Henry surmised in a low tone.

Johanna’s nod was sad, a burden he hadn’t recognised before. “She did, she threatened the whole kingdom with her curse and the queen and her prince searched for a solution, something to save them all.”

“Years before, they had managed to imprison a dark sorcerer.” Killian shivered instinctively at Johanna’s words, the memories of a heart turning to ash forefront in his mind. “They went to him for help and he told them that their baby was the answer, that she would be the one to save them. But they had to destroy the curse, or else there would be nothing to save.”

“They made a deal with the sorcerer.”

“Why would they do that?” Henry asked, shocked. “Don’t they know dark magic is bad?”

“They were desperate,” Johanna explained, a somber look in her face. “People can do crazy things for love.”

“Did they trust him?” 

“Nooo, absolutely not,” Johanna continued, drawing out the negative to make her point. “They knew he would want something in return, and they were prepared to give it as long as it meant keeping their daughter and their kingdom safe.”

“How did they do it?” Emma asked, finally speaking after sitting so long in silence.

Johanna’s smile softened as she looked towards Emma for a moment, a tenderness in her eyes that surprised him. He couldn’t help but think that there was something behind that smile, something important.

“The sorcerer asked them only for a hair from each of them and to keep his presence in the dungeons a secret.” 

“That seems too good to be true,” Killian commented.

“They thought so, too.” Johanna nodded. “They were told that it was possible that the hairs were a way to concentrate the magic of their True Love, a magic that was as powerful as it was rare. And they assumed he wanted to keep any enemies from finding him. His cage kept him powerless and while not in danger, it did leave him vulnerable.”

“Did they accept it?” Henry asked.

“They did. They each handed him a single hair from their heads and placed a protection spell around his cage. He then told them what to do. He told them how the curse looked and where to find it.”

“How did he know?” Killian asked suspiciously.

“They didn’t ask. I believe he had something to do with it. The queen and her prince didn’t waste time with such considerations, they needed to act fast.”

“What was the plan?” The boy’s quiet voice asked from his cocoon within Killian’s embrace.

“They separated. While the princess distracted the Evil Queen, her prince destroyed the curse.”

“Did it work?”

“Yes.” Johanna’s smile didn’t take away from the sadness in her eyes. He wondered if Henry could see it, too, or if he was just too tired. Killian’s eyes met Emma’s and he knew she noticed. “They destroyed the curse but the Evil Queen still managed to get to them.” She took a deep mournful breath. “We found out the next day that she had killed them when she appeared in the courtyard with their bodies.”

Killian’s hand rested over Henry’s head, the boy’s body impossibly close to him, hoping to give him some support. There was a moment of silence and Killian focused on Henry’s breathing, looking for any indication of distress.

“What happened to the baby?” Emma asked, her arms around her knees.

“She disappeared.” Johanna looked down at the ground. He could feel the shame and guilt overtake her - he had enough experience with that. “I was tasked with guarding her, along with a group of their best soldiers.” She took a deep steadying breath. “I don’t know what happened, but, before I knew it, the soldiers and I were waking up from the ground and the crib was empty.”

“Someone took her…” 

“We looked everywhere. I heard her cry. It was coming from outside. I thought I was going crazy because I could have sworn I saw a dark figure flying away, the cries going with it.

“I couldn’t stop it.” Johanna was crying now, likely reliving those moments all over again. 

Killian watched as Emma reached out a hand towards Johanna’s arm. At the contact, Johanna looked up, their eyes meeting. The older woman’s eyes filled up with determination and relief.

He felt Emma’s nervous energy, a soft discomfort to the strength of Johanna’s emotions.

“What happened to Misthaven?” Killian asked, interrupting the moment between the two.

“The Evil Queen took over,” Johanna answered, wiping away her tears and focusing on him. “It is a desolate, ruined kingdom. Some escaped, looking for peace. Many tried to fight, many lost, many were forced to serve her. But many still fight to this day.

“The ones who still fight believe that the child will return to them. That she will save them.” Johanna’s eyes glanced towards Emma. “I am one of those people.”

“How long has it been?” Henry asked, his voice hushed and tinged with tiredness.

“28 years since we lost them.” Johanna sighed, for the first time in their journey, she showed her age, the burden of time catching up to the spry older woman she had seemed to be.

Killian noticed Emma’s frown as she looked towards the ground, a look of concentration on her face, confusion and denial. He ached to comfort her. 

“You were close to the family then?” Emma’s eyes were blank as she looked up at Johanna. He could feel the spark of determination in her, a need for answers.

