#had a headache (which i did and it didn’t get better until hours later and one nap and some Tylenol later)

[fortheloveofwonderland]

My Reply | S.R

This one was a request from the lovely @reidsaurora-replies for my milestone celebration which got wildly out of hand. I think I damn near used every lyric of the song in this one. Also, Maeve does not exist in this universe. I felt like his phone calls with her were too similar to the letters with reader and not needed

Summary - Spencer writes his deepest tragedies down on paper for his pen pal. After ten years of exchanging letters and some divine intervention from JJ, the two of you finally come face to face.

CW - this one covers most of Spencer’s canon storylines including Tobis Hankel and his drug addiction, his moms illness, his fathers abandonment, getting shot in the knee, his headaches, Emily’s “death”, prison arc, Mr Scratch and Emily’s kidnapping, angst, interfering friends, lots of literary quotes.

WC - 6.3k

Making friends was always something Spencer Reid had been inherently bad at. He was always too young or too smart which always seemed to put people off of forming friendships with him. 

When he joined the BAU, his team called themselves his friends. But Spencer knew if he’d met any of them outside of work he would have nothing in common with them. 

They were simply friends by proximity, which admittedly was better than having no friends at all. But he couldn’t talk to them about everything, afraid to scare them away with talk of his mothers illness or his fathers abandonment. 

And sometimes he just needed to talk to someone. 

It was Garcia’s idea that he sign up for a pen pal. When she found out about his mom during the course of the fisher king case, he’d confessed that he didn’t feel comfortable talking to the team about such things. 

At first she’d actually suggested talking to someone online, she had many online friends who she talked to in various chat rooms. But after almost an hour of trying to explain that to the technophobe doctor and getting little more than a deep frown in response, she changed tact. 

A pen pal appealed to Spencer greatly. He already wrote daily letters to his mom and found it somewhat cathartic, getting his thoughts down on the page, but he never bothered her with the darker stuff. 

The idea of a faceless person he’d never meet reading his deepest, darkest thoughts was actually intriguing to him. And so with the help of Penelope he found himself a pen pal. 

In his first letter he’d just introduced the basics, his name and age, what he did for a living and that he lived in DC. 

He went on to explain how hard he found it to make friends and the difficulties of talking to his already established friends about the darker parts of his life. He ended the letter with a quote from To Kill a Mockingbird.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” - Harper Lee.

He received a reply little over a week later. 

Your name was Y/N and you were twenty two, three years younger than him and a grad student at Columbia University. You told him you would be happy to read whatever he sent you, that you were more than willing for him to write to you about the things he didn’t tell his friends. 

You signed off with a quote of your own quote from the book Infinite Jest.

“You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realise how seldom they do.” - David Foster Wallace. 

And so he did just as you said and he wrote another letter. 

His second letter to you was five pages long. He went into great detail about his mothers illness, how he’d been left to deal with it alone at ten years old. He wrote about how he’d made the decision at eighteen years old to have her committed to a sanitarium. 

He told you about growing up as a child prodigy in Las Vegas and how hard that was. You were the first person he ever told about Alexa Lisbon and being tied naked to a flagpole. 

He spoke about the events surrounding Elle leaving the team and how it didn’t feel complete without her. 

He ended the letter by apologising profusely that he’d wasted your time with his long winded rambles and said he hoped to hear from you soon and scrawled a quote from The Great Gatsby.

“The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald.

He said he would understand if you didn’t reply. But you did. 

The letter took two weeks to arrive and you explained that it was because you wanted to really process his words and give each and every one of them the time they deserved. He read the last few lines of your letter over and over again in a loop even though they were etched into his memory after only one glance.

I wish there was something I could say, to erase each and every page you've been through,

even though it's not my place to save you. 

“When I get lonely these days, I think: so be lonely. Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience. But never again use another person’s body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilled yearnings.” - Elizabeth Gilbert - Eat, Pray, Love. 

He wasn’t familiar with the book and so he’d gone out and brought it and read it cover to cover within an hour. 

Reading your letter made Spencer feel understood for the first time in his young life. You didn’t pass judgement on him. Spencer found that between the pages of your letters he found a kindred spirit. 

The letters continued back and forth for several months until one day you didn’t receive a reply. His last letter had been penned to you on route to a case in Atlanta, which you’d responded to the day you received it. But there was radio silence from Spencer. 

You shouldn’t have been as worried as you were, but you couldn’t help yourself. His letters had become such a huge part of your world, often rereading them hundreds of times just to make sure you didn’t miss any little nuance on the page. 

His handwriting was ingrained within you, his scrawly, sometimes barely legible penmanship danced behind your eyelids every time you closed your eyes. His letters had rapidly become the best part of any day. And for over a year you didn’t receive a reply. 

After a while you’d stopped holding out hope every time you collected your mail. Eventually you gave up ever expecting to hear from him again. Maybe he didn’t need you anymore. Perhaps he’d made a real life friend, maybe even a girlfriend and you’d been rendered ineffective. 

But then little over a year after you sent your last letter, you found an envelope in your mail slot with the familiar handwriting you adored so much and the DC postmark. 

Y/N,

I don’t really have any excuses, all I can say is I’m sorry. I have written you fifty three letters over the course of the last year but never mailed a single one. They are piled up on my desk, addressed and even stamped, but I couldn’t bring myself to mail them. 

I’ve been struggling, I can’t lie to you. I can’t even lie to you through a letter and tell you I’ve been fine because I haven’t. I think you would see through my prose, know that I wasn’t being truthful. And you’ve never given me a reason to be anything but honest with you.

The case in Atlanta was one of the hardest I’ve ever worked. I’m not going to beat around the bush, I’m just going to tell what happened and hopefully this letter will end up with you and not in the pile on my desk. 

I was kidnapped by the man we were hunting down. I spent two days tied to a chair being beaten within an inch of my life but a man with multiple personalities. In fact, that’s not strictly true. I wasn’t beaten within an inch of my life; one of the personas killed me. 

I’m not entirely sure how long I was technically dead before he revived me but obviously not long enough to cause permanent neurological damage. Irreversible brain damage occurs after four minutes without oxygen so it stands to reason it was less than four minutes. 

But during that time, my life flashed before my eyes, including every single word of every single one of your letters. 

One of the alter’s drugged me in his own way of trying to save me. Drugging me was supposed to help with the pain, both mental and physical. I fought it at first, desperate for him not to stick that needle in my vein. But after that first hit, I stopped resisting. 

I think you can probably already see where this is going. You’re incredibly smart and you seem to know me so well. After I shot Tobias Hankel dead I took three vials of dilaudid from his corpse. 

I should have prefaced this by saying I am now ten months sober, and offered up the good news first. But there were several months that I continued using the drug in secret, hoping it would aid in erasing the memories of it all. 

It took a case in New Orleans in which I met up with an old friend Ethan and ended up almost destroying my career for me to decide to get sober. I’ve had a lot of difficulties in my life, as you know, but getting clean is the hardest thing I have ever done. 

And now for the first time in months I’m craving again. Maybe that’s why I’m writing to you, determined to send this letter this time. I need to know that everything is going to be ok and you are the only one that I will believe it from. 

My team tries. Now it's all out in the open, they try to help. But you don’t even need to try. Your help is so effortless, so easy and I’m in real need of that right now. 

His letter went on in this vein for another six pages. He also included several pages of handwritten poetry which he had copied out of a book to send you. With each word you consumed you felt your heart breaking for him a piece at a time. 

And he signed off with a surprising choice of quote from The Lorax.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” - Dr Seuss. 

You spent the next month or so trying to cultivate the perfect reply, but for the first time in your life, words failed you. 

It was three days after Spencer received his one year sober chip that your letter arrived. 

I got your letter and the poetry you sent me, postmarked in December of last year. I really hope you’re doing better, all your friends close by your side, one step closer to recovery.

I hope by the time you receive this you are close to one year sober, but if you didn’t make it you need to know that’s ok too. Life is full of ups and downs Spencer. If you didn’t make it this time you will the next time. Or the one after that. 

If you relapsed I need you to not beat yourself up over it. You will be ok, Spencer Reid, for that I am certain. 

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” Maya Angelou - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 

***

When he got shot in the knee, he wrote to you from the hospital. He told you how hard it was for him to turn down pain medication when he was in so much agony. But he was over two years sober now and he wouldn’t do anything to risk a relapse. 

Your reply spoke of how proud of him you were and how you knew it couldn’t have been easy for him but you hoped the fact you were proud went some way to aid him. 

He told you it meant more to him than you would ever know. 

Then he started having headaches and the letters became sporadic. When he did write he told you how painful it was for him to try to focus on the words in front of him. 

I’ve seen so many doctors and no one can tell me what’s wrong with me. It’s like they think I’m making it up, like this pain isn’t real. 

On my good days it’s a dull throb but on the bad days it’s nearly paralysing. I’m so scared that this is a precursor for schizophrenia. I'm still young enough for my first break, and it is a genetic illness. 

I love my mom but I can’t turn out like her, Y/N, I just can’t. I'm so, so scared. 

But your letters are the greatest comfort to me. I don’t think there are words to describe how much they mean - I will try to surmise it with a quote from Charlotte's Web -

"'Why did you do all this for me?' he asked. 'I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.' 'You have been my friend,' replied Charlotte. 'That in itself is a tremendous thing.'" - E.B White.

You could feel his fear through the pages. His handwriting was somehow even harder to read than usual and sentences often tapered off with no ending. There were whole passages scribbled out so violently his pen had ripped the paper in places. There were crude drawings of brains and dark rain clouds in the margins. 

Spencer, 

I am so sorry you are going through this and that no one can give you the answers you seek. But this isn’t the end for you, even if it is schizophrenia, you can still live a full and normal life. 

If you'll just hold on for one more second, if you just hold on to what you have, you will wake up tomorrow. Behind every rain cloud lies the sun. As Victor Hugo said in Les Miserables -

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” 

In his next few letters he seemed to be getting better, his headaches slowly dissipating until they only hassled him every once in a while. Things seemed to be looking up for him. 

But then one of his best friends died. 

His detailed letter told you all about Ian Doyle and Emily’s history with him and went on to conclude how she died on the operating table. 

I’ve been through a lot of trauma in my life, lost a lot of people close to me but never like this. I’ve never had to bury someone I love and honestly I don’t know how to move past this. 

My initial reaction has been dilaudid. It's the only thing I can think of to take the pain away. 

Tell me not to do it, Y/N, please. Please tell me that this grief will get better and that using drugs again is not the answer. Please help me stay clean. 

"When someone you love dies, and you're not expecting it, you don't lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time — the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers.” John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany

It took you longer than it should have done to formulate a reply. You felt pressured, like his sobriety hung in your hands. You hated that his friend had died but you didn’t think it was fair of him to put this on you. And you told him such.

Spencer,

I am sorry to hear about Emily, I know how close the two of you were. I’m no expert on grief, I can’t tell you how to deal with this.

You know full well that using dilaudid again is a bad idea, you really don’t need me to tell you that. Honestly, I’m a little frustrated at you for putting this on my shoulders. 

I am always here to help Spencer, in any way I can but sometimes I think you expect too much from me. We’ve been trading letters back and forth for the better part of five years and I don’t think you’ve ever really asked me about myself aside from those first initial letters.

And it’s fine, you needed this friendship more than I did. But over time this has started to feel so one sided and I don’t always look forward to your letters as much as I once did. 

I realise this is not the best time for me to be saying these things but I can’t hold back any longer. I’m glad I can be someone you can turn to but I have my own life, my own issues and I have no one to talk to about them. 

You put too much pressure on me Spencer and it’s a lot to take. I’ve tried to help shoulder your misery all these years but it’s starting to bring me down. All I can say is you need to wake up, you've gotta believe; you can't give up. Time keeps going on without us, long after we're dead and gone.

And you finished it with a simple quote from After You by Jojo Moyes.

“No journey out of grief was straightforward. There would be good days and bad days.” 

It was no surprise to you that you didn’t receive a reply. 

***

Y/N,

It’s been two years and I’m sorry for that. Two years, one month and eleven days. The truth is your last letter was hard for me to read as you can probably understand. 

The hardest part of reading it was the fact that I knew you were right. I’ve been selfish all these years. I’ve treated you like a sounding board for my problems and never once asked how you were. 

It's taken me time to write this because I wanted to get to a better place before I responded. I was angry at first, I felt like I was being abandoned again and my anger would not have been conducive. 

Then I was hurt, hurt that the one person I thought would always be there for me had turned their back on me. I displaced my grief over Emily’s death onto you and anything I would have written in that time would have only been the rage fuelled epitaph of a grieving man. 

And then once I dealt with those emotions, life simply got away from me. Emily was alive and well, her death was faked to get Doyle off of her back. Again I was angry about being lied to by my friends but eventually I was just happy she was alive. 

Then I turned thirty and had a crisis of faith I suppose. I guess with my intellect I always assumed I would be doing something more with my life and turning thirty kind of threw me through a loop. 

We had some changes to the team, new agents coming and going. All in all things have been somewhat hectic. 

But that’s not why I’m writing. 

I am writing because I really do want to know everything about you. I want you to be able to open up to me the way I always have to you. I want to be your shoulder, your repreve. I really hope I haven’t completely blown our friendship and I hope to be the kind of person who you can talk to. 

These arms remain stretched out to you and maybe someday you'll accept them. Maybe it's too late to save a young girl's heart that's long stopped beating. But I hope that it isn’t. 

“You have been in every way all that anyone could be…if anybody could have saved me it would have been you.” Jennifer Niven - All the Bright Places. 

You wanted to tell him it was too little too late, that after two years of silence you weren’t interested anymore. 

You wanted to simply not reply, ignore him entirely like he’d done to you. 

But you couldn’t. And so you replied. 

It was your longest letter to date, depicting in great detail how he’d made you feel over the years and all the hardships you’d faced without having someone to vent to. 

But getting to write it all down had been purifying, and by the time you were finished you weren’t mad anymore. 

I am willing to give this another shot, but things have to be different. If we’re to continue this friendship then it has to be a two way street. 

But I can’t pretend that I haven’t missed your letters because I have. I see pieces of you between the words, parts of yourself I’m not sure you realise you leave on the page. 

I’ve painted a picture of you in my mind's eye and even after two years with no letters, I’ve carried that picture with me wherever I go. 

I feel like I somehow know you better than I know myself and I hope going forward you can start to know me the same way. Charlotte Bronte once said -

“Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear.” - Jane Eyre. 

***

Spencer didn’t know how it happened, he only knew that it had happened. Over the course of all the years writing to you it was almost a surprise it hadn’t happened sooner. Or maybe it had and he just didn’t realise until now. 

Spencer Reid had fallen in love with the woman who wrote her prose to him. 

It had been ten years of letters, every single one of which he kept in their envelopes in date order in the bottom drawer of his desk at home. 

Those letters were his lifelines on bad days, the one thing that kept him tethered. He didn’t even know what you looked like, even what you sounded like but he loved you. He loved you with every fibre of his being. 

And he couldn’t stop himself from telling you exactly what you meant to him. Even if it inevitably destroyed what the two of you had, he couldn’t stop the words from flying across the page. 

So that’s pretty much everything that’s happened these past few weeks. Mom’s doing ok but obviously it's a huge adjustment for her and I’m not entirely sure how long I can keep her living with me but for now it works.

How did the interview go? I have absolutely no doubts that you blew them all away with your presentation, you’re a hard person not to fall in love with.

Your presence in my life has brightened my every waking minute. You once told me that behind every rain cloud lies the sun; you are the sun behind my clouds. Your letters bring me back to life, your handwriting penned onto my soul. 

Is it foolish of me to be in love with someone I have never laid eyes on? William Makepeace Thackery said in Vanity Fair -

“It is better to have loved wisely, no doubt: but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.” 

I suppose that’s as good of an answer as any. 

***

Five days after he penned his love confession, he was arrested in Mexico. Once all the drugs had left his system, only after he was extradited and arraigned and placed at Milburn was he able to dwell on the fact he never received your reply. 

And being trapped in a cell gave him way too much time to think about that. 

It was possible you had replied, maybe even just to tell him he was crazy to even think he could be in love with someone he had never met. But he was sure you wouldn’t have even bothered to respond, thinking him a lunatic you needed to cut ties with. 

After a month in prison on one of JJ’s visits she brought a letter with her which she had found in his apartment. She recognised the handwriting on the envelope from several she’d seen him reading over the years. 

She wasn’t allowed to give him the letter but she offered to read it to him. At first he’d declined because he had no idea what to expect from your reply but after several long minutes he’d decided to let JJ read it to him. 

Spencer,

I am pleased to hear your mom is doing well but I do think you know that this solution won’t work in the long run. You say you live in a one bedroom apartment? You and I both know that you can’t sustain having your mother live there permanently. But I know you and I know you will figure out what’s best for you both.

The interview was amazing and they offered me the job on the spot. If it wasn’t for all your help with the presentation there is no way I would have gotten it, so thank you so much for that. 

As for the other thing…

For some time now I have been wondering about feelings I didn’t understand. You’ve been such a large part of my life for so long and even though we’ve never met I feel like we have, if that makes sense? I feel like in my heart I know you. My heart knows your heart.

Falling for you was as inevitable as the sun rising each morning. Perhaps it is foolish but I believe Thackeray knew what he was talking about. And I also believe Emily Bronte was talking about me and you when she said, “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” 

Spencer had interrupted JJ then, when she was smiling from ear to ear as she read your words out loud. 

“That’s enough.” He cut her off, burying his head in his hands.

“Wow, Spence, I had no idea you’d met someone.” 

“I haven’t met anyone. She is simply a woman at the other end of a series of letters.” 

“How long?” JJ placed the pages down in front of her.

Spencer looked up at her, a small blush on his cheeks. He didn't want to be talking about this, least of all on the other side of a plexiglass screen with his other inmates nearby but he responded all the same.

“Ten years.” He shrugged. 

“Ten years?” JJ sounded incredulous. “Ten years of letters and you’ve never met? Why?”

“I, uh, it never really came up.” It wasn’t a lie, you’d never once discussed meeting in all those years. 

“Is it like a distance thing? Does she live far away?” 

“No,” He sighed with a shake of his head. “She’s in New York.” 

“New York!” She huffed. “New York is a five hour train journey, Spence!” 

“Jennifer, now is really not the time for this.” He lowered his voice as JJ’s had garnered eyes in their direction. “There is really no point in discussing this as we have no idea when or even if I’m going to get out of here.” 

“Don’t say that.” She shook her head.

“It’s true.” He shrugged sadly. “I really can’t think about all this right now, ok? Just take the letter back to my apartment and pretend you didn’t see it. Please?” 

If it weren’t for the desperation in his eyes she might have argued it. But she didn’t want to waste what little time she got to spend with Spencer fighting.

“Ok.” She relented with a small roll of her eyes.

“Thank you, JJ.” He offered a tight lipped smile. “How are the boys?” 

JJ filled him in but she wasn’t really focused anymore. In her head, she was already penning a letter of her own…

Y/N,

My name is Jennifer Jareau, JJ, and I work with Spencer at the BAU. I’m not sure if he’s mentioned me to you or not. He hasn’t really told me too much about you if I’m honest. But I have learned that he has strong feelings for you and you for him. I’m wondering if I can make a suggestion…

***

When you received the strange letter from Spencer’s friend JJ in response to yours, you’d been initially extremely confused as to why he was letting his teammates read your secret correspondence. 

But when she’d gone on to tell you that Spencer had been arrested along with all the details surrounding his incarceration and how she’d read your letter to him during their visitation, you started to understand. 

But then a few days later, before you had a chance to reply to her, you received another letter from Spencer with a postmark from Milburn Correctional Facility.

Y/N,

Maybe Thackeray and Bronte were right or maybe they were wrong, I can’t say for sure. What I can say with certainty is that I can’t carry on like this a moment longer.

Something has happened to me, it won’t be hard for you to figure out what as soon as you see the postmark. I am not willing to get into it or explain how I ended up here. But I have no idea how long I am going to be inside and I don’t want the rest of our communication to be sent through a string of guards who will pick apart each tormented sentence. 

I ask you not to write me back. This has to be the end of the road my dear. This letter has to be our last. I don’t know how much longer I will continue to be able to live like this. Each day my hope dies a little more and I’m sure I won’t make it out of here alive. 

I am writing simply to say thank you. Thank you for all your years of listening, for all your patience and kind words and your hopeful prose. In my darkest hours you have shown me the light, dragged me out of the shadows of my own creation. 

I love you for all that you are and all that you have done but even you can’t save me this time. This really might be the end for me and I don’t want you to blame yourself. You are the only reason I made it this far in this treacherous game we call life. 

Take care of yourself, continue to live your absolute best life. And in time I pray that you forget me and are able to love someone far more tangible. 

All that is left to say can be summed up by a quote from The Miniaturist - 

“You are the sunlight through a window, which I stand in, warmed. My darling.” Jessie Burton.

