#hears a rustling. here comes another deer staring him down | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vcgardenia · 7 days

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under the moon’s veil (Luke Castellan x Apollo!daughter)

summary: Cora is kinda losing her cookies but in an interesting poetic way! And Luke is totally there for her like Drusilla and Spike or Catherine and Heathcliff.

wc: 2483

cw: angst, lit + greek mythology references, kissing, suggestive content, depictions of insanity, gore and blood

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

It was the dark of night, and Nyx had tucked all the world in his shining blanket of stars. A glistening sky sighed as another day had passed them by- all was sound, and all were quiet… Well, all but one.

Cora tossed and turned in her bed, anxiously anticipating a rustle from the bushes. After an hour of waiting, tossing, and turning some more, she sat up from her bed and stared longingly at the door. Where was he?

The Apollo cabin was dead silent; not a usual occurrence, and Cora could not have been more relieved. She looked around at the drooling, passed out campers around her- trying to scope how asleep they all were before she made any first moves. Her half-sister Heidi had practically fallen off of her top bunk, and Cora knew she had to leave the cabin before that happened.

She stood up from her bed- almost stepping on the baby deer that her half-brother Liam had adopted after he found it stabbed in a clearing. Normally the counselor would’ve said no, but it was a baby deer with a limp… and the head counselor wasn’t a monster.

Cora tried not to look at it. She avoided its presence entirely before continuing on her self made quest. She cautiously slipped on her Crocs- trying to ensure that no rubbery friction from the shoes would give her away.

Cora tried to steady her breathing, but it was becoming more erratic by the second. He was supposed to rustle the leaves at the bushes at 10, and then Cora would come out by 10:15. It was currently 11:07 and she had no idea where he was. Cora felt as if she was breaking into a cold sweat; she could feel her hands shaking as she thought of the worst.

What if he got hurt by someone? Or his ship sunk? Backbiter may have stopped working, someone caught him on the way here- thousands of possibilities were circling through her mind. Cora’s heart was now racing… what if he was dead?

She shook her head, refusing to believe her own thoughts. Her entire body was shaking at this point, and she knew she had to run out of the cabin before she started bawling. So Cora ran. She sprinted out of the cabin, and off the well worn path, into the forest. As she ventured further into the woods, less and less moonlight came from the sky above; covered by the growing number of trees. Through the tears and flem in her throat, she began to yell, practically scream his name,

“LUKE. LUKE. LUKE WHERE ARE YOU!” She was breaking down into tears, collapsing over herself into a heap of despair. What had the world done to her love?

“Hey sunshine.” Luke appeared from behind one of the trees Cora had just run past. She kept her head down, sobbing into the ground beneath her; more out of relief now than sorrow. Luke quickly knelt down next to her- rubbing her icy cold back with his pleasantly warm hands. With each up and down motion he made, he would make patterns on her back with his delicate yet deliberate fingers. Slowly, Cora was able to collect herself. While her breathing was still erratic, she was no longer wailing so loud the gods could hear.

“I didn’t mean to worry you baby.” Luke’s face was full of concern and worry for his love. He hid his face in her hair, muffling his next words,

“Can you forgive me?”

Cora looked up for the first time, turning her head around to see him. Immediately she gasped,

“What happened to your scar?” She instinctively held his face in her hands. Luke smirked, giddy from the attention,

“Percy reopened some old wounds both figuratively and literally.” He chuckled. Cora scowled.

“If you had let me go with you this wouldn’t have happened.” Luke took a large sigh,

“Let’s not talk about this right now. I just wanna see you happy.” Cora’s scowl quickly turned into a beaming smile,

“How could I not be happy when I’m with you, my winged Romeo?” She planted a kiss on his wound, longing to make it disappear with some magic touch.

She could tell even by how Luke held her, that he had longed for her touch. His body bent as easily to her will as a stick of puddy at her fingers. Cora wrapped her arms around Luke’s neck; melting into the warm embrace. She missed this.

When they started meeting up in the woods, Luke would talk to her about his adventures, she would talk about hers. But, over time it just hurt too much for the both of them. Knowing that the love of their life was existing without them by their side.

These days they would just touch. Making sure no area was undiscovered before the end of the night; it never felt the same way twice. New scars, new bruises, nothing could stop the passage of time.

“How long can you stay tonight?” Cora looked up at Luke, searching for an answer in his eyes; begging him to stay just a little longer than last time. In response Luke inhaled, looking ahead of her- knowing he couldn’t bear to see the expression on her face.

“So not that long then?” Cora furrowed her brows. Luke dug his head into her shoulder, shaking his head. After sitting there for a little longer, Cora spoke,

“Let me go with you.”

“No I- you know you can’t. It’s too dangerous.” She looked at him with bitterness in her eyes, shaking her head,

“If you don’t let me go with you Luke,” Cora searched for her words, tears filling her eyes, “the last time you’ll see me is hanging from a tree.” Cora started getting up, ready to run away from his phony warm embrace.

“Cora don’t say that. Please don’t say that baby.”

“Do you even love me Luke?” Luke stared at her with the most puzzled look,

“Why are you saying these things?”

In truth, Cora didn’t know. She just wanted everything to be normal again. She wanted them to swim in the lake together; finding the secret passageway that would take them to the stone cave, overgrown with green ivy. He would hold her in his arms, lifting her up to the ledge where they could just sit. She would put her head in his lap and he would caress her features. They would just talk. They could just talk back then.

But now, Cora didn’t know what had become of them, of her. Luke was crying, holding his head in his hands as he tried to hold back his sniffles. His voice was breaking with the little whimpers that dared to escape.

Cora thought back on the week before. She had been in the woods and she had taken a knife with her, trying to pick some raspberries for lunch that day. Cora finally found a bush full of them- not often found in these woods. As she began to pick them, her mind started to wander. Of course the first place it went was to Luke- what was he doing right now? Was he thinking about her? Was he safe? Lost in thought she cut open one of the raspberries she had picked. She gasped. The shade of pinkish red perfectly matched that of Luke’s lips. She grabbed more from her basket and continued to cut into more of them. It was incredible; the shade and pigment would’ve blended right into his if he was here. The juices of the previous raspberry escaped into the soil, merging into one as the cycle of reunion began again. Even the juice had consistency to find comfort in.

She started cutting open the raspberries with more aggravation; almost jealous of their fate. In her fury she had accidentally cut her own hand, instead of another raspberry. The blood was a redder hue than Luke’s lips, but as she looked down, she could see that it too was able to become one with the earth.

She smiled.

She hadn’t smiled for weeks. Luke hadn’t been visiting, and it had been filling her with more despair than she knew what to do with. But this spilling of blood was the sweet release she had been looking for. She was now part of the cycle; Cora giggled in glee at the thought. Leaning her head back and closing her eyes, she felt a new moisture on her hand. She opened her eyes to see a creature licking off the blood that had finally connected her to something; given her comfort. It had stolen her joy. It had taken the one pleasure she had away from her. Her face snapped into a look of blind rage, and she stabbed it.

She quickly withdrew her knife, ready to inflict a second blow- then she looked into its eyes. It was a deer. From the looks of it, the harmless animal wasn’t even a year old. Cora quickly took the knife away from the baby’s untouched skin; it had now been drenched in its first bleeding… and it was all her fault.

After that Cora had made sure one of her siblings found it. The counselor let the deer stay in their cabin of course, he wasn’t a monster… but she was.

She had tried not to think about it since then, but every time she looked at Liam’s baby dear, every time she heard someone question what kind of villain would stab such a pure and beautiful creature…

She turned her attention back to the present.

She couldn’t stay and watch as another beautiful being was destroyed by her hands. Especially not Luke. Her Luke. So she ran. She ran as fast as her legs could take her. She could hear Luke yelling for her, but it all just felt like background noise to her. She had to distance herself from the world.

Cora had learned to be strong in the face of adversity, and she had always been praised for her level headedness- always keeping perspective, being kind and gracious to all. No matter what happened she always kept her light. But Luke was the exception. He was the hamartia that would bleed her soul dry; without even having to try he could undo her.

Luke was searching breathlessly for Cora. He didn’t know what he said or did, but he had to fix it. As he wandered through the forest he pondered- what happened? He should have seen a breakdown like this happening, he had been gone for too long, he should have come back sooner. Should haves and what if’s raced through his mind as he looked desperately for Cora. She was the epitome of perfection to Luke. He felt as if he had ruined her.

He knew it was selfish to keep seeing her even after he chose his side, but Luke couldn’t help it. He had to see her. Luke couldn’t breathe without her. Some days it felt as if they inhabited the same body, he could tell how her day was going just by looking inwards; other days she was a complete mystery. She would blow up and scream at him, and he would still be just as willing to plunge a knife into his chest for her.

He wanted to have a life with her, have Cora as a witness to everything he did… but he was a disgrace. He was an outcast of her world. He knew it could never be. She would find some man who is deserving of her- and Luke would have to watch just as Heathcliff watched his Catherine. But he searched nonetheless. Because at the end of the day, he knew that he would rather beat his head against a tree than be in a world without her.

After what felt like ages he heard sniffling coming from behind a bush. Luke let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding as he cautiously walked over to the noise.

“Sunshine, are you here?”

“Go away!” Cora still refused to look at him. She was curled up in a ball on the floor and didn’t look up.

“Baby I-” Luke tried to find his words as he sat to meet her eyes. “I don’t have much time left.” Cora finally looked up, staring at his gorgeous curls instead of his agonizing face. “Can’t we spend it together?” It was a plea.

Cora moved closer to Luke; leaning in more and more until their foreheads touched. She lightly chuckled as she took her hands and placed them on his torso. Luke smirked as he pried her by the wrists away from what she knew was a sensitive area of his body. With her wrists in his hands, Luke pulled them towards him, which left both Cora and Luke mere atoms away from each other. They stayed there for a good minute- allowing the moment to breathe.

After a while Luke set Cora’s wrists on her lap. He took his thumb and opened her mouth, letting his tender touch linger on her plump lips. Luke couldn’t help but sigh at how beautiful she looked under the moonlight; despite her father being god of the sun. Cora gave a faint smile, still tired from the buckets of tears she had produced. She leaned in ever so slightly, and was easily able to find her way to his lips.

They didn’t talk after that, they just touched. Cora and Luke didn’t have time to take off each other's clothing as they normally would do, so they had to suffice with lifting up a shirt or pulling down some pants. Cora was gripping at his clothes almost frantically- sensing that time was running out, that their time on earth together was expiring. Luke would often take her arms and put them to her sides; rubbing them in hopes of calming her down. Then, it was time for him to go. They hadn’t gotten enough time that night, they never got enough time.

“You have to stay here. You’re safe here. Can you do that for me baby?” Luke begged with his eyes. Cora sighed, letting a tiny whimper escape as they were separated from each other’s touch.

“Yea… yea I can do that for you.” She avoided eye contact.

“Hey. Look at me.” She allowed her gaze to wander to his eyes, “I’ll see you soon, okay Sunshine?”

“The sooner the better my winged Romeo.” She smiled mournfully.

Luke walked away and Cora knew better than to call for him. He longed to turn around, just to see her one last time- but much like Orpheus with his Eurydice, he knew he couldn’t. If he turned around, he would lose the strength to leave. He would stay there forever.

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echantedtoon · 3 months

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In The Moon's Shadow (Yandere Kokushibo x Reader) Ch11 A Mother Sacrifices

(WARNINGS: Mentioning of death/blood/a dead body/someone being killed/violence, referenced spicy-ish stuff, mentioning of pregnancy, mentioning of vomiting, at least one body being brought into town, and mentioning of discrimination against demons. Mentioning of a wound on Y/n's cheek. Mentioning of someone dying in a house fire. Mentioning of murder.

EDIT: I read on Google morning sickness can happen as early as 2-4 weeks, headaches the first few months, and cravings can be as early as 4 weeks. If this is not accurate I apologize.)

Cold.

The bed felt colder when you awoken. The warmth you felt only came from the blanket that covered your body and the dim embers in the fireplace as your eyes slowly opened up. Delicate turquoise blinked awake at nothing before you realized that your back was cold. Twisting around, you flipped onto your back head turned but paused seeing that the other side of the futon was barren. Nothing but the cold air hitting your body. Your eyes blinked at the empty space before slowly sitting up.

"Kokushibo?"

A hand reached up to rub your face as you looked around the space of your home. The sunlight cascaded down through the windows and lit up the entire place however not one trace of the demon could be seen.

"Kokushibo?," you called again a bit louder in case he was in the bathroom and didn't hear you.

No one answered.

Kokushibo was gone.

Your body was overran with a feeling of.. disappointment. He said he would leave that night so you shouldn't be surprised, but considering what happened between you both- You at least thought he'd stay long enough to say goodbye. Eyes stared blankly at the spot where he laid last night. Silence rang out throughout the home before it was quenched by the rustling of blankets being pushed over and the sounds of a body shuffling around to get ready for the day. The home remained silent and cold even as the owner grabbed a homemade coat to throw over her shoulders. The sounds of a door sliding open and closed echoed throughout the silence.

A shudder ran down your body as you pulled the coat tighter around your shoulders. Fall was starting to come to a close and soon winter will be here. You never did like the cold weather all that much. The cold wind wafting over you and making you shiver and shake. It was one reason why you liked working at the fragrance store. The constant making of soaps and candles made the building warm a lot of the time and it was an ideal place to work in winter. Your legs carried your shuddering from down the path before turning the first corner to get to your house but slowly came to a stop once you saw a curious sight. A decently sized crowd had gathered in front of a house. Not just any house.

The undertaker's residence.

A small crowd of about ten to sixteen people were gathered silently staring at the home and whispering to one another in hushed tones. Being a small village, there was little excitement in the town and one of the only times any excitement happened was whenever one of the residents passed away. You guessed one of the elders had passed away and now there was the usual temporary buzz of limited gossip around it. Curiosity got you to walk forward slowly until you got near enough to merge into the crowd and stop by to stare into the house's window. Inside you could sorta make out the forms of a man and woman with their backs to you. The man had an arm around presumably his wife and the woman looked to be shaking in sobs. Another person, the undertaker, remained calm and stood still. The family of the deceased no doubt making burial arrangements for whoever had passed away.

Eventually you turned to a girl next to you and asked, "What happened?"

She looked at you wide eyed and blinked. "You didn't hear? A man was killed. A hunting party went out for deer last night, and one was mauled by a bear or wolf. Tore him completely to shreds. His body was brought back early this morning."

Shock littered your body like leaves on the ground. "A..A-A bear or wolf?!"

There hasn't been any giant predators near your town for as long as you can remember! And someone was mauled by one last night?!

The girl nodded. "A group of men went out to try and track it down. If you ask me, I bet this cold has made the beast hungry and desperate for a big meal! You certainly won't catch me out in the woods now."

You gulped down and nodded before giving one last look at the window- And then leaving quickly. It was disrespectful to watch the family mourn their family. You only hoped that the beast was caught or moved on from here now, and you hoped Kokushibo wouldn't run into anything deadly like that.

If you had stayed perhaps you would've recognized Nori's parents-

You successfully made your way back to your boss's home and saw smoke. ..Wait. That couldn't be right. Why was there smoke billowing in the air?! Worried you quickened your pass and made it to your boss's home only to not find her there. Instead of asking questions, you squeezed through the alleyway between two homes to follow the smoke in the sky, the smell got stronger than before. Coming to the other side you immediately froze. A much bigger crowd than the one at the undertaker was there covering the streets. What was going on here?! After a moment you pushed your way through this crowd and stopped once you caught sight of it. Frozen and jaw dropped.

Sabo's house was burnt to a crisp.

There was nothing left but half a burnt shell of a house blackened by fire. Men were still going back and forth passing each other buckets of water and double pouring over everything despite the fire being long since burnt out. And there in front of the crowd was your boss and her family. The old woman was on her knees face buried in her hands sobbing uncontrollably. Sabo's parents were right behind her. His mother just... staring with this absolute shocked expression as if she couldn't process what she was seeing. While his father could only silently look stone faced continuesly shaking his head in disappointment. Whisps of thin smoke trails still rose as the men still hurried to pour as much water as they could on everything...but no Sabo could be found. After a moment you turned to a man next to you.

"What happened here?"

He blinked looking at you but then sighed. "The house caught fire in the middle of the night. Apparently during the night he got cold and placed his bed closer to the fireplace, but his bed caught on fire and burnt down the entire home with him in it."

Your eyes widened. Sabo was...deceased?

You supposed you shouldn't be surprised Sabo was the soft to not heed the warnings of a fire..but you still couldn't help but feel a little pity for his family despite you not liking any of them. But...life proceeded as normal. The days that followed your boss was mostly silent. Stone faced, and cold but silent. Only telling you to do things, but she didn't nag at you anymore and she didn't yell or anything else. Loosing Sabo seemed to have lesson her angry nature a lot. As much as you liked the peace, you still felt a little bad for her so you didn't ever say a word about the situation.. You were even half expecting Kokushibo to be home again once you returned home..but you only returned to an empty home. Cold and silent other than the noises you'd make yourself. You had to accept that the man had left and probably wouldn't be back for quite some time judging by how he was and how quick he left. That thought only hammered home harder when your boss decided to share some gossip more a few days later.

"The fighting has gotten worse in the east."

You had paused in the middle of putting some freshly set lavender soap on the shelf to look at her. Her sour expression staring at the fireplace. "Worse?"

She nodded disdainly. "From what I've heard, the Kibutsuji's forces had sprung an unseen sneak attack on the other side but in the process both sides have been depleted of a lot of resources so now both sides are desperate for it. I even heard they started taking over different towns and small villages for their resources."

Your eyes had widened. An unforseen attack? Didn't Kokushibo mention that he was attacked by an unexpected ambush? That must've been what he was referring to! No wonder he didn't want anyone besides you to know that he was here. Any signs of him could draw the enemy to your peaceful village and that would be devastating. Was that why he insisted on leaving so soon? To avoid any unnecessary violence to you and everyone else here? That thought gave you a small flutter in your chest. He really wasn't as bad as people depicted.

"That's awful but it's still so far away. Surely there shouldn't be anything to worry about."

"Hmph. Dont become naive. Keep your wits about or mark my words. You'll be sorry you didn't. That's how people die foolishly." She seemed to speaking out of grief. She did that a lot especially after her family held a funeral for grandson.

You chose to not worry about what she said..but you couldn't help but wonder. Did she have a point? Kokushibo wasn't supposed to be anywhere near here but yet he collapsed outside your house. Could there be the possibility that there were others close by? Enemies that weren't so nice to strangers. Not a lot of people knew about your village tucked away deep in the forest unless someone traveled this far which wasn't often, so you weren't too worried about someone finding it...But Kokushibo had found it, so that doesn't mean others couldn't have discovered it too. As long as the fighting was far away and didn't come here, then there was nothing for you to worry over. All you had to do was just keep an eye and ear open for anything that might happen. Although you were sure nothing abnormal would happen here soon other than maybe Kokushibo coming to pay another visit to you. After all-

Nothing ever happened in your life. Nothing would change.