Johanna nodded, a quick flash of understanding in her eyes. “I was the princess’ caregiver since she was a child. I watched her grow up, it was like she was my own.” 

Henry’s body felt heavier against his, his steady breathing against his chest and his arms loosening around him. The boy was falling fast asleep. Carefully, he ran his hand up and down his back, hoping to grant him some comfort even in sleep.

“And you did the same for their daughter, didn’t you?” 

He watched Johanna’s throat work as she swallowed, her smile sad and her eyes widening. She nodded.

“So you know more than you say.” Her tone grew accusatory, a hint of desperation in it.

“I-” She stopped, taking a deep breath. “Her name was Emma.” He felt the air spark around them. “She was barely half a year old before she was lost to us.”

“What do you remember of her?” Killian asked in a quiet voice.

Johanna closed her eyes. “She had light green eyes, like her mothers, and there was a waft of light hair on the top of her head. She was so small but she would grasp onto your finger with an unbelievable strength.” There was a smile on her face and Killian watched as tears began to form in her eyes. “She loved it when we spoke to her, you could see her little eyes following you. She would fall asleep to her mother’s singing.”

There was a shine of tears in Emma’s eyes and he saw it: the lost girl who was so afraid to hope. His hand clenched as he restrained himself from reaching for her, knowing that Henry’s presence on his lap wouldn’t allow it. The boy shifted but remained asleep and Killian took a deep breath to center himself.

“She was born in the winter, on a very cold night. I remember wrapping her up tight in the blanket Granny Lucas knitted for her.” Her eyes remained closed, lost in the memory. “It was white and soft and it had her name knitted in blue yarn. She-”

“It wasn’t blue,” Emma interrupted, her hands shuffling around a piece that he recognised as her blanket. He hadn’t noticed her removing it from her satchel. “It was purple.”

Johanna’s eyes widened as she laid eyes on the knitted piece Emma had turned towards her. Killian saw her hands shake as she looked at it for a moment longer. When her eyes found Emma’s, there were tears streaming down her cheeks. A look of hope that seemed to take Emma’s breath away, even if he could still see the caution in her.

“I knew it was you.” Johanna’s voice shook, her smile wide and emotional. “When I saw you, I just knew it. You have your mother’s chin, and eyes, and you look so much like your father.” 

Emma held her breath, obviously trying to stifle her emotions.

“I wanted to be sure, I didn’t want to trick you or lie to you. But it is you.”

With the piece of the blanket on her lap, Emma wrapped her arms around herself. It was obvious that she wanted to push aside Johanna’s emotional response, focusing on getting her answers, on not letting hope take over.

“So my parents…they’re gone?” Johanna nodded. “They didn’t abandon me, then.” 

“No, Emma.” The older woman’s voice shook, the emotion getting the better of her. “They fought to give you a future, to allow you to grow up in a world without this evil hanging above your head. They were hoping for a victory. They had started planning your first birthday celebration.” Her smile was overwhelmingly sad. 

“Why didn’t they stay with me? Why didn’t they let someone else fight instead?” The anger in her tone, the resentment, were on full display and Killian longed to hold her, comfort her.

“I asked them the same thing, my dear,” Johanna sighed, understanding. “They felt like it was their fault, it was their kingdom and they needed to fight for it. They were confident they’d be successful and they’d come home to you again.”

“They were reckless.” Emma sat back against the tree, her eyes angry.

“They were hopeful.”

There was silence after that. He watched, powerless, as Emma struggled with these strong emotions. She seemed relieved to have answers, to know what happened, but he could also see the way she resented them, thought it was their fault she grew up alone. 

He understood. He felt her distress like it was his own. 

“I think we should get some rest.” Killian spoke quietly, hoping to interrupt the moment. “We have a long day tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Johanna agreed, discreetly wiping away her tears and wrapping herself tighter in her blanket. “We should follow the boy’s lead and recover our strength.” There was a soft smile on her face that didn’t completely hide the tornado of emotions in her eyes.

Emma simply nodded, turning towards Henry’s back. He watched Johanna turn to the opposite side. His eyes found Emma’s, sure she could see the concern behind them.

She nodded at him, the corner of her lip pulling up in an attempt at reassurance. He appreciated it more than he could express. He smiled back at her, hoping to show her his support. She understood. Of course she did.

He wrapped the blanket tighter around him and Henry and watched Emma do the same around herself. She closed her eyes and he made an effort to rest as well.