You replied firstly to Spencer, his heartbreaking words more pressing than JJ’s letter. You kept it short and to the point, knowing that various other prison guards would read it before it even made it to his hands. 

I appreciate but can't accept this thank you note that's sealed with your last breath and I won't stand aside and listen to you give up. 

You are stronger than that Spencer Reid and if I know anything about your team from all the years of hearing you speak of them it’s that they are the best at what they do and they will prove your innocence. 

Just remember what Ernest Hemmingway said in A Farewell to Arms -

“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are stronger at the broken places.” 

You will be stronger at those broken places, Spencer, I have no doubt about it. 

And besides, if you don’t make it out of there, how do you  propose to ever meet me? 

Whilst on a role, you grabbed a clean sheet of paper and started scrawling again. 

Jennifer,

Thank you for your letter. I have spent some time musing on your suggestion and I think you might be right. 

I think it's time for me to take a trip to DC…

***

Spencer never opened your last letter because he had no intention of replying to it. If he didn’t read it, he could pretend you had never sent it and he wouldn’t be tempted to write a response. 

Instead he stuffed it between the pages of his book and tried not to think about it. 

After two and half months his team proved his innocence and he was released but he was thrown into the deep end of trying to find his mother. 

And even once he found her unscathed, he was rapidly thrust right into Scratch’s web after he kidnapped Emily. 

Taking the elevator back up to the BAU alongside JJ after they’d escorted Emily to the hospital it already felt like a lifetime had passed since he left prison. And all he wanted to do was chronicle all of it to you. 

Maybe once the dust settled, once he’d wrapped his head around everything that happened he would open your letter and send you a reply. 

But for the first time in ten years, Spencer didn’t want to drag you into his mess. 

JJ was strangely quiet as the elevator made its ascent. He didn’t even want to be here, he’d planned on going straight home after leaving the hospital. He hadn’t slept in his own bed for two and a half months and he couldn’t wait to collapse into it. 

But JJ had insisted that instead of him getting the metro home, if he popped back to the BAU with her to collect some paperwork, she would drive him home. 

And honestly he was just too exhausted to decline. 

JJ’s eyes were hyper focused on the digital floor numbers as they got higher. A few seconds after it displayed number five, one floor below the BAU, she turned and looked at him. 

“Don’t hate me for this.” She blurted out. 

“Excuse me?” Spencer frowned, too tired to try to understand what she meant. 

“I couldn’t just let it go.” She shrugged, a guilty smile on her lips. 

“Let what go?” His frown deepened. 

Her eyes flicked back upwards as the number five rolled into the number six and the elevator started to judder as it prepared to stop. 

“Just remember I love you and that’s the only reason I interfered.” She shrugged as the elevator stopped entirely and soon the doors were peeling open. 

Spencer looked away from her and out of the open doors to where someone was standing just a few feet back. 

Spencer’s eyes landed on the stranger only it wasn’t a stranger. He wasn’t sure how, but he knew exactly who this person was standing on the BAU floor. 

He remembered the way JJ had read him your letter and how you’d told him your heart knows his heart. 

Well his heart knew yours too. And he knew the heart beating a few feet away from him was yours. 

“Y/N?” He croaked, slowly stepping out of the elevator but not too close to you. 

“Spencer?” You smiled at him, the kind that reached all the way to your eyes. 

Neither of you noticed JJ slipping quietly away, wanting to give you some privacy. 

“What are you doing here?” His brows were furrowed and he was rolling his bottom lip between his teeth. 

“You’re friend JJ wrote to me. She told me everything that happened to you. And she made me realise that ten years is too long to wait for a first meeting.” Your voice was like honey to Spencer’s ears. 

Your prose was beautiful, but hearing the words from your lips as you stood in front of him in all your ethereal glory was more than any letter could convey. 

“I…I am actually speechless.” He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. 

“You? Speechless?” You giggled and Spencer felt the sound all the way to his heart. 

“You’ll come to learn I am much more of a wordsmith on paper. In person I am incredibly awkward and often trip over my words. I ramble when I’m nervous or clam up entirely, no in between. I spout facts and statistics rather than have a meaningful conversation. I am much more comfortable writing my words down on paper than speaking them out loud.” He let the words spill out of his mouth, proving his point entirely. 

“I’ve waited ten years to hear your voice. Please never stop talking.” You smiled so brightly at him he felt like he was floating. 

You were here in front of him, not just hidden between pages of letters. You were real, tangible; within his reach. 

And suddenly the last thing Spencer wanted to do was talk. 

He took a few tentative steps towards you and cautiously raised a hand to your cheek. You sighed in content when he cupped your face and nuzzled against his palm. 

“I could talk to you about anything and everything all day long, my love.” He smiled, inching his face closer to yours. “But at this moment in time I have one slightly more pressing desire to do with my mouth rather than speak.” 

“Oh yeah?” You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer. 

The warmth of your body and your smile encompassed him. As he looked into your eyes, finally looked into your eyes, every bad thing that had ever happened to him slipped away. 

“Love starts as a feeling, but to continue is a choice. And I find myself choosing you, more and more every day.” He quoted Justin Wetch’s Bending the Universe. 

“Spence?” 

“Yes Y/N?” 

“As sweet as that is, I thought there were more pressing desires to use your mouth for?” 

“If you insist.” He smiled and quickly closed the small space between you.

When his lips finally met yours it felt like all the pieces of the universe were falling into place. 

For ten long years you’d communicated in the pages of letters, constructing replies to what felt like one sided conversations that were confined to only live on paper. 

As the kiss deepened every single one of those words seemed to float in the air around you, spiralling like a tornado made of a decade worth of missives. 

He swore he could hear each and every word whispered to him in the voice he’d longed to hear all these years as he kissed you like you were the most important being on the face of the earth. 

And when he pulled back and mumbled I love you against your lips, it was the easiest reply you’d ever given. 

#milestone celebration #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds

[redrose10]

Chapter 15!

This one has a lot of ups and downs. I really hope you guys like this chapter. We are getting closer to the end. As always I appreciate all the comments and messages.

Yoongi X Female Reader. CEO/Arranged Marriage AU

Summary: You were selected to marry the wayward CEO/Billionaire/Heir, Min Yoongi. You went into it with an open mind and heart determined to try and make it work. Yoongi on the other hand had no intention of ever letting you in let alone allowing himself to fall in love with you. Slowly you start to associate the smell of cinnamon and vanilla with the feelings of hurt and sorrow.

Word count: 4, 806

Warnings: (May get updated as chapters progress): Arranged marriage, cheating/infidelity, hints of smut (Probably won’t get very explicit but we’ll see how it goes), Sexual Assault, Brief mentions of death, Reader grew up an orphan, General Angst, Swearing

Tag list: @gimeow @kam9404 @viankiss @baechugff @gaby-93 @kayleefriedchicken @igot7fairlyoddparents @jalexad @drrookie

Entering the passcode into Jimins door lock was harder than you expected in your current state. You weren’t sure what was worse, the pounding headache from the hangover, the pain in your chest from having Yoongi break your heart again, or the nausea in your stomach from the guilt of sleeping with Woo-Sung.

It seemed like a great idea last night. You were upset and hurt and you knew Yoongi really didn’t like him so it seemed like the perfect way to get back at him. But when you woke up in his bed with your dress still half off of your body you felt an immediate sense of regret. You felt like you stooped down to Yoongi’s level. You knew you were better than that.

Dropping your bag by the front door all you wanted to do was take a hot shower and sleep off all of the feelings you were having. To make it worse you were supposed to go over to Yoongi’s later with Woo-Sung, neither men you wanted to see right now.

You felt like the universe was out to get you when you turned the corner finding Jimin and Yoongi sitting at the table talking and sipping on some coffee. Yoongi noticed you first eyeing you up and down with a smirk clearly liking your outfit.

Jimin noticed you next but he didn’t have the same reaction. Instead he snorted at your appearance.

“Rough night?”, he asked.

“Don’t want to talk about it.”, you mumbled beginning to walk away.

“And here I thought I had a terrible time being stuck at the office with your husband for eighteen hours straight, but seems you got me beat.”, he continued.

You stopped suddenly turning to face the two men.

“Wait you both were at the office all day yesterday?”

“Yeah we got there yesterday morning and found out we were about to lose the JYP deal so we spent all day and night in negotiations trying to save it. This tyrant over here wouldn’t even let me leave to go eat. Y/N, I had to starve.”, Jimin dramatically pointed over at Yoongi.

“I really hope you get an Oscar for that performance. I told you that you couldn’t go get lunch because Han from JYP was supposed to contact us back at any minute for a conference call. Did you forget that afterwards I ordered you a very nice steak dinner AND then got you late night pizza when you were still hungry?”, Yoongi rolled his eyes.

He then turned his attention over to you, “I’m sorry I didn’t call Y/N. I was just so stressed about this whole thing. That would’ve been a multimillion dollar loss so I had to stay really focused until we were able to save it.”

You nodded which only made your headache and nausea even worse. Suddenly you weren’t in the sleeping mood.

“Jimin can I talk to you about something please. Like right now. In private.”

The two men gave you a questioning look before Jimin pushed himself away from the table and followed you to your current room.

“What’s going on? You seem really off.”, he asked while you shut the door.

“Jimin I need you to be 100% completely honest with me. Did Yoongi leave the office at any point yesterday?”

You checked your phone to see what time Mrs. Chan had called as she said she’d seen Yoongi ten minutes beforehand.

“Were you with him at around three in the afternoon?”

He looked at you with a confused look.

“Yoongi got there at his normal time in the morning and that’s when he got the message that the JYP deal was falling apart. We spent the entire day in his office. Luckily he has that in suite bathroom or he probably would’ve just handed me an empty bottle. We were on a call with someone from JYP around 3. We finally left at about 2am and he wanted to come here and see you and then you weren’t here so we just stayed awake to wait for you. I was with him the entire time and he never left the room.”

You sat on the edge of the bed and pulled your knees up to your chest. “Oh no oh no oh no. I can’t believe this. Jimin what did I do? Why did I believe that crazy old woman?”

“Y/N what’s going on? What did you do?”

You shook your head, “I fucked up. I just ruined everything.”

“Hey hey just calm down. What happened?”

“Our neighbor called me yesterday to complain about Yoongi and Suri making out in the hallway of the apartment building. I asked her if she was sure it was Yoongi and she said yes. She could even smell his cologne. So I got really upset and did something so stupid. I went over to Woo-Sungs and got pretty drunk and ended up sleeping with him. I’m so awful. I’m not that kind of person. And Yoongi has been trying so hard to fix everything and change and I just went and blew it in one night.”

You expected your best friend to hug you, maybe wipe your tears, and offer some comforting words. You didn’t expect him to double over in laugher right in front of you though.

“What the hell Jimin? It’s not funny.”

“Yes it is Y/N. It really is. You really don’t remember anything do you?”

You shook your head. He took a seat next to you and continued, “Woo-Sung called Yoongi last night while we were at the office. He said you showed up to his place already pretty tipsy complaining about how your neighbor told you about Yoongi and Suri making out in the hallway. Before he could stop you, you grabbed a bottle of whiskey off the counter and took a few big swigs. You got pretty drunk off of it and then moments later you tried removing your dress, but only got the straps off when you tripped because your shoes were too big and then you started crying. Woo-Sung said he was waiting for his mom to stop by to drop off some stuff so he couldn’t leave and was just gonna let you sleep it off in his bed and then bring you home in the morning, but he wanted Yoongi to know about it. He even sent Yoongi a text later saying he owed him for having to sleep on the couch in his own home.”

“What?! So I didn’t actually sleep with him? And you guys knew about all of this? Then how did Mrs. Chan smell his cologne in the hallway?”

He continued to laugh at your expense, “Do you really think Yoongi would be so calmly sitting at the table if he came home at 2am to find you missing and he didn’t know where you were? Remember that one time you took too much cold medicine and were completely passed out? Well when you didn’t answer Yoongi’s call in the middle of the night he sent Jungkook to check on you.”

“What?! I knew I saw someone in my room that night, but I kept telling myself it was just the fever making me see things. I am gonna kill them both.”

Jimin laughed even harder, “He was just really worried because he knew how sick you were and then you weren’t answering him which was unlike you. In his defense Jungkook was only supposed to knock on the door to see if you answered. Jungkook’s the one that went rouge and broke in like he was James Bond or something.”

“Okay whatever. I’ll take that up with Jungkook another day.”, you huffed.

“So Yoongi knows everything and is okay with it?”, you asked.

“I mean sure he was kind of pissed off you ran to Woo-Sung right away, but I think he gets it. Yoongi is well aware of his past with you. And as far as Mrs. Chan is concerned, Suri wears the feminine version of Yoongi’s cologne. Some bullshit about it reminding her of him. I told Taehyung to discontinue it, but it’s a best seller and I think he’s a little scared of Suri to be honest. That old bat Mrs. Chan just probably didn’t notice the difference and assumed it was Yoongi. Suri also has a type so there’s a high probability that this guy she was with did look like Yoongi especially from behind.”

You stared at the ground somehow feeling better, but worse at the same time.

You definitely owe Woo-Sung an apology for your behavior. You wondered if your famous cookies would be enough.

A knock at the door interrupted Jimins giggle fit and when he opened it Yoongi appeared holding a hot cup of coffee and a bagel sandwich. Jimin got the hint and left to finally get some sleep while Yoongi took his place sitting down next to you on the bed offering the coffee.

“Here drink this. I’m sure you feel even worse than you look right now.”

Taking the cup you took a sip of the hot liquid. The caffeine instantly taking the edge off of your headache.

“I’m sorry Yoongi. I shouldn’t have acted out like that especially without talking to you first. I was just so upset and hurt and not thinking straight.”

He smiled, “No need to be sorry. I understand why you did it. Honestly, I’m mostly upset that he got to see you in this dress before I did.”

Playfully you shoved his shoulder.

“I feel a little hurt honestly. I went over there looking like this and he just put me to sleep without even touching me.”

“Well I mean I’m like one of the biggest assholes on the planet and even I wouldn’t take advantage of a drunk woman no matter what she was wearing.”

You nodded, “True, true. I guess that is a good thing. There should be more people like that.”

“Yeah there really should AND it might also have a little something to do with the fact that when he agreed to go along with this whole plan, I might have, kind of, told him that if he ever touched you I’d take his guitar and shove it down his throat.”

“Yoongi that wasn’t very nice.”, you scolded somewhat playfully somewhat seriously.

Feeling a sudden rush of dizziness you rested your head on his shoulder taking in the smell of his cologne which had pretty much all worn off at that point besides a faint touch of cinnamon.

“We really need to get you a new cologne by the way. You’re like a billionaire, but you only have one bottle. It doesn’t make sense.”

“You should pick one out for me. Something that you like.”

“Really? Can I?”

“Yeah, but maybe don’t get this one customized.”

He chuckled while you cringed at the memory.

“If you weren’t with Suri then who was she making out with in the hallway?”, you asked taking a bite of the bagel he was offering you.

He shrugged his shoulders, “Don’t know and don’t care. Hopefully she found some other poor soul to suck the life out of. But it does worry me that she might have something up her sleeve and this was all part of a bigger plan of hers. So we should definitely be on the watch for that.”

You finished off the bagel with some help from Yoongi before deciding that it was time for a shower and to get some sleep before Woo-Sung would pick you up to head over and put the rest of the plan in motion.

As you stood up you glanced over at the dresser where you had placed your ring the day before noticing an empty spot.

“Oh no! Where did it go?”, you said in between tears that instantly started falling. You dropped down on the ground feeling around hoping to find it.

“Y/N what’s wrong?”

“I lost it Yoongi.”

“Lost what? Your mind?”, he chuckled.

“Not funny. I lost my ring. I put it right here on the dresser before I left last night. I have no idea how it could be lost.”

Still crawling around on the floor you didn’t even notice that Yoongi had walked over and was now crouching down next to you. When he finally cleared his throat you turned around so fast almost knocking him over. He was holding up the ring you were currently crying over.

“I saw it when I came to look for you in here after getting back from the office. I didn’t want it to get lost so I put it in my pocket.”

“Oh thank goodness.”, you said trying to grab the ring, but he took it just out of your reach.

“Yoongi can I please have my ring back?”

“I think you should go ringless for now. It’ll be more believable to Suri if you’re not wearing it. Every little detail counts.”

You couldn’t stop the pout that formed on your lips and Yoongi couldn’t stop himself from finding it to be the cutest thing ever.

“Plus I thought maybe when this whole thing is over I’d propose to you again. You know like actually propose, like you deserve.”, he said helping you off the floor.

“Alright, but it better include a song you wrote for me or I might just say no this time.”, you chuckled which Yoongi met with a gummy smile and blushed cheeks.

“I wish you could stay here with me.”, you said watching him put on his jacket.

“I know. Me too, but I don’t want the she demon to get suspicious.”

You laughed at the new nickname for Suri before wrapping your arms around him.

“Just a little more time and then we can put this all behind us.”, he gave you a kiss and you watched him walk out the door.

When you woke up a few hours later your headache had disappeared and you were feeling much better. After getting ready you walked out to find the living room already packed. Yoongi and Jin were sat at the table arguing over what restaurant they should order chicken from. Jimin was at the stove making a large pot of coffee knowing it’ll be needed. You heard someone clear their throat and then you saw Woo-Sung sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room. Your cheeks instantly heated up with embarrassment.

Slowly you walked over to stand next to him.

“Listen Woo-Sung I am so sorry about last night. I was just upset and not thinking straight. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable and I’m sorry that you had to sleep on the couch.”

He chuckled before shaking his head, “It’s okay Y/N. I’m just glad you came to me instead of going some place where you could’ve been taken advantage of. Cause I mean you did look really really good last night. If your husband wasn’t so scary I’d definitely say we should try that again, but sober.”

Before you could reply someone grabbed your hand and started pulling you away. Without looking you already knew it was Yoongi.

He glared at Woo-Sung before mouthing at him to watch it.

“How are you feeling?”, he asked once you were comfortably sitting at the table next to him.

“Better I guess. How about you?”

“Exhausted. I think I only got like two hours of sleep.”

“Was Suri there when you got back?”

He chuckled, “Yeah unfortunately. I found out who her hallway friend was.”

“Seriously? How? Who was it?”, you gasped with wide eyes.

“Suri left her phone out on the table while she was showering and luckily I guessed her passcode in only two tries. I saw these text messages between her and some guy that goes by Woozi. There was a photo of him as the contact and he looks a lot like me. I could see how Mrs. Chan would get confused. They went back and forth about planning a meet up and making out in the hall as the neighbors were walking around. It seems she knew that one of the neighbors would end up calling you to tell you what they saw. I have a feeling that she’s still not 100% satisfied with the situation and wants to make sure that there’s absolutely no chance that you and I reconcile.”

“She’s crazy Yoongi. There’s no nice way to put it. What did you ever see in her?”

“She was an easy hookup. I thought she felt the same way that I did. I swear I never thought she’d get like this.”

Before you could speak Jin cleared his throat indicating it was time to get things started.

Jimin and Jin helped attach the hidden recording device to Woo-Sungs chest using some tape. His shirt hid it nicely and they ran some quick tests to make sure everything was in order. Yoongi texted Suri to let her know that he was stuck at the office again, but that you would be stopping by to grab more of your things. Yoongi was going to stay there with Jimin and Jin so that Suri would feel more comfortable talking to Woo-Sung.

Yoongi met you at the dork to help you with your coat and Jin met you not long after.

“So everyone has their story straight? Remember Woo-Sung, just try and get her to do most of the talking. Try and guide her into revealing that Namjoon is the father and that she’s been blackmailing Yoongi with it.”, Jin spoke as Woo-Sung nodded in understanding.

You gave Yoongi a quick kiss goodbye before heading out the door.

Standing outside the penthouse door you were confused whether you should knock or just go in or maybe have Yoongi call her. Woo-Sung gave your hand a light squeeze, “We got this.”Opting for option number two you entered in the passcode which thankfully still worked. Just as you were taking off your shoes you could hear a loud sigh come from the entrance way.

“Don’t you know how to knock? You don’t live here any more remember? Or is that too much for your little brain to handle.”

“Fuck off Suri. Yoongi said he told you I was coming over. I just have to grab a few things and then we’ll leave.”

“Well hello to you too you little bitc-. Kim Woo-Sung? What are you doing here?”

Turning around you saw that Woo-Sung had made an appearance which quickly got the attention of Suri.

He smiled and outstretched his hand, “Nice to meet you. I’m just here with Y/N.”

“With Y/N? What is someone like you doing with a poor waste of space like her?”

He awkwardly cleared his throat, “She’s actually quite lovely.”

You felt your cheeks heat up at the compliment as you walked back towards your old room. You really didn’t need anything so you grabbed a small bag and started filling it with random articles of clothing to make it seem like you took something.