Oh how naivity likes to taunt fate

Life as usual carried on. Days slowly passed in the cold autumn air. Leaves started to fall more than ever in the cold breezes and made everyone shudder. The news of the men's death buzzed down just a week after it happened as you thought it would, especially after the hunting party of men came back every night empty handed with no beasts to be seen, and Sabo's father hired men to tear down the remains of his son's ruined house so he could build a new one in it's place. Rumors circulated that whatever did this moved on after having it's fill but you couldn't help but..think it was strange.

Both happened on the same night Kokushibo disappeared. He couldn't be anyway connected to any of this... could he? No. No he couldn't have. He never made any threatening actions towards anyone minus Nori and Sabo but that was different. It was in self defense and defense of yourself. You had no doubt that he probably has taken lives on the battlefield being a samurai but surely he wouldn't just attack a hunter for no reason. Plus everyone said that the man died from an animal attack. You never thought a demon would show up here so a predator big enough to kill a man also lingering around wasn't too far off the table. And he didn't have a reason to harm Sabo either. Besides Sabo was the type of man that'd DEFINITELY NOT listen if someone told him not to get too close to the fireplace as he slept, and the undertaker already determined that Sabo's death was completely accidental. And the Undertaker knew death. He dealt with it all the time so he'd know best. But...you couldn't help but wonder. A bit of uneasy settling in your stomach. Maybe you'd ask him about it next time he was here? Perhaps he at least knew something about it. Oh gods...What if it was one of his enemies he had been hiding from?!

You had to force yourself into your work to keep from spiraling into worry. You shouldn't jump to such conclusions when there really wasn't even any evidence to any of your worries! That thought brought some ease for yourself. For now you should just let sleeping dogs lie and not involve yourself where you shouldn't be. It didn't involve you so you'd forget about it even if it was hard to.

More time passed by and away went the worries with time. It helped nothing else happened in the peaceful town. Until...one day.

You woke up.

You did not feel ok.

Your stomach had felt as if you had swallowed a rock. A firm presence that felt uncomfortable. The pressure got worse as you sat up, and your stomach shifted- A gag left your throat as a hand shot up to cover your lips. The house filled with the sounds of scrambling before the back door was thrown open and what was once your dinner last night was no longer within your body. The sudden vomiting made your throat sore and left you coughing a few times before you were able to stumble your way back inside shivering from the cold early morning air. A groan left your lips and a glass of water was soon after downed to combat the burning feeling.

Well... certainly not something you were expecting to wake up to today.

"The meat must've gone bad. Now I'll have to dump out the pot I made and buy more from the butcher."

You were a little bitter about having to dump an entire pot of stew but if the meat was bad enough to make you throw up then it wasn't fit for eating. It must've been the stew that made you sick. No matter. You'd just buy some fresh meat from the butcher while you were out today and make sure that it was the freshest batch they had. It did irritate you that you had to remake dinner again that night but the delicious chicken you bought to replace the bad beef looked, tasted, and smelt delicious when eaten with the rice and vegetables you had that day for lunch and dinner. It was perfect-

Until you continued to get sicker as the days rolled by.

It didn't happen every morning. Most morning you'd wake up nauseous but only sometimes you actually had to scramble to get to the back door or bathroom to empty out the contents of your stomach. Always leaving your throat sore and yourself irritated. At first you thought it was the food you'd been eating, so you went back to confront the butcher, but as he pointed out LOTS of people bought his quality meat. If the meat he was selling was truly bad, then a lot more people would've been there angry and demanding their money back...He had a point. No one else seemed to be getting sick. So it wasn't the meat. You then thought perhaps it was something the animals ate before they were made to be bought but that still didn't make sense because no one else was getting sick from their meat and the farmers all treated their livestock well. You inspected any other food in your home for any signs of mold or rotting, but they all were perfectly fine. You were very confused and worried at this point. What was making you sick then if it wasn't the food? You must've caught a stomach bug. Great. That meant you had to visit the local doctor for some medicine. You did that right before going into work one day but you were surprised when the young doctor looked you over before shaking his head.

"You're not sick."

You blinked. "I'm not-..What?"

"You're not sick. You don't show any signs of the flu or any kind of colds. You're very healthy for a young woman your age."

"What- That can't be true. Then why have I been sick for the last week?"

"Well if it's not something you ate, then maybe there's another factor making you feel ill. Are you under any stress or anxiety at all?"

"No. I've been perfectly fine."

"Aha! Then there might be mold or something else in your home that's causing this. I'd suggest looking around for anything out of the ordinary."

That doesn't make sense. You were sure you'd just caught a stomach bug. It always happens to people this time of the year. But if the doctor said that it wasn't then it must've been something else in your home. You decided to try experimenting to try and find that factor.

You thought maybe perhaps you were inhaling too much dust while you slept so you deep cleaned your house that day. No such luck you still got sick and felt nauseous the next two days. Maybe it was something in your sheets? You washed your entire wardrobe and futon well. Still sick. Maybe it was the soap you had in your home giving you an allergic reaction? You tried switching out the soaps and cleaning products in your home. You still threw up the next morning. Your last conclusion was perhaps maybe the house was too stuffy so you tried leaving one window open all day when you went to work. Your entire home was freezing when you got back but you were hopeful that now your problems would be solved-

...You got sick again the next morning.

"I must've caught something else that no one else has."

"Quite your whining and keep that scarf over your mouth!"

You gave a tired look over towards the older woman who only glared back sipping tea like somehow this entire thing was your fault. Ever since you first started becoming regularly sick, things had sucked for you. Sometimes you'd have to clean up any sudden sickness from your floors if you couldn't move fast enough and more than once it made you late. Well the old woman was getting suspicious by your repeated lateness and after forcing you to cough up an answer, had made you wear a scarf or cloth over your face and stay a good distance from here so she wouldn't 'catch anything.'

"I didn't mean it seriously. I'm only a bit tired. My throat is a bit sore from being sick for so long."

"Well quit your complaining. I don't need to hear about every detail of your woes when I have my own!"

You rolled your eyes going back to dusting the shelves. "What are you cooking?" You asked steering the topic away from your mysterious ailments. "Are you cooking fried rice?"

The old woman gave you a look like you were crazy. "Either that scarf is blocking the air too much or your cold has made your nose numb. Anyone can tell that I'm eating fish-"

"With fried rice and a nice boiled potato?" You paused. Somehow picturing the dish in mind making your mouth suddenly water and stomach silently growl like never before. "All with a wild berry pie covered in sauce and radish slices."

You hadn't bothered to take notice that no normal person would eat a pie with spicy sauce and radish slices sticks on top of it but the old woman did. She gave you a look like you were mad which made you blink and slowly realized what you said.

"Oh...That isn't what you're cooking?"

"Did you fall and hit your head?"

"N-No! Sorry. I guess not being able to eat breakfast and constantly losing my dinner later is making me hungry for different things I haven't eaten in a while."

Her brow rose before scoffing. "Whatever you say, but if you're smart you'll go see the doctor again. Maybe the fool will finally know what ails you."

Actually..that didn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe now he'd be able to tell you what was wrong since you've been sick for a little over a month now. Surely he'd at least have an idea. You had paid another visit to the young doctor. He was surprised to see you again after so long but you stumbled into whom must've been the man he was mentoring under. The older man watched silently as you and his pupil spoke about your condition and your growing concern for it.

"Nothing's changed?," he looked at you in surprise.

You nodded just sitting there. The old man obviously listening to the both of you talking but kept quiet and just sorted out a few medicinal herbs on a shelf. The soft clinking of the glass jars being moved about being some of the only noises filling the space.

"Yes. I've tried everything I could think of but I'm still getting sick, and now I've been getting headaches frequently too. I have no idea what's going on. I've had to have caught some kind of stomach virus."

"But I looked you over myself! You're not sick!," he insisted firmly furrowing a brow. "I'm looking at you right now, and I can still see that you're not sick!"

"Well obviously something is wrong with me!," you slightly yelled back in frustration frowning, "I'm getting sick almost ebery day! My head hurts constantly! It's starting to affect my life! I can't just live like this for the rest of my life!"

"Well there must be something you're not telling me! My diagnosis has never been wrong! You women are always worrying, so it's probably something mental and you're too full of yourself to notice!"

Your scowled hard at him and seriously debated in your mind if slapping some sense into him would work instead. However the sounds of someone clearing his throat distracted you from any doctor slapping thoughts as you both looked over at the older gentleman. He casually refilled a jar with dried herbs he had just crushed still not looking up at either of you.

"Pardon me for intruding into your business, but I couldn't help but overhear your unusual predicament," he spoke calmly without hurry, "Perhaps I might be of some help to you? I have much more experience after all. When you get to be my age, you see a lot of strange things that affect people."

The younger man instantly looked offended that his diagnosis dared to be challenged but you only happily smiled. Oh finally! Someone was taking you seriously!

You nodded. "I'd like that very much! Maybe you can help me?"

He only hummed. "Well now...This problem of yours, when did it start?"

"Almost a month ago now."

"What exactly are your symptoms? And please be specific."

"I keep vomiting and it's causing me some stress. My throat hurts a lot after it happens and a lot of the time I get headaches," you explained to him with a growing worry in your stomach as he calmly put a lid on the jar he was filling and VERY seriously turned to you.

"I see. And how often are you getting sick?"

"Almost every morning."

"Morning?" His brows rose and his eyes widened as if some realization took over him. His eyes looking down your body. "Are you getting sick in the mornings specifically?''

"Sometimes I get sick later in the day, and it doesn't happen every day but yes." You confirmed. "It's mostly in the mornings."

"...Have you been experiencing any other strange symptoms lately?," he asked slowly looking at you again. "Have you been more tired lately? Maybe perhaps your body has been unnaturally sore or you've been craving certain foods?"

You just stared at him for a long, long moment eyes widening with every word before you lit up brighter than a candle. "Yes! Yes to all of that! You described everything perfectly! That's exactly what I've been experiencing!" You happily clasped your hands smiling at him. Finally some answers. "You know how to fix this right?"

He didn't answer you at first before his eyes trailed down to rest on your middle for a long, long moment before he slowly stood up. "Can I look you over? Just to be sure of something."

"Oh? Of course. If you think it can help you with your diagnosis."

You stood still as he silently stood up and walked over to you, and slowly looked you over. Taking great care in looking you over before stepping back and just staring down at your middle before calmly inhaling and looking back to your face.

"Ma'am, I'm going to be very blunt with you. Do you have any children currently?"

You were certainly surprised that he'd ask you that. Why would he be asking if you had any children? Obviously you didn't! And you told him as such slowly shaking your head no confused. He sighed.

"That would explain your lack of knowledge."

"What are you talking about?"

He slowly looked you dead in the eyes calmly. Seriously. "Ma'am, I won't beat around the bush with you but.. You're pregnant."

Silence.

"... W-What?"

"You're pregnant," he repeated matter of factly before crossing his arms, "Not too far along either. You're only about a little more than a month if my old eyes are seeing correctly."

The silence engulfed everything around her. It felt as if giant hands were squeezing the home, pushing it's walls into her whilst they crumbled and collapsed around her at the same time a hole was swallowing her whole and a giant rock was shoved into her guts. The entirety of the world caved in around her, a ringing in her ears as all sound was lost. All vision blurring together.

Pregnant

The word was like an omen of bad luck and misfortune. Echoing through her skull and rattling her brain back and forth as it bounced around inside her mind.

Pregnant

An invisible hand squeezed around her throat choking her from air and squeezing all the blood as it drained from her face.

Pregnant.... Pregnant....Preg-

"I-I-I can't be pregnant!" You finally found your voice after spiraling for what felt like forever. Your face going white. Your breath quickening as you stared at the ever calm old man. "T-T-There must be s-some kind O-Of mist-take!"

"Nope!," he bluntly said without missing a beat not one for beating around the bush. Your body froze as if dunked in ice. "And you wouldn't be the first first-time-mother to tell me that I was wrong. I haven't been wrong with a pregnancy diagnosis yet."

"But...But this HAS to be a mistake!," you stressed holding up your hands to him and looking at the just as shocked younger doctor for back up..but the shocked younger man offered none. "T-There's no possible way for me to be pregnant!"

"Do you have a husband?" He asked bluntly.

"No."

"A fiance?"

"NO!!"

"Have you been with any man within the last month or so then?" You froze. A whiplash of realization coating your face. The old man saw the realization in your eyes and nodded. "Well there is your answer."

No. You hadn't been with a man.

He was a demon-

You jumped as the older man smiled fondly at you and patted your hands. "Never the less the good news is in order so..Congratulations! I'm sure you and your lover will be very blessed."

"Yes," his pupil agreed clearly his throat and nodding at you. "Congratulations to you. And I think we can all agree my diagnosis was still correct!" The old man rolled his eyes at him.

"You can't tell anyone!" Your sudden shout caught the two men off guard. You held up your hands in a panic. "Y-You can't tell anyone about this...I-...I w-want to tell him myself. A-After all this is.. personal."

The old man regarded your face before just simply nodding. "Understandable. I never really involved myself in the gossiping that people like to do around here. Rumors and gossip are a waste of time."

You looked at the younger man and so did the older doctor raising a brow. "Oh alright. It's not as if it would benefit me anyways."

With an approving nod the kind old man looked back to you and smiled. "You have our word. Truly the news of a new life joining our little town is always a joy. I'm sure you'll be very happy."

Happy.

You're supposed to be happy with this?

Everything was blurred together. Noises and sounds becoming one. You didn't even realized you had gotten home until you closed your front door. It slid shut as you slowly reached over to click the lock shut. There you stood quietly as silence ensued. And then all the panic and fear hit you at once. THUD!! Your body slumped against the door as your arms pressed against the hard wood, collapsing to your knees. Slumping against the door and letting the darkness claim you.

You awoke the next morning with a gasp and terror shooting through you veins. An honest to gods scream left your lips. You didn't know what you were screaming at or why. Maybe it was fear? Maybe it was the overwhelming situation? Maybe it was all of it or something else you couldn't explain at all. But whatever it was...it was relieving whatever fear paralyzed you leaving you numb and laid on the floor in the silence. Not a sound to be heard. Not a movement made. Just...an overwhelming calmness. A numb so numb that everything just felt calm..until feeling slowly returned to your mind and body. Reality of the situation hitting you as a new wave of panic hit you along with realization.

You were pregnant.

You were pregnant and the father was a demon.

It was bad enough that you were pregnant but the fact that the father was a demon. That came with it's own problems! For one..What would be a demon infant be like? Or would they be part demon? Would they be more human? What if they had inhuman features? Would they have extra eyes? Fangs? Claws? You had no idea. And that was the problem.

Demons weren't welcome here.

It wasn't a big secret that demons were widely hated amongst humans. Or at least in your village they were widely hated. The one man who came into into town with just an extra eye was treated horribly and ignored until he left town. At the time you stayed out of it because it wasn't any of your business and it didn't affect you. But now it WAS something that involved you. It literally now had everything to do with you! If you had children and they had demonic features-...At least you and them would be ridiculed and hated for the rest of your lives. At worse you'd be exiled out of town and run out like Nori was. And at the absolutely worst...You didn't want to think about that. But that wasn't the least of your worries.

What the hell would Kokushibo think?!

You've heard tales of women who fell in love with demons. It usually never ended well from the stories you heard told around the town. Of women in loveless marriages to terrible husbands and being forced to raise unloving children. Kokushibo did not seem anything like the stories, but what about his family? You didn't know anything about him. You didn't know where he came from, who his family was, who he fought for, or even if he even wanted children in the first place! You had no idea how he'd react with this! Thoughts swirled in your mind. He could die on the battlefield. He could just not come back at all. He could want nothing to do with this and leave you to raise a child alone! You never wanted to be in a situation like this! But one thing was clear to you-

No one could ever find out about this...

No one. Not anyone else from the village. Definitely not your boss...And not Kokushibo. It was all too dangerous. Too risky. Too many unpredictable things could happen. None good. But there was no going back on this.

But you couldn't hide this forever.

It was bad enough two people already knew about it. They said they weren't going to tell and there was no way they knew Kokushibo was a demon, but you couldn't just hide this forever. It was easy to hide for now..but your stomach would grow and eventually this baby would be born. People will notice. They'll be asking questions about it. They'll question who the father is since everyone knew you weren't seeing anyone.

This was not good.

Your day was spent pondering, worrying, thinking, pacing, grabbing your stomach,..until you finally knew what you had to do.

You had to leave.

It was the only option. The only SAFE option. You'd have to leave everything behind before anyone found out anything else about this. Thus..you planned. You had to leave, that was clear enough and you had no other options. But where would you go? The small inn near you had a giant map mounted on it's wall for any travelers who just happened to stop by and stay at the tavern, or just for anyone who needed directions. Perfect. You took the next day off without telling anyone to visit said map mounted on the large wall. Turns out it really came in handy as it showed miles of land around you. The warlords and war itself were too the east with both forces occupying most of the north and south sides of the fighting. That was also where danger was.

Where Kokushibo was. Fighting.

You wanted to avoid all of that, so the safest option was to travel westward. That was neutral territory of powerful people who didn't want to be involved in the war. It would be the safest shelter for you and with all the money you collected from Kokushibo, you'd be able to settle down somewhere easily. You weren't sure what you were going to do once you got there but it would do for now. Now you just had to plan. For now you had to act natural and pretend as if nothing was wrong at all. You'd have to gather a few supplies and make a small map for your trip, but it'd be worth it.

Your boss wasn't happy when you came in the next day with the scarf back over your mouth. "Where were you!? You didn't show up at all for the last two days!"

"I'm sorry. I wasn't feeling too well after seeing the doctors."

She scoffed rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "That's no excuse. What did he say?"

"Turns out I have the stomach flu," you lied as naturally as you could. "The doctor said I should stay home for a few days and rest. I just came to tell you."

"Hmph! Of course you out of everyone would get sick! Fine. But since you bothered to show up today, you're working! Now get in here and stack these shelves!"

You didn't fight her orders and only worked that day as you usually did, although a pit formed in your stomach the entire time. The next day while your boss thought you were home sick, you took the time to go over to the inn for a little while pretending to sit down and sketch but really you were drawing a quick map of the area you planned on going, and then stopped by a few places to buy the things that you needed. A warmer coat. A bag. Some food that wasn't very likely to go bag on your long travel. However you were hit with even more shocking news. The fur trade where Nori's parents owned. You were getting a new coat. The thick rabbit fur coat was perfect for winter and you in the middle of paying a woman a good few gold pieces for it. She was no doubt one of the seamstresses who worked here to sew the coats together.

"That's a good coat. Planning ahead for the real nasty winter months huh?," she commented.