---

Emma was the first to wake the next morning. A rare occurrence but Killian assumed the complicated night before had something to do with it. He could see her from his spot against the tree as she tidied up their things in the carriage. He didn’t think Johanna was asleep. She was too still and he thought she might be too lost in thought.

Henry was still asleep against him when Killian woke up. He had felt him stir and squirm during the night and decided to let him rest as much as he could. It wasn’t long before the boy stirred awake. Killian was still as he looked around, realizing where they were.

“Killian?” Henry whispered in a hushed tone.

“Aye, lad?”

“Is Emma okay?” The boy raised his head still keeping close to him.

“I hope so,” Killian sighed, looking towards the hooded figure by the horse. “I think it’s been a tough night for her.” 

“Did Johanna tell you anything else? I think I fell asleep.” 

Killian smiled fondly, the tip of his hook touching the tip of Henry’s scrunched up nose. “She did.” He worried if he should be honest or if he should leave it to Emma. “She told us about the baby, do you remember it?” 

Henry nodded looking around. He wondered for a moment what was going on inside his head as he spent a few minutes studying his surroundings. Then Henry spoke, in a tone that didn’t beg any doubts.

“Emma’s the baby, isn’t she?”

“Why would you think that, my boy?”

“I have noticed that, this whole trip we’re on, has been leading us to important places.” Henry sat up, next to Killian against the tree. “It led us to Emma. It led us to Elsa and your last link to Liam, and now it’s leading us to Misthaven where a baby has been missing for a long time. I think Johanna was right and their lost child has returned to save them. Emma.”

Killian smiled fondly as Henry caught his breath after his passionate speech.

“You’re a very clever lad, you know?” Henry looked at him with a frown to his brow but smiled shyly soon after. “Why don’t you go and give your good mornings to Emma? I’m sure she’d like one of your hugs.”

“Yeah!” Henry quickly scrambled to stand up.

“Lad.” Killian stopped the boy with a hand on his wrist. “Let Emma be the one to tell you.”

“I won’t push her.” Henry nodded solemnly.

“Thank you.” 

They smiled at each other before Henry ran towards Emma.

“He’s a very special boy.”

Killian’s eyes found Johanna’s from where she now sat against a rock. She turned to see Henry giving Emma a strong hug, one she desperately returned.

“You have no idea,” Killian whispered.

“Do you think Emma will be okay?”

He nodded. “She’s strong. It will take some time but she will.”

“I trust you and Henry will be there to help her.” Johanna’s tone was soft and her smile even softer.

“We will.” He nodded with an unspoken promise.

Johanna smiled, throwing a last look towards where Emma and Henry were excitedly talking - well, Henry at least - before standing up. “I’ll fill our canteens.”

Alone, for the first time in a week, Killian took a deep breath. If Henry was right, and he was sure he was, they needed to prepare for whatever Misthaven threw at them.

--- 

They all ate together. 

Emma stayed fairly quiet, unless someone spoke to her directly. He was sure she had noticed his concerned looks towards her but she hadn’t made an effort to acknowledge them. 

Henry had gotten up to refill their canteens for the last time after they ate with Johanna accompanying him. Emma had made her way to the horse and carriage when Killian finished putting away their things. 

He joined her.

He saw her look at a piece of paper, so old he was surprised it still held together. There was a sketch of a long haired woman and he was able to read the words “Snow White” on it before she put it away in her bag.

“Hey.” Killian tried to keep his presence from startling her but he should know better.

“You know, I could feel your worry from a mile away.” 

He was anxious that she might be annoyed with him but he noticed her lips pulled up at the corners.

“I am fine, Killian,” she assured before turning towards him.

“Are you?”

“Aye.” Emma raised her eyebrow in a terrible imitation of his accent.

Killian chuckled, shaking his head. “Are you sure? I know last night was hard, but-”

“It was,” Emma interrupted, crossing her arms. “But I’m glad I have answers. Now I know they didn’t abandon me. I know I was loved.” She shrugged, helplessly.

His hands clenched and he focused on his words instead, hoping to give her some support.

“You are still loved, Emma.” 

Her eyes whipped to his, startled by the sentiment.

“We were brought together for a reason.” He shrugged, trying to downplay his conviction. “I think we needed each other.”

She cleared her throat, looking down before looking back at him. “Henry needed us.”

“Emma.” He tried to control his emotions but it was futile. “You know it’s not just about this mission.”

From a distance, he heard Henry’s chatter become louder. Right in front of his eyes, he watched Emma’s walls slam up with him on the opposite side.