“Come sit with me. Would you like any bring to drink?”, Suri asked flirtatiously.

He shook his head taking the seat next to her on the couch.

Back at Jimins apartment him, Jin, and Yoongi were all listening to the conversation in real time.

“This is so cool. I feel like a secret agent.”, Jimin quipped.

The two older men quickly gave him a look to silence him.

“I really hope this works.”, Yoongi replied. “It’ll be fine. We just have to get what we need.”, Jin said trying to calm his friend.

“So how did the two of you meet?”, Suri asked twirling a strand of hair around her pointer finger.

“Ummm we met a while ago at a party. You know, friend of a friend type stuff. ”

“Oh and are you two just now getting to know each other?”

“Yeah Y/N has been pretty upset lately. She has been going through a lot of stuff so we’ve really connected.”

“Mmhm I see.”

“Yeah so what about you? I heard from Y/N you’re pregnant with Yoongi’s baby?”

She giggled,”Yes I sure am. See the little bump? We are so excited. Yoongi’s been picking out names already and we’re going to start on the nursery once Y/N gets the rest of her crap out of there.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes so hard he gave himself a headache while Jimin and Jin couldn’t contain their laughter next to him.

“Congratulations. I’m sure Yoongi is super excited. He’ll have a little farmhand to give him some help.”

“I’m sorry what?”, she asked coughing on her sip of water.

“Yeah Yoongi told me a while ago that if he ever had children he wouldn’t want them to grow up in an apartment in the city with a dad who was never around because all he did was work. So he said he’d leave the company and move out to the countryside and buy a sheep farm for his family to live on.”

“Oh my God, Yoongi and these fucking sheep.”, you whispered to yourself after eavesdropping on the conversation the best you could from your room.

“No I don’t think Yoongi would do that. I mean why would he give all this up?”, she asked gesturing around the very large penthouse.

He shrugged, “Dont know. I just heard Jin complaining that he was going to have to drive his Mercedes in the mud to go visit Yoongi since he was was looking at farmland for sale the other day.”

“Well we are not going to live like that so I’ll have to say something to him.”

“Yeah probably should bring that up to him. Especially before he wastes the time and money to order the DNA test.”, he chuckled.

“What DNA test?”

“Oh well I just assumed that someone with as much power and money as Yoongi would require a DNA test for any kid being claimed as his. You know, just to protect his assets and stuff.”

“No Yoongi wouldn’t do that. He knows this baby is his. There’s no way he’d put me or the baby through that. And even if he did for some reason I’d never agree to it.”, she nervously chuckled.

“I mean I’m pretty sure he could get it court ordered if he really wanted to.”

“Wow, she went through all this scheming and conniving and never even thought about what would happen if Yoongi asked for a DNA test. What an idiot.”, Jimin chuckled.

“I mean we never thought about that either. We could’ve just requested that she get a DNA test and when it showed Yoongi wasn’t the father we could’ve just used that. We didn’t even have to go through this whole extravagant thing.”, Jin responded. The three men sat staring at each other in realization.

Yoongi cleared his throat, “This is a good thing though. Now we will have this recording as well to make sure she can’t twist it around.”

Suri was beginning to panic. She hadn’t even thought about the possibility of Yoongi requesting his own DNA test because she honestly believed Yoongi would just bow down and give in to her.

“Why do you care so much about a DNA test? It doesn’t matter to you anyway.”, she spat.

Woo-Sung put his hands up in defense, “I really don’t care. I was just asking since Yoongi is an acquaintance of mine and I care about his well-being. You’re the one that’s getting so defensive about it.”

“Sorry, it’s just the hormones or something.”, she said trying to calm herself down.

You had quietly moved to the hallway just out of sight of the two of them in the living room. This was taking a lot longer than you had thought it would and you weren’t sure that Suri was going to break. You weren’t sure where he was going with this, but you were done leaving it up to the men and decided to take matters into your own hands. You made your presence known by greeting the two of them.

Yoongi, Jin, and Jimin looked at each other in panic as they heard your voice through the speaker. They hadn’t gotten what they needed so you weren’t supposed to be there yet.

As you sat down on the chair opposite Suri and Woo-Sung she scoffed at your audacity to make yourself comfortable.

“What are you doing? You don’t live here any more remember. Don’t be rude.”, she glared at you.

“Yes Suri, I am aware of that. I left on my own. I just wanted to talk things out with you. Like adults.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. Things were great between Yoongi and I and then you showed up. But now we finally get to be a happy family. Me, him, and our baby.”

You fought back an eye roll, “I am happy for you and I hope you guys have a long happy life together. If you ever need anything just let me know. I am always here.”

Suri looked at you with suspicion, “Why would I ever need anything from you?”

“I don’t know. I mean one day when Yoongi decides he’s had enough and leaves and you’re left all alone you might need some help.”, you shrugged.

“That will never happen. Especially now that I’m pregnant.”

“Mmhm. I mean he already hardly comes home now that you’re living here. Who knows how many women he’s hooking up with just to get away from you.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re mad he left you.”

“Am I? Do you really think I care? I still get the benefits of being his wife without the emotional baggage that comes with it. You on the other hand? You’re just the other woman that he accidentally got pregnant. If that baby really is his.”

Suri scoffed, “Of course this baby is his. Who else’s would it be?”

“I don’t know. Could be the guy you were making out with in the hallway the other day. Woozi I think his name is? Could be any other guy in this country. I mean I was having a few drinks with Namjoon the other day and he said some interesting stuff that makes me think the baby could even be his.”

You could see Suri’s body tense up at the mention of Namjoon.

You continued, “He mentioned something about the two of you hooking up and now you’re suddenly pregnant. Seems a little suspicious to me.”

“So what? I hooked up with him. I’m an adult and can sleep with whoever I want.”, she crossed her arms.

“No no you’re right. You can sleep with anyone you want. Just like Namjoon can take you to court over the custody of this baby if he wants to and it sounds like he does.”

“He doesn’t have the guts to do that. He’s way too passive.“

“I don’t know. He seemed pretty set on it the other day. Said he was already contacting lawyers and everything.”

Suri was visibly upset. You were starting to feel kind of bad because you didn’t want the innocent baby getting stressed out. You just needed that final push to send her overboard.

“Namjoon showed me all the proof he has while we were drinking. It all looked pretty believable to me, but then again I’m not a lawyer.”

“What proof?! I destroyed the DNA test that verified him as the father. I deleted every conversation we had about it. Namjoon has nothing confirming he is the father other than word of mouth and that means nothing! Yoongi is going to be seen as the father of this baby no matter what and that’s that.”

“You’re right Suri. Guess you have nothing to worry about then. Come on Woo-Sung, let’s go. I want to get out of here before Yoongi gets home.”

Suri jumped up to follow the two of you,

“I know what you’re up to Y/N. You think you just got dirt on me, but no one will believe you. It’s your word against mine. And if you try anything I will make your life miserable. I’ve blackmailed Yoongi for years and I won’t even think twice about doing the same to you.”

“Okay Suri. Have a good night.”, you smirked as you walked to the door with Woo-Sung following closely behind.

“Well that didn’t go exactly to plan.”, he chuckled awkwardly once safely in the elevator.

You heard your phone go off from your pocket. Taking it out the screen illuminated with a message from Yoongi.

“Good job baby. We got exactly what we needed. Now hurry up and get back here. I have a special reward waiting for you.”

#bts #yoongi fanfic #yoongi x reader #cinnamon&vanilla #yoongi fic #min yoongi #yoongi angst #yoongi x y/n #bts fanfic #bts x reader #yoongi au #bts fic #yoongi fluff #jimin #kim seokjin #kim namjoon #jungkook

[sashaisready]

Chapter Twenty - Of course I did

Bucky Barnes Mob AU x Femme Reader

You're hard at work in Pepper's Bakery when notorious mob boss James 'Bucky' Barnes darkens your doorway one typical afternoon, and life is never the same again.

Warnings: Dark content, mention of guns/shooting, descriptions of dead bodies and blood, threats/suggestions of sexual assault, minor character fatally wounded/dying, reader is frightened/in danger

18+ - see Masterlist for full list of warnings

Chapter 21

Series Masterlist

You’re not sure how much time has passed when you’re awoken by shouting. You must’ve fallen asleep, which makes sense as it’s so late, although you aren’t sure what time it is exactly. You instinctively go to check for your phone but then remember they have it. Your body is exhausted from the stress of all that has happened. You have a headache, the wine from your date has already transitioned into the beginnings of a hangover and you haven’t had any water in hours. The Thai dinner you so enjoyed earlier now feels heavy in your stomach. The gash on your cheek stings sharply, the bleeding has mostly stopped but not entirely. You feel dizzy, losing blood from your wound most likely not helping that.

The sound of yelling again jerks you to attention, the adrenaline coursing through you as your fear unfurls once more. You can’t make out what they’re saying until the door crashes open and bodies rush into the room. You try to count the number of feet you can hear on the floorboards but can’t figure it out. Two of them, you think? Three? They’re shouting out your name, their voices thick with anger. You can’t see them but you know they must have guns raised, searching every square inch for you.

One of them tries the light switch but grunts in frustration when nothing happens. You can hear the snap of plastic as he forces it up and down. Seconds later the room is partially illuminated by flashlights, the circles of light flitting around the room.

You swallow, clasping your hand over your mouth to mask any sounds you might make involuntarily. You stood a good chance in the dark where they couldn’t see you, but once that light hits you…then you’re done for.

“Come on sugar, come out come out wherever you are…” one of them sneers mockingly into the darkness.

You can’t see him but you just know it’s Rumlow.

“I’m gonna ring Jones’ neck for this” snarls another voice.

“Don’t worry, Pierce will take care of him” replies Rumlow darkly.

They chuckle for a moment as they scour the room.

“I’m gonna make this bitch pay when we find her” says the other voice again.

“Let’s just hope she’s not been too used up by Barnes for us to have some fun with her” laughs Rumlow. “I wanna rearrange her guts”.

Your stomach drops and you choke back a wave of nausea as they edge closer to your hiding spot. You’re seconds away from discovery now. Should you leap out? Use the element of surprise against them?

Don’t be stupid. They have guns. They’re infinitely stronger and faster than you. They most likely have combat training based on how they’re dressed. Maybe it would be better to go quickly, though. To be shot in the head and be snuffed out in an instant after you jump out - rather than be slowly tortured and sexually assaulted and God only knows what else.

You think of your family. Your friends. Wanda. Everything you didn’t get a chance to say to them all. All of the love you have for them. You think of the bakery. You think of your contentment as you bake, happily frosting cupcakes and humming to yourself as you sing along to the radio. You’d give anything to be there now. Hell, even baking in your tiny apartment kitchen would be a luxury. You’d never take it for granted again if you made it out alive.

You hold onto that image in your head to help calm you and give you hope, grounding yourself with the memory and keeping yourself sane. One of the flashlights reaches your corner of the room and moves closer to you. Everything goes into slow motion. You hold your breath as the light reaches the edge of your dress...

But then.

A scream cuts through the air. A clear scream. From somewhere beneath you. Rumlow and the other man or maybe men spin round, their flashlights ripping away from where you are and instead turn to face the door.

“What the…” Rumlow starts.

And then there’s another scream which cuts him off, and then the crystal clear roar of gunfire. You tense up. It seems to be coming from the corridors beneath you.

“Jesus Christ” spits out the other man.

In seconds you hear their heavy feet as they stomp out of the door and rush back down the stairs.

You freeze, panting. You can hear more now. There are more bullets, it must be a machine gun the way the sounds are rattling through the air like that. There’s muffled shouting and crying out from below.

It goes on like this for some time, your eyes are wide like saucers as you press your ear to the floorboards. You try to make out something they’re saying. Anything. Any hint as to what’s going on or who is shooting. But it’s all lost in a sea of bullets and yelling.

And then…silence.

Your stomach drops again. You know what that means. There’s nobody left.

Could it be…?

No. Surely not. He said he wasn’t coming. Why would he come? The last thing you said to him was that you were going to give him to the feds.

And if it’s not him, it’s only a matter of time before they find you too. You’re a sitting duck up here. You were lucky enough to get out of it once, but it wouldn’t happen twice.

Against all of your instincts you emerge from your corner and tiptoe across the attic. You’re barely thinking, just on autopilot. You open the door gently, careful not to make any noise. You squint as you leave the darkness and take each stair warily as you descend, listening out for any tell-tale sounds of what’s going on. But there’s only silence.

Your face stings and now you’re back in the light you can see your chest and dress is covered in old blood. You can feel the hardened stain on your cheek too, mixed with the remains of your tears. You’re shrouded in a thick layer dust from your hiding place in the attic, your ripped dress hanging pitifully off you. You can only imagine how you must look.

As you step out into the hallway you gasp. The wall in front of you is decorated with bloodstains. A few feet away a man is slumped onto his front, laying facedown in a pool of his own blood. From the way the blood has hit the wall his insides must be swiss cheese. You deduce that it’s one of the men from the attic. He didn’t get very far.

You’ve never seen a dead body before. It’s frightening. Not like in the movies. He looks almost inhuman with his impossible stillness. Stiller than a person should ever be. You can smell copper in the air from his blood, the stench of sweat and gunpowder lingers in your nose and makes your stomach churn.

You creep around him and swallow back your nausea. Around the next corner you see Rumlow flat on his back. He made it a bit further. His eyes are closed and circles of deep red splatter his torso. You inhale sharply, stepping around him carefully. You notice that his weapon is gone, whoever finished him off must’ve taken it with them.

You nearly scream when you feel a pressure on your ankle as you stalk by. You look down and to your horror Rumlow has his cold fingers gripped around you. He is still alive, but barely. His hand feels like ice. Staring up at you through squinted eyelids, you can see the fear on his face as his lifeforce is gently ebbing away from him. He tries to speak but can only groan, making a nauseating gurgling sound and you realise his internal injuries are taking hold as the light fades from his eyes.

It’s too much. You begin to break into a sprint. All of your fear from the evening comes tumbling out and you can’t stop. You know you should be quiet, carefully inspect what’s around each corner before you come barrelling around them, but all of that dies as the adrenaline courses through you.

As you fling yourself through the hallways you find them littered with more bodies and bloodstains. Puddles of blood are everywhere, stains of grisly footsteps of the retreating victors brazenly weaved around the fallen. There must’ve been even more of them than you saw in the warehouse. You don’t see Pierce amongst them, but then you aren’t really looking too carefully.

There are angry red blemishes splattered across the walls and your bare feet hurt when you step on bullet casings but you can’t stop now. You shimmy around each fallen figure as you aimlessly continue to run, unsure of where you’re going or if you’re turning back on yourself but just knowing that you need to keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Don’t stop.

You don’t know when you started crying but your tears don’t slow you down. You whip around another corner only to find yourself bouncing off something, the force of your speed means the impact is hard and it knocks you onto your back.

You begin to scream as you sit up and realise you’ve hit a person. An alive person, not a body. A man. A man with a gun. And your fear takes over. You can’t even look at him properly as you know this is it now, this is where your luck runs out. End of the line.

There are arms on your shoulders and someone is talking at you but you can’t hear any words, can’t see their face through the haze of your tears. It’s only when they begin to shake you gently when you realise…

Sea blue eyes.

Sea blue eyes looking into yours. You know those eyes.

Bucky.

You gasp as his features finally become clear in your vision. You can see his lips moving but can’t hear what he’s saying as you stare up at him. You reach out and clutch at his chest as if checking it’s really him and he’s really there. His face is contorted in concern and there’s a worrying amount of blood on his shirt. Not his, though. You can guess that. Suddenly it’s like your ears are switched back on and you can hear him again.

“Doll? Doll? Are you alright? Say something, baby?” His voice is panicked, strained with fear as he places his assault rifle onto the ground. You eye it anxiously.

“Bucky?” you ask weakly. 

Maybe you’re hallucinating, maybe you were shot seconds ago and this is your brain’s confused final flourish as you succumb to the darkness.

“Is it really you?”

His concern morphs into a relieved smile and you melt inside.

“Yeah it’s me, Doll. I’ve got you, don’t worry” he soothes.

You hurl yourself at him, clutching at his torso and throwing your arms around his back as you move your head into the crook of his neck. Squeezing him tightly with relief, pawing at him to check he’s really there. He picks up your legs and you wrap them around his waist, clinging onto him for dear life.

“You came” you whisper into his ear.

“Of course I did” he says matter of factly. “Where have you been Doll? We’ve been looking everywhere for you. Have to say I laughed when they told me you’d got loose and they’d lost you somewhere. Those assholes didn’t know who they were dealing with, huh?”

You ignore his question, gazing back at him with confusion.

“But…you said you weren’t coming? In the text?”

Bucky chuckles, his tone soft as he searches your face.

“I knew immediately those messages weren’t you. You know how mushy those fucks made you sound? I knew it was HYDRA and sent a bunch of my guys here with me to get you out. I just wanted to throw Pierce off the scent to buy us time.”

You gawped at him stupidly.

“You really think I’d leave you here, Doll?” He furrowed his brow, studying you.

“Well…yeah. We had that fight. You said…” you muttered.

Bucky narrows his eyes. “I would never leave you to die, Doll. No matter what happened between us”.

He looks at you with a flash of anger and hurt amongst the relief, clearly wounded that you’d think so little of him.

He lowers you off of him and carefully places you on the ground. “Can you stand?”

You nod, steadying yourself on the wall as your feet hit the floor. Bucky keeps a hand firmly on your waist as he inspects your face. You flinch as his finger brushes against your cheek wound. He huffs with rage.

“Those fuckers. Those stupid assholes” he mumbles furiously.

“It was…” you go to tell him about the nail in the attic but he cuts you off.

“They’re never going to hurt you again, alright? I’m so sorry Doll. I’m so sorry this happened, it’s all my fault” his voice sounds small, broken. He cups your chin tenderly. “I’m sorry that I didn’t protect you…”

Your eyes widen as you realise the gravity of his words when they hit you and a rush of emotion surges within.

He was right.

Before you know what’s happening, you reach out and slap his face. He glares back at you in confusion, touching his cheek where you struck him. You can’t stop yourself, pummelling his chests with your fists as you unravel, all of the stress, fear and anger pouring out of you like an unstoppable tidal wave.

He catches your wrists and holds them tightly in place, you howl with frustration at how powerless you feel.

“This IS your fault James” you bark at him. “How the fuck am I caught up in your turf wars?? We aren’t even DATING. I get wrestled into the back of a van and hauled off to some warehouse in the middle of nowhere with some psychopathic gang…tied up and hunted down…and then there’s a fuckin’ massacre…”

You trail off when you notice he’s smiling wistfully at you.

“What?” you scoff in disbelief. “How can you possibly be smiling right now?”

“I’m just happy you’re okay” he says softly. “You can yell at me all you want, hit me all you like, because for a while there I wasn’t sure you’d ever be able to yell at me again”.

You’re caught off guard by that. You hadn’t even thought about how he might’ve felt through this. You feel a twinge in your heart. He was scared. He thought you were dead. You stare into his big blue eyes and your mouth falls open slightly at the intensity of his scrutiny.

Before you know it you’re on him, kissing him for the second time that evening (maybe morning now?) The kiss is desperate and passionate, eager and hungry. He presses you up against the wall and you can feel him panting, his hands are all over you as if doing an audit of your body. It’s as if he’s affirming that all of you is still here. He kisses your neck, your shoulders, your arms. You momentarily forget that you’re covered in your own blood, or that he’s covered in the blood of men he gunned down.

He pulls away and begins to whisper in your ear. He tells you he’s sorry, for this, for all of it. He tells you he’ll never let anything like this happen to you again. He tells you how brave you are, how smart you were to get away. You allow yourself to get swept away by his words, soothing you and comforting you, your eyes closed as your arms are draped around his neck.

“Buck, you here?” comes a voice from around the corner.

Your body tenses as your survival instincts are still heightened but Bucky kisses your cheek after feeling your posture shift. “Don’t worry, it’s just Steve” he whispers soothingly.

“We’re here” he calls back.

Steve emerges from around the corner. He’s sweaty and blood spattered like Bucky, clutching a rifle. His face lightens when he sees you.

“Hey - there you are” he says sunnily.

You smile back at him. A genuine smile, possibly the first one you’d ever given him.

“Here I am”.

He looks you up and down, struck by the contrast to how you looked when he saw you earlier. Then…pretty in your date outfit and heels, hair and make-up slightly askew after a few glasses of wine but still intact. Your eyes fiery and passionate as you gave Bucky a dressing down. And now…your face was bloodied, some sort of injury across your cheek. Your dress ripped and blood soaked, a layer of dust dirtying your arms. You were barefoot. Your mascara had run down your face in thick black streaks and your hair was knotted and tangled. Mainly he was struck by your eyes, now dulled and frightened. No sign of the heat he had seen earlier. You just clung on to Bucky’s side meekly.