"Oh. Y-Yes! I need something better if I want to stay warm! The owners really do make the best coats."

She nodded. "They do." She sighed sadly. "It's just a shame they haven't been around as much. Ever since their son's death, they've been cooped up at home."

You immediately paused coat in hand. "...What?"

"Their son. Nori," she explained before looking around before leaning over to whisper. "He was the one who was killed by the wild beast over a month ago now." You froze. "His folks haven't been the same since."

"...Ah. I..did not know that."

Nori ...was the one dead from the hunting party?

You thought it was really strange that he hadn't come back after threatening to take you later that week when he first showed up, but you thought Kokushibo had just successfully scared him away with his threats. You had no idea that he was-.....That he..HOW?! Nori was an absolute asshole, but he was actually talented with hunting. Before he was exiled even, you once saw him drag a bear into town by himself. One of the only giant predators that actually wondered around here. So why did he end up dying? If Nori could hold his own to against a bear, then what could've been strong enough to kill him?

...A demon could be strong enough.

Kokushibo disappeared the same night Nori died. ...That couldn't be a coincidence. Could it? You still remembered what Kokushibo said to Nori before he threw him out of your house.

"Should our paths cross again for whatever reason...I will be the last thing you see before death claims you."

What if Kokushibo and Nori had accidentally ran into each other that night? What if he did what he told you?

"If he returns, he does. I warned him. If he so chooses to not listen to that warning then he'll face the consequences of his own actions. I never go back on my word."

If they had ran into each other that night...Then Kokushibo very much could've kept his word. He could've been responsible for Nori's death! If he didn't outright kill him then what if Nori saw him and confronted Kokushibo instead? Nori was one to instigate fights and he already tried to attack Kokushibo once. If he tried to do it again then it could've lead to them fighting and Kokushibo killing him in defense.

Whatever the reason, this wasn't good. You were the last one aside from the other hunters and Kokushibo that saw Nori alive. Everyone already knew about his obsessive crush on you. No one besides you knew about Kokushibo anyways unless Nori told them, but considering that no one showed up at your door demanding to see Kokushibo, Nori hadn't told anyone about the demon. Which meant that left only...YOU. Everyone knew how upset you were over Nori. What if someone eventually gets the idea of that you might've had a hand in his murder? Even if you didn't, no one might believe you. You could end up being blamed for the crime! On top of that Sabo just so happened to burn to death in a house fire the same night as Nori getting attacked by an alleged wild animal? You still remembered what Kokushibo said to Nori too.

"If I should hear you came to bother this woman again, I'll keep my promise and be sure that you never speak again."

Both Sabo and Nori had connections to Kokushibo in the worst ways possible. And both were also unsuccessful in courting you. Both were widely known to be turned down and disliked by you. Someone could make that connection. Someone could also blame you for Sabo's house burning down. Someone like your boss. You could possibly be blamed for both deaths or for having some part in them!!

You were in more terrible danger than you thought.

You had to leave.

And you had to leave SOON.

But there was one last thing you had to take care of before you left. Some closure for your mind before you left forever. You visited the small cemetery outside of town. A particular pair of headstones to be exact. Worn slightly from being there for a few years. You ended up placing a small offering on each of your parents graves before standing there for a long, long time silently. This would be the last time you were going to be able to see them again.

"I'm so sorry," was the only thing you could manage to say to them as tears were shed.

Night fell. The cold silence falling over the town. Mothers called their children in to sleep. Men returned home from their jobs to rest their tools until the next day. Lanterns and candles were put out until the next time they'd be lit. All quiet. Silent. No one outside or looking out windows in this cold night. A perfect night for you too leave.

Your back door opened as you stepped out. You decided taking the back way out would be more safer in case for some reason someone was out. You closed the door behind you as quietly as you could before sneaking around the side of your house and peeking out. The streets were silent and empty. You adjusted the large bag on your back as you carefully scanned the windows in the dark for any movement. It was filled with all of your supplies along with a few changes of clothes. You'd need them for the long trip. The cold wind blew across your form making you shiver. Ok. No one was up near you and everyone else was asleep. You left the fireplace going too so even if someone looked out, they'll see the smoke coming from your chimney and not think anything else was suspicious. For once you were glad living on the very edge of town. Quickly and quietly you dashed across the roads heading towards the woods westward. That's where you wanted to go. You had gotten to the forest edge when you paused and turned back around.

To take one last look at your village.

This is where you grew up. This is your home. Your first everything was here. Your whole livelihood was built here...but it couldn't last. Not unless you wanted to remain safe. Not if you want this CHILD to be safe. Turquoise eyes shined with tears as they looked over everything before turning.

Silently her form slipped away into the night. No one the wiser to her missing.

#yandere michikatsu tsugikuni #yandere michikatsu x reader #demon slayer michikatsu #michikatsu x reader #kny michikatsu #michikatsu tsugikuni #yandere kokushibou #kokushibo x reader #kny kokushibo #kokushibo #kokushibou #yandere kokushibo #yandere kokushibo x reader #Kny #kimetsu gakuen #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #in the moon's shadow

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2000snotebook · 9 months

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18 + your favorite infinity train ship for the kiss game (i do not go here but we've been mutuals for so long that you are just a comforting presence on the dash so.)

Aww ty! I'm glad to hear that! Sorry this took so long lol. I went with Doebells (Kez/Alan Dracula) for this prompt since i've already done this one with a different ship!

As her friends walked away laughing, Kez felt the last of her draining confidence slipping away.When she heard the car door slam shut, she sighed and gravitated lower to the ground against the wall. She looked back at the bathroom door where Ryan and Min-Gi were and heard the sound of music playing quietly. She smiled slightly, then floated away from the door without a word.

“I’ll just… leave you guys to that…” she made her way over to one of the punch tables. But as soon as she lowered her cup into the punch bowl, the table rustled a little. Then, it suddenly, launching the punch bowl in the air and leaving a white-tailed deer in its place.

“Oh my god!” Kez shieked, dropping her cup. Upon a closer look, she recognized who it was. The punch bowl, landed on the deer and soaked him completely

The deer snorted and dug his feet into the ground a few times. He then burst into flames, instantly evaporating the punch before the fire went out.

“Oh… hey! I didn’t see you at all at this party,” she said. “But… I guess that doesn't really matter since the party’s over now…I kinda blew it.”

The deer started to nudge Kez towards a different table, one with various snacks. As he helped himself to the leftover food, Kez rested on the table next to him quietly. She glanced at the bathroom door again. Ryan and Min-Gi still hadn’t come out. Not that she blamed them. Now that the party was a bust, they’d be stuck here until the next party rolls around.

A puff of hot air brushed over her, sending her a few inches backwards. She looked up to find the deer peering down at her.

“Oh, that’s my friends there. I’m sure you saw what happened on stage. I really thought things would go well. I mean, we’re so close to seeing Morgan and… things would be alright.”

Kez sighed and decided to help herself to some of the food on the table alongside the deer.

“I really thought I’d be able to help these guys and maybe do something right for a change,” she said. “But even if we do get out of this car and back to my car I’m still worried about stuff going wrong.”

The deer snorted, as though asking Kez to elaborate before continuing to devour the food in front of him.

“You know how I said I wanted to explore the other cars for a while? Well, I uh, I kinda, like, got kicked out,” she admitted. “I swear I wasn’t trying to ruin Morgan’s life, things just happened so quickly and I couldn’t stop everything from coming crashing down before it was too late. When I ran into Ryan and Min-Gi, they're just… always fighting and then they make up and then they start fighting again…at least they seem to be getting along now.”

Kez shoveled another brownie in her mouth.

In between bites, she said, “Those two have a lot going on from wherever they came from that I can’t even begin to understand. I figured that maybe it would be better if… they didn’t have to go back home and deal with all that. And maybe Morgan wouldn’t be lonely anymore. It’s, like, supposed to be a win-win? Right?”

The little bell deflated when she detected no reaction from the deer. She continued eating quietly. The deer suddenly straightened up, projecting a glowing image from his antlers. When Kez looked closer, she saw an apparition of herself talking to Ryan and Min-Gi. The guys looked a little upset, but understanding. The three of them shared a hug before the image faded out into the air. The deer closed his eyes briefly before staring back at Kez.

“You’re right…. I should talk to them about this,” Kez said. “When the moment’s right. Thanks.”

The deer blinked before nuzzling the metal shell of Kez’s body. She felt her body heat up slightly and smiled at him. The door to the bathroom opened, and Min-Gi popped his head out looking around. His eyes rested on Kez. He shifted a little and patted the space on her shoulder , encouraging her to take a seat there. Kez looked back between Min-Gi and the deer. The deer snorted and nudged Kez towards the bathroom.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go!” she laughed. She leaned in and left a brief kiss on the side of the deer’s face. His antlers suddenly burst alive with sparkling roses blooming on the crown. One of the roses fell off, and he leaned forward to catch it in his mouth to eat. With that, he gave Kez one final nudge towards Min-Gi and took off.

Kez watched the deer fly off into the air before following Min-Gi into the bathroom.

#infinity train #drabble #doebells #alan dracula #kez infinity train #infinity train book 4 #asks

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novaiya · 3 years

Text

Imagine Arthur/Micah/Charles walking in on you bathing.

A/N: For the purpose of this imagine, there is no established relationship between A/M/C and reader, but there has been heavy flirting. Takes place in Clemens Point (because there’s a lake like right there lol)

Arthur.

After fastening the deer that he just caught to his horse, Arthur decided to take a different path back to camp. With woods all around him, and flat iron lake to the left of him, he felt peace that he hasn’t felt in a long time. He should go through here more often, he thought, maybe take you here as well. He remembered that you said you enjoy walks through the woods. This would be a nice way to spend time and get to know each other better, right?

A splash of water pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned to his horse, telling them to stay while he inched closer to where the sound came from.

You, an occupant of his thoughts not a second ago, was standing there, naked as a jaybird, nothing but the water on you.

Arthur instantly felt his mouth dry and a shot of arousal shoot straight through him. He watched your hands move over your body, massaging your arms and shoulders. His eyes traveled all over your wet skin, from your neck down to your navel.

He felt disgusted with himself for looking at you, but he couldn’t make himself move away. He often imagined you like this, but to actually see you like that was completely different. From where he was standing, he was perfectly hidden from your view, blended in behind the tall trees.

You shot your head towards where he was crouching, alerted by the sound of a twig braking. “Anyone there?”

Arthur turned around to where his horse was walking, breaking sticks and twigs in their wake.

“Dammit,” he muttered both to himself and to his horse.

What is he going to do now?

Micah.

When not on a job, or looking for leads, Micah spent his time walking around the perimeter of the camp. He would sometimes antagonize fellow camp members, but he mostly kept to himself, either smoking or sharpening his knife on the outskirts of the camp.

Today, he decided to drift a little farther away from the settlement, walking along the shore till he couldn’t see the camp any more.

In the distance, he could see a figure in the water. As he got closer he could see that it was you, standing hips deep in the water, your naked body glistening under the setting sun.

He didn’t bother to turn back or hide, simply going straight towards you.

“How’s the water?” you heard a voice say behind you.

You turned around, seeing Micah standing on the shoreline, his boots almost touching the water.

“Micah!” you exclaimed, instantly using your hands to cover yourself, “Get outta here!”

“Aw, doll, why such hostility?”

You couldn’t help but notice a glint of heat in Micah’s eyes. He was not one bit shy to look you over, his eyes traveling over all the exposed skin he could see. You would be lying if you said you didn’t feel sexy under his stare.

“Mind if I join you?” he said, already taking off his leather coat.

Did you?

Charles.

The sun was almost gone by the time Charles finished his daily chores. He felt sweat roll down his back, his chest, his arms and soak his clothes. He felt absolutely disgusting. He went to his tent, got a fresh set of clothes and made his way away from camp, to a secluded place by the lake where he often bathed.

As he got closer to his spot, he noticed that someone was already occupying it. He was about to turn around, try another place or another time, when he noticed that it was you who was there.

He watched you for a moment, following the delicate movements of your hands. He could see the beads of water travel down the curve of your body, dropping back into the lake. The two of you have been flirting for a while now, throwing innuendos back and forth. Maybe this was his chance to take your relationship from friendly to something more?

“You’re in my spot,” you heard someone say behind your back. You turned around, seeing Charles standing by the lake. You probably should’ve covered yourself up, tried to hide your nakedness from his eyes, but you did no such thing. Instead, you smiled at him.

“The lake’s big enough for two.”

Charles didn’t expect such an answer, but quickly composed himself. “You sure?”

“Yeah,” you said. “Come in, the water is nice.” You turned back away from him, continuing with that you were doing before he showed up. You could hear the rustling of clothes, and then the sound of him entering the water.

“You’re right, it is nice.” Charles’ voice was right next to your ear, His hand found yours, taking the cloth that you used to clean yourself with. “Need help with that?”

Were you going to accept his help?

#arthur morgan x reader #micah bell x reader #charles smith x reader #rdr2 fanfiction #Arthur Morgan x y/n #micah bell x y/n #charles smith x y/n #rdr2 x reader #rdr2 x y/n #rdr2 #Red Dead Redemption #red dead redemption fanfiction #red dead redemption fanfic #arthur morgan #charles smith #micah bell

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kitaychan · 2 years

Text

Rusamechu week 2022

Day 6: Fantasy Setting/Magic

The baker's apprentice.

The forest was grim, Alfred's feet were sinking with each step as the wind rustled the trees' leaves. The things he had to do for his job. Being Arthur's apprentice was difficult, not only was he grumpy and mysterious, the tasks assigned to Alfred were everything Arthur didn't want to do, so usually, it meant putting the dough in the oven, cleaning and delivering the products.

Speaking of delivering, he grasped the basket tighter, the smell of cinnamon grew stronger, his stomach grumbling at the thought of food. If only Arthur hadn't sent him to deliver these pastries, why did he think it was a good idea?

The walking path was divided, one followed the stone tracing and the other was simply dirt, exposed by the constant steps on it. Alfred hummed, what was the one Arthur had told him to follow?

The image of the frosting, the red cherry and the delicious smell of cinnamon filled his mind. Alfred sighed, cursing the beautiful pastries and his hungry self. He figured the best looking path was the correct one, he didn't want to get hunted by the forest spirit for trespassing it's domains, with hasty steps he resumed his deed.

The more he walked, the colder he felt, the forest green and brown tones turned into whites and blues. The stone path led him into an opening in the forest, a snowed cabin grew visible, smoke coming out of the chimney.

Alfred smiled, a warm house and a bit of chocolate would pay for his long walk, he wondered what kind of old lady lived here. Arthur usually spoke with a lot of those, exchanging herbs and spices though he didn't know how to use them on the food, at least not the salty one.

He knocked, hearing heavy steps approaching, the door opened revealing a tall form covered in fur. Alfred stepped back, a scream escaped him at the sight of a bear head, the pearly white fangs glinting as it opened its mouth and growled.

A bear, he had a bear in front of him, an angry looking bear that was three times his size, Arthur wasn't paying him enough for this.

His feet worked faster than the rest of his body, the basket was thrown and he ran, he ran as fast as he could, between the trees, scratching himself with the branches and tripping.

He hissed as his knees and elbows scraped against the dirt. Turning back he saw no one, he dusted his clothes, inspecting the place. Nothing, only trees and snow, a deer skull approaching and more snow.

A chill ran down his spine, a deer skull approaching? This was bad, this was horrendous, Alfred tried to stand up, whining at a sharp pain on his ankle. The deer skull was attached to a body, or so he thought, a dark tunic fell covering the figure. He was doomed.

Alfred widened his eyes, his heart was beating hastily, he was sure it would burst out of his rib cage at any moment. From behind, a growl was heard, Alfred didn't dare to look back, he was going to die either eaten by a bear or by the forest spirit. Damn Arthur and his work, if he became a ghost after this, he would surely haunt him non-stop.

The heavy steps behind halted and Alfred felt a warm breath on the back of his neck. His body trembled violently and his eyes clenched tightly.

He waited, for the pain, for the burn of a scratch, for something, but only a slippery thing graced his cheek, then a soft but heavy form nuzzled his head.

"Ivan, you are scaring him."

Alfred opened his eyes as a hand was placed on his shoulder. The dark sockets of the deer stared at him, Alfred grimaced, another scream left his lips.

The bear growled again and Alfred cowered against the other figure, if he was about to die, he might as well try the less painful death.

His mouth was covered by a hand, the figure behind him whispered. "Shhh, Ivan's ears are more sensitive than ours right now, don't make so much noise."

Alfred nodded, shutting his mouth as the animal calmed down. It approached him again, licking his cheek, a harmless act if only Alfred didn't see the rows of teeth when it opened its mouth.

"It's fine, I know all of this must be scary, but I assure you we mean no harm to you. You were supposed to deliver this at my home though,"

Alfred nodded at the entity's words, it's not like he had much of a choice. He was picked up by the dark figure and placed on top of the bear. His fear turned into excitement, he was riding a bear, who else had an anecdote like this?

He hoped to live to tell the tale.

They led him into the cabin again, the basket still lay on the snow covered floor. The deer headed figure picked it up, but they kept advancing, further into the forest, a small house covered in vines and red flowers grew visible, the entity caressed the petals of one of the flowers and the vines retreated, allowing him to open the door and letting them inside.

He was gently carried to a chair, a soft blanket was thrown on his shoulders. Alfred ran his fingers through the fabric, looking at the bear. It was strange, the animal placed itself on a chair, sitting, like a person.

His eyes widened as the other figure removed the deer head, revealing long brown hair and a gentle face. Alfred's mouth wavered as he spoke. "Why didn't you take that off before? I thought you were going to eat me!"

"Again. Lower your voice." The other hummed, placing the basket on the table. "Don't be so confident in your words, if this is messed up, I will eat you to the bones."

Alfred tensed at the words, a cold sweat went down his forehead as the other inspected the basket. Please, please, Arthur's pastries had to be fine.

"Everything is fine." the man said, a smile creeping on his lips. He hummed, giving him a pat on the head before feeding the bear with the pastries.

Alfred was astonished at how careful the bear was, opening its mouth and waiting until the other retrieved its hand, it seemed to even savour the food instead of devouring it.

He watched in awe as the bear turned into a man, the heavy fur became a coat. The dark eyes of the bear turned violet and Alfred wasn't sure if it soothed him or unsettled him more.

"There you are, Ivan'' the brown haired man beamed, caressing his cheek. "Now what did you learn from this?"

"I'm sorry, Yao," The other man averted his gaze, fidgeting with his hands. "I won't drink the red potions ever again,"

"No! You don't have to drink anything from my cabinet, ever!"

Alfred chuckled at the display in front of him, the ex bear-man was bigger than both of them, yet he was scolded as a little child, his laughter gained the attention of the two.

"Now, what do we do with you?"