“We need to focus on what’s coming next.”

Defeated, he sighed. “As you wish.” 

“Killian,” Henry called, and Killian turned to see his excited smile. “Can I sit next to you?”

He felt Emma’s nervous energy spike behind him. He imagined she didn’t want to stay alone with Johanna in the carriage, not after last night. But he also couldn’t deny the boy anything.

“Of course, lad,” Killian smiled, ruffling the boy’s hair. “But only for a bit. We don’t know what is awaiting us as we approach Misthaven.”

“Deal!” He grinned widely as he rushed to pat the horse’s side and sat down in the front seat.

“Time to go.” Killian smiled at the two women before joining the boy.

He tried to ignore the tension between their companions as they entered the carriage. The window stayed open between the inside and the outside but Henry didn’t try to interrupt the environment inside it.

He suspected the boy hoped that Johanna would be able to talk to Emma and reassure her, but he didn't have the heart to try and dissuade him of the notion. He thought he heard a semblance of a conversation from inside the carriage - words like “names” and “snow” and “charming” drifting outside - but his attention was focused on the boy’s redundant game of guessing what he was describing. They were crossing through the woods, everything was either a tree or a flower.

Halfway through their ride, just as the forest around began to look withered and dead, Killian stopped so that Henry could get back inside the carriage.

As predicted, it didn’t take too long before they reached a crumbling wall, being taken over by the forest around them. Killian stopped the carriage a few feet away.

Johanna was right. Misthaven was desolate and ruined. But anything they imagined paled in comparison to the reality. 

There was utter silence among the ruins, no life inside its boundaries. He could see some of the houses closer to the walls had been burned to the ground. He wondered if it continued the further they walked into the kingdom. Someone had cemented shards of mirrors in the walls that still stood - in some of the stones from the outer wall, in the houses, even on the ground. 

He had heard stories about the greatness of Misthaven. A light in the middle of a valley.

This was darkness.

They all exited the carriage. Killian took a moment to stroke the horse’s side before he grabbed his satchel from where Emma was handing it to him. Johanna stood next to it.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to accompany you inside.” They all turned to the older woman.

“Why?” Henry asked, a touch of indignation in his tone.

Johanna smiled sadly. “The Evil Queen has barred anyone from entering the kingdom. But I suspect she is expecting the three of you.”

“So we’re heading into a trap,” Emma surmised, looking at the ruins behind them.

“I remember Snow telling me that the Evil Queen always seemed to know things. That she could see them. I remember her asking the servants to remove the mirrors from the castle one by one,” Johanna explained.

Killian didn’t question the use of “Snow” as a name. He assumed that had something to do with their conversation inside the carriage. He looked back at the walls, more specifically at the shards of mirrors that now seemed to take on a different purpose. A new danger.

“She can see us,” Killian finished.

“I believe so.” Johanna nodded, nervously.

He heard Henry take a deep breath. “This is where Cygnus is taking us, this is where we’re meant to be.” It felt like he was convincing himself just as much as them.

They ignored Johanna’s confusion at the mention of the constellation as they looked at each other. They have been in battle together before and won; he believed they would do it again.

“I guess we’re going in.” Emma nodded determinedly, fixing the strap of her satchel on her shoulder.

“My dear,” Johanna began as she reached for Emma. He noticed her flinch in response. “I know this is difficult for you. I understand, truly, I do. But know this. You have my faith. You have your people’s faith. We believe in you.”

Emma looked uncomfortable. She still wasn’t used to this sort of sentiment.

“Thank you for your help, ma’am.” Killian took a step forward, catching the older woman’s attention.

She nodded. “Be careful and take care of each other.”

Henry held onto his hand and took Emma’s as well, who smiled at him.

“We will, thank you.” Henry smiled and Emma nodded at the woman, looking more at ease.

They watched for a moment as the woman sat down on the front seat of the carriage. They turned back to the ruins just as the carriage began to move away.

They would be okay.

---

“Our guests have arrived, mirror,” Regina grinned widely as she watched Killian, Emma and the Heart of the Truest Believer, walk towards the empty space between the walls within the black frame of the mirror.

She waved her hand, willing the spell around the kingdom’s border to allow them passage. There was a maniac gleam in her eyes and an anxious spark surrounding her.

 “Let’s give them a warm welcome, shall we?”