But you were alright, that was the main thing, and he was relieved. You may be Bucky’s girl but he had grown fond of you too. He thought you were good for his best friend, challenging him and keeping him on his toes. Buck needed that in his life. A partner to be his equal, not merely a sex toy.

He was also relieved for Bucky’s sake. He had gone wild when he got the messages, throwing his whiskey glass across the room and yelling. They were just leaving for the night, he’d run to him and didn’t understand what had happened. Bucky was apoplectic, shouting and throwing furniture. He knew you’d been taken, he knew it was Pierce. He ordered them to round up as many men as they could, emptying out the weapons storage as they followed the location pin. They’d even called in a favour with Stark who was more than happy to lend a hand after learning that Pepper’s star baker was in danger - sending over reinforcements and a few extra top of the line rifles.

The car ride was quick as they sped, but Bucky was silent throughout, his eyes focused out on the road. The only sign he was tense were his hands, clenched into tight fists at his sides.

“She’ll be alright. We’ll get her out, Buck” Steve had told him.

Bucky just smiled thinly and nodded, the worry etched over his face. He had turned back to look out at the road again…

“Perimeter is clear, Buck” Steve explained.

Bucky nodded “Thanks Steve”. He stepped forward to leave and you gripped him harder. He turned back and took your hand.

“C’mon Doll, let’s go home” he beckoned, guiding you through the halls.

#mob bucky barnes #mob bucky x reader #bucky barnes #mob bucky au #mob bucky x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #james bucky barnes #sweet and sour fic

[nerdestiwrites]

call to the devil and the devil will come (chapter two)

Lucifer hadn’t planned on sleeping that night. He intended to get out of bed after he had been lying there for a few moments, but he never did. Instead that drunken sleep had found him, taking him into unconsciousness. It was the sleep that would leave him more exhausted when he woke in the morning, his heart racing faster inside his chest than it normally would have been. Luckily, even with the spiked heart rate, the sleep had been dreamless which was better than the alternatives in his mind.

When he woke, he felt himself reach consciousness, and he groaned loudly. His head pounded and throbbed with pain, and his eyes did not want to open despite being awake. He turned in the bed, feeling the sheets get tangled further around his body. That alone had let him know he had a rather restless night of sleep. All he wanted to do was to go back to sleep now, but he could now feel his quickened heart rate and now he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep. 

He reached and pulled the blankets over his head, trying to shield his eyes from the sunlight beaming through windows from behind the curtains. He really should’ve just had blackout curtains like he had done in his office back at the mansion. Even if that meant he had a hard time knowing the exact time while inside the office, he could’ve been in there for days or weeks and not known, it was easier than facing the fact that time was passing at times. Especially when the sunlight seemed to attack the ever-growing and pounding headache. 

The king heard a knock on his door and he took a deep breath in. He wasn’t sure who could be up at the early hour and not be suffering the same consequences as he was, the others all had drunk much more than he did as he didn’t start until later in the evening. The knock came again and he sat up, rubbed his face, winced as the bright sun came through the cracks of the curtains, and sighed. A wave of his hand as he stood and he was refreshed and dressed in a new white suit and jacket. No one had to be the wiser he was currently dealing with a raging hangover.

Lucifer crossed the room and opened the door. An immediate frown came across his face as he saw the Radio demon standing on the other side in the hallway, a smile across his face as he leaned down so that he was face to face with the King, which only annoyed Lucifer more. “Good morning!” Alastor said enthusiastically loud, earning a grumble and wince from the King.

“What is so important you came to get me this early in the morning?” The fallen angel asked as he looked at the ever-smiling demon. 

Alastor hummed, the radio frequencies filling the air as he sat in silence for a few moments before answering, “Why it’s two in the afternoon! Charlotte was getting quite concerned! I offered graciously to come see if you were awake yet!”

That couldn’t be right. It couldn’t be two in the afternoon, he couldn’t have slept in that much. Lucifer reached into his pockets and grabbed out his phone, nearly dropping it in the process. He huffed as he turned the device on, noticing firstly that it was nearly dead. He really should’ve plugged the damned electronic in before he passed out so he wouldn’t have to now. Then he checked the time, and there it was, ten minutes past two in the afternoon.

The alcohol had really fucked with him more than he thought it did, or maybe it was all the sleep he had purposely avoided finally catching up when he couldn’t fight it any longer. Suddenly the demon took a step into Lucifer’s room and he took a step back in turn, eyes narrowed at the sudden intrusion into his privacy. “What are you doing? I didn’t tell you that you could come in.” 

“You never told me I couldn’t.” The demon said simply and stood straight once more, standing tall. It was on purpose, the fallen angel knew it and hated it. “Do you remember anything from last night, sire?”

That question sent Lucifer spiraling in his mind. He remembered bits and pieces of the night prior, but not everything. He couldn’t remember everything even on a good day. So drinking did nothing to help or improve the fallen angels’ memory and actively worked against it. 

The lack of an answer was an answer in of itself and one that Alastor accepted immediately. He made an interesting hum and took a step back, once again standing outside of the devils' room. “Thank you for the valuable information you’ve given me! Charlie is downstairs, I shall let her know that you did not pass in the night.”

Before the king could respond, the Radio demon disappeared into the shadows. A low growl escaped him as he pulled at his face before making himself appear down in the parlor. He was awake, Charlie was worried about him, he needed to tell her that he was fine. 

Charlie was pacing back and forth in front of a corkboard, with red string attached to pictures attached to articles. Vaggie sat on a chair backward, head resting on her arms that were atop the headrest. She had a look of concern and love for his daughter and was listening intently to all of her ramblings about the next steps they needed to take to make sure the hotel was a success. There were two sections, one for if Heaven agreed and helped, and the second if Heaven was against the idea. 

Lucifer studied the board, standing off to the side, behind Vaggie and Charlie so the two didn’t notice he had arrived. He stood there in silence, letting his daughter's voice, chipper, excited, and full of determination fill the air. She was so confident, so sure of herself and that the hotel was going to succeed, that the devil himself started to believe it as well. If anyone could do it, it could be Charlie, and all they needed was to get Heaven on board with the idea. They needed someone in Heaven to actually sit down and listen to what Charlie had to say.

Charlie turned to face Vaggie, and a pleasant surprised look came across her face at the sight of Lucifer. She smiled immediately and rushed over, pulling him into a tight hug. “Dad! You’re awake! I was worried that you left!”

“I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye! And as I said before, I have no intentions of leaving you again, CharChar.” He promised as he hugged back just as tight, closing his eyes momentarily as his head throbbed from the tightness of the hug. Charlie released him and took a few steps back, bouncing a few times on the heels of her feet as she returned to the large board. 

“As I was telling Vaggie, to be able to get sinners to want to come and actively participate in the hotel, to have a chance at redemption, we need to get proof that it can happen. And I know it can. I just… I need another chance with Heaven.” As she said this she looked back at him and he knew what that look meant. She was asking without saying if he could try and set up another meeting. 

That thought alone scared him. He had struggled the first time she had asked for that. It was different when Heaven contacted him, that was expected, that was routine. For it to be the other way around, for Lucifer to be the one to reach out to Heaven, set something up with Heaven, that was different. He knew that they all still saw him as the villain, as the one who caused the grief and anguish in the world, that he let Evil into the world. He hadn’t done it on purpose, that wasn’t his intention in the slightest, but no matter how many times he tried to argue, to defend himself, he was ignored and blamed. So he stopped trying and allowed them to paint him as the villain.

Her face, his little girls’ face, asking, begging, pleading for his help, for him to reach out, to try and make the connection so that they could get things rolling again. He knew that she held out hope that now Adam was out of the picture, that Heaven would be more willing to see things her way. He was terrified if he reached out, they’d want to hold the hotel accountable for the death of the first man. An eye for an eye was Heavens’ motto, a sense of justice that never made sense to the Devil but was what he had to live with every day since being thrown out of Heaven.

All Lucifer wanted was to give Charlie everything he could, to prove himself, to apologize for everything he had missed out on, for having isolated himself for years. He wanted to do better. He had to do better. He would be better. And that meant he’d call up Heaven and demand another meeting, threaten them if he had to if they first refused. Anything for his little girl.

So he let a tired smile creep onto his face as he nodded once and just that action was enough to send the princess squealing in excitement and a plethora of thank yous pouring out of her. Another tight squeeze of a hug and then Charlie was back at the board. Her fingers were quick to grab onto different items, stringing new pictures, and new articles up, taking some down, and rearranging others. 

The fallen angel waved to Vaggie and made his quiet exit from the parlor into the kitchen. He needed something in his stomach, nothing too heavy but something. Perhaps he’d make himself some toast or find some fruit to eat in the fridge, though the last time he had opened the fridge door he had come face to face with a rather unpleasant sight due to the Radio demons’ unnatural tastes. 

He searched through the cabinets first, a safer choice to find something edible without the chance of immediately losing his little appetite due to an unwanted surprise. He let his fingers tap along the counter, missing the feeling of his cane within his hand, he needed to find where he had let it disappear, it certainly couldn’t have gone far. Canned foods, canned fruit, canned meat, nothing spiking this interest, a forgotten protein bar that looked like it had better days, and half a loaf of bread, though by the looks of it, had been sitting in the back of the cabinet for some time. 

The entire kitchen needed a rework, new groceries, maybe new rules on what was allowed inside the communal fridge as well as a fresh set of dishware. A sigh escaped his lips as he closed the cabinets, turned, and blinked twice at the sight of the Radio demon standing behind him. Something that looked close to disappointment crossed Alastors eyes momentarily before it was replaced by an amused smile. “You certainly aren’t the jumpy type, are you?” 

Lucifer leaned against the counter as he looked at Alastor, an unamused frown paralleling the demon’s face. “I’m the oldest being in Hell, if I was still jumpy after being here this time I don’t think I’d be called King of Hell. Also, Charlie had a stretch of time in her childhood where she desperately tried to scare me any chance she got, so someone sneaking up on me isn’t going to make me jump.”

“I suppose if that’s all you have to show for being King, you might as well gloat about it more.” Alastors voice seemed like it was coming from all around the devil, the radio frequencies fluctuating with every other word that had been spoken.

Lucifer growled at the backhanded compliment and he stood straighter, off of the counter. “That is not all-” Before he could even finish the sentence, the end of a cane was pressed into his chest, pushing him back against the counter. His eyes looked down at the cane and went up, noticing the apple bobble in the hand of the demon. Another growl escaped him. “So you stole my cane?”

Alastors smile grew at the accusation. “Why of course not! I am simply returning it to the rightful owner, after all, you had been so careless last night with it, letting it drop and roll wherever. Left it on the floor.” He laughed. 

The King reached forward to attempt and grab the cane, only for the demon to pull it away, leaning against it, having to lean forward quite a bit just to be able to. “Such a short cane, though I suppose fits your needs quite well!”

A groan escaped his lips and he attempted again to grab his cane away. Once more, it was pulled out of reach, and Alastor spun it around a few times, inspecting the apple bobble closely. A small laugh escaped the demon as he turned the cane around a few times, “How is that hangover treating you, Your Majesty?”

The question was asked and then followed by a high-pitched frequency causing the devil to groan in pain, covering his ears with a dangerous glare. The anger bubbled up inside his chest and he felt as his horns began to extend out of the top of his head. Then, suddenly and without warning, the cane was handed straight to Lucifer, and a look of boredom crossed the demons’ face. Lucifer blinked a few times as he took the cane, holding onto it protectively, eyes narrowed at the sudden release. 

“Usually, when an item is returned, the polite thing to do would be to say ‘thank you’.” The static picked up in Alastors voice at his words and he gave a small shrug. Then he took a step back away, hands clasping behind his back as he did so, a smug smile on his face ever-growing, ever-present. 

Lucifer glared back in response to the Radio demon as he used the cane as intended, leaning against it easily since it was his. He huffed once, twice, then turned away from the demon, the moment of hunger having left him now. He’d try again in a few hours, or perhaps in the morning once the hangover was gone. Maybe he’d even make pancakes for Charlie and himself and her girlfriend. 

As the king left the kitchen, he could feel the eyes of the demon following him. He shuddered once he was out of view and rubbed his hand over his face once with a deep sigh. Every moment he had with the demon was an exhausting one and he wasn’t entirely sure how much longer he could last. Lucifer knew how much Charlie cared for Alastor, though he himself couldn’t understand why. She cared nonetheless, and so he wouldn’t be the one to cause the issues. However, if he needed to solve any of the issues, he would gladly jump at the chance to take the Radio demon down a couple of notches, or even out of the game completely if the option ever became available. 

The pounding in his head didn’t seem to be leaving any time soon, though thankfully it seemed to have dulled down quite a bit, even despite Alastors attempt to cause him pain from the loud high high-pitched noise. He was tempted to return back to his room, cane in hand this time, though he wasn’t sure he’d get any sleep now that the drunkenness had worn off. Even just to be on the solace of isolation while riding out the last of the hangover was better than the chance of having to face the Radio demon for a third time that day.

“Dad!” Charlies' voice called out from the parlor, and Lucifer smiled immediately, turning and heading back towards where his daughter had called out to him from. Whatever she needed from him would come first, and then he’d return back to his room because he was going to do better.

#alastor #hazbin fanfic #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel fandom #charlie morningstar #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel lucifer #radioapple #alastor the radio demon #radio demon #duckiedeer #slow romance #slow burn #enemies to friends to lovers #best enemies #enemies to lovers #side huskerdust #side chaggie #mutual pining #mutual hatred #hazbin lucifer #lucifer morningstar #swearing cw #eventual romance #depressed lucifer #lucifer magne

[babyyweebbitch]

Can i request Vi (Arcane) x overworked female reader?

I go to two schools (one is a music school)

Both schools give a huge amount of homework, the piano teacher is very demanding, I have a piano exam soon (which I don't know if I'll take because I can't remember so many given musical notes) and I also have my high school. I think I'll drop out of one of the schools for my own sanity.

I’m a crying, stressed out and simply tired mess and i feel like i’m losing control. The worst feeling ever🥲

Hug me please 😫

omg baby i’m so sorry! :( that’s a shit ton of stress and honestly i feel u with the stress! im currently very stressed out too and i hope things get better for u :) HERES A HUG

content warning : female reader , crying , stress

you were a collage student, currently in your second year of collage plus you also had a good paying job you worked at after school. the schedule was you go to school and mid day you left to go to work. that’s how it’s been since you got this job three years ago. recently there was an exam happening and you had to study during your breaks at work.

you recently got a new boss who has been an absolute asshole to you and a few other people and they’ve been working you like a dog. they changed your hours so you had to go home later leaving you barely any time to study and sleep. now your schedule was all fucked up… Vi noticed and has tried to help you but you always say you got it and that you didn’t need any help. she didn’t buy it honestly

it was getting closer and closer to exams and everything was getting to be too much. during one of your days off from work you studied all morning and part of the afternoon at your desk in yours and Vi’s shared room. she was sitting on the bed with her headphones in scrolling through social media. your phone vibrated and you glanced at it… it was your boss

‘i need you to come in for work today, in about 20 minutes please’ the text read. you don’t know why but reading that made you tear up, you started crying… no, sobbing. you placed your head on your desk and sobbed. vi moved her phone a bit to check on you and saw you sobbing at your desk. she immediately jumped up

“baby?! baby, what’s wrong?!” she asked, going over to you. she rubbed your back and you reached over to hug her, very tightly and just cried into her shoulder. she rubbed you back and she picked you up, carrying you to the bed “cupcake…”

“t…this is too much! vi…. i ca…i cant!” you said through cries. you gripped onto her shirt, she sushed you and held onto you

“i know…. i know — it’s alot…” she said in a soft voice, holding you until you were calmed down. after you calmed down you sat up and looked around “why don’t you take a b—“

“i gotta go to work! fuck!” you said, trying to stand up to get ready but she grabbed your arm. you looked at her and she tilted her head to the side. without saying a word you knew what she was trying to say “Vi i can’t”

“please…. you have too, it’s not good on your body”

“they will fire me…”

“fuck ‘em…. baby, if you take on anymore stress it will cause damage to your body. you’re already getting headaches and i can tell your hands are sore”

“how did you know about the headaches…”

“i saw the three bottles of Tylenol in the garbage when i went to take it out this morning”

you sighed and sat back down on the bed. you looked down

“and taking that much is gonna fuck up your body too”

“what do i tell them…”

“quit… find a new job — i’ll start charging more for my fights until you’re done for the summer”

“but the apartment…”

“we both have enough money to pay for it, plus the fights — i get alot for them. baby we will be fine for a few months” she said “i’ll even text ‘em for you!” she said, going to get your phone and unlocking it. she started typing away at your phone and you realised you’re trusting Vi to text your soon to be ex-boss

“please don’t be mean…”

she paused for a second…. then you heard her erasing the message

“Vi!”

“what?! you’re trusting me to do this for you!” she said in a joking tone. you laughed before snatching the phone from her and typing away. she placed her head on your shoulder to see what you were typing as you did. once you were done you placed your phone down and vi smiled. she stood up and started to get you clean clothes and went to the bathroom. you got up to follow her and see what she was doing — especially with your clothes

“whatcha doing?”

“starting a bath — for you! you deserve it” she said, starting to run a bath for you. she did everything the way you liked it and was surprised she got everything right, she’s only ever watched you do it so she decided to try. she helped you undress and get into the bath. she started helping you get clean and she hummed as she did.

the entire time you didn’t talk but the silence between you two was very calming to the both of you.

this isn’t the best but i hope u like it :)

#arcane #arcane x reader #vi #vi x reader #vi headcanons #vi x female reader #violet #lesbians #lesbian #lgbt

[ramiliadoesstuff]

YOU KNOW WHAT?!! TAKE SOME MINOR MYSTIQUE TALES LORE!!

—Each of the four kingdoms have old native languages that are similar to real life languages.

—For example, Clover’s native tongue is Ancient Greek, and it was originally the native language the Walker family talked in up until the 18th Great Wizard’s era their native speakers were getting murdered during altercations with the slivamilions which led to less native speakers existing and instead they took the language the silvamilions spoke in and made it their own with some altering to make it sound like their native language. and after the peace treaty between the Silvamilions and the Walkers happened, the Walkers who could still speak the language taught the Silvamilions the new language and their native language became a secret language in which the Great Wizards’ old diaries were written and stored for future generations, Ramilia speaks it fluently but Noelle has trouble speaking in it but understands it fully when reading old Scriptures or hearing her mother talk in it. (The Silvas also have some understanding of it, but it’s the alternated version the Walkers taught to the Silvamilions)

—the Spade and Diamond kingdoms have similar native language which is Gaelic, but for Spade it’s the Irish Gaelic and for Diamond it’s the Scottish Gaelic. In present day You would find no one who still speaks the native Language in diamond, however in spade there’s a heavy population who only speak in their native language, and the majority of the people understand it even if they don’t speak it.

—in The Heart Kingdom, the native language is ancient Latin, and only the Royal family is able to still speak in it, the queen is always most fluent in the native tongue. Some spirit guardians would be taught the language as well (Gaja is fluent in the native tongue, he learned the old Language at a very young age when Loropechka was still learning it, she had great difficulty with it so Gaja learned it and spent countless hours talking only in old Latin to help Loro with her pronunciations.)

—Vanessa is fluent in Ancient Greek, she speaks it better than Ramilia actually. which surprises Noelle at first, but once she gets over her initial shock she becomes excited because this means she has a practice partner to talk with and improve her speech and pronunciation.

—when Noelle heard Vanessa speak in Greek for the first time she was so shocked but also excited because this was something for them to bond over.

—“you speak Greek too?!” She asked excitedly in Greek, which prompted Vanessa to glare at her because she had a really bad headache and Noelle was being too excited for her liking, and also cringe badly because Noelle had the most fucking horrible pronunciation she ever heard.

—“I mean this in a good way,” she began speaking in Greek “never, and I mean, never talk to me in the colonised version of the language”

—Vanessa makes it her absolute fucking mission to teach this fucking kid how to speak actual proper Greek, even if gives her too much headaches from how excitable Noelle is.

—most of the time they speak in Greek, the bulls look at them like they’re both gone crazy, and Noelle has some trouble understanding half of Vanessa’s words because she’s really fluent and half of the time she talks too fast for Noelle to catch everything she’s saying.

—Vanessa insults Noelle in Greek half of the time she tries to talk to her. Once Noelle becomes more fluent she realises that most of the time she spent talking with Vanessa she was basically getting insulted.

—Noelle later learned every insult in Greek after finding out what Vanessa did. She learned the really disturbing ones, which got her and Vanessa in trouble once Ramilia found out.

—Nozel somehow finds out that Vanessa knows Greek. And hell ensues.

—the first time it happend, it was after a joint Captains and their Vice-Captains meeting. She was talking to Ramilia about some stuff and she didn’t want anyone to butt in, and to her horror Nozel looked at her with a shocked and disgusted expression.