"I think we could turn him into a bird, you saw how noisy he was,"

"Don't be so mean," Yao said, reaching for the cabinet and taking a small bottle with a green viscous liquid inside. "Drink this,"

"No way," Alfred shook his head. "You just told him not to drink from there, why should I do it? I don't want to be a bear or a bird,"

"It's for something else," Yao sighed, placing the bottle in front of him and opening it, he poured some of the liquid on a kerchief and placed it on Alfred's arm, the scratches from before healed immediately. "See, it's for your ankle,"

Alfred nodded, taking the bottle and downing it's content, it had no taste but the consistency was thick and it made him gag. His aching foot felt cold, and the pain subdued into a faint itch.

"See? I told you he'd be a decent bird," Ivan said, standing up and stretching his back. "He was quite heavy too,"

"You were licking him quite a lot, I thought you liked him,"

"I only did so because he smelled like a cupcake, a vanilla one at that," Ivan huffed, approaching him again and patting his head. "Tell Arthur to send me some of those, the edible ones,"

Alfred stayed for some time, relinquishing the warm soup and the amiable chatting. The cabin was a tad somber with herbs and animal's figures around, but once the coldness left him, he grew comfortable in there.

Leaving was harder than he thought it would be, not because they were holding him back, but because it felt like a small moment of coziness and tranquility he did not have back in town.

The forest seemed livelier as he made his way back, his stomach was full and his heart beat steadily, racing up every time he thought about returning. Being Arthur's apprentice seemed to have some perks after all.

#rusamechu week 2022 #rusamechu #prompt: Fantasy setting/ magic #writing #hetalia #hws america #hws russia #hws china #hetalia fanfiction #my writing #Ilich writes #ilich writes

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arcane-apathy · 3 years

Text

F Drider X F Reader

AN: Welcome to a new little mini-series of mine. I have been dying to write a drider story for the longest time now. This story is the first of my high fantasy genre, all my other stories have been modern fantasy or sci-fi. But this one is pure fantasy. I’m very slowly trying to make my content applicable for a wider audience as well. Anyways... Thank y’all for your support, and I hope you’ll enjoy!

Warning(s): Swearing, Violence, Injuries, Mention of Sexual Assault, Death, Alcohol, Brief Mention of Nudity

The Bloodroot Forest was the last place you expected to make camp in. When you first saw it on the map you tried everything to avoid it. But, the forest was massive and would take weeks for you to circumvent. Upon arrival you discovered the name of it is scarier than the actual forest. Simply named after the dark red sap that flowed from the otherwise normal trees. The forest was calm, the paths well worn and old, and the deer were brave.

Your camp was measly and made of the bare necessities, product of a rushed escape. War has ravaged your community, forcing everyone to seek refuge in new places. You have yet to find a suitable home, one far enough away so you wouldn’t need to flee again. For now you lived out of your bag, foraging for food, and with a stiff back. But, whenever you wanted to complain, you had to remind yourself of what your fate would’ve been if you hadn’t left home.

The forest was peaceful at night as you laid on your makeshift bed, tightly wrapped up in your cloak. The wind gently tosses the branches above you and the occasional noise of an animal. Just as you were about to sleep, the noises changed. The nocturnal birds stopped chirping and you could hear the animals running further away from you. And you didn’t dare to move. Animals only left when they were scared and if the deer that were brave enough to mosey into your camp earlier were scared, something big was coming.

Very slowly you sat up, straining your ears for any hint as to what was coming. The silence was bone chilling. Then there was a rustle. You couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from, which didn’t put you at any ease. Slowly your hand landed on the blade at your waist, a gift from your uncle after coming of age.

“Well, what do I have here?” You quickly cover your mouth to keep from screaming, turning around to look behind you. Yet no one was there. “Look up.” Out of sheer curiosity you obeyed, your eyes quickly met with large pure black eyes and pincers. You try to scramble away from them, only to find yourself hitting the tree behind you. Driders were a force to be reckoned with, most of them being mercenaries or guards to those of importance. But, encountering one in their natural habitat was another story. Here they were territorial and followed no laws.

The Drider smirks as he hangs above you, his black and white legs twitch in anticipation as he watches you, “I knew I smelt something off earlier. Now I know what it is.” His pitch black hand reached out to touch you, “and you do smell divine.” Normally when a scent-sensitive person no matter what race they were compliments you on your scent, it would fill you with a sense of pride. But this just felt wrong on so many levels. “So girly, what are you doing in my territory?”

You shy away from his hand, glancing up and the red and black abdomen above you, “just passing through, I promise to be gone by morning.”

He clicks his tongue disapprovingly, his pincers rising as he frowns, “see I can't just let you through without any way to pay." You could now feel the heat of his breath fanning over you as he gets even closer. Sadly with his advantage of four arms he managed to grab a hold of your wrist. "But, I can easily think of a way for you to pay."

Now it was your turn to frown, "I don't think so." His grip tightened, promoting you to tighten your grip on your blade. Thankful it was hidden within your cloak.

"You don't have a choice", he hisses and tries to pull you off of the ground. You pull out your blade as fast as you could, using the momentum to slice his arm. The Drider hisses in pain as you scurry out from underneath him, bolting into the foliage not even bothering to look back. If you were lucky you'd be able to return for your things at a later time. But your safety was more important than your measly possessions.

You knew it was crazy to try and outrun a being with eight legs and the instincts of an apex predator. But it was all you had. It didn’t take long for the muscles in your leg to start to burn. The cool night air felt like freezing on your skin and like a fire in your lungs. And you could hear him gaining on you.

“Get back here you little bitch,” he hissed. Which only prompted you to run faster, despite how much it hurt. You could hear that he was taunting you, but you didn’t bother to actually listen to what he was saying. All you focused on was the ground in front of you, avoiding the tree roots at all costs. But what you didn’t account for was webbing. The silk was basically invisible in the dark, and thick enough to trip you.

You fall onto your shoulder with a cry, pain blossoming along your left-hand side like a spiteful flower. The branches and roots doing little to cushion your fall. Desperately you crawl to your hands and knees. Doing everything in your power to keep any semblance of distance between you and the Drider. But his laugh was already too close for comfort. Before you know it, you're grabbed by the hair and lifted off the ground. You couldn't help but scream as he pinned you to a nearby tree. His two pairs of arms being a natural advantage, "got you now."

You kick at his chest, using every ounce of strength to push him away. But it just wasn't enough. You couldn't reach for your blade, and any attempt to wiggle out if his grasp was in vain. "Let me go!"

"Yeah right, after you've cut me with your blade. Nice try you little wench, but I'm going have fun with you until you take your last breath," his grip on your arms tightened to emphasize his point.

“Put her down brother,” a more effeminate voice calls out to him. Your breath catches in your throat as the source of the voice steps out of the shadows. The male Drider was large in comparison to you, but the female that entered the clearing made him look small. Much like the male, her skin, eyes, and hair were a pure black. Instead of a red and black abdomen, her arachnid body was pitch black. As she got closer the more the male dwarfed in comparison.

“The bitch was in my territory and she cut me.”

“And now you’re in my territory and I don’t care, let her go.”

The male looks at you, then back to the larger female with a frown, “fine.” Then he literally dropped you. You fall to the ground with a whimper, using your good arm to sit yourself back up. “Why even bother protecting her? She’d make a better meal than friend.” You struggle to get up, only realizing you were caged in by his legs and the tree.

“It doesn’t matter. My territory, my rules,” she slowly walks closer. “Step away from her.” Nobody moves, especially not the male Drider. All you heard was her sigh, heavy with disappointment, then all hell broke loose. The two Driders charge at each other, the male desperately trying to claw at her before she pushes him away. You watch in fear and awe, scrambling back into some bushes for safety. The male notices you moving and tries to lunge for you, but the female beats him to it as she stands over you.

“You really want to fight your own family over a pathetic human?”

“My morals mean more to me than you ever will.” She charges him again and picks him up before slamming him onto his back. Her pincers rise as she lets out a bone-chilling hiss of anger. With ease she climbs atop him, using her weight to hold him down. Her hands swiftly find their way around his throat. His legs flail and try to push her off, and he claws at her arms. But she did not let up. Instead you heard a sickening crunch, and his legs and arms fell to the ground.

Silence surrounded the two of you as she stood up and backed away from the lifeless Drider. Her chest heaving from the action and her hair in her face. You couldn’t help but stare at her in the moonlight. She sighs and looks at you, “I promise I won’t hurt you.” You watch her legs curiously as she steps closer to you. “You are hurt, please let me help you.”

You look back to the body and ask meekly, “he was your brother?”

She nods, “one of thirty.”

Your eyes widen at the number, yet it made sense. Spiders lay a ridiculous amount of eggs, so Driders must do the same. You look back up to her as you try to stand up, “I think I dislocated my shoulder.”

“I have medical supplies back in my burrow, and light,” she smiles a little as she lowers herself down to look at you. “Can you walk?”

“I believe so, but it’s hard to stand up with one working arm.” She nods and grabs onto your good arm, gently pulling you to your feet. “Thank you.”

“Your welcome,” she smiles and gently holds your hand, “the forest will get darker the closer to my burrow we go. The trees are really thick over here.” You nod a little and let her guide you through the trees. Every time there was a log or boulder in your way she would pick you up and carry you over it. Her strength, agility, and endurance were nothing but impressive. No wonder why Driders are so sought after to be guards for nobility. Soon the opening of her burrow was in sight, a pair of bushes strategically planted alongside the opening to give it a little bit of cover.

The burrow was cozy to say the least, and was bigger than it looked on the outside. It was cool inside due to being underground, yet it was bright with the help of oil lamps and candles. The walls and ceiling were smoothed down and holding shape with the help of webbing. “Sadly I don’t have any furniture for you to sit on cause… well,”she motions to her abdomen before going to a large trunk. She pulls out a large blanket and leaves it folded up so it was like a pillow, “but this will be better than the floor.”

“I’m plenty used to sitting and sleeping on the ground by now. But thank you,” you sit down and wince as you bump your shoulder into the wall. You watch as she digs through a different trunk, reading the bottles and containers.

She walks over to you and sits on the ground in front of you, her legs sprawled out all over the place. Even without the added height of her legs she was still a few feet taller than you. If you had to guess, she looked to be around nine feet tall when she stood at her full height. “I don’t have many pain killers, but I do have a bottle of brandy if that will help.”

You chuckle as she hands you the bottle, “anything is helpful at this point.”

She motions to your cloak, “may I?”

You nod, “of course.” Her fingers were nimble as she undid the pin that held the garment closed. The cloak fell to the floor around you as she gently ran her hands along your shoulder.

“You’re right, it’s dislocated,” she offers a small smile, “but, I can easily put it back in.”

You sigh and take a swig of the brandy, “that would be greatly appreciated… After a few more sips.”

“Of course,” she chuckles and watches you drink. “I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Lalia.” You smile a little and introduce yourself as she watches you curiously. “So, what are you doing in the Bloodroot at night?”

“I was trying to sleep.”

“So you’re a traveler?”

“I’m trying to find refuge,” you wince as she lifts your arm straight. “I had to flee home because of war, and I’m just trying to get as far away as possible.”

“I’m sorry to hear of your loss.”

“It’s fine, I’m safe and that’s all that matters to me.”

She smiles a little and slowly lifts your arm, “this will hurt.”

“I fully expect it to,” you nod and close your eyes. The brandy only helps so much, even if you got wasted off of it. She notices your determination and nods. One of her hands gently resting on the back of your shoulder as she guides your bone back into the socket. You bite back a scream as you feel the bone pop back into place, then the pain immediately subsides. Simply an annoying buzz versus the piercing sensation that it was before. You let out a breath that you didn’t notice you were holding while Lalia tied something behind your neck.

She was using a scarf as a makeshift sling, “you should keep your arm like this for a couple days at least. So, it doesn’t pop out of place again.”

“Thank you Lalia, you truly are a lifesaver.”

She waves a slender hand dismissively, “it was nothing.” You glance at the claw marks that her brother had left along her forearms, the wounds already clotted. “Don’t worry about it, it’ll take a lot more than some claws to hurt me.” She gets up from sitting down and goes to put her supplies away. Now that your pain was gone, you finally got a chance to fully take in the woman in front of you.

Even in the lighting of the cave she was entirely black. Her skin, eyes, hair, and arachnid body were the color of ink. The light only reflecting off of her arachnid body made her look like she was made of velvet. Her face, just like her body, was slender and angular in nature. Then you also noticed she was completely bare, her lengthy hair being her only modesty. She was as beautiful as she was intimidating. And you couldn’t help but stare.

“Are you alright,” she tilts her head.

“Uh yeah,” a little bit of heat rushes to your face, “just the brandy is starting to catch up with me.”

“Oh,” she looks around her living space before going to a shelf. She brings back a pitcher and a cup, “water from the nearby spring.” You smile as she hands you the cup, taking a large drink out of it. Not only was your pain dying down, so was your energy. Your exhaustion from traveling the woods all day and from running for your life. Lalia chuckles as you loudly yawn, her legs making their way back to one of her many chests. She pulls out a bed roll and another large blanket from it, “I’ll make you a bed real quick.”

“I can make my own bed, it’s fine.”

“You have one working arm, I have four. I’ll make your bed.” Her tone left no room for arguing, so you simply sat and watched as she laid out the roll and the thick blanket atop of it to make it more plush. “Then you can use your cloak and the blanket you’re sitting on to cover up with.”

“Thank you, again… I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

“There’s no need hun, I’m just doing what’s right.” You couldn’t help but feel a little flustered by the pet name, but you didn’t let it show. Instead you got up from your spot and made your way to the bedroll. Using your good hand to pick up your cloak. You kick off your boots, something you usually didn’t do while on the road. Then made yourself comfortable on the makeshift bed. Lalia brought over the blanket you were sitting on and gently laid it down around your feet. “Do you think you’ll need anything else?”

You arrange the blanket and your cloak to your liking, “I don’t think so.” It took you a little bit, but you were finally able to lay your head on the bedroll’s built in pillow. Which was hard with only one working arm. While you try to get comfortable, Lalia is walking around the main area of her burrow. Turning off the oil lamps and blowing out the candles, leaving only one lit so you weren’t drowned in darkness. You silently yawn as she moves about the burrow with ease. Making you wonder if it was purely by memorization or if she had enhanced night vision.

“I can feel you watching me.”

You blush as you were caught red handed, “I’m merely curious… You’re only the second Drider I’ve ever talked to.”

“I hope my brother didn’t make too bad of an impression.”

“There have been worse.”

Lalia slowly makes her way closer to you, her voice slowly becoming quieter, “I will have to go back out soon… To hunt and to claim my new territory…”

“I see, are you nocturnal?”

“Not exactly, but it’s easier to hunt at night. I’ll be sure to find your things as well.”

“That would be greatly appreciated. It’s all I have.” Her smile falters a little at your words, “no pressure though.”

She scoffs a little, “that’s not what I’m sad about.”

“Please don’t be sad for me. Like I said earlier, I’m alive and that’s all that matters to me.”

She comes closer to your bed and crouches down. Her warm and slender fingers gently brushing your hair off your face. "That is quite the noble thing to say. I don't know many people who would say that."

You couldn't help the heat that rushed to your face, "I'm nothing special."

"I would say otherwise,” her kind smile illuminated by the distant candlelight. You return the smile before having a jaw splitting yawn. She chuckles and gently pets the top of your head before standing up again. “You should sleep hun, it’s been a long day.”

“I suppose you’re right,” you sigh and you try to get comfortable. “Good luck hunting.”

“Thank you, I’ll be back before morning.” You nod and watch as she walks towards the mouth of her burrow. Your need for sleep makes your eyes too heavy to hold as soon as you lose sight of her. Despite being alone within the burrow of a Drider, all you felt was comfort.

#f drider x f reader #drider x reader #wlw #fantasy #my work #my writing #terato #exophilia #wlw fiction

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tinyyoungblood · 3 years

Text

romance, eh? | peter parker

summary: it’s the broken main characters typeshi where they don’t think they deserve love, but over the course of the movie, they help each other and fall in love. football fields and late night drives. it’s kinda cute

pairing: peter parker x reader

trope: best friends to lovers

warning: language, very fluffy

a/n: i’ve resurrected from the dead, waddup <3

* * *

You were sat at the porch of your house, tossing rocks down the driveway and watching them skip toward a puddle. The sound of splashing water was the only source of entertainment as you were seemingly the only person alive in this town. When you realized that you had finally run out of stones to throw, you considered hurling the gnome down the driveway but decided against it and instead, patted your pockets in an attempt to locate your phone. To your surprise, it started ringing the second you held it in your palm. Peter’s name flashed boldly across the screen, illuminating your face. You answered the call and stood up.

“Where the hell are you?”

Loud rustling was on the other side of the line, and you squinted down the road in search of any approaching cars.

Finally, his familiar voice rang through the phone’s speakers. “Y/N, fuck, I’m—ow.” You heard a car door shut, and a string of curse words lingered at the tip of your tongue.

“Oh God, you’re not telling me you’re still at home, are you? Please tell me, you just closed the door to get out of your car and not in.” Absolute silence followed, and you could practically see him sit still like a deer caught in headlights. A beat followed before he replied carefully.

“What if I tell you I just entered a very sketchy dance battle in the middle of the forest and now it takes me 10 to 15, maybe even 20 minutes, to kick ass and get out of here?”

You took a deep breath and dragged your feet back to the porch, shunning it with a glare. “Parker, I swear to God, if I hear you turn on the engine right now, I’m going to set your Star Wars collection on fire.”

You heard him mumble something on the other side of the line, but were only able to pick out a soft “not cool”. The clanking of keys occurred next and before you knew it, the engine was yanked to life, making you groan loudly. “I hate you.”

You heard him set the phone down with a chuckle, switching to speaker. “I’ll get over it. Just don’t touch my Star Wars.”

You slumped back on the porch and grimaced at the spider web hanging above your head. Scooting away from it, you let your back hit the wooden ground, phone still pressed against your ear. “Just hurry up,” You murmured, defeat and exhaustion instilling a softness in your voice. He cooed at you.

“Don’t worry, I know there’s never any parking space on Thursdays, but I’ll run all the way from the parking lot to your house. Actually, I’ll start running the second this car is parked—no, wait, I’ll start running while I’m still in the car—”

“Peter,” you cut him off, knowing he could go on forever but still somehow end up not coming at all. “Just drive safely, okay? I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Fine,” he replied, “but I’ll have you know that I have now stomped two holes into the car’s floor to get to you Flintstone style. That’s the dedication we’re working with here.” A subtle click followed, signaling that he had ended the call.

Light laughter bubbled over your lips, and you shook your head at your best friend’s words. He was a dumbass, but at least he could make you laugh. One of the many reasons, you adored him. The rest of your life could be spent listing off the other reasons, but even in the afterlife, you wouldn’t be halfway done. You didn’t bother to sit up, opting to just lay on your back until either he would arrive or a passer-by would mistake you for a corpse and call the police. Whatever came first.