#parent for hire #cssns23 #carolina writes #emma swan #killian jones #captain hook #henry mills #captainswan #captaincobra #captaincobraswan #some backstory yall #its telling tales time #also some nice bedsharing for yall #once upon a time #ouat #ouat ff #cs ff

[letmereadherbertwestfics]

Combs-tober Day 1

Prompt: Rain

Character: Dr. Ek (The Attic Expeditions)

Warnings: None, but I gave Ek an unofficial first name

"Shit" You muttered as you walked out of work, just now noticing the heavy rainfall that had started just a few minutes ago. Normally you wouldn't mind the rain. In fact, you enjoyed when it rained most of the time. 

The problem today was that you were having car troubles this morning, and decided to walk to work instead of being late. 

Sure, it was your fault for not checking the weather before leaving, but that didn't stop you from cursing as you watched from the inside of the building as the rain only got harsher, your coworkers running to their cars with their newspapers and briefcases over their heads. 

"Y/N? What are you still doing here?"

You jumped when a voice spoke up behind you, and felt like you were going to sink into the floor when you turned to see your boss, Dr. Ek. He was looking at you with his eyebrows raised, undoubtedly wondering why you were just standing in front of the door instead of leaving. 

"Sorry, Mr. Ek. it's just...I'm going to have to call an Uber." You admitted sheepishly. Ek looked at you quizzically, tilting his head. 

"An Uber? Do you not have a car?"

"I do. I accidentally left a light on and the battery was dead this morning. But my place is only a couple minutes away so...I walked. And," You paused to motion to the heavy rain outside. "That isn't going to work out so well now." 

Ek listened to your explanation, nodding along. "I see. Well, instead of wasting money on a taxi, how about I give you a ride home?"

His sudden offer shocked you. Dr. Ek had hardly even looked at you in the year you've worked under him, but he was willing to give you a ride home? Sure, he could just be more charitable than you assumed he was, but still, the immediate offer still shocked you. And further more, you knew better than to get into cars with strangers. 

Or at least, you did know better. Because within seconds you were saying "Really? That would be great, thank you." 

And within minutes you were in the passenger seat of your boss' expensive car, the radio quietly playing classical music as the two of you sat in silence. Normally the ride to and from work felt like mere seconds, but with the awkward air around you and Ek, it felt like minutes had crawled by and you still weren't even halfway home. 

Finally, deciding to cut the tension, you spoke up. "Thanks again for driving me, Mr. Ek. You're a lifesaver."

Ek smiled at your words, not taking his eyes off of the road. "Of course, Y/N. We've worked together a decent amount of time. And you've always been an excellent nurse, consider this reimbursement for all of your hard work."

You smiled at Ek from the passenger seat, his praise making your face flush. "Excellent nurse? No offense Mr. Ek, but I didn't think you ever paid much attention to me." You admitted. This made Ek laugh.

"Pay much attention? Y/N, I notice more than a lot of your coworkers think. And please, we're off the clock, you can call me James." 

You nodded as he spoke, your smile only growing when he said you could use his first name. Something about being on a first name basis with a man so important and powerful felt intimate. Like the two of you had shared something none of your coworkers had gotten. 

Before your conversation could progress any further, Ek had pulled into your driveway, parking his car. 

"Here you are. Home sweet home." He said, smiling as he watched you unbuckle your seat belt.

"Thanks again for the ride, Mr- I mean James. Really, you're a lifesaver." 

"Please, don't mention it. If I'm being honest, Y/N, I've been hoping to get a chance to talk to you outside of work. And it looks like I got lucky."

That statement made you pause, your hand slowly slipping off of the door handle. "You were? Why didn't you say something sooner?"

Ek smiled sheepishly, looking less and less like the intimidating boss you had always seen him as by the second. 

"I've been a little caught up in a project I'm working on lately...I just couldn't find the time to ask you to dinner." 

A million thoughts were running through your head as Ek stared at you, waiting for a response or reaction of some time. This entire time you thought your boss was this powerful, scary person to steer clear of...and at the same time he was trying to ask you out? How had you never noticed even a single glance he made in your direction? And why did you waste so much time avoiding him when you could have had the opposite? And why haven't you answered him yet?

Finding your voice, you sputtered a bit before speaking. "Well...if you find some time in the near future, dinner sounds nice."

Despite being the first one to bring up the idea, Ek seemed taken aback by your words. As if he expected you to turn the idea down, or just not say anything about it. 

"Really? Well...how does Thursday night sound?" He asked. 

"Sounds great." You responded a little too quickly, much to your embarrassment. But if Ek noticed your eagerness, he didn't comment on it. 