—“what in the world is that vile pronunciation!” He yelled at Vanessa, which had her replying in Greek with “oh please, if my dead grandmother heard the way you speak Greek, she would fuck the worms that feasted on her decayed corpse”

—Nozel insists that the way she speaks in is wrong, and Vanessa says that’s the way she was raised to speak in and to her it’s correct.

—the nail in the coffin is when she told him in Greek to “take your colonised version of the language, and shove it up your—“. eventually a few Years later, Nozel accepts that in fact, Vanessa is speaking in the accurate and correct language. And she’s much more fluent in it than him.

#black clover #ramarambles #noelle silva #Nozel Silva #vanessa enoteca #BCoc:Ramilia Walker #mystique tales and great wizards #I love the headcanon of the Silva’s being Greek in a modern Au #thus I incorporated in this one ✊ #I do what I want and no one can stop me #I do plan on writing a story about Nozel learning that Vanessa speaks Greek

[venus-haze]

You've done vampire!Elvis but how about Werewolf!Elvis? I can only imagine...

I went with a but of a horror movie route for this one, I hope you don’t mind! I specifically though of Elvis’ cover of Blue Moon from his debut album for the howling and overall tone of this, it’s like the perfect combination of haunting and romantic🖤

Werewolf!Austin!Elvis x Reader

Warnings: Dark themes such as obsessive and manipulative behavior, mentions of body horror/gore, and elements of isolation, which some people may find disturbing or triggering. Do not interact if you are under 18 or post thinspo/ED content.

You’re walking home alone at night and with each step want to berate yourself for being too stupid to not call someone when you last passed a payphone. The full moon was bright, which should have quelled some of your nerves. Instead, a chill rolls down your spine

Too afraid to look behind you, you know you’re being watched, or followed, or both. You keep walking, your heart racing despite not doing anything strenuous, and when you finally muster up the courage to glance over your shoulder, there is, in fact, a man a few yards behind you

You start running because it can’t hurt things, until he starts running too, and for some reason, you decide to make a break for it in the nearby wooded area, hoping you can lose him at some point, but it seems like he knows them better than you do

Out of breath and terrified, you take refuge behind a tree, hoping you can make it back out to the road without him noticing. You hear a rustling in the autumn leaves that have fallen to the ground, and when you peek out from your hiding place you see a wolf, and you almost wish it had been the man instead when it begins howling almost hauntingly

You make the panicked decision to start running again, which works out about as well as it did the first time, and lose your way under the tree cover, slipping on wet leaves and tumbling down the hill littered with gnarled tree roots and sharp stones. As you go in an out of consciousness, you know you’re dead

Until you’re not, and you wake up with a major headache and an sharp pain in your side that prevents you from moving. You’re not sure where you are, but not long after you regain consciousness a man who looks like he could have been a movie star comes into the room, relief on his face

“Jesus, girl, I was startin’ to worry you’d never wake up,” he says. “You feelin’ alright?”

“Just my head and pretty much everything else,” you answer. “Why didn’t you bring me to a doctor?”

He jerks his head toward the window, rain pouring down outside. “Road’s washed out. The rain was startin’ to get real bad when I found you. What were you doin’ by your lonesome out there anyway?”

You recount the situation to him, and he looks genuinely concerned, which makes you feel a bit better. When he relays that he doesn’t have a phone, being so far out from town, your mood sinks just as quickly. The more you observe the place, the more you notice it doesn’t have much of anything. You know people are looking for you, but with the road washed out by the downpour and no phone, there’s no way to let anyone know where you are

He could have left you for dead, though, this man who had so little himself, and yet he took you in. He shares that his name is Elvis, and a handsome smile spreads across his face when you tell him yours

He spends the next week or so tending to the gash you have in your abdomen, and you can hardly stand to look at it because of how deep it is. Still, it’s healing a lot better than you expected from a man in a cabin in the woods who wouldn’t give you a straight answer when you asked him what he did for a living or how he could possibly survive on his own out there

When Elvis thinks you’re asleep, he goes out at night and only returns hours later, close to sunrise, yet he shows no signs of exhaustion in the mornings

Though the rain’s subsided, the road is still washed out, and you come to terms with being stuck with Elvis for longer than you’d expected. Not that you mind, he’s charming and funny, but you feel like a burden, and whenever you try to do something like clean up a little or cook, he insists it’s not good while you’re still recovering

As it nears a month since that terrifying night, you notice his behavior becoming increasingly erratic, especially when he comes back from his nightly outing to god knows where and declares his love for you at what you figure must be four o’clock in the morning, kissing you passionately and then not acknowledging it at all as the two of you eat breakfast just a few hours later

Washed out road or not, you need to get out of there. Not long after Elvis leaves around his usual time, you sneak out too, figuring it couldn’t be too hard to find the road from where you were, until you walk far enough to realize there is no road and you can hear an a familiar howling that makes your blood curdle—loud, clear and far too close for comfort

Then you see it, the silhouette that’s haunted your dreams for the past month approaching, getting closer until you recognize Elvis’ face contorted in pain and panic. “I knew it was you, Y/N. It had to be you,” he says frantically, stumbling forward toward you. “You should be ready now. This won’t hurt you”

“What? What are you talking about?” you ask, unable to produce any more words as you witness his painful and grotesque transformation under the silver moonlight. You stare at the wolf before you, unsure of what to do next, but he makes his move first, lunging straight for your throat

Taglist: @eliseinmemphis @kittenlittle24 @crash-and-cure @im-lame-irl @loudwombatmugkid @rxsesss @roseymary04 @queendelrey @jovialladyaurora @positivitylane112 @moonknightswif3 @holy-minseok @datsavageavenger @21bruhs @luckyevansstan

#elvis x reader #austin!elvis x reader #austin!elvis #werewolf!elvis x reader #headcanons

[smallestapplin]

hii I really enjoy your fluffy prompts so I thought I'd send a short and sweet one!

the submas twins have their crush/significant other be a sleep talker. and hears their name and saying they love them in their sleep. and maybe asking if what they said was true the following morning.

have a nice day!!!

Thank you so much! You’re too kind☺️, I hope your day is well. I went with their crush if that’s okay.

Asks are open

-

-

🔲Ingo🔲

You usually spend the night. He remembers you telling him you never really liked being at your place much. But he never had a problem with that.

Granted he does like his down time but you never make a fuss. You two can exist in the same room and he loves that, your presence is so calming to him.

Ingo walks out of his home office and finds you asleep on the couch. He lets out a content sigh, you look so cute.

Walking over he grabs a throw blanket and carefully placed it over you. You turn to lay on your side facing him, holding the blanket close.

If only he could come home to this, or just you all the time.

Ingo freezes when you make a groaning sound.

“I..ingo.”

He figures he woke you up and speaks softly “yes?”

“Mm…love you.”

Ingo gasps and quickly slaps a hand over his mouth, his face bright red as he stares at you in shock.

The longer he looks at you the more he realizes you’re still asleep. Were you dreaming of him? Is that what you really thought of him?

He figured he’d ask you once you woke up, but how should he go about it? He took the time to think about this.

It was hours later when you woke up from your nap, finally that headache was gone. Stretching and pointing your joints you fall limp against the couch with a loud groan.

“Good evening, sleep well?”

You crack an eye open and see Ingo walking in from the kitchen, he hands you your favorite drink and sits on the love seat.

“Thanks Ingo, I feel much better after that nap, what did I miss?”

You watch curiously as he messes with the sleeves of his shirt.

“Did you have a nice dream?”

That’s odd, you don’t remember dreaming about anything.

“Not that I can recall.”

You try your best to think but nothing comes up, did you say or do something?

“Did you not mean it then?”

“I’m very confused, did I say something?”

“You said you loved me…do you?”

You choke on your drink. Did you seriously out yourself in your sleep!? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

“Um….which one doesn’t ruin the friendship?” You’re hoping that half assed attempt at a joke will lighten the mood.

“Dear.”

“…..I’m sorry Ingo, I didn’t mean for you to hear that from me yet, I was wait until, ya know a good moment, not in my sleep.”

You look away in shame. You hear him stand up and walk over to you, thinking he is going to ask you to leave when suddenly you’re wrapped in a hug.

“I’m so happy you feel the same!”

Oh you could die right then and there and be happy.

🔳Emmet🔳

You and Emmet have constant sleepovers, ever weekend unless something comes up. It’s his favorite part of the week! He gets to see you!

Like right now, you two had stayed up most of the night, finally getting tired after winding down with some video essays playing in the background.

You two had fallen asleep.

But he woke up around three in the morning to use the bathroom. Coming back to his room after finishing up he crawls back into bed with you.

He sighs softly. He is so happy you are comfortable with him, he loves being able to share a bed like this, he just wishes he could wake up to you everyday.

He glances at you when you start shifting. You’re probably just getting more comfortable.

“Em..”

“Hm?”

“Lo..ve you.”

Ah.

AH!

Emmet feels his face bloom in color, did you really just say that? You love him!? Do you really love him like he does you!?

He couldn’t sleep after that. He was trying not to vibrate in place and wake you, he cautiously cuddles up to you.

He has always been a cuddler, so it’s not unusual to wake up face buried in his chest cause he wouldn’t let you go.

“Good morning!”

You whine and bury your face further into his chest.

“S’too early.”

He laughs and holds you tighter.

“Please tell me you meant it.”

“Huh?”

You lazily look up at him. There are bags under his eyes but those same silver eyes look so filled with joy.

“Mean what?”

“That you love me! You said it!”

“What? I did not!”

“You did! You absolutely did! You said so in your sleep, so do?”

You whine loudly, you know there is not denying anything with Emmet, he heard it and he will pester you until he gets an answer.

“Darliiiing”

“……yeah, yeah I do.”

Your back cracks when his grip tightens, ears ringing at the sound of his delighted squeal.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank you! This makes me verrrry happy! Oh I can’t wait to take you on a date! Oh! I got just the place to there is-“

You happily listen to him ramble on about a new café that opened up that he wants to take you to.

Laughing when his speech starts slurring and his words delayed before he falls asleep.

How long did he stay up after hearing you say that?

#pokemon #pokemon imagines #pokémon #pokemon x reader #pokemon fanfic #pokemon ingo #pokemon ingo x reader #pokemon fluff #pokemon emmet #pokemon emmet x reader

[etherealvoidechoes]

An Unlikely Bond - Pt. 1 of 3

Well gosh darn I guess the hyperfixation has hit and hit hard again. Was organizing some files and saw the one on Geist and Zhang developing their psionic bond and my fingers ran away with it.

A lot has changed with the initial idea as I'm re-writing the earlier chapters of Wandering Souls and shifting the timeline. But takes place when Zhang is still forced to stay on base until his psionics are fixed.

Also some fun backstory diving for Zhang and me putting my own spin on the name origin for Geist. I am not using anything from that mobile game for Geist.

Parts: 1(You are here)||2||3 - Links will be updated as the chapters are posted. Currently in the queue.

May be posted on Ao3 and FF.net later.

Content warnings for the usual language. Accidental mental invasion. Part three is where they're violence via memories which includes murder(and faked suicide(it's more murder.)

Approx. 3.5k.

-------

The Barracks. Like every other section of the main XCOM HQ, it bustled with activity. Even more so because of the recent expansions, commissioned by Commander Reeves, to house more recruits to the cause and an overdue expansion for the Gym and Rec Room section of the Barracks that the soldiers (and other staff) needed to blow off some steam. The expansions were welcomed by all.

Even with several squads sent out to deal with the ever-evolving alien menace terrorizing the Earth, each floor in the Barracks had a fair amount of activity going on. On the lowest floor, the bar was full as always, with some “reasonably” drinking away and chatting with friends. Others were playing a game of pool. And some were fighting over who could watch what on the largest TV. Typical soldier behavior.

The floor above, the Gym, had a fair amount of activity. New equipment, designed specifically for the enhanced abilities of their Gene-modded soldiers, had arrived and was being tested by some soldiers. Zhang was one of them.

12:03. The Hazard Course was occupied with Gene-modded soldiers fresh out of the labs, already putting their new abilities to the test, so the Gym was the next best place to stretch his legs. His still mild pariah status because of the psionic incident some time ago, which mostly eclipsed him being a former Triad, meant most still gave him a wide berth. Which he didn’t mind, as it meant he wouldn’t have people working out next to him.

13:18. Currently, he was breaking in one of the new reinforced treadmills that could handle that “Muscle Fiber Density” leg mod. 

It had been about an hour’s jog and everything was working perfectly. The steady tread of boot heels hitting the belt and running deck. The muscles in his legs contracted and relaxed at a steady rhythm. There was a nice bounce back from the suspension, which kept his stride nice and smooth. It was so much better than the old treadmills that would stutter if he came down too hard, which would break his stride. He was happy he could be less conscious about that and exert nearly as much force as he wanted to his heart’s content. But he didn’t want to push too far. He didn’t want to be the first one to break the new equipment. 

“This is the best shape that I’ve ever been in my life.” Zhang chuckled under his breath as he adjusted his headphones. Sometimes he felt like that was an overstatement, but it was true. He had considered himself “fairly” healthy, minus his smoking habit, before his recruitment to XCOM. Now, he had lost weight and put on a lot of muscle. And then those Gene Mods and other tweaks the science division was experimenting with. Sometimes he had trouble recognizing himself when he looked in the mirror.

A glance down to check the time. 13:32. About 30 more minutes and he would call it. He had some psionic training he needed to get to later and couldn’t tire himself out.

Psionic training. He rolled his eyes. What did Geist and the others have in store for him today? Knowing Geist and Sam, something headache-inducing, especially if it was learning how to teleport again and some other odd psionic concept. Teleporting. He felt his psionics, those synaptic connections, bristle with annoyance. That task and another were impossible for him. Just thinking about teleporting made him want to skip out on training again, but knew he couldn’t.

“Wonder how much more I have to endure before I’m back on full active duty and don’t need one of these collars when on the field.”

 He still had a fair deal of work to stabilize his psionics, so he didn’t have to wear a modified dampening collar on the field. A faint growl slipped from his lips as his hand went up to his neck and tugged on the collar that was there. He hated the thing, but it was required for all psions to wear one at the base. At least the newer models caused fewer headaches.

“How much longer?”

The chains of command were suffocating, but he was doing his best to be patient and play nice. 

For now, all he could do was wait and jog. A new tune began to play through his ears. Something with a faster, more electric beat. His footfalls quickly matched the rhythm. Negative thoughts melted away. 

The latest tune entranced Zhang. He hadn’t noticed faint voices slowly intruding into his mind. Or perhaps he subconsciously noticed as a grumble or two slipped out as he adjusted that collar on his neck a few times. As quickly as the whispers came, they disappeared.

As he was entering the final cooldown phase of his joke, he felt an all too familiar jolt run up his spine as his eyes flashed purple. Then a more familiar touch before it became blurred by other sensations. The voices were back and much clearer than before. 

“Ah, Vixen! You’ve made it.” Geist’s voice was strong in his mind. Though the name Vixen was distant to him. 

“Cheery as always, huh Geist?” A female voice spoke next. Geist just chuckled in response. “How has training been for this branch?”

“Ah, training. Where to begin?”

Oh, hell no. Zhang cursed in his mind. Either the collar had a fault or Geist was purposefully using his bypass trick to tap into his mind. He figured the latter was happening due to the mention of training. He had been avoiding some sessions. Not in the mood for a guilt trip. His fingers quickly checked every part of the dampening collar. It was cool to the touch. No signs of overheating. One good sign. Must have been the bypassing. Figures.

Steadying his pacing and breathing, he concentrated on the psionic wavelengths to block it all out. Within seconds, the voices faded from his mind. He smiled. No guilt trips now. He would do some psionic training later, but would not be bothered right now. Just as he felt like he could relax his powers, the voices came back in full force.

“We have more soldiers cooking down below. I’m sure the Commander filled you in on that before your arrival.” Geist spoke of several potential psions in the making. It was always a delight to add more to their ranks.

“I read up on a few of them during my flight over.” Vixen said. “The science division has been making strides.”

“But back to training.” Geist almost seemed to hiss the word. “Truthfully, I’m a little disappointed with how things have been developing for researching how the — — — and function. That aspect is still escaping me. But I believe your fresh mind should be able to help.” 

Zhang concentrated again to block out their voices, but his attempts failed once more. The discussion continued, though parts of it cut in and out. But the words “disappointed” and “training” frequently came through clearly. 

Several disgruntled mumbles slipped from Zhang’s lips as he slammed his hands against the handrails to the treadmill. His grip tightened until his knuckles went white.

“For fuck’s sake…” He was glad no one was next to him to witness his sudden change in demeanor. Straightening himself back up, he brought his jog to an end. “Fine. You win this time, Geist.”

————

With more than a pep in his step, Zhang made his way deeper into the base towards the Psionic Training Grounds. However, he was mostly mindful of his steps, as he felt like kicking a few holes into the concrete because of his disturbed mood. Cracks would be barely noticed. Anything worse and he would get written up.

In about 7 minutes, he reached the main room. It was sparsely populated, a few psions were meditating or sparing here and there. Off to the side, he spotted Geist and who he figured was this Vixen he was speaking to. Both looked to be in a rather pleasant mood. Geist hadn’t noticed him yet.

Zhang took a moment to still himself. He didn’t need to go off on Geist. Feeling somewhat calmer, he headed over to them.

As he got closer, Geist noticed him. His eyes always seemed to brighten when the old man came around. 

“Ah, hello Zhang!” Geist gave a friendly wave. “Early for once. No teleportation training for today.” 

Zhang stifled a snort even more so when he felt the voices in his head diminish. Once he was next to them, he gave Vixen a nod before looking at Geist. “You rang?” Though he tried his best to hide it, irritation riddled his words.

He was about to reply until he caught the annoyance in Zhang’s voice and then noticed the faint rage in his eyes. “Is something the matter?” 

Is something the matter…? “Are you fu—” Zhang bit his tongue before shaking his head. “Is something the matter?” Shifting his pitch up an octave, he sarcastically repeated the words before shifting back to his normal voice. “Are you serious?”

Geist’s expression shifted to a more puzzled, if not, concerned look. Though he was still slowly becoming more aquatinted with Zhang, this attitude was out of character for him. “I’m sorry, but you’ve lost me, Zhang?”

Zhang’s brow twitched. “Don’t play coy with me!” He finally snapped. His eyes flashed before he jabbed a thumb at his own head. “You did your damn bypass trick to get into my head!”

The sudden outburst disrupted the tranquility of the room. All eyes were on Zhang.

Geist raised his hands and took a step back. This felt greatly out of character for Zhang to just snap like this. He wanted to probe his mind, do a quick check to make sure none of their hard work to fix his psionics was unraveling, but the man was accusing him of already probing his mind. “Zhang, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I have not made a connection with you.”

“Really? Really?” Zhang sneered. “You’ve been sure to repeat the words “training” and “disappoint” frequently in my mind since I missed the last few sessions.”

“What?” Geist looked more confused. That made little sense. He was more mildly annoyed with Zhang occasionally skipping the training sessions, but knew the man needed his space. But the words more or so matched what he had been discussing with Vixen. He glanced at her. She looked more annoyed at the matter. “I haven’t contacted you. I knew you would be coming around here within the hour… hopefully.” He muttered the last word under his breath. “In all seriousness, I haven’t done my psionic bypass to contact you.” Cautiously, he took a step forward as his eyes began to glow purple. He began to reach out. “You have me concerned. I could check to see if—”

The denial only seemed to infuriate Zhang, and then feeling the man’s touch in his mind only made him angrier. “You think for a sin—”

“Stop.” Vixen stepped in between the two, with one hand imbued with psionic energy placed against Zhang’s chest. “Let’s get this settled. Since you’re about to bite his head off, let me check for any connections. If there’s a connection from him to you, then Geisty has been lying. If there isn’t, your collar needs to be checked. Fair?”

Zhang glanced at her hand on his chest before looking at Geist and back at her. He let out a huff as he took a step back. “Fair.” 

Vixen looked at Geist. “Cut your connection and get your collar.” 

He nodded, quickly severing his powers. With a faint ping, he teleported his collar into his hands but didn’t put it on just yet.

Vixen then gestured for Zhang to it down, which he begrudgingly complied, before moving behind him. She raised both hands to either side of his head before letting her psioncis envelop his head. “Okay, let’s see what I can find.”

The room was a near dead silent as Vixen went to work. Most wanted to see how it would all play out as Geist did have his trickster tendencies, but a few wanted to pretend nothing was going on just in case there was a blowup.

Zhang did his best to keep his calm as Vixen searched his mind. It was always strange having an unfamiliar psion go through one’s mind, but he took notice of Vixen’s soft touch. Though she had to work around some of those locks he and Geist had created and the still unstable part of his psionics, she was doing so with care as she looked for those threads of a connection.