The next few minutes were waste of time. Now and then, a glance would be cast at the display of your phone, but that was really how far it went with the physical activity. For all Peter knew, you could’ve been dead when he finally arrived, dashing toward you like a maniac chased by the Holy Spirit. “Y/N?” He skidded to a halt and breathed hard. “You alive?” You felt him poke your side with his finger. Too drowsy to react, you simply lifted your hand and gave him a thumbs up. A grin swept over his lips, and he bent down to scoop you up, coaxing a sign of life out of you as you squealed but almost immediately after melted into his chest.

He chuckled and carried you to his car. “Hello to you too, baby.”

You forced an eye open. “Took you long enough.”

Shrugging, he cocked his head to the side and lifted the corner of his mouth. “Oh, you know, some girl was babbling my ear off while I was on my way here. Really messed up my schedule.” He pretended to scowl at you, and you rolled your eyes at him.

“Seems like she didn’t do her job right.” You tucked at his earlobe, and he grimaced. “Such a bummer. You could’ve totally pulled off the Van Gogh look.”

He let you down into the passenger seat, shutting the door for you and setting his crossed arms on the rolled-down car window. “Oh yeah? You got a thing for dead artists now?” His face was in a twist, and you found yourself rolling your eyes again.

“I got a thing for guys who value punctuality,” you replied pointedly, and Peter let out a loud laugh. Leaning down, he came to an eye-level with you.

“Good thing, that’s not me then, am I right.” He winked and walked over to the driver’s side. In a second, he was seated next to you and reversing out of the parking lot, head turned to look behind him while his arm was holding onto the back of your seat. You took the second of concentration to take in his features. When he caught you staring, a smug smile raised to his lips, but you were quick to smack his chest with the back of your hand.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I was just checking if you had a black eye or at least a broken nose,” you said and ignored the way he cocked his brow.

“Thanks?” His eyes flickered between you and the road. “I gotta tell you, that’s a very sadistic love language you speak, but I’ll take it.”

You shot him a glare. “How else do you want to explain being 40 minutes late if it wasn’t being robbed by a biker gang and left in a ditch?”

“My answer was lack of time management by birth, but your excuse does sound far cooler.”

“Well, sadly, there’s no biker gang.” You heaved a sigh of exhaustion. “Otherwise, I would’ve gladly let them de-ball you.”

Peter cackled at your words, shaking his head before reaching over to pat your knee. “And they say romance is dead. I bet they’ve never met a total sweetheart like you.”

You broke out into a grin and swiftly whipped around to stare outside the window. Deciding to roll it up to stop the fidgeting of your hands, Peter made it his mission to choose the perfect song for your little drive. When the song “Midnight City” came up, he stopped and turned to you while wigging his brows obnoxiously. Pointing to the time on the upper corner of the car’s display, he awaited your reaction. It was five minutes past midnight.

You sighed. “Peter…”

“Oh, shut it, Y/N.”

You couldn’t help but let out a laugh, morphing the pout on his face into a matching smirk. “You know,” he spoke up, still staring ahead, “Sometimes I wonder why I’m even friends with you if you never appreciate my genius.” He gestured to his face, and you snorted.

Your eyes caught a brown bag that was sitting at your feet. “I’m here to keep your ego from exploding, I thought we’ve already gone over this—hey, what’s this?”

Peter glanced at you. “Booze.” He said it so casually you barely wondered how he got a hold of it. “You told me to get the good stuff, remember?”

Frowning, you leaned forward and tried to catch his gaze. His eyes flickered to yours. “What?”

“Since when is the good stuff not chocolate?”

He contemplated your words for a second before pulling a face. “Oh. Well, you wanted to bitch about our sucky love lives, so I assumed that involved liquor.” He shrugged. “To make it less excruciatingly painful, you know.” Eyeing the bottle in your hand, you pursed your lips, oblivious to Peter’s pleading look to just go with it. You hadn’t an idea what he had to go through just to swipe that bottle.

“I guess,” you finally replied and screwed off the cap to take a big gulp, feeling the liquid burn down your throat. Raising the bag, you flashed him a big smile. “Off to our voyage!”

He mirrored it, also raising his fist in the air. “Off to the deserted island named football field.”

- - - - -

“So what’s got your love life in a twist?” Peter asked casually while biting a piece off his sour belt. Within the past hour, the two of you had consumed a considerate amount of alcohol but had yet to experience feeling fatally wasted. A slight haze had infiltrated your senses, but that was really it. You both were still perfectly capable of having a proper conversation.

“You mean my panties?”

“Huh?” He narrowed his eyes in deep thought. “Oh, you want to talk about your underwear. Yeah, I guess that’s fine too.”

“No, you meant my panties are in a twist.” He turned to look at you.

“Why would your panties be in a twist? Do you want me to untwist them?” Slowly, the corner of his mouth curved into a not-so-subtle smirk, and you fought hard to keep a straight face.

“I really do hate you, Parker.”

He grinned back at you. “Means I must be doing something right, huh.”

Choosing to ignore his words, your gaze traveled the dark night sky above, littered with endless sparkling white dots. Peter mirrored your action, letting comfortable silence settle in, as the two of you continued to lay next to each other on top of the roof of his car.

“I don’t know,” you responded after a while. You felt him look the side of your face, but you forced yourself to fix your gaze on anything other than your best friend beside you, your fingers fiddled with one another in your lap. “I guess I just haven’t caught anybody’s eyes yet. No one really likes me, you know.”

“I like you.”

“You know what I mean, Peter.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” you sighed and took up the courage to meet his eyes. They weren’t holding any trails of pity like excepted. Instead, you gazed into nothing but a loving pool of honey that ignited clouds of warmth to swirl in your stomach. He looked at you in a way you couldn’t quite place, and you had to force yourself to look away, just barely missing the glint of disappointment as you broke the eye contact. You shrugged, an unsure smile gracing your lips. “Somebody will come along, I’m sure. Maybe at a hot dog stand. Hot dog stands are reliable, right?”

The tone in your voice, lacing your words like grapevine, was poisonous, making the boy beside you sit up and pull you right along. Your poor attempt of self-assurance didn’t sit right with Peter, but you didn’t feel like confronting it just yet, and he knew that. So, he tried to catch your gaze, and given that you had no other choice but to look at one of the most important people in your life, you dropped your shoulders and gave in. You simply stared at each other in silence, seemingly waiting for the other one to crack first. The serious situation quickly shifted into a comedic but intense stare battle and before you knew it, you were pulling faces at each other.

You were pretty certain, the alcohol in your system did not contribute a thing to it, but eventually, even the two of you would fall victim to it as you already felt it tuck at some loose strings. And Peter being Peter, he spoke up first.

“If neither of us cracks any time soon, we will both look like fools who escaped a mental institution and are roleplaying as Harley Quinn and the Joker.”

And just like that, laughter bubbled over your lips, prompting a face-splitting smile to dance on his lips while his eyes were staring at you like you had created all good in the world. It quickly turned into heartfelt laughter and once he joined in, it only made you laugh harder.

Your eyes drifted until they met those familiar honey ones again. The ones you have known since childhood, and the ones you had stared into one too many times tonight. And suddenly the entire world was encased into an incredulously large pool of amber that you never wanted to leave. It made sense. It just clicked, and suddenly the riddle was complete.

And the best part about it all was that you knew he felt the same way. He had never been an easy book to read, not even when you were children, but that night, in the middle of the football field, you could read him like he was your favorite poem. Each line and metaphor were as clear as the sky. Without having acknowledged it much, your face had grown closer in proximity with his. So, when he decided to speak, his voice was a hushed whisper. The alcohol easily fanning over your lips in waves.

“I really want to kiss you right now.” He inched closer, nose bumping against yours while his gaze danced between your lips and your eyes. “To find out how your lips feel on mine.”

His words caused newfound confidence to surge through your veins. The corner of your mouth quirked into a smirk, and you leaned forward. Lips brushing against his when you spoke. “I can put it on my to-do list if you want to know so badly.”

He chuckled, hand reaching up to cup your cheek while the other slid across your back. “Baby, you don’t understand how badly I want to know.”

He pressed his lips against yours, and immediately you sunk into the pool of amber. But you could taste more than just alcohol. There were honey and warmth. The way he made you feel—the way he had always made you feel all along, even in the most platonic ways. When cracking jokes or during shared detention. There had always been clouds of sweetness and joy surrounding you whenever he was near, but now that you had finally acquired the taste, you were addicted. You were making out with your best friend, and you loved everything about it. His arms tightened around you as you caressed his heated cheeks. They traveled to the back of his neck, threading through the curls of his hair, and pressing him closer to you.

When it was time to break away, you nibbled on his bottom lips, reluctantly parting, but still remaining close as his forehead rested against yours. He stared into your eyes with a whimsical smile while he tried to catch his breath. “Do you still hate me?”

You chuckled. “You know what, Parker?” Shaking your head, you tried to catch the train of thought you were losing just by gazing into his eyes. “Just a little bit.”

* * *

it’s 4 am here, and i’m pretty sure i’m sleeping as i’m typing this lol i had way too much fun with the dialogue. let me know what you think! as always, thank you so much for reading 💞 have a sweet one, guys x

masterlist

taglist: @honeypie-holland @himarisolace @duskholland @insidiousslut @siriuslyslyslytherin @quaksonhehe @geminiparkers @writertoo18 @fl0ating @luwloki @missnxthingg @hufflepuffhollander @dummiesshort @itstaskeen @nerdyandproudofitsstuff @totallyfangirling7177 @the-fictionwriters-hairdo @starlight-starks @fire1ordzuzu @parkerlovebot @parkerlovebot @ethereal-beauty-p @theweekendss @tom-hlover @peterspideysstuff @miraclesoflove @prettysbliss @fancyxparker @tom-hlover @blossomparkers

#peter parker x reader #peter parker fic #peter parker x y/n #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker #peter parker one shot #peter parker imagine #peter parker imagines #best friends to lovers

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official-weasley · 3 years

Text

The Extraordinary Dragon (Part 3/6)

A fluffy story about Charlie training a dragon with a sad and mysterious past.

Warnings: Charlie not obeying any rules! Word Count: 2,778

I couldn’t believe it. I have been gone for 15 minutes and the dragon was nowhere to be found. How does one lose a bloody dragon? How does a thing of the size of a small van disappear?

I looked everywhere in the vicinity of Asterin’s habitat but I couldn’t find her. I know she can’t fly and on foot, she can’t be that fast that she would go to any other dragon enclosure. So where could she be?

I looked at my wristwatch, it was almost 9 o’clock. How am I supposed to find a black dragon in the dark?

I had no choice, however, if my boss finds out that I lost her on the first day of her being here, he is not only going to take this opportunity away from me but I am pretty sure I will get fired. Dragon on a loose is dangerous enough, but with 5 villages around the reserve, it’s even worse.

I checked every place the dragon could be in the 500-meter radius. I was getting desperate and was ready to go wake up Matthew and tell him what happened when I remembered that I haven’t checked the nearby forest.

Since Asterin was found by the MacFusty family inside one and was hurt and scared, it didn’t even come to mind that that is where she could be.

I hurried to the edge of the forest and lit up my wand – it was too dark to see anything without it.

About 5 minutes of me walking, I heard the rustling of leaves. I lowered my wand as I didn’t want to shine the light directly into the dragon’s eyes and took a few cautious steps forward trying to make as little noise as possible.

“Asterin, it’s me, Charlie. Please don’t get startled. I just wanted to bring you some food.” I whispered.

I have never been so afraid of a dragon before. I didn’t know her well enough to predict her next move. I know I should stay calm as she can sense fear but I couldn’t help it. She could just jump at me and eat me alive. Maybe that’s her delicacy – eating people.

“Asterin?” I tried calling her again.

I heard a twig break and pointed my wand in the direction of the sound. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my ribcage when I didn’t see anything but a pair of purple eyes. I took a step backward and lowered my wand.

“Asterin, please, you can’t be in the forest. It’s not safe for you.” I said with a gentle voice. I saw smoke coming out of her nostrils and that doesn’t mean anything good. If she breathes fire in the forest she can endanger the two Hungarian Horntails on the other side of it that just had their eggs hatched two weeks ago.

I knew I had to do something about it and get the dragon out. There was no time for panic or me chickening out.

Chicken! That’s it!

I tried not to show too much excitement not to startle the dragon.

“Asterin, I am just going to get something and I’ll be right back.” I took a few steps backward, looking her directly in the eyes before turning around and returning to the food supply hut.

If she doesn’t want to eat meat – especially the Hebridean Black favorite, deer – then maybe she has to have another preference.

I unlocked the door and went straight to the baby dragon section. Chicken blood and brandy. If she can’t eat solids, then maybe this will do the trick to get her back to her habitat!

“Asterin, I brought you something,” I whispered the second I knew I was getting close to where she was before. I carefully lifted my lit wand to spot her eyes – she didn’t move from where she was before I left.

“I think you’ll love this. It smells delicious!” I tried sounding cheerful and even though my heartbeat has slowed down, I was still a bit nervous.

I placed a huge bucket a few meters away from her and poured the contents of 2 bottles inside. I looked around and picked a large stick from the ground to mix the two and slowly backed away.

“Try it. I made this especially for you.” I grinned at the dragon whose nostrils stopped smoking and was now eyeing the bucket with curiosity.

“I promise it’s good and it will make you big and strong.” I sat down on the ground, patiently waiting for her to move.

Asterin let out a silent growl and took a cautious step toward the bucket. She sniffed the chicken blood and brandy and then locked eyes with me as if she was reading my face.

“It’s okay. It smells good, doesn’t it?” I couldn’t help but giggle. She was adorable even for her size. “Look, it’s safe to eat. I like it too!”

I opened a bottle of brandy and took a few sips. Even though I am not big on alcohol, especially brandy, I acted as if it’s the most delicious thing I have ever drunk.

Asterin was now looking at me with her head tilted to the side and waiting as if she expected me to drop dead on the ground.

“You have a lot of trust issues, don’t you?” I furrowed my brows. I wish I would know what happened to her so that I could plan to approach her in the right way.

After staring at me for 5 minutes, she sniffed the liquid in the bucket again and tasted the liquid with her tongue. I couldn’t believe how fast the bucket was empty. I got her to eat!

I stood up slowly and opened a bottle with chicken blood and the brandy I opened for myself before and started walking out of the forest making a trail of liquids. When I reached the edge of the forest I heard stomps behind me and a smile creased my face as I couldn’t believe my method worked.

Asterin was walking slowly and stopping every few steps to look around her and make sure she is not in danger. It broke my heart seeing her so frightened.

The first day a dragon is transported here, it usually sleeps and the next day starts exploring its habitat. It rarely happens that the dragon doesn’t feel comfortable with the amount of effort we put into the habitats and how strikingly they resemble the wild.

I have witnessed at least a dozen dragons coming here since I started working and I have never seen one so aware of its surroundings and with such a strong will to escape.

From the looks Matthew gave me every day before Asterin came here, I knew that handling this dragon won’t be a piece of cake but I was not prepared for this.

The second he told me that I will be in charge of a Hebridean Black I rushed home and started working on my strategy and read as many articles and facts about the breed. Of course, I knew all of it already but it eased my mind to refresh my memory.

Even though nervous, I was ready to start taming the dragon, to try and befriend her but her running away took me off guard. Asterin proved to me that she is not an ordinary dragon, not an ordinary Hebridean Black and that I will have to come up with a new plan to make her trust me before I visit her for breakfast in the morning.

After what seemed like 2 hours, Asterin finally came to the end of my chicken blood and brandy trail and curved up into a ball. I waited for her to close her eyes and for her breathing to steady so that I knew she was asleep before silently returning home.

It was 3 in the morning when I came back but I had no time to sleep. The first step in my training with Asterin has to be that she is comfortable with her surroundings and knows that she is safe. And I can’t waste any time sleeping when I can work out a plan.

Pacing up and down my kitchen for about an hour, I knew what I had to do. I also knew that my boss was going to kill me for it but there wasn’t another way.

It was clear that Asterin started gulping down the mixture when she saw me drinking the brandy. The gesture let her know that it was safe. So if I want to make her feel safe in her new home, she has to see that I am safe in it too.

It seems that she trusts me on the level to trust my judgment – at least to some degree – and if that is the only way I can make her see that she is okay here and that she has nothing to worry about then I have to be a bit mad and break a few rules.

I slept for one hour before my alarm clock woke me up and I hurried to get some clothes on me, quickly washed my teeth, skipped breakfast, going straight to Asterin.

She was already awake when I arrived with a fresh bucket of chicken blood and brandy. I took the biggest one I could find. It already takes a ridiculous amount of both to feed a baby dragon so I can’t imagine how much she needs so she can properly grow into the size she is supposed to be at her age.

At around one year a dragon should be halfway to its full size not looking like a Muggle minivan.

I placed the bucket a safe distance away from her and backed away to give her space to eat. She needed a moment to start sniffing the air and taking a step toward her breakfast but it was faster than yesterday so I was proud of her.

When she was done, she slammed the bucket into a nearby tree with her paw and sat down on the spot where the bucket was before.

“I’ll have to order more buckets, won’t I?” I chuckled and scratched my ear. “At least you ate. Was it good?” I dared to look her in the eyes and she replied with a huff.

I waited a minute more to see if she was going to move but as she decided to sit still as a statue, her claws deep in the ground again, it was time to test the idea I came up with when I got home last night.

I took a deep breath and hoped that this won’t get me fired. As I already said we only have 3 rules but if we break them, the consequences can be severe. I was aware that I could lose my job for this but if I prove myself right then I know what an approach I have to take.

I sat down on the ground a safe distance away from her and took off my gloves and the fireproof hat first. The dragon laid down with her head held high, waiting for my next move.

I took off all my body protective gear and sat down, wearing nothing but a t-shirt and trousers. I hugged my legs and rested my head on my knees, waiting for her response.

To my surprise, she lowered her head but her claws were still not relaxed, her eyes on me.

“Charles, what in the bloody hell are you doing?”

I wasn’t even surprised to hear Matthew’s angry voice. I knew that me taking off my gear was wrong and I was putting myself in danger.

“Please, Matthew, let me explain,” I said calmly, my eyes on Asterin who was now standing up and looked as if she was ready to run away again.

“Oh, you will explain. Why are you without your gear and why do you look like you only slept for an hour last night?” He looked down at me when he reached me, an angry expression on his face, waiting for my answer.

“Asterin ran into the forest last night and she didn’t want to eat anything, not even chicken blood and brandy until I drank some of the brandy. So I thought that since she is so frightened it might help her to see that if I am not protected and feel safe so can she.” I cleared my throat. “Oh, and I did in fact sleep only for one hour.” I finally took my eyes off the dragon and looked up at my boss.