"Fantastic. Let's talk about it more at work tomorrow." 

You agreed and the two of you said your goodbyes, and finally you exited Ek's car and hurried through the rain to your front door. You could feel Ek watching you as you unlocked your front door and went inside, and before closing the door waved goodbye once more. 

As you listened to the sound of Ek's car pulling out of the driveway, you were grateful for the rain. 

#jeffrey combs #the attic expeditions #dr. ek

[sibillascribbles08]

44. “I’m going to need you to put on some clothes before you say anything else.”

This is going to feature a lot of Donnie staring wistfully but it's sfw, even if its a bit intimate asldjfk Also a shorter one because how long can I make this really.

Donatello lay on his stomach, waiting on the bed as Jase took the first shower. He personally didn't think he even needed one, but Jase insisted he did, and they both had a long day in the office so he might as well.

But after a few good morning kisses, his fiancé slipped to the bathroom before Donatello could manage to get up.

He tried not to doze as he waited, arms tucked under his head, but the mattress was so comfy. After months of Donatello refurbishing the building into the mutant apartment complex, and custom building a bed that his tall frame could comfortably lay on, it felt good to lounge around.

Despite the distance from his brothers, it started to feel like home.

It felt... strange. That he would often return to the lair to just spend time with his brothers or his dad, or to plan for missions, but these days coming back here and seeing Jase is what made his mind say, "I'm home." He couldn't place when his brain made the switch. It certainly wasn't when he first moved in.

But Jason being here helped.

The bathroom door connected to the master bedroom opened. Jase stepped out, towel around his waist while he used another to keep drying his hair. He didn't have his glasses on, making his eyes that much easier to see.

"Don't take too long." Jase took the towel off his head and hung it on the edge of the bed as he began to open drawers. "We have that big meeting at ten, and we need to..."

The words faded out fast as Donnie just continued to stare. At first he glanced over all the pale scars that dotted Jase's shoulders, a few trailing down his spine. One area in particular on his lower back had a much denser patch of freckles. He didn't have a lot of those, a few on his arms, one on his neck.

His gaze moved up to Jase's jaw, once again following the dots up to his ears. Then over to his eyes. They squinted as he filed through his ties, obviously struggling to see without his glasses. The skin between his eyebrows, at the top of his nose, held so many creases as he did. The eyebrows in question were thick, always messy after a shower, but they tended to straighten out throughout the day.

His hair was such a mess when wet, sometimes when it was dry as well, but the comb usually fixed that. And then Donnie would destroy all of the progress by nuzzling the top of his head.

He was struck with the temptation to do it now, but no doubt it wouldn't smell like Jase. Just that coconut shampoo.

Donatello stopped studying his fiancé's face, his gaze trailing down.

"Donnie."

The sharp sound of his name snapped him back to attention.

Jason turned around, arms crossed. "Are you listening to me?"

Yeah, no, Donatello's gaze got fixed on the small amount of dark hair on Jase's chest. "Um..."

Jason scoffed and stepped over, tapping him on the forehead. "Wake up."

"Sorry." Donatello blinked, considering the fact his fiancé looked good at this angle. "But I'm going to need you to put on some clothes before you say anything else."

Jason kept his glare. "Donnie you see me like this on a regular basis these days."

"Yeah." He smirked and finally pushed himself up. "And every time I'm reminded of just how beautiful you are."

Ah, there was the blush, running all the way from his nose to the tips of his ears. "Ugh, whatever. Go get in the shower. You still have to get clean before we leave and you're wasting time."

"Well, next time we should just share the shower." Donatello stuck out his tongue.

"Hilarious." Jase tried to shove him out of the bed. "I know you. That would make us even later."

Donatello wouldn't admit that Jase, as usual, was right. Instead he just stuck out his tongue again and shuffled into the bathroom.

At least he had a hot shower to look forward to.

"Don't you dare take too long." Jase said from beyond the door. "I know how to cut the hot water off."

Donatello sighed. "Are you my business partner or my secretary."

"This meeting is important, Donnie."

"Okay, okay, but you're making it up to me later."

"It's your business!"

"Yours too now." Donatello smirked and turned the water on. "Especially since you agreed to marry me."

"That's not how that works, Donnie."

"Huh? What?" He pretended to shout. "Sorry, can't hear you over the water."

"Donnie!"

Donatello snickered and grabbed his brush before stepping into the shower.

#scribbly fics #rottmnt #jasonnie #trying to stay awake by writing these two saps