“Hm…” Vixen’s eyes narrowed. She found something. Or at least felt it. “Geist, collar on.”

With no hesitation, he put it on, and it snapped into place.

Minutes passed.

“Collar off.” She said. He took it off.

Some more time passed.

“Hm. There’s something, but it doesn’t fully feel like Geist.” She stopped her psionics and moved her hands away.

“Doesn’t fully feel like Geist.” Zhang questioned, doing his best not to scoff. He shook his head a few times to shake off the faint buzz coursing between his ears.

“It feels like a mixture of threads here. Feels like it’s coming from the growing,” she gestured with one hand, “background psionic radiation permeating the base.” She explained. “Not feeling a direct one from Geist per se. Just a mix. Perhaps your… odd psionics… amplified something.” 

“That partially clears things up.” Geist mumbled as he tapped his chin. One thing cleared, but Zhang still didn’t look happy, which had him concerned. “Anything feel out of place, Vixen?”

She shrugged. “His psionics feel odd, but I bet you know them better than me to determine if something is truly wrong.”

“True.” He looked at Zhang only to sigh, seeing the man was glaring at him. He took a step towards him. “Zhang, I can check to see if—” 

“Don’t.” Zhang cut him off. He got up.

“Zhang. This could be your psionics ac—”

“No.” Another terse answer left his lips. He turned to Vixen and gave her a half-hearted “thank you” before he made his leave.

Vixen raised a brow at him as she watched him leave, before turning her attention back to Geist. “Is he always like this?”

“No. He can be difficult at times, but this is… different. It concerns me.” He spoke truthfully. He wanted to follow, chase after him, but knew that would only lead to a fight. 

With a faint ping, he teleported a tablet into his hands. “I’ll make note of this. Give the Psionic Division a heads up just in case.”

“And Commander Reeves?” Vixen asked.

“Eventually… her.”

“‘Eventually’?” She questioned.

“Eventually. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt. But I will tell her if something happens.” He said. He just wanted to keep Zhang off the Commander’s radar. Things had gotten better between the two, but he didn’t want to risk it with this.

————

Zhang proceeded to skip the 14:30 Psionic training session he was going to attend. Despite Vixen’s findings, he didn’t believe her nor Geist. It felt all too convent that their conversation stopped intruding on his mind when he entered the room. He knew what he heard and felt.

He needed to cool down and what better way was there to cool down than by allowing himself to get dragged into some silly card game with Akemi, Kim, and Jarvis as the three happened to come back from some fieldwork. He refused to elaborate on what had him irritated, only stating “Geist being Geist”, and they mostly respected that. The trio helped him push the day’s events to the back of his mind with the card game and updating him on the latest alien threats. More of the same ol’ variants and some new ones were being fielded. The aliens, well, Elders, were probing for weaknesses and how they would react.

The hours flew by until it was either time to get some food, shower, or get dragged off by one of the science teams. Zhang was ready to hit the shower until Akemi pulled his teeth to join her in the Psionic Training Grounds. Though her psionics were still developing, she had been assigned to join in on psionic training sessions. Dr. Vahlen’s and Dr. Marin’s teams wanted to experiment with various ways to unlock a soldier’s psionic potential without having to rely on the weeks-long process of psionic energy saturation inside of the sarcophagi.

He was loath to go there as he wanted to avoid Geist and the man practically lived in there or in the Psionic Labs. Yet, with some playful banter, begging, and mild guilt tripping — as he was the reason she was psion now—, she convinced him to tag along. He had noticed she was less nervous when he was around when she trained with one of the elite psions.

“You’re going to hold that over my head for forever, huh?” Zhang questioned.

“I may.” She smirked and playfully nudged him with her elbow. “At least you didn’t fry my brain.”

He let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Don’t.”

Much to Zhang’s relief, Geist wasn’t there when they arrived. As Akemi went to her instructor, Zhang found himself talking to a fellow psion, John Tanner. Someone who was a witness to what happened earlier in the day. Tanner probed a little to find out exactly what the issue was, but Zhang kept most of the details terse. But he trusted Tanner enough to probe his mind, and the man felt nothing was amiss. Just a mixture of threads faintly connected to the psionic background radiation in the base. That still didn’t sit well with Zhang. It was something to stew on for later.

With little convincing, Tanner roped him into some psionic meditation and defense strengthening so he would have some psionic training marked down for the day and off the Commander’s radar. 

Moving to a side room and finding a place to sit, he gladly took his dampening collar off. It took some time for him to enter a “calm” state of mind as the irrational side of him felt Geist would show up at any moment, but once he did, he felt a great deal of the day’s irritation melt away. A quick check of his own mind with his powers unrestricted; he barely felt any active traces of Geist. The usual connections were a near-dead silence. Anything else resonated with the psionic background to the base.

 Hm. That was still strange, but maybe his psionics were acting up again and the overly friendly psion didn’t connect to him.

For the next hour, Tanner carefully pushed and pulled at Zhang’s psionic defenses. It was a delicate and dangerous game of finding the cracks that needed to be reinforced and avoiding the traps that could lead to a nasty psionic backlash. 

“Aaah… Okay. Okay, think we’re good… we’re good for the eve’ing.” Tanner said as he recalled his psionics. Body wavering from side to side, he raised a hand to his face and rubbed it.

“Mhm.” Zhang let out a sharp exhale as he came out of his meditation. As his pionics receded into himself, he picked up his dampening collar. He finally noticed Tanner’s wobbliness and the faint purple sparks buzzing around his head. “Are you alright?”

“I’m… good. Just a little mind spin trap of yours I triggered as were were finishing…” He said before hunching over and vigorously rubbing the back of his neck. “That’s… nasty. You’ve improved.”

“Ah.” Zhang chuckled. “I’ve been adjusting them as those Elders make their calls to me from time to time. Something to push them out.”

A few moments later, the psionic disruption around Tanner disappeared. He straightened himself back up and let out a sigh of relief. “I can see that annoying them. They deserve worse. Need to take notes and get the others more prepped.” There was always work to be done. “Those are some green checks for you. A few more sessions and,” he paused, knowing mentioning Geist would be a sore subject, “you know who is doing his own tests and you should be back on the field before you know it.”

Zhang’s mood didn’t immediately sour. He simply nodded along. Talking to a Geist about the incident earlier and apologizing would have to happen, but he still wanted some distance. “The sooner the better.” He was ready to get back into the field.

With his training session wrapped up, he returned to the main room to see how Akemi was doing. Her session was just about coming to an end. Once she was done there, the two left and went their separate ways for the night.

#writings #Xcom #Xcom 2 #Xcom wotc #Fic: Wandering Souls #Shaojie Zhang #XCOM Zhang #xcom geist

[ahordeofwasps]

Find the Word Tag

I've been tagged by the wonderful @winterandwords! Thanks for the tag! My words are tear, wear, near, and hear! I'll be sharing some excerpts from To Not Falling Off Cliffs!

But first, the no pressure tags! I'll be tagging @emelkae, @chauceryfairytales, @amewinterswriting, @blind-the-winds, and open tag! Your words are doom, bloom, gloom, and boom!

Now, onto To Not Falling Off Cliffs!

Tear & Hear

Erika stopped. Her eyes began to well up with tears. She did not want to pick up the pieces. She put a hand to her mouth and stifled a sob, trying to push it back down until the time was right. But there was no right time. The sobs would not be stopped, and Erika did her best to keep them quiet, keep them as muffled half-croaks heard by no ears except her own. She could take it, but she didn’t want to take it. Not anymore. But she didn’t have a choice in the matter. And that was the worst part.

Wear & Hear

Mrs. Smith lived in the apartment directly below Erika. She lived alone but was not a lonely woman. Mrs. Smith’s doormat read “welcome” in letters so scuffed that it took at least a minute staring at the mat to read them. Every time Erika visited Mrs. Smith, she had a new framed picture of a friend or family member hanging on her wall, which had more nails than a hardware store. Mrs. Smith always insisted that visitors come in for a drink and would spend hours regaling them of the exploits of her children, her grandchildren, her great grandchildren, her great-great grandchildren, and her great-great-great grandchildren. Erika heard about these exploits often; she visited Mrs. Smith with a taco salad at least once a month. Erika cleaned the bottom of her shoes on Mrs. Smith’s doormat and rapped on the pink door. She heard shuffling from behind the door and a minute later it was opened by a tall muscular woman with wild grey hair wearing a floral dress and a lavender shawl. On the side of her neck was some dried blood surrounding two small puncture wounds. The woman beamed a smile at her. “Erika! It’s been a while!” Mrs. Smith said, before sniffing the air, “Oh! You shouldn’t have! No one makes it the way you do! My great-great grandson Mikey has tried to replicate it so many times, but he never gets it right.”

Near

Erika chuckled. “Sounds easy enough. I’ll just make a rousing speech to inspire the masses. ‘sides, nothing weighs nearly as much as some last words,” she said. It was meant to be a joke, but it didn’t sound like one. She rubbed her temples again, her headache growing in intensity. It was a good idea. It had a chance of working, albeit a slim one. Except… Erika sighed and shook her head. “Nope, not worth it. Too risky.” Steve tilted his head. “Too risky? That doesn’t hold water, especially with the... you know…” He gestured to the broken remains of the mug on the floor. “Not for me. For you. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together.” Steve was silent for a moment. He bawled his hands into a pair of fists. “You don’t have to worry about me,” he murmured, not looking at Erika, instead staring at the wall, “If I was ever worried about that, I wouldn’t be trying to spew my guts out every chance I get. And… if I had done a better, this wouldn’t have happened.”

#writing #writeblr #fantasy #urban fantasy #tag game #find the word #To Not Falling Off Cliffs #TNFOC

[riahlynn101]

"Of Headaches and Heartaches" (16).

Big thank you to Yeagle!

Trigger warnings: mentions of blood and implied character death.

Chapter Sixteen

--

Luis sat in his car outside Ness’ apartment, keeping  a careful eye out to make sure she made it inside. When the door closed behind her, he slumped in his seat. He stared upward, blinking back tears. 

It’s not fair, he thought to himself, pulling out of the parking lot. It’s not fair that good people suffer so much! 

His uncle, who just wanted to celebrate his eighth birthday party. 

The other missing children who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

His family who lost a child and never fully recovered.

Gregory who, through mysterious circumstances, was thrown away like yesterday’s newspaper, scared and skittish and much too small for a three-year-old. 

And Ness, who-

He took a deep breath, turning into the parking lot for the Pizzaplex. It was a little early for pick-up (a glance at the clock tells him it’s 12:30, which is four hours too early), but Luis was certain the Daycare Attendant wouldn't mind.

Besides, what was it going to say, no?

-x-x-x-

“No,” Moon crooned, wagging a spindly finger side to side. “It's rest time. The children are sleeping.”

“But rest time doesn’t start until 12:45, and it’s,” he pulled out his phone, “12:46.”

“Schedules are important.”

Luis fought the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he sighed. “Please, I’m very sorry I upset your routine. It won’t happen again, but I promised his mom I’d pick him up.”

Moon was less “expressive” than its counterpart, being the less outgoing of the two. It stared at him, tilting its head to the side. “Alright,” it finally said, turning back towards the children. “I’ll go get him. Stay there.”

-x-x-x-

Twenty minutes later, Luis stood in front of Vanessa’s door, hands full of sleeping toddler, take-out, and a brightly colored backpack. 

He knocked on the door with his foot. “Ness!” He called. “Can you let me in? My hands are full.” Luis heard the telltale sound of shuffling feet, followed by a couple seconds of silence, and then a series of locks being undone. 

“Come in,” Vanessa said, ushering him inside. “Here let me take that.” She grabbed the take-out. “You can put him in the guest room, first door on the left. I borrowed a playpen from my neighbors downstairs.”

Luis hummed, heading down the hall and into the designated room. It was plain, with off-white walls and yellowish carpet. In the center of the room was the playpen. Not the most comfortable-looking thing, but he was sure Gregory wouldn't mind. Besides, it was only for a night or two at most. An old, woven blanket hung over the window, barely keeping the light at bay. 

Luis leaned over the playpen. Soothing Gregory’s hair back, he kissed his forehead. “Sweet dreams.” He quietly said.

By the time he made it back to the living room, Vanessa had the take-out all set out on her tiny coffee table. He joined her on the couch, helping himself to some of the food. 

“So,” he started, “How are we feeling?” 

“Good?” She answered with uncertainty.

“Are you asking me?”

She sighed, slumping back against the couch. “I don’t know.” Vanessa frowned. He hated it when she did that - it didn’t suit her at all. 

He hated not being able to make her feel better even more. 

They finished their food in silence. Through the paper-thin walls they could hear the neighbors’ TV blaring Price is Right reruns. 

“...I thought I was over this…” Vanessa whispered, eyes starting to brim with tears for the millionth time today. “I…I was doing better.”

Luis placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, listening intently. 

“And I know healing isn’t linear, but it honestly feels like an uphill battle. Like no matter how hard I try to move forward, I can never truly escape.” She sniffled, wiping at her eyes. 

For a moment- a second -Luis is transported fifteen years back in time. To an overly-familiar living room, but instead of Vanessa, it’s his mother weeping quietly. She didn’t do it often, choosing to hide herself away on the days she couldn’t bear to face the outside world. But every once in a while, when it all became too much, she would break down. 

He had been a child then. Frozen in place and helpless. Useless.

But he wasn’t a child anymore. 

Luis wrapped his arms around Vanessa, hugging her close. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through,” he said. “And I can’t tell you everything will work out.”

She sniffled again, hugging him back. 

“But I promise you that I’m not going anywhere. I won’t leave you.” 

Vanessa just hugged him tighter in acknowledgment.

They sat together for a little while. Long enough for the neighbors’ TV to turn to another program. He’d never felt so warm, or….happy before. But eventually, when Vanessa finally started to pull away, he let go. 

“Thank you, Lu.”

“Anytime,” he said, meaning it with every fiber of his being. “Anytime.”

Vanessa smiled but it quickly turned to a frown. “We still don’t have anything for Gregory’s birthday.”

Luis pulls his phone out. “Well, it’s a little late to do anything about it now.” Sensing her growing worry, he hurriedly added, “we can worry about it tomorrow.”

“Yeah….you’re right.” She settled back onto the couch, leaning her head on Luis’ shoulder. 

The action took him by surprise. He tensed up, afraid if he made the tiniest movement, Vanessa might startle - shattering their rare (near nonexistent) peace. 

He shifted to make himself more comfortable, and Vanessa followed, head still on his shoulder. Luis gingerly brushed a strand of hair out of her face, soothing it behind her ear. 

She fell asleep quickly. No doubt completely drained from their earlier endeavor through the mall. He winced, guilty (even if it wasn’t his fault. He should have known better. He does know better.)

As careful as he could, Luis stood up. He kept her head supported, so she didn’t flop over. With some effort, he managed to lift Vanessa into his arms-bridal style-and head to the guest room where Gregory was.

Luis laid her down on the bed, tucking her in. He stood in the doorway for a minute, smiling fondly, before shutting the door quietly, and backtracking to the living room.

-x-x-x-

Vanessa yawned, stretching her arms. The couch she’d been laying on was cramped and much too small to be slept on. Still, judging by the light streaming in through the moth-eaten curtains, she had done just that. 

She sat up. The leftovers Luis and her had shared yesterday had been cleaned up, and everything else seemed to be in place. Vanessa smiled.

Luis was truly one of a kind. 

Getting to her feet, she started her normal daily routine. Luis had probably gone home. Though, she supposed she’d see him today at some point. 

It was quiet. 

That was the first thing she realized after the morning grogginess disappeared. Way too quiet, like if she dropped a pin the sound would be ear-splittingly loud. She ignored it, if only because her anxiety tended to get the best of her, and if she as up this early, she most likely had a shift today. 

She thought of Gregory as she brushed her hair, pulling it into a ponytail. It kind of surprised her that he'd slept for this long. Most kids his age would be up with the sun, but Gregory hadn’t made a peep since Luis brought him here a little after lunchtime. 

Vanessa hummed, heading for her guest room. The door was closed with a note taped to the door. She squinted at it. It was blurry, and she didn't have the energy to try to decipher it. It was most likely Luis just telling her he went home. 

She opened the door. The playpen was pushed up against the twin bed in the center of the room. From her spot in the doorway, she could see a small lump under a blanket in the playpen. 

“Gregory,” she called softly, going to the playpen. “Time to wake up.”

Nothing. 

She laughed a little, nervousness bubbling up in her like a shaken-up pop can. “Greg…?” She called again, standing over the playpen. 

Nothing.

“Are you-” Her hand touched something warm and wet. No longer able to keep her worst thoughts at bay, Vanessa yanked the blanket off of Gregory.

Screaming.

"Who’s screaming?" She thought to herself; her last coherent thought before running from the room. 

In her hallway, the image of Gregory, bloody and twisted and-

She dry heaved at the thought. The smell was too strong. It was everywhere. She needed to leave. Needed to get out.

OhmygodGregoryI’msorryimsorryimsorry…

The room spun. Her stomach twisted, and she scrambled to find her phone. NeedtocallLuisLuisLuis….

She felt feverishly hot, and it was hard to focus on anything. Her hands trembled, making searching a near herculean task. 

“Oh, Blondie.”

Vanessa tensed, blood running cold. 

Ineedtorunrunrunrun!

“Missing something?”

Slowly, she turned to face the subject of all her worst nightmares. A being made from her own twisted and corrupted consciousness. 

“Vanny,” she gritted out. 

“Vanessa,” Vanny said back, tilting her head, “Long time, no see.”

“W-what do you want?” Looking down helped her panic a little. Anything to avoid looking into those soulless red eyes. 

“Hm…? Let’s see…” Vanny giggled, the sound grating, echoing off the walls. She crept closer. Vanessa refused to look up. “Oh, can’t you look at me?” There’s a mocking edge to her tone, like she’s enjoying all this. 

Like she was enjoying tormenting Vanessa. 

“L-leave me alone,” she croaked out, bringing one of her arms up to create some distance. 

“You knew it was too good to last. He gave you time off. Really, you should be grateful.”

“No! No! No!” She shook her head frantically. “Getawaygetawayfromme-”

Vanessa sat bolt upward, hand over her racing heart. It was dark, nearly pitch-black, save for the dim light from the street lamps that showed through her makeshift curtain. 

Relief floods her. It had all been a dream. A terrible, horrible, awful dream, but a dream nonetheless. 

Still, she can’t shake the feeling of dread. 

“Hic… Mama …Hic…” 

Vanessa scrambled to look into the playpen. She had to squint, but she could make out Gregory’s trembling form. “Here, Greg,” she said, voice groggy. With all the care of a mother, she lifted him from the playpen and held him close. “What’s wrong?” 

He shakes his head. 

“Bad dream?”

He nodded, tucking closer to her. His messy hair tickles her chin. 

“Ah, I get those a lot. They aren’t fun.”

Gregory didn’t acknowledge her, but he did stop trembling. And his hiccups and sniffles slowly tapered off. 

She stroked his hair, even after he fell asleep. Hoping that the gesture brought him some sort of comfort while he slumbered. 

“Goodnight, Gregory,” she murmured, words slurring as she fights against sleep. “I’m glad I met you.”

-x-x-x-

Waking up was always hard. It was harder still when you spent the night on a couch, limbs curled at awkward angles to fit. Luis yawned, stretching his aching arms above his head. Dim morning light streamed in through the window. 

He rubbed at his eyes, untangling himself from the couch. A quick glance at his phone told him that it was only seven in the morning. Which meant, considering it was her day off, Vanessa was unlikely to be up anytime soon. And Gregory seemed fine at the moment. 

Luis combed his hair with his fingers, scanning the room for paper and a pen. A list formed in his mind, everything they’d need for an impromptu birthday celebration. 

-x-x-x-

The next time Vanessa woke up, it was to a pudgy finger poking her cheek. When she looks down, Gregory’s big brown eyes stared up at her with all the guilelessness of a child. 

“Hi,” he giggled, patting her on the head. “Mama ‘Nessa, up now?”

“Yep. I’m up.”

Gregory smiles.

She tried her best to put her awful nightmare out of her mind. But bits and pieces snuck through to haunt her. The coppery scent of blood. The image of Gregory d-

Vanessa shook her head. “How do pancakes sound?”

“Yay!” Gregory cheers.

-x-x-x-

The mall was dead by the time Luis got there. Which might be surprising in any other town, but it was quite frankly a miracle that the mall got any business at all.

He started his shopping at a party store. Looking at the various themes, Luis comes to the horrifying revelation that neither Vanessa, nor he knew what Gregory really liked. Sure, they had a vague idea. Kind of. 

But, staring at the wall covered wall-to-wall in anything kid-friendly you could possibly think of, he didn’t feel very confident. 

He looked down at his phone. Maybe Vanessa could ask Gregory? Luis put his phone away. No, that felt like cheating. And she might still be sleeping.