“Is that why a supply is missing from the food hut and why the gate to the forest is broken?” Matthew looked puzzled. “Yes, I am sorry. I will order more food for baby dragons, on me if needed, I just wanted her to eat something and I will fix the fence right after I am finished here.” I smiled apologetically.

“Why would you feed a 1-year-old dragon blood and brandy anyway?”

“Well, you said that her teeth were damaged and that it might pain her if she chews so I tried the liquid diet,” I explained.

“And did she eat?” Matthew sounding impressed now looking from me to Asterin.

“After I drank some brandy in front of her.”

“Okay, we will order more if she’s willing to eat.” He nodded. “Is that what you gave her for breakfast too?”

“Yes, and she ate it all already.”

“We will need to ask the research team to find out how much of this she should get per day so she can grow.” Matthew sat down next to me, observing her behavior.

“Are her claws always this…”

“Tense?” Matthew nodded as I finished his sentence. “Yes. That’s why I broke the rules and took off my equipment. I am trying to prove to her that it’s safe here.”

“And here I was thinking you have lost your mind.” He let out a silent chuckle.

“Are you going to fire me?” I bowed my head.

“No, Charles. I trust that you know what you are doing. Just please inform me of any kind of recklessness you are going to try with Asterin before I have a heart attack thinking you have a death wish standing in a brown t-shirt in front of a Hebridean Black.” He winked at me.

“I will try. There was no time yesterday.”

“I understand. I will leave you to it then. Hopefully, you can make some progress in the next 14 days. She has to have her health examination with the healers then.”

“I will try my best.” I nodded and bestowed him with a small smile.

Matthew got up and put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. Before he could walk away or take another glimpse at Asterin, she roared so loudly that it hurt my ears. She got up so abruptly that Matt stumbled backward and fell.

I got up and got closer to her to see if I can do some damage control as it looked as if she was going to scorch Matthew at any moment now.

“Hey, it’s okay. See, I am fine.” I tapped on the shoulder Matt did before. “He didn’t do anything to me. Matthew is okay, we can trust him, right?” I turned to my boss who looked horrified. He nodded, stood up, and dusted his equipment.

“Matt, take off your gear,” I whispered.

“What?”

“Take it off.”

“Are you mental? Why would I do that? She just tried attacking me.” Matthew frowned.

“We have to prove to her that you’re trustworthy.”

Matt sighed but obeyed me anyway. Asterin’s nostrils were blowing out smoke, her eyes on him.

“Here, see I am not here to harm you or Charlie.” He lifted his hands in defense, bowing his head a little.

“I told you he is on our side. You can calm down.” I turned to her, talking with a soothing voice.

Asterin laid back down and huffed the smoke out.

“Well, you’re doing something right that she’s protective of you.” Matthew sighed in relief that Asterin decided to keep him alive.

“I guess. I have to think of a way to approach her and to make her relax.” I pressed my lips together, thinking. “I didn’t think this was going to be so difficult.”

“You can still back out and let someone else try,” Matthew suggested.

“No, I can do it,” I said with determination in my voice. “I enjoy the challenge.” “I know you do, Charles.” Matthew smiled and walked away.

#charlie weasley #charlie weasley harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter #the weasleys #dragon boy #charles weasley #hebridean black #dragons #a dragon story #charie weasley hphm #dragonologist

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spicycreativity · 3 years

Note

Fantasy au moceit fluff, for the ask thing. <3<3

Thank you for the request! And sorry it took so long to fill 😅

I went with a Mushishi fusion. The simplest explanation of Mushishi is that mushi are creatures somewhat analogous to fae/faeries and tend to cause chaos when they interact with humans. So it's Japanese fantasy, but it's still fantasy!

I could go on a whole rant about how Mushishi is such a great reflection of Japanese cultural Shintoism and how Janus as a character rejects that and Patton embraces it, which is a fun juxtaposition because Janus is the mushi-shi in this story, but I won't 😇

Anyway! It's a little under 2k, CW for very mild body/eye horror (Patton temporarily gets afflicted with frog traits that affect his skin and eyes)

The steep mountain path was neither well-worn nor clearly-marked, the ground a uniform carpet of deep green pine needles dotted here and there with pinecones. Still, it was a path Janus could tread with his remaining eye closed. A few wooden signs still stood, though they were mostly grown over with moss. Janus let them be. Very few visitors came to this tiny mountain village, at least by this particular path. He was more interested in the chorus of frog croaks that grew ever louder the closer he got to the village. He thought, though it was hard to be certain, wispy and ephemeral as they were, that the mushi were increasing in density, too. This place had always been a hotbed for mushi, even without Janus' presence to draw them near. It was unusual, he reflected, to hear this many frogs this high in the mountains. The croaks were now a maddening constant, enough to make him wish that he only had one working ear, instead of one eye.

He guarded that wish carefully, in case any mushi with the power to make it come true were nearby.

He made it into the village unscathed, pausing when he realized that the croaking had stopped. For the most part. He looked around, rubbing his face against the sharp, familiar bite of the mountain wind, cooled further still by the nearby presence of a lake. Now, only one plaintive croak reached his ears. He tried not to let his heart sink, tried not to jump to conclusions, though he set off for the house where his sweetheart waited for him with an uncharacteristic urgency in his movements.

The life of a mushi-shi did not foster close relationships, and Janus had long since closed off his heart to new connections. Growing close was a one-way journey to becoming hurt, as he could never stay anywhere for long. Yet somehow, on a trip to a lonely mountain village, Patton had slipped through his defenses. They couldn’t be together, not the way they wanted, but they had promised themselves to each other. It was an easy thing for Janus to promise not to love another. The challenge had been in entrusting Patton with his heart. But he had gotten there in the end. In the absence of a proper wedding ceremony, they had simply taken a scrap of the other’s clothing as a token.

Janus didn’t bother to knock on the door when he arrived. Patton’s door was always unlocked, unbarricaded. To Janus’ dismay, the croaking did not stop upon his arrival inside, and several mushi danced in the corners where the walls met the ceiling. “Patton, love?”

“Don’t come closer!” Patton’s voice was high, tight with panic. “Just wait a second,” he added in a pleading tone. “I’m glad you’re back, but--”

“Having trouble with mushi?” Janus guessed. The singular frog croaks had stopped when Patton spoke. “Please, do keep worrying about how I’m going to react.” he tugged on the scrap of cloth tied to the straps of his woven backpack. It was old and tattered now, no longer smelled like Patton or bore the pattern it had before.

“It’s just…” Croak.

Janus considered. Whatever mushi had latched onto Patton, it was probably affecting his appearance, hence the hesitancy. “Come on, love, let me see. I’ll have you cured in no time.” He paused and thought for a moment. “Besides, it’s not like I’m a paragon of good looks, either. Maybe we’ll match for a bit.” This was only partially true in Janus’ mind. His own looks were inoffensive, but strangers tended to shy away from him, frightened by the piercing gold and slitted pupil of his remaining eye.

It was silent for a moment. Then came the shuffle-scrape of bare feet on wooden floors. Patton appeared at the end of the hall with his head angled downward. Even still, Janus could see the patches of mottled brown skin on his hands and cheeks. Frog skin. “We do match a little,” Patton said, forcing humor into his voice. He came closer and lifted his head to reveal that one of his eyes was now golden, with a horizontal pupil.

“Oh,” said Janus, careful not to tease. “That’s not so bad.” He cupped Patton’s face, gently running his thumb over a slightly damp patch of frog skin. “You’re still beautiful, love.”

“But you can cure it?” Patton asked.

“Of course.” Janus smiled a little. He hoped it was reassuring. “You’ve been poisoned by a kaeru mushi.”

“Poisoned?” Patton yelped, and a little nervous croak escaped his throat.

Janus patted his cheek. “If only you knew a deeply intelligent, highly skilled mush-shi who could take care of that for you.”

“If only,” Patton repeated, widening his eyes at Janus. The effect was somewhat dampened by his frog eye, but only somewhat. It was still enough to send a wave of fondness through Janus’ chest.

"Come on," Janus said, taking Patton by the hand. He led Patton to the kitchen and set his backpack on the ground with a light thump. The tight weave was strong, but it was beginning to get creaky with age, and Janus made a mental note to see about getting a replacement. "You can take it as a tea, although the flavor is more savory, like a soup." He opened up his backpack and began to dig through it. The paper-wrapped vials rustled and clicked beneath his fingers, and a few specimens brought back memories of his recent trip. "Here we go." He held up the vial and showed it to Patton. "It does take a while to brew. I hope you don't mind being stuck like that for a bit."

Patton extended a hand to help Janus up and pulled him into an embrace, mindful of the glass in Janus' hand. "I already feel better now that you're here."

"You know me," Janus said, nuzzling Patton's forehead. "I live to serve."

It was meant to be sarcasm, though Patton refused to take it as such. "You're so selfless," he said into Janus' chest.

"Patton, love, you are the first and only person to ever accuse me of that." It was true. Janus' bedside manner was objectively abhorrent, his patience for stupidity and stubbornness nonexistent. Most villages regarded him as a necessary evil, rather than a presence to be celebrated. He pulled away before Patton could get it into his head that Janus needed comforting. "Let's get going on the antidote, shall we?"

Patton nodded. "There's a patch of snow out back," he said. "I've been fishing, trying to make the most of it."

"Fish soup?" Janus asked, putting the pieces together.

Patton nodded. "You'll have some, won't you?" He made a point of looking Janus up and down, and even the golden frog eye did not diminish his look of somewhat paternal concern. "You work too hard."

"Again, Patton," Janus said, turning to examine the cooking pot, "you are the only person who's ever said that about me."

"I think I would know," Patton said definitively, taking Janus by the hand to lead him outside.

They held each other while they waited for the cure to steep properly, Janus wrapping his arms around Patton and holding him close. He rested his chin on Patton's shoulder and watched the mushi dance around them. He found it hard to regard them as anything other than vermin, little nuisances who made his life worse. The world was cruel and arbitrary and mushi were no more than a reflection of that, but he couldn't help but resent the situation at hand. Patton didn't deserve this.

As though reading his thoughts, Patton nuzzled Janus' cheek. "Are they here now?"

"The mushi?"

"Mm-hm."

"Yes." Janus pointed even though he knew Patton couldn't see them.

"Describe them to me?" A principle difference between the two of them: Patton treasured every living thing. He never resented the bears that sometimes stole his fish, he never resented the deer when they ate the flowers he'd worked so hard to cultivate. He cherished them. He cherished mushi, too. Even now, when the poison coursing through his body was turning him into one (though Janus had decided not to tell Patton that, thinking that there was no sense worrying him when the cure was at hand).

"They're moving around a lot," Janus said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. Though he harbored no love for mushi, he loved Patton dearly. "There's one that looks like a little octopus." Patton was not very well traveled, though he had gone to the ocean once. "And a few that look like worms. They're all glowing."

"They sound so pretty," Patton said, covering Janus' hands with his own.

"I'll bring you back some candles next time I go out," Janus promised, the idea occurring to him in one lightning strike. "And some lanterns made of colored paper. You can string them up outside."

"Oh!" Patton spun around to pull Janus into a proper hug, and Janus was careful not to stare at the frog skin now slowly-advancing down his neck. "That would be lovely."

"Lanterns are better than mushi, anyway," Janus said, his resolve finally cracking a little, "because they're actually useful."

Patton only smiled and brushed a few stray strands of hair out of Janus' face.

It was around evening when Janus deemed the cure properly steeped. Patton made him sit down so they could eat together, smiling all the while, and Janus found any protest he might have melting away in the face of Patton's innocent kindness. It wasn't like the cure could hurt him, after all.

It took effect when they were washing the dishes with water Patton had carried in from a nearby stream. He stopped what he was doing and touched his face, already turning to Janus for confirmation.

Janus nodded, privately satisfied to see both of Patton's eyes back to their rich, deep brown. "Back to normal."

"Thank you, love." Abandoning the dishes, Patton pulled Janus in for a hug. His hands were wet, but Janus couldn't couldn't bring himself to mind the icy droplets that crawled down his neck.

Janus, who was incurably given to teasing, finally let himself off the leash. "Oh, don't thank me; it was for my own benefit. People would laugh if they found out I was in love with a frog-man."

"Oh, you don't mean that," Patton said. He had known Janus far too long, long enough that Janus no longer had to beat back the urge to flee like a startled animal in the face of such intimate knowing.

"You're right," he said, and he meant it.

#i had to do so much research on the Edo Period idk why i did this to myself #moceit #sanders sides #spicywrites #spicyanswer #anyway! i know i kind of threw you a curveball so i apologize if this isn't what you had in mind skdksjd #also the boys are married QPPs in this one #just to change it up a little

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charlieliqueur · 3 years

Text

Mark X Camper!Reader (Unus Annus)

Camp Days - Part Two

Note: Sorry it took so long! :/

---

Your eyes boldly locked onto the tent door. You heard it begin to open, and you frantically hid the journal and any other suspicious material under your pillows and sleeping bags. The door opened to reveal Mark.

"Heeey camper," he greeted politely, entering the tent without stopping to ask if it was okay. Didn't matter, you felt like even if you said no, he'd do it anyways. "Y/n right?" He asked. You nodded. "What are ya doing in here all alone?" He asks, giving you a confused look. "Uh, sitting. I don't like mosquitoes..." you said.

"Well, I don't think anyone likes mosquitoes. I was gonna teach some of the other spunky little campers to play a song or two on guitar. You wanna join me?"

"I, um, already know guitar," you spoke, not sure if he'd believe it or not. Was it a lie? You couldn't remember. You had faint memories of maybe playing an instrument, but they were like remembering a childhood dream. Faint and fuzzy.

"Perfect! You can help me!" He said, eagerly and not quite gracefully getting up off the tent floor.

"No, that's not what I-"

"Come on, what else are you gonna do, we're only in camp for another six days!"

"Six days?"

"Yeah! A week of camp Unus Annus, yesterday was the first say, pfft, obviously. Introductions and all..."

"Six days, you're sure?"

"Uh. Duh."

Thoughts went through your head. It wouldn't be hard to keep track of six days. Hell, you could record every minute if you had to.

"I dunno...."

"I'll get Thicc Water to apologize for pelting you and Gerald."

Your blood ran cold. You looked into Counselor Mark's dark, dark eyes. His smile was warm, but... empty. Like it used to hold some semblance of emotion that had long since left him.

"How did you-"

"Oh, y/n, nothing happens in Camp Unus Annus without me knowing. Now come on!"

He unzipped the tent and waited for you to leave as well. You did so, not wanting any hostility. You were hesitant on leaving the journal and everything behind, but you didn't want Counselor Mark to see them, obviously.

It wasn't quite midday, but it wasn't early morning. Maybe 11:00 am or so. Mark had a group of campers around a pit, a box was on the ground nearby, full of Tazer Fire bandanas, almost every other camper had one. You grabbed one awkwardly and began folding in diagonally. Mark sat down on a log with his guitar and started strumming. The other campers watched him with awe.

Then he looked at you. "Come here y/n," he said, beckoning you over. You awkwardly sat down next to him, you didn't feel comfortable in his presence. He looked to you and grinned passing the guitar. For a moment your vision fogged with images of two men in black and white suits. A swirling abyss. You exhaled and took it. "Play us a tune, eh?" He asked, giving a look around the rest, who watched expectantly. Including Gerald.

You managed to set it in your lap correctly, but before you had a chance to play, either well or awfully, suddenly another voice boomed "HEEEY HEEEY MARK!"

All of the campers and the head counselor looked to see a skinny guy with dark hair and a black camp shirt. Counselor Ethan, and his campers. "Day two of camp already!" He said, wrapping an arm around Mark and smiling, but his eyes settled on you a moment. But Mark began talking to him, before Ethan could get a good look at you. "Oh yeah. What are you doing all the way over here, buddy?"

"Oh, y'know, interested in some team building activities. Tug of war, egg races, three legged race, the good ones!"

"Sounds great! Am I right??"

All the campers cheered, except you...

You felt like you were the only sober person left at a weird party.

Counselors Ethan and Mark began leading their campers away from Camp Tazer Fire, and towards a grassy clearing. A few rocks and sticks littered the area, but other than that it was just grass. "Alright everyone, partner up!" Shouted Mark.

You looked around, confused. "Gerald? Gerald??" You shouted, slightly panicked. You'd just seen him at camp, hadn't you? You looked through the crowds of campers, but his face was nowhere. "No buddy? Y/n you know the rules..." said Mark giving you a strange smile and shaking his pointer finger at you. "I know! I'll be your buddy! Just for the rest of camp," he said, looking proud of himself and his idea.

You looked at Mark for a moment, your heart dropping. "The rest of camp? What about Ethan? Isn't he your-"

"Certain rules can be bent in strange circumstances... now come on! Tug of war!"

- - -

You were tired, nervous, hot and sweaty. You were sitting on a rock as, drinking water from an unmarked bottle, as the sun began to set. Hours and hours of games had been played. Being stuck right next to Mark. You'd constantly catch him staring at you, or standing just too close for comfort. This whole time a light, overly electric feeling had been around you. Not the good kind, the kind of electric that you feel before a scary test, or a vaccine shot, or anything dangerous that doesn't excite, that only makes you anxious.

An excess of energy.

Weird energy.

You looked from the sunset towards the rest of the campers, distracted by the sound of footsteps. Mark had made his way over. He smiled, and waved you close to him saying "Come on, let's go."

You raised an eyebrow, and suddenly Ethan shouts "Back to camp, Campers!! A good rest after a good day! Remember the buddy system!" You stood and cautiously walked over to Mark. But Ethan was approaching. Then he extended a hand. Mark seemed hesitant on letting him.

You shook it. It was cold. Ice cold. Dreadfully icy cold. You pulled your hand away immediately after. "Ethan, and you're y/n?" He made short eye contact with Mark, who tried to manage a quick discreet nod. You looked between them a moment. "What's going-"

"Back to camp, eh? Enjoy your time with us Mo- ER y/n!" Said Ethan, awkwardly rushing away. You stared in shock and confusion as he left. Then Mark slipped an arm around your shoulder and said "Like he said, back to camp." And he gave you a slight shake, as you gazed into the distance, confused and scared.

- - -

"Because I'd like some privacy while changing please," you said shakily, trying to convince Mark to stay out of the tent for even just a few minutes. "Alright, alright," he agreed. You exhaled a sigh of relief, softly. You dug the journal out from under your pillow and turned to whatever you thought was the page you were on. It wasn't, but you decided to read whatever you could anyways.

Mori.... momento mori. Remember Death. They say it all the time. What death? With them, death isn't an ending, it's the beginning. Or the middle. Or the constant state of being. Or a being itself. Almost like they're looking for it. Looking for death...

"Almost ready?" Mark interrupted.

"Just a few moments!" You replied. You threw the book closed and stuffed it under the pillow, and quickly changed into clean camp clothes. Then you said "All done." The zipper rustled and the door opened. "Thanks, worried I might get eaten by a bear, or a deer..."