Maybe a worker could help him narrow it down? He glanced around and found no one around him in the aisle, save for a rugged-looking man. 

“Hey,” he said, tapping the man on the shoulder.

The man jumped a little. 

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No,” the man said, his accent familiar but hard to place. He resisted the urge to ask about it. “I’m fine. I startle easily. Not your fault.”

Luis nodded. “Still, sorry. I was wondering if you could help me pick out a theme?”

“Uh…sure. Who is it for?”

Luis had to think for a moment before he answered. “My kid. He’s turning four.”

The man blanched. “Oh,” he murmured. 

Luis laughed, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah, and I’m kind of hopeless at this. My-” he tried to think of the correct term to call Vanessa, “...Partner is usually the one that does all the shopping.”

The man cleared his throat and wiped at his eyes.

“I- sorry, if I upset you, Mister….”

“No, no, I’m fine.” The man wiped at his eyes one last time before regarding Luis with a serious expression. “Let’s start with the plates, cups, and utensils. It’s probably the easiest part.”

-x-x-x-

“Would you like to stir?” Vanessa asks, looking over to Gregory who’s standing on a chair, watching her eagerly put the mixture together. 

“Yes, please!” 

She held the bowl tightly, while he put all his strength into mixing everything together. It was a team effort, but it didn’t take long for Gregory to grow bored. 

“All done!” He announced.

“Already?” She teased, reaching over to brush some flour off his nose. 

“Uh, huh.” 

“Well, after we’re done here, what do you want to do next?”

Gregory shrugged. 

“You don’t know?”

He giggled, shaking his head. 

“Well, that’s okay. I have something really fun planned.”

-x-x-x-

It’s noon by the time he picked up the necessary supplies for the party. The man he met earlier had to run an errand (something about needing to talk to security), but reassured Luis he’d be right back. 

Luis wandered aimlessly, pacing. Anything to help time move faster. He really didn’t want to pick out Gregory’s gift himself.

Not for the first time, he wished Vanessa was here with him. 

-x-x-x-

“And push that button to jump,” Vanessa instructed Gregory, holding her hands over his. An old Nintendo 64 controller in his hands. On the screen, Mario jumped. 

“I…I did that!” Gregory cheered. “Do it again!” She helps him push the button again. Carefully, Vanessa guided him through the level. Every little trick, sending him into a fit of excited giggles. He sent wide-eyed looks back at her.

She laughed, enjoying every minute of it. 

-x-x-x-

“Hey, thanks again for helping me out. I really appreciate it,” Luis said, walking with the man to the door. 

“No problem.”

“You seem to know a lot about what kids like. Do you have one?” Realizing how strange that might sound, he hurriedly rephrased it, “I mean, are you a parent?”

“I’d like to think so.”

Luis couldn’t comprehend what he meant by that, so he nodded along politely. The man had been helpful enough anyway. As he hurried away, to the relative safety of his car, Luis couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit bad for the guy. He seemed all alone, lost in thought, and not all the way there. 

Hopefully, he found what he was looking for.

-x-x-x-

Luis made one last stop on his way back, for pizza. 

One would think, with his job, and the almost steel-grip monopoly Faz-Entertainment has on pizza, he’d want nothing to do with it. But, actually, outside his mom’s home cooking, it was his favorite food. 

(Especially when it comes from anywhere that isn’t the Pizzaplex). 

He placed an order with the first place he could find on Google. Luis was told it would take twenty minutes to make - not like he had anything to do. Fortunately, the pizzeria was connected to an old thrift store. The building, old, and sign faded with the weather and age. 

He vaguely remembered coming here as a child. Occasionally, Luis would find something cool, like a book, or movie. Though, mostly, he just followed his mom around the store as she searched through the clothes with a speed so agonizingly slow it would make a sloth jealous. 

A little old lady sat at the register, reading a book. She smiled at him before returning to her book. 

The place smelled of dust and mildew. The store felt smaller, somehow (or maybe he’s just older). It was an odd feeling, finally being taller than the clothing racks he used to hide in the center of. 

He headed straight for the back where the toys, books, and movies were stored. He already had a present for Gregory, but maybe he could snag a few children’s books. Or a movie that he could put on for a movie-

Luis stopped mid-step. Freezing in place, his eyes lock on the item in front of him.

Down, at the very end of the aisle, laying haphazardly on the floor was a stuffed bunny rabbit. Its beady red eyes stared into his soul. The thing had two pink dots on each side of its face. 

For a minute, a second, a millisecond, Luis was no longer standing in a thrift store. 

He was holding Vanessa as she sobbed. She was making little sense, her words blended together, and her tone bordered on hysterical. 

“I- he…I don’t want to go back, Lu! Help me! I can’t go back! It hurts…so, so much. And I hurt others, and I’m not me!” She had pleaded with him back then, and he hadn’t understood at the time. At least not at that exact moment. All for he knew for certain was two things:

One, his best friend was in crisis (either one of her own makings, or of someone else’s design). 

And two, the bunny costume-stitched together with various patches-seems like an odd choice to wear to their workplace. The only piece missing being the head, or mask. 

He’d been more concerned about the former, rather than the latter. Though, in hindsight, he should have put more stock into that part of the equation. 

More than anything in the entire world, Luis wished he had believed her then. It would have saved her (and others) from so much pain. It wasn’t until weeks later, that he had an opportunity to watch some of the footage from her previous job. 

How that monster got its claws into her, turning her into something that she wasn’t, warping her perception of reality. 

Luis’ phone beeped twice, shaking him from his thoughts. He pulled his phone from his pocket, not taking his eyes off the plush. 

Two text notifications filled his lock screen. One from the pizza place next door telling Luis his food was ready, and one from Vanessa.

He hurriedly opens the second one. 

The text was a picture, taken by Vanessa, of Gregory and her. Both of them are sitting at the coffee table, crayons and crumpled paper covering the surface. 

Luis smiled, thankful for the distraction. 

-x-x-x- 

Later that night, after dinner (thank you, Luis!), dessert, and some video games, they both sat at Gregory’s bedside (he asked very nicely to sleep in the same bed as Vanessa, instead of the playpen). 

“I want a story,” he said, fiddling with a loose string on the comforter. 

“A story?” Vanessa asked. “About what?”

Gregory shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno.” 

Luis chuckled, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Silly.” 

“Once upon a time ,” Vanessa began, “There lived a princess in a faraway land. She ruled over a vast kingdom, with many, many people. Her royal subjects loved her, and her kindness and generosity were well-known. For not only was she their princess, but also a beacon of hope. The princess welcomed the needy into her castle fairly often, offering them food and shelter.” She frowned. “Until one day, the curious princess awoke an ancient evil.”

“And then?” Gregory pressed, staring up at her intently. “What happens next?”

Luis squeezed her arm, silently supporting her.

“And then, the evil overtook the princess, possessing her.” It occurred to Vanessa that Gregory might not understand the words she was using, but he continued to listen anyway. “Her people noticed their princess behaving strangely. No longer as warm. The doors to the castle no longer open to those in need. Her temper was shorter, and she could sometimes be found talking to the open air.”

Vanessa soothed Gregory’s hair from his eyes. 

“Meanwhile, the evil continued to grow. Gaining power and influence. It kept growing, and eventually it expanded outwards, trapping people. Feeding off their life force, but not doing much more. The ancient evil tormented the girl, day in and day out, frustrated with its lack of progress.”

Luis squeezed her hand. 

“But,” she said, “All hope was not lost, for the princess’ friend, the knight in shining armor, grew worried when she stopped sending letters to him. He went straight to her castle.”

“Was the princess, okay?” Gregory asked, genuine concern in his eyes. 

Vanessa smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. “So, the knight traveled to her castle. Except, when he got there, no one was home. This was strange as he’s always known the princess to welcome everyone into the castle. But there he stood on the doorstep, with no sign of her. He was about to call out to her, when the most peculiar thing happened.” She paused. “The door creaked open, but when he entered, no one was there. The castle was completely empty.”

Another squeeze. 

“But he entered anyway, feeling like his friend-the princess-needed help. At the very least, he had traveled very far and wanted to make sure she was okay. So, he crept up steep stairs and down winding hallways. Until finally, he came across a door that was slightly ajar.”

Gregory blinked up at her, tiny hands gripping her shirt. Like he can sense her uneasiness. (Or maybe her story is making him feel uneasy.)

“He knocked on the door, announcing his presence. ” She mimicked the sound of someone knocking on a door. “'Hello’, the knight called out, ‘Is anyone there?’ But no one answered him. The room was an office of some sort. Tiny and the desk was cluttered with papers, books, and other knick-knacks. Curiosity soon took over the knight. He looked through the papers on the desk, hoping to find a reason why no one was there. But he found…nothing.”

“Nothing?” Gregory echos.

“Nothing,” she repeated, nodding. “That is until he comes across a little leather-bound journal. The princess’ diary! He recognized it, as the princess rarely went anywhere without it. The knight flipped through the pages, hoping beyond hope that she left a hint as to what happened in its yellowed pages. And then, as if all his prayers were being answered, he came across a page of scribbles. A drawing of an entity in red and purple crayon. A chill swept the room. He flipped to the next page. A list of sorts is laid out. ‘Help me,’ it started, ‘It won’t let me leave. I don’t want to hurt anyone else. All the books I found say I need to serve the thing’s connection to the mortal plain. But what could it possibly be attached to? It is not human. It has no earthly attachments. Perhaps I just need to research more…’”

She felt tears starting to brim in her eyes. 

“There were no other notes after that. The knight’s worry grew tenfold. He tore through the room, searching for this so-called “attachment.” He just knew there had to be something, anything to prove it was all for naught. In a little box he found a small, glowing orb. This, he rejoiced, must be one of the entity’s attachments. He had no idea how many there were, only that he likely needed to collect the orbs. He ran from the room, searching high and low for the orbs. At one point, he even came across the princess… ” Her voice shook slightly, guilt returning with a vengeance. “She- but she wasn’t well. She fought the knight, not recognizing him. The evil had won out, completely taking her over.” 

Vanessa couldn’t bring herself to smile. 

“But, thankfully for the princess, the knight was stubborn. He pushed onwards, collecting the orbs. Upon getting the third one, a wondrous thing happened.” 

“What happened, Mama ‘Nessa?” Gregory pressed, half-sleep. 

“The evil was banished back to where it had come. The knight had succeeded, the princess was saved! Because of the knight’s persistence, she was back to her warm, welcoming self.”

She glanced over at Gregory, who was fast asleep. 

“And they all lived happily ever after.”

#fnaf fanfic #cross posted on ao3 #fnaf gregory #fnaf au #fnaf vanessa #fnaf luis #vanessa & gregory

[sapphicsourcee]

Ok so this is like a part two to snowed in and this time Maya and Carina find out about Vic and Andy’s relationship

She’s not a stranger

Vic and Andy had been dating and sneaking around for about a month now. Nobody knew except for Travis who had heard some things he didn’t need to at the station. One night everyone went out to a bar to get drinks since they had the next day off and they had some pretty stressful calls these past few days. Everyone was at the bar talking and drinking while Andy and vic had got a few drinks and went to dance. They were just messing around, Andy subtly grinding on Vic when no one was looking, until vic pulled them off to the side where no one could see. “Why don’t we get outta here” Vic said smirking, “we’ve only been here like an hour vic” Andy replied, Vic grabbed Andy’s waist pulling her closer whispering in her ear “oh so you wanna stay here and chat instead of making me scream your name” vic said before licking then biting Andy’s earlobe. “I’m gonna go tell everyone we’re leaving” Andy said quickly pulling away to go to the table everyone was sitting at, Vic just smirked checking out Andy’s backside as she walked away. Andy approached the table and told everyone vic wasn’t feeling well, Travis offered to come with to make sure Vic was okay but she made up some lie that she was just sleepy and had a headache, Travis almost immediately realized what was going on but just went along with it since nobody else knew yet.

Andy was still living with maya and carina so it would’ve been better to go to Vic’s apartment but Vic was all over her even as she was driving so she just went to Carina and Maya’s since it was closer and they were both incredibly turned on right now. When they got there Vic was sucking on Andy’s neck leaving bruises all around while her hand was starting to go into Andy’s pants, Andy grabbed her wrist to stop her before she could reach her core, which was already throbbing, “mami let me unlock the door” “I’m not stopping you” vic said continuing to leave bruises, Andy unlocked the door one hand opening it and the other stopping vic from fucking her in the hall way. It was a miracle they even made it to Andy’s room. They were both trying to strip, mouths still attached until they both were finally naked and Vic pushed Andy onto the middle of the bed. Vic climbed in between Andy’s legs Kissing her roughly while her hand slid down Andy’s fold gathering some of her wetness before slowly circling her clit, eliciting a low moan from Andy. Vic pulled away from Andy’s mouth and began leaving open mouthed kisses down her body, stopping for a few moments to show her breasts some attention before moving lower. When she finally reached Andy’s core she lifted Andy’s legs holding them as she gave a long lick before flicking Andy’s clit with her tongue, reveling in the soft moans coming from Andy’s mouth. She sped up her causing Andy to moan louder. “I’m so close” moaned Andy, Vic replied by circling Andy’s clit then, sucking, basically making out with Andy’s pussy. Andy’s thighs began to shake and she gripped the sheets underneath her. “You got it baby” Vic said quickly and continued her ministrations and in seconds Andy was cumming, her thighs snapping around Vic’s head while she moaned and whimpered loudly. When her body finally relaxed and released Vic’s head from in between her legs Vic kissed the inside of her thighs softly before moving up to kiss Andy’s lips, who was still panting trying to catch her breath. “When you catch your breath I want you to get the strap and fuck me with it till I can’t walk” Vic said looking into Andy’s eyes, Andy just smirked and took a few minutes before she got up, put on the strap and did exactly that.

Andy ended up falling asleep with the strap still on and Vic wrapped around her after giving Vic a few leg shaking orgasms. Maya and Carina had got home a few hours later going straight to bed because they were both a little tipsy and they had stayed out late. Carina was the first to wake up and was in the kitchen eating a plate of fruit when maya came out of the room to join her “good morning bambina” maya smiled giving Carina a few pecks before going to grab some fruit for herself. “Hey have you seen Andy” maya said to Carina as she sat down with her fruit and orange juice “No but her cars here so she is probably still sleeping” Carina replied. After that they just sat enjoying their breakfast having a light conversation, until they heard questionable noises start to come from Andy’s room. Vic had woken up and noticed Andy had fallen asleep with the strap still on and immediately got turned on thinking about last night. She woke Andy up by placing kisses all over Andy’s face and constant pecks on her lips. After about four pecks Andy woke up, “No good morning first” Andy said smiling into the kisses “Good morning” Vic replied as she threw one of her legs over Andy to straddle her. “Round two” Andy said smirking, Vic just responded by kissing Andy deeper and adding tongue. Andy reached down running her two middle fingers through Vic’s folds, she smirked at feeling how wet Vic already was “this all for me mami” “yes baby, now please stop talking” Vic said as she moved to suck and nip at Andy’s neck. Andy immediately responded by flipping them over and barely letting Vic breathe before attacking her lips. Neither one of them had thought about the fact that they were at Andy and Carina’s place and could definitely be heard, as Andy rubbed the tip of the strap through Vic’s folds before slowly entering, Vic gasped then moaned at the feeling of being filled. “Fuck” vic moaned as Andy slowly stroked in and out, one of her hands moving from the side of Vic’s head to rub circles on Vic’s clit, causing her to moan loudly. Meanwhile maya looked at Carina who just shrugged neither of them recognized that the voice moaning coming from Andy’s room was vic. They both just put in headphones and turned on something to watch on maya’s phone while they finished up their breakfast. Andy had sped up her thrusts while her fingers continued to circle Vic’s clit “mmmmm, I’m about to cumm” Vic whimpered Andy bent her arm down now holding herself up with one elbow to kiss Vic as she was pushed over into her orgasm. “Andyyyyy….mmm, fuck” Vic moaned as she came, when she finally came down from her high Andy pulled out, causing Vic to whimper a bit at the loss, then rolled over. They both laid silent for a few minutes trying to catch their breath. Although they had in headphones, Maya and Carina could still hear the noises and were relieved that it was finally over. When they finally caught their breath they rolled over looking at each other, and Vic noticed a smirk on Andy’s face “oh shut up, it wasn’t even that good” Vic said clearly lying. Andy giggled leaning in close to Vic’s lips “oh really” she said smiling, vic didn’t notice the hand getting close to her center until it was too late, she felt pressure on her overstimulated clit “wait, please baby I’m playing I’m playing” Vic yelled as she jerked at the touch and Andy just laughed hard. “Haha, very funny, now can you please go get me some water I am so thirsty and I don’t think I can walk right now” “say please” Andy said softly kissing Vic’s lips “pleasee” Vic said and Andy smiled kissing her one more time before getting up, taking off the strap, and throwing on some boy shorts and a long shirt and leaving the room.

It wasn’t until she stepped out of the room and saw maya and Carina that she realized they just heard everything her and Vic had just did. Maya was looking at her with a raised eyebrow, “Good morning” she said as she scratched her neck walking to grab two bottles of water from the fridge trying not to be awkward about what just happened “morning” Carina replied “so you gonna tell us who’s in there or what” maya said as Andy turned around walking to the counter “probably not” she said as she grabbed two muffins from the tray on the counter. “We just had to sit here for 20 mins and listen to you and some stranger have EXTREMELY loud sex and we dont even get a name??” “And I’m assuming she can’t walk right now which is why you’re out here getting her breakfast?” Carina said laughing as a blush came over Andy’s cheeks “well in my defense she not a stranger” at that Maya and Carina’s eyes went wide “well now you have to tell us who it is” and before Andy could answer maya they heard a voice come from the door “it’s me now could you please bring me some water” they all turned to Vic who was leaning on the door arms crossed with a long t-shirt on. “VIC???” Maya and Carina both said in unison “yes, now could you please give me the water bottle before my legs give out” vic said to Andy who was looking at her shocked, Andy snapped out of her state of shock, grabbed one of the waters off the counter, walked over to vic and passed her the water grabbing her waist and leading her back into the room as she apologized “I’m sorry mami” “Ok what is happening, when did this even happen??You guys have 20 minutes to get yourselves together and then you’re telling us everything”. Andy just shut the door and walked Vic back to sit on the bed “this is about to be a long conversation” Vic said sipping from the water and passing it to Andy “yeah, let’s go take a shower before our interrogation” Andy said laughing standing and taking Vic’s hand leading her to the shower.

After they showered and put on comfortable clothes they went and sat at the table across from Carina and Maya who had cleaned up breakfast and were giggling about something. Andy took a deep breath before saying “Ok. Ask away” and maya immediately started asking questions. “First of all when did this happen” she said gesturing between the two who were now in a comfortable postion, Vic’s head laying on Andy’s shoulder and Andy’s head laying on Vic’s. Vic casually said “ about a month”. “A MONTH!!??! Why didn’t you tell us and who else knows” Andy was now holding Vic’s hand rubbing it lightly as she answered this question “we didn’t tell anyone because we wanted to just enjoy each other for a while and understand our feelings before announcing it to everyone, and Travis is the only person who knows”. “You told Travis before me!?!?” Maya gasped “well we didn’t exactly tell him” Andy said avoiding eye contact, Carina had been listening to the conversation amused by the situation “so I’m going to assume he heard you guys having sex to” Carina said bluntly. Both Andy and Vic got extremely flustered “oh god” Vic groaned turning and hiding her face in Andy’s neck who smirked “don’t get shy now mami, it was literally your fault with Travis and now them to, or do you not remember begging me—“ before Andy could finish her sentence Vic slapped her hand over Andy’s mouth “Andy I swear if you finish that sentence you won’t be getting any for the next two weeks”. Everyone busted out laughing, Vic soon joining in, when the laughter died down they continued to talk about how they got together and how Travis found out leading to a very flustered Vic. It was almost six when they decided to order takeout and watch a movie to enjoy the rest of their day off, both couples cuddled up on the couch, enjoying each others warmth and company.

I didn’t really plan to add to snowed in but I been sick and was trying to fall asleep but couldn’t and this came to me so enjoy🩵

#station 19 #vic hughes #andy herrera #maya x carina #vandy #station19edit #secret relationship #ao3fic

[ironwoman18]

Damryna Moments - Part 1

Chapter 1: Their complicity

Rhaenyra Targaryen was walking out of the Small Council. She was aware that her father was seeking for an heir, a male heir, to take his place on the Iron Throne. Also she knows her father did not want her uncle, Daemon, sitting on the throne.

She always felt neglected because she was not a man, Viserys was so obsessed with it that he made her mother pregnant five times before and after her birth. Some were born dead, some died days or hours later.

She could tell her mother was tired and so was her father but he needed THAT heir.

After the council she was planning to go to the God’s Wood to relax and read when Ser Harrold Westeling, her sworn protector, walked towards her.

As they walked thru the hallways of the Red Keep he was explain why he wanted to talk to her “He passed through the Red Keep’s gates at first light” 

“Does my father know he’s here?” she questioned her knight, she knew that if her father finds out her uncle was there, he would get really upset, he had been gone for a while and his present could be considered... unwanted. So she was glad he came to her first.

“No” she was relieved as they reached the room where he was.

“Good” she said as he opened the door of the throne room for her and there he was, Daemon Targaryen, her unpredictable uncle, the headache of her father’s small council. 

“gods be good” said Ser Harrold as he saw Daemon sitting on the throne, something that could be considered treason and be sentenced to death. 

“It’s all right Ser” she said looking at her uncle with a playful smile, only for him. While the Ser closed the door she walked down stairs to meet Daemon.

“What do you think you are doing, uncle?” she said as she walked, her steps echoing in the empty room. High Valyrian, their native tongue, the language of Old Valyria. This was part of their culture and they always used it to have a complicity between them.

Daemon made sure she practiced it, bringing her books from Essos, using everytime together speaking it since he was teaching her how to ride a dragon, turning her into the youngest dragonrider. 

“Sitting. This could well be my chair one day” he said matter-of-factly, which made her smile a little. Of course she wouldn’t let him see it.

“Not if you’re executed for treason. You haven’t come to court in an age” she teased him with the possible consequences of sitting there.

“Aye. Court is so dreadfully boring.” he said, putting an effect of sleepiness in his voice to show her how bored he got in the court.

“Then why come back at all?” she asked, curious, she was aware of her uncle’s feelings toward the meetings in court and she understood that, since she joined to feel cups and spent her mornings or afternoons bored, listening to hours of nonsense things.

“I heard your father was hosting a tournament in my honor”

When he said it, she couldn’t hide her smile and decided to tease him a little “The tournament is for his heir”

He followed her teasing sitting in a better position on the throne and leaned a little looking at her “Mm... Just as I said”

“His new heir” she couldn’t help but comment about her soon-to-be-born brother or sister, teasing him with the possibility that the babe could be a boy.

Finally he stood up and started to walk towards her “Until your mother brings forth a son, you are all cursed with me” 

“Then I shall hope for a brother” she finished her teasing  with this. She was sure that her teasing didn’t make him upset, mostly because of his smile when they were both face to face.

“I bought you something” he handed her something, letting it fall in her hands but still hanging on his long fingers. She took some time looking at it, it was metallic, with rubies decorating it, in the center it had a flower made of metal and in the center of the flower, a beautifully cut ruby “do you know what it is?”

“It’s Valyrian steel. Like Dark Sister” after the mentioned the name of his legendary sword of Valyrian steel he pulled the necklace of her hand.

She folded her arms behind her back looking at him “Turn around” he said in a whisper, almost seductive way, his eyes were hard to read and it made him more dangerous and unpredictable. She spent a few seconds trying to read him, when his stare didn’t change she followed his instructions. She knew what he wanted from her so she turned around and moved her hair to give him a clear view of her neck, with her free hand she removed her necklace. Meanwhile he was there, looking at each movement she did, waiting for her to finish. When she was done, he walked closer to her and intentionally ran his fingers on her neck, making sure she felt his hands.  “Now...” he said, really close to her, almost like a whisper “...you and I both own a small piece of our ancestry” before moving away from her he placed both hands on her shoulders, which felt like she was touched by fire, she turned around so he could see her wearing the piece of jewelry “beautiful” he said in Valyrian.

After that heating and even sensual moment the rest of her day was quiet and even boring, she and Alicent studied as she planned.

The tournament, a couple of days later, was a disaster. Not only did lots of knights die but also her mother and Baelon, her little brother, met the Stranger that day.

Lords and ladies were present to witness the funeral of her mother and brother.

Daemon was behind her, she will be the one who will order Syrax to burn them in the Targaryen tradition.

“They are waiting for you” he said gently in a whisper, like she was the most delicate piece of pottery, afraid he might break it. 

She could feel him behind her so she spoke in Valyrian, just for his ears “I wonder if, during those few hours my brother lived, my father finally found happiness”

“Your father needs you, more now than he ever has”

“I will never be a son” Daemon could feel the pain in her voice, he knew how obsessed his brother was and it was hurting her, he wished he could hug her, make the pain go away but he can’t because of the protocol of the royalty. She looked at her father, broken, then she looked at Syrax, her beautiful dragon, she could tell her dragon knows exactly how she was feeling, she was quiet, waiting for a word of her ride “D...” her voice could break at any second, she looked at her father again and she finally had the strength to say “Dracarys” Syrax looked at her and with a soft growl she walked to the pyre and executed the order, burning her mother and brother.

OOooOOooOO

I hope you enjoyed this. I would like to do this with each moment between them.

#daenerys targeryan #princess rhaenyra #daemon x rhaenyra #daemrya #fanfiction

[whatisreggieshortfor]

Perfect Birthday Celebration

With the help of @csmicletters and @sunshinejihyun , this is for your birthday @justtuesdays ! Happy birthday love 💛🥳

Tim finally convinced Renny a day off is what she needs. And he knows exactly how to spend it.

Tim x MC

Renny finally had a day off.

Given, she had requested the day at Tim’s behest, he was all up in arms that she hadn’t had a day off in months and needed to take her birthday off so they could ‘celebrate properly’.

But she was mentally drained. She didn’t want to go out and dance or whatever it was he had planned. She glared at the outfit she had set aside for the night, much more comfortable in her sweatpants and old uni shirt than she would be in a mini skirt and sparkly top, her fuzzy socks feeling miles better on her feet than the stilettos sitting next to the hanging outfit. It was only five. She figured she had at least three more hours of comfort before Tim would be here and she needed to dress up, which meant she had roughly two and a half before her hair and make up routine.

Except there was suddenly his signature hammering knock on the door of her flat not even fifteen minutes later.

Nervously tugging on her ponytail, she raced to the door, barely getting it open before he was pressing a kiss to her cheek and pushing his way inside with an overstuffed paper grocery bag and the backpack he always used to store his gaming equipment.

Renny was no longer sure what they were doing today, so as her boyfriend started connecting his Nintendo to her tv she looked him over, noticing his ratty old tshirt and even older sweats before she finally asked, “What’s happening?”

Tim stopped where he was untangling a cord, still crouched on her living room floor as he looked up at her, “Whaddaya mean, love? What’s happening with what?”

She gestured wildly at what he was doing, distress starting to paint her features as her mind was still too exhausted to work it out on her own, “This! What is this?”

Tim laughed, hopping up and pulling her into his chest, “Babe, I thought we could have a night in.”

“A night… in? I thought you wanted to have a proper celebration.” She blinked owlishly up at him, and Tim felt his heart ache at the fatigue he could see coloring her beautiful features.

But he gave her a chuckle all the same, “Let’s start with this,” brushing the wispy hairs that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ears as he reached up and pulled the hair tie loose, “You know this bloody thing will give you a headache.”

She giggled, pressing a kiss to his cheek as they held each other, silently acknowledging that he was right, “What about dressing up and going for a drink or something?”

Tim pulled back with a dramatic gasp, “And lose this gorgeous image? Absolutely not. This is my favorite way to see you.” Any other guy, she’d think he was lying. But not Tim, never Tim. Not when the adoration always filled his eyes when she could match him for burgers scarfed up when their date turned into an eating contest or when she spit verses to his flow as they lounged on the couch and he was stumped for the next lines or when they would go to the arcade dressed just like they are now and shove each other while they played games that weren’t even two player until the worker kicked them out only to tell them he’d see them again in a work. No one ever struck down her concerns and doubts like Tim did. Especially as he opened his mouth again, “Besides, love, I thought to myself ‘how would my lady want to spend her big day?’ And dressing up and wearing shoes that pinch and hurt your feet most definitely didn’t even hit the list.”

She laughed brightly, feeling like he heard her thoughts about that damned outfit, but knowing he really just understood her. “So what is on our agenda?”

Tim beamed brighter, hand snapping forward to lightly dig into her side, pulling a squeal from her as she tried to bolt from the tickles only to be caught in his arms, “I’m glad you asked! First, we have some drinks on the menu, pizza is ordered and on the way,” he started digging into the bag, pulling out her favorite wine- a bottom shelf strawberry travesty that her father cringed at every time she bought it around him- along with her favorite snacks, some that he must’ve even had to import from the countries she visited on her father’s military bases. She looked at him with sparkling eyes, anticipating what she realized was coming next, and he looked back with glee in his own gaze, “We’re gonna sit on this couch, stuff ourselves with garbage, and I’m gonna thrash you on these games.”

Her eyes shifted, glinting with competitiveness instead of adoration, “Oh, you think so, do you?”

He winked, knowing he was just egging her on, “You know I will, love.”

“Oh, it’s on, you bellend, bring it!”

Renny took care of laying out the snacks while Tim went back to organizing the cords. When the pizza arrived, she moved to grab her wallet- only for Tim to literally throw it across her apartment, “It is your birthday. You aren’t paying for anything, who do you take me for?” He playfully glared at her as he took care of the pizza man, leaving her collapsing into laughter on her couch at his trademark absurdity.

And to her (very mild) surprise, he placed two large pizzas on the coffee table next to the snacks. “I’ll pour us some wine, and then you know what it’s time for?”

Renny couldn’t contain her smile as she looked at the man she loved, “You really want me to kick your ass in all the things tonight?”

Tim laughed, grabbing the goblets he’d bought for her at some nerd gaming event they’d gone to together from her kitchen before unscrewing the wine, “I’m sure gonna watch you try. Got you peppers and onions, just like ya love!”

“Yessss!” She cheered, clapping her hands giddily, like she ever doubted he knew exactly what she’d want, and taking a big sip when he presented her goblet first before letting out a big sigh of relief as she finally fully relaxed, “Do I ever tell you that you’re the best?”

“Only every day, love.” He winked, opening the boxes to let the food cool before they started racing through it.

Renny grinned, undeterred, “Well, you are the best, Timye. I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby.” He pressed a kiss to her lips, before pulling back with a wild grin, “You ready for this?”

She hopped up from where she leaned into the back of the couch, prepping herself, “Let’s do this!”

She beat him by half a slice as she swallowed down her last bite, he was too distracted by their trash talk to realize he had fallen behind before her hands were thrown up. “Yes! I win!”

He nodded, finishing the last of his own pizza, “Great job, baby. No one can out eat me like you do.”

“Game time?” Renny questioned, grease still smeared across her lips as she smiled at him- Tim could swear his heart melted as he looked at his dream girl.

“Game time. You get first pick.” Her answer was devilish smirk as she immediately raced to dig through his bag, pulling out the game he already expected.

Mario Kart.

Renny pushed Tim back with her elbow as he leaned into her shoulder shoving her as their cars swerved around Rainbow Road on the screen, before her Luigi beat him across the finish line as his Mario spun out over the edge, “YES!” She jumped up, damn near throwing him to the floor, “Take that! No one beats Luigi! He’s the better brother!”

“I can beat Luigi against anyone that isn’t you,” Tim laughed, pulling her back down and pressing a kiss to her head, “How are you feeling now, love?”

“Sooooo good.” She grinned, “I’ve beaten you twice tonight, and it’s still the most relaxed I’ve been in months.”

“Good. Happy birthday, baby.” He pulled her into his side, letting her lull herself into relaxation before their game night would continue.

It was her first night off in months, and she may have been mentally exhausted, but Tim knew just what she needed. He always did.

Masterlist

#litg #litg season 1 #litg tim x mc #litg tim

[officialleehadan]

Smoke-glass Lamp

Stone Kisses

+++

“How are you feeling?”

The library had private rooms for students who wanted to study without being bothered, and for groups who didn’t ant to bother others with their discussions.

Alivir’s favorite was all the way in the back, had frosted-glass windows to diffuse the light, and sported a large, comfortable couch that was long enough for him to nap on. It was far quieter than the dormitories. He might have his own room these days, but it was still loud with the other young men and boys who lived there. It was restful and quiet, which considering his pounding headache, was welcome. A nap was just the thing to handle the vision-headache that left him nearly blind with pain.

As it happened, that was exactly what he had been doing, his head cradled in Dainea’s lap as she stroked her fingers through his hair. He wasn’t sure when she had come in, but when he woke, she was there, with the hint of lavender lingering around her, and a cool, damp cloth to lay over his eyes.

“Better,” he whispered, still tentative of his aching head. It was a past ache now, but the inside of his skull felt bruised. He pulled the cloth off his eyes and opened them cautiously, only to discover that he had slept until night. The only light in the room was a single oil lamp behind a panel of smoked glass to muffle the lamp’s glow. After a minute to let his eyes adjust, he sat up cautiously. “How long did I sleep?”

“A few hours. It’s not quite time of the evening meal,” Dainea told him gently. Someone had found her a proper dress, not just the healer’s robes. Alivir found himself distracted by the way her hair curled down over her shoulders. The dress was simple, but only seemed to highlight how pretty she was. Her smile was soft. “I thought you might like to be woken in time to eat something.”

“Probably should,” Alivir sighed reluctantly. He hated the dining hall. With all the glass everywhere, it rarely failed to throw visions at him from every angle. He usually ate alone, either in his room or in one of the workrooms. The teachers mostly let him get away with it as long as he made an appearance in the dining hall once a week or so. “Eikh is probably going to tell the school what we found. I should be there.”

“I’m sure we could find some excuse to avoid it if you like,” Dainea offered and waited for him to get himself in order before she moved for the door. “No one would blame you. You looked- we were so worried when you returned to the surface.”

So, he had looked like living death then. Alivir had figured but it was nice of her not to say it outright. He probably could get away with eating alone, or with just Dainea.

He probably shouldn’t avoid it. The announcement would happen sooner or later. It would be better to know what happened rather than hearing about Eikh’s report from others. He was one of Eikh’s students now, and that meant he had a certain amount of responsibility to his new teacher. Master Fraiz hadn’t cared. Master Eikh almost certainly would. He seemed inclined to take Alivir’s education seriously.

Most mages had a reputation they would fight to protect. Alivir had a reputation, alright, but not one he had any hand in making. His Sight took care of that for him. There was a real chance that he would live at the mage school all his days. Nowhere else would have the protections to keep him out of royal hands.

That was all a problem for later. Today the problem was his newly minted status as Eikh’s student, which had definitely changed how the school would view him.

“No, I’ve gotta be there,” he decided reluctantly and offered her his arm. Dainea took it and rested her head on his shoulder. “Will you sit with me?”

“Of course I will,” she promised with a smile that made his heart jump in his chest. He could hardly believe that she had been his statue only a few days ago. “I hear there’s usually dancing after dinner. Will you dance with me?”

“I don’t dance very well.”

Or at all, really, although technically he knew how. He had been critically clumsy before coming to the school. Master Fraiz might not have helped much to train his Sight, but he did a fair bit to help Alivir get comfortable in his own body. Those lessons, at least, had served him well. Now it seemed those same lessons would help him do something that would make Dainea happy.

“I don’t care if you’ve a pair of left feet,” Dainea told him firmly as they made their way through the halls towards the smell of dinner. “I love dancing, or I used to. I want to know if I can still do it.”

Right. Statue. There was no telling how many years she spent locked away. The dances, the language, the food. It must all be entirely new to her. Frankly, Alivir was surprised she was managing as well as she was.

Then again, he remembered two of the school’s mind-healers talking with her. They were probably helping to keep her on an even keel, and to process what had happened to her. Alivir knew them well. He saw them three times a week to help with his visions.

Well, not to help with the visions, but to help him handle what he Saw.

He should probably go see them tomorrow. The adventure down into the pit was sure to come with new and horrific nightmares.

Maybe he should go see them tonight for a no-dreams potion.

That was something to worry about after dinner. Alivir put it firmly into the back of his mind and took a steadying breath.

“If it will make you smile, I’ll dance with you until the end of time,” he told Dainea, who beamed up at him. “Ready to face the school?”

“Together? Always,” she replied and squeezed his arm. “Lead the way, my rescuer. The future cannot be worse than the past has already been.”

+++

Stone Kisses:

Save Me

Spell to See

Kiss to Save

Dust-Streaked (Special thanks to Brandon for the commission!)

Fall Over Fall Back

Reflective Reflection (Subscriber Only!)

Water Runes (Subscriber Only!)

Burning Papers (Subscriber Only!)

Wink out the Light

Catlike Tread

Courtyard Ruined

Down the Hole (Subscriber Only!)

In the Deep

Blinding Sight

Emerge from the Dark

Smoke-glass Lamp (New!)

+++

MASTERLIST

#Write #writer #written #writing prompt #prompt #prompts #story #novel #fantastic #romance #romantic #love #spilled ink #spilled writing #spilled romance #spilled feelings #supernatural #writeblr #lee hadan #pretty #art #artistic #music #inspiration #long post

[dva-0n-l1ne]

Anom: PAYBACK.

In a nice hot day in hell. Screams, yelling and fights all around. Demons and Imps and former humans killing each other. The gang is doing their own thing as there's nothing else to do. No one being targeted.

So. Blitzo is with Stolas. Millie and Moxie are together. Loona is by herself.

Everything is going well. Until her vision went black all of the sudden. Hours later. She would feel immense pain in her head. Probably someone or something had struck her on the head and knocked her out of it.

When she came to her senses. Everything would still be black. But she would hear voices. A male and a female voice. The female voice is something she recognized. Not much the male one.

"this better be profitable."

"oh sweetie. Not that I would think it's gonna make us rich. I know it would make us rich. Just bite your tongue and wait"

With that last part the female said. A hand would be felt and gave back her vision. A bag was over her head. Loona can see both Striker on her left and Verosika on her right.

Looking over her shoulder at loona "Don't bother trying to bite. It's just gonna make your jaw sore..."

She would turn around having loona see Verosika in a BDSM outfit "Which by the way. I'm sure you'll like being that"

If loona tried to struggle or even not trying to. She would be tied down on a chair with her hands and feet tied behind her and together on the chair itself. The claws/hands are free though.

Behind her. On her claws/hands. She would feel something warm. Something firm. Mildly wet and it is something that she would use. But alot bigger in size.

"He-hey loona" the voice is clearly from Vortex. Or tex, for short. Two massive hands lay down on her shoulders. Big and heavy and firm. Both hands would leave her shoulders and the dick from her grasp. One hand would be transfered to the other side and feel it rotated. Coming from her side.

Vortex came to view. Shirtless and pantless. Him staring at her eyes. "close your eyes. It'll be a second. Don't move" he said.

If not she would see him being given a syringe by striker from a small box. Regardless if she closed or not. She would still feel his hand roaming around her chest. As if trying to find something. Until there. He had located her breast. Squeezing a nipple through her shirt. A slight sting from the syringe is felt. The liquid in the syringe is being injected into her nipple. Half of it. Slowly pulling it out. A slight tug is felt before being let go and an attempt to search for her other nipple is made, caressed. Found. Squeezed. Injected. And tugged.

At that moment. Several seconds after injection. Something is weird, she's feeling right now.

If she were to look down. Two wet spots where her nipples are located is seen. Getting wetter and wetter.

Things went black so quickly, Loona didn’t even have time to snarl at the intruder. She didn’t even know how they managed to get in without her knowing.

When she woke up she was greeted with quite the headache, and still a bit dazed. She was confused why things were still dark, despite her eyes being open. A blindfold? No, a bag. Her ears twitching a bit at the voices around her. There was a frown on her muzzle, profit? What did that have to do with her?

When the bag was pulled off, she gave them both a snarl, baring her teeth at them, “Fuck you, Verosika! What the hell is this?”

As expected they were met with her attitude and her wild struggles. Someone certainly got bit at least once, and she made it absolute hell to get her in that chair, let alone tie her down. Even after they managed that she was still struggling. At least until she felt something wet in her hands. Her face wrinkled up in disgust, she knew right away it was a cock, she just didn’t know it was attached to Vortex right away.

When he did reveal himself, she was left absolutely stunned and a bit betrayed, “T-tex? Why the hell are you doing this? I thought we were chill? And you have a girlfriend!” She still held her crush on him. And the sight of seeing him naked wasn’t completely unwelcomed. She just wished it was a much different situation and she wasn’t being held captive.

Loona tugged on her bindings even harder at the sight of the syringe, “What the hell is that? Get away from me!” She yelped, her face turning bright red as Vortex grabbed each of her breasts, felt her up then jabbed her with a needle. 

Things started to feel weird right away. Her breasts started to ache, and her nipples burned for a bit before she felt her shirt getting wet. Her eyes widened in shock. Her breasts were swelling with milk! She was lactating! She felt disgusted and embarrassed that she could do nothing to stop the leaking of her breasts. Her shirt was completely wet. Her face was flushed,

“Why? What’s the point in all this? When I get out of this, there will be hell to pay…” She growled.

#A wolfy kind of pleasure: Loona #Pay back: Anom