Mark laid down, seemingly relaxed. You sat on your side of the tent, trying to clear your mind. Trying to think. Everything you've learned so far swimming in your mind.

How old the camp sites are, how Mark and Ethan are seemingly immortal. How campers seem to vanish, how GERALD vanished! And now Ethan calling you Mo... was he gonna say mori? Death? What did that even mean? Was it an accident? You didn't think anything was an accident here. Not when you randomly show up at some spooky summer camp out of nowhere with hardly any memories.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Asks Mark.

"Um, how we lost at tug of war..." you lied.

"Yeah, that sucked... but we killed it at the three legged race, am I right??"

You laughed softly, but you weren't amused. You looked around the tent for a few seconds before laying down. You sighed deeply, but quiet enough not for him to hear. "I think it's time to sleep," you said. "You know, good rest and all..."

"Of course, of course. Goodnight y/n..." said Mark, rolling over. He was still laying down, stiff, outside of his sleeping bag. You curled up in yours, wanting some feeling of safety. "Y'know y/n," started Mark, "you always seem so tense. Try to enjoy camp. It is only a week, and you can make friendships that last... forever..."

Mark sounded sad... distant and somber, like remembering something. You could tell something was off. You didn't reply, you didn't want to.

After what felt like an eternity, with Mark still in the same position after hours of laying down, you remember your eyes closing finally and falling asleep.

And then you awoke.

You weren't sure how much later. You just remember waking up to the door opening. You looked, and saw it open, and saw Mark gone. A cool breeze rustled the open tent flap. You sat up, heart beginning to race. You heard leaves rustling and wind howling. Like before a storm, but without the rain. You climbed onto your feet and cautiously peeked outside, your whole torso outside the tent.

Then you saw them. A man in a white suit, a man in a black one, in the distance at the edge of the forest, chatting it seemed. You ducked back into the tent a moment, looking around more cautiously, barely peeked out.

All the other tents were dark, oddly so. And closed and quiet. Like a silence fell over the camp site. Like they all... were in a dead sleep...

You climbed out of the tent, the site being dark enough for you to sneak around in. You hid behind other tents, and rocks, and anything you could.

You were about to go around another tent, when you caught a glimpse of a white pant leg, and you immediately hid behind the tent again, holding your breath. They were right there, talking.

"We've only got five days," said a voice that sounded like Counselor Ethan. But, different... more serious...

"Yes but we have her this time," said a voice, oddly similar to Counselor Mark.

"These hosts will not last forever."

"They've lasted this long."

"And if we cannot.... if we fail before they leave...."

"We won't, my friend. We will find peace again... I promise."

"Yes, peace... momento mori?"

"Momento mori, unus... annus..."

Then you watched them begin to walk towards your tent. What the fuck? Peace? Hosts?? You saw the man in the black suit approach a different tent, as the white suited one headed back to yours. They also looked like Ethan and Mark, but for some reason you didn't want to believe that to be true... The black suited one opened a tent, and pulled out a sleeping camper, and then laid the kid on the rocky ground. What was he....? He wrapped his hands around the kid's throat, and suddenly you realized what was happening.

"Don't-!" You burst out without realizing it.

He looked up, seeing you there. "Mori... can it be...?"

He stood, and turned to you, and you saw the man in the white suit begin to approach as well.

You panicked, turned, and ran, straight into the dark, windy, silent woods.

- - -

To be continued! Sooooo it took a million years to get part two, I know I know. But its here now, right? Sorry guys. A lot happened, and I know many are still hurting after the channel ended. But, here this is, for who ever is still waiting for it.

#markiplier x reader #markiplier #mark fischbach #ethan nestor #amy nelson #camp unus annus fic #camp unus annus #unus annus #unus #annus #annus x reader

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creepsmcstuffins · 3 years

Text

Living with a Irish Fae

I live with a Dullahan. No, it's not some grotesque headless horseman that throws its head at you or takes its spine whip and snatches you up into a skeletal wagon. Nor does it throw a bucket of blood on you when you get too close to it.

Sorry, if you think that, but its.... Rather HE is just an asshole. Who eats all my food, leaves the lights on, terrorizes (not really though) my dogs and shits with the door open to the bathroom. He's am Irish bloke, with a smart damn mouth. And yes he does, indeed, own a horse. His horse is better company than the loud asshole that lives with me. His horse is a black stallion that goes by the name of Caboose. A friendly boy, and I even get to ride him, when the dullahan isn't working.

Cullen O'Houlihan. That's his full name. He's a bastard man. But I'm sure your wondering how we met. Well, I'll take you back a bit.

My name is Ebonie Brown. And I was driving home one morning after working a long 10 hours. The old country roads that I drive are usually empty. Save for the occasional deer or possum in or on the side of the road. And maybe if a neighbor, I say that lightly, left one of the gates open and a cow might be grazing along the road. In the early hours of the morning, the sun could be seen peeking over the mountains. I live in a heavily mountainous area, where a lot of agriculture is farmed. Mostly corn, if I'm honest. The sun was leaving the sky pink and red, lovely hues that I enjoyed seeing.

Without warning, a horse was in the middle of the road, barely smashing into the animal, I turned the steering wheel, swerving away from the horse. Not completely hitting it, but not missing it either. I hit its rear, or what seemed like a hit. Spinning out and luckily not going into a ditch or being bent around a tree, I got out.

"What the hell!? I could-" the horse still stood. Like nothing happened! Though it... It shimmered like a... Phantom of some sort... it... looked at me, with... Big black eyes... Empty hollowed eyes, black as night. It snorted at me, black smoke pooling out from its nostrils. I took a glance at the rest of it, like it's head, the body shimmered. Black shadows enveloped it, shifting at the horse moved his neck to look at me better. I shivered as it moved.

"Uh... nice horsey?" I asked, more of a whimper, and holding my hands up. In defense, hoping this... Nightmare wouldn't decide I was food... or something... Jumping at a rustling sound, coming from the tree line near where I was standing. The horse let out another snort. And a... A man came out. Tall... tall as shit. Im a 5ft 2in woman, a little overweight, if I'm honest. And he was a giant! At least 6ft... He was wearing black armor, accompanied by an obsidian sword and a spine whip.

I know. I know, I said that he doesn't use the whip, but let me continue.

This man... He didnt have a fucking head. Scratch that, he had a head, he was just holding it in his arms. The head looked at me. At my eye level. He had brown thick hair, and golden eyes. The eyes were shimmering like the horse's eyes and body. The head had gold light flowing from it and the body had a purple aura pouring from it. Power, dark power came from both, the horse and its rider. I stepped back, and stared at the head.

"The fok you starin' at?" It spoke, thick Irish accent prominent, "You ever seen a man at night like this, ya idiot!?"

I was speechless, frozen. I didn't expect the head to talk. It frowned at me,

"Well!? Don't stand there gapin' like a fish! SPEAK!!" His voice rang out loud and even made some sleeping birds flutter past us. The horse snorted, pawing at the ground. The head looked at the horse then back at me.

"You hi't 'em?!" He barked at me, snapping me out of my stupor,

"N-no? I.. I mean... he... i..." I stuttered, still not moving. The head huffed and the body moved, reattaching the head to itself.

"Whats your name?" He crossed his arms, and leaned his weight off to one side, the sword swinging as he shifted his weight.

"Ebonie... Brown." I spoke slowly, eyeing the sword more than the whip. Then looked back up at him.

"Well I'm Cullen O'Houlihan. And you hit Caboose. You hurt his feelings. Now. You owe us." He smiled evilly at me. I frown, starting to drown in whatever shitty possibilities he had in mind. The male bent down and smiled at me,

"Well Miss Brown. Where ya live at? I'm gonna need a place to rest m' weary 'ead." I shutter, and nod, getting back into my car. He mounted his horse and followed me home. We arrived at my mother's home... Thankfully she and my sister were sleep still. I parked and got out.

"Uh... what are you gonna do with... Your horse? He-"

"He'll be fine out here." Cullan yawned and dismounted. And strode up to me.

"Cute lil' house. Your Ma?" He nodded at the house. I nodded,

"Yeah. Come on... I only have one bed so..." I walked to my door, and unlocked it.

"Oh?" I could hear the smug look and smile on his face,

"Care to have a night with an Irish lad then?" He bent close to my cheek. I could feel Cullen's breath. It was cold, like a frozen wind, on a snowy December night. I hit him with the screen door.

"You can sleep on my dogs bed. I don-" Cullen barked out a yelp of surprise, rather than pain. I smirked and walked into the door. Slipping my shoes off. He followed, having to bend a bit to get through the door.

"Well. This is... not what-"

"Shut up. If your staying the night-" He threw a bag of money, gold rather at my head. And shot me a look, that said "that aught to be enough." I rolled my eyes. His armor melted, and transformed into comfy pajamas. Cullen gave a stretch and looked at me.

"Bed? I'm quite tired." I nodded, pointing at my room. Walking through the doorway, he plopped, face first into the bed. Snoring before I could walk in after him. I sighed, stupid bastard was supposed to sleep elsewhere. It's fine I guess... just for one night. I slipped in next to him, careful not to get to close to him. I pulled my plaid blanket close and then reached over pulling another blanket over Cullen. I huffed and fell asleep.

I woke up to clattering and a scream, I shot out of my bed. Cullen was looking for whatever, not stopping to look at him I rushed outside, snatching my gun and pulling the slide, loading a bullet into the chamber. My mom was screeching at the black (non shimmering) horse standing in the garden. Caboose was eating her cucumbers... I lowered my gun.

"Shit...." Cullen followed me out, spoon in hand, eating out of my applesauce jar. He was snickering.

"WHO ARE THEY!?" my mom yelled at me, pointing at Cullen and Caboose. I held my hand up and she stopped panicking.

"This is..." I paused... I didn't know what to say! What was I supposed to say!? As if reading my mind, Cullen stepped forward, pushing the jar into my hands.

"Hello!" His voice clear and friendly, he stepped forward and extended his hand,

"Im Cullen! Cullen O'Houlihan! Pleasure to finally meet you Miss Boyd! I'm your daughter's boyfriend." He smiled widely and as charming he could.

My mom took his hand and her eyes grew clear, as if I had mentioned this random ass man before.

"Oh! Cullen! I remember Eb saying something about you! Wonderful to finally meet you!" She smiled at the man, then scolded him,

"You need to move your horse though! He's eating my garden!" At a snap of Cullen's fingers, Caboose, the nightmare horse moved.

"So sorry about the inconvenience. I'll make sure he stays out of the plants Miss." He walked back over to me, flashing me a look. And he plucked the applesauce jar from my hand, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. And pressing our cheeks together.

"I hope you don't mind me crashin' here! I've got rent money for us." He pulled out a stack of money from his pocket and held it out to my mother. She gratefully took it and nodded. Leaving us alone outside to stare at Caboose who was eating the weeds next to my old red Chevy. Cullen didn't move, but stood still smirking at me, and gave me a pointed look.

"Well, Darlin'," he drew out the word, "Darlin'", "I guess your stuck with me." He kissed my cheek, his lips cold. And walked off. I sighed, now I have a.... I realized I didn't know what the hell he was. I turned and followed him inside,

"What-"

"A Fae. Specifically a Dullahan." He mused. Ok so he could read my mind. Cullen looked at me and smiled, sitting in my spinning computer chair. I opened my mouth again, he spoke, this time in my head, smiling that stupid ass Cheshire cat grin,

"I'm here cause I'm curious. Tired living in the fuckin forests and meadows of Ireland. But the civilization was a bit much for me and Caboose, so I opted for a cooler area. The mountains was what he and I agreed on. You just happened to be unlucky to come across us. I found a dead dog in the road where you "hit" Cabose. And I wanted to give the poor thing a decent burial." Cullen finished his story and plopped the empty applesauce jar on my computer desk.

"This is my new home.... But if you move, I'll move with you."

So... I guess that'd the first thing? To write about... for now. My new boyfriend is a Dullahan. A legit one... his... head is floating over here now. I gotta go... I'll write again soon.

#creepypasta #dullahan #entry 1 #original post #original story

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mysweetlymelody · 2 years

Text

Lost In The Woods

Written by: Mira Angel and Meemerfeemers

The rotting leaves crushed under Peter's feet, once a beautiful orange or red color, but as of now, a darker shade of mahogany. Due to the fog, he could scarcely see anything ahead of him. He had gotten lost because of it if he was being honest. He managed to avoid tripping over anything by taking small steps, one foot dragging along the dirt from time to time.

A small hoot was heard in the distance, followed by the flapping of an owl's wings. A deer frolicked around nearby, its black and white tail flowing back and forth behind it. A young buck chased after the fleeing animal before jumping over a fallen tree trunk. Peter could have sworn that he saw a smile tug at his lips for a split second.

"What is this place?" he asked himself aloud. His fingers ran through his golden-brown locks. If he didn't know any better, he would have assumed this was some sort of afterlife. But there weren't so many people on earth who still lived...

He heard the sound of another creature, something large and clumsy, and hurried his pace. There were several more sounds as he continued, like heavy footsteps and a growl. The hairs on his arms stood up straight and goosebumps formed along his skin. Something told him that he should be careful.

As he approached a clearing, he came face to face with something far bigger than what he'd expected.

"Oh..."

He took a step backward, his hands raised defensively. It was a bear. Its massive head turned in the direction of the noise. He watched it cautiously for what felt like hours.

When he didn't see movement from the bear, he breathed a sigh of relief. It looked as though the beast hadn't seen him. Or perhaps it had only caught sight of him through the fog. Either way, Peter decided not to stay to find out either way. He needed to get out of here soon.

He stepped into the forest and started to run. Behind him, he could hear the creature lumbering towards the clearing.

After running a good distance away from the clearing, he slowed down to a quick walk. This entire ordeal was getting him nowhere, he just hoped it wouldn't catch up to him again. He wanted nothing to do with bears. They were scary creatures, but also really nice animals. Especially when you made them happy with treats... Peter shuddered at the thought. If only life wasn't so unpredictable.

Peter continued. For about twenty minutes or so he walked through the woods, occasionally stopping for short breaks and trying to catch his breath. His lungs hurt terribly and he desperately needed a drink of water. He figured he would stop at a stream to make sure no bears were following him.

As he reached the edge of the clearing, Peter stopped walking and squinted through the fog. Just past it lay a tiny pond. He smiled as he saw a small fish swimming amongst the reeds.

"Good job, buddy! You've got a lot to look forward to." He chuckled.

Peter glanced down at his watch and noted that it was around three in the afternoon. At least he knew the sun was going to go down soon. Although he wasn't exactly looking forward to spending yet another night alone, he had come this far. What more could he do?

Suddenly he heard rustling behind him, coming closer and closer to where he stood. He spun around and tried to fight off whatever was about to pounce on him. However, to his surprise, the animal was a duck. She stopped about ten yards away from him and gave an awkward honk. She then shook her head before walking away.

Peter stared blankly at her retreating form. She seemed harmless enough, but he knew there was always a first time for everything. He sighed heavily.

"Well, let's get going," Peter muttered, turning back to stare at the pond. He couldn't waste much more time standing here.

Peter walked to the bank of the stream. He knelt, scooped up handfuls of water, and cupped it in his hands. He slowly drank while gazing around the forest, trying to keep an eye out for any possible danger.

Just as he was about to turn his attention back to the pond, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. The fog had cleared somewhat, and he saw a flash of color dart between two trees.

Peter's eyes widened in disbelief as realization hit him.

An owl.

It hopped across the ground and dove underneath a branch of a nearby tree, out of sight.

There must have been hundreds of them out there somewhere. He'd read about the birds being a rare sight in these parts. Not many people lived near here anymore. Most towns were too far gone, and even the ones that were left were mostly abandoned. Even though he had only read a few books, Peter still found all those books very educational. Now that he was living it himself, he wished he had the chance to learn about all kinds of wildlife. Unfortunately, he had never found it necessary to travel beyond this part of New York City.

Peter looked back towards the pond. The duck was still there, swimming lazily. Perhaps she had wandered a bit too close to the edge of the clearing. She looked peaceful as she floated on the surface of the water.

Then she suddenly broke cover, splashing water onto her face. She flapped her wings a couple of times, shaking droplets from her fur before glancing back at Peter. She gave another honk. Her large, green eyes locked on his face, and he found himself unable to tear his gaze away.

For a moment, time stood still. And then suddenly, the duck submerged back into the water, disappearing from sight.

Peter stood there with his mouth slightly open, staring blankly at the spot where she disappeared. He shook his head slightly, snapping out of his daze. Then he started walking again.

By dusk, he was finally able to make out something familiar amidst the thick fog. When he finally spotted the lights shining through the trees, he let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't the cabin itself he was worried about, but having spent all day searching for it, his legs were killing him. He quickly walked into the forest, heading for his house. The light outside dimmed considerably when he entered the house, leaving him to feel like he had just walked straight out of an elevator shaft. He collapsed on the sofa in relief and closed his eyes, letting the darkness envelop him.

#short fiction #short story #nature #post-apocalyptic #writing assignment #original story #nature story #nature perspective #post-apocalypse

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dimeadoesnt · 3 years

Text

New fic is up!

I’ve been sitting on this one a while, but the first chapter is up here and on AO3!

Rating: teen and up

Warning: (semi)graphic depictions of violence

Word count: 4,418

Lone wolf

Summary: A brief hunting trip leads to more trouble than anyone could have anticipated after sniper is left with an unnatural bite, from an unnatural source.Not that anyone should be surprised, this is hardly the strangest thing to happen to happen to them

Ch. 1: predator and prey

Despite the growing warmth of spring, Romania’s winter clung stubbornly to all that would allow it. The winds still nipped at exposed skin, the ground was still firm throughout valleys and glades, and despite the burning of circuitry and searing bullet-holes, what was once the shells of robots turned icy in a matter of minutes. In all it had taken a little less than a day for four of Mann Co.‘s mercenaries to rid the world of them, if for no other reason than they stood in the way of gathering intelligence. It wasn’t as if they had a choice in the matter, programming was unquestioned, undoubted, and undisturbed in its complicity of ‘shoot what moves.’ Granted, that hardly seemed important when they all ended up as scrap metal anyways.

At least those were the thoughts silently floating around Snipers mind as he sat atop one of the larger bots they’d done in, pulling against his bowstring to test the weight it could pull after a few adjustments.

He’d made up his mind that a hunt wouldn’t be a half-bad idea. Evening was falling on their little group now waiting for confirmation on their return plan, but with the nearby forests shadows stretching on to cast shade along the hidden base, grabbing a few provisions seemed the right choice. A deer if he was lucky, or a few rabbits if they were not. Engineer would probably take what he was offered, scout ate almost anything put in front of him and spy... well spy could complain all he wanted, food was food and if he wanted something better he could find it himself.

The sharpshooter mulled over how much gear he would actually need, giving pause as he decided packing light would prove effective, the less he had weighing him down the better. He gave pause to his thoughts however, as his attention was pulled from them to the slight shift of weight behind him.

“What dyou want, mongrel?” He asked, going back to examining his gear by smoothing out the fletching between his fingers.

“How’d you know I was behind you?” Scout asked, rounding out from behind the automatons husk with an aggrieved glare. “I was quiet as hell, like a literal mouse couldn’t do any better.”

“Owls hear mice all the time, consider it a predator vs prey thing.”

“You callin me prey?”

“I’m callin you easy to catch. Now what dyou want? I’m about to head out.”

“Oh for real?” Scout asked, any hint of annoyance quickly melting away in favor of a thinly veiled excitement. “That’s actually what I was gonna ask about! So I know you go survivor mode sometimes, decide ya wanna rough it for a while somewhere not here- well not *here* exactly, but wherever we are, and head out to wherever you go when you do this. No clue where that is, considering we’re usually in the middle of nowhere, but I gotta assume you found someplace half decent. Anyways, not the point- what I’m gettin at is: you like to hunt, right?”

Sniper gave a quick nod, used to the younger man taking detours in his road of thought by now.

“Right! So you know all the ins and outs of it?” Another nod. “Awesome! So let’s say, hypothetically, that if someone asked, you would show them how to hunt.”

From the outside it seemed the suggestion hadn’t phased the huntsman, half his face obscured by shades and the wide-brimmed hat, though beneath the shade his eyes squinted as he stared scout down, brows furrowed and suspicious.

“You want me to show you?” He asked, voice flat despite the surprise; an opening scout readily pounced on.

“Well since you’re offering I don’t see why not! Thanks, pal, knew you were a good guy. I’ll grab my stuff and meet ya in like, two minutes.”

Before any protest could be uttered, scout was gone. Perhaps rabbit would be on the menu- and a very loud one at that if nothing else could be caught.

The hike hadn’t been much of a problem. The distance between their enemy’s ex-outpost and the wilderness was nigh nonexistent as it bordered the edge where trees staggered into the valley. Instead the problems began to occur the further into the tree line they trekked. Shadows grew darker, and distant sounds of wildlife echoed to sound both much closer and much further away at the same time, at least to an untrained ear.

There were plenty of issues in bringing someone inexperienced along for a hunt, however the one scout seemed to have the most trouble with was the very idea of being quiet- a fact that would surprise nobody if they were to hear it. The runner trampled twigs and underbrush like he was trying to make a path, and he swatted at limbs and moss as if to knock them down entirely. The worst though was the fact that he did not know how to stop talking. Even when trying to be quiet the young man opted for a stage whisper instead of silence, asking every now and then how deep they would go, what exactly they were looking for, how soon it would be before he could bag something and bring it back. Sniper indulged in a few of the questions, though the deeper in, the less he spoke at all.

Another minute or so and the pair had come to a halt, looking between a small parting of grass, and a thinning of trees. A self-assured grin made itself at home on the marksmans face as he held a hand up, moving scout to settle in behind a tree before grappling the limbs of its neighbor until he was hidden among the lower branches, whispering for scout to watch closely. Unfortunately, scout himself seemed to have different plans.

“Watch?” He hissed. “What dyou mean watch? I’m takin down what I see.”

“No, you’re not.” Sniper said flatly. “There’s more to it than just taking the shot, if you make a mistake it’ll end badly for everyone.” There was no room for argument there, despite how scout very much wanted to. While the Australian was normally a surprisingly patient man, he was just as much so a creature of routine and practice.

Within a few seconds they had fallen completely silent, save for the occasional shift, or scout plucking at grass, occasionally glancing back towards their target range with mounting boredom. Snipers slow shifting ceased after only a few moments, falling into a comfortable, practiced stillness while his eyes never once left the clearings edges.

Time passed immeasurably after that. The only frame of reference coming from the last rays of sun being replaced by the pale light of moonbeams breaking through the treetops. The air was still in only the way a forest without wind could be, and unsteadily silent, waiting for a disturbance to startle from its light sleep. Finely tuned instinct whispered to wait, to watch, and to forget hesitance the moment opportunity struck.

Eventually the instinct proved itself valuable when the sound of rustling leaves echoed across the glade. It was faint and careful, but the sound was distinctly the cautious pacing of a creature. within a minute the sloping curve of a deers head was peering in between the trees, apparently assessing the landscape before slowly stepping further into the pass.

Sniper readied his bow, thumbing over one of his arrows ends as he knocked it to his wire.

Slow breaths.

Focus.

Don’t blink.

He drew the bow taut, one eye slipping closed to center the arrows tip between the wide eyes of the timid creature. A deep breath and all breathing stopped, fingers slipping from the wire to let the arrow fly. and had he loosed it properly the shot would have hit perfectly, painlessly, and efficiently. Unfortunately, a sudden crash and shout startled the entire wood out of its tense sleep, as birds flew their nest and both predator and prey startled. sniper snapped the arrow into a tree, and the deer ran off full tilt the way it had come. The hunter turned to check on where scout had been sitting earlier only to find the spot was empty, and with that sudden realization, knew full well where the disturbance had come from.

He dropped from the trees limb onto the ground, trying to pick up on where the sound had come from, cursing scouts name to hell and back while also praying there were no bears nearby; and if there were that scout wasn’t foolhardy enough to try and disturb one. Another, closer, shout sounded off from his right, and while Sniper might have otherwise been livid at the absolute disregard shown for their entire outing, he was more focused on the look of absolute terror his teammate wore.

“We gotta go!” Scout snapped, stopping just long enough to tug and Snipers arm, which was just as soon yanked back.

“What happened?!” The larger man asked, grabbing scout by the shoulder to get some kind of answer before acting.

Scout gave a broad sweep toward the way he had come from. “It- I don’t know! I don’t know, there was this- it had to be some kinda messed up animal. All I know is that it was real big, real angry, and fast as all hell, so we gotta **GO** he urged once more, taking a step backwards towards the way they’d left the outpost.

“You want to drag whatever it is back with us?” The marksman scolded, moving to press his back against one of the massive trees. “If it can see us it’ll follow us. What we need is distance or a distraction otherwise it’s-“ his voice halted as a new ‘crash’ shook the ground; much heavier, and much closer than any had been before. Scout seemed to be all too aware of what it was, reaching over to yank the kukri from Snipers hip in an apparent knee-jerk reaction.

Both were well aware of what a calm before the storm felt like, and this was no different. Everything stood as still as an image. Nightbirds didn’t let out a note, deer and rabbits sat still wherever they were, and the two men in the forest barely breathed against the fragile air that surrounded them.

And it was all broken in a second.

Without warning, an animalistic yowl shook the very earth and a hulking mass launched itself from the shadows, its weight slamming into snipers side like a bullet train. All at once the air was knocked from his lungs as predator and prey slammed into the trees base. There was only a second to get any bearings, but that second slowed to eternity at the sight of the attacker. In the light of the moon both men got an unhindered look at the terrible creature.

Thick hair black as pitch stood on end, back hunched forward on legs too long for comfort. A large maw curled back into a sinister, sharp snarl, its long fangs shooting out to gnash at its target. Worst of all though we’re those eyes. Pupils pierced through a wide ring of brown like daggers, while the rest was filled with white. Stark, pallid, bone white- visible in all directions around the pale brown irises.

An unsettling discomfort pierced Snipers chest when he looked into those eyes, getting the distinct feeling that they knew exactly what they were looking at, and that the mind behind them was smarter than its exterior. It knew that it was stronger than them. It knew that it was fast enough to catch any movement. And it knew it wanted these sharp little things in its forest gone.

The second ended, and the beast launched itself forward again with a growl so deep it rumbled in the base of the hunters chest. Reflexively he lifted his hands, catching the creatures face in a shaky grip, matted fur held tight between his fingers as he tugged it away. Snapping teeth shot forward, yanking one of the hands free from their grip, and on instinct the arm was brought up in front of snipers neck. A second of numbness followed, though a deep spattering of blood began dripping from the creatures maw to feed the roots of the tree.

Animal attacks were rarely something to brush off, but this one in particular stung in the way electricity might. It burned, seared, and scorched as the teeth buried so deeply into the arm that no sound could escape his chest, only the feeling of his jaw clenching hard enough that his teeth creaked. A flash of fear shoved its way into snipers mind, shouting that they didn’t have a doctor on hand. They didn’t even know if the teleported between America and Europe were running yet. What he did know was how long it took for an untreated wound to get infected. He did know how long it took for someone to bleed out.

Then suddenly the pressure was gone. The beasts jaw snapped open to let out a shrill cry, jumping to the side with a staggering limp. Fur began to dampen at its hip, and if the kukri now shining a slick red in scouts hand was any indicator, the wolf had forgotten it was a fight of two against one. A professional never missed an opening, and a hunter never misused his weapons. Sniper reached over his shoulder to his quiver to pull one of the thin rods forward.

An animals shriek echoed through the woods as the arrow found itself firmly lodged between two of the monsters ribs. Perhaps he shouldn’t have felt quite so satisfied when the monster shuffled further away, snapping down towards the thorn in its side, but the feeling of vindication was enough to get him moving.

“I told you!” Scout called, his first few paces back to base being backwards, still holding the knife outward at the wolf as it twisted and snapped at the pains between its chest and pelvis. As it turned out, panic and survival instinct proved very useful in weaving between trees and thickets, neither sparing a second to look back until the abandoned base was in view, and only stopped once the heavy sound of the doors slamming shut and locking echoed through the room.

The base was cold by now, but safe, and as the pair stood backs flush against the wall, breath coming in heavy, short bursts, the rush of the chase slowly wore off. visions of sharp teeth faded in favor of the bleak grey walls that surrounded them, and the chill of wind was replaced by the still coldness of a room not built for humans.

Scout was the first to come out of it properly, much to Snipers own surprise. His breathing was still shaky, but slowed to something resembling normal as a minute or so passed. He dropped the knife with a loud clatter and gave himself a quick pat down, apparently making sure everything was still there, and while he was relieved to see he was unharmed beyond bruises and scrapes, a glance at his companion revealed that the same could not be said in his case.

“Oh Jesus.” Scout muttered. looking down himself sniper had to agree that it was a fair assessment. The bite was deep, clearly showing torn muscle while thick rivers of blood lazily rolled down his arm and dropped to the floor. Sniper had seen enough viscera and gore in his life to remain unphased at gruesome maulings, but this felt different from any kind of mammals bite he’d gotten before. As feeling came back it reminded him more like the pierce of a vipers fangs, setting his nerves on edge with a feeling of hot pins and needles crawling up his arm and across his chest; the huntsman’s brain became addled and muddy, though if he had the chance to think logically he should have been more concerned about nerve damage and blood loss than any invasive thought of snakes. Seeing as how he wasn’t thinking logically though, he could only slide down the wall, landing with a heavy ‘thump’ against the concrete floor. Distantly he was aware that something was being said, though it was so indistinct he paid it no mind. He was tired, that was what mattered.Breathing grew shallow and slow, and the last image before darkness were those dark, terrible eyes staring back at him.

The first thing he was aware of was a loud rumbling from below. Eyes still closed, the distinct hum of an engine, and what must have been the rolling of gravel. Everything felt heavy, and even the slightest movements made his body ache in protest, only made all the more uncomfortable by the now familiar shifts and bumps of what could only be a car in motion. Sniper let out a low groan and ran a hand over his face, thankful for once that he didn’t have sunglasses blocking anything.

Across from him there was a loud ‘thud’, accompanied by an enthusiastic ‘oh thank god.’ coming from an all too familiar voice. He tried to blink away the burn in his eyes and sit up, though only managed to get himself propped up on his elbows. In that time scout had gotten up from where he’d been sitting and opened the window between the front seat and the cargo area of their truck

“Yo, sleepin’ beauty’s finally up” he called, earning a glare tossed back from the mentioned sleeper. Regardless, the response he got was genuine, and the relief in Engineers voice settled a slight tension in the hunters chest.

“well if that ain’t a relief I don’t know what is.” The southerners warm voice echoed back. “Hows he doin? Any problems we oughta stop for?”

“Uh, lemme check.” Scout responded, turning to speak directly at the prone marksman. “Hey, snipes, how ya feelin?”

“Like I want to turn your head into a fine pink mist and pass out again”

“He’s fine!” Scout cheered, getting a quiet laugh back, along with the sound of spy beginning to chide their engineer for worrying over nothing. Leaving them to bicker, scout took a few steps back in towards the center of the shipment container. Getting a look around there was actually very little inside, the largest item, save for a few gun cases, being a couple of boxes filled with ammo and scrap metal tied down along the walls. By the notches carved into the top of one of the medium ones, that had been where scout was waiting; though now it seemed the runner had decided it was more appropriate to sit at the gunmans side, jaw in hands as he gave sniper another once-over. Pushing himself to sit up properly sniper grimaced, finding his right side falter when put under pressure.

“Yeah, might not wanna stress that too much.” Scout commented, seeing how his teammate cringed at the slight movement. “Hard hat patched ya up as best as he could, but the docs gonna go ballistic once he sees what’cha got there. we still got some’a those tablets for pain if you wanna drop the tough guy act too. Speakin of: what the hell dude?!” Scout scolded, throwing his hands up. “why didn’t you tell anyone you’ve got a fainting problem like that? Scared the hell outta everyone” he asked, a tight frown carved firmly into the usually coltish face.

“I don’t.” Sniper huffed, adjusting to lean back against the wall as a dull throb began to knock at his head. “it was blood loss, if anything. Wouldn’t doubt if shock, and a concussion compounded it, at least if this headache means anything.” Not to mention how tired he still felt. He’d experienced all three plenty of times before, both separately and in combination, but this time in particular left him feeling exhausted in nearly every aspect. Scout seemed to mull over the answer, and after reaching into his pocket to pull out a small bottle with medics handwriting scrawled across the label, tried for a weak, but wide smile.

“You can say ya got scared, it’s ok.” He teased, dropping a few pills into snipers hand before dropping the bottle onto the sleeping bag the other was resting on. To his own surprise, sniper found a slight laugh bubble up, foggy and indistinct, but still present.

“Last I checked we were both scared out of our minds.” He huffed, taking the medicine dry. “But thank you for reminding me of that, I’ve actually got something to ask”

Scout perked up, inching a bit closer in interest.

“Yeah? Alright uh- ok what’s up?”

His answer came in the form of a firm punch to the shoulder, and a heavy glare.

“What in gods name is the matter with you?!” He exclaimed, feeling better as scout recoiled, holding the now bruising shoulder.

“Freakin hell, man, what in the shit was that for?!”

“Why’d you run off?” Was the quick response he got. Scout had the decency to look ashamed for at least a second before vibrato kicked back in and he puffed his chest, glaring sharply back.

“Well it wasn’t like anything was gonna happen any time soon! I was gone for what? A few minutes?”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“... fine! Fine. I heard somethin movin around and followed it. I didn’t know it was... well, yknow. *that*”

Sniper put his head in his hand, rolling slow circles into his temple.

“So you just... followed it. Without telling me. Scout you could’ve gotten hurt so much worse than this” he gestured to the arm hanging prone to his side.

“I didn’t though, did I?” Scout asked, to which sniper leveled him with an incredibly unamused face. “Fine, fine, I get it, ‘going into the woods alone is a bad idea.’ But you do it all the time, what makes you think I can’t handle it?”

“Because of that *thing* we ran into out there. If you’d been alone how would it have ended?”

Scout leaned further forward, taking his headset off to fiddle with the microphone.

“What was that thing anyways?” He asked, clearly unhappy at the images flashing through his mind as he elected to stare down at his headgear rather than sniper. With the argument momentarily stopped, the Aussie humored the thought, only to find that there really was no answer.

“Dunno.” He finally said, pulling his knees up to cross his arms over. “Looked like a giant wolf but it- it didn’t act like one. Usually wolves’re fairly scared of humans, they’ll turn tail more often than not, so to give chase like that and then attack its... it weren’t natural.” He sighed, a new worry of rabies making itself at home in his already spinning mind.

“Y’ever had a job in Romania before?” Scout asked, the question so out of pocket it threw sniper out of the quickly sloping spiral he was headed down.

“What?” He asked,

“I’m just saying, maybe that’s just what wolves’re like in Romania! Like breeds ‘a dogs. A Dalmatian’s a dog as much as a dachshund is, but they look totally different. So maybe this is just what a Romanian wolf looks like: fucked up and angry.”

A beat passed as sniper took in the suggestion. Sure, a wolf from Russia would look different from one found in India, but this one felt off in a way he couldn’t quite explain. Still, scout seemed hopeful that that was the case, and it wasn’t as if people had documented every animal in the world, so he sighed and pulled a slight smile- for both their sakes.

“Different breed then... tell ya what: once we get back I’ll look into it. But if nothing matches what we saw im using you as bait to catch one.”

“Wh- hey! it seemed to prefer you over me if you’re talking about a bite to eat! Thing probably thought you were a strip of beef jerky anyways.”

And despite the deep ache that had made its home in snipers bones, he let out a quick, easy laugh. For as much of a braggart the kid was, he at least knew how to cut tensions.

“Remind me why I tolerate you again?”

“Cause I got your hat and glasses back, dummy. Also I helped carry your gangly ass back here, so I think a ‘thank you’ is in order.” Scout answered, reaching somewhere behind him to produce the familiar old slouch hat and aviators, setting them beside his friend.

“I’ll thank ya when my arms not fulla holes anymore, hows that sound?” As if to punctuate he lifted his forearm, now seeing the patchwork of gauze wrapped together by what looked like grip tape. He was already dreading what medic would have to say about the macgyvered first aid, but at least the bleeding had stopped if the dried patch of red at the top was any indication.

The conversation continued on in much the same way for most of the ride, both sides deciding that if an argument was necessary then it could wait. At some point, sniper found himself lying back down, comfortably realizing the medicine had begun kicking in; silently appreciating how nice it was to be able to rest without sharp pains running from wrist to shoulder, and he assumed the dull ache that persisted through the rest of his body would dissipate in the next few minutes. It helped that he had something demanding attention to keep his mind off of it too.

By the time they had reached the base the sun was once again crawling beneath the horizon, and conversation had lulled into a comfortable silence with scout stifling the occasional yawn, and sniper adamantly trying to keep his eyes open. It didn’t last long however, seeing as he barely recalled the car stopping. After a groggy apology and assurance that really, he was feeling better, he gave a quick wave back before leaving for his own bed. He didn’t remember how he convinced Engie that they could wait to talk to medic until morning. Nor could he remember actually entering his van, or changing into a set of clothes that weren’t stained in blood and mud.

What he did remember, however, was how strange he thought it was that his the deep, dull ache in his bones had persisted despite the pain relief he’d taken.

#tf2 fic #tf2 sniper #tf2 scout #dime Drabble #fic: lone wolf #werewolf fic #I love snipes hence why he must suffer

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